ANOTHER Saturday meant another afternoon full of familiar frustration, despair, disappointment and ultimately defeat for Southend United.

The Shrimpers welcomed AFC Wimbledon to Roots Hall.

And it realistically appeared a game Blues could be in with a chance of winning.

After all, the managerless Dons came into town sitting just two points and one place above the Shrimpers in the League One standings having also played a game more.

Furthermore, Wimbledon had been beaten in all six of their away outings and had yet to pick up a single point on their travels.

So for them to dominate the majority of the match and cruise to a comfortable 4-1 victory was a further indictment of the state this current Southend side is currently in.

In truth, Wimbledon could and probably should have secured an even more emphatic victory as the Shrimpers’ struggles continued.

Blues have now been beaten 10 times in 12 League games this season and have taken just four points from a possible 36.

Only Premier League strugglers Watford and League One’s Bolton Wanderers – who started the campaign with a 12-point deduction – have picked up fewer points this term.

But the damning statistics do not stop there.

Blues have now suffered four successive defeats, triumphed just twice at home since January and also managed to keep just one clean sheet since the first month of the year.

On top of that, the Shrimpers have now conceded a whopping 32 goals in 12 games, seven more than any other team in the top four tiers of English football.

But, in truth, the statistics only really tell half the story as Blues also seem to be lacking in character, creativity and quality.

And, while it may still only be October, relegation is starting to look more and more of a certainty.

From the outside looking in that may seem harsh to be saying that so early in the season.

However, delve a little deeper and it soon becomes apparent that to reach the 49 point barrier, which on average has been needed to stay up at this level, the Shrimpers will need a radical revival.

To underline that, Blues are currently averaging 0.33 points per game and to reach 49 points they will now need to pick up 1.4 points a game.

That ratio, consistently produced throughout the season, would pretty much be play-off form.

And, following Friday’s trip to fellow strugglers Tranmere Rovers, the Shrimpers have a run of eight tough fixtures as they face six of the top 11 teams as well as Burton Albion and Portsmouth.

Of course, the Shrimpers cannot give up hope and they are now seven points from safety with 32 games left to play.

Fewer points could also be needed to stay up this term due to Bury’s expulsion and Bolton’s points deduction.

And strange things can often happen in football too.

For instance, just a few weeks ago who would have thought Henrik Larsson would be in line to be Blues’ next boss or, in fact, who would have thought he even knew who Southend United were?

Yet, remarkably the former Sweden international is in pole position to be appointed by the Shrimpers with ex-Liverpool striker Dirk Kuyt as his right-hand man.

The appointment will generate excitement and headlines across the country.

But just how much will the duo know about teams, players and tactics at League One level?

Larsson’s managerial record back in Sweden is also not the best, with him having just a 35 per cent winning record.

However, the Swede is to be admired for taking on what must be one of the toughest tasks in football right now.

Including caretakers, Blues have already had four different managers in 2019 and none have been able to turn around the team’s fortunes.

Larsson and everyone else connected with the Shrimpers will now be hoping an impact will be made by the latest incumbent but, ultimately, are the players good enough?

Results, over quite some time, suggest they are not, and right now this does appear to be the worst Southend side in recent history.

The wretched run of results and poor performances makes following Blues painful right now and it will require a huge amount of effort and time for things to start moving in the right direction.