SUFC: The Future SUFC up for sale

[E for B and Billy Best]

I thought his son had no interest in the club?

His old man ain't been that interested and he's managed to rinse the club dry.

 

[Barry.C]

Underwhelmed

More Martin Yawn than Martin Dawn

Does this statement mean we are under an embargo until the season end and our promotion chances further buggered up.
Does it mean that all staff have been paid?

Interesting timing to come out and say the club are up for sale and this is being explored

The stadium was being explored 24 years ago

No renewals until Embargo and staff news I suggest this plan be strengthened

 

[Yer Blues]

I just posted in another thread that i heard a rumour that SUFC are in talks with a very very rich person from a middle east country , dont know fro which country but he is an Arab person wanting to buy out the club, Now before you get your knickers in a twist i dont know how much truth there is in this, but for myself i truly hope this is true. So please dont ask me how ive heard this just be patient and pray for the salvacion of SUFC.

Don't need to mate.

This has got "random geezer in a pub toliet" written all over it.

 

[nick12]

That t@@$$€r is better at spin than any politician. He really does think we are all thick and that will take the pressure off him.

It's working my phone not stopped pinging with people saying "fantastic news" seems there are more gullible people out there than I thought

Only one way to take the pressure off "shut up & sell up"

UTB

 

[euroshrimper]

Having read the Club statement from my point of view the jury is out as to if this is good news.........
Firstly this is likely to take months and months to progress and in the mean time who is going to fund the running of the club when I suspect our Chairman's credit line is currently "zero"
Are we going to get a press release asking all our season ticket holders to support the club pending the "Sale" in order to show potential buyers the fan base support etc.
Subject to the result of the season ticket survey personally I think people should still hold back until more information is forthcoming........so many unanswered questions but I note at the end of the statement something along the lines of no further information would be given until progress is made ! So playing for time plus give us your season ticket money........
Nothing changes really !
PS. Sorry I personally cannot be more positive........

 

[Snowy]

Right, 1.buy Euromillions ticket. 2. Win Euromillions 3. Buy Southend United FC.

SIMPLES

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

My assumption is that if Ron doesn't go through with a sale he'll be left with a sizeable fee from GSE, so him appointing them shows he's serious about a sale.

Whether they find a buyer at a price he's ok with it another matter.

All in this is great news, better than if he'd sold to a dodgy mate of his behind the scenes (e.g. Skally). Let's just hope we can find someone who isn't entirely nuts (only enough to buy us) and has deep enough pockets to fund the club.

This is such a good post.

 

[Ricey]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1636763752744857602

 

[Shrimper]

Ron will be wanting £25m for the club at least. Clears his "investment debts"

 

[cerbera45]

Yep, do you want to make an offer?

how about a Curly Wurly bar?

 

[Cricko]

how about a Curly Wurly bar?

Easy Tiger, they are not worth that much.

 

[palexander]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1636763752744857602

this is a weird attitude because wasnt Carl Discussing primarily that Ron wouldnt engage with him.

Surely (assuming Carl was serious, which I like to think he was) there is now the opportunity to progress with his plan and can now engage in talks?

Is that too simple a view @Carl

 

[danbowen]

So my issue is with the “I need to recoup my money”. Does building 1300 flats not help in anyway towards that?

Buying a football club is not a profitable business. Everyone knows that owners tend to lose money. They don’t go on about it as it’s part of the deal.

He bought the club to make money. That’s clear. He wanted to make money from a property deal. And that he looks like making lots of money from.

The club currently has one asset. That it brings planning permission more likely than not having a club. If he strips that, charges rent on a stadium and sells the club then what has he done for us?

He kept us going for years when maybe others could.
He stripped the asset of the stadium
He stripped the asset of being able to be a pawn in a property deal.

Let’s see what he will do when the offers come in, but if it’s the above then it’s not what he promised he would do and for me would make him an even bigger …. than I thought

Football was very different when he bought the club 25 odd years ago. Not backing him up at all but there is some good news in the fact he is actively now looking to sell the club which everyone wants and people are still not happy. Its a victory for the fans today so try and enjoy it a bit and see the positives rather than negatives.

 

[Texas Eslan]

Am I being naive here…isn’t this what we wanted ultimately? Why are a lot of people on here now doubting the intent and thinking this is all a way to get more season ticket sales?

Seems a little elaborate for that.

 

[Mad Cyril]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1636763752744857602

Ron Martin?

 

[kentblues]

this is a weird attitude because wasnt Carl Discussing primarily that Ron wouldnt engage with him.

Surely (assuming Carl was serious, which I like to think he was) there is now the opportunity to progress with his plan and can now engage in talks?

Is that too simple a view @Carl

Not if the primary interest of his backers was the development not owning a football club (even if with a stadium). Maybe Carl can still get something together with different backers assuming from his side the initial driver was indeed the club. Not blaming him either way.

 

[E for B and Billy Best]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1636744452331954181

I'm confusex is the club for sale or is Ron selling new investment partners.

 

[palexander]

Not if the primary interest of his backers was the development not owning a football club (even if with a stadium). Maybe Carl can still get something together with different backers assuming from his side the initial driver was indeed the club. Not blaming him either way.

No, absolutely not. Just struck me as like when theres a fight breaking out and you are being held back by your mates screaming your gonna smash someones face in. Then your mates let go of you...

 

[palexander]

I'm confusex is the club for sale or is Ron selling new investment partners.

Yes.

 

[basilrobbie]

I don’t understand some people.

The Club is now up for sale, as I read it, just the Club. The stadium etc could be at a later date, probably once it’s done and dusted so RM gets two lump sums. A smaller one for selling the Club now, and a large one down the line when the stadium is sold.

One of the things people were demanding was that RM outlined some sort of exit strategy. Isn’t that exactly what this is?

The debate about whether people would actually buy the Club can now be answered. The people that claimed they don’t know if anyone wants to buy their house until it’s put up for sale comes into effect here. There is a big For Sale sign outside Southend United. Yes, there is a financial web with all the relevant companies that own what, but this is the clearest indication in 25 years that RM wants out, so that can only be positive.

I’m expecting a post from Stan. That’s not ITK, just a guess now things are in the open. Those arguing that Stan should join us on the picket line as it’s better than working from within (a bit like those knocking the trust for something similar) will now come back with their tails between their legs in an ideal world, but of course they won’t.

This is really encouraging news. We’d have loved a new owner today, but that wasn’t realistic. I’d heard whispering since before Christmas that RM was looking for a way out. Personally, I see this as win win.

We’d all have loved shot of RM, but his golden egg is FF. He won’t be fully out of the picture until that is built, or almost there.

I really hope you are right. However :

1. exploring a sale is not the same as committing to sell. Nor are there any firm timescales in that statement - not one. In fact, he said the process would not be fast-tracked, which to me is code for "there is no urgency involved in this"

2. As I understand it this risks separating club and stadium completely....

3. ..... which is a worry as the club is effectively worthless, except for the right to play in the NL

4. Any prospective investor will want to see accounts. I saw no mention of them

To me it looks suspiciously like a piece of deflection, or a fig leaf to hide behind over a crucial period in which you as fans have to make decisions about buying season tickets. He's asking you to give him the benefit of a considerable amount of doubt - again.

Even if you take the statement at face value, it reads as though he has accepted that funding a sustainable future for SUFC is beyond him. I can think of no other plausible explanation for the high interest loan that mortgages the club's future, or the belated wish to get new capital in.

Final point - given the precarious nature of the club's financial position, does it really need to be spending what could be hundreds of thousands of pounds on consultancy fees?