fbm
Blue tinted optimist⭐🦐
No one can say that supporting Southend isn't interesting!
Like many I suspect, the events of this club have been pretty much in the forefront of my mind for a couple of weeks now what with all the goings on etc.
If you were to ask any fan, player, member of staff or director what they wanted for SUFC, we would all probably say the same thing; success on the pitch and stability off it.
On that front, we must surely all be united.
The trouble is that we all have different views of how we achieve that. I was interested to read of Lord Footballs group "Southend United - Who Cares" and what their objective was - to achieve sustainable league football in the town. Well, that's what we've had for 100-odd years, we've still got it (maybe only just) but is definitely what we all want - Ron Martin included - so I personally cannot see how any action to demonstrate for something that we actually already have can succeed.
This got me thinking further... there have been so many threads on the consortium and how they must take over in order to save the club but many people view them with scepticism too. Some of the consortium are fans, so can justifiably claim to be working solely in the clubs interest, but some are not, so they must be in it for the money. They are led by property developers so will obviously want to make the money that Ron Martin is going to make. Nothing wrong with that - nowt for nowt as they say. I have no problem in anyone who owns the club making money out of it. I would if I could but I'm about £70 million short apparently.
Eaststandblue posted on another thread about this land the consortium own which relates to the sale of Roots Hall (I think) and questioned their motives, suggesting they may hold Ron to ransom with it. Martin Carruthers responded and said that surely if they wanted to spike the deal, they would have bought Prospects? This is a perfectly reasonable assumption to make because in MC's eyes it wouldn't make sense otherwise.
Similarly, there are many things about Rons actions so far that don't make sense to me and others IF he was trying to shaft the club etc etc but that's old ground we've done to death and then a bit.
However, surely, as fans, we aren't actually that concerned who is in charge as long as the club is run properly?
Again, one thing we can all agree on is that the treatment of the players and staff last season was pretty abysmal. I read somewhere recently that Ron had acknowledged his part in that, but obviously still blamed the players and management team primarily. I seem to remember in one of his early blogs he warned that it would be very tight money wise (understatement of the century!) but in business you do what you need to do to survive. What if we had paid all the players but then had gone under as a result? We don't have the facts, so we can't say what should have happened.
However, whether anyone feels the club is best off owned by Ron or someone else, we are all entitled to know that it's being run properly and that is what we should be campaigning for.
Whether we like it or not, if Ron owns the club we can't really force him out unless he wants to go and he's in too deep for that. As long as he pays the bills he is untouchable. I think demonstrations trying to get him out will be totally ineffective and even more divisive.
However, a mass demonstration to keep the club name out of the press and the courts and paying the wages on time is something I would certainly support. Ron strikes me as being the type of person who pays who shouts loudest at the very, very last minute. Therefore, if we get wind of players not being paid (assuming we stay in existence for another week beyond the court dates), we can demonstrate for that... as has been said on other threads, make life uncomfortable for Ron, let him know the level of unrest and dissatisfaction at the way things are being handled (which we all agree is rubbish, as opposed to what has actually happened where we seem to be divided) and do whatever we can to ensure we get the stadium built asap, the club as high up the league as we can go and then, I assure you, Ron will sell up and be off.
Needs a lot more thought but I'm sure you can all see where I'm coming from. Ultimately, as fans, we have to decide what we will do in the event of things continuing as they are, and the only course of action we have would be to vote with our feet and not attend the home games. Sadly, that may be too much of a sacrifice for many of us to make.
It would probably work though... a demo to "Pay the staff" could have more effect than "Martin Out" which he will probably laugh at and shrug off. That's because he can end the demo fairly easily and quickly... by paying the staff.
And that's what we want, isn't it? A properly run club with minimal off pitch problems for the players to deal with.
We can't change the past - what's happened has happened. Let's concentrate our efforts on things we can influence.
Like many I suspect, the events of this club have been pretty much in the forefront of my mind for a couple of weeks now what with all the goings on etc.
If you were to ask any fan, player, member of staff or director what they wanted for SUFC, we would all probably say the same thing; success on the pitch and stability off it.
On that front, we must surely all be united.
The trouble is that we all have different views of how we achieve that. I was interested to read of Lord Footballs group "Southend United - Who Cares" and what their objective was - to achieve sustainable league football in the town. Well, that's what we've had for 100-odd years, we've still got it (maybe only just) but is definitely what we all want - Ron Martin included - so I personally cannot see how any action to demonstrate for something that we actually already have can succeed.
This got me thinking further... there have been so many threads on the consortium and how they must take over in order to save the club but many people view them with scepticism too. Some of the consortium are fans, so can justifiably claim to be working solely in the clubs interest, but some are not, so they must be in it for the money. They are led by property developers so will obviously want to make the money that Ron Martin is going to make. Nothing wrong with that - nowt for nowt as they say. I have no problem in anyone who owns the club making money out of it. I would if I could but I'm about £70 million short apparently.
Eaststandblue posted on another thread about this land the consortium own which relates to the sale of Roots Hall (I think) and questioned their motives, suggesting they may hold Ron to ransom with it. Martin Carruthers responded and said that surely if they wanted to spike the deal, they would have bought Prospects? This is a perfectly reasonable assumption to make because in MC's eyes it wouldn't make sense otherwise.
Similarly, there are many things about Rons actions so far that don't make sense to me and others IF he was trying to shaft the club etc etc but that's old ground we've done to death and then a bit.
However, surely, as fans, we aren't actually that concerned who is in charge as long as the club is run properly?
Again, one thing we can all agree on is that the treatment of the players and staff last season was pretty abysmal. I read somewhere recently that Ron had acknowledged his part in that, but obviously still blamed the players and management team primarily. I seem to remember in one of his early blogs he warned that it would be very tight money wise (understatement of the century!) but in business you do what you need to do to survive. What if we had paid all the players but then had gone under as a result? We don't have the facts, so we can't say what should have happened.
However, whether anyone feels the club is best off owned by Ron or someone else, we are all entitled to know that it's being run properly and that is what we should be campaigning for.
Whether we like it or not, if Ron owns the club we can't really force him out unless he wants to go and he's in too deep for that. As long as he pays the bills he is untouchable. I think demonstrations trying to get him out will be totally ineffective and even more divisive.
However, a mass demonstration to keep the club name out of the press and the courts and paying the wages on time is something I would certainly support. Ron strikes me as being the type of person who pays who shouts loudest at the very, very last minute. Therefore, if we get wind of players not being paid (assuming we stay in existence for another week beyond the court dates), we can demonstrate for that... as has been said on other threads, make life uncomfortable for Ron, let him know the level of unrest and dissatisfaction at the way things are being handled (which we all agree is rubbish, as opposed to what has actually happened where we seem to be divided) and do whatever we can to ensure we get the stadium built asap, the club as high up the league as we can go and then, I assure you, Ron will sell up and be off.
Needs a lot more thought but I'm sure you can all see where I'm coming from. Ultimately, as fans, we have to decide what we will do in the event of things continuing as they are, and the only course of action we have would be to vote with our feet and not attend the home games. Sadly, that may be too much of a sacrifice for many of us to make.
It would probably work though... a demo to "Pay the staff" could have more effect than "Martin Out" which he will probably laugh at and shrug off. That's because he can end the demo fairly easily and quickly... by paying the staff.
And that's what we want, isn't it? A properly run club with minimal off pitch problems for the players to deal with.
We can't change the past - what's happened has happened. Let's concentrate our efforts on things we can influence.
