SUFC: The Future COSU, Communications & Future

[teabee1]

Can't we just get out there and support the team without stressing about the backroom stuff?

Ridiculous! What’s the fun in that??

 

[CaptainSmudger]

We do need more communication. We were promised this. There needs to be a COSU Spokesperson giving updates regularly.
Ron,s debts only need to be repaid once, so the future should be brighter, providing funding is maintained.
Injuries to key players was the last thing we all needed.
If Keenan and Bim get off to a flying start today,(against Oldham) all will look and feel much better. COYB UTB
.

 

[leeblue]

I received a statement this morning.
There's a playingbudget we are sticking to it.
Once we rebuild the infrastructure of a dead football club this may change.
Revenue streams being optimised as allows at this time, advertising etc.
Hope this helps.

 

[Green Wizard]

How do you define constructive criticism?

 

[Barry.C]

How do you define constructive criticism?

dictionary would have it as this?

Noun. constructive criticism (usually uncountable, plural constructive criticisms) Any type of criticism that is intended to provide suggestions for improvement without offending or insulting the recipient.

 

[BEERMONSTER]

I feel the way some have expressed their opinions on here has been quite frankly disappointing.
You could almost be forgiven for thinking the takeover never happened by some comments.
Even when there has been an acknowledgement of COSU's pre-ownership financial commitment and eventual saving of the Club, it has been undervalued and diminished by a level of negativity over a perceived lack of communication and slowness in addressing certain issues, especially around matchday experience.
Personally I trusted COSU before the takeover and nothing has changed my opinion on that.
Also I don't crave the updates that others do, obviously I would be more than interested to hear any news or updates in relation to all aspects of our Club but as I say I still have trust in our 'Custodians'.
Perhaps it is also a matter of trust or should I say lack of it that drives others needs?
I understand 25 years of being treated like mushrooms and being kept in the dark hardly cultivates an atmosphere of trust or high patience levels.
In light of a bubbling atmosphere of discontent I have however under consideration for those fellow Shrimpers who are on the precipice of a frustration meltdown voted for COSU to provide some level of update.
Although I doubt if something was forthcoming sooner than later, it would be the 'State of the Nation' type of communication some are looking for.
I suppose the real message being given out to COSU is that within the demographics of the fan base there is a 'fragile' and somewhat suspicious element who have their own timetable of expectations and priorities.
Then there are those that just need to hear the reassurance of an official COSU communication that halts the slide into negative suppositions of doom and gloom.
Some have been quick to question COSU commitment to 'transparency' and even questioned if we are any better off under COSU, which given the modus operandi of the previous ownership is the equivalent of twining Stalin and Gandi as like for like.
Regrettably 'sustainability' would appear to be a pill that is to bitter for some if financial restraint also applies itself to transfer budgets and player wages. The refusal to buy our way out of the National League goes against the perception that throwing pounds at it will bring in higher financial returns on the back of promotion, a strategy that would appear not to be shared by COSU.
In a recent podcast John Watson spoke about much being done behind the scenes, no doubt the continued but seemingly undervalued reducing of historical debt being one aspect. Also the continued work to the finalisation of the 'Fans Advisory Board' which if correctly instigated should lend itself to improved channels of communication and identifiable accountability for response or resolution from the Club.
The future really is bright people, the future is Blue.
Keep the faith Shrimpers, unfortunately the downside is faith and patience normally come together as a package.

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

I received a statement this morning.
There's a playingbudget we are sticking to it.
Once we rebuild the infrastructure of a dead football club this may change.
Revenue streams being optimised as allows at this time, advertising etc.
Hope this helps.

Congrats on your bank statement.

I think all that is fair enough but what we don’t know is how long are we looking at to rebuild the infrastructure? Are we talking 18 months or 18 years?

When will revenue be optimised eg fan zone, better food and drink options so we fans can spend more? Are we talking weeks/months/years/decades?

 

[GBJ]

Congrats on your bank statement.

I think all that is fair enough but what we don’t know is how long are we looking at to rebuild the infrastructure? Are we talking 18 months or 18 years?

When will revenue be optimised eg fan zone, better food and drink options so we fans can spend more? Are we talking weeks/months/years/decades?

See, these are all sensible questions

 

[Tampa Blue]

I feel the way some have expressed their opinions on here has been quite frankly disappointing.
You could almost be forgiven for thinking the takeover never happened by some comments.
Even when there has been an acknowledgement of COSU's pre-ownership financial commitment and eventual saving of the Club, it has been undervalued and diminished by a level of negativity over a perceived lack of communication and slowness in addressing certain issues, especially around matchday experience.
Personally I trusted COSU before the takeover and nothing has changed my opinion on that.
Also I don't crave the updates that others do, obviously I would be more than interested to hear any news or updates in relation to all aspects of our Club but as I say I still have trust in our 'Custodians'.
Perhaps it is also a matter of trust or should I say lack of it that drives others needs?
I understand 25 years of being treated like mushrooms and being kept in the dark hardly cultivates an atmosphere of trust or high patience levels.
In light of a bubbling atmosphere of discontent I have however under consideration for those fellow Shrimpers who are on the precipice of a frustration meltdown voted for COSU to provide some level of update.
Although I doubt if something was forthcoming sooner than later, it would be the 'State of the Nation' type of communication some are looking for.
I suppose the real message being given out to COSU is that within the demographics of the fan base there is a 'fragile' and somewhat suspicious element who have their own timetable of expectations and priorities.
Then there are those that just need to hear the reassurance of an official COSU communication that halts the slide into negative suppositions of doom and gloom.
Some have been quick to question COSU commitment to 'transparency' and even questioned if we are any better off under COSU, which given the modus operandi of the previous ownership is the equivalent of twining Stalin and Gandi as like for like.
Regrettably 'sustainability' would appear to be a pill that is to bitter for some if financial restraint also applies itself to transfer budgets and player wages. The refusal to buy our way out of the National League goes against the perception that throwing pounds at it will bring in higher financial returns on the back of promotion, a strategy that would appear not to be shared by COSU.
In a recent podcast John Watson spoke about much being done behind the scenes, no doubt the continued but seemingly undervalued reducing of historical debt being one aspect. Also the continued work to the finalisation of the 'Fans Advisory Board' which if correctly instigated should lend itself to improved channels of communication and identifiable accountability for response or resolution from the Club.
The future really is bright people, the future is Blue.
Keep the faith Shrimpers, unfortunately the downside is faith and patience normally come together as a package.

Brilliant post and agree 100%

 

[Shrimperborn1957]

I agree with a lot of what you are saying, but they will never come out and say about the budget, and why should they.

The budget is something very much kept in house, the only people that know the budget are the ones that need to know. Same with player wages.

I can find out loads of stuff from my people, some inside the club, some outside, but I’ll never find out how much X is on from them, or how much of our budget is left. I’ve been told there is room in the budget to bring in people, but that doesn’t tell me if that is 1/2, 3/4, one superstar, 8 decent lower league players, 27484 loanees or whatever.

As I say, I agree COSU should put something out there, and what you’ve put ticks a lot of the boxes, but we won’t hear about budgets.

As for point two, I’ve had no drink issues, are there any? Im loving having cruzcampo on tap. Or do you mean in terms of getting drinks at half time?

Bovril.

 

[Liam AAS]

"Do you think it reasonable that COSU give us an update on progress?"​

Progress on what, specifically?

 

[hlane17]

I received a statement this morning.
There's a playingbudget we are sticking to it.
Once we rebuild the infrastructure of a dead football club this may change.
Revenue streams being optimised as allows at this time, advertising etc.
Hope this helps.

Part of optimising those revenue streams is returning to the EFL IMO, but understand it's risk and reward and didn't play out too well for us previously.

 

[Thundersley Blue]

I feel the way some have expressed their opinions on here has been quite frankly disappointing.
You could almost be forgiven for thinking the takeover never happened by some comments.
Even when there has been an acknowledgement of COSU's pre-ownership financial commitment and eventual saving of the Club, it has been undervalued and diminished by a level of negativity over a perceived lack of communication and slowness in addressing certain issues, especially around matchday experience.
Personally I trusted COSU before the takeover and nothing has changed my opinion on that.
Also I don't crave the updates that others do, obviously I would be more than interested to hear any news or updates in relation to all aspects of our Club but as I say I still have trust in our 'Custodians'.
Perhaps it is also a matter of trust or should I say lack of it that drives others needs?
I understand 25 years of being treated like mushrooms and being kept in the dark hardly cultivates an atmosphere of trust or high patience levels.
In light of a bubbling atmosphere of discontent I have however under consideration for those fellow Shrimpers who are on the precipice of a frustration meltdown voted for COSU to provide some level of update.
Although I doubt if something was forthcoming sooner than later, it would be the 'State of the Nation' type of communication some are looking for.
I suppose the real message being given out to COSU is that within the demographics of the fan base there is a 'fragile' and somewhat suspicious element who have their own timetable of expectations and priorities.
Then there are those that just need to hear the reassurance of an official COSU communication that halts the slide into negative suppositions of doom and gloom.
Some have been quick to question COSU commitment to 'transparency' and even questioned if we are any better off under COSU, which given the modus operandi of the previous ownership is the equivalent of twining Stalin and Gandi as like for like.
Regrettably 'sustainability' would appear to be a pill that is to bitter for some if financial restraint also applies itself to transfer budgets and player wages. The refusal to buy our way out of the National League goes against the perception that throwing pounds at it will bring in higher financial returns on the back of promotion, a strategy that would appear not to be shared by COSU.
In a recent podcast John Watson spoke about much being done behind the scenes, no doubt the continued but seemingly undervalued reducing of historical debt being one aspect. Also the continued work to the finalisation of the 'Fans Advisory Board' which if correctly instigated should lend itself to improved channels of communication and identifiable accountability for response or resolution from the Club.
The future really is bright people, the future is Blue.
Keep the faith Shrimpers, unfortunately the downside is faith and patience normally come together as a package.

Well done, absolutely spot on.

 

[Yer Blues]

Maybe some supporters should switch their allegiances to Man City?

Years of utter dross, before the courts and **** scared about our future. Takeover finally goes through and fans are clamouring for action mere weeks in.

Get a reality grip and look at what has already been achieved. It’s actually a very long list most of which looks at sustainability and revenues.

Just so I'm clear, criticism of cosu is bad, but criticism of fanbase is fine?

How's things up there on that pedestal of yours?

 

[NZamba Legend]

"Do you think it reasonable that COSU give us an update on progress?"​

Progress on what, specifically?

Progress on the progress

 

[Medway Blue]

Tbf Rigsby, from what I can gather you were one of the diminishing few that backed Ron or at least were not overly critical. Each to there own but I'm certainly not at all bothered by your veiled snipes.

You are entitled to your opinion and me mine.

The difference in financial income from national league to football league is night and day. That's a fact.

Football fans are fickle. That's also a fact. 2 or 3 seasons of midtable national league will see crowds drop. Oldham are a guage of that.

Spend money on roots Hall by all means but the money should be invested on getting the club out of the national league.

Thats roughly 1.5 to 2 million extra straight away for being EFL.

Stay in the national league and you always run at a loss. In fact it would take crowds of 10k plus spending plenty of money on a matchday to even think of breaking even.

The football league is the priority. End of.

Maybe for you it is. Perhaps for the people who are putting their hands in their pocket to absorb the club's financial losses, it is not the number 1 priority?

People saying "it doesn't feel like much has changed since Ron Martin".

Well, there is one constant that stays the same, and that is that Southend United is a financial black hole, losing c. £1.5m-£2m per season.

In order to be anywhere near in the mix for the title at the end of the season, you could be looking at needing an extra £500k-£1m added to the playing budget.

Even then, there is no guarantee of getting out of the division first time round. If we spend that much and then miss out at the death, then you're increasing the losses to £2.5m-£3m per season, potentially for more than one season.

That might be a risk that COSU is unwilling to take at the moment.

This is why getting to breakeven might actually be their priority, and if you step back and stop just looking at it through the short-term lens of an impatient football supporter, then investing in the club's physical assets and infrastructure to get to breakeven ASAP is surely a much sounder long-term investment?

Perhaps from a point of breakeven, the budget could be increased to £2.5m per season and the club and owners might lose £1m or less. That's a much smaller risk than increasing the playing budget to £2.5m in an attempt to get promotion now, and then failing first time round, without the infrastructure in place to maintain the spending for another attempt and absorb further losses.

 

[Medway Blue]

On the subject of communication, I spoke to Justin yesterday and he's aware of the desire for more/better communication.

COSU and club are working through how best to do it, and about a strategy going forwards.

I'm sure we'll hear from them soon.

Some of us do need to manage expectations, though. This is not, and never was, going to be the start of an instantaneous upward trajectory.

These guys are rebuilding our club, in so many ways. The damage that had been done is utterly astonishing. It will take time and patience.

 

[Target man]

On the subject of communication, I spoke to Justin yesterday and he's aware of the desire for more/better communication.

COSU and club are working through how best to do it, and about a strategy going forwards.

I'm sure we'll hear from them soon.

Some of us do need to manage expectations, though. This is not, and never was, going to be the start of an instantaneous upward trajectory.

These guys are rebuilding our club, in so many ways. The damage that had been done is utterly astonishing. It will take time and patience.

100% right!

 

[leeblue]

Congrats on your bank statement.

I think all that is fair enough but what we don’t know is how long are we looking at to rebuild the infrastructure? Are we talking 18 months or 18 years?

When will revenue be optimised eg fan zone, better food and drink options so we fans can spend more? Are we talking weeks/months/years/decades?

Fan zone in October
Final decision needed on where to start with RH...feeling is East stand first as that's the money maker.
West stand facilities re furb before real upgrades happen.
Time frame variable due to decisions pending on plans being finalised.

 

[Ricey]

"Do you think it reasonable that COSU give us an update on progress?"​

Progress on what, specifically?

Read the thread, it’s pretty clear.