FAO all Ron Martin believers, apologists, apathists: why I shall be voting option 5..

[brigadista]

So, how would staying at RH clear the debt and income be increased by remaining at RH ?

it would in effect reduce debt by circa the £30 mil it would cost to move in the first place!

 

[EastStandBlue]

can you put up what support they had/have - not because I dispute this, but because if you read their website you will see how it is all constructed and run and makes no mention of such - and would like to see any more info

FCUM recieved a number of donations from wealthy United supporters on the back of the Anti-Glazer campaign and raised over £100,000 to start the first season with IIRC. This was enforced by relatively huge attendances at that level (I think their last game raked in almost 3x the previous record, which they set themselves and beat most clubs in League Two as well)

They've just submitted plans for a new stadium, at a cost of £3m+, paid for by donations. I don't think we'd garner the same level of support.

 

[Beefy]

there aren't many of those clubs around though beefy. u

I'm sorry but you're wrong. Maybe there aren't many Clubs out there on the level of Colchester when it comes to just shrugging off huge losses, but at a smaller level it happens at almost every single Club we will face this season. Even Yeovil, often held out as the ultimate example of a well-run lower-league club lost half a million last financial year. That was without spending in the transfer market and only barely holding their own in the League. The money to cover those losses has to come from somewhere and this is the problem that we had last year. We were running at massive operating losses, we weren't even touching the sides from a cashflow perspective but the Chairman no longer had the capability to write a cheque and get us through.

 

[Firestorm]

it would in effect reduce debt by circa the £30 mil it would cost to move in the first place!

We do not have that debt at the moment, and as we are not building the stadium, nor will we own it i can't see us having the debt in the future either.

We currently have around 7M in debts caused by overspending, primariliy on players but also on administration, over the past 5 years or so.

How do you see these debts being cleared and significant increases in revenue being made by remaining at RH ?

 

[Interpol Shrimper]

FCUM recieved a number of donations from wealthy United supporters on the back of the Anti-Glazer campaign.

If only they were called Soccer Club United of Manchester...

 

[superblue24]

damn that formatted total sh*te

basically it took him 6 yrs to score a pro goal and in the 3 years since he's scored barely enough for me to run out of fingers. I won't be on his back because he's never going to be a serious pro footballer, but I certainly am not in the dreamland other's who are talking about him "forming partnerships, etc"

You want to take a look at Blair Sturrocks figures, they'll make your teeth itch!

 

[brigadista]

We do not have that debt at the moment, and as we are not building the stadium, nor will we own it i can't see us having the debt in the future either.

correct, but is someone going to stump up that cash from the goodwill of their heart? No, only to make a return, the prospects of which I feel are extremely thin based on the arguments made by both yourself and beefy

 

[Firestorm]

FCUM recieved a number of donations from wealthy United supporters on the back of the Anti-Glazer campaign and raised over £100,000 to start the first season with IIRC. This was enforced by relatively huge attendances at that level (I think their last game raked in almost 3x the previous record, which they set themselves and beat most clubs in League Two as well)

They've just submitted plans for a new stadium, at a cost of £3m+, paid for by donations. I don't think we'd garner the same level of support.

I think it was 6023 which for North West Counties Football League div 2 (4 below the conference North) indicates that they currently have exceptional support,

 

[brigadista]

You want to take a look at Blair Sturrocks figures, they'll make your teeth itch!

fail to see your point here?

 

[brigadista]

They've just submitted plans for a new stadium, at a cost of £3m+, paid for by donations. I don't think we'd garner the same level of support.

and where did those donations come from? there are not wealthy people lining up behind FCUM for the fun of it or the protest, it is their existing support that stumped it up.

Maybe if everyone put to one side the money they'd save from a boycott, they;d have a nice little pile when the time comes?

 

[Firestorm]

correct, but is someone going to stump up that cash from the goodwill of their heart? No, only to make a return, the prospects of which I feel are extremely thin based on the arguments made by both yourself and beefy

MD are borrowing the money for the development, it will be repaid out of the profits from the retail and leisure outlets , the flats on RH and a further lump of Sainsburies money... If we are fortunate SUFC will see some the income as well,

SUFC will be a tenant at FF , I agree, but tenants don't pay for their house to be built.

As for thin prospects based on Beefy and my arguments, what are the prospects for us if we stay at RH ?

 

[Beefy]

I'm not really sure what thin argument it is that I'm making anyway. I've already said that I'd prefer fan ownership. I'm just stating the facts as I perceive them to be.

 

[EastStandBlue]

and where did those donations come from? there are not wealthy people lining up behind FCUM for the fun of it or the protest, it is their existing support that stumped it up.

Maybe if everyone put to one side the money they'd save from a boycott, they;d have a nice little pile when the time comes?

Well isn't that precisely my original point? If we're going to have fan owned and run club, we'd need a considerable base of supporters willing to stump up a membership fee on top of admission prices. FCUM were getting gates between 2,000 and 3,000 regularly for football four leagues below the conference, with attendances of 6000 for certain games.

Given our saturated catchment area, a Southend-based renegade club would be no more appealing as the likes of Concorde, Canvey and Grays who already compete at that level. Sure, we'd carry a hardcore base of supporters over, but even that's diminishing, as shown by the numbers in the TBV section on Saturday.

 

[brigadista]

MD are borrowing the money for the development, it will be repaid out of the profits from the retail and leisure outlets , the flats on RH and a further lump of Sainsburies money... If we are fortunate SUFC will see some the income as well,

SUFC will be a tenant at FF , I agree, but tenants don't pay for their house to be built.

As for thin prospects based on Beefy and my arguments, what are the prospects for us if we stay at RH ?

whilst the dark side owns it, very slim, as it is core to his Dr Evil world domination plan (maybe not world, but at least the south east corner of essex) - but it is clearly my preference. People refer to it as if it is not fit for the job and HAS to be replaced.

 

[Beefy]

It has to be relaced because we don't own it and the people who do have sold it to a supermarket.

 

[brigadista]

Well isn't that precisely my original point? If we're going to have fan owned and run club, we'd need a considerable base of supporters willing to stump up a membership fee on top of admission prices. FCUM were getting gates between 2,000 and 3,000 regularly for football four leagues below the conference, with attendances of 6000 for certain games.

Given our saturated catchment area, a Southend-based renegade club would be no more appealing as the likes of Concorde, Canvey and Grays who already compete at that level. Sure, we'd carry a hardcore base of supporters over, but even that's diminishing, as shown by the numbers in the TBV section on Saturday.

true although I'm talking in terms of if the club went under and there were no alternative. A new fan based club at southchurch park, with Tilly at the helm, rising from the ashes that Ron had created would attract massive interest, especially the Echo. If the club went bust, where would all the people that couldn't help themselves going on saturday going to go?

 

[EastStandBlue]

true although I'm talking in terms of if the club went under and there were no alternative. A new fan based club at southchurch park, with Tilly at the helm, rising from the ashes that Ron had created would attract massive interest, especially the Echo. If the club went bust, where would all the people that couldn't help themselves going on saturday going to go?

Why would Tilson choose to manage a phoenix club playing in the lowest stretches of association football, when he's likely to be a hotly contested appointment for most Div3/4 clubs?

 

[brigadista]

It has to be relaced because we don't own it and the people who do have sold it to a supermarket.

I'm not disputing the situation, just peoples lack of respect for the old girl. It is 90% suitable for league football, the main issue being the cavernous home that is the north is given to 150 exeter fans who then make more noise than the 4,000 home fans. If he had a crumb of good judgement and the ground is set for demolishment he could at least give the north back for a couple of years which in turn I would argue boost attendances in the short term

 

[brigadista]

Why would Tilson choose to manage a phoenix club playing in the lowest stretches of association football, when he's likely to be a hotly contested appointment for most Div3/4 clubs?

let a man dream for a moment please!!

just the fact that he is southend through and through, still lives 3 doors from my parents, and if he didn't have a job offer at that time he could come and run a team which adores him, and has the resources to get promoted. Plus he's helping out at Dover at the moment......

 

[Firestorm]

whilst the dark side owns it, very slim, as it is core to his Dr Evil world domination plan (maybe not world, but at least the south east corner of essex) - but it is clearly my preference. People refer to it as if it is not fit for the job and HAS to be replaced.

But the age and state of the stadium, whilst far from pristine, is not the reason for moving, True, regular maintenance will be expensive, but its a prime site close to town with little in the way of planning restrictions, There is potential for the owners of the site to maximise its potential by moving the ground to a site with considerably less market value and more planning restrictions.
Were we to stay at RH, we would still have 7M of debts, we would still be limited to 12K maximum attendance , thus severely limiting our potential income, and we would either have to pay the going rate to buy it of its owner or pay 500K a year rent. Thus we would be left with very little in the way of spare cash to pay players which would lead to season upon season of bargain basement teams (imagine the current lot but less of them...