Latest Meeting with the Club.

[Tampa Blue]

Has Ron approached Stobarts about getting involved, the airports taken off really well since they got involved there. Just imagine a Stobarts truck shaped hotel, all those spotters visiting the stadium, extra visitors / extra cash could see us fly through the league...........:whistling:

Believe that a) our reputation precedes us, and b) they are heavily tied in to Carlisle

 

[Wise Head]

I would like to know which company will own the stadium, what rent will be charged and a more detailed breakdown of the revenue streams and which companies wil benefit from them. And lastly what level of debt will the football club have when they move in as tenants. Ron will know the answers to these questions as he will have done all the projections to try and finance it. Once we have more detailed information from him then we will be able to see what the outlook for the club is.

 

[rlb999]

I don't understand this need for a 20,000 seater stadium either. When we were in the championship we got 10k on a good day. We're in danger of building something we can't fill and having no atmosphere as a result.

 

[Up the Shrimpers]

I don't understand this need for a 20,000 seater stadium either. When we were in the championship we got 10k on a good day. We're in danger of building something we can't fill and having no atmosphere as a result.

Our average home crowd in the Championship was just over 10,000 it was pretty hard to get it much higher than that.
Home capacity during the Championship season was running at 95% there were plenty of games that would have been much larger crowds if we had the usable capacity.

Having said that so much damage has been done by RM since then it would be very hard to get some of those fans back again. At the time the original plans were drawn up 20,000 seemed ok maybe 16,000 would be better now, but I think those more in the know stated the building costs for a smaller ground were not much less than the planned 20,000.

Also dont forget if the new ground ever gets built then it will be 14,000 capacity to start with and with no set time frame for the building of the main stand.

With regards to atmosphere, most of the time Roots Hall hardly has a brilliant atmosphere does it, so hopefully the atmosphere at the new ground can't be any worse.

 

[Beefy]

I dont think a 3 sided ground in League 2 or even League 1 is really going to increase the crowds by that much. If we were in the new ground this season how many more people would have gone to the Aldershot game, not many more I bet.

No it won't. But again we don't know how long the ground would be three sided for. The tender document last year suggested only a short period of time. Personally I won't believe that we're actually moving grounds until the first brick is laid and until that point it seems pointless to get hung up on how many sides the ground will have and how long for.

Should we ever get into this new ground it is imperative we are at least fighting it out at the top end of League 1. In League 2 the novelty will wear off from visiting the new ground after a few visits.( Talking about floating and potential new supporters).

There's that 'we' word again. I think you'd get a lot less grief on here, from me if from no one else, if you stopped giving the impression that you're a Southend United fan when you've admitted that you're not.

 

[Sherif H]

18. Is RM expecting us to be promoted this season, as in is his financial planning including higher revenue next season?


RM - Promotion is always the objective and I am never going to be satisfied with treading water whether it be League 2 or for that matter in a higher League. Football for me is about winning otherwise we might as well stay at Roots Hall and be content in League 2. Certainly the Club would increase revenues if we were promoted as all commercial areas benefit the higher the Club is in the football ladder. There remains a need to balance player wages but overall there is a financial improvement from promotion. These statistics have been borne out not only by Southend but many other Clubs also.

------------------

Forgive me if I'm wrong, but when questions were raised in the past regarding the necessity of a new ground, the answer was that the club would be unable to survive if it remained at Roots Hall. Martin now appears to claim that a future is possible, albeit marooned in League 2. It's long been my own contention that a redeveloped East/North stand would give us the required 16000 capacity that could potentially facilitate a Championship Club.

A small point no doubt in the scheme of things, but evidence again to my mind that the line of argument is too often shifted to suit.

Time and time again people seem to chose to ignore the reasoning behind Clubs seeking alternative sites for new grounds - capacity is one of the lesser arguments for such a change. Lower league Clubs make very little from non-matchday revenue, typically because their existing facilities are located in run-down parts of provincial towns with little or no obvious access to the extremely lucrative corporate hospitality market. Go figure how London Premier League clubs make so much money in this area, and why Tottenham and West Ham were both utterly fixated with moving to the Olympic Stadium....

We have to move to a site where there is enough space to facilitate the absolute maximum amount of viable non-matchday revenue generating entities - in this case, personified by a large number of retail units, hotel, capacity for much larger and more modern/luxurious flexible spaces within the stadium, and, quite possibly, a casino or the like.

Take it from somebody who has been heavily involved in delivering a number of stadiums for League Clubs - if we stay at Roots Hall, and, even if we were to redevelop, we wouldn't be able to satisfy the business model which, love him or hate him, Ron has his eyes quite rightly set upon.

 

[ldnfatso]

New question for the next Interview.

As we are going to be a 3 sided stadium initially , are there any thoughts that the unbuilt 4th side become a souless away terrace??

 

[Sherif H]

I suspect it makes sense to leave the side well alone for as long as it takes to find the funding - add a terrace and you increase the amount of policing required etc....

 

[ooh-andy-ansah]

Time and time again people seem to chose to ignore the reasoning behind Clubs seeking alternative sites for new grounds - capacity is one of the lesser arguments for such a change. Lower league Clubs make very little from non-matchday revenue, typically because their existing facilities are located in run-down parts of provincial towns with little or no obvious access to the extremely lucrative corporate hospitality market. Go figure how London Premier League clubs make so much money in this area, and why Tottenham and West Ham were both utterly fixated with moving to the Olympic Stadium....

We have to move to a site where there is enough space to facilitate the absolute maximum amount of viable non-matchday revenue generating entities - in this case, personified by a large number of retail units, hotel, capacity for much larger and more modern/luxurious flexible spaces within the stadium, and, quite possibly, a casino or the like.

Take it from somebody who has been heavily involved in delivering a number of stadiums for League Clubs - if we stay at Roots Hall, and, even if we were to redevelop, we wouldn't be able to satisfy the business model which, love him or hate him, Ron has his eyes quite rightly set upon.

Yes yes yes but RM won't answer one simple question, how will the extra revenue that will be generated by the development benefit the football club.

The issue here is that people simply don't trust him and feel he is using the football club as a vehicle to create Ron World with no guarantee that the club will benefit financially from this move. Yes we can sell more burgers etc but we still won't generate enough income to break even.

So the question is Ronald - will you be using a proportion of your increased revenue from Ron World to bankroll the club on and off the pitch or do you plan to pocket it all.

 

[FarmdogSUFC]

We will be a much more attractive prosepect for future investers though once we have the 3 sides built. I don't see this being a major problem as I fell that once the stadium is up and running we will have a fair few businesses interested. A season or 2 with 3 sides isn't a problem to me. Any more though would.

 

[Sherif H]

Appreciate that follow-up question, but that wasn't the original question asked.

As for his intentions, none of us really know, but I suspect that his status as the leader of this Club would mean that he has very few to answer to with regard how the money is apportioned - however, it would be naive to think that he would get away with siphoning money from the 3rd party interests ad infinitum.

 

[Jam_Man]

18. Is RM expecting us to be promoted this season, as in is his financial planning including higher revenue next season?


RM - Promotion is always the objective and I am never going to be satisfied with treading water whether it be League 2 or for that matter in a higher League. Football for me is about winning otherwise we might as well stay at Roots Hall and be content in League 2. Certainly the Club would increase revenues if we were promoted as all commercial areas benefit the higher the Club is in the football ladder. There remains a need to balance player wages but overall there is a financial improvement from promotion. These statistics have been borne out not only by Southend but many other Clubs also.

------------------

Forgive me if I'm wrong, but when questions were raised in the past regarding the necessity of a new ground, the answer was that the club would be unable to survive if it remained at Roots Hall. Martin now appears to claim that a future is possible, albeit marooned in League 2. It's long been my own contention that a redeveloped East/North stand would give us the required 16000 capacity that could potentially facilitate a Championship Club.

A small point no doubt in the scheme of things, but evidence again to my mind that the line of argument is too often shifted to suit.

That wouldnt give us the increase in commercial income, nor the profit from the redevelopment. (If either of those even happen at Fossetts)

 

[onceknownasrab]

That wouldnt give us the increase in commercial income, nor the profit from the redevelopment. (When they happen)

Edited just to encourage a warm glow of positive energy:smiles:

 

[Jam_Man]

Edited just to encourage a warm glow of positive energy:smiles:

Well until Ron confirms how they will benefit the club we just dont know. They may make 200k a year but only 20k could find its way to the club. Who knows.

Im all for being optimistic, but at the moment theres no information to base that on.

As for what profits will be made from the redevelopment is anyones guess.

 

[Wise Head]

Well until Ron confirms how they will benefit the club we just dont know. They may make 200k a year but only 20k could find its way to the club. Who knows.

Im all for being optimistic, but at the moment theres no information to base that on.

As for what profits will be made from the redevelopment is anyones guess.

I agree. Will the club benefit from the development by having its debts written off/reduced? Exactly what revenue streams will the club receive? And most important what rent will we be charged a year?

Until I have the answers to those questions I remain sceptical over the club's future.

 

[onceknownasrab]

I agree. Will the club benefit from the development by having its debts written off/reduced? Exactly what revenue streams will the club receive? And most important what rent will we be charged a year?

Until I have the answers to those questions I remain sceptical over the club's future.

As RM recently assured me;
'... I have for many years acted in the best interests of Southend United Football Club and will continue to do so. People quickly forget that we achieved Planning Consent at a Local Level in a very short time and I suspect in part the support of the Club is recognition by the Council of our honesty and integrity to create a future for Southend United Football Club of which the whole Town can be proud. Those Plans were frustrated by the Government Office calling them in for an Inquiry and whilst not entirely unexpected did nevertheless cost us 22 months of effectively ‘treading water’. When the Secretary of State did eventually Report, thankfully successfully, on the outcome of that ‘Review’ it coincided with the collapse of first Lehman Brothers and a number of American and UK Banks, including the Bank of Scotland (now merged into Lloyd’s Banking Group) with whom the Project was fully funded. Circumventing the funding markets to be where we now are now is at least one novel, if not a collection, should I ever get the time to write! I mention all of this because if the economic crisis that enveloped the Western World in 2008 had not occurred you would have seen the fruits of my ‘alleged ambitions’...

I for one am for believing him and supporting his and our ambitions. A proactive and positive attitude from the zoners can only be of help to the club. UTB.

 

[Mick]

As RM recently assured me;
'... I have for many years acted in the best interests of Southend United Football Club and will continue to do so. People quickly forget that we achieved Planning Consent at a Local Level in a very short time and I suspect in part the support of the Club is recognition by the Council of our honesty and integrity to create a future for Southend United Football Club of which the whole Town can be proud. Those Plans were frustrated by the Government Office calling them in for an Inquiry and whilst not entirely unexpected did nevertheless cost us 22 months of effectively ‘treading water’. When the Secretary of State did eventually Report, thankfully successfully, on the outcome of that ‘Review’ it coincided with the collapse of first Lehman Brothers and a number of American and UK Banks, including the Bank of Scotland (now merged into Lloyd’s Banking Group) with whom the Project was fully funded. Circumventing the funding markets to be where we now are now is at least one novel, if not a collection, should I ever get the time to write! I mention all of this because if the economic crisis that enveloped the Western World in 2008 had not occurred you would have seen the fruits of my ‘alleged ambitions’...

I for one am for believing him and supporting his and our ambitions. A proactive and positive attitude from the zoners can only be of help to the club. UTB.

Fiction or non-fiction ?

 

[Jam_Man]

As RM recently assured me;
'... I have for many years acted in the best interests of Southend United Football Club and will continue to do so. People quickly forget that we achieved Planning Consent at a Local Level in a very short time and I suspect in part the support of the Club is recognition by the Council of our honesty and integrity to create a future for Southend United Football Club of which the whole Town can be proud. Those Plans were frustrated by the Government Office calling them in for an Inquiry and whilst not entirely unexpected did nevertheless cost us 22 months of effectively ‘treading water’. When the Secretary of State did eventually Report, thankfully successfully, on the outcome of that ‘Review’ it coincided with the collapse of first Lehman Brothers and a number of American and UK Banks, including the Bank of Scotland (now merged into Lloyd’s Banking Group) with whom the Project was fully funded. Circumventing the funding markets to be where we now are now is at least one novel, if not a collection, should I ever get the time to write! I mention all of this because if the economic crisis that enveloped the Western World in 2008 had not occurred you would have seen the fruits of my ‘alleged ambitions’...

I for one am for believing him and supporting his and our ambitions. A proactive and positive attitude from the zoners can only be of help to the club. UTB.

I received emails from RM 4 years ago giving similar assurances, we since almost went out of business with millions of pounds of tax debts.

Im not sure how you read that email and determine anything of worth to be honest.

All of that we know and basically all he has said if there wasnt a credit crunch he would have achieved the stadium build. But it did happen and he still hasnt.

IF he were to come out and say I expect to make X amount a year from the retail park and 'commercial avenues' and X amount of that will go directly to the club then that would build confidence. But in 6 years he has never specified how the club actually benefits.

It may well be he doesnt know how much income will be generated, which is understandable, but Id like to see a firm commitment on how the club will benefit and thats always been missing.

 

[onceknownasrab]

I am just saying lets be positive whilst the jury is out. We know nothing for sure but there is a tendency to believe the worst. If the worst happens then we should jump up and down and smugly say I told you so. If it doesn't then years of being negative would have been a waste.

 

[Kent Shrimper]

Hopefully with Stobarts announcing the Terminal being more than doubled in size to accommodate the 2mil passengers it will attract hotel chains wanting to get a piece of the pie