Now do we want Colchester to do well or not to help us survive?

[Jam_Man]

Was making myself feel better looking at Col U's stuttering season and how they have dropped out of the play offs and checked their fixtures.

They have to play 3 teams in the bottom third, although Hartlepool are pretty much uncatchable for us.

Hartlepool v Colchester
Colchester v Tranmere
Huddersfield v Colchester
Colchester v Leyton Orient

Now we obviously need them to beat Tranmere and Orient for us to have any hope of pulling off a miracle, but sadly will give them a chance to get back in the top 6 if they win those plus the Hartlepool game.

How big is the Huddersfield game for them as well ?

So come on Col U, beat the teams we need you to, but lose the others so we can still enjoy your own misfortunes.

PS where have all the col u fans gone on here since they slid down the table? Hmmn...

 

[Colchester Shrimper]

Was making myself feel better looking at Col U's stuttering season and how they have dropped out of the play offs and checked their fixtures.

They have to play 3 teams in the bottom third, although Hartlepool are pretty much uncatchable for us.

Hartlepool v Colchester
Colchester v Tranmere
Huddersfield v Colchester
Colchester v Leyton Orient

Now we obviously need them to beat Tranmere and Orient for us to have any hope of pulling off a miracle, but sadly will give them a chance to get back in the top 6 if they win those plus the Hartlepool game.

How big is the Huddersfield game for them as well ?

So come on Col U, beat the teams we need you to, but lose the others so we can still enjoy your own misfortunes.

PS where have all the col u fans gone on here since they slid down the table? Hmmn...

As long as they lose to Hud'field, but beat Tranmere & O's I don't care.

 

[Frankie the half breed]

I think Aidy Boothroyd would rather see his team get in the play-offs, then to see us go down. Yeah so were rivals...I hate col u with a passion. But i want them to thrash hartlepool tranmere and orient.

 

[Reg Martin]

ColU's slide down the table has been one of the few bright spots of this truly awful season. I had hoped that WetSpam would do the decent thing too but looks like they are going to survive thanks to Ian Dowie.

 

[Colchester and proud!]

Cheers guys :)

I dont think we will make the play offs, our last couple of months form has been very poor, look at the teams around us they are much bigger than we are, we could not go on matching them forever, however I can still see the Saints sneaking in ahead of Huddersfield.

Good luck in the next few weeks, I think we may beat the O's and Tranmere and lose to the Monkey hangers and Huddersfield.

 

[Csboy]

Does it matter how Colu do seeing as the chances of us winning more than one game for the rest of the season are virtually zero and I am even having doubts that we will beat Stockport.

 

[Jam_Man]

Does it matter how Colu do seeing as the chances of us winning more than one game for the rest of the season are virtually zero and I am even having doubts that we will beat Stockport.

Very true, but until we get relegated theres always some hope.

 

[Csboy]

Very true, but until we get relegated theres always some hope.

Yes two hopes: Bob and no hope

 

[chapperzUK]

Lets look at this realistically. I won't give a toss if Col Ewe get into the playoffs if we survive and even if they do then they could be playing Charlton, Leeds, Swindon or Millwall in the play-offs.

Even if the somehow get promoted, they will have to strengthen ALOT as they are nowhere near a championship side.

 

[nevereatwhitesnow]

Was making myself feel better looking at Col U's stuttering season and how they have dropped out of the play offs and checked their fixtures.

They have to play 3 teams in the bottom third, although Hartlepool are pretty much uncatchable for us.

Hartlepool v Colchester
Colchester v Tranmere
Huddersfield v Colchester
Colchester v Leyton Orient

Now we obviously need them to beat Tranmere and Orient for us to have any hope of pulling off a miracle, but sadly will give them a chance to get back in the top 6 if they win those plus the Hartlepool game.

How big is the Huddersfield game for them as well ?

So come on Col U, beat the teams we need you to, but lose the others so we can still enjoy your own misfortunes.

PS where have all the col u fans gone on here since they slid down the table? Hmmn...

I'm still here - I've been mindful not to post much/at all recently as I didn't want to be accused of gloating about your struggles etc.

Col U have all but chucked our season away in the last 8 games - tough to take and frustrating but we still have half a chance but would need to win all 4 remaining matches which is probably beyond us.

As for you lot, looks like the writing is well and truly on the wall now, things not going well enough on the pitch and from what i've heard things are starting to cause problems (or at least significant frustrations) with a lot of players in training etc.

As I said before - as rivals if you were relegated purely because of your teams performance I would have to have a wry smile, I just didn't want anything bad to happen to you lot because of finances etc.- Having said that I will miss the Derby if you're relegated.

 

[mattytheshrimper]

lets hope col u do us a favour. then lose in the play offs

 

[Jam_Man]

As I said before - as rivals if you were relegated purely because of your teams performance I would have to have a wry smile, I just didn't want anything bad to happen to you lot because of finances etc.- Having said that I will miss the Derby if you're relegated.

Well Im pretty sure we will be relegated and our financial woes will continue for sometime yet.

However we will get back on track and hopefully this will be a blip on our road to becoming the most successful club in Essex again !

 

[ibwiajwa]

Was making myself feel better looking at Col U's stuttering season and how they have dropped out of the play offs and checked their fixtures.

They have to play 3 teams in the bottom third, although Hartlepool are pretty much uncatchable for us.

Hartlepool v Colchester
Colchester v Tranmere
Huddersfield v Colchester
Colchester v Leyton Orient

Now we obviously need them to beat Tranmere and Orient for us to have any hope of pulling off a miracle, but sadly will give them a chance to get back in the top 6 if they win those plus the Hartlepool game.

How big is the Huddersfield game for them as well ?

So come on Col U, beat the teams we need you to, but lose the others so we can still enjoy your own misfortunes.

PS where have all the col u fans gone on here since they slid down the table? Hmmn...

We have to want Col Ewe to beat the relegation threatened sides to give us a chance of survival or we are a bunch of saddos who are defined more by a hatred of another club than a love of our own. End of.

 

[nevereatwhitesnow]

Well Im pretty sure we will be relegated and our financial woes will continue for sometime yet.

However we will get back on track and hopefully this will be a blip on our road to becoming the most successful club in Essex again !

Jam Man, from what I've heard (usually pretty informed and reliable) your financial situation certainly won't be improving for a while. Ron Martin is effectively skint - he's gambled massively on the returns he'll make from the new stadium, because of the delays incurred it's taken him to the brink (hence the delays in settling the tax bill as he couldn't afford to pay it himself even if he wanted to).

When the stadium is built (and I am certain it will be now things have been tied in with Sainsburys) he will still make a very good profit and will be financially secure again, however the profit is still a good few years away so there won't be cash to splash in the interim if Ron remains in charge.

Having said that, there is a small possibility that once building actually starts (and before it's completed) Ron will walk away as he doesn't need to be the owner/chairman to realise his profits. 2 scenario's for this, firstly that he will simply find a buyer willing to pay the price Ron wants, or more worringly, he will assign a lot of footballing debts (wages, rent etc) to his other companies and put the club into admin, he would be a preferential creditor (or at least his companies would be) as the debts would be football related and could/would negotiate a good settlement from the administrator but the stadium build couldn't be stopped so his profit would not be at risk.

I'm not saying this is likely but I beleive it's something that has at very least had a cursory consideration as a potential (if not unlikely) option.

I think your teams performance next season in League 2 will be the defining aspect - if you are (as I expect) challanging for promotion he will try and ride it out, hope you get promoted and then conisder options (higher price for club), but if you are mid-table or worse then he may look to cut his losses with the club at that point (assuming the build has started by then)

Anyone - prob get slated for sharing my opinions/info with you on this.

Good luck for the rest of the season regardless.

 

[Ayrshire Blue]

lets hope col u do us a favour. then lose in the play offs

This. ........................

 

[superblue24]

Jam Man, from what I've heard (usually pretty informed and reliable) your financial situation certainly won't be improving for a while. Ron Martin is effectively skint - he's gambled massively on the returns he'll make from the new stadium, because of the delays incurred it's taken him to the brink (hence the delays in settling the tax bill as he couldn't afford to pay it himself even if he wanted to).

When the stadium is built (and I am certain it will be now things have been tied in with Sainsburys) he will still make a very good profit and will be financially secure again, however the profit is still a good few years away so there won't be cash to splash in the interim if Ron remains in charge.

Having said that, there is a small possibility that once building actually starts (and before it's completed) Ron will walk away as he doesn't need to be the owner/chairman to realise his profits. 2 scenario's for this, firstly that he will simply find a buyer willing to pay the price Ron wants, or more worringly, he will assign a lot of footballing debts (wages, rent etc) to his other companies and put the club into admin, he would be a preferential creditor (or at least his companies would be) as the debts would be football related and could/would negotiate a good settlement from the administrator but the stadium build couldn't be stopped so his profit would not be at risk.

I'm not saying this is likely but I beleive it's something that has at very least had a cursory consideration as a potential (if not unlikely) option.

I think your teams performance next season in League 2 will be the defining aspect - if you are (as I expect) challanging for promotion he will try and ride it out, hope you get promoted and then conisder options (higher price for club), but if you are mid-table or worse then he may look to cut his losses with the club at that point (assuming the build has started by then)

Anyone - prob get slated for sharing my opinions/info with you on this.

Good luck for the rest of the season regardless.

I think thats a fair assessment of the state of affairs.....Even from a ewes fan. ;)

Although I do disagree with you (and I realize this was all conjecture anyway) on the putting the club into administration. I think that he would definitely have put the club into administration by now if there was ever any risk of him doing that.....As for walking away, maybe he will, maybe he wont....He seems continually keen on telling\showing the fans that he is committed to the "club he loves".....But the less naive of us realize that he is a bit of a snake.....And no-one really knows the long term plans except Ron Martin himself.

Can we as Southend fans ride out the rocky road for what could be a further 2-3 seasons?

 

[nevereatwhitesnow]

I think thats a fair assessment of the state of affairs.....Even from a ewes fan. ;)

Although I do disagree with you (and I realize this was all conjecture anyway) on the putting the club into administration. I think that he would definitely have put the club into administration by now if there was ever any risk of him doing that.....As for walking away, maybe he will, maybe he wont....He seems continually keen on telling\showing the fans that he is committed to the "club he loves".....But the less naive of us realize that he is a bit of a snake.....And no-one really knows the long term plans except Ron Martin himself.

Can we as Southend fans ride out the rocky road for what could be a further 2-3 seasons?

It is conjecture of course (although based on some reliable information generally) but he couldn't put the club into administration before the stadium started construction as had he done so, there would have been a reasonable prospect of it being shelved. Any new owners after administration could reasonably have decided to avoid the risk/expense of a new stadium that they couldn't control (Ie Ron Martin's land etc) - If that happened Ron would be liable for massive fee's from architects etc who's fee's (or at least a large %) are budgeted from the future income of the new development.

Bear in mind that his entire financial future is dependent on the money he stands to make from the new stadium - without this he may well become effectively broke (or at the very least a far from wealthy man)

To be honest - he can't afford for the stadium not to happen - once it's underway his ties with SUFC become a matter of his heart/loyalty rather than financially dependent. That's when you'll be able to judge his motives.

 

[Jam_Man]

Jam Man, from what I've heard (usually pretty informed and reliable) your financial situation certainly won't be improving for a while. Ron Martin is effectively skint - he's gambled massively on the returns he'll make from the new stadium, because of the delays incurred it's taken him to the brink (hence the delays in settling the tax bill as he couldn't afford to pay it himself even if he wanted to).

When the stadium is built (and I am certain it will be now things have been tied in with Sainsburys) he will still make a very good profit and will be financially secure again, however the profit is still a good few years away so there won't be cash to splash in the interim if Ron remains in charge.

Having said that, there is a small possibility that once building actually starts (and before it's completed) Ron will walk away as he doesn't need to be the owner/chairman to realise his profits. 2 scenario's for this, firstly that he will simply find a buyer willing to pay the price Ron wants, or more worringly, he will assign a lot of footballing debts (wages, rent etc) to his other companies and put the club into admin, he would be a preferential creditor (or at least his companies would be) as the debts would be football related and could/would negotiate a good settlement from the administrator but the stadium build couldn't be stopped so his profit would not be at risk.

I'm not saying this is likely but I beleive it's something that has at very least had a cursory consideration as a potential (if not unlikely) option.

I think your teams performance next season in League 2 will be the defining aspect - if you are (as I expect) challanging for promotion he will try and ride it out, hope you get promoted and then conisder options (higher price for club), but if you are mid-table or worse then he may look to cut his losses with the club at that point (assuming the build has started by then)

Anyone - prob get slated for sharing my opinions/info with you on this.

Good luck for the rest of the season regardless.

I think your summation of the current financial situation is correct and that RM is unable to bale out the football club at the moment as he is stretched elsewhere.

I personally dont think he will be walking away before we start playing at the new stadium, but time will tell.

The bottom line is that unless we get someone wealthy in willing to chuck money into a bottomless pit then the new stadium is the key to us improving financially and at that point we will be literally rolling in money and signing players left right and centre. Probably.

 

[nevereatwhitesnow]

I think your summation of the current financial situation is correct and that RM is unable to bale out the football club at the moment as he is stretched elsewhere.

I personally dont think he will be walking away before we start playing at the new stadium, but time will tell.

The bottom line is that unless we get someone wealthy in willing to chuck money into a bottomless pit then the new stadium is the key to us improving financially and at that point we will be literally rolling in money and signing players left right and centre. Probably.

I really do hope that is true for your sake but as I understand it the real "wealth" generated from the stadium complex (non-match day revenue) won't be going directly into SUFC funds but into one of the Ron Martin companies - if he then chooses to filter this down into the club will be his own choice (along with the rates of rental) rather than an automatic income for the club.

To be honest you will be no different (in terms of finances) that Col U - we rent stadium from council - you'll rent yours from a Ron Martin company, We are dependant on our Chairman for additional money to keep us competitive - you are and will be exactly the same with Ron.