Southend Board and chairman in particular

[leeblue]

It has to otherwise we are ****ed!

indeed, unless someone comes out and gives ron and co the money they have put in plus the money they stand to make from the whole deal, I believe we and ron n co are stuck with each other. IF ff is built I would bet a large amount that ron and co would glady sell up while collecting rent from the new owners

 

[Beefy]

I presume all of those moaning about the financial state we're in weren't those same people demanding decent money be spent on transfer fees and wages over the past six years.

As I said the other night, it's not because we're trying to build a stadium that has got us into this mess. It's because we've been living beyond our means for years and now, like so many people in this country including the Government, it's come back to bite us in the arse. We've burned cash like it was going out of fashion and now we're struggling to pay the next bill.

Clearly we shouldn't have spent what we had. But each and every one of us greeted the new signings we've had over the years. Moaning now that we haven't got any money is hypocritical. Suggesting that we spend our way out of trouble is the equivalent of playing Russian Roulette with the Club's very existence.

 

[Beefy]

Personally if we can average 8k when having all of the issues we have had this season then i reckon had we been in and around the promotion picture like col u etc then we would have averaged 9k+ this season.

As it stands 8k average makes us what? 6 or 7th best supported in the league. So what do i expect ? Maybe a a top ten finish with an oustide chance of promotion atleast until the new ground arrives and we move .

I know a lot of people who are earning a lot more today than they were ten years ago but have a lot less cash than they did then. Credit card, loan, car finance, mortgage.... it all comes out of your cash. Cash is King and, like so many people in this country, we have none.

 

[GBJ]

Who has 'blind faith'?! Name a single person on here who has not expressed concerns.

There are plenty on here Beefy. No-one has openly said it, but it doesn't take a genius to read between the lines.

I've no doubt, RM could come round some of these peoples gaff, and take a massive dump in the middle of the living room floor and they'd be able to come up with an excuse for it.

 

[GBJ]

As I said the other night, it's not because we're trying to build a stadium that has got us into this mess. It's because we've been living beyond our means for years .

At the very LEAST, that is poor management

 

[chapperzUK]

There are plenty on here Beefy. No-one has openly said it, but it doesn't take a genius to read between the lines.

I've no doubt, RM could come round some of these peoples gaff, and take a massive dump in the middle of the living room floor and they'd be able to come up with an excuse for it.

and I have no doubt that RM could come round some of the posters' homes, buy them a new kitchen, explain everything and still would have abuse thrown at him for not kissing their arse!

 

[GBJ]

and I have no doubt that RM could come round some of the posters' homes, buy them a new kitchen, explain everything and still would have abuse thrown at him for not kissing their arse!

Not unless there's something in it for him.

 

[Beefy]

At the very LEAST, that is poor management

Poor financial management, absolutely. But again, were you saying this when we were spending money? You want us to try to avoid relegation by buying players in this transfer window. Do you not realise what a ridiculous contradiction that is???

 

[GBJ]

Poor financial management, absolutely. But again, were you saying this when we were spending money?


You want us to try to avoid relegation by buying players in this transfer window. Do you not realise what a ridiculous contradiction that is???

At the end of the day, i'm not the one running the club, therefore my thoughts & feelings whether we should have spent cash or not shouldn't come into it. There's only one man running the club, and therefore should be held accountable for where we are (financially) at this point in time.

Secondly, if we don't get bodies (of some half decent quality) in, then relegation is a very real possibility. Even the most rose-tinted amoung us can see that surely? And as i've been saying, dropping down to L2 will be catastrophic. We're in trouble at the moment with money. As you've said we're living beyond our means. Surely L2 football will reduce our income even more, so we'll be in even more trouble?

 

[Beefy]

So just to clarify, you are both complaining that we're skint and at the same time arguing that we should spend more money?

You're maxed out on your credit card aren't you?

Ron Martin's biggest problem was listening to people whining about "Where's the Eastwood money gone?". He should have gone out and slapped everyone in the West Stand around the head with a copy of the accounts. Instead he spent half a million quid on three strikers and did a lap of honour. He's completely accountable for the financial mess that we're in but so are each and every Southend fan who demanded signings that we couldn't afford. And especially those who still do so today. The hypocrisy is almost as stunning as the fact that people don't even realise that they're being hypocritical.

Dropping to League Two would not be catastrophic. Going out of business would be catastrophic. If our income goes down but our outgoings go down by more and it gives us a chance to reorganise our cashflow then actually it would be extremely positive. Of course in reality it won't be positive because we'll go down and then people will spend the whole summer moaning about how we've only signed two players and wondering how Ron Martin can expect to fill a 22,000 seater stadium with only 5,000 fans, as if the new ground is for one year and not for 50.

 

[chapperzUK]

So just to clarify, you are both complaining that we're skint and at the same time arguing that we should spend more money?

You're maxed out on your credit card aren't you?

Ron Martin's biggest problem was listening to people whining about "Where's the Eastwood money gone?". He should have gone out and slapped everyone in the West Stand around the head with a copy of the accounts. Instead he spent half a million quid on three strikers and did a lap of honour. He's completely accountable for the financial mess that we're in but so are each and every Southend fan who demanded signings that we couldn't afford. And especially those who still do so today. The hypocrisy is almost as stunning as the fact that people don't even realise that they're being hypocritical.

Dropping to League Two would not be catastrophic. Going out of business would be catastrophic. If our income goes down but our outgoings go down by more and it gives us a chance to reorganise our cashflow then actually it would be extremely positive. Of course in reality it won't be positive because we'll go down and then people will spend the whole summer moaning about how we've only signed two players and wondering how Ron Martin can expect to fill a 22,000 seater stadium with only 5,000 fans, as if the new ground is for one year and not for 50.

Quality post. Can't really add to that.

 

[Beefy]

In the interest of full disclosure - my credit card is maxed out. My cashflow management is appalling.

 

[EastStandBlue]

Under Tilson (and indeed Ron Martin) our gates have doubled. Half of our fans won't have experienced the bad times.

I also think Ron Martin was one of those who got drunk on Tilson's success. I think it is a valid criticism, just not coming from those who were just as intoxicated.

I agree, RM's goal has always been to relocate the club as it's in his best interests... It just so happens that it is ultimately the same goal as the clubs and pivotal to any progress we can expect to make.

With the success under Tilson, fired by some extremely shrewd signings, RM thought he was on to a winner and got carried away. Not to say I don't blame him, he bought into an ailing League Two club and within a short amount of time was reigning over a club in The Championship with a real platform to push on and plans were in place to progress even further.

Relegation came, suddenly we had a few players on C'ship wages and before you knew it, we were caught in the midst of a recession with money being thrown at a project that is still to get off the ground.

I do think, however, that if a single brick was laid at FF by now then there wouldn't be half the criticism we've seen here of late.

 

[GBJ]

1* So just to clarify, you are both complaining that we're skint and at the same time arguing that we should spend more money?

You're maxed out on your credit card aren't you?

2* Ron Martin's biggest problem was listening to people whining about "Where's the Eastwood money gone?". He should have gone out and slapped everyone in the West Stand around the head with a copy of the accounts. Instead he spent half a million quid on three strikers and did a lap of honour.

3* He's completely accountable for the financial mess that we're in but so are each and every Southend fan who demanded signings that we couldn't afford. And especially those who still do so today. The hypocrisy is almost as stunning as the fact that people don't even realise that they're being hypocritical.

4* Dropping to League Two would not be catastrophic. Going out of business would be catastrophic. If our income goes down but our outgoings go down by more and it gives us a chance to reorganise our cashflow then actually it would be extremely positive. Of course in reality it won't be positive because we'll go down and then people will spend the whole summer moaning about how we've only signed two players and wondering how Ron Martin can expect to fill a 22,000 seater stadium with only 5,000 fans, as if the new ground is for one year and not for 50.

1) What else is there to do? Be happy we're in this situation? Be overjoyed our club is ****ed moneywise, and our team face relegation, from which i)there may be no quick recovery ii) could see us fold eventually

2) That says a lot about RM's character then doesn't it. He is meant to be a successful businessman, yet we're in financial turmoil? Football fans are fickle. Every one of us is guilty of it, but it's Ron's job not to be fickle, and to make sure we have a SUFC to support. That is the main priority. Maybe he's so wrapped up in the new stadium, he's underestimated the present (incl the past 2/3/4 years). Everyone talks about our long-term survival/success etc, but what about our short-term. What about now? What if there is no SUFC to support in the long term because of the short term negligence?

3) As i said, and you agree, RM is at fault (whether it be partial or total) for where we are right now. Yet so many people still have faith. Why? One of the reasons I find it very hard to trust or have faith in him.

4) Dropping into L2 could see us go out of business. I agree, it could give us a decent chance in restructuring our finances, but as you said, to do that means our outgoings would have to be reduced significantly. Our squad is already threadbare, so offloadin people is out of the question. How else do we lower the costs? Bring in **** mediocre players on cheap wages? Then how long would we have to suffer that again? Could we earn promotion with mediocre players? Probably not. Look how long it took for us to find a player with enough talent, to fire us up out of that league?
Of course income will drop aswell through attendences etc, and there's STILL the question of paying off the stadium. As Ron said, we need regular football in the CCC to break even at FF. How can we expect to break even (let alone MAKE money) if we're regularly playing L2? Then how long before the debts mount up to the point we are facing the end?


I don't know or have all the answers. All this is, is my concerns for the future of SUFC.

 

[cockles is back]

I'd have much more interest and respect for some posters if, instead of just moaning they actually had a decent and workable alternative plan.

Sadly they haven't... because there probably isn't one.

But I would suggest anyone who isn't happy try and do something about it.

Good luck with that.

or guess what keep posting your opinions people long winded or one worded people, and make a true forum what it is.........

 

[Beefy]

1) What there's to do is keep your head and accept the fact that we're going to be scraping by until at least the first brick has been laid at Fossetts Farm. Once we know for a fact that the new ground will be happening then it's not out of the question (although I'd question the wisdom of it) that funds could be released for the squad. Until then it would be absolute madness for anyone to spend any money on this football club. There's no investment without the possibility of a return and there's no return on this football club without a new ground.

2) You've got the end part of this all twisted round again. The only thing that matters is the long term. Short term considerations are completely secondary. If that means relegation then that means relegation. You're right that Ron Martin is a good businessman and I'd hope that part of that is that he'll learn from his mistakes. Spending money at this stage is pure madness.

3) As I said, what you see as faith I see as realism. Ron Martin isn't going anywhere. The only way this Club has of going forward is to batton down the hatches and cross all of our fingers that the final obstacles between us and a new ground are overcome. We're in a tough spot and it's one that Ron has had a lot to do with, but the damage was done a long time before Ron Martin came onto the scene.

There's a terrible blame culture in the UK. Rather than accept our situation and try to work out the most sensible way forward we'd rather find someone to blame all our problems on.

4) Dropping into League Two is far less likely to cause us to go out of business than spending money that we haven't got on trying to stay up is. As I keep saying, we've got major cashflow problems and the last thing you should do when that happens as a business, as an individual or as a football club, is to spend more money.

 

[Jam_Man]

1) What else is there to do? Be happy we're in this situation? Be overjoyed our club is ****ed moneywise, and our team face relegation, from which i)there may be no quick recovery ii) could see us fold eventually

Even with Barnard gone I really dont see us facing relegation. Wycombe and Stockport are no threat so that leaves 2 places to be taken and eight clubs below us, we only have to do better than two of them.

I doubt we are going to finish any higher than we are now but the teams below us are all below us as they cant win games so I cant see all of them doing better than us.

As Beefy has said we cant go throwing money around and how people are complaining theres no money and also demanding signings I dont know.

 

[BrettieAngell]

Even with Barnard gone I really dont see us facing relegation. Wycombe and Stockport are no threat so that leaves 2 places to be taken and eight clubs below us, we only have to do better than two of them.

I doubt we are going to finish any higher than we are now but the teams below us are all below us as they cant win games so I cant see all of them doing better than us.

As Beefy has said we cant go throwing money around and how people are complaining theres no money and also demanding signings I dont know.

We are only 3 points above the relegation zone, most of the teams below us have at least 1 game in hand. We have a difficult looking run of away games.

I would say we are very much in with a chance of going down! I think it will be a fairly low total though.

 

[Beefy]

He didn't say that we didn't have a chance of going down. He said that other teams were below us for a reason. Most of whom have to come to Roots Hall still.

Even without Barnard, I suspect that we'll do enough to stay up. It won't be pretty though.

 

[BrettieAngell]

He didn't say that we didn't have a chance of going down. He said that other teams were below us for a reason. Most of whom have to come to Roots Hall still.

Even without Barnard, I suspect that we'll do enough to stay up. It won't be pretty though.

Well he said he doesn't see us facing relegation which is pretty much the same thing.

I dont think we can kid ourselves that we aren't in a relegation battle now.