Stan Collymore

[Spaceman Spiff]

Well, when you listen back to that interview, you can hear the passion and the desire for change in his voice. Then look at where we are today - I think it is safe to say that Stan has more than delivered on his vision for the club and his promises to do what it takes to sort things out!

He doesnt need to be involved every day, or be subjected to the whole ridiculous "where's Stan' thing. The fact is that Stanley Victor Collymore has done more for Southend United in the last 2-3 seasons, some very loud and vocally and some string pulling totally under the radar, than the last 2-3 owners have done for a very very long time.

I would be more than happy for Stan to remain with us in some capacity for as long as he wants to be involved.

Well said.

I wish I'd listened to that interview a lot earlier. Setting aside all the knowledge and insight for a moment, I doubt many of us could possibly have sounded (and clearly been) more genuinely passionate or articulate in advocating for Southend United.

It's one of life's strange symmetries that one of Stan's earliest huge contributions to the fortunes of Southend United, the transfer fee we received from Forest, contributed significantly towards (and possibly entirely enabled) Vic Jobson to buy Boots and Laces.

Had he not bought that land, would Billericay-based Martin Dawn have been so interested in stepping in to buy the club with Delancey in 1998? I wonder... That land was always, for Ron, the catalyst to being able to build toytown on Roots Hall. We needed another massive contribution from Stan to finally snatch the club and Roots Hall back some 25 years later...

I just came across this article in a Colchester local rag from 1999 - an obituary to our previous chairman Vic Jobson when he died barely a year after selling to Ron. It gives some great insights and details which many of our younger Shrimpers might not be aware of:

Southend: Farewell to the saviour of the Blues

Obituary

www.gazette-news.co.uk

Very few can claim a spot quite so high in our esteem as Stan Collymore. David Webb, Kevin Maher, Sid Broomfield, plus of course Oliver Twigg and friends (the original founders)... that's it, IMO, despite plenty of other very worthy mentions for players and managers. None have impacted the club as an institution as much as those few. How lucky are we that two are still with the club today!

Possibly Justin Rees might join them one day, after getting his Southend United association off to such a critically important start. He's facilitated the untangling of Ron's web of webs - bringing other people together, managing the relationship with Ron and sticking with it through all Ron's shenanigans and bad faith.

He's still got a long way to go to reach the sainted heights of Messrs Twigg, Broomfield, Webb, Collymore and Maher though.

 

[SouthendSpence]

Well said.

I wish I'd listened to that interview a lot earlier. Setting aside all the knowledge and insight for a moment, I doubt many of us could possibly have sounded (and clearly been) more genuinely passionate or articulate in advocating for Southend United.

It's one of life's strange symmetries that one of Stan's earliest huge contributions to the fortunes of Southend United, the transfer fee we received from Forest, contributed significantly towards (and possibly entirely enabled) Vic Jobson to buy Boots and Laces.

Had he not bought that land, would Billericay-based Martin Dawn have been so interested in stepping in to buy the club with Delancey in 1998? I wonder... That land was always, for Ron, the catalyst to being able to build toytown on Roots Hall. We needed another massive contribution from Stan to finally snatch the club and Roots Hall back some 25 years later...

I just came across this article in a Colchester local rag from 1999 - an obituary to our previous chairman Vic Jobson when he died barely a year after selling to Ron. It gives some great insights and details which many of our younger Shrimpers might not be aware of:

Southend: Farewell to the saviour of the Blues

Obituary

www.gazette-news.co.uk

Great read

 

[Southstand blue]

He was a man of his word the club should do something for him

 

[Tinks]

He was a man of his word the club should do something for him

I was actually thinking along the same lines - I for one am extremely appreciative of what he did for us at the time when we needed something.
Let’s not forget those moments and pray we never return to them but Stan was there when needed and gave us all a morale boost when we needed it.
Maybe he is not perfect in every way but we should never forget his enthusiasm for us

I really hope he remains in some contact with the club and supporters

 

[Strykr]

Interesting one really, I think Stan has his detractors as IMO he's so emotionally charged and very reactive to even the slightest thing.

But you could argue at the time that what we most needed was someone who was that emotionally charged and reactive, quite a rare breed in the business world.

Whether he comes back to the fold or not, when you look back on the objectives he set out which we all agreed were positive, they have almost all come to pass.

So twice in his life he has popped in very briefly in the scheme of things, but had an almost unquantifiably good impact on the club.

So if you're reading Stan, forget everything else, the bull, the noise, the 1 out of 100 posters who says something you don't like,

You did it.

 

[annie1954]

He was a man of his word the club should do something for him

Very true he was the start of Ron’s downfall and the new beginning For our mighty blue boys

 

[Texas Eslan]

Stan moved the dial for us. Made us believe. Brought in Tom, Kev, Darren and Mark. I really dread to think where we would be now without his intervention.

If the consortium offer him a role then it would be much deserved. Equally if he turns it down then he can do so with his head held high on what he has already given us.

I do wonder if he will feel there is some unfinished business though after suggesting he would be with us until we are back in the Championship… still up for the journey Stan?

 

[Ipswhrimp]

He has been a huge figure in the story of our club, and I'd love to see him around the Hall cheering on the lads on match days, and take his place in whatever the club eventually does to celebrate / tell the story of our history in some kind of museum / hall of fame / whatever (you get the idea).

The Roots Hall statue campaign starts here?

 

[leeblue]

I cringed whenever anyone tried to call him out during the takeover etc, zero idea of his impact.

 

[sufc4life21]

I have to echo what others have said..... Stan been fantastic for sufc throughout this horrible period we've had. I hope stan stays to finish job what he originally created. Our CEO and management team wouldn't probably be at Southend if it wasn't for stan intervention.

 

[Crowstone Crevette]

I guess his future will be sorted properly once the takeover is finalised.

If he departs the club, though, then I'm at peace with it. He should always have our eternal gratitude for the change that he influenced here to get the club on the right track now.

There is an argument for me that it'll be "job done" for him and he walks into the sunset.

I think he'll have plenty to offer if he does stay on though.

This ^

He may well see that what he set out to do he has accomplished. Job done!

And like JR looks for a new 'project' to get involved with and make a difference in?

 

[wiggy]

Yep, he is fragile at times when the odd 1/2 a pint moron turns up but at the time he produced miracles. Very good, intelligent speaker and was just the man to hold them zoom meetings together. Him and Tom Lawrence performed wonders at the time through the doom and deserve some sort of gratitude award.

 

[BoyWonder2]

Stan on the pitch for us was before my time unfortunately, but his impact off the pitch has been massive.

I watched all of those initial Zoom meetings, and Stan has always spoken so passionately about Southend United, and what he was saying wasn’t groundbreaking stuff, he wasn’t reinventing the wheel, it was all stuff we should have been doing from the off, but weren’t which was why we were such a shambles.

Stan has helped put the right people in the right positions, and played a huge role in appointing TL and the management trio, and I dread to think where we’d be without those four and Stan.

We now have a very bright future to look forward to. Our name isn’t mud in all of the footballing circles. We’ve got sponsors who want to get back involved with the Club. We will have local businesses and businessmen who will want to be involved again and play a part in our story.

Stan is a facilitator. He makes connections. He speaks so impressively, and I imagine he speaks just as passionately about his weekly shop, brushing his teeth, his running and everything else.

My gut thinks there will be a parting of ways when the takeover is officially complete. Stan will probably see it as job done, the consortium might want to do things differently.

I imagine Stan will get a proper thank you and goodbye from the Club if that is the case, and he’d always be welcome back at Roots Hall.

For someone to have only spent six months at the Club as a player, to then display the passion and help he has done for us is remarkable and shows Once a Shrimper, Always a Shrimper.

If this is the end, please don’t be a stranger Stan.

 

[* ORM *]

The Roots Hall statue campaign starts here?

Well he’ll have to join the queue behind Maher’s testimonial.

 

[OldBlueLady]

It's quite simple really, I honestly believe that without Stan's input early on, we'd be reminiscing about a defunct Club now.

 

[meerkat54]

Stan has been the perfect legend on and off the pitch.
I hope the club offer Stan something suitable within the club. But if it’s not too be I wish Stan the very best.

 

[rootshall rambler]

HAPPY !!
So glad to see such positive and respectful comments regarding our Stan. Reading many of the things that some of our fellow “supporters“ came out with in the past, made me feel quite sad, if not downright ashamed. Those same detractors might one day, hopefully manage to come to the conclusion that without Stan , our club may well have gone out of existence.

I hope he remains with us in some meaningful capacity, and I would dearly love to see a stand renamed in his honour to reflect his contribution……. One that almost certainly kept us alive.

THANKS OUR STANLEY. YOURE A PROPER GENT AND NO MISTAKE. ️

 

[czabby]

He was alerted to the fact that this thread existed on twitter last night and he replied he was aware and it was greatly appreciated….cant find it now but anyway …thank you Stan as someone who was there for Notts County who would have thought it would have come to this..A Southend icon , top bloke and never afraid to wear his heart on his sleeve. The conduit for change with enough clout to make it happen…statue awaits !

 

[Barry.C]

Obviously we hope it is not a goodbye, but if it is , I hope its still a very strong link. Stans contacts were amazingly helpful and we would do well to remember that, also of course, on his links with other clubs and Stans great big shiny contacts book

Stay with us in some capacity if you can Stan, we know anyway what a shrimper you are if life and business calls you a bit further from this home of homes for whatever reason!

 

[Holy Joe]

He was alerted to the fact that this thread existed on twitter last night and he replied he was aware and it was greatly appreciated….cant find it now but anyway …thank you Stan as someone who was there for Notts County who would have thought it would have come to this..A Southend icon , top bloke and never afraid to wear his heart on his sleeve. The conduit for change with enough clout to make it happen…statue awaits !

He posted in this thread Fri afternoon