SUFC: The Future SUFC up for sale

[Kat_r]

Apologies if I have missed it in the previous 81 pages but has anyone got any inside info on this or are we still speculating? I’m truly hopeful that a purchase will be for the right reasons (develop a football club) rather than for some side hustle (develop a housing estate). If not then I can only fear we will be in a similar position a few years down the track.

I was trying to make this point before I went off piste. Question all owners motives. What do they want?? what's their long term vision for them and their friends? What’s their political agenda for the area?

Do they respect the locals or think they need to change.


And what power do you have to say no?

But tbf Martin is developing the flats not sure there is much more room after he’s finished.


If somebody truly loved the area they’d make sure as many locals as possible are given a chance to buy the flats, imo. I don’t trust Martin or his intentions with these developments. We have a chronic council house shortage too. New swanky developments don’t help this. But there’s no inter generational wealth in that.

Imo it’s ok to be sceptical of all owners the grass isn’t always greener nothing really changes

Despite what some may think I don’t like seeing people in the area being taken for fools. I can care about more than one place at a time

 

[Medway Blue]

Apologies if I have missed it in the previous 81 pages but has anyone got any inside info on this or are we still speculating? I’m truly hopeful that a purchase will be for the right reasons (develop a football club) rather than for some side hustle (develop a housing estate). If not then I can only fear we will be in a similar position a few years down the track.

Get what you're saying but I don't think a desire to develop the football club and a desire to have a stake in the wider Fossetts development are or need to be mutually exclusive. As so many have said, the club alone is worthless and loss-making and the "opportunity" that RM spoke of is in club ownership of the new revenue streams at Fossetts. I'm somewhere in the middle. I'd be worried whether anybody who wants just the club, possibly for a quid, would be serious. If they don't have the money for more then they probably don't have the cash to operate the football club properly either.

 

[Texas Eslan]

Get what you're saying but I don't think a desire to develop the football club and a desire to have a stake in the wider Fossetts development are or need to be mutually exclusive. As so many have said, the club alone is worthless and loss-making and the "opportunity" that RM spoke of is in club ownership of the new revenue streams at Fossetts. I'm somewhere in the middle. I'd be worried whether anybody who wants just the club, possibly for a quid, would be serious. If they don't have the money for more then they probably don't have the cash to operate the football club properly either.

I’m not suggesting that I hope the new owner only has funds to buy the club though. I am suggesting I hope that their only intention is to develop a club, and by that I am including the stadium. My worry is, like Ron, to have your wealth tied to the club is a dangerous place to be. We need someone in charge who is making their money elsewhere in other businesses. Completely unrelated.

The preference for me is either a fan of Southend or a fan of football in general and can see value in developing a club of our size and potential and taking us as far as we can go. If that means they then sell when we are at that point then so be it.

 

[Kat_r]

I’m not suggesting that I hope the new owner only has funds to buy the club though. I am suggesting I hope that their only intention is to develop a club, and by that I am including the stadium. My worry is, like Ron, to have your wealth tied to the club is a dangerous place to be. We need someone in charge who is making their money elsewhere in other businesses. Completely unrelated.

The preference for me is either a fan of Southend or a fan of football in general and can see value in developing a club of our size and potential and taking us as far as we can go. If that means they then sell when we are at that point then so be it.

Nice idea but it will never happen. Everybody has an agenda

 

[Texas Eslan]

Nice idea but it will never happen. Everybody has an agenda

Of course they do. Which is why I’m saying I hope their agenda will be to develop a football club to sell for more at the end. But not for it to be how they generate their current wealth.

 

[Kat_r]

Of course they do. Which is why I’m saying I hope their agenda will be to develop a football club to sell for more at the end. But not for it to be how they generate their current wealth.

Wishful thinking. And I’m not being rude just saying can’t trust most rich people. I don’t trust the Wrexham owners. The rich are a different breed they don’t live by rules or morals most do. The fact we are discussing this shows deep down I think you know that too and things could get very ugly whoever runs the club. But somehow I’m against the locals here . Surely if I were I’d be laughing from the sidelines as prices go up at the new stadium, the experience gets gentrified and people shell out ridiculous amounts for rabbit hutch flats with a limit on how much water they are allowed to use each day.

Ain’t modern living fab.

Oh And if the new owners declare they want to change the town to their tastes and the very poorest suffer I’d be as angry as non welsh moving in on wales and adopting it like they are natives as it’s the trendy thing to do. Don’t let the soulless ones win

As somebody who allegedly hates Essex I spend an awful amount of time helping at charities where I see first hand the impact of wealthy people on those without a voice. The type they rather didn’t exist in this crazy modern world.

 

[Leigh_Seasider]

Wishful thinking. And I’m not being rude just saying can’t trust most rich people. I don’t trust the Wrexham owners. The rich are a different breed they don’t live by rules or morals most do. The fact we are discussing this shows deep down I think you know that too and things could get very ugly whoever runs the club. But somehow I’m against the locals here . Surely if I were I’d be laughing from the sidelines as prices go up at the new stadium, the experience gets gentrified and people shell out ridiculous amounts for rabbit hutch flats with a limit on how much water they are allowed to use each day.

.

This all makes the buy out process one we should all be slightly wary of .. for some it’s a case of ‘anyone but Ron’ but I personally hope if an individual or a consortium steps in, it’s someone who cares about not just the club and its’ fans but the community of Southend and south Essex as a whole. The Wrexham owners at least have listened to fans and done some good work in the community.

 

[Paulie Walnuts]

Wishful thinking. And I’m not being rude just saying can’t trust most rich people. I don’t trust the Wrexham owners. The rich are a different breed they don’t live by rules or morals most do. The fact we are discussing this shows deep down I think you know that too and things could get very ugly whoever runs the club. But somehow I’m against the locals here . Surely if I were I’d be laughing from the sidelines as prices go up at the new stadium, the experience gets gentrified and people shell out ridiculous amounts for rabbit hutch flats with a limit on how much water they are allowed to use each day.

Ain’t modern living fab.

In fairness to the Wrexham owners, they're a couple of blokes who got lucky (fair play to them) with their acting careers, and making some serious cash and are not ruthless business who'd sell their grandmother for a fiver.

 

[bazzashrimper]

Apologies if I have missed it in the previous 81 pages but has anyone got any inside info on this or are we still speculating? I’m truly hopeful that a purchase will be for the right reasons (develop a football club) rather than for some side hustle (develop a housing estate). If not then I can only fear we will be in a similar position a few years down the track.

From the in the know posters, seems like there is interest. Progressed to different points with different potential buyers. Some buyers interested in the club. Some +stadium. Some +a bit of the housing. No names given.

From the rumours, snoop dogg and Steve nash are names mentioned… for various reasons.

 

[fbm]

Wishful thinking. And I’m not being rude just saying can’t trust most rich people. I don’t trust the Wrexham owners. The rich are a different breed they don’t live by rules or morals most do. The fact we are discussing this shows deep down I think you know that too and things could get very ugly whoever runs the club. But somehow I’m against the locals here . Surely if I were I’d be laughing from the sidelines as prices go up at the new stadium, the experience gets gentrified and people shell out ridiculous amounts for rabbit hutch flats with a limit on how much water they are allowed to use each day.

Every person who invests in anything wants a return. That's it. Nothing more sinister than that.

The rich and the elite do seem to have a different moral compass, or should I say in some cases no moral compass at all, and in my experience all property developers are super thick skinned, arrogant, bordering on the bullying and just don't give a toss about anything other than money. It is a survival of the fittest for them as I can guarantee you that every rich property developer has, at one point or another, been on the brink of going under. It is that experience that develops the steeliness and toughness they need to survive.

Interesting what you say about the Wrexham owners as I don't disagree with you there. I haven't done any research and frankly don't care enough to do so, but do Wrexham own their own ground? If so, that's a clue as to their ultimate endgame. Although as they are a fairly big club that have languished in Division 5 for 13 or so seasons, it could be that their price was incredibly attractive and so if they get then into the championship, they may be able to sell for a profit.

Or, they could just have been looking to build their own brand and profile... I would think every football supporter in England and the USA plus many in Europe now know who the Wrexham owners are. They may be able to monetize that.

The football club is the centre of the community; it has brought much more interest in the town, the local kids now all can't wait to see what's happening at Wrexham whereas 3 years ago they couldn't care... this is the benefit of a high profile owner. I could never understand why so many people used to hate the fact that Phil Brown had outside interests when he was manager here. Whilst not being an owner, it upped the club profile no end. That was not a bad thing in my opinion. Now, no one outside the fanbase gives a ****.

I guess the highest profile name we have is Stan. Personally, I'm hoping that his USA trip was to raise finance for him to lead a consortium to buy the club. Stan has a real affinity with us and it could be a good thing, certainly in the short term.

 

[Texas Eslan]

Wishful thinking. And I’m not being rude just saying can’t trust most rich people. I don’t trust the Wrexham owners. The rich are a different breed they don’t live by rules or morals most do. The fact we are discussing this shows deep down I think you know that too and things could get very ugly whoever runs the club. But somehow I’m against the locals here . Surely if I were I’d be laughing from the sidelines as prices go up at the new stadium, the experience gets gentrified and people shell out ridiculous amounts for rabbit hutch flats with a limit on how much water they are allowed to use each day.

Ain’t modern living fab.

Oh And if the new owners declare they want to change the town to their tastes and the very poorest suffer I’d be as angry as non welsh moving in on wales and adopting it like they are natives as it’s the trendy thing to do. Don’t let the soulless ones win

Not trusting rich people is all well and good but we are kind of stuck between a rock and a hard place on that front!

Not sure the owners of a club can change the town to their own tastes. Simply wouldn’t be possible.

Out of interest though, non natives moving to the area isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It’s potentially a positive and to suggest otherwise would be slightly xenophobic I would say.

Interesting thoughts though.

 

[edwardss2]

Do any of the various parties standing for election have any record/views/proposals about SUFC?

Not saying that I would vote on this alone, but alongside rubbish, parking, potholes....this might be a period in which some influence might be bought to bear.

Do our MPs come to matches or have any interest?

Having lived in glorious SS2 for 6 years now, generally I get the feeling that Southend (the place) is a bit unloved. It is diry (rubbish), people just park randomly on pavements, plots of prime land are left to grow over. Maybe SUFC is just the same. A bit unloved by those who can influence things.

 

[Crowstone Crevette]

Anna Firth (Southend West) is a life long fan...


Allegedly.

 

[LCBB72]

Anna Firth (Southend West) is a life long fan...


Allegedly.

I thought she lived in Kent .

 

[C'mon you Shrimpers]

I thought she lived in Kent .

Marine estate.

 

[shrimper61]

Anna Firth was canvasing down my street in westcliff during the week for the up coming local elections and she was wearing a Southend scarf round her neck which was clearly visible for all to see
Its Nice to see she is a big fan of her home city club.

But i still wont be voting for her party in the coming elections Lol.

 

[Massimo Giovanni]

Do any of the various parties standing for election have any record/views/proposals about SUFC?

Not saying that I would vote on this alone, but alongside rubbish, parking, potholes....this might be a period in which some influence might be bought to bear.

Do our MPs come to matches or have any interest?

Having lived in glorious SS2 for 6 years now, generally I get the feeling that Southend (the place) is a bit unloved. It is diry (rubbish), people just park randomly on pavements, plots of prime land are left to grow over. Maybe SUFC is just the same. A bit unloved by those who can influence things.

In the local elections which are those early next month there are a number of councillors who are supporters and attend The Hall. The majority of those sitting councillors do not.
There are prospective candidates in most area who have views on SUFC.
In my area they have all been campaigning, door steps and leaflets, there is one who carrys a SUFC rucksack and is a West Stand ST man, he has already had my postal vote. And, his other policies are very local and acceptable to me such as keeping Westcliff Library, parking, litter, bin collections and stuff.
I haven't named him or his party as politics are, rightly, banned on this forum AND each voter ought to take their own considerations and subsequent conclusions.

 

[southendkid]

Interesting what you say about the Wrexham owners as I don't disagree with you there. I haven't done any research and frankly don't care enough to do so, but do Wrexham own their own ground? If so, that's a clue as to their ultimate endgame.

I doubt that's their endgame, it would be incredibly bad PR for them (especially since the documentary means there are hundreds of thousands of people that now are aware of Wrexham). Unlike in something like banking, as actors it matters what the general public think of you in showbusiness (especially Reynolds, who is a shareholder in several other businesses and uses his popularity to market them).

 

[Rob1920]

In fairness to the Wrexham owners, they're a couple of blokes who got lucky (fair play to them) with their acting careers, and making some serious cash and are not ruthless business who'd sell their grandmother for a fiver.

Ryan Reynolds has made more from his business exploits in telecoms & booze than from his acting. He definitely didn’t earn it all through being lucky.

 

[Napster]

Ryan Reynolds has made more from his business exploits in telecoms & booze than from his acting. He definitely didn’t earn it all through being lucky.

And Rob created IASIP, the longest running sitcom on US telly