Breaking News SZ & Trust meeting with RM Tuesday.

[Napster]

I don't think you can measure "support", let alone define it. It's an intangible.

 

[dannypav]

I don't think you can measure "support", let alone define it. It's an intangible.

I tend to agree with you.
I tried once , but it's really difficult.
Definately over 4.2 metres , but beyond that , couldn't say with any accuracy

 

[Jam_Man]

I don't think you can measure "support", let alone define it. It's an intangible.

My support is level 7.

 

[Derbyshire Blue]

My support is level 7.

Surely someone out there has turned their support up to 11 :winking:

 

[dannypav]

Surely someone out there has turned their support up to 11 :winking:

Maybe when it gets colder

 

[fbm]

A frankly ridiculous statement. Sitting on their backside and buying a club shirt and scarf online would, in theory, make someone a better supporter than someone else who can only perhaps get to go to a couple of games a season but actually bothers going.

I think the definition of a supporter has been done to death on other ancient threads without resolution so I'm not going there. It's really not about what makes one supporter better than another. People do what they can to the level they can afford. If that means sitting at home and buying a shirt and scarf online then so be it. They are supporting.

But what we have here is some people NOT doing what they can through deliberate action aimed to... well, I'm not sure what their aim is or what they think will happen. My point is that by actively NOT going to home matches you are not supporting the club and a club without supporters has no money. oo-andy-ansah has stated that he doesn't attend RH at the moment but buys the merchandise so he financially supports the club in that way. I wonder what is different for him about that? The money still ends up in the same coffers.

Consider this - and we'll ignore the fact about who could afford it for the moment - in principle, lets say the club needed a sum of money to survive a winding up petition, Ron hasn't got the money and we need to raise £100K across the fanbase. Would any of us actively refuse and say "No, let the club be wound up"?

I personally wouldn't and unless that is the stance, which I accept it may be for some, then I can't see why people can't come to Roots Hall and actively support the club they claim to love in order to help prevent that happening. It really isn't that difficult or complicated an issue. Whilst I respect people's right to take a particular stance or view, I'm struggling to see why they think that stance or view is helpful given the current situation.

 

[A Century United]

A frankly ridiculous statement. Sitting on their backside and buying a club shirt and scarf online would, in theory, make someone a better supporter than someone else who can only perhaps get to go to a couple of games a season but actually bothers going.

That's not the argument. It makes them a more relevant supporter than someone who can go, but chooses to financially boycott the club. Ask any lower league club which they would prefer - the regular attender of away games who puts nothing into the home coffers, or the occasional fan who does.

To refuse to put money into the club because of Ron Martin is akin to showing your anger at a mugging in the street by giving the victim a couple of kicks as you pass.

 

[ooh-andy-ansah]

I think the definition of a supporter has been done to death on other ancient threads without resolution so I'm not going there. It's really not about what makes one supporter better than another. People do what they can to the level they can afford. If that means sitting at home and buying a shirt and scarf online then so be it. They are supporting.

But what we have here is some people NOT doing what they can through deliberate action aimed to... well, I'm not sure what their aim is or what they think will happen. My point is that by actively NOT going to home matches you are not supporting the club and a club without supporters has no money. oo-andy-ansah has stated that he doesn't attend RH at the moment but buys the merchandise so he financially supports the club in that way. I wonder what is different for him about that? The money still ends up in the same coffers.

Consider this - and we'll ignore the fact about who could afford it for the moment - in principle, lets say the club needed a sum of money to survive a winding up petition, Ron hasn't got the money and we need to raise £100K across the fanbase. Would any of us actively refuse and say "No, let the club be wound up"?

I personally wouldn't and unless that is the stance, which I accept it may be for some, then I can't see why people can't come to Roots Hall and actively support the club they claim to love in order to help prevent that happening. It really isn't that difficult or complicated an issue. Whilst I respect people's right to take a particular stance or view, I'm struggling to see why they think that stance or view is helpful given the current situation.

You're missing a couple of points here, buying a shirt as a one off is totally different to spending a few hundred £££ on admission fees and by creating a space where there would normally be someone sitting must grate on the clown that runs the club.

 

[Jam_Man]

If they did football for a fiver like the last morcambe game last year we would see 9000+ again.

That doesnt indicate to me people are staying away because of Ron.

 

[Somerset Ex-TTB]

In my opinion for what it is worth, and I have stated this on Shrimperzone before, people are not going to Roots Hall just because they don't like Ron Martin.

For me, a lot of the excitement and passion has gone for the club due to the way it is run, due to the never ending stadium issues, due to the way it treats the fans, the way previous players were treated, and the way the club was dragged through the courts.

It doesn't feel like my club anymore. I used to get more enjoyment going along in the late 90's with Newman/Little/Wignall in charge when we were shockingly bad on the pitch, but at least I felt part of it.

Obviously the reasons for all the above lie at the door of Ron Martin

 

[fbm]

You're missing a couple of points here, buying a shirt as a one off is totally different to spending a few hundred £££ on admission fees and by creating a space where there would normally be someone sitting must grate on the clown that runs the club.

Wouldn't you prefer to actively be helping the club to survive as opposed to set out to annoy one man who probably doesn't care anyway?

If we got Arsenal at home in the FA Cup would you attend?

If we made the LDV area final would you go to the home leg?

I'm not trying to catch you out here mate, I'm asking serious questions.

 

[fbm]

In my opinion for what it is worth, and I have stated this on Shrimperzone before, people are not going to Roots Hall just because they don't like Ron Martin.

For me, a lot of the excitement and passion has gone for the club due to the way it is run, due to the never ending stadium issues, due to the way it treats the fans, the way previous players were treated, and the way the club was dragged through the courts.

It doesn't feel like my club anymore. I used to get more enjoyment going along in the late 90's with Newman/Little/Wignall in charge when we were shockingly bad on the pitch, but at least I felt part of it.

Obviously the reasons for all the above lie at the door of Ron Martin

Some are though.

 

[Jam_Man]

In my opinion for what it is worth, and I have stated this on Shrimperzone before, people are not going to Roots Hall just because they don't like Ron Martin.

For me, a lot of the excitement and passion has gone for the club due to the way it is run, due to the never ending stadium issues, due to the way it treats the fans, the way previous players were treated, and the way the club was dragged through the courts.

It doesn't feel like my club anymore. I used to get more enjoyment going along in the late 90's with Newman/Little/Wignall in charge when we were shockingly bad on the pitch, but at least I felt part of it.

Obviously the reasons for all the above lie at the door of Ron Martin

everyone will be different.

I have stopped going in the past simply because I got bored of it and because of other distractions in life.

At present Im pretty disillusioned with the owners, yet really enjoying the football. However badly the club is being run when it comes to the game we have a decent team and playing well enough and Im enjoying it.

Im able to separate the two at the moment.

 

[Reg Martin]

The idea that as a mid-table L2 club we would be getting higher crowds than 5k if RM was not owner is as deluded as, er, ...as deluded as wanting to build us a 22k capacity stadium. Ron's critics and the man himself are so often on the same wavelength, that maybe they should all get together and come up with a solution

 

[Beefy]

We won't find that out until it all comes tumbling down, which I think will happen sooner rather than later.

It seems fairly simple to me.

Either people think that we generate enough cash to cover our outgoings, in which case where the hell is the money going to if we're not then paying those outgoings?

Or we don't generate enough cash to cover our outgoings. In which case the fact that we continue to trade can only be due to someone, somewhere, covering the difference.

I'd suggest that the evidence of dozens and dozens of football clubs at home and abroad would indicate that there's a fair chance that Southend United are in the latter category.

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

In my opinion for what it is worth, and I have stated this on Shrimperzone before, people are not going to Roots Hall just because they don't like Ron Martin.

For me, a lot of the excitement and passion has gone for the club due to the way it is run, due to the never ending stadium issues, due to the way it treats the fans, the way previous players were treated, and the way the club was dragged through the courts.

It doesn't feel like my club anymore. I used to get more enjoyment going along in the late 90's with Newman/Little/Wignall in charge when we were shockingly bad on the pitch, but at least I felt part of it.

Obviously the reasons for all the above lie at the door of Ron Martin

For me the reason why the excitement is lacking is that we don't have any goals left to aspire to. For years the big dream was division two football. We achieved that (twice) and not only is the novelty gone but when we got there we discovered it wasn't all that anyway.

What's there left to do? We've won the League One title, we've beaten Man U, we've had the big finals (play-offs and LDV) at the big stadium.

The second time isn't going to be as good as the first time and I can't get overly excited about the prospect of being promoted to the third division for the fifth time of whatever it is in my lifetime/years of supporting. What realistic goals have we got left to achieve that won't just be repeats of what's gone before?

 

[Kent Shrimper]

For me the reason why the excitement is lacking is that we don't have any goals left to aspire to. For years the big dream was division two football. We achieved that (twice) and not only is the novelty gone but when we got there we discovered it wasn't all that anyway.

What's there left to do? We've won the League One title, we've beaten Man U, we've had the big finals (play-offs and LDV) at the big stadium.

The second time isn't going to be as good as the first time and I can't get overly excited about the prospect of being promoted to the third division for the fifth time of whatever it is in my lifetime/years of supporting. What realistic goals have we got left to achieve that won't just be repeats of what's gone before?

Wem-ber-ley, wem-ber-ley were the famous SUFC and were going to wem-ber-ley

 

[Ex-SouthendUnitedEmployee]

1 - I won't be handing my hard earned over to someone I don't trust, my money, relevant to me

2 - Without a clear sight of where my money goes I won't be handing it over if I think it may be misappropriated

I could understand this quote if you were investing your money in the football club, but your not. Your paying money to watch a form of what is mean to be entertainment. I don't pay money because i'm expecting the club to invest it, I pay because I want to get past the turnstile to watch my football club play football.

It's only 'your money' until you've handed it over to pay to WATCH the football. Once it's in the Clubs hand's it's their money and they do as they see fit with it. I think that's a concept many people on here seem to forget to easy. Yes the Club doesn't survive if people don't come, its the same in any business.

I might write a letter to the Odeon later saying I don't trust how they are using my money once i've paid to WATCH a film!

 

[Jam_Man]

I could understand this quote if you were investing your money in the football club, but your not. Your paying money to watch a form of what is mean to be entertainment. I don't pay money because i'm expecting the club to invest it, I pay because I want to get past the turnstile to watch my football club play football.

It's only 'your money' until you've handed it over to pay to WATCH the football. Once it's in the Clubs hand's it's their money and they do as they see fit with it. I think that's a concept many people on here seem to forget to easy. Yes the Club doesn't survive if people don't come, its the same in any business.

I might write a letter to the Odeon later saying I don't trust how they are using my money once i've paid to WATCH a film!

Totally agree.

Im totally fed up with the behind the scenes issues, but at 3pm on a Saturday I dont care as long as we are able to put out a decent team, which even with embargoes we have.

If it gets to the stage when players arent being paid and morale is destroyed like when we were relegated thats a different kettle of fish.

Everyone is different and if someone does feel that strongly about the chairman thats fine, but I do believe many will be using that as a convenient excuse not to have to watch league two football.

 

[ooh-andy-ansah]

I could understand this quote if you were investing your money in the football club, but your not. Your paying money to watch a form of what is mean to be entertainment. I don't pay money because i'm expecting the club to invest it, I pay because I want to get past the turnstile to watch my football club play football.

It's only 'your money' until you've handed it over to pay to WATCH the football. Once it's in the Clubs hand's it's their money and they do as they see fit with it. I think that's a concept many people on here seem to forget to easy. Yes the Club doesn't survive if people don't come, its the same in any business.

I might write a letter to the Odeon later saying I don't trust how they are using my money once i've paid to WATCH a film!

with respect that's total bollocks, this is a club not just a business, stupid comparison