Transfer News and Gossip Transfer Rumours Thread 2024/25 - Time to Cook 👨‍🍳

[kentblues]

If we have a budget, and our wage contribution fits into that budget, then we are being sustainable and realistic.

We’ve taken players on loan before, who are on higher wages than the likes of Tshimanga and Moncur, and haven’t had to pay anything towards their wages.

If Posh or Orient said “yeah, crack on, take them for 1/3/6/12 months and we’ll cover their wages” then that fits in perfectly. Unfortunately, Posh & Orient haven’t said this.

And tbh why on earth would they. It one thing if they are loaning a player they want to keep and develop- in these cases the want rid and they won’t see us as doing them a favour…

We of course don’t know what we are offering - it might be what we can afford but if say £1k a week it will be seen as taking the perverbial - by the same token if they want £3k they are doing likewise- you would think somewhere in between.

Moncur is the biggest chance as probably the player is limiting more the options re what he will accept- EFL deadline will make something happen as both clubs need them out to bring someone in…

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

I think it’s odd if I am honest, such a huge huge positive, that's pretty much petered out to a small press release on the day and that's that.

It’s pretty clear they don’t have a proper communications strategy in place.

I think it’s commendable that they’re not doing this for their egos and it was perhaps telling that they would only appear on stage en masse but this is something they can improve fairly easily.

I think there would be several ways of improving communications. Here’s my manifesto of 11 ways to improve communication:

1. Interview with Justin on the club socials on the clubs future. These could be split into clips and staggered over the next month or one long interview (this could be used to boost sign up to the App/Blues Player or NLTV whatever that is called)
2. More on the website/social media about individual projects. Treat things like the new scoreboard how you would a new signing - have little teaser clips, show progress etc (even under Ron we’d get clips about how the new pitch was going, tour of the new training ground). Do behind the scenes videos of the training ground work or the scoreboard operating room. Your audience is craving content. Every project you embark on to improve things think how you can make content out of it
3. Interviews with national media. The fanbase always gets fired up to see us reported nationally. It makes us feel relevant to see it reported in a national newspaper. Make sure you do it once in a while.
4. consortium members sitting individually for in-depth interviews with Chris Phillips. The way the Echo operates now these will be split into two hundred stories anyway but they will help build a narrative of how things are changing/will change for the better. With 10 members you could interview one member each month and make it last nearly a year
5. The Cliffs Part 2. Don’t rely on just this but maybe announce it for several months’ time to let people arrange to attend and so that they know communication will be coming.
6. Email to season card holders. A thank you for your support and this is what we’re working to do for you would go down really well.
7. Put someone forward for a Q&A with the Trust. Show you value the supporter’s group.
8. Hold a press conference - I still don’t understand why there wasn’t one when the deal completed. Get the BBC and ITV local news along. There’s a portion of the fanbase (and potential fanbase) who don’t read the Echo and aren’t online but who watch the local news. The takeover announcement should have been Justin at the end of the pier with a scarf on eating a Rossi’s ice cream.
9. The women’s team. What’s the plan with them? Can we include them on the website at least?
10. The youths - Aidan Shehu moved to Hull. Massive move for him. Let’s celebrate that and show how Southend is a stepping stone to the Championship, how we improve young players. There was something on the Academy twitter page but that was about it.
11. Have someone appear once a month on BBC Essex. Make it a regular thing.

Other than the Cliffs one these seem relatively easy fixes to me?

 

[Holy Joe]

It’s pretty clear they don’t have a proper communications strategy in place.

I think it’s commendable that they’re not doing this for their egos and it was perhaps telling that they would only appear on stage en masse but this is something they can improve fairly easily.

I think there would be several ways of improving communications. Here’s my manifesto of 11 ways to improve communication:

1. Interview with Justin on the club socials on the clubs future. These could be split into clips and staggered over the next month or one long interview (this could be used to boost sign up to the App/Blues Player or NLTV whatever that is called)
2. More on the website/social media about individual projects. Treat things like the new scoreboard how you would a new signing - have little teaser clips, show progress etc (even under Ron we’d get clips about how the new pitch was going, tour of the new training ground). Do behind the scenes videos of the training ground work or the scoreboard operating room. Your audience is craving content. Every project you embark on to improve things think how you can make content out of it
3. Interviews with national media. The fanbase always gets fired up to see us reported nationally. It makes us feel relevant to see it reported in a national newspaper. Make sure you do it once in a while.
4. consortium members sitting individually for in-depth interviews with Chris Phillips. The way the Echo operates now these will be split into two hundred stories anyway but they will help build a narrative of how things are changing/will change for the better. With 10 members you could interview one member each month and make it last nearly a year
5. The Cliffs Part 2. Don’t rely on just this but maybe announce it for several months’ time to let people arrange to attend and so that they know communication will be coming.
6. Email to season card holders. A thank you for your support and this is what we’re working to do for you would go down really well.
7. Put someone forward for a Q&A with the Trust. Show you value the supporter’s group.
8. Hold a press conference - I still don’t understand why there wasn’t one when the deal completed. Get the BBC and ITV local news along. There’s a portion of the fanbase (and potential fanbase) who don’t read the Echo and aren’t online but who watch the local news. The takeover announcement should have been Justin at the end of the pier with a scarf on eating a Rossi’s ice cream.
9. The women’s team. What’s the plan with them? Can we include them on the website at least?
10. The youths - Aidan Shehu moved to Hull. Massive move for him. Let’s celebrate that and show how Southend is a stepping stone to the Championship, how we improve young players. There was something on the Academy twitter page but that was about it.
11. Have someone appear once a month on BBC Essex. Make it a regular thing.

Other than the Cliffs one these seem relatively easy fixes to me?

12. Shareholder AGM. Massive change at the company but no shareholder communication.

 

[palexander]

This. It’s baffling that there has been no communication from the club bar a short statement confirming the takeover had completed - and even that spent more time praising Ron and Jack Martin than it did outlining the future.

The Cliffs event was warmly received but was in January and the deal has changed since then.

For example, there has been no acknowledgement by the club that POSU own the training ground. This is really positive news but it isn’t being celebrated anywhere. I’m sure there’s loads of feel good stuff that is happening but the only official news we’ve had outside of all the sponsorship stuff the Commerical Dept arranged is the statement that the takeover is complete and then one confirming that the bond appeal was successful a month ago.

There’s nobody currently communicating to the fanbase the wider vision and what this currently being worked on and I think this is the root cause of much of the frustration expressed in this thread as nothing seems to be happening (I’m sure the reality is all sorts of things are being planned that we just haven’t been told about yet). Even if we have a limited budget this season because we’re, say, investing in the training ground they need someone communicating that message to keep the feel good factor going that we’re moving forward, whilst managing expectations.

I know some people dont like the limelight etc, but I'm also AMAZED Justin wasnt introduced pre-match vs York. Imagine the reception he would have got - just to lift everyone and say thanks etc, not for his ego.

All we got was one of the COSU members reluctantly having a mic thrust at him unprepared.

Its definitely all felt a bit odd, when we were promised a bit of a wind of change.

 

[Thundersley Blue]

You got to have the right balance I guess. You don't want to go overkill on player signings but you do need to invest to progress. Problem with this league is clubs don't generate enough money to become sustainable so clubs who have owners with cash want out to have better income streams ie bigger tv deals and marketing opportunities which could potentially net better sponsorship due to the exposure a club gets through being in the EFL provides, Sky are showing lot more lower league coverage now. Being in the EFL does provide vastly substantial tv deal compared to the national league, im sure each club in league 2 earns around 500k year (maybe more I'm not to sure) also clubs have youth academy's which is funded by the EFL so that's another income stream when it comes to selling promising young players. We currently don't have that so we are reliant on fan numbers and player trading....... John still diamonds in the rough have served us well but none of them have gone on to make us a decent profit which is disappointing.

We did miss almost a season where we couldn't trade. We had a lengthy Transfer Embargo, daresay we could have sold, but not replace. I would also assume any sales money would have had to be used to reduce debt. Times have changed now, so hopefully John Still can really get to work.

 

[It'sGrimUpNorth]

How dare I make a tongue-in-cheek quip about a local rival football team, on an internet forum for my own team. Naughty step for me!

Btw - if I was to live somewhere other than Southend or London, it would bloody well be up north so there!

How dare I make a tongue-in-cheek quip about a local rival football team, on an internet forum for my own team. Naughty step for me!

Btw - if I was to live somewhere other than Southend or London, it would bloody well be up north so there!

I wasn’t having a dig at you mate, just making a comment.

Who would be your northern club of choice anyway?

 

[Spaceman Spiff]

I wasn’t having a dig at you mate, just making a comment.

Who would be your northern club of choice anyway?

Very difficult to say, but if I've decided to put down roots somewhere up north then I'd still be going to Southend games as much as I could. I'd probably also go and watch a side very local to me whenever I couldn't get to a Shrimpers game. I doubt whether that would be anyone with any significant history (in my mind / memory) of playing against Southend, which would limit the field a bit.

 

[BEERMONSTER]

Not in the traditional sense, but several posts in this thread have hinted that football isnt particularly his main priority and consequently he is falling short. I'm guessing that why in our position we even have a chance of signing him.

Just getting back to a bit of transfer speculation if you can handle the Christian references the attached YouTube interview really gives an insight into Moncur and explains a lot about why he is perceived in a certain way by some.

 

[BriggBlue]

Very difficult to say, but if I've decided to put down roots somewhere up north then I'd still be going to Southend games as much as I could. I'd probably also go and watch a side very local to me whenever I couldn't get to a Shrimpers game. I doubt whether that would be anyone with any significant history (in my mind / memory) of playing against Southend, which would limit the field a bit.

That is exactly the situation I'm in, my local clubs are Scunny, Grimsby & Hull.

We could play two of them next season so obviously I can't go and take the kids otherwise they might support them, which only leaves Hull which I still can't get my head around the fact that we won't play them as equals for several years.

 

[hlane17]

Just getting back to a bit of transfer speculation if you can handle the Christian references the attached YouTube interview really gives an insight into Moncur and explains a lot about why he is perceived in a certain way by some.

Respect this mentality 100%. Live life for the love of the process and the moment, don't get too high or too low.

Sounds like a guy who's made peace with his past career goals and aspirations, and seems happy playing to just enjoy his football.

 

[* ORM *]

It’s pretty clear they don’t have a proper communications strategy in place.

I think it’s commendable that they’re not doing this for their egos and it was perhaps telling that they would only appear on stage en masse but this is something they can improve fairly easily.

I think there would be several ways of improving communications. Here’s my manifesto of 11 ways to improve communication:

1. Interview with Justin on the club socials on the clubs future. These could be split into clips and staggered over the next month or one long interview (this could be used to boost sign up to the App/Blues Player or NLTV whatever that is called)
2. More on the website/social media about individual projects. Treat things like the new scoreboard how you would a new signing - have little teaser clips, show progress etc (even under Ron we’d get clips about how the new pitch was going, tour of the new training ground). Do behind the scenes videos of the training ground work or the scoreboard operating room. Your audience is craving content. Every project you embark on to improve things think how you can make content out of it
3. Interviews with national media. The fanbase always gets fired up to see us reported nationally. It makes us feel relevant to see it reported in a national newspaper. Make sure you do it once in a while.
4. consortium members sitting individually for in-depth interviews with Chris Phillips. The way the Echo operates now these will be split into two hundred stories anyway but they will help build a narrative of how things are changing/will change for the better. With 10 members you could interview one member each month and make it last nearly a year
5. The Cliffs Part 2. Don’t rely on just this but maybe announce it for several months’ time to let people arrange to attend and so that they know communication will be coming.
6. Email to season card holders. A thank you for your support and this is what we’re working to do for you would go down really well.
7. Put someone forward for a Q&A with the Trust. Show you value the supporter’s group.
8. Hold a press conference - I still don’t understand why there wasn’t one when the deal completed. Get the BBC and ITV local news along. There’s a portion of the fanbase (and potential fanbase) who don’t read the Echo and aren’t online but who watch the local news. The takeover announcement should have been Justin at the end of the pier with a scarf on eating a Rossi’s ice cream.
9. The women’s team. What’s the plan with them? Can we include them on the website at least?
10. The youths - Aidan Shehu moved to Hull. Massive move for him. Let’s celebrate that and show how Southend is a stepping stone to the Championship, how we improve young players. There was something on the Academy twitter page but that was about it.
11. Have someone appear once a month on BBC Essex. Make it a regular thing.

Other than the Cliffs one these seem relatively easy fixes to me?

They can communicate all they like but it still won’t stop some of the utter garbage on here. Instant success costs money and is not guaranteed. We don’t have much money. Enough to stabilise matters, perform essential repairs and look at developing revenue streams. Some great work already being done in respect of the latter. Soon there’ll be sponsorship for Kev’s jockstrap.

 

[Ozzer]

It’s pretty clear they don’t have a proper communications strategy in place.

I think it’s commendable that they’re not doing this for their egos and it was perhaps telling that they would only appear on stage en masse but this is something they can improve fairly easily.

I think there would be several ways of improving communications. Here’s my manifesto of 11 ways to improve communication:

1. Interview with Justin on the club socials on the clubs future. These could be split into clips and staggered over the next month or one long interview (this could be used to boost sign up to the App/Blues Player or NLTV whatever that is called)
2. More on the website/social media about individual projects. Treat things like the new scoreboard how you would a new signing - have little teaser clips, show progress etc (even under Ron we’d get clips about how the new pitch was going, tour of the new training ground). Do behind the scenes videos of the training ground work or the scoreboard operating room. Your audience is craving content. Every project you embark on to improve things think how you can make content out of it
3. Interviews with national media. The fanbase always gets fired up to see us reported nationally. It makes us feel relevant to see it reported in a national newspaper. Make sure you do it once in a while.
4. consortium members sitting individually for in-depth interviews with Chris Phillips. The way the Echo operates now these will be split into two hundred stories anyway but they will help build a narrative of how things are changing/will change for the better. With 10 members you could interview one member each month and make it last nearly a year
5. The Cliffs Part 2. Don’t rely on just this but maybe announce it for several months’ time to let people arrange to attend and so that they know communication will be coming.
6. Email to season card holders. A thank you for your support and this is what we’re working to do for you would go down really well.
7. Put someone forward for a Q&A with the Trust. Show you value the supporter’s group.
8. Hold a press conference - I still don’t understand why there wasn’t one when the deal completed. Get the BBC and ITV local news along. There’s a portion of the fanbase (and potential fanbase) who don’t read the Echo and aren’t online but who watch the local news. The takeover announcement should have been Justin at the end of the pier with a scarf on eating a Rossi’s ice cream.
9. The women’s team. What’s the plan with them? Can we include them on the website at least?
10. The youths - Aidan Shehu moved to Hull. Massive move for him. Let’s celebrate that and show how Southend is a stepping stone to the Championship, how we improve young players. There was something on the Academy twitter page but that was about it.
11. Have someone appear once a month on BBC Essex. Make it a regular thing.

Other than the Cliffs one these seem relatively easy fixes to me?

I can understand why they are not too vocal. They are fans, like us, who prefer to let Kevin etc and the team to get the focus. They are helping behind the scenes. Let's also be honest here, the more they speak up, there will always be someone who will criticise and complain that whatever they are doing is not enough or quick enough. I'm happy to be patient and wait for more good news. It will come.

 

[stewart]

COSU only had the club a matter of weeks and already people find fault with them. COSU out bring the Rat family back, at least we know what they like..

 

[bluethroughandthrough]

I think

1) any players from the EFL won't happen until deadline day purely because if they are not wanted by their parents club they will be trying to remove them from the club rather than loan them.
2) I'd be happy to stay in the NL if 1) we invest in players from the divisions below or unwanted youth players from the Divisions above and polish those gems 2) we play decent entertaining football - not seeing that

 

[bluesfansince1952]

They can communicate all they like but it still won’t stop some of the utter garbage on here. Instant success costs money and is not guaranteed. We don’t have much money. Enough to stabilise matters, perform essential repairs and look at developing revenue streams. Some great work already being done in respect of the latter. Soon there’ll be sponsorship for Kev’s jockstrap.

Does it really have to be communicated that the removal of Ron from the club did not mean the introduction of what might be called the 'Wrexham Strategy'?

Two draws and a semi meltdown on SZ. We might have easily won both games against two solid opponents both of whom, like us, remain unbeaten. Weird? Maybe I am too much of an optimist.

There are not too many easy games in the NL and away to Hartlepool and home to York hardly fit that label.

 

[Mr Browns Ghost]

COSU only had the club a matter of weeks and already people find fault with them. COSU out bring the Rat family back, at least we know what they like..

No one’s finding fault , again it’s like suggesting we want to sign someone, now means we want to be Wrexham, it’s a fans forum the exact place where you should be able to say your thoughts and how you feel , people are raising valid points … are we happy that COSU are here yes, do we like him yes, are we so far happy with the first 8 - 10 weeks , yes - but we also have some thoughts around how things could be driven and delivered slightly better … you are allowed to have an opinion in life ( well actually I might be speaking to fast on that point, let me change it to , enjoy having an opinion whilst you still can)

 

[Ricey]

No one’s finding fault , again it’s like suggesting we want to sign someone, now means we want to be Wrexham, it’s a fans forum the exact place where you should be able to say your thoughts and how you feel , people are raising valid points … are we happy that COSU are here yes, do we like him yes, are we so far happy with the first 8 - 10 weeks , yes - but we also have some thoughts around how things could be driven and delivered slightly better … you are allowed to have an opinion in life ( well actually I might be speaking to fast on that point, let me change it to , enjoy having an opinion whilst you still can)

Absolutely this.

The whole rhetoric that you cannot say anything that isn’t positive is baffling.

 

[amsemp]

No one’s finding fault , again it’s like suggesting we want to sign someone, now means we want to be Wrexham, it’s a fans forum the exact place where you should be able to say your thoughts and how you feel , people are raising valid points … are we happy that COSU are here yes, do we like him yes, are we so far happy with the first 8 - 10 weeks , yes - but we also have some thoughts around how things could be driven and delivered slightly better … you are allowed to have an opinion in life ( well actually I might be speaking to fast on that point, let me change it to , enjoy having an opinion whilst you still can)

Totally agree. If anything, I’m actually enjoying being able to discuss needing new signings, suggesting names and discussing the types of players we need after being under an embargo for so bloody long!

 

[Ricey]

All gone a bit quiet with Tshimanga. Assuming this one will go to the wire with deadline day for the EFL and only then will we be likely to get him. Hope Swindon find another player and we can get him in.

 

[Danshrimper]

COSU only had the club a matter of weeks and already people find fault with them. COSU out bring the Rat family back, at least we know what they like..

Discussing the clear need for new signings on a thread about transfers or making positive suggestions about communication isn’t finding fault.

Everyone is grateful for what COSU have done and are doing. But that doesn’t mean we need to fill every thread with ‘who cares we’re lucky to have a club’ style comments every time a comment is made that isn’t 100% positive.