What do you feel is sufc's future?

[southend4ever]

Is a new stadium the answer to guarantee our future though?

 

[Smiffy]

Is a new stadium the answer to guarantee our future though?

Not IMO. Not with the plans the way they are.

If we were "guaranteed" a 4 sided stadium, complete with the all singing and dancing Main Stand, then I may feel a little more comfortable.

Without it and with zero guarantee it would get built, I can't see us being much better off at a 3 sided FF, than we are at a crumbling RH.

How can any club survive without a Main Stand?

We struggle at RH, but at least we have a few boxes and a restaurant.

What will we offer at FF?....a Portakabin on the mud bank and a Happy Meal from McDonalds down the road?

It's all complete bollocks and IMO we have now passed the point of no return. We are screwed at RH and we are screwed with a 3 sided FF. It's all going to end in tears unless we get a big cash injection from somewhere.

 

[turkishm]

The latest is there is no news.

Unless the Council are not reporting everything on their planning database, then it has all come to a halt. The extension for planning permission has now expired. According to a "source" on here, Prospects say any deal with them is dead in the water. No news on the purchase of the remaining shops and flats on Vic Ave. We still haven't heard if the new S106 agreement was signed off (regarding the phasing of payments to the Council) and there have been no discussions in any of the council meetings over the last several months regarding the project.

In short, unless something dramatic happens rather quickly. Then we are no nearer to work starting, than we have been in the last 5 years.

So if no stadium, what happens about the money that has been forwarded on to RM by Sainsburys, on the assumption that somewhere down the line we would leave RH, and they would build a superstore.

 

[Barry.C]

The future no one can tell, but I don't think we can blame Ron Martin for us having a really good youth set up! Rather the reverse. The future much lies at our level with a good production line of good players. I would worry if the likes of Ricky Duncan departed. Bentley, Chambers, Smith, Auger, Payne, Pinnock, Williams, Farrell, Matzusaka, Edwards, just to name a few, add in Leonard, How much value/ fees may they eventually fetch? More than enough to see us through immediate cash strapped issues I would have thought?

 

[southend4ever]

Not IMO. Not with the plans the way they are.

If we were "guaranteed" a 4 sided stadium, complete with the all singing and dancing Main Stand, then I may feel a little more comfortable.

Without it and with zero guarantee it would get built, I can't see us being much better off at a 3 sided FF, than we are at a crumbling RH.

How can any club survive without a Main Stand?

We struggle at RH, but at least we have a few boxes and a restaurant.

What will we offer at FF?....a Portakabin on the mud bank and a Happy Meal from McDonalds down the road?

It's all complete bollocks and IMO we have now passed the point of no return. We are screwed at RH and we are screwed with a 3 sided FF. It's all going to end in tears unless we get a big cash injection from somewhere.

Tend to agree with this.

 

[Azzurri Per Sempre]

I like to stay optimistic, no matter how difficult it is to do so. I still have faith that FF will happen eventually. I also believe that once building starts, Ron will find a hotel chain or whoever to help fund the 4th stand. I believe that after this happens, we will be in a far better financial situation, with more fans through the turnstiles, and playing at the top half of league 1 with potential to break back into the Championship at some point. I realize this is an unpopular opinion amongst most, but I'd rather not be too negative about the club and our future, as one could go crazy focusing on such things.

 

[Jam_Man]

I like to stay optimistic, no matter how difficult it is to do so. I still have faith that FF will happen eventually. I also believe that once building starts, Ron will find a hotel chain or whoever to help fund the 4th stand. I believe that after this happens, we will be in a far better financial situation, with more fans through the turnstiles, and playing at the top half of league 1 with potential to break back into the Championship at some point. I realize this is an unpopular opinion amongst most, but I'd rather not be too negative about the club and our future, as one could go crazy focusing on such things.

If we can get the 4th stand built then Id actually be pretty excited about the whole thing.

We dont seem to even be able to build the 3 stand version when Sainsbury are meant to be financing it though, so god knows how we will ever manage that 4th stand. Without it we are going to have a very poor stadium and even less income than now .

 

[davewebbsbrain]

If we can get the 4th stand built then Id actually be pretty excited about the whole thing.

We dont seem to even be able to build the 3 stand version when Sainsbury are meant to be financing it though, so god knows how we will ever manage that 4th stand. Without it we are going to have a very poor stadium and even less income than now .

The way it's going it'll be more like Custer's last stand

 

[mrsblue]

It's all hot air from our glorious masterful leader,FF should be remodelled scrapping the ridiculous plans instead let Sainsbury build a far smaller stadium including the main stand with a capacity of 10,000 ,The club use it rent free and Ron can bugger off with his lorry load of cash.

 

[RHB]

It's all hot air from our glorious masterful leader,FF should be remodelled scrapping the ridiculous plans instead let Sainsbury build a far smaller stadium including the main stand with a capacity of 10,000 ,The club use it rent free and Ron can bugger off with his lorry load of cash.

Assuming that happened, how could we then expand if we are successful? During our short stay in the Championship 10000 capacity just wouldn't have been enough for some of the games.

 

[mrsblue]

Assuming that happened, how could we then expand if we are successful? During our short stay in the Championship 10000 capacity just wouldn't have been enough for some of the games.

Worry about that if we ever reach that level again,Cast iron certainty without the main stand the club is knackered.

 

[Jam_Man]

It's all hot air from our glorious masterful leader,FF should be remodelled scrapping the ridiculous plans instead let Sainsbury build a far smaller stadium including the main stand with a capacity of 10,000 ,The club use it rent free and Ron can bugger off with his lorry load of cash.

So a stadium smaller than the one we are in that cant sustain us as it is.

Not sure thats a great plan going forward.

 

[RHB]

Worry about that if we ever reach that level again,Cast iron certainty without the main stand the club is knackered.

Think I agree with Jam_Man over the plan. Loads of us have stood or sat in crowds in excess of 10,000 in both the old 3rd and 4th divisions and now the 1st and 2nd. Continued success puts bums on seats.

 

[chapperzUK]

For the 4th stand, wasn't Ron looking to get a hotel chain to pay for the construction of the stand with a hotel there?

With Southend airport getting more and more popular, and Fossetts Farm site only being a few miles away it could be an attractive prospect. Although my guess is Ron wants them to pay to build it while he keeps the ownership of it.

 

[TS2]

I am more disheartened about Southend United than I have been for a long time.
I still follow the scores on match days but I cannot face going to games as I feel as though we are just going to be treading water, at best, on the football side until the financial situation is sorted out.
I don't believe Ron Martin can pull off his new stadium dream and it is plain that he does not have the finances to support the club.
In an interview Ron Martin did with the Echo earlier in the year he said if the new stadium isn't underway by November then the whole project was back to the drawing board but refused to elaborate further. Perhaps in the next few weeks we will find out exactly what he was alluding to?

 

[Charisma]

FF will not happen: where does this leave us : crumbling RH. Perhaps there's an option to utilise the surroundings for alternative revenue but until and unless RM delivers the financials we are going nowhere! It saddens me to say it but how long can this be sustained?

 

[BrettieAngell]

Brown bread.

 

[Shrimper]

Who would force it though?

Where do you start?

it would be nice to have an update on FF from Ronnie but the chances of that happening are remote.

 

[chapperzUK]

Where do you start?

it would be nice to have an update on FF from Ronnie but the chances of that happening are remote.

The people who we owe money to that might be a threat are those 3 players who are owed 3 months wages and the Football League.

Can you see either of them putting us in administration?

 

[Tommy2holes]

Personally think that Ron should scale down ronworld and maybe deliver a stadium similar in size to the keep moat or the new york stadium. It would be more realistic and would still entice new fans for us to build the future with. All of this building a 22k seater stadium whilst attracting 5k in the basement and not being able to pay wages is madness.