Question Stadium update please!

[londonblue]

When Roots Hall was built the Southend Standard reported extension possibilities of 45,000 and eventually 63,000. What a grand stadium that could have been.

That was before all-seater and you could just pack them in. Don't forget we had over 30,000 when we played Liverpool.

 

[Up the Shrimpers]

That was before all-seater and you could just pack them in. Don't forget we had over 30,000 when we played Liverpool.

The crowds against Man City 1956 and Birmingham in 1957 were almost certainly well over 30,000. When you see some still pictures of those games it's even more packed than the Liverpool 1979 game.

I wonder what the Liverpool crowd would have been, if it had been played on the Saturday. Probably near the official capacity of the time which was 35,000.

 

[Rob1920]

The crowds against Man City 1956 and Birmingham in 1957 were almost certainly well over 30,000. When you see some still pictures of those games it's even more packed than the Liverpool 1979 game.

I wonder what the Liverpool crowd would have been, if it had been played on the Saturday. Probably near the official capacity of the time which was 35,000.

blimey it was pretty packed in there with the 32k-odd that did get in, not sure where another 3k would have squeezed in..

 

[Strykr]

Yes we did. Perhaps a zoneapedia page could be set up with all things to do with the new stadium.....50 facts would be a good start because so many stuff is just repeated and anyone could look up all the need to know.

This is a really good idea, maybe just once we can all find some common ground on a few things we'd like/not like to happen and these can but put forward when the time comes by the trust etc.

 

[sammy666]

Since we can't watch the Tractor Boys lose to the mighty Shrimpers I suppose the future of aviation is as good a subject as any......It won't be too long before the amount of aviation fuel used reduces. The first all electric passenger plane has flown in Canada, a six seat Beaver. Obviously needs to be scaled up but Airbus are on to it.... https://www.airbus.com/innovation/future-technology/electric-flight.html

A Beaver ? Must have impressive flaps

 

[Gt Yarmouth Shrimper]

The man has nearly taken us to the brink of existence on several occasions. He has promised so much and delivered so little.

He has been reckless to the extreme. Whilst I will be thankful IF the stadium gets built, we should never forget the foul play Ron has inflicted on the club. Not paying the tax man and taking us close to being wound up.

Not paying the players on several occasions and withholding/lying to the paying customer.

Thank you. In these trying times, you've given me the best laugh I've had for ages.

 

[rigsby]

The man has nearly taken us to the brink of existence on several occasions. He has promised so much and delivered so little.

He has been reckless to the extreme. Whilst I will be thankful IF the stadium gets built, we should never forget the foul play Ron has inflicted on the club. Not paying the tax man and taking us close to being wound up.

Not paying the players on several occasions and withholding/lying to the paying customer.

So people claim but is any of it true?

 

[Strykr]

Reckless to the extreme, or spent 15 years juggling all the debtors and playing hmrc like a violin.

From what i can see ron is the master of robbing peter to pay paul.

 

[tallboyblue]

Reckless to the extreme, or spent 15 years juggling all the debtors and playing hmrc like a violin.

From what i can see ron is the master of robbing peter to pay paul.

If I were Ron having to listen to relentless criticism for a long time I would have walked waving two fingers and have made my fortune elsewhere and we would be looking lost on Saturday afternoons,

 

[GBJ]

Even if/when this happens some on here will not be able to bring themselves to do that.

It’s worth remembering that the actual monetary benefits of the new stadium, haven’t actually been clarified yet.

The whole idea of moving, was to make this football club sustainable, and to earn money from outside sources. To my knowledge, Southend United Football Club will own precisely **** all of the revenue-making enterprises, that are incorporated in this move.

Sure it’ll be nice playing in a stadium that isn’t a whisker away from being condemned, but as far as I see it, we will continue to rely on our owner (whoever that may be) to put money into the club.

So before we go slapping Ron on the back for a job well done, just be cautious of the fact that we don’t exactly know what’s around the corner.

 

[GBJ]

I’d say that repeating the same mistakes that were made a decade ago, was pretty reckless.

It’s seems to me, that Ron loves handing out lucrative contracts, which is his choice of course, but it’s a bit rich to then proclaim that the club is unsustainable, and loses a couple of hundred thousand, every month.

You yourself probably know the supposed figures that Sol and the gang are earning. Did Ron need to splash that kind of cash on a management team? I’m not so sure.

I will caveat that by saying I appreciate that Ron was damned if he did, and damned if he didn’t, with regards to handing out contracts.

Personally, if it meant out finances were in better shape, I’d have accepted us being a lower Lg1 team, who occasionally went down, and then aimed to bounced back up. I’m not sure the majority of our fans would have agreed with that sentiment 3-4 years ago, but it was Ron’s decision at the end of the day.

 

[RHB]

I’d say that repeating the same mistakes that were made a decade ago, was pretty reckless.

It’s seems to me, that Ron loves handing out lucrative contracts, which is his choice of course, but it’s a bit rich to then proclaim that the club is unsustainable, and loses a couple of hundred thousand, every month.

You yourself probably know the supposed figures that Sol and the gang are earning. Did Ron need to splash that kind of cash on a management team? I’m not so sure.

I will caveat that by saying I appreciate that Ron was damned if he did, and damned if he didn’t, with regards to handing out contracts.

Personally, if it meant out finances were in better shape, I’d have accepted us being a lower Lg1 team, who occasionally went down, and then aimed to bounced back up. I’m not sure the majority of our fans would have agreed with that sentiment 3-4 years ago, but it was Ron’s decision at the end of the day.

I'm a bit lost on who the 'You yourself' is.

 

[GBJ]

I'm a bit lost on who the 'You yourself' is.

Aw bollocks, I thought I’d quoted @Rigsby’s post. Nevermind

 

[Tommy2holes]

Thank you. In these trying times, you've given me the best laugh I've had for ages.

Glad I could help. Still true though

 

[Tommy2holes]

So people claim but is any of it true?

Well we have had several winding up orders and sailed close to the wind in court over the years. At one point we were literally seconds from being wound up.

We had a double relegation which crippled the club and left players unpaid and the club with just 3 players.

Years later the club can't afford to pay its players again, which results in the club playing kids.

It also transpires that we are under a transfer embargo. Ron has never admitted this and apparently his own club manager doesnt know either. Having signed 2 unattached players, the said players are on the wage bill or not getting paid and can't even play.

We may yet cop a points deduction for that situation.

But hey, all's well in the rose garden hey!

Yeah Ronald is a class act.

 

[Member]

Apologies if this post has already been made, but I've not managed to catch up on everything.

In the threads I've read I've definitely seen a lot of positivity about the latest news and the new ground. We all recognise that our long term survival is completely intertwined with relocation, even if we have differing views on exactly how that might look and who it is who leads us there.

I've noticed on a few occasions a sense of disappointment that the plans have changed from retail/commercial to residential at FF. Some posts have referred to the 'council estate' in a dismissive way. I think this is short sighted and pretty negative.

Ask many people in SE Essex (or in most parts of this country) what's important for their local area and they'll reply 'affordable housing'. It’s not another Frankie and Bennys, or a new cinema. Southend is crying out for new houses and many people are completely priced out of renting or buying. Young people remain at home for longer than ever before, and many people live in unsafe and/or crowded housing and are unable to save or afford to better their situation. Social housing is necessary and important for our town, and everyone benefits from it even if they don't directly live there.

But why is this important and relevant for us as SUFC fans? Well many of us will have grown up in and around Roots Hall (or some older fans near Grainger Road, and Cricko first watched us at the Kursaal). Some of our earliest memories are watching fans walking past our houses, hearing the crowd in the distance cheering a goal. Saturdays spent nagging our parents to take us to a game. As we got older going to a game meant a 5 min walk from our homes, and being back in time for tea and hearing the scores coming in.

When (not if!) we move to Fossetts Farm there are going to be young families, from all sorts of backgrounds living on the literal doorstep of our new stadium. There are going to be young children (and older people) who've never watched live football before, and will be having the same experience as we did all those years before.

Hopefully the new residents at Fossetts Farm will be watching thousands of Southend fans go past giving the kids a wave, singing songs, treating them with respect and dignity. The club will hopefully endear themselves to the local community, offering the opportunity to use their facilities, get free or cheap tickets, and become a big neighbour who can help them in all sorts of ways.

Having a new residential community next to our ground and facilities will be a huge opportunity for us as we settle into our new home and continue to be a positive part of the community. Let's look to grow our fanbase through the community we're in, rather than the league we're in. Let's call out people who sneer at or dismiss council housing as part of this deal. Up the Blues

 

[kentblues]

blimey it was pretty packed in there with the 32k-odd that did get in, not sure where another 3k would have squeezed in..

From memory the capacity was reduced due to all the cabling for the TV cameras- I seem to remember it took out a few rows at the top of the south bank which in those days would have been a good few

 

[kentblues]

Well we have had several winding up orders and sailed close to the wind in court over the years. At one point we were literally seconds from being wound up.

We had a double relegation which crippled the club and left players unpaid and the club with just 3 players.

Years later the club can't afford to pay its players again, which results in the club playing kids.

It also transpires that we are under a transfer embargo. Ron has never admitted this and apparently his own club manager doesnt know either. Having signed 2 unattached players, the said players are on the wage bill or not getting paid and can't even play.

We may yet cop a points deduction for that situation.

But hey, all's well in the rose garden hey!

Yeah Ronald is a class act.

Just perhaps two or three observations- don’t mean to get in the way of the narrative. Ron believed (erroneously) that there would be sufficient gap after the first embargo to get the players registered. Didn’t turn out like that of course. Don’t confuse what Sol knew and was able to say.

Despite the constant statements from some about points deductions, as has been mentioned before, never have points been deducted for non-payment of players although the EFL and clubs did talk about starting next year. Suspect with the current backdrop this plan will be quietly dropped.

Despite the well documented cash flow challenges we have not been in administration unlike many clubs in Ron’s era and I suspect we are amongst those least likely to in the bottom two divisions now.

It of course ok not to like or rate the man but I would rather have him over many of the chairman that other clubs have had over the period.

As has been said so many times be careful what we wish for..

 

[Barling Magna]

Well said.

 

[Robert Baldwin]

blimey it was pretty packed in there with the 32k-odd that did get in, not sure where another 3k would have squeezed in..

For Manchester City it was heavy rain throughout. Although a sell out there was plenty of room where I stood, bottom corner West Stand. Incidentally Bert Trautmen, one of the worlds great goalkeepers, said in his book, this was his finest game.