Echo News A statement from Southend United chairman Ron Martin (26/10/20)

[Wickford Blue]

Was about to renew my Season Ticket and then remembered the hearing is Wednesday - any chance we go into Administration do you reckon or will we pull the Rabbit out of the hat again??

 

[Chris Powell's mate]

"I don’t want to be critical but this includes managers whose recruitment was both expensive and poor".
I bitterly regret not telling him to bin Kevin Bond the night we held on after beating Sunderland.
To tell truth, I didn't want to spoil the great escape moment.
BUT this is where Ron needs to do a bit more due diligence.
A dig around, especially at Newcastle, would have revealed Bond's questionable past, not to mention his entire career built as Harry's gofer.
For me, it wasn't hindsight Bond would screw up.
Am assuming the other is Brown as he mentions manager(S) whose recruitment was poor and expensive.
Both CP and Campbell brought just one loan and one purchase (Humphrys) between them.

 

[rigsby]

Suspiciously Rigsby-esque.

Cant be me. Southend losing doesn't hurt me financially or personally. Nor does it spoil my week, in fact i'm looking forward to non league.....Unlike Ron and many other fans I don't have to attend every game.

 

[euroshrimper]

Sorry Mr Chairman but once again I am not impressed by your statement. It partly felt like a bit of a lecture to us as fans........your PR is really not very good ! Personally I will keep the "faith" in Southend United and MM but I am afraid you lost me and many fellow supporters some time ago.

 

[Mad Cyril]

"I don’t want to be critical but this includes managers whose recruitment was both expensive and poor".
I bitterly regret not telling him to bin Kevin Bond the night we held on after beating Sunderland.
To tell truth, I didn't want to spoil the great escape moment.
BUT this is where Ron needs to do a bit more due diligence.
A dig around, especially at Newcastle, would have revealed Bond's questionable past, not to mention his entire career built as Harry's gofer.
For me, it wasn't hindsight Bond would screw up.
Am assuming the other is Brown as he mentions manager(S) whose recruitment was poor and expensive.
Both CP and Campbell brought just one loan and one purchase (Humphrys) between them.

CP bought Hopper as well.

 

[Maldon Shrimper]

My understanding from the last statement that we will survive as RM had arranged for funding to come in from outside sources and Lloyd's Bank.Now he is suggesting that he is waiting for some sort of bailout from PL EFL or the Government.Yet again supporters are left with more questions than answers. Sorry Ron we need reassurance not ambiguous statements.

 

[Chairman Trigg]

Surely FF is the core issue to the clubs future yet no mention.So many promises and spins on start dates and council meetings.....yet where is that important date .Was hoping that now the council have got their way and approved the Seaway scheme that the cogs might move .

 

[Shrimper]

The fact that there is no mention of Wednesday’s hearing speaks volumes to me.

That entire statement was about this rebuilding process, and yet the key factor to that - lifting the embargo - has been completely omitted.

Still, I would expect HMRC to satisfactorily accept another sizeable chunk paid off leading to it being deferred once again.

At that point though....

Unless we pay off at least half I reckon it's goodnight Irene

 

[rigsby]

"I don’t want to be critical but this includes managers whose recruitment was both expensive and poor".
I bitterly regret not telling him to bin Kevin Bond the night we held on after beating Sunderland.
To tell truth, I didn't want to spoil the great escape moment.
BUT this is where Ron needs to do a bit more due diligence.
A dig around, especially at Newcastle, would have revealed Bond's questionable past, not to mention his entire career built as Harry's gofer.
For me, it wasn't hindsight Bond would screw up.
Am assuming the other is Brown as he mentions manager(S) whose recruitment was poor and expensive.
Both CP and Campbell brought just one loan and one purchase (Humphrys) between them.

Both PB, CP and Bond signed mostly players out of contract, so not a lot of purchasing as such. Perhaps Ron means wages, including part time coaches. Plus you have forgotten Heart and Taylor Moore.

 

[amsemp]

I can only think this was his way of addressing it:

‘your club will continue to be supported, financially, through these challenging times.’

Just concerning that after going on record several times to say the debt will be paid in full, he’s now playing his cards close to his chest and throwing cryptic lines out about it.

The one about ‘if the club had the money to discharge the debt, it would do so’ - do we take that as SUFC can’t discharge the debt, but RM can and will? Or do we take it as, we can’t discharge the debt, full stop?

Even in that statement, is the financial support he’s referring to the fact that SUFC will be bankrolled with cash flow to pay players etc. whilst there’s no bailout and income coming in, or do we take that as the debt will be paid?

All very annoying and he’s either preparing us and managing our expectations that the debt won’t be discharged, or wants us to think it won’t be discharged so he can ride up to court on a horse and be the saviour of the town.

 

[LBBlue]

CP bought Hopper as well.

and Dieng and Mantom -signing on fees and wages

 

[onceknownasrab]

Seemed pretty realistic to me. We have a squad that is working hard and learning game by game. We have experienced players sidelined that collectively, added to the matchday team, would make a considerable difference. We can call for more signings but the club, like many clubs, is in a precarious position, compounded and confounded by the uncertainty of covid.

RM is trying to live within the means available. Difficult with such little income. His words were supportive of the current team and manager and he inferred continued financial support for the club.

He didn't mention Wednesday which many see as him struggling to raise the funds. It may be he has options to consider, pay part of pay all, and has to work out which is best for the sustainability of the club at this present time. Revenue streams ebb and flow more than the Thames and do not always coincide with the due date of some debts.

If he can't discharge the whole amount owed to HMRC, but can pay an acceptable part and cover all staff wages, then we live to fight another day. I don't know the full situation but then neither do any of the negative posters on here. Ron is the only one with all the facts and figures and the decisions are his to make.

We have been a club in freefall for some time. Ron is trying to unpack the parachute.

Many, myself included, wanted the overpaid and underperforming players, to be shown the door. We also wanted a young, on the up, manager. Ron has given us what we asked for. It was always going to be a rebuild from there. The fans clamour for statements when what we really need is a dose of realism and a pile of patience.

 

[Lincoln Shrimp]

Let's not leave out CP's signing of Luke Hyam too!

 

[Shrimpet steve]

Cant believe rons getting so much stick! Yes we have a poor playing squad and yes results have been terrible but im not quite sure what else ron could do at this present time? We have brought in 6 players which mark molsley picked and so far they havent helped.Also if anyone didnt notice but there is a worldwide pandemic and football clubs especially in league 2 arent making any money due to fans not being allowed at games.Hes trying to pay off the tax bill each month and im sure when he goes to HMRC he will pay some more off.It must be an absolute nightmare trying to run southend united football club right now and i think the guy should be cut some slack.

 

[Shrimper]

Cant believe rons getting so much stick! Yes we have a poor playing squad and yes results have been terrible but im not quite sure what else ron could do at this present time? We have brought in 6 players which mark molsley picked and so far they havent helped.Also if anyone didnt notice but there is a worldwide pandemic and football clubs especially in league 2 arent making any money due to fans not being allowed at games.Hes trying to pay off the tax bill each month and im sure when he goes to HMRC he will pay some more off.It must be an absolute nightmare trying to run southend united football club right now and i think the guy should be cut some slack.

It's a pre-Covid bill. VAT deferred from 20th March to 30th June can be delayed until 2021 or 2022.

PAYE should be coverable from the season tickets and transfer given we've cut it down by £1.7m to £1.1m

No excuse for Ron

 

[GBJ]

Unless we pay off at least half I reckon it's goodnight Irene

Possibly.

I’d suggest we would need to weigh out at least £300k... which we should be able to do.

Anything less than that, and we will need HMRC - and more importantly, the judge - to be fairly lenient with us.

We may not have received the transfer fees up front yet, which could work in our favour and give us another stay of execution, but if we’ve received £300k+ and can only stump up £100k (for example), then they may well decide enough is enough & pull the plug on us there and then.

 

[hlane17]

The mention of the January window sounds to me like he will not be paying off HMRC in full on Wednesday, is hoping for another deferment, and so will not bring us out of the Umbongo until after Christmas. However, as with all Ron's statements, it might mean absolutely anything.

Relegation by Christmas if that's true

 

[Dave Smiths Love Child]

Another draw I reckon and we sneak through in a couple of months on late penalty shoot out

 

[Shrimpet steve]

Possibly.

I’d suggest we would need to weigh out at least £300k... which we should be able to do.

Anything less than that, and we will need HMRC - and more importantly, the judge - to be fairly lenient with us.

We may not have received the transfer fees up front yet, which could work in our favour and give us another stay of execution, but if we’ve received £300k+ and can only stump up £100k (for example), then they may well decide enough is enough & pull the plug on us there and then.

Why do u think this? There is a pandemic and there is no funds coming into the club.Dont u think Hmrc know how tough this must be ?

 

[Chris Powell's mate]

CP bought Hopper as well.

You're right. I was trying to think of those who were both POOR and expensive. Hopper, like Humphrys, was injured - but don't think he comes into the waster category.