Echo News Southend United in talks with striker and chairman Ron Martin hopes to clear embargo next week

[tommy tucker]

we need the embargo lifted now not january .

 

[Lambs Beret]

The current debt due to HMRC as I understand is amounts due during Covid, these payments have been suspended by HMRC as long as a payment plan can be agreed, that we can’t do due to no income, similar to other clubs at this present time.

I simply don't think it's true we can't agree the plan due to no income. Hmrc will agree a payment plan even if you are left with £1 at the end of a month. The club has incredibly limited income but Hmrc are very lenient when it comes to plans to pay monies back.
Current circumstances could see a company use old reports for income to use for future payments, if as expected a company is literally left with nothing in the bank at the end of a month.
Yes the company would be paying it off for years but Hmrc would rather that than never getting the money.
I'm still of the opinion Ron hasn't made that call because he doesn't want Hmrc to see current financial reports for all companies associated to SUFC and himself.

Regarding protests, the best thing, especially if we were pre-covid, would be a stay away at Roots Hall, protest outside the ground, like Blackpool did with the oystens. Sell out away games, show the players love there.

 

[brigg blue]

I've been thinking about our financial situation compared to other clubs, quite simply we are not a rich club. Our owner is worth next to nothing when compared to the owners of Forest green, Salford and other clubs we view as being smaller than us.

We're in the situation we are because Ron tried to keep up with what other teams were doing by borrowing money, there are very few clubs that actually live within their means, not really, all of them rely on a wealthy backer. Even the clubs that are owned by supporters groups will have wealthy backers as part of those groups.

We are rock bottom because that's all we can afford to be until we either get a rich backer or our current owner gets rich.

 

[Ricey]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1331674432750972929

 

[AustScullyPriorPowell]

He gambled, invested in players like Kightly, Cox, Oxley (renewed contract), Turner, Kiernan & Hendrie which he obviously couldnt afford, and we're paying the price now!!

Terrible manager selection as well, still can't get the new ground going, problems paying the taxman and staff, never delivers on promises, apart from that, he's lovely!

 

[Supa Shrimpa]

I've been thinking about our financial situation compared to other clubs, quite simply we are not a rich club. Our owner is worth next to nothing when compared to the owners of Forest green, Salford and other clubs we view as being smaller than us.

We're in the situation we are because Ron tried to keep up with what other teams were doing by borrowing money, there are very few clubs that actually live within their means, not really, all of them rely on a wealthy backer. Even the clubs that are owned by supporters groups will have wealthy backers as part of those groups.

We are rock bottom because that's all we can afford to be until we either get a rich backer or our current owner gets rich.

Exactly ! and he refuses to sell to a "rich backer", even if one does come forward.

 

[Westcliff DGS]

I simply don't think it's true we can't agree the plan due to no income. Hmrc will agree a payment plan even if you are left with £1 at the end of a month. The club has incredibly limited income but Hmrc are very lenient when it comes to plans to pay monies back.
Current circumstances could see a company use old reports for income to use for future payments, if as expected a company is literally left with nothing in the bank at the end of a month.
Yes the company would be paying it off for years but Hmrc would rather that than never getting the money.
I'm still of the opinion Ron hasn't made that call because he doesn't want Hmrc to see current financial reports for all companies associated to SUFC and himself.

Regarding protests, the best thing, especially if we were pre-covid, would be a stay away at Roots Hall, protest outside the ground, like Blackpool did with the oystens. Sell out away games, show the players love there.

Completely disagree on this. The HMRC have stated they will be lenient while going on but will want a payment plan to show how the money will be repaid and over what period of time, they are talking a year or 2 max I believe. HMRC are one debtor that traditionally offer no letup, they do not take a % in The pound and expect debt paid promptly and as agreed.

I m not among excuses for RM or the club but pointing out HMRC will not take a pound a month till a debt of say 500k is paid off, they would expect that paid within a set time frame of around. 2 years maximum

 

[Lambs Beret]

Completely disagree on this. The HMRC have stated they will be lenient while going on but will want a payment plan to show how the money will be repaid and over what period of time, they are talking a year or 2 max I believe. HMRC are one debtor that traditionally offer no letup, they do not take a % in The pound and expect debt paid promptly and as agreed.

I m not among excuses for RM or the club but pointing out HMRC will not take a pound a month till a debt of say 500k is paid off, they would expect that paid within a set time frame of around. 2 years maximum

I worked for a company that owed Hmrc a large debt, hmrc were very reasonable and did accept a % in the pound repayment scheme. If it had been any other way the company would have simply gone bust and hmrc wouldn't have collected anything but a few hundred quid from the sale of very meagre assets.

I don't know what the plan is with current businesses, they may well ask for all monies back over two years but I'm sure they'd be happy with reduced payments while in current covid conditions. When full income streams return I'd then expect conditions of the re-payment plan to change. I still believe this is where the sticking point is not just for Southend but many other clubs in that they have sister businesses entangled and the owners do not want those revenue streams used to pay off an hmrc repayment plan.

 

[TJC]

This probably won't be popular right now, but until someone(s) publicly steps up and offers to throw money at us, then Ron is our only option. We should demand answers and more clarity on our financial position including all currently public debts and others (doesn't mean he will give it).
Yes we've had rumours of consortiums over the years but how many are just mere rumours and how many serious and viable? If they are serious, then they need to go public and declare their 'knight in shining armour' attributes to make us fans aware there is a route out; another option.

Unless that happens, the only way forward is for more transparency from Ron and the board and trying to get the fans pulling in the right direction together. Not convinced Ron will ever declare our full situation as some might me commercially sensitive (or much worse than any of us can imagine)

On the face of it Ron is guilty of mismanagement as a lot of our troubles could have been avoided if we paid up on time; but I wonder if he simply didn't have the funds to pay up on time and has been bailing us out at the very last minute as he shuffles assets within his businesses.

Make no mistake, there is a large pot of gold at the end of the rainbow for Ron, and I think its mutually beneficial if he gets his prize. I would sincerely hope that the club going out of business wouldn't help achieve that aim, as if it does, hes wasted some serious funds by bailing us out so many times.
I await the backlash!

 

[Medway Blue]

Apparently the striker in question is "experienced, big and strong" and has played in the Championship and League 1. RM claims to have made him a "good contract offer" on Sunday and is waiting to hear back from him.

Calvin Andrew?

 

[NZamba Legend]

Apparently the striker in question is "experienced, big and strong"

Ron's holding out for a hero

 

[Ricey]

Apparently the striker in question is "experienced, big and strong" and has played in the Championship and League 1. RM claims to have made him a "good contract offer" on Sunday and is waiting to hear back from him.

Calvin Andrew?

A good contract offer means **** all unless the embargo is lifted.

 

[geoffmundo]

Ron's holding out for a hero

Hopefully he'll be fresh from the fight too

 

[Evening Echo]

SOUTHEND United are waiting to hear back from the experienced striker they remain in talks with.

Read more on this story


Help with Echo links

 

[Barling Magna]

Ron Martin confident embargo will be lifted next week


Thank goodness. We're saved!!!!!

 

[Lincoln Shrimp]

I think it must be Andrew.
I'm sure Tilly tried to sign him a good few years ago but he turned us down after a £300k fee had been agreed on deadline day at the end of January.

 

[Fairport]

Someone on another thread mentioned ex Bolton, Chris O'Grady.

 

[Medway Blue]

Someone on another thread mentioned ex Bolton, Chris O'Grady.

2 years younger and more of a goalscorer.

 

[AustScullyPriorPowell]

Giles Barnes, 32 and from Barking

 

[Petejames]

The striker is currently training with a Lge one club and it’s up north somewhere big lump, apparently he has other options but we have offered him more than the Lge 1 side ? hasn’t got back to us yet tho offer was made Sunday