A tale of two chairman

[rigsby]

Why cant we be like our local rivals....Gillingham, Col U, Dagenham, Orient and Cambridge. 4 of the 5 have been non league, so why cant we achieve that?.

They have either new or greatly improved stadiums and all have much better Chairman than us. Yet we still haven't achieved the conference dream.....Glad to see the short lived support for the academy players won't last......Lets make the atmosphere toxic on Saturday, anyone who doesn't is a spineless Ron lover.

 

[MK Shrimper]

Charles 50% right Dickens.

...it was the worst of times....it was the age of foolishness... it was the epoch of incredulity.... it was the season of darkness..... it was the winter of despair.”

 

[Feathers]

We also recently lost to Blackpool but I guess their recent owners do not fit the narrative quite as well. Maybe a tale of 3 chairmen?

Teams like Brentford and Peterborough are indeed doing well but rather than selectively look at the out-performers lets consider the fate of the following clubs who we have played in the league whilst we have been under Ron's stewardship:

Bury, Chester, Chesterfield, Darlington, Halifax, Hartlepool, Notts County, Stockport County, Torquay, Wrexham, Yeovil and York.

Then add into the mix Leyton Orient, Oxford, Cambridge, Luton, and Tranmere who have all "enjoyed" time outside the EFL. There are probably more that I have forgotten.

Then there are ex Premier clubs like Sunderland, Ipswich, Bolton, Portsmouth, and Bradford all plying their trade at League One or lower

For every Peterborough there is a Chesterfield, Hartlepool and Notts County. Maybe for a club that has spent the vast majority of its existence in the bottom 2 leagues we are not doing so bad after all.

Yes we are having a bad season and Ron Martin is far from perfect but then realistically how many chairman are?

Ron Martin has certainly made mistakes. The biggest was probably investing heavily in a push for promotion following our 7th placed finish. But then no doubt many fans would have complained if he had not.

What Ron has done, unlike Peterborough and Brentford, is invest in our Youth Academy. It is a long term project that it is now bearing fruit. After the last home game this forum was awash with comments about how great it was to see the youth play and see them develop. Does it really take just 2 losses (one to a free-scoring team last week put 4 past Ipswich at Portman Road) to start moaning again?

We are going down. We will most likely lose more games for the remainder of this season but there are definitely green shoots of recovery.

This season maybe all but over but I am looking forward to Saturdays game and seeing the progression of our Academy players. More than that I am looking forward to see their development in League 2 next year.

 

[Jai]

Why cant we be like our local rivals....Gillingham, Col U, Dagenham, Orient and Cambridge. 4 of the 5 have been non league, so why cant we achieve that?.

They have either new or greatly improved stadiums and all have much better Chairman than us. Yet we still haven't achieved the conference dream.....Glad to see the short lived support for the academy players won't last......Lets make the atmosphere toxic on Saturday, anyone who doesn't is a spineless Ron lover.

I'd say I'm a Ron-sceptic rather than a Ron-hater. I believe he wants the best for the club and I believe he has made personal sacrifices to keep the club afloat.

On the flip side his lack of any kind of long-term strategy has been totally shown up. He is too easily seduced by big names, and he believes himself far more capable of running a football club than he actually is.

Unfortunately, we are paying the price for a gamble taken back in 2016 (at the time, nobody was complaining) to try and push for the Championship with established, senior players.

Those players had no resale value, the gamble failed, Ron is now left desperately trying to clear the decks and sort things out but in all honesty, he's not doing it very well.

Seven fit senior professionals, a transfer embargo, staff not being paid and relegation sewn up by November. Oh and still no stadium after 22 years.

While I reiterate that I have respect for Ron given his past, I'm not sure there is much left in the tank for the 'Be careful what you wish for' brigade.

 

[Barry.C]

What Ron has done, unlike Peterborough and Brentford, is invest in our Youth Academy. It is a long term project that it is now bearing fruit. After the last home game this forum was awash with comments about how great it was to see the youth play and see them develop. Does it really take just 2 losses (one to a free-scoring team last week put 4 past Ipswich at Portman Road) to start moaning again?

is that the poor Peterborough academy with 21 players that has suffered a lot of injuries but just won the Youth Alliance League Title?

 

[rigsby]

I'd say I'm a Ron-sceptic rather than a Ron-hater. I believe he wants the best for the club and I believe he has made personal sacrifices to keep the club afloat.

On the flip side his lack of any kind of long-term strategy has been totally shown up. He is too easily seduced by big names, and he believes himself far more capable of running a football club than he actually is.

Unfortunately, we are paying the price for a gamble taken back in 2016 (at the time, nobody was complaining) to try and push for the Championship with established, senior players.

Those players had no resale value, the gamble failed, Ron is now left desperately trying to clear the decks and sort things out but in all honesty, he's not doing it very well.

Seven fit senior professionals, a transfer embargo, staff not being paid and relegation sewn up by November. Oh and still no stadium after 22 years.

While I reiterate that I have respect for Ron given his past, I'm not sure there is much left in the tank for the 'Be careful what you wish for' brigade.

Agree with most of what you say but fans of all clubs seem to completely miss the point when it comes to football finances. The game is awash with money but the ridiculous amounts payed to players and agents means there has to be big losers every year.

When people post Brentford as a good example, they need to have a reality check. The owner has put in £100m to keep them mid table in the Championship. A league where players have earned £40,000 per week.

Until people realise that lower league clubs who turn over more than £5m per year should never be 17m in debt......The answer is for the game to live within its means rather than demand some foreign owner with a dubious background and no interest in your club or town, is the answer to all your problems. If not then nothing will change and the debts and the clubs going bust will just increase.

 

[Chairman Trigg]

I'd say I'm a Ron-sceptic rather than a Ron-hater. I believe he wants the best for the club and I believe he has made personal sacrifices to keep the club afloat.

On the flip side his lack of any kind of long-term strategy has been totally shown up. He is too easily seduced by big names, and he believes himself far more capable of running a football club than he actually is.

Unfortunately, we are paying the price for a gamble taken back in 2016 (at the time, nobody was complaining) to try and push for the Championship with established, senior players.

Those players had no resale value, the gamble failed, Ron is now left desperately trying to clear the decks and sort things out but in all honesty, he's not doing it very well.

Seven fit senior professionals, a transfer embargo, staff not being paid and relegation sewn up by November. Oh and still no stadium after 22 years.

While I reiterate that I have respect for Ron given his past, I'm not sure there is much left in the tank for the 'Be careful what you wish for' brigade.

The gamble in 2016 was taken with FF expected......this is the crux of all our problems as Ron's financial and club plans are linked.
FF must be resolved this spring or I fear our problems will multiply killing next season

 

[stewart]

I agree the town council need to make a decision very quickly ,it (FF) has been lingering over the club for too long now .

 

[LBBlue]

Peterborough have had Barry Fry there for nearly 25 years. Whatever else you may think about him, he knows how to spot young talented footballers and always has done. Obviously helpful for a club in the lower leagues.

 

[MK Shrimper]

I think we can guess that FF will never happen. Where the club go from here is another matter.

 

[Feathers]

is that the poor Peterborough academy with 21 players that has suffered a lot of injuries but just won the Youth Alliance League Title?

I do not believe I commented on the quality of Peterborough's youth team but thank you nonetheless for updating me on their progress. It was in any case only a minor point in my post.

Have you any thoughts on the investment that has gone it Southend United's youth academy; the revenue generated from the likes of Dan Bentley, Jack Payne, and Dru Yearwood, and the number of players now playing in the first team or is your interest only in Peterborough?

 

[stewart]

Trouble is i believe the majority of our youth team (u18s) are playing in our u23s i believe ,whilst our u23s are playing in our senior side,perhaps if our youth team players were playingin out u18s and not the u23s we might have won the youth alliance league .

 

[Barry.C]

I do not believe I commented on the quality of Peterborough's youth team but thank you nonetheless for updating me on their progress. It was in any case only a minor point in my post.

Have you any thoughts on the investment that has gone it Southend United's youth academy; the revenue generated from the likes of Dan Bentley, Jack Payne, and Dru Yearwood, and the number of players now playing in the first team or is your interest only in Peterborough?

You said what Ron has done is invest in the Academy UNLIKE Peterborough, Clearly that is not the case, My interest lies in balance. Especially an overall valuation on Rons performance. I give him credit where it is due and yes he has done a fantastic job with the academy which I am thrilled with but I can also take a balanced view on the rest of Rons performance, whereas some folks on here seem part of the Rons love police, and that tends to make me respond with a few more balanced comments

 

[Mick]

Trouble is i believe the majority of our youth team (u18s) are playing in our u23s i believe ,whilst our u23s are playing in our senior side,perhaps if our youth team players were playingin out u18s and not the u23s we might have won the youth alliance league .

U23s play midweek and spasmodically. U18s play Saturdays. They are not mutually exclusive.

 

[rigsby]

You said what Ron has done is invest in the Academy UNLIKE Peterborough, Clearly that is not the case, My interest lies in balance. Especially an overall valuation on Rons performance. I give him credit where it is due and yes he has done a fantastic job with the academy which I am thrilled with but I can also take a balanced view on the rest of Rons performance, whereas some folks on here seem part of the Rons love police, and that tends to make me respond with a few more balanced comments

Well I for one appreciate you balanced views......The whole Zone has just become one big Ron love zone. The owners and mods really need to clamp down on this because its not far off North Korean state news..... Except we have Kim Ron-Un.

Keep up the good work Barry because there is always a club that is doing better than us. Ron lovers who say the odds are 23-1 in your favour are just blinded sycophants.

 

[Napster]

U23s play midweek and spasmodically. U18s play Saturdays. They are not mutually exclusive.

Bit harsh on the U23s.

 

[RHB]

Well I for one appreciate you balanced views......The whole Zone has just become one big Ron love zone. The owners and mods really need to clamp down on this because its not far off North Korean state news..... Except we have Kim Ron-Un.

Keep up the good work Barry because there is always a club that is doing better than us. Ron lovers who say the odds are 23-1 in your favour are just blinded sycophants.

Thank you for your sage advice @rigsby. If we were to act every time you requested our intervention we really would be operating in a North Korean environment. Better that all Zoners have their say, within SZ rules, and their posts get debated in a constructive fashion.

 

[blue pilot]

Ron would certainly give North Korean State Media a run for their money in terms of controlled information that comes out of RH.

 

[kentblues]

Why cant we be like our local rivals....Gillingham, Col U, Dagenham, Orient and Cambridge. 4 of the 5 have been non league, so why cant we achieve that?.

They have either new or greatly improved stadiums and all have much better Chairman than us. Yet we still haven't achieved the conference dream.....Glad to see the short lived support for the academy players won't last......Lets make the atmosphere toxic on Saturday, anyone who doesn't is a spineless Ron lover.

I cannot believe anyone is actually going to be protesting tomorrow- as you say the kids need support not a bad atmosphere to distract and intimidate them. BTW Gillingham has two things I am sure many will admire and desire- Steve Evans and a 3 sided stadium (no the temporary scaffolding we have to sit in does not qualify as a fourth side)..

 

[Feathers]

You said what Ron has done is invest in the Academy UNLIKE Peterborough, Clearly that is not the case, My interest lies in balance. Especially an overall valuation on Rons performance. I give him credit where it is due and yes he has done a fantastic job with the academy which I am thrilled with but I can also take a balanced view on the rest of Rons performance, whereas some folks on here seem part of the Rons love police, and that tends to make me respond with a few more balanced comments

Ok so maybe I was wrong to state that Peterborough had not invested in their academy. They also, as frequently highlighted by you, buy a lot of players from non-league clubs, often for high fees. I can't help but think this will impact on the number of players that will progress from their academy to the first team.

Interesting that you should raise the question of balance. There are numerous threads like this with the vast majority of posts criticising Ron Martin (some of it justified). There will also inevitably be some clubs that outperform us and I was balancing that with the fact that there are considerably more that have done worse and are now outside of the EFL or have spent time in the EFL.

Posts offering a different view are very much in the minority yet you brand these as being "part of Rons love police" Maybe I am missing the balance you refer to as this seems dismissive of people putting forward alternative views,