Down Down Deeper and Down

[Cricko]

Ok we are down..is this a new beginning or a total mismanagement of our football club..IMO we have been sent down the river for a pocket full of gold.

I cannot remember when in my 40 odd years of supporting SUFC when I have felt so low....we have such a great fan base as this site shows..and we are always 100% behind our team..The away support we have still staggers me when we have been treated to not one, but two seasons of lies and promises.

I guess we have only the future to look forward to now, I cannot say I have not been here before with our club, but things seem different to me now.The soul apart from the fans has once again been ripped out of us....The management , the players, the supporters are all left wanting.

IMO we should never have sunk this low again after all the promises of RM..it hurts me that we are a league 2 team again..we should not be with crowds of 8000..I take in all the bollix of how we lose money season after season...but apparently it was all cleared once by RM..yet here we see ourselves once more in the bottom tier and now owing the same debt and not even owning our ground.


RM has dragged the name of SUFC through the mud this season and never had the courage until the last fence to tell us the truth and that we have Sainsbury's to thank for our existence...All is not solved yet,but we will continue to believe in him as we have no alternative....That means we are over a barrel to whatever we are told and have to adhere to that.

IMO RM has never had enough monies to substantiate his pipe dream and has sold/ borrowed/ hocked everything possible we had maybe an ownership of.

He is no hero...he wants the development of RH and FF for his family legacy as he once stated. If you still think he is our saviour you are on the wrong planet....we are now back to where we were before RM juggled some shares and issues to take us over with the promise of some pipe dream.

It is a very sad day for SUFC and the fans.I hope he fulfils this creation of his for us all....I am as yet far from convinced.

 

[Boreham Shrimper]

I can't really disagree with that. I know we've seen bad times before but not really in my time as a full time follower of Southend.

All I can say is that this stadium had better be worth it. I know people keep saying that Sainsbury's wouldn't be so deeply involved if the development plan wasn't credible but I still have my doubts. Proper investment is needed in the squad next season if we are to mount anything like a credible challenge on the League 2 title and that would appear to hinge on the building work starting this summer, as does our continued ability to pay our tax bill.

 

[bluearmy1]

Thoughts on the season here:

http://longpier.blogspot.com/2010/04/sport-southend-united-relegated-to.html

 

[McNasty]

Dragged down by greed and total selfish-ness and it's all everyone else's fault.

 

[sufcrocks]

The stadium ..........if it comes of will give Ron a mere modicom of respectability (apologies for spelling) considering whats happened. .

 

[manor15]

Thoughts on the season here:

http://longpier.blogspot.com/2010/04/sport-southend-united-relegated-to.html

3 word summary: It's been ****!

 

[chapperzUK]

Everything that could have gone wrong this season has.

 

[MrB]

Can anyone confirm how many times we've been relegated in our history? I remember a fair few but it can't be that many as we spent so many years in Div 3 South I believe?

Just be interested to know and I can't be bothered to look it up as I'm too busy soaking up rays and staring at tits from the safety of my sunglasses in Old Leigh.

 

[chapperzUK]

Can anyone confirm how many times we've been relegated in our history? I remember a fair few but it can't be that many as we spent so many years in Div 3 South I believe?

Just be interested to know and I can't be bothered to look it up as I'm too busy soaking up rays and staring at tits from the safety of my sunglasses in Old Leigh.

There was a list of all the promotions and relegations but I can't find it.

 

[Clinton Baptiste]

If only we hadn't sold James Walker.

 

[jassyfa1]

A lack of financial planning by Ron, players being slagged off by directors, crap loan signings and the only decent loan signing we had was released due to off the pitch problems. Losing with last minute goals, crap pitches and ex-loanes and players scoring against us. No onions in the burgers, needing a credit card to buy beer in the West stand and the ticket machine to get you into the ground breaking down, no Blue Player for most of the season. Most of our players now injured which means no subs for the rest of the season.
Oh well roll on next season

 

[chapperzUK]

A lack of financial planning by Ron, players being slagged off by directors, crap loan signings and the only decent loan signing we had was released due to off the pitch problems. Losing with last minute goals, crap pitches and ex-loanes and players scoring against us. No onions in the burgers, needing a credit card to buy beer in the West stand and the ticket machine to get you into the ground breaking down, no Blue Player for most of the season. Most of our players now injured which means no subs for the rest of the season.
Oh well roll on next season

Add selling our top goalscorer in January, inexperience and lack of desire and commitment from some players.

Anyone remember us rejecting a bid for Macca of 200k at the start of the season? Maybe taking the money and putting Sawyer in there would have been better and would have kept Lee happy too, ah well. Now we are relegated and Sawyer has fallen off the face of the football planet. Real shame.

 

[Welly7]

Ok we are down..is this a new beginning or a total mismanagement of our football club..IMO we have been sent down the river for a pocket full of gold.

I cannot remember when in my 40 odd years of supporting SUFC when I have felt so low....we have such a great fan base as this site shows..and we are always 100% behind our team..The away support we have still staggers me when we have been treated to not one, but two seasons of lies and promises.

I guess we have only the future to look forward to now, I cannot say I have not been here before with our club, but things seem different to me now.The soul apart from the fans has once again been ripped out of us....The management , the players, the supporters are all left wanting.

IMO we should never have sunk this low again after all the promises of RM..it hurts me that we are a league 2 team again..we should not be with crowds of 8000..I take in all the bollix of how we lose money season after season...but apparently it was all cleared once by RM..yet here we see ourselves once more in the bottom tier and now owing the same debt and not even owning our ground.


RM has dragged the name of SUFC through the mud this season and never had the courage until the last fence to tell us the truth and that we have Sainsbury's to thank for our existence...All is not solved yet,but we will continue to believe in him as we have no alternative....That means we are over a barrel to whatever we are told and have to adhere to that.

IMO RM has never had enough monies to substantiate his pipe dream and has sold/ borrowed/ hocked everything possible we had maybe an ownership of.

He is no hero...he wants the development of RH and FF for his family legacy as he once stated. If you still think he is our saviour you are on the wrong planet....we are now back to where we were before RM juggled some shares and issues to take us over with the promise of some pipe dream.

It is a very sad day for SUFC and the fans.I hope he fulfils this creation of his for us all....I am as yet far from convinced.

Agree totally.

 

[Gt Yarmouth Shrimper]

Ok we are down..is this a new beginning or a total mismanagement of our football club..IMO we have been sent down the river for a pocket full of gold.

I cannot remember when in my 40 odd years of supporting SUFC when I have felt so low....we have such a great fan base as this site shows..and we are always 100% behind our team..The away support we have still staggers me when we have been treated to not one, but two seasons of lies and promises.

I guess we have only the future to look forward to now, I cannot say I have not been here before with our club, but things seem different to me now.The soul apart from the fans has once again been ripped out of us....The management , the players, the supporters are all left wanting.

IMO we should never have sunk this low again after all the promises of RM..it hurts me that we are a league 2 team again..we should not be with crowds of 8000..I take in all the bollix of how we lose money season after season...but apparently it was all cleared once by RM..yet here we see ourselves once more in the bottom tier and now owing the same debt and not even owning our ground.


RM has dragged the name of SUFC through the mud this season and never had the courage until the last fence to tell us the truth and that we have Sainsbury's to thank for our existence...All is not solved yet,but we will continue to believe in him as we have no alternative....That means we are over a barrel to whatever we are told and have to adhere to that.

IMO RM has never had enough monies to substantiate his pipe dream and has sold/ borrowed/ hocked everything possible we had maybe an ownership of.

He is no hero...he wants the development of RH and FF for his family legacy as he once stated. If you still think he is our saviour you are on the wrong planet....we are now back to where we were before RM juggled some shares and issues to take us over with the promise of some pipe dream.

It is a very sad day for SUFC and the fans.I hope he fulfils this creation of his for us all....I am as yet far from convinced.

Disagree totally

 

[Cricko]

Disagree totally

Well I would love to hear you opinion then?

 

[Onion_Bag_Dave]

I don't think it has been as simple as 'jiggling some shares about' !

 

[Cricko]

I don't think it has been as simple as 'jiggling some shares about' !

Oh you would be suprised.

 

[bluebrian]

Well I would love to hear you opinion then?

Cricko I would still love to hear why you have so changed your colours. I have asked you a couple of times now but you have not explained yourself. You were fully surportive of what RM was trying to achieve - what is it that you know that we don't that has so completely changed you?

 

[canveyshrimper]

Can anyone confirm how many times we've been relegated in our history? I remember a fair few but it can't be that many as we spent so many years in Div 3 South I believe?

Just be interested to know and I can't be bothered to look it up as I'm too busy soaking up rays and staring at tits from the safety of my sunglasses in Old Leigh.

Our first relegation was in 1965/66 and I think this is number 9, although I can't be arsed to check it for sure.

While I agree with a lot of John's post, we have always been a yo-yo club, and like as not may always be. RM definitely has a lot to answer to, in particular the complete lack of transfer activity last summer. In my 40+ years supporting our club I have never known a summer when we have not made permanent signings. This alone meant that Tilly started pre season with a least one hand tied behind his back.

Secondly, and while I can understand the necessity of relying on loan signings, the standard of such players has been pretty poor in comparison to previous years. Previously we've had the likes of Mulgrew, Harding, HRK, Robinson, Dervitte, Federici, Leon Clarke etc. This time with the possible exceptions of Sean Morrison & Pat Baldwin, and maybe John White the standard has been abysmal. I'm not saying they haven't tried they just haven't been good enough, although O'Donovan & Watt now seem to be doing ok with their current clubs.

I can fully understand our financial plight, this has been highlighted time and again. However the first law of any commercial business is to:

1. Employ the best possible staff available to you.
2. Pay such staff as competitive salary that is achieveable within your existing budgets.
3. Pay such staff their agreed salary, bonuses etc at the correct specified time each month.
4. Mantain and promote as good a working environment and conditions that can be achieved within such budgets.

Unfortunately this saeson the whels have come off in a most spectacular manner which in all probability none of even our most gloomy doomsayers could have predicted. At such times, and particularly in sports supporters will always want to apportion blame, and the buck stops firmly at the desk of Ron Martin.

I've never advocated for or against Ron, and truth be told he has actually taken us to the verge of our dream of a new home. Planning permissions in place and councils on side and the credit crunch hits. which of course cannot be laid at the door of RM. However the use of HMRC as a bank IMO was a huge tactical error which blew up spectacularly in Ron's face.

Often in life/football you sometimes have to go backwards to go forwards, and relegation is not something we are unused to. We have to look at the examples of comparable clubs such as Swansea, Reading & Doncaster, all of whom we have played many times in Divs 3 & 4 in my years of supporting Blues. In fact Doncaster have dropped out of the league. However they all have new stadiums in common and all appear to have prospered since their respective moves. Therefore we must hope that the diggers will be on site in the summer and the dream of progress in the new ground will prove to be the catalyst the club needs to move higher up the league.

I hope this summer will bring some stability both on the management side with an experienced assistant coming in to help Tilly, and similarly on the playing side where we make permanent signings, and as I've already mentioned earlier hope work begins on Fossetts Farm soon.

UTB

 

[Tangled up in Blue]

Ok we are down..is this a new beginning or a total mismanagement of our football club..IMO we have been sent down the river for a pocket full of gold.

I cannot remember when in my 40 odd years of supporting SUFC when I have felt so low....we have such a great fan base as this site shows..and we are always 100% behind our team..The away support we have still staggers me when we have been treated to not one, but two seasons of lies and promises.

I guess we have only the future to look forward to now, I cannot say I have not been here before with our club, but things seem different to me now.The soul apart from the fans has once again been ripped out of us....The management , the players, the supporters are all left wanting.

IMO we should never have sunk this low again after all the promises of RM..it hurts me that we are a league 2 team again..we should not be with crowds of 8000..I take in all the bollix of how we lose money season after season...but apparently it was all cleared once by RM..yet here we see ourselves once more in the bottom tier and now owing the same debt and not even owning our ground.


RM has dragged the name of SUFC through the mud this season and never had the courage until the last fence to tell us the truth and that we have Sainsbury's to thank for our existence...All is not solved yet,but we will continue to believe in him as we have no alternative....That means we are over a barrel to whatever we are told and have to adhere to that.

IMO RM has never had enough monies to substantiate his pipe dream and has sold/ borrowed/ hocked everything possible we had maybe an ownership of.

He is no hero...he wants the development of RH and FF for his family legacy as he once stated. If you still think he is our saviour you are on the wrong planet....we are now back to where we were before RM juggled some shares and issues to take us over with the promise of some pipe dream.

It is a very sad day for SUFC and the fans.I hope he fulfils this creation of his for us all....I am as yet far from convinced.

I can't disagree with a word of this.Excellent post.