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Smiffy

¡Viva la Aussielución! 🇦🇺 🦘 ⭐️
Staff member
Joined
Oct 27, 2003
Messages
19,907
Location
SS2 Born & Bred 🦐
Cast your minds back to July 2010.

The negatives:
We had just been relegated to League Two.
We had just lost Steve Tilson.
We had been in court several times that season.
Players were going unpaid regularly.
Pretty much all the squad had gone and we were in danger of not fulfilling our fixtures.
No news at all on the stadium project.
Transfer Embargo.
Fan & Club relations at an all time low.
Fans seriously concerned we wouldn't have a club at all.

The positives:
Errrm, I'm struggling.


Now, almost one year on...


The Negatives:
We are still playing League 2 football. Perhaps that is a positive though?
Still no real visible movement on the FF project. Although we have been told it is out to tender.
Season cards a little overpriced maybe. But not unexpected?
Pink away kit?! (although I think the majority like it?)

The positives:
Luggy would appear to be a very good replacement for Tilly.
Most fans are hopeful of a genuine promotion push this season.
When was the last time we was in court?
Not much talk about players going unpaid anymore.
We have a decent sized squad.
There is no embargo. FACT!
Fan morale creeping up again.
Fan & club relationships have improved.
We have tied down key assets early and on sensible financial deals.
We have already signed a quality player and in June!

When you look at that, it makes you realise how far we have come in less than 12 months. Who are the men behind this transformation? For me, you have to give massive credit to Sturrock and Brady in equal measure, for what they have done (so far)

Sturrock: He has produced a minor miracle in his first season. How he managed to assemble a squad capable of avoiding the drop, in less than a few weeks is unreal. Not only that, we finished mid-table and even flirted with the top 7. I think we all have to be over the moon with that. He has brought in some very decent players for nothing. He has shipped out (most) of the dead wood already and tied the gems down on sustainable contracts. He has also managed to bring in Neil Harris, who could of easily gone to a team higher up the ladder. The players seem very happy with him and he has helped create a good camaraderie within the squad. With a few more additions this summer, a genuine promotion push could be on. I think Sturrock is the man that will help us achieve that.

Brady: He may be unknown to many, he may not be liked by a few? But is it a co-incidence that since his appointment late last year, things have improved dramatically off the pitch? I don't think so. He has come in (regardless of the reasons) and massively turned the club around already, financially. From a point where we were almost certain to go pop, to now. Where we are of course still just about surviving. But we are meeting tax obligations on time. The players are being paid on time and in full. He has trimmed down the wage bill significantly and most importantly, he has negotiated sensible and sustainable contracts with the playing staff. Not to mention somehow bringing in Harris, on what must be another sensible deal. He has met with many fans and genuinely been open with what is happening at the club. Which is what a lot of fans were ****ed off about. I'm also confident with his input, that the stadium project will finally take off this year as well. The bloke has been a breath of fresh air in my opinion and I genuinely feel a lot happier and less worried, with him controlling the important matters at "my" club. I for one, hope he remains at the club for a long time. Rather than the others in a similar role, which have left/been sacked relatively quickly into their term.

My summary:

We have turned the corner, nobody can say otherwise in my opinion. But of course there is still a long way to go, before we can all feel completely happy about the state of "our" club. What has happened over the last couple of years is nothing short of disgraceful. Ron has stepped back a little and let others take control. That is the best thing he has done in a very long time. Things are certainly looking up though, especially casting your mind back 12 months. I genuinely feel optimistic about next seasons chances and the off the field matters are proving less of a concern to me now. If things continue to improve as they have been (slowly but surely) I think we can all look forwards to a much brighter future. In a new home, with a decent crop of players and with "our" club being managed properly. Whether that be in the Premiership or League 2 (hopefully not) that matters little to me at the moment. The fact is "my" club is still here fighting today and I for one cannot wait to get back down the Hall and roar the lads on to promotion. It feels much better to be a Shrimper at the moment and that buzz (which had left me) for a couple of years. Is now slowly coming back. When the signing of Harris was announced yesterday I got a feeling that has deserted me for a long time (excitement) and it is great to have that back. I just hope those of you that feel or did feel the same as me, will come back and support "our" club again next season. What's done is done and we all need to try and draw a line under it now. Yes it is hard, but this is a new era and hopefully a far more positive one. Let's all get back to supporting "our" team, let's all get back to being "UNITED" again. Sea,Sea,Seasiders!
 
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You have put into words (very eloquently too if I may say so!) what I have been thinking for the last couple of months.
Getting Neil Harris on board has made me even more optimistic than ever.
Agree with everything you said mate, just wish the season was starting tomorrow!.....brilliant post.
 
Well said Smiffy

Yes it may only be a corner we have turned but this time last year we were only our knees after being kicked left right and center.

Its time to pick ourselves up dusted down and can hold our heads high.

Bring on 2011/2012 season

We are Southend United

Sea, Sea Seasiders
 
Well said, Smiffy. Credit where it's due and well apportioned. It was heartening to hear Luggy talk about seeing through the work he has started with us when Torquay reportedly came calling and like you, I feel a much greater sense of optimism. Fair play to TB too and from what others have said, Stewart Till has also been a positive influence. Onwards and upwards, dare we hope?! :thumbsup:
 
Agree with both posts, however because of previous experiences, some of us are a little reluctant to let our guard down just at the moment. Yes I think things are greatly improved since this time last year but im scared to get too carried away just in case.

Oh sod it yeah I think we are on the up! Come on fate show us what you've got.:omg:
 
Im really looking forward to next season now and feel fairly possitive. Last summer i was glad the season before had ended and was dreading the season ahead.
 
It brings me a little smile when I think back to the start of last season. There were people on here who stated that the team no longer felt 'theirs' and that they had a problem developing any association or warmth with this new bunch of footballers. One year on and, in that respect, the corner has certainly been turned. The players are OUR players (bumps and all)..........Paul Sturrock is OUR manager (no longer an unwanted replacement). Is it too controversial to say, that one year on, we have finally buried the ghost of Steve Tilson and his side, which was surely one of the things we had to do in order to progress again?
 
It brings me a little smile when I think back to the start of last season. There were people on here who stated that the team no longer felt 'theirs' and that they had a problem developing any association or warmth with this new bunch of footballers. One year on and, in that respect, the corner has certainly been turned. The players are OUR players (bumps and all)..........Paul Sturrock is OUR manager (no longer an unwanted replacement). Is it too controversial to say, that one year on, we have finally buried the ghost of Steve Tilson and his side, which was surely one of the things we had to do in order to progress again?

The sacking of Sir Steve felt like a death in the family. However, I did not mourn the passing of the team that was relegated, although I did feel bad for them that they hadn't been paid regularly for some time. It does feel like we have turned a corner though and I think many fans respect Paul Sturrock for what he has achieved in adversity --- but it somehow seems disrespectful to say that we have "finally buried the ghost of Steve Tilson," one of the great servants of our club.
 
The sacking of Sir Steve felt like a death in the family. However, I did not mourn the passing of the team that was relegated, although I did feel bad for them that they hadn't been paid regularly for some time. It does feel like we have turned a corner though and I think many fans respect Paul Sturrock for what he has achieved in adversity --- but it somehow seems disrespectful to say that we have "finally buried the ghost of Steve Tilson," one of the great servants of our club.
No, I didn't mean it at all disrespectively but you do have to move on, even following the 'death' of a family member. Steve Tilson provided us with an era of great pleasure and excitement and I, as well as everyone else, will look back on it with great fondness for the incredible memories it left us. I just felt that many, particularly at the start of last season, had great difficulty in accepting the changes and were almost hankering to somehow put the clock back. It's in that sense that I meant that we had to 'bury his ghost' because, although he had gone, he was still hanging over us and his memory was still haunting a number of posters on here. That corner certainly does seemed to have been turned and whilst Steve will remain an enormous figure in the Club's history we have now moved on and solid signings like Neil Harris will help the reconstruction process even more.
 
No, I didn't mean it at all disrespectively but you do have to move on, even following the 'death' of a family member. Steve Tilson provided us with an era of great pleasure and excitement and I, as well as everyone else, will look back on it with great fondness for the incredible memories it left us. I just felt that many, particularly at the start of last season, had great difficulty in accepting the changes and were almost hankering to somehow put the clock back. It's in that sense that I meant that we had to 'bury his ghost' because, although he had gone, he was still hanging over us and his memory was still haunting a number of posters on here. That corner certainly does seemed to have been turned and whilst Steve will remain an enormous figure in the Club's history we have now moved on and solid signings like Neil Harris will help the reconstruction process even more.

Well said, Yogi. In a strange way, the Lincoln game helped to "move things on" (in the contemporary parlance), not least because of the way our wonderful fans saluted him in our defeat. Like you, I am delighted with the signing of Neil Harris and it goes some way towards restoring a little bit of our local feel to our club.
 
Good post Smiffy, and I agree that I feel as upbeat as I have for a couple of years regarding where we're going. I still have major concerns regarding this Chairman though, and don't think we're out of the woods yet when it comes to the state of the clubs finances. Nothing would surprise me with Ron Martin at the helm.
 
Great post Mr Smiffy, that how I am feeling at the moment with Southend Utd, I lost the feeling of the club, the excitement & the buzz of looking forward to the match in the last 2 season, now that feeling is coming back & I cannot wait for the new season :) bring it on!!
 
Well put Smiffy. There is no doubt things seem alot more positive at the moment, lessons seem to have been learnt in many regards. It'll be some time before I can feel I can breathe easy regarding the future of the club though, we may have turned a corner but the road ahead is still tricky - all the more reason to stick togther imho.
 
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