No longer feels like the club I support

[Ex-SouthendUnitedEmployee]

I’ve supported this club through the very good times and I’ve been there through the very bad. I was there against Manchester United, but also there when we were staring the football league trap door last time.

But this season has to be a complete disconnect between the club and its fans. Of course the pandemic has hugely impacted this, but I just don’t recognise the club anymore.

We have a manager who is clearly out of his depth as nice a person as he seems.

We have a squad of players who are clearly out of the depth.

I feel the fan engagement between the club and the fans is at an all time low. Again pandemic related

It is getting exceedingly difficult to care anymore. I will always support this club in name, but I have fallen out of love with the club has the entity it currently is.

The club need to act now, as you won’t fill a shiney new stadium against Wealdstone!

The club needs to fix the hole in the ship now, the immediate future, rather than the hopes for the long term.

How have we found ourselves now overtaken by the likes of

Forest Green, Fleetwood, Burton, Morecambe, Newport, Salford, Harrogate and even Barrow.

Something needs to change and fast, before other supporters feel the same way as me.

 

[dusterman]

It all comes from Martin, his disrepect for our fans is sickening. I hate what he’s turned us into. I’ll still be at the games in non league but I don’t see us being afloat tbh. Football is supposed to bring us a little joy but football with no fans is as heartbreaking as our current situation.

It’s not just SUFC though. From the Premier League money bus to Ron’s Bentley, I hate it all.

It all needs to go bust and start again as a simple sport without the huge amounts of money.

Utterly corrupt from the billionaries at the top to the swindlers of local communities at the bottom.

 

[GNH]

Sums up my feelings entirely.

I've said this so many times but at the risk of repeating myself, OUR club is being killed from the top.

There is only one man in charge and he is untouchable, even from the other directors.

We are no longer a community football club of 114 years standing, we are a vehicle for a property development scheme. What has been allowed to happen over the last few years is utterly disgusting.

 

[JB Shrimper]

I think it feels exactly like the club I support, we have had good times but never have we been in a position where it would be a shock if we lost a game let alone go on a run without a win. Lets face it, it has been awful the last few years but still have blind faith we will be okay, and if not, so what we will still be there in the Conference to support the team.

 

[GNH]

I think it feels exactly like the club I support, we have had good times but never have we been in a position where it would be a shock if we lost a game let alone go on a run without a win. Lets face it, it has been awful the last few years but still have blind faith we will be okay, and if not, so what we will still be there in the Conference to support the team.

No we won't. If when we are relegated that will be the death knell for the club. The lack of income will make it impossibe for us to continue in our current guise.

 

[Spaceman Spiff]

I’ve supported this club through the very good times and I’ve been there through the very bad. I was there against Manchester United, but also there when we were staring the football league trap door last time.

But this season has to be a complete disconnect between the club and its fans. Of course the pandemic has hugely impacted this, but I just don’t recognise the club anymore.

We have a manager who is clearly out of his depth as nice a person as he seems.

We have a squad of players who are clearly out of the depth.

I feel the fan engagement between the club and the fans is at an all time low. Again pandemic related

It is getting exceedingly difficult to care anymore. I will always support this club in name, but I have fallen out of love with the club has the entity it currently is.

The club need to act now, as you won’t fill a shiney new stadium against Wealdstone!

The club needs to fix the hole in the ship now, the immediate future, rather than the hopes for the long term.

How have we found ourselves now overtaken by the likes of

Forest Green, Fleetwood, Burton, Morecambe, Newport, Salford, Harrogate and even Barrow.

Something needs to change and fast, before other supporters feel the same way as me.

Not unreasonable sentiments at all, IMO. However keep the faith because I do think things will improve over the next 2 months. They had better, and it isn’t MM that is underperforming for me - it’s Ron. It’s not been an easy year to own a League Two club what with Covid, but Ron can’t lay the blame completely there (and to be fair, I don’t think he is).

Ron needs to remove the roadblocks that prevent MM fielding a competitive match day squad - and it needs to be done in the next 2 weeks IMO.

The good thing about the bottom of League Two is that there are always quite a handful of clubs that are in dire straits. Ron can take us out of that group, he really can. Will he? I guess we’ll see. We are very close to being properly competitive, but we need to carry a much bigger threat up front in particular.

Ron has to decide whether he wants us to stay in the league this year. If he does, and I do believe he does, then the time for talk has passed. Action is needed from him, and it’s needed now.

The embargo must go this week, and the time between now and the end of January must be well used. If it isn’t, we will taste non league for the first time in our history - and of those people still at the club it will be entirely Ron’s fault (not MM’s).

 

[Shrimp and two veg]

I'm so pleased about the possibility of a new stadium, closer now than ever.

But if you think i'll be going to watch half of these shower in it, not a chance.

And 100per cent i wont go and watch us unless we are football league.

It's been the most depressing three seasons in my 45yrs of SUFC love affair and i very much doubt i'll even check the scores in the non league next year, bye bye SUFC.

 

[Thundersley Blue]

I’ve supported this club through the very good times and I’ve been there through the very bad. I was there against Manchester United, but also there when we were staring the football league trap door last time.

But this season has to be a complete disconnect between the club and its fans. Of course the pandemic has hugely impacted this, but I just don’t recognise the club anymore.

We have a manager who is clearly out of his depth as nice a person as he seems.

We have a squad of players who are clearly out of the depth.

I feel the fan engagement between the club and the fans is at an all time low. Again pandemic related

It is getting exceedingly difficult to care anymore. I will always support this club in name, but I have fallen out of love with the club has the entity it currently is.

The club need to act now, as you won’t fill a shiney new stadium against Wealdstone!

The club needs to fix the hole in the ship now, the immediate future, rather than the hopes for the long term.

How have we found ourselves now overtaken by the likes of

Forest Green, Fleetwood, Burton, Morecambe, Newport, Salford, Harrogate and even Barrow.

Something needs to change and fast, before other supporters feel the same way as me.

I agree to a certain extent with some of your comments. Although I hope it doesn't happen a League match against Wealdstone is a distinct possibilty. My Grandfather was a season ticket holder there and my first game of football I watched was Wealdstone v Hendon in the fairly early sixties. Mind they now play in Ruislip,their ground at Lower Mead is now a supermarket. Off topic I know, but I couldn't help myself.

 

[Strykr]

Just this season? Felt like that the last 3 seasons for me. Will never stop supporting, ever, but you kind of have to put up a bit of an emotional wall to it as its just gutting week in week out.

 

[Mick]

Sums up my feelings entirely.

I've said this so many times but at the risk of repeating myself, OUR club is being killed from the top.

There is only one man in charge and he is untouchable, even from the other directors.

We are no longer a community football club of 114 years standing, we are a vehicle for a property development scheme. What has been allowed to happen over the last few years is utterly disgusting.

It's two property development schemes but other than that I agree totally.

 

[Swiss Tony]

I'm so pleased about the possibility of a new stadium, closer now than ever.

But if you think i'll be going to watch half of these shower in it, not a chance.

And 100per cent i wont go and watch us unless we are football league.

It's been the most depressing three seasons in my 45yrs of SUFC love affair and i very much doubt i'll even check the scores in the non league next year, bye bye SUFC.

Martin please ask yourself what have i done.this post sums up the repercussions of your ****ing actions with many loyal Blues fans,give up the dream and p@ss off.

 

[rigsby]

We were once promised a very modern new West stand. It would be used by local business from Monday to Friday.

That was in 1974. Back then people wanted the chairman out. Older wiser people told me the Rubins never really cared for the club and once we got them out we would be up there with the big boys.

 

[Chairman Trigg]

We were once promised a very modern new West stand. It would be used by local business from Monday to Friday.

That was in 1974. Back then people wanted the chairman out. Older wiser people told me the Rubins never really cared for the club and once we got them out we would be up there with the big boys.

Unfortunately this is another level to the Rubin and the Jobson era's.Rons financial position in pushing FF has decimated the playing side (for the 2nd time) and looks on course to end our football league status .I know in the past you have stated you would be happy with non league however I like the original poster would not and for the first time in 50 + years I feel totally disconnected with the club .Not even Jobson in his heyday did that.

 

[sufc4life21]

Ron Martin you are absolute clown! Deserves no respect from any sufc fan. Just using this club to get your pipe dream. C unit!

 

[mark387]

So what are we doing in this thread then? Pretending we are historically anything but a League 1/2 yo-yo team with brief glimmers of the championship every now and again?

I'm as unhappy as everyone with how things are going but we have been this low before and yes most recently we had the brilliant Paul Sturrock to save us (Has anyone given the man a call, Director of Football would be ideal with his contacts and knowhow) but we wouldn't be Southend United without doing everything the hard way!

As for the disconnect with the fans, no club is doing any more than ours during these bizarre times with fans not allowed in the stadium. To be honest we have probably had more communication with and from Mr L'Oreal than most.

It's still the club I know and love and Ron has made a massive balls up but I still have faith we'll escape this, we have before and could again. The football is dire, the players are crap and we have no money....we are Southend United!

 

[Strike Force]

So what are we doing in this thread then? Pretending we are historically anything but a League 1/2 yo-yo team with brief glimmers of the championship every now and again?

I'm as unhappy as everyone with how things are going but we have been this low before and yes most recently we had the brilliant Paul Sturrock to save us (Has anyone given the man a call, Director of Football would be ideal with his contacts and knowhow) but we wouldn't be Southend United without doing everything the hard way!

As for the disconnect with the fans, no club is doing any more than ours during these bizarre times with fans not allowed in the stadium. To be honest we have probably had more communication with and from Mr L'Oreal than most.

It's still the club I know and love and Ron has made a massive balls up but I still have faith we'll escape this, we have before and could again. The football is dire, the players are crap and we have no money....we are Southend United!

Amen, it's not like the club is a sleeping giant who had multiple golden years, the majority of the existence of the club has been garbage with very little success.

 

[pottster]

We've had three years of this now, with the same repeated lies again and again. It's quite clear he is pulling all money from the club and has got fed up with the expense. The covenant on the ground states that a club has to exist but it doesn't say what division it has to be in. I'm sure it will suit this snake oil salesman for us to play in a lower league and reduce his financial out goings. I'd have more sympathy for him if it was just about the pandemic, but this has been going on long before it started.

 

[mfurok]

We were once promised a very modern new West stand. It would be used by local business from Monday to Friday.

That was in 1974. Back then people wanted the chairman out. Older wiser people told me the Rubins never really cared for the club and once we got them out we would be up there with the big boys.

Don’t remember that.

Any proof?

 

[Strykr]

So what are we doing in this thread then? Pretending we are historically anything but a League 1/2 yo-yo team with brief glimmers of the championship every now and again?

I'm as unhappy as everyone with how things are going but we have been this low before and yes most recently we had the brilliant Paul Sturrock to save us (Has anyone given the man a call, Director of Football would be ideal with his contacts and knowhow) but we wouldn't be Southend United without doing everything the hard way!

As for the disconnect with the fans, no club is doing any more than ours during these bizarre times with fans not allowed in the stadium. To be honest we have probably had more communication with and from Mr L'Oreal than most.

It's still the club I know and love and Ron has made a massive balls up but I still have faith we'll escape this, we have before and could again. The football is dire, the players are crap and we have no money....we are Southend United!

Weve never yo yoed between league football and non league tho :(. It feels more inevitable this year then all our great escapes over the years.

 

[BARNETBLUE]

I’ve supported this club through the very good times and I’ve been there through the very bad. I was there against Manchester United, but also there when we were staring the football league trap door last time.

But this season has to be a complete disconnect between the club and its fans. Of course the pandemic has hugely impacted this, but I just don’t recognise the club anymore.

We have a manager who is clearly out of his depth as nice a person as he seems.

We have a squad of players who are clearly out of the depth.

I feel the fan engagement between the club and the fans is at an all time low. Again pandemic related

It is getting exceedingly difficult to care anymore. I will always support this club in name, but I have fallen out of love with the club has the entity it currently is.

The club need to act now, as you won’t fill a shiney new stadium against Wealdstone!

The club needs to fix the hole in the ship now, the immediate future, rather than the hopes for the long term.

How have we found ourselves now overtaken by the likes of

Forest Green, Fleetwood, Burton, Morecambe, Newport, Salford, Harrogate and even Barrow.

Something needs to change and fast, before other supporters feel the same way as me.

I agree with all these points but would add do not blame any part of the so called Pandemic here, and thus allow Martin one inch of leeway.
The club was in dire straits long long before this Covid nonsense.

Curious you mention Wealdstone, who Ive occasionally watched since 2011 when in that area.I have admiration for what their fans have slowly managed to do since being cheated out of a then decent stadium in 1980s. They may even take our league place next season.Likewise AFC Wimbledon who were terribly done to by the awfull people who run English football, beggar me not only have they made their own club bigger and stronger but they have just built a new stadium in around TEN YEARS..Take note Mr Martin!