Redknapp at training today

[WESTY_SUFC]

Not quite. The difference with us is, we have invested (gambled) highly in the team, in order to be one of the better outfits in this league. The fact we have such a high wage budget proves this. You don’t sign a player like Kightly, on those kind of wages, just to float around mid-table.

Those who eventually get relegated - from any league - rarely start off in the position we did. To support that argument, there are allegedly 19 teams in this league, who have spent considerably less than us. Why? Possibly because they’ve tried to live within their means.

Meaning if they do get relegated, their immediate/mid-term future isn’t on the line.

Don’t you think that, seeing as we’ve already been in that perilous position before, we should know better by now?

10-years-ago, financial mismanagement saw us go from being a play-off team in League 1, to barely surviving League 2.

So again, I must reiterate that those signs are appearing again. The fundamental thing is that one of our gambles HAS to pay off. If it doesn’t, then we could be boned.

The amount we are gambling on wages is pretty insignificant to the new stadium project revenues which is the real gamble.

I'm not defending Ron by any means. I am certainly not a fan of his. I agree with what you are saying in regards to not running the club financially well from a sustainable point of view.

 

[Tangled up in Blue]

Let's face it,ever since 65/6 we've always been a yo-yo club.Given that our last relegation now was back in 2010,maybe we're just due for the drop again.

 

[Billy Bests boot laces]

Let's face it,ever since 65/6 we've always been a yo-yo club.Given that our last relegation now was back in 2010,maybe we're just due for the drop again.

That's a terrible thought, but a realistic comment.

 

[Zeuss]

Cox - for sure
Oxley - last year
Kiernan - next year hopefully

My assessment is based on current ability level,which regular watchers should be able to recognise.These three would not look out of place at most Championship clubs,not the top four clubs perhaps.Obviously there are signs that youngsters like Dru,Elvis,Bishop,Kelman might aspire to that level in the future.

 

[Jay_SUFC]

Yeah my mistake, our wage bill is so high, because we’re based in the South East of the Country.

I said you had to take it into account - or are you suggesting cost of living has nothing to do with wages?

 

[Angell Delight]

—those 3 (NOT Kightly) are probably our 3 best players.

Oxley? Seriously? He's had a shocking season mate. Agree on Cox, PotY by a country mile. Kiernan? If he stays fit he'll be an asset in League Two.

 

[Chris Powell's mate]

That's more like it. Hopefully Bond is just doing the dirty work before 'arry takes full control.

Lord, help us...

 

[Fitz]

Big deal Lenny, neither can tackle like Timlin or Deegan

Deegan couldn’t tackle for ****...one of the most overhyped players ever to play for Southend....and over hyped on this forum....****ing **** as I have said before. Cutting your shorts, growing massive beard and and aggressive on field attitude dosn5 man you are not an abysmal excuse for a footballer....

 

[Shrimpers are Magic]

Deegan couldn’t tackle for ****...one of the most overhyped players ever to play for Southend....and over hyped on this forum....****ing **** as I have said before. Cutting your shorts, growing massive beard and and aggressive on field attitude dosn5 man you are not an abysmal excuse for a footballer....

and still better than the midfield we currently have.

 

[GBJ]

The amount we are gambling on wages is pretty insignificant to the new stadium project revenues which is the real gamble.

I'm not defending Ron by any means. I am certainly not a fan of his. I agree with what you are saying in regards to not running the club financially well from a sustainable point of view.

Yes, of course.

But the dream of RonWorld, won’t get closer if we’ve got HMRC trying to kick our door down every couple of weeks.

Nor will it get closer, if we have a repeat of the financial mismanagement of ten-years-ago,

which would be more catastrophic this time around & could see us nosedive out of the football league.

I said you had to take it into account - or are you suggesting cost of living has nothing to do with wages?

Yes, that is what I’m saying.

Playing for a SE club, doesn’t mean you get higher wages, at least not to the significant level that you’re trying to claim.

If that were the case, then every professional footballer in this country, would want to play for a club in the SE.

If the cost of living really did play a significant role in wage structuring, then every club around the area, would be high up their respective leagues wage list. Are Brentford? Are Millwall? The Wombles? Col U? No.

This even rings true with the London Prem teams. Palace, Fulham, Watford, West Ham, and even Spurs & Arsenal don’t pay the highest wages, despite being situated in the part of the country, with the highest living costs.

No, our wage bill is so high, because Martin & Brown signed players to lucrative contracts, which were way above the average going rate for League One footballers.

 

[ms brush]

In a gamble for promotion... which could

 

[rigsby]

No, our wage bill is so high, because Martin & Brown signed players to lucrative contracts, which were way above the average going rate for League One footballers.

I don't think they were. In fact we were about mid table up until this season. The extra cost of for the likes of Moore Bunn and Hart aren't bad business, just a necessity after all the injuries.

Humphry's deal can't have been cheap but again we had no choice and apart from Theo we haven't moved anyone on or loaned out.

Plus as the playing budget includes backroom staff, so are PB's wages or Antons included?

 

[Mad Cyril]

6k a week is a disgrace for what he's given us in return.

Obviously I am not inside the circle of trust but I don't seem to remember people queuing up for Kightley's signature when we signed him...

 

[GBJ]

I don't think they were. In fact we were about mid table up until this season. The extra cost of for the likes of Moore Bunn and Hart aren't bad business, just a necessity after all the injuries.

Humphry's deal can't have been cheap but again we had no choice and apart from Theo we haven't moved anyone on or loaned out.

Plus as the playing budget includes backroom staff, so are PB's wages or Antons included?

Mate, our views on most things normally coincide quite well. But at no point am I ever going to believe that Kightly’s wages were/are proportionate to the funds we have/had available, and that of an average League One players’ wage.

Same to for Kiernan.

Now, I can say this quite easily with hindsight, and if we had made a success of it, it wouldn’t be a talking point. But the fact remains, that the chairman has potentially made the same mistakes he made, ten-years-ago

 

[rigsby]

Mate, our views on most things normally coincide quite well. But at no point am I ever going to believe that Kightly’s wages were/are proportionate to the funds we have/had available, and that of an average League One players’ wage.

Same to for Kiernan.

Now, I can say this quite easily with hindsight, and if we had made a success of it, it wouldn’t be a talking point. But the fact remains, that the chairman has potentially made the same mistakes he made, ten-years-ago

I don t disagree that Kightly's wages are more than average for a club like ours. Although some claims are clearly false.

When I said we were average it is the total wage budget.

As for our totally unplanned trip to the Championship, we had the lowest budget in the division that season. Our mistake was signing a collection of poor players on championship wages.

But as Yeovil and Burton found out, what choice do you have for a club like ours. Even the likes of Wigan look big in L1 but small in the Championship.

 

[WESTY_SUFC]

Nor will it get closer, if we have a repeat of the financial mismanagement of ten-years-ago,

Which was caused by Ron using HMRC as a loan facility and them calling it in and Ron not being able to get the cash flow to pay because of the financial downturn effecting his businesses (back to my first post on the thread).

 

[united we stand]

I don t disagree that Kightly's wages are more than average for a club like ours. Although some claims are clearly false.

When I said we were average it is the total wage budget.

As for our totally unplanned trip to the Championship, we had the lowest budget in the division that season. Our mistake was signing a collection of poor players on championship wages.

But as Yeovil and Burton found out, what choice do you have for a club like ours. Even the likes of Wigan look big in L1 but small in the Championship.

You always have a choice. Easy to say in hindsight but if we were in a position where promotion was a possibility we could get promoted, not spend any more on players than we would have done if in league one. We don’t HAVE to spend. Yes we would probably come straight back down, but with in excess to £4 million (before tax) in the bank

 

[South Bank Hank]

Deegan couldn’t tackle for ****...one of the most overhyped players ever to play for Southend....and over hyped on this forum....****ing **** as I have said before. Cutting your shorts, growing massive beard and and aggressive on field attitude dosn5 man you are not an abysmal excuse for a footballer....

In fairness, I always believed any over-hype on this board was tongue in cheek and ironic. That said, it was nice to have a bit of menace about us. His rolled-up shorts were ridiculous, but I loved him for having the cobblers to play that role.

and still better than the midfield we currently have.

And yet, this is true. As overrated as he was, damn how we’ve needed someone to get some of our other players’ blood pumping.

 

[Zeuss]

Oxley? Seriously? He's had a shocking season mate. Agree on Cox, PotY by a country mile. Kiernan? If he stays fit he'll be an asset in League Two.

Ultra seriously! A very good keeper-he’s not been quite so outstanding this season but that’s hardly surprising as we were missing all of our back four for most of the season.Any keeper would suffer,trying to cope behind the likes of White and Turner.

 

[Chris Powell's mate]

Deegan couldn’t tackle for ****...one of the most overhyped players ever to play for Southend....and over hyped on this forum....****ing **** as I have said before. Cutting your shorts, growing massive beard and and aggressive on field attitude dosn5 man you are not an abysmal excuse for a footballer....

...and one who failed to grasp that yellow and red thing in the referee's hand (no, smutty laughter at the back) meant you didn't get to keep playing with the big boys!