Ron Martin speaks to Chris Phillips

[londonblue]

Agreed. Although in Martin’s defence, I don’t necessarily think it’s him who keeps tweaking the plans, I believe it’s the Council who keep asking for slight changes. They are the ones who wanted more affordable housing, included in the project, not Ron.

So yeah, whilst it’s vital we get the planning permission as soon as possible, the Council have to take a look at themselves aswell.

For my mind, they’re certainly doing their “due diligence”, and making sure they get exactly what they want out of this project.

Again, I agree with you, but I also think he has the right to say to the council's officers "these are the plans, I'm not making any more changes because you've been stringing me along for 2 years. You now have 8 weeks to review and make your recommendations to the council."

If the council refuse permission I think he has the right to appeal their decision.

You might see that as a bit of a gamble, but I don't. We won't really lose anything by trying. If they do refuse then he just submits new plans. Given how slow the council are being I don't really think he has anything to lose by trying.

 

[Strykr]

Why cant it just be all residential? I have no problem with a nice football stadium surrounded by houses n flats that some of the income will feed the club? Then the stadium itself needs to be designed nicely enough to bring in income throught the year. Like the amex, big conference suites and wedding fairs and banqueting etc.

 

[ThurrockShrimper]

Reading this didn't really fill me with much confidence. I can't help but feel that as the weeks go by, 'AFC Southend' is becoming more and more likely. Surely the cat and mouse games with HMRC can't go on forever.

 

[Somerset Ex-TTB]

What gets my goat about probably 50% of people on this forum, is oh, what's your plan, who would buy the club, there isn't a billionaire fan out there waiting to take over etc. etc.
We are bust without him, he has kept us going, nobody else would be interested.

What a complete load of utter crap.

Do you think Bournemouth fans knew about their benefactor, do you think that Man City fans knew about the Arabs, that Chelsea fans knew about Abramovich. Of course they didn't until they happened.

Do you think I know the person that is going to buy my house, and that nobody will because it is on a busy road? Of course bloody not! Somebody will, when I put it up for sale.

Please please stop all this nonsense about Ron is our only hope its just not true.

 

[Stourport Shrimper]

I stand by my other post #60

After 22 years you would like to think he wouldn't get us in this mess. Having worked for 2 very large PLC's over the last 25 years, I could not imagine the chairmen, directors etc getting away with a 10th of what RM has.

EnrRON?

 

[Banksy]

Ian Hutchinson would have demanded less money to manage us, and he's doing well at Grimsby now.

Who ?

 

[Banksy]

In my life a supporter of this wonderful Football Club we are and always have been a 3rd/4th Division Football team except for a brief sojourn in the Tilly era where we dabbled with what is now known as the Championship. Until the Southend Council and David Amiss start supporting the Football Club then that's where we will stay. All I hear from Mr Amiss ( I refuse to call him Sir) is his incessant blabbing on the Back Benches for City Status to be awarded to our once lovely town. If this Prat got behind the Football Club then he might achieve his aim ! We should at least be up there with clubs such as: Watford, Bournemouth, Brighton and Burnley not to mention those playing in the Championship such as Reading, Hull, Brentford, Luton, Wigan, Charlton, Millwall and Swansea ! And If you think we are suffering just look at Sunderland, Bolton and Ipswich ! So beyond Ron who is there. Sorry to all you knockers, but he has kept this club just about a float in a a very precarious situation. Try getting behind him !

 

[Mick]

Doubt results will pick up, some money will be paid next week as 600k is the tip of the iceburg and next season could be an even worse nightmare as L2 is notoriously difficult to get out of and survive in.

25% of the clubs in it manage to get out each year.

 

[Chrisb]

25% of the clubs in it manage to get out each year.

One way or another.

 

[borientater]

Reading this didn't really fill me with much confidence. I can't help but feel that as the weeks go by, 'AFC Southend' is becoming more and more likely. Surely the cat and mouse games with HMRC can't go on forever.

Why not ? They get their money in the end which is more they get from a lot of firms , they know Ron will cough up eventually hence they go straight for the winding up order

 

[rigsby]

What gets my goat about probably 50% of people on this forum, is oh, what's your plan, who would buy the club, there isn't a billionaire fan out there waiting to take over etc. etc.
We are bust without him, he has kept us going, nobody else would be interested.

What a complete load of utter crap.

Do you think Bournemouth fans knew about their benefactor, do you think that Man City fans knew about the Arabs, that Chelsea fans knew about Abramovich. Of course they didn't until they happened.

Do you think I know the person that is going to buy my house, and that nobody will because it is on a busy road? Of course bloody not! Somebody will, when I put it up for sale.

Please please stop all this nonsense about Ron is our only hope its just not true.

I don't think a single person has claimed that. The majority believe a new stadium is needed especially if you compare us to City or Chelsea.

The quickest way to get rid of Ron is for the council to say yes and Ron goes Dutch , Russian, Arabic or even Tamplin.

I know some of you hate and I mean absolutely hate the idea of Ron actually achieving his dream. That would mean a lot of people eating large slices of humble pie and nobody wants that.

The fact is whether you like it or not Ron is here until FF agreed in some form or another. No matter how many angry threads, posts or teddies chucked in the corner that wont change.

Does that mean I love Ron...Or maybe its because right now its the best option. If someone comes in and wants to take on FF once its passed, then great. If someone came in before then they would be looking at RH with 500 houses on. I would be very suspicious of anyone who bought without planning for a football stadium.

By the way your right, you can sell a house on busy road but if you have to clear £17m of debt first..... You might have trouble finding a buyer.

 

[Ricky Otto]

I don't think a single person has claimed that. The majority believe a new stadium is needed especially if you compare us to City or Chelsea.

The quickest way to get rid of Ron is for the council to say yes and Ron goes Dutch , Russian, Arabic or even Tamplin.

I know some of you hate and I mean absolutely hate the idea of Ron actually achieving his dream. That would mean a lot of people eating large slices of humble pie and nobody wants that.

The fact is whether you like it or not Ron is here until FF agreed in some form or another. No matter how many angry threads, posts or teddies chucked in the corner that wont change.

Does that mean I love Ron...Or maybe its because right now its the best option. If someone comes in and wants to take on FF once its passed, then great. If someone came in before then they would be looking at RH with 500 houses on. I would be very suspicious of anyone who bought without planning for a football stadium.

By the way your right, you can sell a house on busy road but if you have to clear £17m of debt first..... You might have trouble finding a buyer.

Tamplin!!! Please stay Ron all is forgiven!

 

[onceknownasrab]

What gets my goat about probably 50% of people on this forum, is oh, what's your plan, who would buy the club, there isn't a billionaire fan out there waiting to take over etc. etc.
We are bust without him, he has kept us going, nobody else would be interested.

What a complete load of utter crap.

Do you think Bournemouth fans knew about their benefactor, do you think that Man City fans knew about the Arabs, that Chelsea fans knew about Abramovich. Of course they didn't until they happened.

Do you think I know the person that is going to buy my house, and that nobody will because it is on a busy road? Of course bloody not! Somebody will, when I put it up for sale.

Please please stop all this nonsense about Ron is our only hope its just not true.

One point you miss is that SUFC has achieved, up to now, the success it's size deserves. In that, RM, has not failed us. He has got us to continue and he has earned the right to fulfill his ambitions with FF and get the return his investment and loyalty warrants.

Yes we can achieve more, we believe, when FF is built but that is an aspiration and where we are is a fact.

 

[Somerset Ex-TTB]

I don't deny that the only way forwards with Ron or without Ron is FF. Staying at Roots Hall isn't an option. I don't class success as just continuing for 20 plus years whilst trying to catch up with every club in that time that has built new stadia? Without looking I would guess 30 clubs.

However we are no closer now than when he took over two decades ago, what's to say someone comes in and gets it done finally?

If I read one more time, "who is going to come in and takeover, there is nobody" I will scream

 

[Austin the Shrimper]

Yes he is wrong ...... He's supposed to be a chairman, not one of us lot slating off players.

You could say he is more entitled to be ****ed off. They both couldn’t be arsed and slagged the club off and he paid their wages.

 

[GDM]

I don't deny that the only way forwards with Ron or without Ron is FF. Staying at Roots Hall isn't an option. I don't class success as just continuing for 20 plus years whilst trying to catch up with every club in that time that has built new stadia? Without looking I would guess 30 clubs.

However we are no closer now than when he took over two decades ago, what's to say someone comes in and gets it done finally?

If I read one more time, "who is going to come in and takeover, there is nobody" I will scream

Get ready to scream them because no-one is buying a football club worth £1 for £17M

 

[THE SEVENTIES NORTH BANK]

What gets my goat about probably 50% of people on this forum, is oh, what's your plan, who would buy the club, there isn't a billionaire fan out there waiting to take over etc. etc.
We are bust without him, he has kept us going, nobody else would be interested.

What a complete load of utter crap.

Do you think Bournemouth fans knew about their benefactor, do you think that Man City fans knew about the Arabs, that Chelsea fans knew about Abramovich. Of course they didn't until they happened.

Do you think I know the person that is going to buy my house, and that nobody will because it is on a busy road? Of course bloody not! Somebody will, when I put it up for sale.

Please please stop all this nonsense about Ron is our only hope its just not true.

Hands up. I'm one of the 50% you're talking about. Billionaire's, Arabs, Russians will buy teams like Man City and Chelsea as a play thing, but not little Southend in League one, and definitely not in League two. They are only going to buy Premier League clubs or Championship at worst.
Also comparing it to buying your house doesn't work either. Whoever buys your house no matter what road it's on, isn't going to lose over a Million pounds each year.

I don't love or hate Ron Martin. I praise him if I think it's merited, and I also slag him off. I see good and bad. But yes, for his own means, he has kept the club going, sometimes by the skin of his teeth, like this season.

 

[C'mon you Shrimpers]

I may be wrong but didn't the Blue Knights consortium not offer Ron £1 for the club which he obviously declined. He would only sell if the buyer cleared his debts plus a bit for luck and no one in their right mind is going to do that.

 

[WESTY_SUFC]

What gets my goat about probably 50% of people on this forum, is oh, what's your plan, who would buy the club, there isn't a billionaire fan out there waiting to take over etc. etc.
We are bust without him, he has kept us going, nobody else would be interested.

What a complete load of utter crap.

Do you think Bournemouth fans knew about their benefactor, do you think that Man City fans knew about the Arabs, that Chelsea fans knew about Abramovich. Of course they didn't until they happened.

Do you think I know the person that is going to buy my house, and that nobody will because it is on a busy road? Of course bloody not! Somebody will, when I put it up for sale.

Please please stop all this nonsense about Ron is our only hope its just not true.

So true

 

[united we stand]

The truth as always is somewhere between the more extreme views on here.

If Ron wants to sell the entire project then of course it has a value. But stating the obvious that value will increase significantly if/when we have planning permission.

So for Ron to go we need some one to come in, to understand the plans and to make a “fair offer”. No one is going to be interested unless they think they can get planning

And if Ron thinks he is getting planning why would he sell before he gets it ? I genuinely believe he cares and I think he would be more than gutted if someone else was in control when we move ( personal opinion, pure guesswork).
The only reason to sell is he simply wants out or he is running out of ways to keep us afloat and has no choice.