Matt the Shrimp
aka Harry Potter
Chairman's Blog
As highlighted last week, my blogs were initially for a trial period. The first was toward the end of January and this is week 7.
Whilst I have spoken openly and freely about a number of topics I do not, as I have already mentioned, know whether I have answered the majority of questions that supporters may have surrounding their Club. However I am hoping, in some small way, I have provided some information which you have found interesting.
In my first blog dated 27th January I said that the blogs would cover such things as football finances, stadium plans, management strategy (including scouting), youth development (including academy status) and the Club’s work in the community (and how it integrates with growth)
I also went on to say that we would look at my medium to long-term ambitions for your Club and how I perceive these being achieved
Hopefully I have laid the foundations for some of the building blocks on which to grow Southend United Football Club and how these interact in the production of income streams and the managerial processes associated with the investment and decision making.
I have not really talked about my medium to long term ambitions but one thing I can say about my character is that I will never be satisfied with Southend United staying in the lower echelons of the Football League. If I thought there was no opportunity to advance the Club to fulfil its potential my driven characteristics would probably be very frustrated.
Fortunately we have made great strides with the new stadium and this is where I know – unequivocally – the potential of your Football Club will be achieved.
I hope my ambitious never give up attitude percolates throughout the Club for if that vision and direction ceases then there is only one way for a football club to go – and that is down. In my view a football club always needs to be ahead of the curve in every department to compete and succeed. This is just what I intend to do through the new stadium plans.
I hope and anticipate that we will be in the Championship before the stadium is completed. If that is not the case then all the ingredients will have been made available to not only be promoted but also to sustain a position both through fulfilling the Club’s potential for growth in its supporter base but also in the availability and income streams that simply do not and could not exist at Roots Hall.
Once we are back in the Championship I intend to stay there and continue to build the Club to ensure it has the ability to compete at the top end. There can never be any guarantees but I hope you know from reading what I have said over the last few weeks that every area of the Club is constantly under the microscope for improvement on and off the field.
You – our customers – as I have said are the lifeblood of that current and future success and your concerns will never be ignored. I will not always have the time to answer every query personally but I hope, as I say above, I have gone some way to providing the answers to some questions. What I would now like from you is to raise any further points which I have not yet covered and I will do my best to address them.
These issues can relate to areas I have already spoken about or new topics directly or indirectly associated with the Club and its past, present and future. I will not be looking at the emails personally – this will be the responsibility of our media department who can select six or eight most commonly asked questions which I can not only provide answers to but also, where appropriate, give further commentary if required.
What I would suggest is that we run that forum for the next two to three weeks and see where that takes us. If, after that period, the general consensus is that this blog is worth continuing then I will continue.
Over to you; send any questions or comments you may have to media@southend-united.co.uk. As I said in last week’s blog I promise not to duck any issue!
I look forward to hearing from you (I think!).
Up the Blues!
Ron Martin
As highlighted last week, my blogs were initially for a trial period. The first was toward the end of January and this is week 7.
Whilst I have spoken openly and freely about a number of topics I do not, as I have already mentioned, know whether I have answered the majority of questions that supporters may have surrounding their Club. However I am hoping, in some small way, I have provided some information which you have found interesting.
In my first blog dated 27th January I said that the blogs would cover such things as football finances, stadium plans, management strategy (including scouting), youth development (including academy status) and the Club’s work in the community (and how it integrates with growth)
I also went on to say that we would look at my medium to long-term ambitions for your Club and how I perceive these being achieved
Hopefully I have laid the foundations for some of the building blocks on which to grow Southend United Football Club and how these interact in the production of income streams and the managerial processes associated with the investment and decision making.
I have not really talked about my medium to long term ambitions but one thing I can say about my character is that I will never be satisfied with Southend United staying in the lower echelons of the Football League. If I thought there was no opportunity to advance the Club to fulfil its potential my driven characteristics would probably be very frustrated.
Fortunately we have made great strides with the new stadium and this is where I know – unequivocally – the potential of your Football Club will be achieved.
I hope my ambitious never give up attitude percolates throughout the Club for if that vision and direction ceases then there is only one way for a football club to go – and that is down. In my view a football club always needs to be ahead of the curve in every department to compete and succeed. This is just what I intend to do through the new stadium plans.
I hope and anticipate that we will be in the Championship before the stadium is completed. If that is not the case then all the ingredients will have been made available to not only be promoted but also to sustain a position both through fulfilling the Club’s potential for growth in its supporter base but also in the availability and income streams that simply do not and could not exist at Roots Hall.
Once we are back in the Championship I intend to stay there and continue to build the Club to ensure it has the ability to compete at the top end. There can never be any guarantees but I hope you know from reading what I have said over the last few weeks that every area of the Club is constantly under the microscope for improvement on and off the field.
You – our customers – as I have said are the lifeblood of that current and future success and your concerns will never be ignored. I will not always have the time to answer every query personally but I hope, as I say above, I have gone some way to providing the answers to some questions. What I would now like from you is to raise any further points which I have not yet covered and I will do my best to address them.
These issues can relate to areas I have already spoken about or new topics directly or indirectly associated with the Club and its past, present and future. I will not be looking at the emails personally – this will be the responsibility of our media department who can select six or eight most commonly asked questions which I can not only provide answers to but also, where appropriate, give further commentary if required.
What I would suggest is that we run that forum for the next two to three weeks and see where that takes us. If, after that period, the general consensus is that this blog is worth continuing then I will continue.
Over to you; send any questions or comments you may have to media@southend-united.co.uk. As I said in last week’s blog I promise not to duck any issue!
I look forward to hearing from you (I think!).
Up the Blues!
Ron Martin
