Echo News Southend United chairman Ron Martin: Relegation would be a ‘monumental failure’

[Chris Powell's mate]

The main reason we are in the position we are now is the horrendous start to the season which was prepared like a bottom division pub side. For that Ron is to blame as far as i'm concerned, the current team is bad but probably not bottom two bad but with this start we had we were always gonna have an uphill struggle and pressure to stay up.

I think MM can share the blame.
He decided that playing out from the back for a bunch of journeyman was the way forward.
He also decided that one up top was the policy for as long as one can remember.
By the time it came to January, the damage was done, and he could persuade practically no one to join the fight.
Before that, Ron's starstruck vision that included costly contracts and chasing after Larsson and Campbell was equally poor.

 

[Chris Powell's mate]

It's not the players that aren't good enough! It's the manager!!

Nope!
Put MM in charge of Man City, and Man City will still win things.
Their skill, speed, technique, nous is the reason why they are headed to the PL title.
Pep guides them along the way, but he's behind that white lines when things happen on the pitch.
Not a single Blues permanent or loan has been an unqualified success. Akinola is as near as it gets, and you remember how long it took him to get fit.
Even in this division, the squad is paper thin.
You might get by with White, Elvis, Clifford (when fit), but the rest? Either injured or not up to it on a consistent basis.

 

[Chris Powell's mate]

Totally agree, if MM wasn't manager, we would be 1st.

Do I detect a tongue firmly in the back of your cheek?

 

[Holy Joe]

at the moment borrowing money is easy ... and if you have assets - e.g. land for development it is even easier ...

0% interest at the mo

Banks only want to lend money to companies that don't need it! I'd suggest you'd be very lucky to find a loan, for an entity of SUFC credit worthiness, at 0% interest rate. Actually in GBP any loan to any company at 0% would be impossible to find. And of course the club has no assets to secure against any lending.

Ron has though recently raised £1m from one of his companies secured against his land in Benfleet. It wasn't a high street bank lending the money.

 

[Shrimpet steve]

Nope!
Put MM in charge of Man City, and Man City will still win things.
Their skill, speed, technique, nous is the reason why they are headed to the PL title.
Pep guides them along the way, but he's behind that white lines when things happen on the pitch.
Not a single Blues permanent or loan has been an unqualified success. Akinola is as near as it gets, and you remember how long it took him to get fit.
Even in this division, the squad is paper thin.
You might get by with White, Elvis, Clifford (when fit), but the rest? Either injured or not up to it on a consistent basis.

Maybe! But I bet if u put pep in charge on Saturday we would see a massive difference and a definite win!! Also using man city as your example is too easy!! I could manage man city with there quality players and unlimited spending power! A better example would be say crystal palace but mm would not do the same job roy Hodgson could!!

 

[Its Only A Game]

I still thinks Ron game plan for this year was just not to go bust and that he expected at least two other teams to go the way of Bury and that there would be no relegation this year.

I can't believe he seriously expected us to win many games with the strike force we had and therefore hoped not to be relegated by default.

 

[Shrimper]

Maybe! But I bet if u put pep in charge on Saturday we would see a massive difference and a definite win!! Also using man city as your example is too easy!! I could manage man city with there quality players and unlimited spending power! A better example would be say crystal palace but mm would not do the same job roy Hodgson could!!

How would it be a definite win?

 

[RHB]

Maybe! But I bet if u put pep in charge on Saturday we would see a massive difference and a definite win!! Also using man city as your example is too easy!! I could manage man city with there quality players and unlimited spending power! A better example would be say crystal palace but mm would not do the same job roy Hodgson could!!

Shrimpet steve managing Man City.....now there's a thought.

 

[Chris Powell's mate]

Maybe! But I bet if u put pep in charge on Saturday we would see a massive difference and a definite win!! Also using man city as your example is too easy!! I could manage man city with there quality players and unlimited spending power! A better example would be say crystal palace but mm would not do the same job roy Hodgson could!!

You see, you've agreed the point.
Most anyone could manage City because they have the players. The players are everything when it comes down to it.
Pep wouldn't get a tune out of our lot because he would organise them, encourage them, and then watch as they shanked, mis-controlled, looked at each other, and passed waist high from 10 yards.

 

[southendkid]

Nope!
Put MM in charge of Man City, and Man City will still win things.

Whilst I think Pep would struggle to get anything out of our lot (and I don't think it's MM's fault we're in this position) I think that's a bit harsh on Pep's ability as a manager, the sort of football they play needs a lot of work on the training ground to pull of no matter how good the players are. You only have to look at the overnight collapse of Man United when Fergie left to see how much of a difference a top tier manager makes.

 

[KrustyTheKray]

1/8 it's like buying money,were's my nestegg?

Ron's got his warchest on it ???

 

[L0311 Liberty Shrimper]

The line about investing again is a crumb cos he knows a lot of the SUFC support are not worried about NL and just fancy winning the NL and Essex senior cup ..

What in the World?
I don't know of a single fan who wants this. Hardcore home and away, just the home games or one game a season, no one wants the club in the non-league.

 

[Chris Powell's mate]

Whilst I think Pep would struggle to get anything out of our lot (and I don't think it's MM's fault we're in this position) I think that's a bit harsh on Pep's ability as a manager, the sort of football they play needs a lot of work on the training ground to pull of no matter how good the players are. You only have to look at the overnight collapse of Man United when Fergie left to see how much of a difference a top tier manager makes.

I agree.
Originally, I said Pep was there to guide things, but you can be a top chef and if your ingredients are poor, you end up with poor.
So if your manager's good and your players are better, you end up with the PL champions.

 

[stewart]

To be honest preseason many of us ,me included thought we had the best strike force in the division,also many of us me included thought we would finish mid table even with the young lads. We saw how they finished off last season in div1 playing some nice football ,with wins over Bristol rovers and Lincoln i think it was ,and our thinking was in league 2 they would blossom.I can see where RM is coming from in his thinking and hoping they would blossom ,so he i believe decided to cut the wage bill in order to acquire the money to pay the tax bill,yes we sold Kelman and Humphries ,who were both unsettled and wanted out along with the other lad and Hopper had 3 of them stayed we would have undoubtedly been higher up in the league.Now im hoping ( because i believe we will get relegated ) that he lives up to what he has said and does invest to get us back into the EFL as quickly as possible.I also believe MM and team could have and should have signed at least 2 strikers during the transfer window and i dont mean ones that havent played for 3 years.so they also must shoulder some of the blame for our predicament .

 

[Rayleigh boy]

Ron has though recently raised £1m from one of his companies secured against his land

Exactly what I said - no problem raising the money

 

[Mad Cyril]

I also believe MM and team could have and should have signed at least 2 strikers during the transfer window and i dont mean ones that havent played for 3 years.so they also must shoulder some of the blame for our predicament .

I have zero doubt MM spent the entire transfer window trying to sign a couple of strikers.

Does anyone honestly think Nile Ranger and Jay Simpson were his preferred targets and he spent Christmas tinkering with formations on his iPad?

 

[Rayleigh boy]

What in the World?
I don't know of a single fan who wants this. Hardcore home and away, just the home games or one game a season, no one wants the club in the non-league.

yeah - I completely does my nut in but some people are not that bothered and have been staying positive about visiting new grounds and not losing every week -

check back over the comments if you don't believe me ..

 

[stewart]

I have zero doubt MM spent the entire transfer window trying to sign a couple of strikers.

Do you honestly think Nile Ranger and Jay Simpson were his preferred targets?

where did i say they were his preferred targets,but i did say not ones that havent played for 3 years, Now you tell me he couldnt do better than he did.

 

[Mad Cyril]

Now you tell me he couldnt do better than he did.

That is exactly what I am am saying - we are a club of last resort.

We have a well founded reputation for not paying staff. Players are going to mitigate that risk by demanding salaries we cannot afford.

 

[Southminster Shrimper]

Do I detect a tongue firmly in the back of your cheek?

Maybe ;)