Echo News Southend United have now had more than 60 applicants to be manager and Ron Martin says next boss will be free to make signings

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The alternate reality of that, is that we got a better chairman in. Someone who redeveloped roots Hall or we are currently playing football in a new stadium.

We have enjoyed our football in mainly league 1 with brief forays into the championship aka Rotherham.

The payers have been played. The fan base is happy and we live within our means and are seen a steady club to join.

Is that "the players have been paid"... or did you mean that the paying fans have been played (for fools)?

 

[Shrimper]

Well done pal. Not for the first time, you have missed the point.

Don't worry, I'm sure you'll have plenty more opportunities to come up with excuses for Ron over this coming season.

 

[Yer Blues]

Loads of clubs have had positive take overs.

Off the top of my head.

Rotherham
Swansea
Brighton
Luton
Posh
Mansfield
Fleetwood
Pompey
Leicester
Man city
Wolves
Burnely
Millwall
Fulham
Cardiff
Lincoln city
Salford
Forest green
Swindon
Plymouth
Northampton

Probably more than thatin reality

Sorry should have been clearer.

Takeover bids for SOUTHEND.

 

[Yer Blues]

Don't worry, I'm sure you'll have plenty more opportunities to come up with excuses for Ron over this coming season.

Which excuse have i given?

While you have a look for that, ill have a search for any sort of positive post you have made about the club.

See who comes back quicker.

 

[londonblue]

It's simple. Ron hasn't got a clue.

Employing Sol and the gang on a contract worth £1.3m per year, reinforces that idea.

I'm no Ron fan, but let's at least be a bit balanced. Things are not always as black and white as you would like them to be.

Sometimes Ron has got it right, i.e with PS and PB, and he at least recognised Tilly was doing a good job and kept him on. And yes, he's got some things wrong, like Bond and Wignall. So, just like the rest of us he's got some things right and some things wrong. A right doesn't make him the messiah, and a wrong doesn't mean he hasn't got a clue.

Somewhere in the middle is the truth.

 

[GBJ]

I'm no Ron fan, but let's at least be a bit balanced. Things are not always as black and white as you would like them to be.

Sometimes Ron has got it right, i.e with PS and PB, and he at least recognised Tilly was doing a good job and kept him on. And yes, he's got some things wrong, like Bond and Wignall. So, just like the rest of us he's got some things right and some things wrong. A right doesn't make him the messiah, and a wrong doesn't mean he hasn't got a clue.

Somewhere in the middle is the truth.

I said on page 2, that Ron deserves credit at times, and at other times he’s not blameless.

Can’t really be any fairer than that.

 

[Tommy2holes]

Sorry should have been clearer.

Takeover bids for SOUTHEND.

Ron won't allow us to be taken over. He stands to make too much money from fossetts. He has refused enquiries about take overs and mergers, whilst dragging the club to its knees.

His view is, its his club and he will do what he likes. Always had and always will.

His general demeanour toward the fans etc has always been stand offish and often views us with contempt.

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

Ron won't allow us to be taken over. He stands to make too much money from fossetts. He has refused enquiries about take overs and mergers, whilst dragging the club to its knees.

His view is, its his club and he will do what he likes. Always had and always will.

His general demeanour toward the fans etc has always been stand offish and often views us with contempt.

He became involved because the club was already on its knees.

It remains to be seen if Fossetts will make money. I think it's a dream he needs to keep alive otherwise it all comes crashing down around him.

 

[GBJ]

He became involved because the club was already on its knees.

It remains to be seen if Fossetts will make money. I think it's a dream he needs to keep alive otherwise it all comes crashing down around him.

Is the club in any better state now, than when he took over?

That’s not a dig, but a genuine question.

 

[rigsby]

Ron won't allow us to be taken over. He stands to make too much money from fossetts. He has refused enquiries about take overs and mergers, whilst dragging the club to its knees.

His view is, its his club and he will do what he likes. Always had and always will.

His general demeanour toward the fans etc has always been stand offish and often views us with contempt.

Ron is a private man, which is far better than a fur coat, Rolls Royce Anton Johnson, Italian play boy, Hong Kong gambler type chairman....Who thinks he knows football because he sold a few phones.

He has certainly never treated me or any of my friends with contempt. In fact he has listened and even personally made sure the odd suggestion has happened.

If you actually show him some respect you would find he has a dry senses of humour and is sharper than most ever give him credit for.

As for FF......Until the council say yes then no he is not going to sell and nor would any of us if we had spent as many £millions as he has years in trying to make it happen.

Even if he could find a buyer before then I would be highly suspicious of their motives and plans....

The fact is whatever your opinion of Ron.....We are stuck with him and he is stuck with us. Until the council make to obvious and much needed decision we will just have to get on with it.....As Berliners you to say "Enjoy the war, the peace will be terrible."

 

[BriggBlue]

Is the club in any better state now, than when he took over?

That’s not a dig, but a genuine question.

That's an interesting question, when he took over we were in what's now L2 with extensive debts and in need of a new stadium. on the surface not too much has changed except the ground isn't owned by a bank.

mind you with a lower league club it's like musical chairs, if he'd walked away when we were in the championship he would have been hailed a hero, similarly if he walked away when we just missed out on the L1 playoffs.

on the whole I'd say that we've had ups and downs but everything has pretty much evened out

 

[GBJ]

Ron won't allow us to be taken over. He stands to make too much money from fossetts. He has refused enquiries about take overs and mergers, whilst dragging the club to its knees.

His view is, its his club and he will do what he likes. Always had and always will.

His general demeanour toward the fans etc has always been stand offish and often views us with contempt.

I think you’re wrong there Tom. The story goes, that Ron was close to selling last year. That’s why he wrote off several million pounds worth of debt, and chased Larsson across the continent, as Larsson was the preferred manager for the prospective new owners.

It would seem that the deal stalled (or was put on hold at least), until greater assurances were met, regarding council approval for the stadium etc.

I’m sure the Van Wezel’s are watching what’s going on, with great interest.

 

[GBJ]

That's an interesting question, when he took over we were in what's now L2 with extensive debts and in need of a new stadium. on the surface not too much has changed except the ground isn't owned by a bank.

mind you with a lower league club it's like musical chairs, if he'd walked away when we were in the championship he would have been hailed a hero, similarly if he walked away when we just missed out on the L1 playoffs.

on the whole I'd say that we've had ups and downs but everything has pretty much evened out

Well the debt is certainly worse now. I think it was a few million back then, and is now at about £16m.

Thankfully, that debt is all owed to Ron, so we haven’t got to worry too much about it being called in..... well, not yet anyway. If everything goes tits up, we’d be reliant on Ron’s good graces not to call it in.

The stadium is considerably worse now, too. It’s in a state of disrepair, and I’m surprised it hasn’t been condemned. It’s no surprise it cost £300k to obtain a safety certificate. I don’t know when that expires, but it’s a worry.

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

Is the club in any better state now, than when he took over?

That’s not a dig, but a genuine question.

And it's a good question. The answer isn't clear but I'd probably say we were in about the same situation.

I suppose our financial problems have shifted from being unable to afford the interest on our debt to cashflow - that's assuming the intra-group borrowing is written off.

In some ways success is still having a club. It's a very mixed picture.

 

[GBJ]

In some ways success is still having a club. It's a very mixed picture.

Agreed.

 

[stewart]

Agreed.

Agreed success is still having a club ,i think under the previous owner we would now be playing in the Borough Combination if it still exists against ,Monarch Sports or Thorpe Athletic ,and Ekco .or we could be like i think they are now and be non existant

 

[KiwiRob]

Well the debt is certainly worse now. I think it was a few million back then, and is now at about £16m.

Thankfully, that debt is all owed to Ron, so we haven’t got to worry too much about it being called in..... well, not yet anyway. If everything goes tits up, we’d be reliant on Ron’s good graces not to call it in.

The stadium is considerably worse now, too. It’s in a state of disrepair, and I’m surprised it hasn’t been condemned. It’s no surprise it cost £300k to obtain a safety certificate. I don’t know when that expires, but it’s a worry.

GBJ, why is the Chairman not asking the Board of Directors to pitch in financially to help the club address its current financial problems and get the embargo lifted? Everything seems to depend on the Chairman and I do not think the situation is like that at most clubs. Maybe the Chairman has asked for assistance from the Board and received little response? This all seems rather puzzling.

 

[GBJ]

GBJ, why is the Chairman not asking the Board of Directors to pitch in financially to help the club address its current financial problems and get the embargo lifted? Everything seems to depend on the Chairman and I do not think the situation is like that at most clubs. Maybe the Chairman has asked for assistance from the Board and received little response? This all seems rather puzzling.

I believe Ron has frequently done so over the years. Unfortunately, as with all lending, you have limitations to your line of credit, and I believe Ron has probably reached his.

The only way that line of credit can now be extended, is if/when the council green light the next portion of the stadium move.

The good news for us, is that we’ve passed the first hurdle, and it’s likely that we’ll pass the next one too, which I think is due this autumn time? @rigsby?

The only thing that could realistically stop this from happening now, is an almighty recession/depression due to a global pandemic. Luckily there’s not one going on at the mome.... oh.

 

[londonblue]

I said on page 2, that Ron deserves credit at times, and at other times he’s not blameless.

Can’t really be any fairer than that.

But what you've pointed out is that you have said he deserves credit on one page, and on another backed up the argument that he doesn't have a clue. I don't see any consistency or a way of reconciling the two comments.

As I said, sometimes he's right, sometimes he wrong. To me that just means he's human.

However, my post wasn't supposed to be a person bashing exercise. It was intended to merely point out that we all make mistakes, and that when we do it doesn't mean we're clueless.

 

[GBJ]

But what you've pointed out is that you have said he deserves credit on one page, and on another backed up the argument that he doesn't have a clue. I don't see any consistency or a way of reconciling the two comments.

Ron’s spinning plate act, to keep the club alive, deserves credit.

Employing Sol on ridiculous wages, when we’re skint as ****, was a clueless thing to do.

It’s fairly simple. If you want to over complicate it, then fill your boots ??‍