Shrimpers Trust News Supporters Group Zoom Meeting - 6th May 2021

[leeblue]

First thoughts after watching that.
Fantastic to see dialogue between the fans and those who run the club. I thought the questions posed were good ones and to be fair Ron answered them in a pretty clear manner. I was especially pleased he was pressed on revenue streams from new ground and pretty satisfied with the answers given on that matter.
Clarity on the fact he wants Phil Brown as manager. Whether you agree with the plan or not as least there is a plan there and Ricky Duncan confirming they have been looking at recruitment for the NL is also something that resembles a plan.
Stating that season tickets will indeed be cheaper (how much cheaper Is still the big question) also good to hear.
And finally an admittance that yes he needs help with running the club.
Now the million dollar question....Will Ron actually deliver????? Only time will tell but I feel good about the dialogue with supporters as well as the likes of SVC offering help etc and actually being listened too.

 

[Derbyshire Blue]

First thoughts after watching that.
Fantastic to see dialogue between the fans and those who run the club. I thought the questions posed were good ones and to be fair Ron answered them in a pretty clear manner. I was especially pleased he was pressed on revenue streams from new ground and pretty satisfied with the answers given on that matter.
Clarity on the fact he wants Phil Brown as manager. Whether you agree with the plan or not as least there is a plan there and Ricky Duncan confirming they have been looking at recruitment for the NL is also something that resembles a plan.
Stating that season tickets will indeed be cheaper (how much cheaper Is still the big question) also good to hear.
And finally an admittance that yes he needs help with running the club.
Now the million dollar question....Will Ron actually deliver????? Only time will tell but I feel good about the dialogue with supporters as well as the likes of SVC offering help etc and actually being listened too.

Agree with this. Talk is cheap but the talk is better than it has been. For me, he has an easy win to be had with bringing Stan on board. He’s a voice of many fans (not all I’m sure) and it would be an easy way to take Stan’s knowledge and contacts but also allow representation of fans into the club structure.

If he doesn’t bring Stan in I think it sends a clear message that he still thinks he can do it all his way. Which would continue to worry me.

 

[manor15]

Overall felt very positive, but I do worry about the long-term vision.

We’ll have a huge budget in NL - Fantastic.

We’ll bring in two CEOs - Fantastic.

Ticket prices will go down - Fantastic.

Already have some players scouted and drawing up transfer targets - Fantastic.

Yet no budgets have been finalised for next season.

And we seem to be gambling big time on coming straight back up again, which won’t be easy.

It’s very Ron, but he doesn’t seem to have any kind of contingency or consideration for the “what if” scenario of us being in the NL in 3/4 years time.

 

[Westcliff DGS]

Watched this last night and of all the forums so far this seemed to be the best to date.

No waffle, direct questions nd honesty (or so it seemed) from all that attended.

I thought it was good RM bought a couple of others with him, as they will have more insight in other areas. Ricky spoke well and gave good insight into the team, Patrick spoke (for once) passionately about the club and finances. Those in attendance were not dismissive or argumentative but engaging, thoughtful and direct.

Well done to SOS for having someone attend even thought they originally didnt want to, that shows flexibility and that they listen to what people had said, so i congratulate. The rep from SOS listened intently and then asked good questions which he got answers and although RM got a little tetchy he answered and explained why he was tetchy.

Well done to all involved

 

[Jai]

Frustrating that the BBC Essex interview didn't air until 5pm. I was rushing about getting home from work and sorting the kids out and I felt with another hour I would have been able to prepare properly, as a result I didn't have the info to hand to press him on a couple of things.

Still, I thought Ron was pretty candid and we got a fair bit out of him. I'm relatively pleased with some of the answers but the proof is in the pudding, we'll see.

 

[Westcliff DGS]

Frustrating that the BBC Essex interview didn't air until 5pm. I was rushing about getting home from work and sorting the kids out and I felt with another hour I would have been able to prepare properly, as a result I didn't have the info to hand to press him on a couple of things.

Still, I thought Ron was pretty candid and we got a fair bit out of him. I'm relatively pleased with some of the answers but the proof is in the pudding, we'll see.

Can i ask which were you? did you ask a couple of questions during and then at the end?

 

[Barling Magna]

That was as good a meeting as it could have been, I think. I've always thought that Ron took on Southend United with an eye to a fairly quick profit from selling Roots Hall and building an income generating stadium, hotel, retail and apartment complex on a cheaper site. This was in 2000 remember, Tony Blair, Cool Britannia, economic boom......everything seemed rosy.

But as we know it didn't turn out well. It took too long to put the financial package in place. The Council was slow in giving it's approval. The government called the plans in for review. Then the US banks foreclosed and the global banking crisis screwed everything. Ron was stuck with the club and with little chance of his dream becoming reality.

BUT something else had happened during this time.

Like many owners before him Ron had been sucked in by the allure of football. He had become a genuine fan, excited by the thrills and spills and no doubt by the attention he received and the sense of power and importance within the local area.

This was a dangerous development. He was no longer simply a level headed property developer but a football fan with all the dreams and schemes that involves. Sadly he let his heart rule his head on many occasions and since 2014 without a CEO he has been out of his depth and he has become ill. He even caught Covid-19.

For the first time for a while I feel more confident about our future because Ron has regained a grasp on reality. Maybe it's the prospect of relegation out of the league, maybe it's the involvement of Stan Collymore and the prospect of his contacts, maybe it's the plain speaking of Phil Brown, maybe it's a sobering glimpse of his own mortality, maybe it's the better attitude of the Council and the better prospects for the revised Fossetts Farm plans. Whatever, to return to the start of Ron's reign, I now finally think that after 21 years things can only get better.

 

[Smiffy]

Well done to Paul Fitz. Controlled the meeting very well and was straight on to Ron when he attempted to go off on one of his tangents. Keep that pressure up.

Some useful questions asked by those present and a few bits of new info learned (sort of), particularly regards new stadium income (Although still very wishy washy from Ron) Need to drill him more on such subjects in future zooms.

Perhaps it maybe an idea to have each supporters group zoom dedicated to a certain key subject area to allow more time to drill down and provide further clarity, rather than lots of questions on different areas, which can sometimes get lost or glossed over a bit?

 

[Austin the Shrimper]

So after speaking with everybody and many saying we should send somebody we did, I was not able to go, Richard was and that’s pretty much it. People commented, I listened, asked again what we should do, changes were made.

Fair play

 

[Chairman Trigg]

Thought this came over better than the radio interview.
Trouble is I'm still feeling the hurt ,and quite simply have no enthusiasm or interest at any of the promises or talk about the NL and our future prospects.At least Ron appears to understand the standard of football we now have to expect thanks to his stewardship.What is is it going to take to get that good feeling for the club back!

 

[rigsby]

Haven't had the chance to watch yet but well done to Scott and the rest of SOS. You don't have to explain yourselves as you did the right thing for the right reason, end off.

Stan and Scott changing their minds. Ron talking about a CEO and some fans even forgiving PB a little. Who says things cant be changed or improved?

 

[Dorsetshrimper]

Well done Paul for controlling the meeting, also great to have input from others at the club, Patrick and Ricky made some very good points that maybe RM would not have managed to cover.

 

[TrueBlue]

Oh forgot to mention, thanks to the trust for hosting, did a good job with that as always.

Haven't had the chance to watch yet but well done to Scott and the rest of SOS. You don't have to explain yourselves as you did the right thing for the right reason, end off.

Stan and Scott changing their minds. Ron talking about a CEO and some fans even forgiving PB a little. Who says things cant be changed or improved?

Sticking me in the same sentence as Stan, not worthy of that, just a fan like you mate.
However good point about things changing, it’s always possible but it’s going to take bridge building. After the protest which will hopefully show Ron how disenfranchised people feel it will be time to move forward

 

[Leigh_Seasider]

Yeah got to echo the comments above and liked the way Paul kept pulling it back to what happens now and next season.

It’s all about actions now so let’s see what develops. But it was a good call .. right questions asked and it was kept relevant. Ron inviting Ricky I think was positive, he came across really well and clearly cares and has been planning for the NL already with PB and CF. We needed to hear that. Look forward to Stan being on the next one!!

 

[Shrimpergonzo]

I didn't listen to the BBC Essex interview, but did watch the whole Zoom last night and, like others, thought it was a good and positive meeting under the circumstances. I thought Paul chaired the meeting well and those that participated, including Ron, did so in a positive spirit.

Ron was pretty candid in his answers and, as others have already said, the actions will speak louder than words in due course.

My takeaways, for those who did not watch were as follows:

• We will be having a CEO, likely to be announced at the end of next week. It will either be Stan's man (who sounds younger and is currently not in a job so available immediately), or Ron's other candidate who he is meeting next Wednesday (who is older and more experienced but currently in a job so may not be available until the end of June). It is possible that there might be roles for both (I'm not sure that's a great idea, especially if the budget is going to be tight, but he wasn't pressed on that).
• PB is his only candidate as manager for next season, just a question of agreeing terms now.
• We'll have a smaller squad next season, and that will include about 10 of the existing squad. The academy will also be retained. They only want players who will fight for the shirt next season, some of the existing squad don't fall into that category and will not be here next season.
• Anton Robinson is still head of recruitment, and has already scouted the National League, Ricky Duncan and Phil Brown have also watched some National League games.
• The hotel will not be happening at the new ground, it's likely to be more residential instead in the North Stand. I got the impression that he will wait until the current plans are approved before putting in the amendment.
• We will be paying rent at the new ground and that structure is already agreed, depending which league we play in (£200k p.a. in League 2, more as we go up the leagues). We will not own the new ground but will get any revenue streams from it. It's hard to see what these could be (other than 4 concerts per year) until the North Stand is built as I believe that is where the banqueting and conference facilities will be located. Again he was not pressed on that - possibly a question for next time?
• Ricky Duncan seems happier with Phil Brown as manager, Ron seems to value highly Ricky's opinions on football matters.

Let's see what happens next, but it sounded very positive.

 

[TrueBlue]

Yeah got to echo the comments above and liked the way Paul kept pulling it back to what happens now and next season.

It’s all about actions now so let’s see what develops. But it was a good call .. right questions asked and it was kept relevant. Ron inviting Ricky I think was positive, he came across really well and clearly cares and has been planning for the NL already with PB and CF. We needed to hear that. Look forward to Stan being on the next one!!

Yeah that’s what’s required at these meetings is pulling Ron back to the point and Paul did well with that

 

[Jai]

Can i ask which were you? did you ask a couple of questions during and then at the end?

Yeah I asked a few questions. Jamie, All At Sea. The one with the scarf on the wall in the background. Hopefully have more time to prep next time (think my co-editor Liam will do the next one anyway).

 

[sufc4life21]

What positives i have taken from ron interviews with fans or bbc essex is he actually accepting he needs help...... admittedly 2 years to late but he seem open to new ideas, which is only good thing.

Time will tell I guess.

 

[Chris Powell's mate]

What is interesting is that Ron is finally having to confront and deal with fans' opinions.

His love of a big name has come back to bite in the shape of Stan's involvement, as well.
If he's smelling the coffee, Mr M has also seen what fans at bigger clubs have managed in the last couple of weeks.

But he still can't bring himself to acknowledge his part in our demise.

A good start, anyway, and thanks to all who made it happen and carried through.

 

[FarmdogSUFC]

He was clearly in a lot better mood than the last one!

I think I share the view of the majority when I say this, but he clearly hasn't done all this on purpose. Of course he cares, even if he doesn't care about the football side per se (I think he does), his future depends on the club being successful (or at least competitive).

I'm not looking for an apology personally. We know he's ****ed up, he knows he's ****ed up. Let's just move on. Although I did find it funny when he said Paul can apologise if he likes. I think it's a pride thing at this stage.

There are still massive concerns for me though. We're basically gambling that we come up the first time of asking. It would be ideal of course, but I just can't see it happening. We don't even know the budget yet. There's still no medium-long-term plan in place and that scares me.

We're appointing a CEO plus another in a new role? That's great, but where has that money come from? A reduced playing budget I'm assuming but that won't help our promotion push will it.

The accounts are late because of a fan protest? Lol

The stadium stuff was interesting. Regarding the concerts, I was also of the opinion this was thrown out years ago. Can't wait to see Olly Murs there in 10 years.

There's a few other areas of concern but they can be raised next time.

Well done to Paul for chairing and to everyone else in attendance. That's the best fan engagement I've seen. As previously mentioned, we didn't feel it was right to attend before the protest (not that anyone cares if we're on it or not). The majority did, but we didn't. No issues there. Hopefully get an invite to the next one again though ?