Shrimpers Trust News Supporters Group Zoom Meeting - 7th October 2021

[Strykr]

He already has. All these questions have been answered before. They have even been answered on here but the truth doesn't suit the Ron out at all costs agenda. Which has far less support than you claim.

That was the first time I've heard any ballpark figures for extra revenue. instead of the usual "all the money goes into the football club" rhetoric.

I think some of the posters on here are being pretty harsh on the people giving there time and having these meetings. Its not an audit or a board meeting with lawyers and accountants, I'm pretty sure Ron wouldn't want anything to do with it if that was the case. What business owner would in public?

Its easy to sit behind a keyboard and say you should have been tougher, from what i saw the questions were heated enough for ron to tell someone to **** off.

We are never going to get the full story as fans on a public zoom call, the purpose as i see it is to chip away and ask questions and get information where possible. And if next time they can move on to questions regarding the big budget and bad result and why then that will be good.

For all the people slating the people asking the questions, would you rather these zoom calls went away and it was just ron releasing his bullcrap badly written statements every 6 months?

 

[Supa Shrimpa]

I think he has enough on his plate and so needed this like a hole in the head.

If Ron was good at PR he would have created a presentation for the fans that covered sufficient detail that we would understand the benefits of the new stadium. I do t think he though he really needed to “sell” to the fans. He could very easily have come up with a sold presentation that explained why commercially the new stadium was an absolute no brained. He didn’t and hence we have people who think we should stay at RH.

Exactly ! and i'm sure the fans would be much more patient if he didn't happen to be a property developer, whose big project to save the club just happens to involve building a huge load of properties.

 

[kentblues]

He already has. All these questions have been answered before. They have even been answered on here but the truth doesn't suit the Ron out at all costs agenda. Which has far less support than you claim.

I think he has indeed but to be fair I’m not sure with numbers that show the future compared with now. Doesn’t have to be a detailed business plan but headline numbers so everyone is on board (or as near as we will ever get remembering we have some who would quite happily see a Phoenix club..) I’ve done these things in the past- a 10 slide deck would sell it to even the most doubting critic

 

[Supa Shrimpa]

Yes he did. Or Tom did based on past experience. Question why did he do a proper presentation of all this to the fans a few months ago at least.

or at the very start of the project. Show that it will make SUFC sustainable in the future.

 

[JD]

That was the first time I've heard any ballpark figures for extra revenue. instead of the usual "all the money goes into the football club" rhetoric.

I think some of the posters on here are being pretty harsh on the people giving there time and having these meetings. Its not an audit or a board meeting with lawyers and accountants, I'm pretty sure Ron wouldn't anything to do with it if that was the case. What business owner would?

Its easy to sit behind a keyboard and say you should have been tougher, from what i saw the questions were heated enough for ron to tell someone to **** off.

We are never going to get the full story as fans on a public zoom call, the purpose as i see it is to chip away and ask questions and get information where possible. And if next time they can move on to questions regarding the big budget and bad result and why then that will be good. For all the people slating the people asking the questions, would you rather these zoom calls went away and it was just ron releasing his bullcrap badly written statements every 6 months?

No of course not but the thought process and preparation could be far better.
I am not doubting time and effort goes in, but clearly the questions and particularly the challenging back, are/is not strong enough.

 

[rigsby]

I don't claim amything. They have never been answered in detail since day one. All he has said is we need a new stadium because RH is not fit for purpose. No actual figures of how much it would actually cost to revamp RH, or estimated figures of how much revenue the stadium could generate for SUFC. The supporters groups have had to drag this out of him !

They have been answered by Ron. They have been answered on here, of course anyone who does will be trolled as a'Ron Lover'

As for RH why would they waste money projecting figures on something that is never going to happen. Even if the Saudis decided at the last minute we prefer Southend to Newcastle.

 

[rigsby]

I think he has enough on his plate and so needed this like a hole in the head.

If Ron was good at PR he would have created a presentation for the fans that covered sufficient detail that we would understand the benefits of the new stadium. I do t think he though he really needed to “sell” to the fans. He could very easily have come up with a sold presentation that explained why commercially the new stadium was an absolute no brained. He didn’t and hence we have people who think we should stay at RH.

He did at the blues lounge and anyone could go along over several days and ask all the right questions to the people who build stadiums etc.

 

[Supa Shrimpa]

That was the first time I've heard any ballpark figures for extra revenue. instead of the usual "all the money goes into the football club" rhetoric.

I think some of the posters on here are being pretty harsh on the people giving there time and having these meetings. Its not an audit or a board meeting with lawyers and accountants, I'm pretty sure Ron wouldn't want anything to do with it if that was the case. What business owner would in public?

Its easy to sit behind a keyboard and say you should have been tougher, from what i saw the questions were heated enough for ron to tell someone to **** off.

We are never going to get the full story as fans on a public zoom call, the purpose as i see it is to chip away and ask questions and get information where possible. And if next time they can move on to questions regarding the big budget and bad result and why then that will be good.

For all the people slating the people asking the questions, would you rather these zoom calls went away and it was just ron releasing his bullcrap badly written statements every 6 months?

I thought they did really well. He's a clever guy with clever words but they stuck to the task and showed him in no uncertain terms the fan base has had enough. He's got the message !

 

[rigsby]

I thought they did really well. He's a clever guy with clever words but they stuck to the task and showed him in no uncertain terms the fan base has had enough. He's got the message !

If that was a boxing match Ron would have won every round. Some of the panel could do with a 10krun.

Rather than cover old ground and myths things like the budget should have been further questioned. When Ron talked about his funding of the team it wasn't exactly clear.

Everyone has assumed total budget but he mention the amount he funds over the season card income. Does he mean his extra funding is one of the highest as opposed to the total budget of other clubs?

 

[JD]

They have been answered by Ron. They have been answered on here, of course anyone who does will be trolled as a'Ron Lover'

As for RH why would they waste money projecting figures on something that is never going to happen. Even if the Saudis decided at the last minute we prefer Southend to Newcastle.

And if anyone really wants to know just go back to the annual accounts that cover the champ season.
I would imagine that would of been as good as it gets in terms of income.
Let’s not forget that we failed miserably in that division….. so clearly the income and budget was not enough!

 

[AndyT]

There was a good point made earlier that the more recent project of housing rather than the leisure park would change revenue streams, which is fair comment.

However, the opportunities, as mentioned by Ron & Tom, for 365 days a year income from corporate usage and the like, far outweighs anything from Roots Hall.

Plus opportunities for outdoor events that are currently run at Garon Park and so on, could also be factored in.

 

[Leigh_Seasider]

We can’t stay at Roots Hall. The idea of staying there is a non starter. Every zoom call the questions about Fossetts come up and “where’s the non match day revenue coming from”. But where’s it coming from now and how much are we (Ron) spending just to keep RH useable? We need a new stadium, Ron’s committed to a new stadium, it benefits him and us .. that’s clear, isn’t it? I’d love to see more questions on the here and now and the immediate plans to make us competitive in the National League. And is there a longer term plan regards the structure within the club/the playing side??

 

[kentblues]

He did at the blues lounge and anyone could go along over several days and ask all the right questions to the people who build stadiums etc.

In a way that’s worse. Because if all these numbers are already done it would be minimal work to make the information more widely available in a good summary format with numbers?

You are right more people should probably make the effort to engage before critisizing. But there again a better effort could have been made to use all the means of communication to continue to present the case to the fans (and over time as the proposition and numbers do change)

There should be no-one who does not believe that the new stadium is any anything but very very good news for the future of the club. And the number who somehow don’t believe it has to be in part a function of how well the case has been marketed?

I don’t know....it’s just so frustrating that we have people who don’t get why the new stadium is great news for the club.

 

[rigsby]

In a way that’s worse. Because if all these numbers are already done it would be minimal work to make the information more widely available in a good summary format with numbers?

You are right more people should probably make the effort to engage before critisizing. But there again a better effort could have been made to use all the means of communication to continue to present the case to the fans (and over time as the proposition and numbers do change)

There should be no-one who does not believe that the new stadium is any anything but very very good news for the future of the club. And the number who somehow don’t believe it has to be in part a function of how well the case has been marketed?

I don’t know....it’s just so frustrating that we have people who don’t get why the new stadium is great news for the club.

Your right that Ron doesn't market it correctly but even if he did the mob wouldn't believe him anyway.

He has been quite clear with his answers, always has been.

We aren't staying at RH,
He will see the project through (at least past planning consent)
If you think you can force him out he will fold the club as RH owes him £19m
FF will generate far more income for the club
A vote of no confidence is pointless.

 

[blues exile]

The best new stadium in National League South if it ever happens will be scant consolation for the headlong plunge into non league status and possibly worse. The basics of building a succesful playing side with a coherent long term plan have been neglected in favour of fantasies about the crock of gold at the end of the rainbow. Only one person is to blame for this and it was a sad day indeed when he was allowed to get his hands on SUFC.

 

[Barry.C]

Su

Your right that Ron doesn't market it correctly but even if he did the mob wouldn't believe him anyway.

He has been quite clear with his answers, always has been.

We aren't staying at RH,
He will see the project through (at least past planning consent)
If you think you can force him out he will fold the club as RH owes him £19m
FF will generate far more income for the club
A vote of no confidence is pointless.

Surely if Ron folded the club he wouldnt get anything much?

I think the point well made is that the plans have changed and Supporters would like far greater clarity about the income streams. Im not expecting that Ron could say it will be £1,7m, although Tom gave it a shot at an estimate

Sometimes the message needs to be repeated clearly for folks to get it. It would be helpful to have re-iterated plainly, exactly what bits the club will own and gain income from, and how secure this will be and into the future . Ron says thats what he wants, so demonstrate it properly, if it was in some form of legal guarantee that would cut more mustard as few trust our Ron which is hardly surprising AFTER 20 plus years of promises

 

[KevinJH]

I don't know if they are, or have been, asked but one wonders if other Board members/Directors or larger shareholders are invited to attend these Zoom meetings ? Be interesting to get their take on things.....

 

[fbm]

A few observations from me.

1) Let's stop the fake offence at the expletive, he used it to emphasise a point (for instance, he didn't say "I love the club you ****ing idiot", which is a personal attack). Everyone's a grown up and no-one seems to be upset when the expletives are aimed in his direction.
2) Apparently Tom splits his job between us and Gillingham. Perhaps that's a reason why things haven't progressed more quickly (note - this was on here the other day in another thread and I haven't fact checked it, but it would explain some things).
3) I mean this in the most sincere and non patronising way - really - and it is not aimed at anyone in particular, but in general terms. But if you are a person who has never owned a property, raised a child, run a business or maybe even had a full time job, with the greatest possible respect to you and your opinions (which of course you are entitled to), you do not have a clue how the world actually works and also do not know how you would behave when you are in in that world. You've not achieved anything yet, so don't start moralising about people's actions and behaviours who are in that position. That's not a criticism or an attack, but just an observation. The world is not as ideological as we believe when we were all students, in our mid 20's and/or living at home.
4) This issue of blackmailing the fans... Really? Does anyone think that Ron has seriously taken 25 years and spent £20m in keeping the club afloat to try and negotiate himself into a position where he has the club over a barrel? Really? That's one hell of a long game. It might be where we are at, but he hasn't engineered this. I'm sure he would have rather had the stadium built 15 years ago and have saved himself about £15m!
5) Putting money into the club to keep the club afloat because he loves the club is not the same as giving the club the money and never wanting it back. For instance - the plumber who was on the call (sorry, can't remember the name) was offering £25m from his hypothetical Euro millions win (good luck by the way). Let's just say - and humour me please - that Ron said yes to £40m (sidenote - when Ron refused £40m on the call I'd probably have come back with a counter of £50m, £75m or any amount that would make him consider it. Everyone has a price. Anyway...). So, someone has won the Euro millions and bought Ron out with £40m. Is that a gift, never to be seen again? Or would they want a return? If it's a gift, what happens when the money runs out (because at some point it will - football clubs generally aren't profitable). Do you put more money in? Do you want it back? Bearing this in mind, can someone state one single reason why Ron shouldn't have his investment back?

I get that emotions are running high and that RM is public enemy no 1. But we are where we are and unless people start dealing with Ron differently he is just going to shut down and not give any information out. Remember when he did that and everyone was up in arms? "All we want is information?" "Tell us what's going on Ron"

Then after said information is received,.. "He's lying", "Can't believe a word he says", "More Bull**** from Ron."

Presumably this is because the information didn't fit the popular narrative. Why therefore should he say anything at all?

So - be careful what you wish for. If he goes and we have to start again as a phoenix club, then I have probably seen my last EFL game that Southend will play in my lifetime. I'm now 60.

Moving forward, I want to hear Ron take ownership of the fact that the clubs finances have been underfunded for the last 2-3 years, apologise for this to the very, VERY loyal fanbase that this club frankly doesn't deserve if performances were the only measure to take into account, that he will take steps to ensure that will NEVER happen again and will move heaven and earth to get us back into the EFL. That's what I want to hear from him.

To make progress off the pitch, is there anything we can do to accelerate the stadium? Can we lobby/pressurise the council? Can we work with Ron rather than against him?

Perhaps someone on the next Zoom call can ask that.

 

[rigsby]

Su

Surely if Ron folded the club he wouldnt get anything much?

I think the point well made is that the plans have changed and Supporters would like far greater clarity about the income streams. Im not expecting that Ron could say it will be £1,7m, although Tom gave it a shot at an estimate

Sometimes the message needs to be repeated clearly for folks to get it. It would be helpful to have re-iterated plainly, exactly what bits the club will own and gain income from, and how secure this will be and into the future . Ron says thats what he wants, so demonstrate it properly, if it was in some form of legal guarantee that would cut more mustard as few trust our Ron which is hardly surprising AFTER 20 plus years of promises

No Southend united means no covenant. RH will have houses on quicker than if he had to build a stadium.

We all have our beef with Ron. To different levels of course but the so called fans who want to see him fail at all costs would actually make him more money.

In personally would rather see the stadium more central. The Queensway site would be perfect. Sadly we are to far down the road, which means FF or bust.

They road started when a mob of 2 generations ago demanded 'Rubins Out'.....They guaranteed things could only get better.

 

[kentblues]

On the supporting the stadium point I did ask an open question a while back to the various groups re what are they doing to campaign/encourage SBC/councillors to support the stadium.

I got no answers. I assumed because no-one could be bothered to answer me rather than because they were all doing nothing and didn’t want to say so.