blake
Youth Team
- Joined
- May 21, 2004
- Messages
- 286
Hi everyone
I've been reading this forum with interest. I'm now ready to make my debut. Firstly, a big thank you to everyone associated with running Shrimperzone.
One thing that strikes me is that most people's views on here are so black and white. So, I'm going to present a balanced view on a crucial period in our club's history that I want to raise. No doubt, someone is going to accuse me of being mad or extreme in my views, but I want to express my views on the Jobson era. From what I've read, Vic Jobson has come in for quite a bit of stick on here.
The point is we are all here on this forum because of Vic. If it was not for him, we would have no club to support. I guarantee it. If this forum was going 20 odd years ago, I may have been the Mel Slack. I saw at close hand how he had saved the club. Literally. But then later, he nearly destroyed all his good work - more on that in a minute, but let's not forget what he did. I repeat: we would have no club to support had it not been for Vic. We should never forget that.
For those who weren't around at the time, the Jobson story started with the Rubin brothers. Again, history has judged them harshly I feel. At the time, I couldn't understand what they were doing to the club. But all they wanted was to get out as quickly as possible. They'd just lost their father at a young age. They were only in their 20s. They ended up with a football club that they suddenly had to control and they wanted to sell. They had to get players off the books to reduce the wage bill to attract a buyer. (Incidentally, I can tell you that they are genuine Southend fans still, but at the time they had to get out.)
Who came along to take over? Anton Johnson. Despite his initial impressiveness, his true colours soon came out. He was so unsavoury that a World In Action programme was made to investigate his business dealings. At that time, there was also the Christmas savers club money theft. Scandalous. (Who helped with refunds? One Robert Maxwell!!) And there was also a man in charge of the market who along with Johnson and their cronies left the club on its knees. The club nearly disappeared out of the football league or, worse, existence altogether.
Jobson - a passionate man - took them all on and, against the odds, won. How he managed to oust Johnson from controlling our club should go down in SUFC folklore. He had several litigation battles against the old regime, and won them all.
But - just like Churchill was a man to win the war but not a man to win the peace - so Vic was the man to save the club but his same characteristics alienated so many people during SUFC's time of "peace". He fell out with so many people - many of whom had helped him.
Make no bones about it - his PR was abysmal. The way he alienated the fans meant we would never get the big crowds that we needed to really progress. He saw that the Blues couldn't progress long-term at Roots Hall. He tried so hard to move us within Southend. But he was blocked by other difficult characters at the Council (people I had first-hand experience of - that could be the subject of another thread). At the time, most fans (wrongly, I believe) didn't want to leave Roots Hall. But moving would have helped the club to ensure its long-term survival - something that most fans now see, 10-20 years on. His comments about Basildon were typical Vic - I personally believe he either did it to call Southend Council's bluff or did it out of frustration because of the dreadful way the likes of Norman Clarke and others on the Council had treated him and the club. I don't think he ever really wanted to move to Basildon, but of course it was Vic's way of doing things - and dreadful PR.
Vic's reputation with the fans was also not helped by his vice-chairman. The less said about him, the better. But how anyone could have gone from being heavily involved in Anton Johnson's team to Vic Jobson's second-in-command in an instant speaks volumes of him.
Vic turned the finances around. He helped build the platform to get us into the second tier for the first time. And then just as something even more special was on the cards, he fell out with Dave Webb! Again, typical Vic. He had managed to attract Webb back for a second time - Webb and Fry saw Vic's passion for the club. He just didn't know how to channel it.
And then, having built the club up, he nearly let the club go back to the wall. As his health was faltering, he let Whelan nearly destroy us with the drinking culture within what I recall was the 4th highest paid players in the second tier! Utter madness! The wage structure as we slipped back down the leagues nearly destroyed us. Then along came the new Dawn and the rest is history.
So, in my opinion, a bit of perspective. And before anyone accuses me of being a pro-Vic extremist, please read again what I've said - I think it's quite balanced. He saved the club and for that we should be thankful. But then he nearly took us down the drain as his health deteriorated. And also, for anyone questioning me, you should know that Vic banned me - along with my 85 year-old grandfather, together with our neighbours (just for being our neighbours) - from getting season tickets and membership cards, just because he had not appreciated the good work my father had done to help him for many years and preferred to pick an argument with him! It was only because of a kind person in the ticket office that we allowed to come to games in without Vic knowing!
One final thought - to those of you who moan about the way things are today, just think (or imagine) what it was like in 1983-4.
Anyone care to share your thoughts?
As one of the neighbours who was banned by Vic Jobson I have to say that I entirely agree with your assessment of his reign. You haven't mentioned the fact that Vic was also at the end having marital problems which must have distracted him and contributed to his aggressive behaviour.
I also agree with you about the Rubin brothers. They took over from their father of whom I have an abiding fond memory. He was a mad keen sports fan but with worsening sight. I once saw him at Essex cricket. Because he couldn't follow the ball or see the square he asked those around him including my crowd to tell him what was going on. He just loved the atmosphere of a sporting occasion. I don't know if he was a good or bad chairman but his heart was definitely in the right place.
It is easy to say with hindsight that the brothers ought not to have sold out to Anton Johnson. Their money was at stake in the deal and I can't remember if they got it all in the end. Certainly they had to fight for what they got. They were conned just as everybody elsae was conned.