The lowest point in our history?

[Smiffy]

Like everyone, I am sad and angry at the state of affairs our club finds itself in. Putting the finger of blame aside for a moment, would you say this is the most depressing period in our 104 year history?...

Or have you experienced/heard of more suicidal times?

Please add to the pos/neg lists below as you see fit...

The Postives:
Decent attendances.
Planning permission for new ground.

The Negatives:
A mountain of debt.
Unpaid members of staff.
Players wanting to leave.
No movement at FF.
Transfer embargo.
Fatally small squad.
Silence from the club.

 

[pickledseal]

It's the lowest I can remember but then I think my first games was in 89 or 90.

There could have been some darker days before then... but we can't be far off.

 

[superblue24]

Negative: Our chairman contracting dementia

 

[WESTY_SUFC]

I think we're in a very bad state but i dont know whether it is the lowest point i've seen.

Problem we have is it looks like its still going downhill. Despite Ron telling us the future is bright for the last couple of years all we have has is bad news!

 

[palexander]

Lowest I've known since 86. We've have our ups and downs, promotions and relegations, but this is the VERY existance of the club that is up in the air now.

Coupled with the fact of our 'better' players jumping ship and even if we make it through the next season, relegation to the conference is big possibility.

If England win the world cup, that could put the club under too (refunded season cards!) - so cannot even look forward to that :D

 

[DTS]

Ive supported Southend all my life (30 years) and I cant think of a worse time or a time when I have had less confidence in the staff both on and off the field.

 

[The Blue Stig]

It has to be the worst case we have ever been in at this rate we are never going to have any players to shout at next year. if we even have a club to support much longer.
Im sure we will hear yet more ******** spout from Ron claiming its all great (Tosser)

 

[davewebbsbrain]

Ive supported Southend all my life (30 years) and I cant think of a worse time or a time when I have had less confidence in the staff both on and off the field.

The Rob Newman managerial reign?

Struggling down at the bottom of L2?

 

[BrettieAngell]

Being in the bottom 2 of the League Two staring relegation out of the league in the face is the worst I felt so far.

 

[Richard_Cadette]

I think Derek Hall and Steve Hatter may well class as the lowest point in the club's history for me!! :)

That said, in terms of the clubs prospects, I can't think of a time when I felt so low about the prospect of a new season. We don't have many players left (potentially only 1 defender), we're not allowed to rectify that situation because we're subject to an embargo, we have no assistant manager, an Everest stule mountain of debt, a chairman who is, intentionally or otherwise, ripping the heart out of our club, and unless we somehow manage to stumble across some serious money, no way forward.

The whole Anton Johnson affair back in the 80's cannot have been much worse than this, and there is a genuine possibility Southend United as we know it may not survive...... I'd say that is as low as it gets!

 

[Firestorm]

I personally felt lower when I found out that we had appointed Peter Morris as manager than I do now, but that may well be down to the years of ups and downs since then taking the edge off any crisis.

Worse than the Anton Johnson situation.

in as much that we still had assets (that AJ couldn't get in the boot of his car) and that a local man (VJ) was able to come forward and keep us going , yes we are worse off

however we have a far bigger fan base and attendance figures now and the Planning permission in place so for the optimists the long term future does look better now than back then

 

[Matt the Shrimp]

Losing to Donny Rovers, then bottom of the Conference, in the first round of the Cup and seeing my mate Iain jumping up and down for joy in the away end. That's the lowest I've ever felt at Roots Hall. In fact, that whole season under Alvin Martin - when we were utterly broke and staring relegation to the Conference in the face - that's as bad as it has been for me. So, I guess we're talking some time in 1999-2000.

Ask me this question again in December, when we're bottom of the league, and I may have a different answer for you. Until then, folks, it's the bloody silly season. Club staff are on holiday and the paper has got to print something, so there will be all sorts of b*ll*cks spewed in the coming month or so.

For instance, potentially losing Adam Barrett would be a blow - and in these circumstances, it's utterly horrible, shameful even. But, when viewed through the cold, hard lens of objectivity, is it that bad news for us? He's one of our highest earners, and he's the wrong side of 30 (and, dare I say it, not as good as he used to be).

No one can ever doubt his commitment and service to the club over the years, and he goes with our collective gratitude and good wishes. But for someone who is probably only the... fifth (?) best centre-half of the Tilson era (I rate Prior, Sodje, Clarke and Dervite higher than him), there seems to be an undue level of teeth gnashing and wailing on the Adam Barrett thread.

This isn't the darkest day or anything like it yet. If you're feeling bad now, you might want to book in an appointment for a shrink in November. We've not hit the bottom yet.

By November, once the nights have closed in, it's cold and peeing it with rain, and we look at our threadbare squad of YTS kids and loanees - having signed the square root of nobody during the close season, and shipped in some loanees from Orient and Col Ewe in late August - sitting bottom of the league with the diggers still idle and the HMRC sharpening his quill once again... that's when you can start getting miserable, my friends.

Until then, suck it up, sit back, enjoy the World Cup and enjoy the summer.

Matt

 

[Heskey]

I think because of the fact everyone who is involved in the club doesnt want to be here and the fact the clubs got no money , I think its probably the lowest point!

 

[The Blue Stig]

so until november then its all smiles matt ! i somewhat doubt mate ?

 

[Firestorm]

Folding , like many lower (outside of the Football league Divs 1 and 2) clubs during the first world war may well have been a low pint.

Each day the loss of a player was announced ,in either of the World wars, would, I imagine, have been a lower point than we are in now

 

[Matt the Shrimp]

so until november then its all smiles matt ! i somewhat doubt mate ?

No, of course it's not all smiles. But the question was whether we're currently at our lowest ebb, and in our darkest day. The answer to that is, clearly, no.

We may well be heading in that direction, however. On the other hand, there's a chance that the club will turn things round over the next couple of months. I, for one, hope they manage it.

Alas, that's my hope, rather than my expectation.

 

[ElstreeBlue]

Ant*n J*hnson era was incredibly low. It speaks volumes that I feel even lower now. Maybe speaking with hindsight because Vic Jobson somehow managed to oust AJ and we didn't know he would be able to do so at the time.

But the AJ era was relatively short, debts are much worse now, growing ever faster with huge losses, we have few assets, under transfer embargoes, staff morale really low because of consistent late payments, and have twice come within a registrar's good night sleep of being dissolved in the last few months.

 

[ElstreeBlue]

No, of course it's not all smiles. But the question was whether we're currently at our lowest ebb, and in our darkest day. The answer to that is, clearly, no.

We may well be heading in that direction, however. On the other hand, there's a chance that the club will turn things round over the next couple of months. I, for one, hope they manage it.

Alas, that's my hope, rather than my expectation.

Matt - I'll have what you're drinking please. Wish I could be so relaxed about it.

 

[Shrimpersarmy]

The lowest point will be when we are relegated from League 2 next season (Thats if the club still exists of course)

 

[Lester Bangs]

The Rob Newman managerial reign?

Struggling down at the bottom of L2?

That was bad but this is in a whole different league of badness.

The very future of our club is under thread at the moment.