THE SEVENTIES NORTH BANK
Life President⭐⭐
Alan Gershlick went on to advise The Blue Knights on how to buy the club and it's debts for £1.
If Vic had managed to pull off the move to Garon Park, Southend would have been the first club to move into a state of the stadium at that time....but guess what Southend council didnt support or help the club. On the flip side didn't he mug off the contractor Sharps? who did the seats in the West... who was a really huge Blues fan amongst others .
Remember a couple of times writing to Vic about the treatment of fans only to to get a fairly dismissive reply from his side kick John Adams.Also remembered for protests including the Upton Park sit in.
Not the best at PR and instead of being recognised for his achievements is remembered for his falling out with Webby which resulted in a great chance of promotion to Division 1 being squandered .
Top of Division 2 after thrashing Newcastle 4 nil compared to dropping out the league for the first time ever to succeed in building i a joke 3 sided stadium .....Vic or Ron now that's a question
Vic's son (Robert Jobson) is an an award winning journalist and Royal Editor for the Evening Standard. He posted something on twitter a few months ago about Vic I seem to recall.
It was after this that Ron realised due diligence should be taken seriously and not seen as a tick-box exercise. However...!!The day before Vic sold to Ron he had the cheek to buy himself a new Jag, and his wayward son a new sports car though, both SUFC. For the 1st 3-4 years of his ownership Ron was paying off the loans on those two cars.
I'm sure it was Vic's son who used to manage Boot's and Laces when they had events on a saturday night! I remember seeing both Lee Evans (Dad) and Robbie Williams (Dad) there.He even looks like his dad.
IIRC Vic had two sons and a daughter. Robert I think was the eldest and always came over as a decent bloke. I'm pretty sure he married the sister of a friend of mine who now lives in Australia. His daughter, Heather, had mild-ish learning difficulties, and spent a lot of time with her horse.
His other son (can't remember his name) was a bit wayward and you learned pretty early on to keep out of his way. I distinctly remember he once chewed up some paper, put it in an air pistol and shot a friend of mine in the leg. It might only have been chewed up paper, but it bloody hurt him and left a pretty nasty welt.
The day before Vic sold to Ron he had the cheek to buy himself a new Jag, and his wayward son a new sports car though, both SUFC. For the 1st 3-4 years of his ownership Ron was paying off the loans on those two cars.
Practically every club is in, a financial mess, and being a Chairman of any club always raises the question why would you throw money at a loss making business if you have little interest in the sport or club in the first place .I don't see Ron or in the past Vic as the Fairy God Mother type, but a business man who must have had a plan at takeover which didn't involve them going bankruptWe were punching above our financial weight during those Championship years.The problems, the debt, out of favour with the council, fans alienated and us not owning anything were all in place long before your most hated chairman arrived.
After the Italia 90 world cup and the start of sky. That decade priced all the small clubs out of any future glory. Worth remembering who we went up with, for our first time in second tier football...Cambridge and Grimsby. Look what has happened to them since.
Good luck with your research Chalky. It might well give people a better understanding of the long term problems that stlll loom over us all.
Wivs is a man you should speak to about uncle Vic
I'm sure it was Vic's son who used to manage Boot's and Laces when they had events on a saturday night! I remember seeing both Lee Evans (Dad) and Robbie Williams (Dad) there.
I think his name was Andy? could be wrong.
It’s a small world and it ain’t a very nice oneGood Old Vic a property developer who borrowed money from Robert Maxwell and Ken Bates (judge a man by the company he keeps!) to buy our club and save it from extinction.
Never in it for the popularity vote. I remember he stopped youth prices in the North Bank, which forced many young fans to become members to pay concessions admittance in the West stand (and it was standing). Brandishing us fans as Hitler Youth.
This along with the proposed move to Basildon, a tactic to try and force SBC's hand. He also changed the club badge by including the Chelsea Lion in one of the quarters.
He did over see the conversation of Roots Hall into the all seater it is now. I seem to remember some if the chairs in the East stand were cast offs from Chelsea, but not sure Vic was the one who over saw that.
I remember meeting him one day when at the Roots Hall Market. He said the market was the extra 4,000 fans on the gate in terms of revenue.
Never proven, but there was many a time on a Friday night game the ground would be heaving, and yet the usual 4,000 odd would be announced as the attendance. I guess what the taxman doesn't know....
Now Vic really was someone that took money out of the club. Whilst his property business was failing he was taking around £100,000 a year from the club. That was back when £100,000 was considered a lot of money.I must have been about 16/17 (1996) and my old mate John Campbell and I decided we were going to pop down to the stadium and give Uncle Vic a piece of our mind, and obvious advise on life due to our clear maturity and business sense.
So, we plotted up outside the east stand and requested to see the big man himself expected to be told to FO, or face a lifetime ban however security took us upstairs to his office whilst no doubt thinking to ourselves this wasn't in the plan whatsoever.
To be fair to him, he gave us the lowdown on the industry, bloodsuckers involved and how much he cares for the club and town as a whole giving us an hour plus of his time.
I can't remember if I was too wet behind the ears to question what he said to us but I do know that to this day, I respect the man for giving up his time to two young chancers who didn't expect to get anywhere near the man of his office.
My view is this, he was no doubt a bit of a lad but he had a good side, and would always front up the fans with his time and answers unlike the absolute wretch of an owner we have now.
Yes to Uncle Vic From myself and JC.
I get your point entirely however, Vics mis management never took the club out of the football league, in the papers on a regular basis for late payments and or not paying his staff.Now Vic really was someone that took money out of the club. Whilst his property business was failing he was taking around £100,000 a year from the club. That was back when £100,000 was considered a lot of money.
He designed the new badge, and was taking a royalty every time a piece of branded clothing was sold. He also charged the club a management fee for his time.
As I pointed out previously on this thread, the day before he sold to RM he bought himself a jag and his son a sports car (I think it was a Toyota) through the club. For the 1st 3/4 years of ownership, Ron was paying off for those cars.
When Vic took over, we needed him. He was a fighter and he quite simply saved the club from extinction. But by the end he had become a huge liability. (The same could probably be said of Ron too!)
It probably would have done had he hung around.I get your point entirely however, Vics mis management never took the club out of the football league, in the papers on a regular basis for late payments and or not paying his staff.
Read the links to his story just after he died in my post#22 and a later story in the Idependent in 2000 in post #25.I get your point entirely however, Vics mis management never took the club out of the football league, in the papers on a regular basis for late payments and or not paying his staff.