Question Would you support a Phoenix Club?

[Floval Flyer]

If Southend United dies then I’m done with Football.

 

[Tampa Blue]

If Southend United dies then I’m done with Football.

100% this

 

[Ramsdenblue]

There should be a law about this.
About what is happening to our club and clubs like ours.
OUR SUFC is not just a business, its 100+ years of history, of community of great grandads, grandads, parents and their children coming to this club over 100+ years.
Does Ron not understand what he would be doing to our club if it all goes wrong on the next court hearing.
All those 1000,s of memories, just stopping due to there being no SUFC.
All the history of this club just disappearing.
It's actually criminal, and there should be a law to stop owners using the club for their own gain.

 

[Joolz]

Not right now, the novelty of being non-league is wearing off fast, so I don’t think I could stomach anything much lower.

I suspect I may change my mind once other Saturday ‘options’ start being put in front of me though.

 

[damien]

If the worst happens and this is necessary can I be the goalkeeping coach?

 

[leeblue]

I voted no. Let me bore you with why.
I'm 46 years old and southend united has been a constant, a passion, my first love. Circa 1982 that was it, smitten. I've been to every part of this country supporting southend united. I've writhed in ecstasy, shed tears of joy, tears of sorrow, sat in roots Hall out of sheer duty, rushed there out of sheer excitement.
Southend united is literally part of my very being.
I don't see myself feeling that way about AFC southend, southend city....add any new name here. I don't actually like football enough anymore to drag myself through a phoenix club scenario. If southend united goes a part of me goes with it and I would have zero interest in replacing it.
I'd probably never set foot in a football ground again.

 

[leeblue]

If the worst happens and this is necessary can I be the goalkeeping coach?

I'll buy you some gloves....like old times

 

[OldBlueLady]

Following some tweets earlier, I posted this, it's how I feel:

I'm not intending to support a phoenix club. My Club for over 50 years has been Southend United. At my time of life, if the Club dies, then so does my interest in going to matches. It'll save me a good sum of money too. I don't go for the sake of seeing live football, I go because they're MY team.

 

[tallboyblue]

SUFC cannot be replaced . The club is unique to many and nothing would be the same. Roots Hall may be falling down but it is home .

 

[getintoem]

Following some tweets earlier, I posted this, it's how I feel:

I'm not intending to support a phoenix club. My Club for over 50 years has been Southend United. At my time of life, if the Club dies, then so does my interest in going to matches. It'll save me a good sum of money too. I don't go for the sake of seeing live football, I go because they're MY team.

This is pretty much how I feel. Now in my seventies, living an hour’s drive from Southend (on a good day) and with a partially disabled wife to care for, I am more of a follower than a supporter these days anyway.

I am lucky enough to just about pick up a signal from BBC Essex where I live, so I never miss commentary on the matches, watch all the highlights and keep up to date with everything here on the Zone. I hardly ever missed attending a home match during the 50s, 60s and 70s and travelled to away matches within reasonable striking distance. Southend United is still in my blood though and if it dies so too will my interest in football.

My great uncle used to take my father as a boy to matches at the Kursaal ground in the 1930’s so the club have played a part in my family’s life for almost 90 years and it will be very sad if this is the end. Personally, I don’t think this crisis will be the end but I foresee a lot more turmoil yet to come and I doubt I have enough years left to see the club flourishing back in the EFL. Like many of us on here though I live in hope.

 

[number11]

I voted yes.

I’m struggling to reconcile in my mind what constitutes ’Southend United’. We have been pretty ‘flexible’ on a lot of things that a football club would point to as heritage (stadiums-we‘ve moved around a bit, club colours - as an 80’s child, blue and yellow were our colours but there has been plenty of iterations, club badge- first one I remember was a boot made out of the word United).

Do I hold a strong affinity with the ltd company registered at Companies House no. 00089767? Or was it the joy of going to games with my Dad and supporting a team that represented my home town and the people I met along the way with that shared interest. When I see the likes of Wimbledon, York and Darlington returning I perceive them as a natural successor / continuation of whatever legal entity they had previously been, not as something new or separate. Could a Phoenix club in Southend capture the essence of Southend United? I think it would be possible but would need proper leadership to unite people behind it.

 

[Cockle43]

Exactly my position old friend

And mine.

If you look at the history of SUFC it was a sort of parasite/upstart club when formed as the major club in the town was Southend Athletic which SUFC overtook in popularity causing it to fold. SA's supporters probably faced this same decision that we may have to make...

 

[The Flying Scotsman]

I voted no. Let me bore you with why.
I'm 46 years old and southend united has been a constant, a passion, my first love. Circa 1982 that was it, smitten. I've been to every part of this country supporting southend united. I've writhed in ecstasy, shed tears of joy, tears of sorrow, sat in roots Hall out of sheer duty, rushed there out of sheer excitement.
Southend united is literally part of my very being.
I don't see myself feeling that way about AFC southend, southend city....add any new name here. I don't actually like football enough anymore to drag myself through a phoenix club scenario. If southend united goes a part of me goes with it and I would have zero interest in replacing it.
I'd probably never set foot in a football ground again.

I voted yes.

I’m struggling to reconcile in my mind what constitutes ’Southend United’. We have been pretty ‘flexible’ on a lot of things that a football club would point to as heritage (stadiums-we‘ve moved around a bit, club colours - as an 80’s child, blue and yellow were our colours but there has been plenty of iterations, club badge- first one I remember was a boot made out of the word United).

Do I hold a strong affinity with the ltd company registered at Companies House no. 00089767? Or was it the joy of going to games with my Dad and supporting a team that represented my home town and the people I met along the way with that shared interest. When I see the likes of Wimbledon, York and Darlington returning I perceive them as a natural successor / continuation of whatever legal entity they had previously been, not as something new or separate. Could a Phoenix club in Southend capture the essence of Southend United? I think it would be possible but would need proper leadership to unite people behind it.

I am both of these. And I guess i won’t really know until it happens. I’d probably fall out of love with the game for a few years then start to rekindle my interest once the grieving process was over.

 

[Barling Magna]

Think this is the romantic vision of it.

Ultimately will need a lot of money to start and run (ok, not millions, but a LOT), lot of outside help etc. Cant see how it will feel anything like Southend Utd any more than if Benfleet start a new team and put it in the lower pyramids.

If Southend United truly ends then the phoenix club - Southend United (2024), Southend City, AFC Southend or whatever it is called - will likely attract some of the former staff and will inherit most of the former fans I suspect. Within a decade it will be like old times and the true inheritor of our once proud club.

Just my opinion and I know not everyone will agree but it would actually be interesting to follow our phoenix club up the pyramid over the years and eventually enter the EFL.

However, I would very much prefer Southend United to survive. It's been my club for over 60 years after all.

 

[Wise Head]

I will always support my home town team whatever it is called, wherever we end up playing and whatever league we are in.

 

[GBJ]

For all those who are saying not interested, will that change if and when the Phoenix club became successful? Back in the football league for example?

 

[Shrimper57]

For all those who are saying not interested, will that change if and when the Phoenix club became successful? Back in the football league for example?

NO!

 

[GBJ]

NO!

Fair.

Let’s say it’s the year 2038. The Phoenix club, owned by a consortium that is lead by Adam Barrett, Duncan Jupp and Matt Harrold, have assembled a talented, young, hungry squad, managed by the duo of Freddy Eastwood & Simon Royce. Together they have guided us up the divisions on incredible back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back promotions.

We’ve settled into our new 40,000 seater stadium at Priory Park, where the seats are all padded and free from bird droppings, the refreshment kiosks ask if you’d like a burger with your portion of onions, and the beers are crisp and fresh (and don’t taste like they’ve been distilled through a postman’s sock)

We’ve been on an incredible winning run in the league(s) and now we’re just one final win away from promotion to the Premier League* (which by that point is now called the Blood Money and Oil League). And that game just happens to be against Col U on a beautiful, warm Saturday afternoon in May, who if they lose will be expelled from not only world football, but will be forced to live on Leper Island, along with Ron Martin, Lee from Blue & Amanda Holden’s ghost.

And it’s kids for a quid.

Still not interested?

*I used promotion to the premier league as my example, because I thought If I made it winning the premier league, it’d be too far fetched.

 

[Barling Magna]

Fair.

Let’s say it’s the year 2038. The Phoenix club, owned by a consortium that is lead by Adam Barrett, Duncan Jupp and Matt Harrold, have assembled a talented, young, hungry squad, managed by the duo of Freddy Eastwood & Simon Royce, who have guided us up the divisions on incredible back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back promotions.

We’ve settled into our new 40,000 seater stadium at Priory Park, where the seats are all padded and free from bird droppings, the refreshment kiosks ask if you’d like a burger with your portion of onions, and the beers are crisp and fresh (and don’t taste like they’ve been distilled through a postman’s sock)

We’ve been on an incredible winning run in the league(s) and now we’re just one final win away from promotion to the Premier League* (which by that point is now called the Blood Money and Oil League). And that game just happens to be against Col U on a beautiful, warm Saturday afternoon in May, who if they lose will be expelled from not only world football, but will be forced to live on Leper Island, along with Ron Martin, Lee from Blue & Amanda Holden’s ghost.

And it’s kids for a quid.

Still not interested?

*I used promotion to the premier league as my example, because I thought If I made it winning the premier league, it’d be too far fetched.

Blimey. You did have a deep sleep and a very vivid dream GBJ. You must have had an extra spoonful of that cough syrup.

 

[Medway Blue]

Easy to say now but I think it's difficult to know how you feel until it actually happens.

I suspect I'd need to grieve a bit and would likely then hop on board. Might take a while to develop strength/depth of feeling or it might not. It might *never* feel the same, but I'd open tongiving it a go.

You get some people saying it'd be no different to following one of the other SE Essex clubs instead, but I disagree. I'd be able to feel much more attached to a new club carrying the original club's intellectual property and a close match in name, and playing in the town. I think it'd feel like a continuation at best and a spiritual successor at worst.

There seem to be varying degrees of strength of connection to original club. For example, FC Halifax Town has a noticeably different logo to the old Halifax and doesn't appear to hold onto the former club's honours and competitive record whereas Chester do. Darlington goes a step further - despite being officially liquidated, the club still uses the 1883 founding year and the exact same club badge. They even got permission from the FA a few years back to bring back the Darlington FC name, having been barred from doing so originally and having to reform under the name Darlington 1883 FC.

Darlington has surely set a precedent and if a Southend United successor club was able to go down the same route as them in keeping the founding date, club badge and colours, club honours and competitive record and in keeping (or reclaiming) the Southend United name then that may bring more success in winning people over.

All hypothetical though and I hope to God it's never necessary.