Arrogant, condescending, and rude, but also determined and loyal. After Ron Martin’s Q and A on Monday I personally feel at least a little reassured. The answers Mr Martin gave weren’t always what the fans wanted to hear but came across very honestly. My key fear was that we’d pre-sold assets from the new stadium to Sainsbury’s. Assets which without would mean the club would not be self-sufficient in the future. These fears were laid to rest as it was explained that Sainsbury’s loan was secured against other land held by Ron Martin’s company.
According to the chairman we haven’t been self-sufficient for a while and it’s only due to some generous handouts from himself that we’ve managed to remain debt free. We’ve never been asked to pay rent on Roots Hall and we wouldn’t for the near future in the new stadium. Ron couldn’t guarantee for how long this would continue. If he was to sell it who knows what the new owners would do.
This precarious reliance on a benefactor to financially support a club isn’t new. It’s not just at this level either and in fact, I think clubs in the lower leagues are at slightly less risk than Premier league teams. Look at Chelsea and Manchester City. If their playboy owners ever get bored and decide to move on they may struggle to find someone with enough capital to take on all of those expensive player contracts. Fans are sometimes put in a difficult situation where they want to make their feelings known but why bite the hand that feeds you. The financial potential of Southend United currently isn’t a great one. This means that a potential buyer to replace the current chairman isn’t an option.
If the goals that Mr Martin has set out are accomplished then a Championship side, in a new stadium/retail park with a solid 15,000-20,000 fan base would be a tempting viable investment. This would be good news for everyone involved in the club, including Mr Ron Martin. This dream is a long way off for a team currently in the relegation zone of League 1 and the inability to pay its playing staff. The 14th April deadline set by HMRC could ultimately be the end of the line. So in Ron we trust. Let’s hope he’s a man of his word.
It seems that my pre-season pessimism was not completely unfounded. The Chairman has since proved to be the swindling swine I’d hoped he wouldn’t be. It turns out you do need to replace your defenders if they leave. And not paying any of your staff does wonders for morale. With relegation looming there are few positive notes to take from this season. Supporting a team at this level really is a rollercoaster ride, but I don’t remember it being much lower than this.
Let’s start with the off-the-field shenanigans shall we? The troubles seem to have come from trying to get the finances together for a new stadium. The Chairman has my sympathies here as no one had predicted how much the economy would slump. However, there are examples of other teams that seemed to have coped perfectly well in these conditions and have actually thrived in them. It pains me to say it but we need to look at Colchester United as an example of how to run a club. With half the gate we get they’ve managed to build a new stadium, get a play-off challenging squad together and have enough surplus playing staff that they can bail out their local misfits by loaning players out.
I love my club to bits but as an organisation it’s a complete mess. From Season Cards not functioning correctly to the failure to organise eight people around a table in the Blues lounge. All these basic things that shouldn’t be an issue always have been. It needs someone with a bit of know-how to come in and review everything the club is doing and turn it on its head. On Saturday I learned that The Groundsman’s bar is actually run by the brewery, another revenue stream turned away. Everything at the club seems to have been done to make a quick buck without any forethought into long-term revenue!
They’ve made some good marketing campaigns. I loved the shareholder brochures and the season card renewal booklets. And the little things like the Christmas Card and the Birthday letters are all nice touches. This year’s birthday letter wasn’t on the usual nice-headed paper though, which to be honest I’d rather they saved their stamp money. I’ve recently started following the club shop on Twitter. On the first game they were meant to send a half-time offer, I didn’t receive this because of ‘technical difficulties’. It’s a Tweet for crying out loud! It takes literally 3 seconds to do from any smartphone.
I showed my concern after the game on Saturday by joining the 100-strong protests. Ron Martin has since organised a Q & A this Monday. I fear that this PR Guru will manage to avoid any of the meaningful questions by spinning some legal/financial spiel.
A new year is upon us (again!) and with it the optimism. We have a World Cup this year and the closest Premiership for years. Correct, I’m quite clearly shifting focus away from the Blues. I fear for the Blues this year. If we can get through the transfer window without any loss of playing staff and perhaps several new faces, we could, I say could be alright.
We’ve already almost lost Simon Francis and I fear Lee Barnard won’t be far behind. We’ll just have to see how things pan out. Good luck to your boys and let’s get behind England for the World Cup. If they win my season ticket money will be refunded! Scam?!? I think not.
I’m all up for sport evolution but it needs to be in the right areas. I’m fed up with FIFA making excuses as to why we shouldn’t introduce technology into Football. Every other sport is moving quicker than Football. There have been enough comments made about the need for technology so I’m not going to waste my time. Just be very assured that I, Nick Bennett believe technology needs to be introduced into the game of Football. There…done and dusted.
But Nick you said the game is evolving in the wrong areas? Which areas could you possibly mean? OK, Football in its grassroots used to be a working-class sport where it wasn’t uncommon to find someone had urinated in your pocket while you stood watching your favourite team. I can only imagine the relief some of our Northern brothers would have felt knowing that there was a source of warmth waiting for their hands. The players were hard back then too. You could go into a neck-high challenge and no one would bat an eyelid. I’ve seen footage of Goalies being bundled across the line, and the goal is given.
I’m not a barbarian, so I understand it had to be ‘toned’ down a tad. If you want to watch that sort of behaviour you can go and watch the ‘gentleman’ play rugby. What I have a problem with (and it’s been escalating for a while) are player’s protective accessories. There’s an infamous rumour that Steven Gerrard’s Father (after traveling a distance to see his son play) got in the car and went home after spotting Stevie G wearing gloves. I like this rumour and hope it’s true. The latest fad in player pampering is gum shields! The only exception I will allow is Heurelho Gomes as his Mum has provided a note after he was bullied for his first 3 months in the Country. Mr Gallas, there is no excuse! I’m not going to make some stereotypical comment about the French introducing these footballing must haves but if I had any stats I’m sure they’d be compelling.
What does the future hold then? I can see the footballers of tomorrow wearing the same protective garments as seen in Police Dog training centers. Yet, ironically, being more flimsy under a challenge and more accomplished at diving than Tom Daley. How can they get away with this in the future? Because we will be relying on the short-sighted man in black to make all of the decisions silly!
p.s. Southend have lost their last 3 games so I’m sulking
I have a list of sporting venues and events I wish to see. On that list is Twickenham the home of English rugby. Some of my die-hard football fanatics had given their input on my decision to go. “Is it so you can stick your private part in a pint of Tetleys”, “It’s the strangest game with lots of handbells”, “The ref keeps pointing in the wrong bloody direction” etc. I’ve always quite enjoyed watching the six nations and Johnny Wilkinson’s drop goal to win the 2003 world cup is up there with my top sporting moments. My experience with the people that played rugby at university had been one of bemusement. Often seen vomiting into buckets or wearing very strange headgear. The cynical side of me did expect the crowd to be made up of wobbly mole’d Etonians that enjoyed nothing more than a linked arm sing-song of Jerusalem. I wasn’t disappointed.
First a warning to anyone traveling to Twickenham by train. DON’T. It’s a mission and a half. The journey from Twickenham station to the ground is a good 15 minutes walk. This part of the journey was made worse by the pouring rain. As you meander through the residential area you are welcomed by homeowners selling hot dogs, doughnuts, and hog roast. A really nice touch.
The Mrs and I arrived at the ground with an hour and a half to spare. It was OK though, as there are plenty of food, merchandise, and alcohol vendors around the perimeter of the ground. I spotted a merchandise stall selling the Lion’s red tour jersey for a discounted price, so I joined the very ad hoc queueing system. What made it worse was the number of school kids (presumably from Rugby clubs around the country) pushing in and causing carnage. It wasn’t just the kids though, adults also with the manners of a Mexican pimp were pushing in left right, and center. I remember thinking “Gentleman’s game eh?”. Eventually, I got the opportunity to shout “Large Red Lions Jersey Please” to the spotty youth behind the counter. The transaction was made and I was on my way. Better check the size…XL. RAGE!!!
I go back and push into the front waving the shirt. Eventually, I get the guy that sold it to me’s attention. “You sold me the wrong size”. The spotty oick went to get his supervisor. “You need to go to the club shop to get it changed” the supervisor shouts. Bloody Brilliant. The stress levels have erupted. Cursing ensues as I make my way around the other side of the ground to find the shop. We get to the shop and the queue is even bigger than the previous one. I tell the guy guarding the exit door my dilemma, but he wasn’t interested and told me I’d need to join the queue. “We’re leaving!” is my reaction.
The Mrs said, “No we’re not and grabs the jersey”. Forcing her way to the front of the initial merchandise stool she demands either a refund or the correct size. Nothing quite like a woman’s scorn to get the job done. Needless to say, we ended up with the correct size, but the tensions were still running high. We’ll laugh about this one day…mmmm. We decided to take our seats and enjoy the rest of the day.
Twickenham itself is a lovely stadium and I’ve never heard such a stirring rendition of God save the queen. The game itself was very very poor. People around the ground were more interested in whether the numerous paper airplanes could make it onto the field of play. The only highlight of the first half was the precision kicking of Johnny Wilkinson. The second half was a lot livelier than the first, with several great plays causing me to stand from my seat for the first time. Eventually, England managed to break through the resilient Argy defense to score the only try of the game. In the final moments of the game Argentina was pushing for the try as England managed to hold on.
Johnny Wilkinson miss
If we thought getting to the ground was a pain we had a treat waiting for us on the journey back. The overground service didn’t run at the same regularity as the underground services you normally find situated near these venues. It took well over an hour to get from the ground to the train station. This isn’t a massive gripe as I’d expected this, the Mrs however was not impressed. Eventually, we get our train home, stop at the local curry house, grab a bottle of wine, and then we are home.
Overall I’m glad I can say I’ve been and experienced it. I won’t be in any hurry to go back though. The atmosphere just isn’t the same at Rugby as it is at Football. Everyone always states that Rugby is such a happy friendly atmosphere, so much so that you can drink in the stadium. This is true because the game in front of them isn’t of the same intensity as that you experience with Football. I’ve been to some absolutely terrible Football games but the atmosphere has surpassed this 76,000 spectator spectacle. The behaviour of the people at rugby is also just as bad as football. The group of lads sitting next to the Mrs was having a farting competition…quite sophisticated high-brow stuff.
Talk about last-minute reprieve. On the doorsteps of the courtroom, it was announced that the chairman Mr Ron Martin would settle the outstanding tax bill this Friday. Ron had promised that it ‘would go down to the wire’ and he wasn’t wrong. The more cynical side of me is thinking that maybe our media-hungry chairman had the money the entire time and the last-minute shenanigans were a bit of a PR stunt. The fans were not happy with Mr Martin being in this predicament in the first place. Especially as there was a promise made earlier in the year that we would have no problem in settling this bill. I’m hoping that this will be an end to the matter and that after Friday we can close this chapter on Southend United’s darkest hour….watch this space.
Southend join several other clubs named recently as being taken to court by HMRC. Is it just the current global economic climate that so many clubs find themselves in this situation or is this the Government being tougher in an attempt to re-coop funds to make inroads in the country’s huge deficit? Either way, I believe although on the face of it football could be seen as a luxury item, it needs to survive for the sanity of everyone. With nothing but doom and gloom on every corner, it’s great to spend at least an hour and a half every week away from it all.
As a club, we’ve never been excessive in any way. Our biggest-ever signing was Mike Marsh from Galatasaray in 1995 for £500k, we’ve been at the hall for over 30 years and have a history of selling on our biggest assets (most recently Freddie Eastwood and Nicky Bailey). The only reason we’ve come to this is that we’ve been trying to move the club forward into a new stadium. Then the economic meltdown happened…typical. The next hurdle for us is survival which even with our 10 points intact is still going to be a big test. Our fragile squad was tested last week, with Steve Tilson (our manager) dusting off the boots to take part in a mid-week Essex Senior Cup tie.
Friday’s showdown with Gillingham was always going to be an uphill struggle. For once though luck was on our side. The Gills had a shot cleared off the line (which looked dubious) and a perfectly good free kick chalked off for pushing. The second half was completely dominated by Gillingham who brought on 3 subs and looked the fresher side. Then in the 92 minute, an intricate control/shot from Lee Barnard lifted all the blues supporter’s spirits, and the administrative hearing was forgotten (well at least for a brief moment). This blogger started hugging the old man next to him and it seemed appropriate at the time. So the FA cup is next up but we need something nearing a miracle as without top scorer Barnard and midfield lynchpin Alan McCormack I cannot see us getting anything at Gillingham. A real shame as the money from a Cup run could be very handy at the moment.
Two losses and a win and I’m still none the wiser as to how this season will pan out. What has to be said though, is that in Lee Barnard we may have found someone to replace the goal-scoring prowess of Freddie Eastwood. With 12 goals already this campaign Lee ‘Barney’ Barnard looks set to grasp his hands on the converted golden boot already! We came a cropper against Southampton at home last Friday on an awful night at Roots Hall. The second game running where a dubious goal was given. Steve Mildenhall (our goalie) grasped the ball only to have it kicked from his grasp into the goal. Confusion ensued with the majority of Roots Hall looking at the Ref to blow for the foul….he never did! Instead, the goal was given and our run of poor luck continued. A rain-soaked evening dampened the mood of everyone bar the traveling Southampton fans. It got worse for the blues after a deflected shot hit the back of the net and a missed header from Adam Barrat led to Southampton’s third. The only highlight of the game was a stunning free kick from George Friend reminiscent of Eastwood’s Manchester United humbler. Hat off to the Southampton fans, although still didn’t compare to us on the last day of the season at St Marys.
Bristol Rovers had been flying high before their visit to roots hall, and if their recent form was to go by this should have been a shoo-in for Rovers. However this is football, and Barnard and co had other ideas. Francis Laurent caused havoc in his new favored position on the right, the Bristol Rover’s left back looking constantly frustrated at the ease with which he was being passed. The goal came from some brilliant individual work from Barnard who took the ball in his stride and placed the ball in the top right-hand corner from outside the box. The second goal came early in the second half, so early in fact that this fan was still taking his seat. A lovely cross-field pass from McCormack was comfortably slotted home by Barnard. Southend were playing Midfielder Anthony Grant at Center Half and he never looked comfortable. This was proven when he accidentally turned the ball into his own net. The blues managed to hold on and everyone left the ground with a smile on their face. A great game, especially for the neutral.
Oh by the way Southend has a new youth player on its books only available on my copy of FIFA!
I’ve recently entered the world of Photoshop and believe me if you’re from the world of Paint Shop Pro it’s very dark and very scary. Some full-time designers will snigger at my ineptitude with Photoshop CS3 but that’s because they’ve been using it for so long that all of these things have become second nature to them. So how to get started? Well, there’s PSDTuts which is great, but any simple task such as drawing a circle is a complicated set of steps in Photoshop. There are some great YouTube clips on how to use individual tools for example the Pen tool. The tutorials, however, require a combination of tools to create anything of any use. So how did I get started? Well with a carrier bag of Australia’s finest lager I visited my sister or more accurately Gary her designer boyfriend. I learned more in 2 hours with Gary than in 2 weeks of trundling through the web. I’m sharing with you these starter tips so hopefully, you won’t have to go through the pain I went through.
General Pointers
Get the History panel up (Window->History) before you start it will save you hours
For everything you do create a new layer (label each layer)
Apple D is a great shortcut to un-selecting everything
Select -> Inverse when something is selected means you can apply fills to everything bar the selected section
Image -> Canvas Size To alter after the initial new File setup
Double click the magnifier glass for instant 100%
Tab to remove all window tools
Tap F to view the project fullscreen
1. Pen Tool
Ok, I can draw a sequence of points together but when I try to curve them they seem to curve in the wrong direction and affect other nodes?!?!
Solution
The key here is holding shift while adding your point. So even before the nodes have been connected you can create your curve as you need it. Hold alt and click the node after you are happy with it, and this will lock it from any further curvation.
2. Path or Shape?!?!
I’ve drawn the shape I want but if I select “shape” from the top menu I can add a fill but no stroke. If I add a path I can’t seem to do anything?!?
Solution
Deep breath, put the rage to bed. Choose Paths from the top menu and not ‘shape’. In the bottom right click the paths tab, and double click the ‘working path’. In the dialog box give it a name that makes sense. Hold the Apple Key and click on the saved path (still in the path dialog). Your shape should now be selected which can be affirmed by the flashing dotted line following the path. Now it is selected you can add your fill and stroke which we get to now
3. Gradient Tool
I’ve drawn and selected my path and want to add a gradient. I’ve selected the gradient tool but when I click on the selection nothing happens.
Solution
You’re going to kick yourself! The Gradients tool is a very advanced tool so unlike my previous experience of using similar tools a simple click is not enough. The PS tool means you need to click and drag to denote the direction of the gradient. By holding down control while dragging you can be sure the gradient will be straight.
4. Stroke
The stroke seems to be hidden in the Menu is there an easier way to apply one
Solution
Ok, so not really an issue and the question was quite leading but hell ho. With the layer, you want to work on selected you may notice an FX button at the bottom of the layer section. Click this and the whole magic of PS comes into its own. Sure there’s our stroke option but there’s so much more than that. The best thing to do now is to have a play with it and hopefully, I’ve removed some of the initial frustrations that I myself have suffered.
5. Ruler
Nothing seems to be lined up and snap to doesn’t put things where I want.
Solution
Apple R for Ruler. Click and drag the ruler down for more accurate adjustments. To remove the ruler, click the main selector, select the rule and drag back to the top ruler bar.
If this has been of any use to you please forward your tins of Lager to me and I promise to forward them on to Gary…I promise.
The topsy-turvy season is never truer than at this level. On paper this week should have been our big push toward the playoffs, instead, we are lingering in the bottom half. Things started badly on Saturday with another laughable decision by the inept officials. I wish someone could clarify what the referee’s assistant can and cannot make decisions on. Here is the way I see it. The linesman seems to have incidents that happen near them which they don’t even act upon. Is there a look toward the referee to see if he shares the linesman’s opinion? Or is he/she acting as another set of eyes altogether? The game against Oldham left me none the wiser. A lunge by an Oldham player (removing half the Roots Hall turf) was ignored by the referee’s assistant despite it happening under his nose?!? Say or wave something man!!
The very same assistant took it upon himself to give a penalty that was missed by the referee, all playing staff, and 6000 of the Southend faithful?!? The resultant penalty was scored so the blues dropped a point. There’s quite clearly a case of sour grapes about this blog (rant) but it’s because I don’t quite understand the duties of the linesman. They should either be assistants and give their opinions when asked or be more headstrong in their decisions. I’m assuming the first of these two options is true, in which case how can a linesman have the authority to give penalties against the judgment of the referee?
Next up was Brentford away. My only away game so far this campaign. Griffin Park is a typical old-school ground with seats that are clearly designed for people under 5 feet tall. I settled in nicely squeezing my head between my knees. Early on in the game came the strangest goal I’ve ever seen. A free kick about 25 yards out was curled under the post by Simon Francis. The keeper caught the ball above his head and seemed to drift backward with the ball still in his hands. The linesman gave it as a goal! The crowd and the Southend players were stunned. It was only when the players started to huddle that the fans accepted it was a goal and started to celebrate. The linesman had clearly got the memo about our previous experience with assistant referees.
Two penalties in the second half put a dampener on proceedings especially as the second was given in the 94th minute. Brentford weren’t particularly good but then neither were we. A draw would have been fair, but Southend decided to self-destruct…again! Looking at the positives though, we are on target with my pre-season target of ‘avoid relegation’!
My quest of finding a ‘classic’ book that I enjoy has seen me on the dark moors in Wuthering Heights, the ocean waves in Treasure Island, and a bleak cold Russia in Crime and Punishment. All these great adventures have left me slightly unfulfilled! I’ve found solace in the Hound of the Baskervilles which is a cracking book. This still leaves the classics 3-1 down.
Next up was Bram Stoker’s Dracula. I have to say I really enjoyed it. It started slowly and the multi-source narrative was difficult to get to grips with at first. Once it got going though it was an intense and gripping novel. Some of the more gruesome extracts had me holding my throat for protection. I had previously watched the 1992 Francis Ford Coppola adaptation which I enjoyed thoroughly.
I had expected some kind of sympathy for Dracula in the book, as the film had the love interest aspect. The book had none of this. It made Dracula even more of a brilliant villain. I can see why the film has a love interest. In the book when the Count’s boat first comes to port at Whitby, his first victim is Lucy Westenra best friend of Mina Murray who’s Jonathan Harker’s bride-to-be. By chance?!? Unlikely. This aside I would recommend a read, next up on the classic front is Frankenstein.
