nickbennett_blog

Tag: city

  • We’re all in the Gutter

    I’ve just read my prediction post for last season. ‘This season’s goal will be the same as last year…survival. Plain and simple. Survival is not just in footballing terms but also in financial terms’. Well, 1 out of 2 ain’t bad as Mr Meatloaf might say. So my hopes for this season are exactly the same. Boring eh, for the third season on the trot.

    These recent months have been the hardest months to endure as a football fan. I’ll take the Pepsi test with any other football fan that reckons they’ve had it worse. Man City got relegated years ago yet still gloat to this day at how hardcore they were when they were in the second tier of English football…yawn! Portsmouth is looking at administration in the face…at least you got something for your money. And finally, Chester City who went completely out of business… erm alright bad example. So to demonstrate the past few months in as brief a way as possible…

    Southend was relegated to league 2
    Me : ‘Still, at least it can’t get any worse’
    Southend release 90% of playing staff
    Me : ‘Erm now it can’t get any worse’
    Southend sack long serving manager Steve Tilson
    Me : ‘Ok, this is it now the lowest of the low’
    HMRC take Southend to High Court for administration hearing
    Me: ‘Right, baring a Tsunami this truly cannot get any worse’
    Southend Chairman questioned on sexual assault charges
    Me : ‘Fine, I give up’

    This week though something amazing happened. I actually received some good news. The HMRC dropped its case against us after it was proven that (with the help of Sainsbury’s) we were a viable business that could meet all future tax bills. Hooray! I don’t know how we did it! We don’t (as far as I can see) have any viable assets. Apparently, even the programs have been sold off to another company.

    Things may be bad at the moment but we’re still alive…just. Our team is made up of all new faces and there is a tried and tested manager at the helm in Paul Sturrock. So I’m making 2 predictions, my head prediction says relegation and administration while my heart says playoffs and a lovely new stadium for next year. So we may currently be in the gutter let’s just hope we’re looking up at the stars!

  • Land of Hope and Glory?

    Have the English teams been overachieving recently? Of course, they have! You speak to anyone in Europe and they’ve spoken about the English game as if it’s the zenith of football. This year’s Champions League campaign just proves what can be achieved if you give your opposition the respect they deserve and not what you think they deserve.

    How many top stars does the premiership have? I mean top stars, stars that attract Pepsi. Precisely, last year as a neutral I enjoyed the Ballon d’Or as I had someone to cheer. Love him or hate him Christiano Ronaldo did his bit to promote the English game. Why didn’t we attract more top stars when our league was perceived to be the best? Simple, the weather. I’m sure you get to a point with your ludicrous wages that you can afford to take a 20k pay cut for a bit of sun and glamour. Man U, Man City, Liverpool, and even Arsenal will never be able to compete with the lure of playing for Barcelona, Real Madrid, or even AC Milan. I would have loved to have seen Ronaldinho in England but Milan or Manchester. If my knees were in better nick, my lungs weren’t that of a pensioner’s and I was any good at football I’d know who I’d pick. Well until Southend could afford me that is!

    What about Southend United I hear you shout. Well, relegation is looming and it looks as though our worst nightmares have come true. Depressing as it is watching League 1 on a Tuesday night over Champions League games, League 2 football is a whole new kettle of fish. If we survive financially in the coming months I’m sure we’ll be back. We have a great fan base and I’m sure we’ll keep the faith. Our latest court appointment with the tax man has been delayed by another week. To me, this makes no sense. I’m sure the ‘paid by the hour’ lawyers would be able to explain why it’s beneficial for the club to delay paying the tax man for as long as possible. I think the damage to morale, the further legal fees and the worry of the fans isn’t worth the week’s worth of bank interest. That is if we actually have the amount due of course!

    On lighter news Player are going to do one-off gig this summer so keep your diary free. I’ll keep you posted!

  • Ron’s Q and A

    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.