It’s a beautifully scenic train journey to Southend, along the coast and through the fishing village of Leigh-on-Sea.
But my last few visits have been tinged with sadness and frustration as the assignment has always been to report on the worst managed club in England.
Southend United fans won’t mind if I use that phrase to describe the desperate and heartbreaking situation at their beloved club, an institution of our game, after spending 101 years in the Football League.
That period ended in 2021 and since then there have been few good days at the Essex club. To put it bluntly, the Shrimpers have 33 days to pay their debt to His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs.
If they fail to pay their £275,000 tax bill, a High Court judge will liquidate the company, killing a community football club that is a means of escape and an institution rich in memories for all its fans.
There have been few good days since Southend dropped out of the Football League
The Shrimpers have 33 days to pay their debt to His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs
The villain of the play is Southend owner Ron Martin (pictured) for his mismanagement
“If this wasn’t a football club, with the attachment of its fans, I would end it today,” Judge Prentis said a fortnight ago.
If the judge is one of the supporters’ last hope, the villain of the play is Southend owner Ron Martin (right).
In the fall of 2021 I had a cup of tea with then manager Phil Brown at Roots Hall. “The club stank when I got here, there was a terrible vibe and atmosphere,” he said. Well, if it stinks in 2021, it’s rotten now – and the stadium is a rotting mess.
There were protests on my subsequent two visits to Southend. Last March I walked with fans from the Dickens pub in the city center to the stadium.
Memories of Martin’s mismanagement were everywhere you looked.
On match days, the demonstrations are visceral and angry. “Pay your staff,” read a message on a beach ball thrown onto the field during a game, as chants arose about Martin’s greed. In a more recent match against Eastleigh, fans threw dozens of tennis balls onto the pitch to disrupt play. It was a nonviolent and poignant display of defiance.
Fans sat outside Martin’s house for hours with signs reading, “Pay your taxes, pay your staff, and hand over the keys.”
In the streets around Roots Hall, there are stickers depicting Martin hanging from a noose, and others that read: ‘Making a kill, kill our club’.
On match days, the demonstrations are visceral and angry as fans look for new ownership
Memories of Martin’s mismanagement were everywhere you looked at Roots Stadium
This is Southend’s 18th application for winding up since 2009, with the current case being postponed three times since May. The court heard last week about debts of more than £1.3 million. Energy suppliers and electricity companies owe a lot of money.
On the field, the small team of the Shrimpers have won three of their six games this season, but are bottom of the National League after deducting 10 points. They could face further fines if wages are not paid on time – a common problem at the club over the past two years.
It must be acknowledged that a potential buyer, Justin Rees – Martin referred to him simply as “an Australian dude” in court – is in talks about a takeover, but time is working against the IT entrepreneur. He met with the Shrimpers Trust and local MP Anna Firth earlier this week.
Martin has always paid in the past, but enough is enough. Southend fans are concerned this is the end game given Judge Prentis’ dire warning.
Earlier this year the club fell behind on payments to the St John Ambulance service, and the Shrimpers Trust provided a loan of £40,000 to pay staff wages. Martin’s long-held desire to build a new stadium at Fossetts Farm has ultimately put a huge drag on the club.
Martin has always believed that the sale of Roots Hall stadium is the only way out of the financial problems
Martin has always believed the only way out of the financial problems is to sell Roots Hall and move to that new site, but work on the 16,500 seat project has yet to begin despite years of promises.
More than a thousand new buildings would be built during the development, hence Martin’s great interest.
But Southend may be gone in 33 days and their home game against Oxford City on October 3 – the night before their court hearing – could be their last.
Everyone thinks their own team’s problems are serious, but Shrimpers fans have a sincere argument for believing they’re following the country’s worst-run club.
MORE POWER FOR DARREN
A GROUND tick for me this week at Doncaster’s (see notes) Eco-Power Stadium, a name that made me wonder how many of the 92 outposts I could remember given the constant name changes due to sponsorship.
But it was nice to see Darren Moore, once a member of the Doncaster Parish, at the stadium. He left Sheffield Wednesday in appalling circumstances in the summer after a public row with owner Dejphon Chansiri.
Moore put in one of the best performances in the EFL last season. He guided Wednesday to 95 points in League One after a pair of long unbeaten runs, then reversed a four-goal deficit in the first leg against Peterborough in the play-offs to showcase his man. management and motivation skills.
It was nice to see Darren Moore at Doncaster this week after being sacked by Sheffield Wednesday
On Wednesday, on the other hand, the season got off to a terrible start, which is no surprise
He’ll get a decent job somewhere – and it was a surprise to learn that gossip linked him to the National League’s York City. On Wednesday, on the other hand, the season got off to a terrible start. No surprise there.
Wonders of the Pyramid received some criticism from the Wednesdayites when they tipped for relegation in the season preview a few weeks ago. If they want to keep the table afloat after losing four in a row, they might want to reconsider.
THREE GAMES TO WATCH THIS WEEKEND
Middlesbrough v QPR Saturday 3pm, Ch’ship
Middlesbrough have had a torrid start to the season and Michael Carrick faces the toughest test of his young managerial career to boost the side’s morale ahead of this game against fellow contenders QPR.
Boro has lost Chuba Akpom, who became champion last season as top scorer and player of the season, to Ajax.
Michael Carrick faces the toughest test of his managerial career in taking Middlesbrough to the next level
Oxford v Port Vale Saturday 3pm, Lge One
Top-of-the-table clash in League One, with Liam Manning’s Oxford on a four-match winning streak to top the standings. Taking over from beloved Darrell Clarke at Port Vale, Andy Crosby has put a 7-0 thrashing behind him on day one and has been undefeated ever since.
The Valiants knocked out local rivals Crewe in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday.
Oxford have gone on a four match winning streak and are top of the table in League One
Walsall v Colchester Tomorrow 3pm, Lge Two
I like what Ben Garner is doing at Colchester despite a rocky start to the season for the Essex club. They went to Gillingham with the then league leaders last week on a winning run of 1-0, 1-0, 1-0, 1-0 and Colchester with no point.
It is clear that Garner’s side defeated the Gills 3-0! They go here to the Saddlers, who are appropriately managed by Mat Sadler.
I like what Ben Garner is doing at Colchester despite a rocky start to the season