Southend

[EnglishRed]

It's such a cultural shock for league clubs the NL. Often they assume they will waltz the league ( although cannot think of many clubs who have gone straight back)
After years of losing games its difficult for a club to start winning on a regular basis. But Good luck!

And even when Bristol Rovers did it, they went up through the play offs and that was a year where there werent many standout teams, with the exception of Grimsby most of the other 'big teams' were rebuilding or had poor seasons. Barnet shithoused their way to the title winning 4 penalties a game, Woking and Dover were in the top 10 and Chester finished 12th, thats all you need to know about that season.

 

[Soup Ladle]

It's such a cultural shock for league clubs the NL. Often they assume they will waltz the league ( although cannot think of many clubs who have gone straight back)
After years of losing games its difficult for a club to start winning on a regular basis. But Good luck!

Not sure many assume that these days.

 

[jacobncfc]

And even when Bristol Rovers did it, they went up through the play offs and that was a year where there werent many standout teams, with the exception of Grimsby most of the other 'big teams' were rebuilding or had poor seasons. Barnet shithoused their way to the title winning 4 penalties a game, Woking and Dover were in the top 10 and Chester finished 12th, thats all you need to know about that season.

We might well have done it last season had Covid not pitched up.

 

[Shrimpurh]

Not sure many assume that these days.

It's always going to be hard when there's only one auto spot.

 

[Railway Blue]

It's such a cultural shock for league clubs the NL. Often they assume they will waltz the league ( although cannot think of many clubs who have gone straight back)
After years of losing games its difficult for a club to start winning on a regular basis. But Good luck!

Carlisle and Shrewsbury did , but that's a long time ago.

 

[JaredSUFC]

Cheltenham were the last team to go straight back after relegation. That was in 2015/16 season.

 

[EnglishRed]

oh yeah Cheltenham! I always forget about them. In general.

 

[Shrimper92]

Looks like we won't be announcing our released until next week. State.

 

[Magpie Mike]

Well the hopeful news is we're finally getting a CEO who will act more like a director of football, so that could rein Brown in.
The other thing with him is he's actually good at bringing in youth players and getting them playing in the 1st team, he can certainly spot a young player.

But I agree, we have so many non-league teams around South and mid Essex, into East and South-East London that you'd hope we could scout a few players from there. Sadly, I already know we don't do anything of the sort, time we started.

You scouted Sam Barratt from Maidenhead and when bad injuries occurred for him you let him go.
Now one of the better players in this league.

 

[Shrimper92]

You scouted Sam Barratt from Maidenhead and when bad injuries occurred for him you let him go.
Now one of the better players in this league.

An unfortunate casualty of our embargo. Would still be here if not for that

 

[#Beebot]

An unfortunate casualty of our embargo. Would still be here if not for that

Did your embargo prevent contract renewals? I thought it was just transfers.

 

[Kim Mitten]

Did your embargo prevent contract renewals? I thought it was just transfers.

Ron didn't want to spend any money, I'm not sure he still does. Hence we got rid of anyone we could and sold on players like Humphrys and Kelman. He's spent the past 3 seasons stripping the club to the bare bones so we just get by.

I'm doubting very much we'll have a top 6 budget, but I'll reserve judgement until I see what players come in. On the one hand Phil Brown will more than likely walk if by August it's clear Ron hasn't found any funds from anywhere and we'll be scraping by again. Genuinely wouldn't surprise me that if that happens we have the smallest budget of any full time club.
The other hand is so far the noises are he'll back Phil Brown, but Ron has already publicly said he has no idea about any of the clubs in the National League or how the league works. He'll be shocked when he finds out Bromley will blow us out of the water in a transfer or contract battle. So even backing him we may well find we won't be in a playoff budget ballpark. I truly hope he doesn't pander to Brown again though, we'll just be back at the start of a 3 year cycle of over spending on wages.

It's been confirmed that Ron has pretty much burnt every bridge he's ever had, especially inside football and he clearly doesn't have the funds himself to keep the club going. He's a great salesman though because whoever these investors are that bailed us out in November they're the latest in a long line to buy into his mythical stadium and housing scheme.

 

[Kim Mitten]

It's such a cultural shock for league clubs the NL. Often they assume they will waltz the league ( although cannot think of many clubs who have gone straight back)
After years of losing games its difficult for a club to start winning on a regular basis. But Good luck!

There is not a person at Southend, bar Ron (who still thinks we're a top 6 League 1 side), who thinks we'll be waltzing anything.
Also is it really a culture shock anymore? Look at League 2, there's as many tinpot nobodies as in this league. The division below, now that would be a culture shock.

 

[Shrimper92]

Did your embargo prevent contract renewals? I thought it was just transfers.

We were limited to squad size so to get anyone in we had to get rid.

 

[Luke Imp]

Jim Parmenter will be chuffed to have a mate in Ron Martin next season.

 

[pontoonlew]

And even when Bristol Rovers did it, they went up through the play offs and that was a year where there werent many standout teams, with the exception of Grimsby most of the other 'big teams' were rebuilding or had poor seasons. Barnet shithoused their way to the title winning 4 penalties a game, Woking and Dover were in the top 10 and Chester finished 12th, thats all you need to know about that season.

We’ve only been down here for 2 mins but I’d like to take the time to once again raise the point that the play-off final they won was absolute daylight fucking robbery

 

[BlackHaddock]

We’ve only been down here for 2 mins but I’d like to take the time to once again raise the point that the play-off final they won was absolute daylight fucking robbery

Seconded, amazing display by the ref not sending off their goalkeeper because he "Didn't want to ruin the game!"

 

[GTFCfish]

Seconded, amazing display by the ref not sending off their goalkeeper because he "Didn't want to ruin the game!"

What an awful day that was, we didn’t end up getting home until 1AM because we had to get the tube after the game to Oxford Street to pick up my Missus and Daughter and then had to get the tube from there to our hotel in Wimbledon before driving home.
I was so tired on the drive I was starting to hallucinate for the last hour or so so I ended up driving sat bolt upright to stop myself falling asleep.
The next year was a bit better though.

 

[rudebwoyben]

Seconded, amazing display by the ref not sending off their goalkeeper because he "Didn't want to ruin the game!"

As a neutral who was there, I agree that that was a shocking decision.

 

[Shrimpurh]

We've made two new signings already. Not announced yet as they're still under contract. Going for it™

 

[Shrimpurh]

We've made two new signings already. Not announced yet as they're still under contract. Going for it™

Rhys Murphy from Yeovil and former player Jack Bridge from Bromley

 

[Shrimpurh]

We've now announced Tom Lawrence as our new CEO who was at Gillingham.
It does actually look like we're trying to sort our shit out now. It did all start going to shit when Steve Kavanagh left to go Millwall leaving it all to Ron who doesn't know how to run the club hopefully this appointment is a big step back in the right direction.

 

[Son of Cod]

Gone by October and will end up as a pundit on the BT coverage of games in this league.

Do they still get Cowley on as a pundit?

We’ve only been down here for 2 mins but I’d like to take the time to once again raise the point that the play-off final they won was absolute daylight fucking robbery

Seconded, amazing display by the ref not sending off their goalkeeper because he "Didn't want to ruin the game!"

McKeown should have been sent off later on in the first half as well, to be fair.

 

[Shrimper_95]

Rhys Murphy from Yeovil and former player Jack Bridge from Bromley

Where did you get these names from?

 

[GTFCfish]

McKeown should have been sent off later on in the first half as well, to be fair.

Also this never really got a mention at the time but just before half time Magnay was already on a yellow card and he cleaned somebody out near the touch line and straight away I thought he’s off and I looked to the ref and he put his hand in his pocket and then realised he’d already booked him and took his hand back out and let him off.

 

[Shrimpurh]

Where did you get these names from?

My pal inside the club

 

[B2TF]

Not sure many assume that these days.

YOU did.

 

[Soup Ladle]

We didn't. I remember saying we'd be down here for years and we were more likely to go bust than go back up. We almost nearly did and the same could happen again in the not far off future.

 

[B2TF]

Nah, you walked in all Billy Big Bollox till it dawned on you there was a queue to go up, and you were near the back of it.

 

[Soup Ladle]

Calling out FC Halifax as tinpot isn't the same as expecting to walk the league.