Thetownend.com

-Their chairman's companies are 22 mill in debt.
-There are 4 unsatisfied count court judgements outstanding totalling some £123k, including 72k to Deloittte LLP and nearly 15k to HQ hospitality which runs the clubs catering and this debt along with another owed to the Cliffs Pavilion are thought to be from end of year party held there.
-There are other debts owed to Directors/ The Trust and the players pension funds and the debt to the PFA which is still outstanding is 123K.
-Strong rumour that Tilson's walked out on the club, could be revealed tomorrow.
-Players giving notice they're leaving due to breach of contract (unpaid wages), they currently have 10 first team players and can't sign anyone as they're under a transfer embargo from January.
-Due in The High Court again on 8th July for another unpaid tax bill of £200k
-Winding up order from a finance company, believed to be for millions of pounds, being heard 14th July, if they get past the first one.
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Looks like we could be looking at AFC Southend shortly, they're pretty much relying on Sainsbury's to pay their bills or it's all over. Things like this are a timely reminder of how lucky we are. Could easily have been us.

They could sell Roots Hall for a fiver I suppose.

Any players worth having a look at?

Pat Baldwin?

And their chairman is in trouble with the cops for allegedly sexually assaulting a woman...

http://www.southendunited-mad.co.uk/news/tmnw/shrimpers_supremo_denies_sex_assault_i_will_defend_any_unwanted_assertions_against_me_vigorously_533372/index.shtml

i've always rated adam barrett.

I remember him having one really really poor game against us but I think for whatever reason he was playing left back and looked really lost.

i didn't think he played that well against us at their place last season.
but in other games i thought he was very good.i'm sure he netted against us here a couple of years ago, in a game where he was dominant and stood out.

I've been watching that unravel for the last season or so, as their situation is very similar to ours , in the fact they have all been fed bullshit for years. Unfortunately some of their fans still think they are ok, and even now cant get themselves to get protests together etc. Can't see it ending well unless the fans at least try something.

Just saw this on their website: http://www.southendunited.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0,,10444~2081862,00.html

Hard to know what to make of it. Maybe he's being honest, maybe he's creating a smokescreen to hide behind.

Their current squad is Mildenhall (GK); Francis and Herd (Def); Christophe, Grant, Moussa and O'Keefe (Mid); Paterson, Laurent and SPencer (Str). Laurent has looked handy in the past. Not sure about any of the others.

Their mascot (man in funny suit) is supposed to be a Shrimp I think, but it looked more like a giant smiling clit last season.

[url width=154 height=256]http://www.sports-mascots.co.uk/BKAM_Sports_Mascot_Southend2.jpg[/url]

Weird.

Wasn't long ago when they were going to get their new stadium and become a regular Championship team. How times change eh?

Typically bullshitters you get in football boardrooms. Think they can blag everything.

worst turnstiles in the league, good riddance.

I like Roots Hall, and I think they're in our league this season so I hope they are able to fulfill their fixtures, if only for an easy three points (if they lose their playing squad) and another sighting of their magnificent cheerleaders. They still have them, right?

yes but they havent changed them since you last played them so they are all now in their fifties.

I Hate that ground. Worst catering in the football league, that fucking synthetic drum that randomly gets played through the speakers, and a crap view. Although on the plus side they have ace stewards that let you outside for a half time fag.

These are my sentiments about Roots Hall, the food they sell in horrible little shacky room was fucking disgusting, luckily there was a chippy up the road in between where I parked and the ground otherwise I wouldve starved to death on the way home. Also, I have never been to a ground where it is possible to sit below the pitch before.

...and we never fucking win there!

That, and it's always nut shrivelling cold when we play there.

People have been telling their fans on FF for months that they are fucked and that their chairman is lying to them. They just won't listen though.

Would much rather a trip to RH than the majoirty of sterile (new) grounds that we get to visit.  Shit food in a shitty stand with a tin roof is what football is all about.

I remember a great atmos in about 2004 for JPT game.  Only about 200-300 of us, but the noise was great.

Yeah I went to that one, hence my freezing comment!

You can always make a good bit of noise under the tin roof, shame about the catering which resembles a poorly run roadside cafe!

3-1, including a cracker from Kevin Watson.  (But I take your point, I think that's the only win I've seen down there)

I got in for a kid last season with those turnstiles.

I knew they were dodgy in Southend, but child trafficking, christ on a bike, that's disgraceful.

not been to elland road then

best turnstiles in the league!

Nope, never been to Elland Road Im afraid, gutted I missed that match this season but these things happen, Im pretty sure we'll gegt some epics this season...roll on Southampton away.

When you used to stand at Gigg Lane you were below pitch level towards the front.

Leeds is by far the worst. Twice I've been to Elland Rd and twice I've had to queue up to get my ticket 'reactivated' after the turnstile didn't open.

not as bad as southend

bet you never got in as a kid at leeds in all the two times you've been there

Tilson's been placed on gardening leave now - so there goes the only good thing they had left.

I'd like to know how they are going to pay him off. They were always late paying the staff towards the end of last season.

Look like Sturrock is set to takeover, I've heard that a press conference is scheduled tomorrow:-

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1291983/Ex-Plymouth-manager-Paul-Sturrock-set-Southend-Shrimpers-company-Steve-Tilson.html?ito=feeds-newsxml

That's the next 2-3 years of Blair's wages sorted then. Probably Aljofree as well. :)

Cynical, but its true and I was about to say almost exactly the same.

and easton.....

That's a brave move if Sturrock goes to Southend.

It's his last shot at Management I reckon. They seem to think he'll have been given assurances about budget etc, He'd have gone anywhere for a bag of peanuts at this stage. Hope they like sore necks, and players with no skill who run around a lot?

Good luck to Luggy and Widderington.

Not yet though. Only have 10 players and are under a transfer embargo. They will struggle this year.

Sturrock must be completely mental! You would have thought at his age, in his condition he wouldnt even look twice at a job like Southend.

They are in as worse a state as we ever were when he packed up and left the CG.

Unless he knows someone who is going to buy the club then he is a complete muppet.

It'll never last. He'll just use it as a vehicle to get his mates and relatives sorted out with hefty long contracts, then scurry off before Christmas, claiming the job wasn't what it said on the tin.

Fully agree Spencer. How many times must have he been told by Baghdad Bob and co. that new owners were in the pipeline, and never materialised (except for the Portugeezers, who left him 3 presents, before they disappeared).

You would've thought he would be wary of all this.

I also hope they like getting promoted - the other thing he did for us here.

Pretty disrespectful comments there, uncalled for. Sturrock was quality for us, don't ever forget that.

That was then, this is now.

He was good for us, but it didnt stop him fucking off at the first opportunity though did it?

Direspectful and true though? Luggy got us out of L2 and unlucky for him we got hit with the embargo etc and he had players brought in for him (3 amigos etc) or who knows where we would have went with Sturrock if he had some money etc. Sturrock did the minimum and got us promoted (And almost blew that) after a great start to life in L2. He did do well here given the circumstances but the football was incredibly dire. I think in reality it shows how far we have come in such a short time now saying Luggy was shit because at the time he was a god. I mean I would rather have Danny Wilson than Paul Sturrock thats for sure. Wilson has an eye for talent. Luggy does dont get me wrong however he bringsw in the same players he signed previously over and over. Expect Easton and Folly to join Southend shortly.

Only just and most of that was due to the start we had. Dont  get me wrong I think he's a decent manager, but he plays a certain way that is hit and miss at best. I dont remember ever coming away from one of our games when he was in charge thinking we played well. A charge I cant even level at MM, as we did play well a few times under him.

I know where you're coming from sutton. He was a bit like Capello in that we played the same formation regardless of the score, the oppostion or whether we at home or away. At least that's what i recall.

I do remember some cracking games though. Cheltenham away, 1st game or the season i think, where Roberts battered them, and Walsall away, where we played nice fluid football for the whole match. I don't recall the score, but my heart says it was cricket like. Probably 1-0 or something though!

twaddle.
he came here,did a good job, and then got offered a job at a club which meant alot to him and where his family were based.
he was honest and said that was why he was going back to plymouth.

I'm surprised people remember Sturrock so negatively.

He got us out of the basement at the first time of asking which is far from a given and he bought a complete new level of professionalism and organisation to the team and the club as a whole.

Cast your mind back to when he was appointed it was an unbelieveable coup for us at the time and for me he didn't disappoint, got us promoted for fucks sake! Yeah it was division four but try telling bradford its easy to come straight back up out of that fucking league!

makes me laugh people are complaning about the style of football, we were in division four for fucks sake.

Was 2-0 but I was in NZ at the time and missed it! Must admit I did get a surprise when I came on here and saw we had won. I even got up at 5am to check!

2-0. Lucas Jutkiewicz with his first professional goal and Christian Roberts with a penalty.

you should have gone christmas shopping.

As I said he did the minimum really and we almost cocked it up, Ok we have no divine right for promotion but It was Dennis Wise and Gus Poyet who brought in the level of professionalism and Sturrock just picked up from where Wise left off. Yes Sturrock carried it on, but that was the job at hand "we are X in the table, carry on and get us promoted" and he did that.  It could have gone the other way, granted and the train started coming off the tracks. The style of football was shit and tedious but yes it got results and to be fair Luggy has told Southend fans it may not be pretty as long as they get results. I am not bitter at him leaving. I would have left as soon as Vega and that little Yank Spastic Jim Little started meddling in the first team affairs. He stuck with it for quite some time despite the turmoil behind the scenes so fair play to him but the football was incredibly dire and Wilson over Sturrock any time. Luggy did drop a bollock though when he said  he wouldn't leave Swindon and he was loyal signing a 3 year contract though but I guess he did not forsee the shambles ahead of him.

...then there was getting us to 13th place the following season. No mean feat in itself and fuck all to do with Dennis Wise.

IIINNNNNNNNCCCCCCCCEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

They had only conceded one goal at home up until that point as well. One of my favourite ever away days.

They hadnt lost at home either had they.

Until then.

I cant remember if this was the game that Ralphy had the famous airport episode or not

Yes, it was.

And herthab got kicked out for nicking a stewards hat.

and a big fat drunk girl fell over the hoardings!

and I saw STFC Bart.

I did say if it wasnt for the behind the scenes stuff who knows what would have happened...

Talking of Professionalism, wasnt one of Luggy's first acts to put a fridge in his office?

And paint it orange!!

Southend Chairman Ron Martin has been elected to the Football League Management Board,
as the representative for L2 clubs.Beggars belief,as do his quotes.....


""I would like to continue to influence the future of the game, especially during these challenging economic times as the difference between Championship and League One and League Two continues to grow.

"By being involved at board level I can represent the interests of League Two clubs and Southend."

It was a quality day out

Southend survive thanks to Sainsbury's...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/s/southend_utd/8878585.stm

Im glad at this, I will be following them fairly closely this season due to all the old Town players they have. Im also quite a big fan of Simon Easton and I want to see him do well and finally show what he's made of and emerge from the shadow that that cocksnot Malpas cast over his playing career.

Good Luck Southend with your weird shrimpy/clit mascot.

Obviously not too big a fan of Simon Easton Though?

Haha simon Easton.

I prefer Dave zaaboub

Not forgetting Andrea Corr.

I am less of a fan now he's not at Swindon. Yes.

Good answer.

Did you mean Craig Ferry? He's back now.

Surely that would be Si Easton wouldn't it ?

An Fit... our new Vietnamese owner?
Da Wils ... club mechanic
Pe Shi ... Chinese laundry man
Ge Woo ... sexuality consultant
etc