BIG SHRIMPIN’
Sol Campbell. Relegation to League 2. HMRC Winding Up Orders. A Transfer Embargo.
Welcome to Roots Hall, welcome to Southend United Football Club.
[Journalist] You’re inheriting a side which was relegated from League One last season and due to off-field problems you’ll have no money to spend to build a team capable of competing in League Two, what did the Chairman say to persuade you to join the club?
‘I won’t lie, the transfer embargo makes things difficult, there are players that we’ve got our eye on that can improve the group but we’ll have to see what their situation is come January. It’s only 5 months and we’ll have to make sure we do everything in our power to make the best of our situation. When I spoke to Ron about coming into the club we were very clear with each other and I think he’s been fair with his expectations for this season. What did he say to persuade me? Nothing. I started watching Southend in the mid-nineties when the likes of Tilson, Powell & Royce we’re competing in Division One and in more recent times I was at the Play-Off Final against Wycombe in 2015 where the fans got to experience the full Wembley experience including a penalty shootout win! When the club is doing well, it sells itself, unfortunately they’ve lost their way recently and it’s my job to try and put the smiles back on the fan’s faces.’
The First Day
Inheriting a club that’s predicted to fall out of the Football League is always going to be a challenge but when you add in a transfer embargo, a financial projection that shows no money in the future and a squad that has 20 players out of contract at the end of the season, it’s safe to say we’re going to have to put the graft in early. The first day in charge is the first day to start putting things right so here’s the checklist:
Club Vision 2020/21 Season: Avoid a relegation battle
‘Avoid a relegation battle’ - That’s quite a vague request that in my opinion means finishing mid-table to 17th is probably acceptable. A look back at the 2018/19 season shows me that mid-table, Crewe Alexandra, finished 12th with 65 points and a perfect balance of 19 wins & 19 losses, coupled with a near break even goal difference of +1 whereas 17th position, Grimsby Town, finished with 56 points - a swing of 9 points across 6 positions.
I purposely ignored the stats from the 2019/20 season as it was cut short due to the global pandemic and PPG decided the final standings. My target for the season estimates us in and around mid-table despite being predicted to finish 21st in the Season Review but by planning our peaks and troughs I can manage the squad appropriately.
Waste Not Want Not
With a weekly wage budget of £29k per week, the first cost cutting exercise comes in the form of our Under 23’s, we just don’t need them. Anyone that’s breaking through can be moved to the Senior Squad for now and the remaining players will be sold or released as soon as possible, this should save us in the region of £2.5k per week. Without players, you don’t need staff so the 5 U23 staff members will have their contracts terminated, with only Craig Fagan, the U23’s Manager, being re-contracted to become one of my coaches in the First Team, another saving of £1.9k per week and if we can manage to totally liquidate the Under 23 program we’ll be saving around £4.5k per week. The Under 18’s will remain and as a criteria of our Club Vision we’ll look to develop our youth prospects for performance or financial gain.
Preparation
The pre-season campaign organised by the previous regime is not fit for purpose, five games across a five week period will not give us enough time to be prepared for a 46+ game season and we also need to look at the financial benefits attached to pre-season in an attempt to fund the campaign so I’ll also be introducing The Essex Cup to pre-season and with morale low in the squad some potential silverware could be exactly what the players, fans and club need! I’ve also added a few higher reputation teams to raise the bank balance and show the players what it looks like to play against top opposition.
The Future
It might not look like it, but it’s not all doom and gloom. The council are finally on board for Southend United to move to a new community stadium at Fossetts Farm, the new facility will not only bring a new modern look to the club for the next 100 years, it will also home a new training facility plus improved commercial benefits. Do we want this? Of course we do, but keeping us in the Football League is just the first step on the ladder.
Thanks for reading, it’s been a while since I last wrote anything so I feel a bit rusty! I’m aiming for the blog to give you an insight in to how I play the game, whilst telling you a story along the way. See you next time. Joe|FNFM