Shrimpers Trust rage at Southend chairman as club get big punishment

The Shrimpers Trust rage at Southend United chairman Ron Martin as the club are issued with a big punishment as if things aren’t bad enough.

They have been placed under a transfer embargo meaning that they can’t bring in new signings to their squad due to money owed to HMRC

The supporters trust of Southend, who sit 19th in the National League, say that another transfer ban shows Martin isn’t a ‘fit and proper owner’ of the club who have again been left in an ‘embarrassing position.’

CLUB STATEMENT ON EMBARGO:

The statement said: “The club can confirm that the National League have placed us under embargo whilst we finalise the terms of a Time To Pay agreement with HMRC in relation to debt that accrued during the Coronavirus pandemic.

“Like many other businesses that had reduced income during the pandemic, HMRC has agreed to allow us some time to repay historic debt.

“Unlike many other clubs, we did not borrow money from the Premier League and do not have any bank borrowings.

“Southend has been supported by Ron and Group Companies through the pandemic.

“With a reasonable approach from both parties we hope to conclude our discussions with HMRC shortly.

“The embargo is not expected to prevent signings of new players when they are identified and terms agreed.”

SHRIMPERS TRUST’S STATEMENT:

We love the club, you idiot!

At the last supporters’ group Zoom meeting with Ron Martin, he told one of our board members that he loved the football club in a ranting response to a perfectly reasonable question. It is now apparent, following the article by Chris Phillips in the Southend Echo, that our club has been placed under a transfer embargo by the National League, and this presents further evidence that Ron Martin’s love of this football club is simply not equal to that of the fans.

Subsequently, Matt Slater of The Athletic has reported that the balance to HMRC to clear the embargo is in excess of £200k. The club, through a statement released this lunchtime, have confirmed the embargo is in place. We are angry and upset that our beloved football club has been left in this embarassing position once again. We are not naive enough to fail to understand the current financial impact on the footballing world of the Covid-19 pandemic, especially with the lack of matchday income over recent weeks, but we have been here before and the club has seemingly not learnt any previous lessons. This is truly concerning.

We learnt in recent days that Charlie Sayers, a promising young defender who had already appeared for the first team in the National League at the age of just 17, had been sold to Tottenham Hotspur. This is not the first time that a youngster – albeit on this occasion one recruited relatively recently – has left the club at a reduced price in a bid, presumably, to raise money towards an outstanding tax bill. This is another sign of the ongoing poor management of the football club at the highest level. The club has continued with its recruitment of backroom staff, which it is now obvious it cannot afford; we believe the new recruits have been set up to fail and have simply presented further cost to the business without being allowed to deliver the success they are striving for.

Where is Ron Martin? For someone who claims to love the football club he has not been seen on matchdays since supporters protested against his ownership. Ron is clearly unwilling, or unable, to attend football matches at the current time. We do not believe he is a fit and proper owner of Southend United Football Club and he continues to run the club with a flagrant disregard for league rules, whether that be within the EFL or the National League. This is completely unacceptable and we will seek clarity from the National League regarding the current position and the possibility of further sanctions.

The Shrimpers Trust believe that we need a United fan base during this troubling period. We acknowledge that not every fan supports the Trust’s wider objectives. We do all support Southend United, though, and we are seeking to engage with ALL viewpoints within our fan-base with ALL cards on the table regarding potential actions.

We shall continue to offer our full support to Kevin Maher, the backroom staff and the team on the pitch, however, we do not support the continued actions (or lack of actions) from the owner of the football club. Ron Martin is ultimately responsible for our continued demise, by seemingly not supporting the club he protests to love.

The Shrimpers Trust Board

Twitter users reacted as the Shrimpers Trust rage at the Southend chairman…

@jmpschooley: Good, strong statement. You’re not wrong. I can’t stand the “Ron has funded the club through group companies” propaganda. In my mind, if you can’t fund a football club without missing wage payments AND (not “or”) tax liabilities, then you’re not a fit and proper owner.

@ShrimpersTalk: Fully behind this statement and backing it all the way

@SRogerson2021: Reminds me of #oafc

@owenjones539: Break those banners back out lads! Let’s get this crook out of our club

@adamjedge: Ron. Please. Just go. The grass may not be greener on the other side but at the very least admit you’re out of your depth and seek outside investment whilst you finish your pot of gold in the stadium and associated development.

@SmithySUFC: The most disappointing thing here is this was a real chance to change how we’ve communicated this all too familiar news to fans. Own it, apologise, clear and concise info on why and how it gets resolved. Yet here we are again painting Ron as a saviour and spinning things to suit.

@TidburyG: Ffs! Ron definitely wrote that! It’s never his fault its always something or someone else.

@antsk: Not learning from previous mistakes, it’s absolutely shocking

@gafferwoody: Absolute shambles my club is dying before everyone’s eyes! Investors are needed and Ron needs to take help on board for the health of our football club.

@shrimperjon: How can they say the embargo won’t affect signing players when they are identified? It’s a transfer embargo! No point in signing and paying them if we can’t register them.