Southend consortium boss 'relieved' after takeover

A consortium led by Justin Rees (second from right) has bought Southend United from former owner Ron Martin

The leader of a consortium behind a National League football club's long-awaited takeover said he was "relieved" to get the deal over the line.

Australian IT millionaire Justin Rees said he was excited to begin the "real work" of taking Southend United forward and was thrilled at supporters' reaction to the takeover.

The club has been blighted by legal battles, transfer embargoes and docked points over the past year.

A consortium led by Mr Rees exchanged contracts with former owner Ron Martin in December, but issues surrounding housing plans stalled the deal.

The takeover was finally completed on Friday and Mr Rees said fans' elated reactions to the deal "says it better than any quote we can give".

He said: "As a club we’ve been treading water for a year so we needed to exit that phase. There was a lot of turbulence [with the deal] right the way to the end.

"Now we’re really excited to do the real work to move the club forward."

Southend United was formed in May 1906 and the club has been as high as the second tier of English football in the 1990s and again in 2006-7, a season which also saw The Shrimpers reach the League Cup quarter-finals.

The team missed out on a play-off place last season because of a 10-point penalty imposed by the National League due to financial issues.

Fans told the BBC they were "really, really thrilled" by the takeover news

The consortium, COSU (Custodians of Southend United), had previously confirmed the club will remain at Roots Hall, its home since 1955.

Mr Rees is expected to be the new chairman, though much of the day-to-day running of the club will continue to be done by chief executive Tom Lawrence.

He has been in post since May 2021 and said at the start of the 2023 that financial problems had left the club with an annual funding gap of about £2m.

The other consortium members are John Watson, Gary Lockett, Tom Arnold, David Kreyling, Paul Redbourn, Ian Redbourn, George Taylor - the son of former Southend East MP Sir Teddy Taylor - Jason Brown and Mr Lawrence.

Southend have been playing in the National League since their relegation from the EFL in 2021

'Challenge we wanted'

Mr Lawrence said: "It has been a hell of a journey over the last three years.

"The last 18 months, just when you think the end is approaching, things become more difficult."

He said that when the deal "got over the line" on Friday afternoon, there was "a sense of elation" at the club.

Mr Rees said that while the elongated takeover process had been a source of frustration, it had provided a chance to "lay the foundations" of taking the club forward.

"It’s going to be a challenge." he said. "But it’s the challenge that we wanted to be in, and we’re really looking forward to it.

"Our role is very, very different now. It’s to help the team achieve those plans and help them clear roadblocks and provide guidance where we can.

"We can also set the tone, we want to be known as one of those clubs that does things right.

"We have a little bit of faith to restore in the community, we want to be a good employer, a good supplier and a good participant in the league to our rivals."

He also confirmed that he would be attending Saturday's pre-season friendly with Gillingham at Roots Hall, which kicks off at 13:00 BST.