Analysis: Southend must rebuild without millions

Justin Rees was the co-founder of Sydney-based company Eighty20 Solutions

The threat of extinction may be over for Southend United, but there are plenty of battles still to fight to turn them into a sane, upstanding member of the footballing community.

The Blues have lurched from crisis to crisis for more than two decades under the previous ownership with enough winding-up petitions to paper my front room, players and staff going unpaid, a trail of creditors waiting to be paid for services rendered, a crumbling infrastructure and a support driven to despair.

Oh, and don’t forget relegation out of the English Football League in 2021, although given everything else which has happened you could be forgiven for overlooking that.

For many years, on-field successes, including promotion to the Championship, EFL Trophy finals and a Wembley play-off win covered the cracks (some would say chasms) in the background.

It was a house of cards waiting to fall.

Some of the stories I have heard would make for three books, let alone one. When there is not enough cash around to pay for washing powder for the kit you know you have reached rock bottom.

But Southend fans are now hoping this is the past, it has to be.

Riding to the rescue has come an Australian and a merry band of businessmen willing to plunge their cash into what will be a bottomless pit to begin with.

Long 'to do' list

They have already invested £3.5m to keep the club running, a huge risk given at the time they owned nothing.

The to-do list for Justin Rees and the consortium is long.

They need to pay all the bills, keep HMRC happy, help build a team, sort out the decrepit Roots Hall and training ground but perhaps more importantly get the world to trust the name of Southend United Football Club once again.

This will not be a Wrexham-like story.

There are no Hollywood millions to lavish on a team because first and foremost the building blocks have to be put in place and that will start with the stadium

While having a sort out in the office recently I came across a folder of newspaper clippings regarding Southend United.

In among these stories was one from the late 1980s detailing the club’s plans for a new ground and that has been an ongoing saga ever since.

I lost count of the times I was told there would be a ‘shovel in the ground by March’. Which March I was never told.

It was difficult to stifle the sniggers when new manager after new manager came in stating they were attracted by the vision for a new stadium, one even pinned up the architect drawings on his office wall.

A property deal to move the club to Fossetts Farm and build on the current site has been one of the biggest issues to get over.

'Patience will be the key'

Former owner Ron Martin wanted to move to a brand new stadium at Fossetts Farm

The new stadium will now not happen and Roots Hall will be brought into the 21st century which will take time and money.

There is not enough cash to do that and have a massive playing budget in the National League.

But head coach Kevin Maher has already proven what he can do with moderate resources.

You get where this is going, patience will be the key.

Some will say the consortium are rebuilding a club - I would say they are building a new one. It is one most fans will still love, it is one some of the disillusioned will have to fall in love with again and it is one which needs to attract the next generation.

I have hosted Southend victory parades on the seafront with 30,000 people celebrating success.

The potential is there as is seen by crowds regularly in excess of 7,000 during some dark days in the National League.

The fans have their club back but the road to success is always under construction.