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Daily Mail
6 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
Oldham and Southend have endured so much and, as they prepare to fight for a place in the Football League, Shrimpers boss Kevin Maher admits: 'It's a shame one of us has to lose'
In a perfect world, the National League play-off final would have been held at Easter and not this week. Why? Because on Sunday evening an army of battle-scarred fans from either Oldham Athletic or Southend United will be euphoric following a resurrection. But, as all of those involved in this weekend's Wembley showdown — set to be watched by a record crowd in excess of 50,000 — will readily testify, this is not a perfect world. There are many stories that underline how far each proud, former Football League club had fallen in the not-too-distant past. At Southend's training ground a year ago they wereperforming rain dances. Not because the pitches needed watering, but because the toilets needed flushing. 'We had buckets down in the gym,' explains manager Kevin Maher. 'There was no running water so we'd collect the water when the roof leaked, which was often, and then we'd lob it down the toilets because we couldn't flush them.' It is one of many lingering memories of day-to-day survival at Roots Hall under the controversial ownership of former chairman Ron Martin. On another occasion, Maher was forced to drive the kit van home because there was a real concern bailiffs were about to turn up at the club and take it away. 'I collapsed on the settee that night and thought, "What the f*** am I doing?" 'the former player turned manager explains. 'It was as close as I got to packing it in.' There are similar tales to tell at Oldham. Under another deeply unpopular owner, Abdallah Lemsagam, and his band of ludicrous lieutenants, collapse came quickly. The former founding members of the Premier League had spent 21 consecutive seasons in League One. It took less than five years under the Moroccan for them to fall out of the league. As an Oldham fan, I'd heard from insiders how bad things had become. One night I got a call from a friend who told me it had been his turn to wash his young son's team's kit that week. He went to the launderette on the main road close to Boundary Park and noticed a lady performing a similar task. 'I asked her which kit she was washing, thinking it might be a team in my boy's league,' he said. 'She turned to me and said, "Oldham Athletic".' With the washing machines disconnected, the club had been forced to take its kit to the cleaners. The nadir arrived when relegation out of the league was confirmed at home to Salford. Desperate fans invaded the pitch and the game was stopped. When it restarted, stewards held up advertising hoardings to block the view from where those who remained had gathered. They had become a club that was trying to stop its fans watching them play. That summer, a name from the past stepped in to help provide a future. 'I called my dad after that Salford game from the car and he was in tears,' explains Darren Royle, son of Joe and now Oldham chief executive, who had a season ticket to a horror show. 'We knew we had to do something.' Royle hit his contacts book and ended up on the doorstep of well-known local businessman andPortakabin king Frank Rothwell. 'He was in a flat cap and overalls and we spoke in his garage,' Royle says. 'I told him of a plan, a vision for the club and town. I wanted him to be part of a consortium but he said "Bugger that!", and after speaking with his family they decided to do it on their own.' And so, in 2022, with a £1.2million tax bill 'hours' from sending them under, a 127-year-old institution was saved. The Rothwells shelled out around £13million to buy the club, the stadium and the land. Already, as they attempt to rebuild, repair and restore their place in the EFL, they are in for £20m. On Sunday, around 22,000 will travel south. A group of fans have paid for the father of cult hero Mike Fondop to fly in from Cameroon. 'We've done £20,000 in the club shop today,' says Royle. 'The place is ready for lift-off. We said we want to do something which makes people say Oldham and not Manchester when they get asked where they are from and this is a big step.' The resurgence is not lost on manager Micky Mellon. 'It's a fanbase hungry for success and it's no wonder,' he explains. 'After what they've been through it's like a relief to see the fanbase still exists, that people are still bothered. You're talking 34 years since the last promotion, so anyone under 40 won't remember it. It's generational stuff. We are hoping this is the start but have a big job to do.' Oldham found form following a difficult second half of the season and upset York, who had finished 23 points above them, on their way to a first Wembley appearance since 1994. They start as marginal favourites against the Shrimpers. Southend, who departed the EFL in 2020, will be backed by around 24,000 — a figure that could have been substantially higher had it not been for a ticketing fiasco and a limit set due to the closure of Wembley Park Tube Station. Regardless, they too will enjoy a hard-earned day in the sun,following a takeover by Australian businessman Justin Rees. 'I have to give all credit to the players,' says modest Maher. 'Because of what they went through, they have such a strong bond. At times, when money was tight, they deferred their own payments to make sure others who needed it were sorted. 'There was a game at Maidenhead when I was in the office until 10 at night wondering if we could put a team out. Butplayers and staff stayed loyal. At the back of your mind you're thinking, "It's Southend". The size of the club — someone has to come in. Fortunately they did.' Maher, who had a stint at Oldham in his playing days, sees similarities between the promotion rivals. 'They are both what you would call proper clubs with big fanbases who've been through a lot and who deserve better, he explains. 'They shouldn't be here, but here we are.' Maher pauses, and then captures the mood of all those who will be present on Sunday, and no doubt beyond with his next comment: 'It's just a shame one of us has to lose.'
BBC News
16-05-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Southend United boss Kevin Maher on Essex club's tough few years
Southend United boss Kevin Maher was moved to tears as he recalled how the club nearly went Essex side was blighted by legal battles, transfer embargoes and docked points before a takeover deal was completed in one occasion, Maher said he had to drive the kit van home because he feared it would be repossessed, while another time, the club could not afford washing powder."You probably don't realise how close it was, we sailed close to the wind a number of times," the 48-year-old said. Maher, who made 454 appearances for Blues as a player, gave an emotional interview to BBC Essex Sport ahead of his testimonial match returned to Southend as head coach in October 2021, with the side in the National League for the first time in 101 years after back-to-back relegations."I remember the first few days at Boots and Laces [Southend's training ground] where I started to realise what had gone on," he said."The club had been suffering, and you could smell it around the place. You could smell the fear." Maher soon found himself battling an uphill task, with pressure intensifying about multi-million pound debts left unpaid by the club and then-chairman, Ron were then hit with a transfer embargo that lasted more than a year and were docked 10 points early into a turbulent 2023/24 league embargo and injuries meant Maher only had enough available players to name a single substitute for a game in December Gus Scott-Morriss was then forced to go in goal after keeper David Martin went off the club was unable to pay the wages of both players and staff, and the water at its training ground was turned was even talk of preparing a phoenix club to replace Southend should they fold."It's only when you're talking about it openly that you realise what became normal wasn't right," Maher said."For staff not getting paid - players not getting paid - that was really difficult."I remember getting phone calls, half 11 on a Sunday night, and you're talking to staff about the next day because the money's not coming." Maher disclosed how staff used buckets to capture water at Boots and Laces so they could wash items."I remember one day I had to drive away the kit van because it might've got repossessed," he head coach said the club's dire situation began to take a heavy toll on his family while he carried the despite other clubs offering to liberate him, Maher said it was loyalty to the players and staff that kept him in the Roots Hall dugout. 'It was tough' Becoming tearful, he said: "There's times where you're fed-up, you're going 'I can't do this anymore'."Whether you're tempted to move on or not, I don't know. There were one or two offers, but I didn't think it was right."You take things home with you and you put them to your family, it was tough."I'm grateful to have good family around me that dealt with that, because I probably wasn't a great person to be around sometimes. "You shouldn't be dealing with stuff, but you do because you care about people. It was always about the people."I feel a loyalty for staff who went through periods not getting paid. That's not just the football staff [but] the people at the ground who've done so much for the club." The weight was lifted after a consortium led by Australian businessman Justin Rees completed a takeover of the club in July followed Mr Martin's almost 25-year chairmanship, regarded by some fans as one of the most disastrous in modern is now fighting to take Blues back into the English Football League, having secured a play-off spot on the final day of the said the players and staff created an unbreakable "bond in adversity" during the club's darkest days and hoped it could inspire their triumphant added: "We always said adversity could be the building block of success if you do it right." Follow Essex news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
BBC News
01-05-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Southend report £2.65m losses for year to July 2024
Southend United have reported a pre-tax £2.65m loss for the 12 months to the end of July financial report, external covers the period which ended just 12 days after the Custodians of Southend United (Cosu) consortium bought the National League club from previous owner Ron states "the sale documentation provided for payments of up to £12m through companies in the control of Ron Martin's family".The loss was £100,000 down on the previous 12 months, but the club's annual turnover fell from £2.93m in 2023 to £ report also states that as part of the change in ownership, "intercompany loans totalling £19.4m were written off and these were taken directly to equity".The sale to Cosu, headed by Australian businessman Justin Rees, was finally completed nine months after Martin put the club up for incoming board decided the club should remain at Roots Hall, their home since 1955, despite it being "not fit for purpose in the modern era" and work is ongoing to upgrade the December, in an interview with BBC Essex, Rees said losses of "just under" £2m were anticipated in the 2024-25 financial added: "We're finding the right balance, structure versus flexibility."Getting the takeover done was particularly stressful, but we're in the position we want to be in now and we're doing a lot of work. Every day there is something going on - we're trying to propel the club forward and getting the club where we all think it should be."At the time, Southend were 14th in the table under boss Kevin Maher, but are now seventh before Monday's match at Gateshead.A draw or better will ensure they remain in the play-off places and in with a chance of regaining the English Football League (EFL) status they lost in 2021.
Yahoo
27-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Bluefield proposes sale of sanitary board to West Virginia American Water
bluefield — An ordinance authorizing the sale of Bluefield's wastewater collection and treatment system to West Virginia American Water company had its first reading Tuesday before the Bluefield Board of Directors. Mayor Ron Martin said during Tuesday's board meeting that West Virginia American Water had approached the city about purchasing its wastewater collection and treatment system. The board unanimously approved this first reading. 'West Virginia American Water approached the city of Bluefield and the Sanitary Board and made a proposal to talk about potentially selling it, and we've been in discussions for the last year and a half to get us to this point,' City Manager Cecil Marson said after the meeting. Marson said the city had a long way to go before any sale could be finalized. Before the board of directors can vote about accepting the proposal, there must be a public hearing, a second reading for the ordinance and approval from the Public Service Commission of West Virginia. 'We're still a long way before it's finally sold,' he said. 'It will probably be anywhere from eight to 12 months if we go that far, but there's still a long ways to go.' A public hearing about the West Virginia American Water sale is scheduled for Monday, April 7 at the Bluefield Arts Center in downtown Bluefield. The hearing will begin at 6 p.m. 'That's a good forum for all the folks to come and we encourage everyone to ask questions so they can fully understand why we're going down this path and what we've got set up to work on,' Marson said. Under the proposal, the city's current sewer rates will stay in place until Jan. 1, 2029. 'Well, I think it's the stable fees because the rates won't change for the next five years,' Marson said about the city's reasons for considering the water company's proposal. 'But really what the board's weighing is to keep up with our infrastructure. An example I would give you is the Midway Project that the Sanitary Board's done a phenomenal job with. That project's taken us eight years to get to the starting point right now. We have to bond, go through grants to get funding and right now with what West Virginia American Water's proposing we've got five major projects that are on our radar for them to get done in the next five years.' The Bluefield Sanitary Board has done 'phenomenal' work, but the city still has big infrastructure challenges which need to be addressed, Marson said. 'That actually factored into it, but I would say the sanitary board is a great organization that's done a really good job and I think it's strengthened our position really to have this discussion and do what we can for what's best for the citizens.' The Bluefield Sanitary Board is a joint board with representatives from both Bluefield, Va., and Bluefield, as well as an organization called the Bluefield Sanitary Board, Inc. that also involves representatives from Tazewell County, Va., Marson said. There have been discussions with these representatives as well as the water company. 'We've had numerous meetings,' Marson said. 'The shareholders are the city of Bluefield; but yes, we've had numerous discussions to get to this point.' 'It has to go through PSC first,' Marson said. 'Once that's been done, there will be a huge announcement that it's been sold.' Under the proposal, West Virginia American Water would finish the following capital projects which the Bluefield Board of Directors passed on July 9, 2024 at a project cost of $35 million with completion occurring no later than five years from the date of closing: • Midway Sewer Replacement Project • Nichols Road/Thompson Pump Station Project • Wintercreek Sewer Replacement Project conducted in tandem with the Town of Bluefield stormwater replacement project • Union Street Replacement Project conducted in tandem with the City of Bluefield stormwater replacement project • Completion of College Avenue Phase III Sewer Replacement Project connecting Phase I and Phase II capital line projects. The city would receive a payment through the agreement. 'And yes, if the deal does go through, it will be close to $19 million to $20 million for the city,' Marson said. Another part of the proposal calls for the water company to establish a regional wastewater operations center within Bluefield, city limits in a newly constructed or remodeled building with a new facade and at a location agreed upon by both parties. This new or remodeled building would need to be big enough for allow for 25 water company employees. Contact Greg Jordan at gjordan@
