Everyone's been feeling way too upbeat lately so let's bring you all down with some stuff about money, remember when we were in a financial mess, well guess what, we still are.
First, the accounts released for the year end July 2010 released late last month:
Total Turnover: £4,702,031 (2009 - £5,303,541)
Total Loss: £1,149,534 (£2,039,437)
Current Liabilities: £8,363,794 (£7,367,951)
Gate Receipts: £744,042 (£1,163,058)
Player Trading: £864,750 (£625,000)
Season Tickets: £947,660 (£1,045,374)
Bars & Catering: £90,215 (£334,658)
Staff Numbers: 106 (103)
Staff Costs: £3,377,787 (£3,974,878)
Amount owed to Parent Undertaking (SEL): £3,147,042 (£639,012)
Add in a few bob owed to club directors and, I suppose, it could be worse, well it was worse, but we want to look on the bright side, last season will see the players on contracts paying out far less than the 2009/10 vintage. (Not that we paid them every week anyway!)
Though EEB feels bad about the sharp drop in bar receipts
The club though soon remind us that they have an amazing knack of pissing Her Majesty's taxman off by releasing an official statement regarding not paying them on time.
Once again HMRC was issuing a threat to issue a winding-up order along with a penalty of £11,62387 for late payment as we were a day late with a £65k payment!
The usual 'not us guv' type statement from Roots Hall Towers has followed, but it's a shame that some of the feel good factor that Blues boss Paul Sturrock and his squad have been working on so hard to build up over the summer should get diluted as all this shite is resurrected.
Gardenman told www.echo-news.co.uk: 'The club is a shambles, pity the supporters who are looking forward to this season. Difficult to feel upbeat when something like this rears its ugly head again. No smoke without fire springs to mind.'
However, Nebs replied: 'Where is the problem? The club says it has already been paid. Surely a large local business such as Southend United, with great plans for the future of both the club and the town, would not give out misleading information on a matter as sensitive as this.'
Meanwhile, www.shrimperstrust.co.uk wrote: 'The Shrimpers Trust have noted the contents of the recently-issued SUFC Club Statement regarding payments made to HMRC. Although we are disappointed to see the club’s name mentioned alongside that of the non-payment of taxes, it does appear that HMRC have been overly officious in applying for a Winding-Up Petition. With the transfer of the funds made by the date stipulated and a clear dispute over the additional payment required, it is to be hoped that this action is dropped immediately.'
'Should this case be dropped, the Trust intend to formally complain to the Government over HMRC’s action and their reckless waste of public money.'
'With regards to the recently released Club accounts, in the current financial climate all football clubs are struggling. We have seen in recent months that Southend United have taken action to reduce their annual losses and, although in some cases this will be sad for the individuals involved, it has proven to be necessary to reduce costs.'
New CEO Tara Brady certainly has his work cut out, he told the Echo they were picking on us, the bastards, but at least in a couple of days time the action returns to the pitch with the opening league game against Hereford United at Roots Hall, still odds-on for the win last time we looked, and Bomber Harris will make his league debut as a Shrimper.
See, the smiles are returning to the faces as we write.
COME ON YOU BLUES!!!!!!!
It's all here folks: www.southendunited.co.uk
Don't panic!: www.southendunited-mad.co.uk
A financial maze: www.southendunited-mad.co.uk