One of the most drawn-out takeovers in football history was finally completed last week as the future of Southend United was finally secured.
The weekend was one of celebration for long-suffering Shrimpers fans as the COSU(Custodians Of Southend United) consortium led by Justin Rees were announced as the official new owners, ending the turbulent last few years under Ron Martin.
Despite having exchanged contracts in December 2023, Rees and his fellow consortium members had to be very patient in order to fully acquire the club whilst ploughing almost £4 million to keep it alive.
With the original deal for the sale of the club dependent upon Martin and the Southend City Council agreeing to a revised plan for the Fossets Farm development without a new football stadium, the new leader of the council decoupled that agreement for a stand-alone club sale. A £20 million payment is due from the development to the consortium for redeveloping Roots Hall.
The Shrimpers missed out on the playoffs by six points last season and without the ten points deducted for financial issues in August, they would have had a chance of a return to the EFL by finishing inside the top seven.
Hamstrung by an embargo this time last year, manager Kevin Maher was at times only able to field no more than two substitutes, with seven available to be selected from the beginning of this campaign. The ex-Shrimpers midfielder will now be aiming to get off to a strong start this time around.
Another transfer embargo earlier this summer did bring more frustration for the Essex side. Maher and his management team watched as targets moved on elsewhere, with the club unable to offer contracts to any potential new players.
After the green light was given just a few weeks ago, Maher moved quickly to sign Burton Albion striker Josh Walker, a player well known to his assistant Darren Currie and Head of Football John Still. More signings are likely to arrive before the season begins in three weeks’ time which will see the club start off in a better position than last year.
Maher will be confident his squad have the ability to compete for a minimum play-off finish and backing from the new owners should ensure they recruit, if needed, to give Southend the best possibility to get out of the National League. With Still pulling the strings behind the scenes, they have one of the best recruiters in the game and won’t shy away from bringing in the necessary players to achieve promotion.
Those dark times will not be forgotten by Southend United supporters who sold out Roots Hall more often than not and travelled in their numbers to support the club away from home.
Thoughts often turned to the possibility of having to reform as a new club at the very bottom of the pyramid, ending over 100 years of history in the blink of an eye. However, those thoughts, like many others through the season, are now banished and the only view now is looking forward to regaining a Football League place.
