IT never rains but it pours for Southend United.

And that was quite literally the case at Tranmere Rovers on Saturday as the Shrimpers slipped to yet another dismal defeat.

As a result, Blues remain rooted to the foot of the League Two table without a single victory to their name this season.

And put simply, there has never been a more worrying or depressing time in the 114-year-old history of Blues, both on and off the pitch.

In fairness, Southend did start reasonably well at the weekend and certainly looked the stronger of the two sides in the opening exchanges at a wet Prenton Park.

But, even when territorially on top, the Shrimpers rarely looked like scoring and, once Tranmere boss Mike Jackson had altered things around following a double change on the half hour mark, the home-side were able to expose a familiar frailty, defending set pieces.

Salford broke the deadlock from a wide free-kick last Tuesday and Tranmere did the same on Saturday as the experienced Peter Clarke popped up to score a well-taken header against his former side.

After that, the outcome of the match was realistically never in doubt.

But, in the interest of fairness, the breaks did certainly not go Blues way either.

Two more penalty shouts were again waved away for the Shrimpers while Tranmere’s second, scored by James Vaughan, hit the back of the net after taking a huge deflection off of the unfortunate Timothee Dieng.

That perhaps sums up Southend’s fortunes right now.

But, in truth, Blues can have no complaints and they have played a part in their own downfall and demise.

Off the pitch, the Shrimpers have papered over the cracks for far too long, applying short-term solutions to long standings issues.

And it is now incredibly difficult to turn around as the club lacks the infrastructure and the solid platform from which a solid side and business can be built upon.

The list of errors could fill these pages alone but recruitment has been poor in the past few years, both with players and managers and too much money has been invested into the wrong people to leave the finances drastically unstable, even before coronavirus become an issue.

Most of the big earners have now departed but Blues are still trying to pick up the pieces and they have been left with a squad lacking the experience and quality, in both boxes, to be able to cut it in the Football League.

Chairman Ron Martin has been heavily criticised for his management of the club.

And he is now facing up to his biggest ever challenge at the football club.

It is not an exaggeration to suggest the Shrimpers are fighting for their future in the Football League and in general.

The club will be back in court this week but, addressing fans, Martin seemed to suggest the Shrimpers may not currently have the funds to pay off their outstanding debts to the HMRC.

And the seriousness of that situation cannot be emphasised enough.

Martin must be honest with fans about Blues’ future however perilous it may be and explain how things can get back on track because right now there appears to be no end to the all encompassing doom and gloom which makes following the club so hard.

The Shrimpers will desperately be hoping a financial package, due to Covid, from the game’s authorities can come to rescue this time around.

But the funds must be used wisely.

I have long called for a chief executive to be appointed and that is still of extreme importance in my opinion to ensure a close eye is kept on all departments while allowing Martin to concentrate on the finances.

Football wise, it is still too early to criticise Mark Molesley too much but the style of play has perhaps been a little bit too pretty at times and Blues must be able to vary their tactics.

Molesley will need time to turn things around as, after all, he is a manager not a magician.

But he could still have to pull out all the tricks to avoid a second successive relegation for the Shrimpers who must also hope they can avoid a disappearing act.