Southend fan group hopeful for Shrimpers progress

The Echo spoke to Southend fan group All At Sea fanzine to get a better understanding of what fans views are of the club at the moment.

The group saw last season a topsy turvy one, which saw the club become quite inconsistent in terms of their form on the pitch.

Liam Ager from All At Sea fanzine told The Echo: "Typical Southend United season in that the entire thing was feast or famine.

Southend were inconsistent last season in the National League

"Not content with being a common or garden yo-yo club we're now looking at ways to include a relegation battle and a promotion push in the same season.

"In all honesty considering the previous three seasons all saw us demoted I was just pleased for us to avoid regional football next year."

There are currently proposals for the club to build a brand new state of the art ground. However, Ager believes that fans are still "sceptical"of the project due to the amount of factors that have to be considered with the work needed.

In progress - The club are hopeful on building the new ground

Ager said: "All Shrimpers are so sceptical of the project that until diggers are there and Ron has a photo with a spade in his hand it's hard to see it ever actually happening.

"It's a complicated project with multiple investors, councils, architectural designs, phases and occupants but even by the standards of building in this country the pace has been glacial.

"We don't need a spaceship with a brewery or a cheese room in it but it might be nice to queue for a beer at half-time without wondering if the roof is going to collapse"

Look ahead to next season Ager hopes that the new management team of Kevin Maher and co can continue efforts to reinvigorate the squad and push for more positive results on the pitch.

He said: "The new management team have made a concerted effort to bring in younger, dynamic players while getting rid of the old wood and poor signings of other recent managers.

"If we can get five or six players in key positions in that mould then we should be able to play on the front foot from the off next year."

"We have to be looking at top-half as a bare minimum and, recruitment depending, a playoff place has to be the main aim.

"Wrexham should have the league sewn up with the budget to improve on an already excellent squad so best of the rest is what we can hope for, I think."

The change of manager to Maher from Phil Brown has brought its hope to fans and has improved the owners standing with the club's faithful.

Ager said: "For three years we were the worst club in England. Certainly, on the pitch and it's only the cowboy owners of Derby, Fylde, Charlton et al. that spared Ron Martin's blushes.

"Maher's appointment last season and the subsequent uptick in form was the first positive change since Chris Powell's appointment.

"Hopefully it's an indication of class, not form."