ANOTHER Southend United fan has his say.

I remember our relegation from League One in 2010.

It was a negative time and how the collapse from being comfortable in terms of results and playing squad in the first half of the season only for that to change during the second half is something I still don't know how we managed. But it happened. I remember the mystery during that summer avidly.

Obviously we consolidated under Paul Sturrock despite a shaky start over the course of his four years in charge and they were relatively successful days when looking at the transition the club had to do from the Tilson days.

It's crazy that prior to the first game of the 2010/11 season, only 17 players were registered to the club as like we saw last year, the club had been under a transfer embargo. Unlike in 2020, that embargo was removed just before the season started.

Whilst 2010 was no doubt bad, this has potential to be worse by a rather massive scale. The club's 100+ year stay in the Football League has ended and we are entering a new league that has changed from the clubs last time we were here. The National League wasn't even a thing over 100 years ago so that tells a lot.

With so many players out of contract, there is potential that we could see nine or 10 new faces in the starting lineup for our first game in August with five or seven new players on the bench.

But I for one hope that those who stay, are committed to the club and the cause of returning to the EFL and not for the payslip.

In all of this uncertainty, Ron is still no doubt focusing on building the new stadium that surely we don’t need anymore given our status and if it means moving the money set to be spent on that stadium that ensures the club can return to the Football League sooner than later, I'll take it.

The new stadium was meant to be held to host Championship and Premier League football given there was inspiration behind Swansea and Brighton etc having new stadiums and achieving that feat as a result but the only way we will be in those two leagues by 2030 is by having a miracle of a budget given to us.

Ron can't pull the stunts like he has in the National League or he will risk the club's survival for good.

As I know from watching a vast amount of National League football, its a league that you cannot overestimate.

Given there is a large number of sides who are desperate to reach the Football League. If we take one step backward, we better make sure we take two steps forward in return.

I hope I'm proved wrong and this alone is the wakeup call needed to restore some pride into our town but right now, there are no signs to show me otherwise that the rot will stop.

ANDY WILKINS