ECHOSPORT talks to former Southend United star Stan Collymore about his willingness to help the Shrimpers once again in their hour of need. 

You’ve always spoken of how fondly you feel towards Southend. Is that why you’re keen to help now with the club about to fall out of the Football League?

“From my perspective it’s as simple as I had six fantastic months there.

“When you compare that to other players who have been at a club for a decade or 15 years and someone like Ryan Mason who has been at Spurs for 20 years, there’s no comparison.

“But I’d like to think the way I played, the way I showed appreciation to Colin Murphy for signing me then to Barry Fry, Vic Jobson, John Adams and the supporters told a story.

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Popular - Stan Collymore scored 18 goals in 33 games for Blues in the 1992/93 season

“I always used to love getting out of my car at Roots Hall and at the end of the game coming out and having a chat with people.

“It felt to me what football should be like.

“Later on in my career I was shepherded away in a little pen.

“You’re told to drive out and not stop before thousands of fans start to gather.

“But at Southend there was an organic relationship.

“I’ve always looked out for Southend’s results, the highs of promotion, Wembley and Freddy Eastwood scoring against Manchester United and then the lows of this week.

“Every step of the way I’ve always said I’m here to help and I’m still here now.”

“Whether that’s putting contacts your way, investors or whatever.

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Keen to help - Stan Collymore would love to play a part in getting Blues back on track

“I said that to Ron back in the 2000s when I wasn’t touting myself to be manager, I just wanted to help the club.

“He was very generous.

“We had a chat and a coffee and off I went.

“I sat in front of the board as well and put a picture to them when it was about being the potential manager.

“Only a few years earlier there had been trials and tribulations in my life so I could fully understand the fans saying no, Stan is this, Stan is that.

“But every step of the way in the past 17 or 18 years whether it's going to an Q&A or three weeks ago sending a DM to the club after the Carlisle result to say please ask Ron to give me a call and have a chat, I’ve wanted to help.”

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In charge - Stan Collymore would love to speak to chairman Ron Martin

How do you feel you can help now with the club about to fall out of the League?

“Even if it’s just saying look Ron there are people I could call up at certain clubs and get you players whether on loan or whatever.

“I speak to clubs and associations on a weekly basis so I could help but I didn’t even get a reply from Southend.

“I get replies from clubs like Everton who will email me asking what I think about some of their community projects.

“In years gone by it’s been Villa or Liverpool so why wouldn’t Southend just say, thanks Stan, come down and have a coffee.

“We’ll get a few of the lads together and you can give us your thoughts on where we can go.

“We can all pool our ideas and if it’s a name or an investor, a scout, or an agent who can help Southend United on the pitch that’s all I’ve ever wanted to do.”

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Struggling - Blues are about to fall out of the Football League

What do you make of the current situation?

“Ron owns the club and I’m fully aware of the situation with the three sided ground, the flats and a return on the investment etc etc.

“Ron is a businessmen like any other owner.

“The difference we’ve seen in the last 48 hours and it tallies with what we’ve seen with the European Super League is that there’s an increasing feeling amongst fans that they can’t do anything.

“When I signed for Southend, I looked the other day, we had 2,500 there against Notts County.

“I remember seeing the Jobson out banners.

“Like a lot of people at the club would say, Ron probably does have the club at heart.

“Vic Jobson was a larger than life character who would say I want to do this and that but both men were very stubborn in opening their ears and eyes to be able to help them.

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Keeping tabs - Stan Collymore has continued to track Blues' fortunes

“From my perspective it’s no good me turning round and saying I’d like to offer this and this.

“I could say I’d put a consortium together to buy the club or come down once a week to talk for as long as Ron or the management want and put players and ideas to them.

“I don’t get involved in anything I don’t believe I will be successful in.

“I’m a 50 year-old guy and I don’t need to be chasing a Conference club around for anything.

“From my perspective, step one as far as I’m concerned is for Ron to open his door.

“Whether that’s to me or Steve Tilson it doesn’t matter.

“It needs to be people who care about the club, the Shrimpers Trust or the Save our Southend campaign.

“They need to sit around a table and say look Ron, what do you want?

“What are your aims and ambitions for yourself as a businessmen?

“What are your aims and ambitions for this football club?

“If his answer is I want to get this three sided ground done and get out then great.

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Hero - Stan Collymore remains a popular figure at Roots Hall

“Ron, could you give me a month, two months or six months to put something together and would you sell the club at a reasonable price.

“No I couldn’t he might say because it’s £40 million and no-one is going to pay that for Southend.

“OK, you’ve answered that question so lets park that.

“What do you want in the short term?

“I want to get us back to the Football League and some sort of stability, great.

“From an industry professional’s perspective who can call almost anyone in the game, I can help you with whatever you feel you need to get the club back into the Championship.

“I can add a voice, would you accept that?

“He either says yes or no.

“Beyond that, talking about consortiums is a waste of time unless Ron Martin can now sit down, take stock and say you know what we’ve had industry professionals in the club for the best part of 20 years, himself included and we are now in the Conference.

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International - Stan Collymore won three caps for England

“Maybe some other ideas, some fresh ideas, a fresh impetus and some passion are needed.

“Getting people in the club and in the town excited again is no bad thing.”

Do you still feel this is a club with real potential?

“If you drop a pin in Southend and draw a 50 mile circle around it you’re taking a large chunk of the east end of the capital and you’re talking about relatively affluent parts of Essex and the south-east.

“If the club had a vision and said OK we aren’t going to reach the stars and we aren’t going to try and be Brentford overnight.

“But if you look at Southend, there aren’t many clubs like that with a huge population base on its doorstep.

“It’s a very good, solid club that has been in the League for 100 years but obviously that’s now being threatened.

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“There is something there to build on.

“I look at lots of clubs and the Matthew Benhams and Gary Nevilles aren’t stupid.

“They see a lot of very poor owners who are happy to sit on an investment hoping somebody is going to come in and buy some land off them for a lot of money.

“Southend United could actually be a very successful community club.

“It could, like a Bournemouth or a Brentford punch way above its weight and some day down the line be self sustaining and get people from 40 miles away to come and watch quality football.

“I understand more than anyone that football can weather you.

“You can get to a point and say I’m just going to hold on and get a return on my investment.

“But if Ron wants to stay on and has a vision for the club why not bring people in and have both?

“Why not have a vision of the three sided stadium with flats and also want to do well on the football side?

“Why wouldn’t he open the doors to people who care about the club?

“I have no ulterior motive. I enjoy my life now as much as I have done in 20 years.

“I’m happy and stable and love life, it’s fantastic.

“But wanting to see Southend United do well has been something I’ve wanted since being carried off the pitch that day against Luton back in 93.

“That’s it, it’s nothing more than that.

“It’s not wanting money, credibility, kudos or a pat on the back.

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“It’s simply saying to Ron are you open to taking a left turn here and at least having the potential, the ideas and vision to get this club in a competitive position or do you want to get a few people together, have people scrawl on the Blue Boar pub saying RIP Southend and go away for the summer, regroup and play in the Conference for 20 years like Nottingham Forest in the Championship?

“It can happen in the blink of an eye and that cannot be acceptable for a club that has been in the Football League for so long.”