THE Save Our Southend supporters group have joined the Shrimpers Trust in condemning the running the club.

After back to back relegations, Blues now sit just above the National League drop zone on goal difference while also remaining in a transfer embargo.

And a statement from SOS has heavily criticised the Roots Hall hierarchy.

It reads: “Save Our Southend joins the Shrimpers Trust in expressing its exasperation at the situation our football club once again finds itself in, which is all the more frustrating given the excellent work that has been done to restructure the football department and to get it onto a footing for success.

“We believe that the people brought into the club have the ability and contacts on paper to begin slowly turning things around if they are supported, but it seems that the rug has been pulled out from underneath them.”

And the group were also angered by two club statements released last week.

They added: “The tone-deaf nature of the club’s subsequent statement confirming the embargo caused further irritation.

“The paragraph stating that players could still be signed whilst under an embargo was spin that a politician would be proud of, and we have no doubt that whoever wrote it knows full well that being permitted to sign a player does not automatically mean that SUFC is permitted to register him to play.

“Furthermore, the line stating that the chairman’s group companies funded the club throughout the pandemic came across as propagandist and delusional.

“If you cannot bankroll the football club without missing wage payments AND (not “or”) without failing to fulfil your tax and NI obligations in full and on time, then you are not a fit and proper owner.

“It really is that simple.”

And the SOS group are now seriously starting to believe a third relegation could be on the cards.

The statement said: “We didn’t think that the club could sink any lower, but here we are.

“Make no mistake, if this embargo is not lifted urgently then a further relegation to National League South is a real probability.

“There seems to be a stubborn denial from the club that serious damage has been caused to SUFC’s reputation in the game and that as long as the club is offering higher wages than the competition then targets will want to come here.

“That is not only delusional (again), but seriously concerning considering that the financial profligacy of the recent past is what has landed us in this mess.”

The club continue to stress the embargo will soon be lifted but the Save Our Southend group will continue to keep a close eye on how the situation unfolds.

They added: “Save Our Southend will see how things unfold, as noises from the club suggest confidence that the Time To Pay agreement can be finalised and the embargo lifted in days rather than weeks.

“We call on Ron Martin to get the situation sorted as soon as possible, so that the good people who have been brought in to arrest the club’s decline can be given the tools to do so ASAP.

“In the meantime, the SOS committee is supporting the peaceful protest and march before Tuesday 28th December’s home match against Barnet which has been organised and promoted by other fans.

“Whilst we were happy to agree to Stan Collymore’s request for a moratorium at the time and will continue to back the new management team, we cannot stand by and let the latest episode in this seemingly never-ending cycle go unchallenged.”