Southend boss urges patience over ground upgrades

Southend United chairman Justin Rees has urged fans to be patient while he plots work to improve the club's stadium.

Improvements to the west stand at Roots Hall would be prioritised, as would fixing a leaky roof and broken drainage, Mr Rees said.

A consortium led by the Australian IT millionaire completed a lengthy takeover of the National League side in May 2024, after it came close to extinction.

"The scale of the rebuild is comprehensive and across all departments and therefore it's never going to be quick," Mr Rees said.

He suggested "significant upgrades" were needed at the back of the west stand, but insisted a lot of the work would not be visible to supporters.

"There's always a lot of hidden infrastructure before you do the cosmetic things that you might see, like new bars, beer walls and all those sorts of fun things," Mr Rees said.

"We'd like to do that this summer. We've got plans we're working up at the moment [and] we need to get planning approval."

The chairman was speaking to former Blues midfielder Glenn Pennyfather on BBC Essex's Fan's Football Phone-In on Friday.

Further improvements were also planned in the north stand.

Mr Rees said: "We're so proud of the north bank and the atmosphere it brings.

"But there's one tiny little bar for those thousand people to get a non-draft beer in which, as a football fan, upsets me - and as a beer fan upsets me."

His consortium, Custodians of Southend United, acquired the club nine months after it was put up for sale by Ron Martin.

Mr Martin's 25-year chairmanship was regarded by some fans as one of the most disastrous in modern football.

"It is not hyperbole to say that we inherited the club in the lowest juncture in its history," Mr Rees said.

He admitted progress off the pitch had been slower than he would have liked, but promised work was ongoing.

Mr Rees continued: "We want the fans to be patient but we want them to know we're a little impatient.

"We are as desperate as anyone to do things like renovate the stadium, develop the training ground further etcetera.

"That is the key to a having longer term, more sustainable budget for the football department - which is ultimately what we all want."

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