Southend United owner Ron Martin admitted today he had discussed the possibility of a Roots Hall return with Peter Taylor.

The former caretaker England chief revealed last week he had met Martin to discuss a second stint as Shrimpers manager.

Rob Newman was in the Roots Hall hot seat at the time but the plan was for Taylor, now in charge at Third Division rivals Hull City, to take over with the ex-Norwich City defender demoted to number two.

But the proposed change last summer never took place and Newman, who had replaced David Webb as Blues boss in October 2001, held on to his job for another eight months, before eventually getting sacked in March.

"When David Webb discussed leaving the club with me, he recommended Peter Taylor as an excellent replacement," explained Martin. "He was a coach who David held in very high regard.

"I met with Peter on a number of occasions, but he decided to join Brighton who at the time were near the top of the Second Division and hoping to commence construction of a new stadium.

"Peter and I kept in touch and spoke a few times during the season, including last summer after he had left Brighton when the promises of a new stadium had not materialised.

"He was keen to join Southend and the possibility of Rob Newman working alongside him was discussed with other directors, but not at a formal board meeting.

"We concluded that Rob had not been given sufficient time to prove himself and thought it only fair and honourable to let him bring in his own players and take us through the following season."

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Published Monday, June 16, 2003

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