The £1.5 million rescue package put forward by Delancey Estates was conditional on two issues, said deputy chairman Colin Wagman yesterday (Tuesday).

The first was that John Main resign as chairman of Southend United.

The second was that Ron Martin, chairman of Martin Dawn plc, become a board member.

London-based Delancey, in partnership with Martin Dawn plc, will pump up to £1.5 million into United to clear its debts - just before the club faces a winding up order in the High Court - IF John Main resigns.

Delancey Estates and Martin Dawn plc are joint investors in a company called South Eastern Leisure Ltd, which is the major shareholder in United.

The deal was considered by the club's board of directors at a crisis meeting at Roots Hall on Monday afternoon.

Today (Wednesday) the Inland Revenue is due to go to the High Court to apply for a winding up order on the club over a £400,000 debt.

Mr Wagman said the deal had been worked out previously, but it was conditional on the resignation of Mr Main from the board and the installation of Mr Martin.

It will mean an immediate investment of £1 million in the club and up to £500,000 more over the coming season.

One director resigns, others remain philosophical

Southend United director John Bridge resigned from the Third Division club's board after learning of plans to replace current club chairman John Main.

Mr Bridge announced his decision to stand down after he emerged from an hour-long emergency Roots Hall board meeting at 3pm on Monday.

"I am very disappointed by this news and have decided to resign from the Southend board with immediate effect because of my support for John Main," said a clearly upset Mr Bridge.

Blues major shareholder Martin Dawn and joint venture partners Delancey Estates have put together a financial package to save the cash-strapped club, but Mr Bridge confirmed that Mr Main's own resignation was a crucial condition of the deal.

"John Main has been forced into a corner and things have been made very difficult for him," added Mr Bridge.

"But it's not cut and dry just yet and I am hopeful that he will hang on in there."

However, two of the club's other directors to leave the Roots Hall board meeting, Derek Wilshire and Michael Markscheffel, were a touch more philosophical about the situation. "I'm very sad that John's going," said Mr Marksheffel.

"But this club is in desperate need of money to survive"

And Mr Wilshire, who was invited on to the Southend board by Mr Main, added: "John has done so much for this club, but this seems to be the only way forward for Southend United."

Hugs for his staff

The rumours spread quickly through the crowd of fans standing outside the gate on Monday. They had only come to buy tickets for tonight's friendly home clash with Gillingham, but they knew something was wrong.

They stood patiently for more than half an hour waiting for the ticket office to re-open and occasionally peered over to the main reception.

The directors had gone into an emergency board meeting earlier in the afternoon and then at about 3pm all club staff were called to a meeting in the club's Far Post Bar to be told of the news that United had its necessary financial backing, but that chairman John Main may not be there much longer.

Then at 3.45pm Mr Main himself came out carrying a trophy and a picture or Winston Churchill taken from the wall in his office.

"We could do with him here," he said.

He walked, head bowed, to his black Jaguar parked in the chairman's space yards from the main reception and put his possessions on the back seat.

Then he turned and, fighting back tears, said: "That's it. I am absolutely devastated. I was going to work the rest of my working life for this club, but that seems all finished.

"I've always said and done what I believe was right for the club but I've upset the bosses and this is their way of getting back at me."

The he turned away wiping his face and hugged several crying colleagues before saying goodbye to them.

Most staff were too upset to talk but others said they had been told not to comment.

Bowing out? - John Main hugs staff as he leaves Roots Hall

Picture: ROBIN WOOSEY

'Being a nice guy doesn't pay bills'

John Main may have been popular with fans, players and staff at Southend United, but being popular doesn't pay the bills.

That was the verdict of Colin Wagman, deputy chairman of London firm Delancey Estates which is set to bail the Blues out of almost certain financial ruin.

He said: "Performance on the pitch last season was appalling and performance off the pitch was not very good either.

"Being popular is all very well, but you have to do things that move the club forward. Being nice to the fans is good, but it's not good if the club no longer exists."

Delancey Estates and Martin Dawn plc are joint investors in a company called South Eastern Leisure Ltd which is the major shareholder in United.

Asked whose decision it was to insist that Mr Main resign as a condition of the funding, Mr Wagman would only say: "It would not be appropriate to say, but it was not Ron Martin and it was not the club."

He added that the two men did not get on.

He said: "The club needs Ron Martin. I know they did not get on, but it wasn't personal. I just don't think they saw eye to eye on business.

"You can't have two people like that on the same board and the fact is Ron Martin has brought in the money. John is a really great guy, but if he is not going to get on with the guy feeding him, it's not going to work is it?"

Mr Wagman conceded that Mr Main was extremely popular with fans, but said he hoped they would remember the future of the club was at stake.

He said: "John Main is very popular, but at the end of the day the finances of the club have not moved forward in the past year. It's nice to be likeable, but you have to take things forward.

"I would hope that saving the club should mean they (fans, staff and players) feel really good about the prospects. John would not have secured the funding on his own. This funding has come about because of Ron Martin."

Asked if he felt Mr Martin would receive a warm welcome from fans and staff, he said: "He is certainly capable. All the supporters of Southend should be grateful for his efforts. He should be as popular as a result of this.

"It's not a matter of us losing faith. The chairman of the club has got to have the ability to bring in the finances. John Main has been terrific and I don't want to decry what he has done for the club."

By James Taylor

Reporter's e-mail: james.taylor@notes.newsquest.co.uk

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