Police link missing man cases

Police are growing concerned about the where-abouts of missing Essex business- man Geoff King.

The Southend United Chief Executive has not been seen since he caused controversy earlier this month by undermining his manager and a player still under contract. He was expected to have commented on the departure of yet another player today, but was not available for comment.

Essex Police are linking his disappearance to that of Alex Revell's earlier this month and of Jimmy Walker who has been missing for months.

Police are looking into a suspected sighting of Walker in Hereford and think that Geoff King might now be locked in a cupboard instead of Walker. Anyone who knows of his whereabouts is advised to keep quiet for everyone's sake.

Did Prince Rajcomar run off Ron Martin's war-chest?

After a week of intense investigations, the Southend Afternoon Echo Sportsdesk is ready to exclusively spill the beans on the story behind why triallist Prince Rajcomar might have failed to turn up for a reserve team game against Northampton.

The trail began last week when the club's official web-site announced Prince in Trial to Become King. For once scooping rather than copying the Echo, the club web-site named Prince Rajcomar, a former Holland u21 international, in the starting XI to play Northampton Town Reserves at Roots Hall that afternoon.

However come game time, it was Blues youngster, Harry Crawford playing in his place. This set tongues wagging and sparked a Southend Afternoon Echo Sportdesk investigation that has produced some astounding findings.

• Prince Rajcomar's full name is "Prince Linval Reuben Mathilda Rajcomar".

• Prince Linval Reuben Mathilda Rajcomar is the type of exotic name used by Nigerian 419 scammers.

• 419 scammers are skilled at writing letters offering extravagant promises that are too good be to true, such as their client played for the Dutch u21 side.

• Southend chairman Ron Martin has experience of being an entirely innocent victim in a fraud case - remember that Gloucestershire Councillor when Chairman Ron was innocent but was arrested and questioned. This suggests that he might be easily duped. As does that Richie Foran transfer fee and contract.
  

• Sources (wikipedia, no less) suggest this is not the first time that Rajcomar has failed to turn up, following an incident when he failed to play at Carlisle due to "visa" problems. This pattern of unreliability is probably consistent with that of a 419 scam artist.

• "Sorry I got the wrong airport" is a particularly lame excuse.
  

All the above evidence leads the Southend Afternoon Echo to fear that Southend United may have fallen victim to an elaborate hoax. Did Ron Martin provide details of the club's bank account and non-existent overdraft? Has Prince Rajcomar siphoned off the infamous war-chest? Will this Rajcomar character ever be seen again? Will the war-chest ever be seen again? How exactly does one manage to turn up to the wrong airport? What has been stolen from a garden shed in Southchurch? [Ed - that's been answered it's lead story on page 4]

At the time of going to print, the Southend Afternoon Echo had been unable to receive reassurance that all this was made up nonsense, probably because we did bother to contact the club, who we are no longer speaking terms with, following an article which libelled Ron Martin's hair.

Walker to Hereford

Eddie Murphy look-a-like, James Walker has joined League two side Hereford United on a month's loan.

Geoff King was unavailable for comment.

Club Opens South Stand for Brighton

Southend United today announced that they will open the South Upper Stand for Saturday's League One clash at Brighton.

Explaining the move a club spokesman noted that although Southend is some 60 miles away from Brighton, it is actually closer to the pitch than the away end at the Withdean Stadium.

Whilst acknowledging the fact that the South Stand was pointing in the wrong direction meant it was not ideal, the spokesman emphasised:

• you'd actually get a roof;
• you don't have to buy a ticket in advance;
  
• you'd get a lie-in and would save on travel costs;
  
• not even Geoff King would dream of charging you £20 to see nothing; and
• you wouldn't have to put up with yet watching corner after corner failing to beat the first man.
  

A similar scheme for the West Stand was rejected over concerns that the pillars would restrict the view.

League in Southend Embargo

The Football League have controversially put on embargo on discussing whether Southend United are subject to a Chelsea-style transfer ban.

Rumours have been circulated on the internet from what have been described as "very reliable sources" [(c) every internet rumour ever] that due to financial reasons Southend will not be allowed to make any signings without League consent.

When pressed about whether these reports were in fact true, the Football League sensationally revealed that they would never confirm nor deny that a club was subject to a transfer embargo.

The rumours follow hot on the heels of Southend signing Roy O'Donovan on loan. Southend manager Steve "Tilly" Tilson turned to Irishman O'Donovan after triallist Prince Rajcomar failed to turn up to yesterday's reserve game after missing his flight.

Southend in big name signing?

Sources close to the club were last night refusing to be drawn on speculation linking the Essex Riviera club to a big name striker.

It is known that with only five defenders on the club's books, manager Steve "Tilly" Tilson is desperate to sign another striker to fire the League One club to promotion.

With Southend struggling for points, Dutch striker of Indian descent, Prince Linval Reuben Mathilda Rajcomar, is the latest to be linked. He could be worth an extra whopping 60 points in scrabble (excluding triple or double letter/word bonuses), which when combined with Alan McCormack's disciplinary points would make the Blues firm favourites to run away with the title this season.

It is expected that he'll play for the reserves this afternoon before we are told that he is no better than we already have.

Barnard in new injury scare?

Southend forward Lee Barnard is facing the possibility of yet another injury set-back following Friday night's disappointing goalless draw against Leeds.

The Blues' top-scorer managed to pick up the injury when he kicked himself after missing a penalty. Southend will be desperate that the striker, who is as delicate as my head was last Sunday morning, will be fit and available to face Brighton on Saturday.

McCormack "worth less than a kid who struggles for a game in our depleted reserves"

Michael Ng-who?, a sixteen year old nobody had ever heard of, has joined Liverpool for a reported fee of £250,000.

The deal is £50,000 more than was recently offered for first name on the team sheet Alan McCormack.

Echo Exclusive: Planning Permission Granted for New Stadium

The Southend Afternoon Echo can today exclusively reveal the exact same story that we posted a couple of months ago.

As there is no news (thefts from sheds are down) and we need to fill our pages, we were going to re-run a negative story, but thought that would appear churlish in light of our recent spat with Ron Martin.

So instead of rehashing a story that an access road still hadn't been sorted out yet (without mentioning the possibility of a compulsory purchase order) that would make it sound as if the whole new stadium project - and with it the future of Southend United - was under threat, we've instead decided to concentrate on the positives and remind everyone that planning permission has been granted. Hoorah!



Related links
26 June story
10 September story

Echo Exclusive: Local team set to win World Cup

Whilst most of the country celebrated England's stunning victory over Croatia in Friday night by going overboard in suggesting that England would now win the world cup, it was extra special for fans of one local (sic) team.

As everyone knows - because delusional W*** H** fans (Ed: tautology) keep on banging on about it in the hope that if they repeat it enough times it might become true - W*** H** "won" the World Cup in 1966 because Bobby Charlton, Alan Ball, Gordon Banks etc were crap and contributed nothing.

Now W*** H** look like repeating the trick of "winning the World Cup" for a second time because England happen to have qualified with W*** H** providing reserve keeper Rob Green and back-up centre-half Matthew Upson.

With the W*** H** academy having also provided the likes of Frank Lampard (only fulfilled his potential once he moved to Chelsea, despised by Hamsters for moving onto a bigger club); Jermaine Defoe (illegally poached from Charlton, reviled by Hamsters as a Judas); and the dozy defensive duo of Rio Ferdinand and Glenn Jonhson (who are liable to nod off at any moment, that is if Rio remembers to turn up in the first place) we are now set to have to put up with more of this bollocks about the academy of football.

The revelation that Fabio Capello's second cousin's aunt's dog once met the Krays, will only strengthen this link. One Hamster fan took time out of trying to disgrace English football through their riot with Millwall, to add "If Fabio's cousin once met the Krays that's good enough for me. It's well known that Ronnie was an Iron, so Fabio may be Italian, but he's one of us, innit."



Related news

W*** H** to sell World Cup?

W*** H** today confirmed that if they win the World Cup again, like they supposedly did in 1966, that they would sell it. A spokesman said it was in-line with their policy not to hold onto anything valuable, and that if you lived round here, you wouldn't keep anything valuable on you either.

The spokesman went onto dismiss suggestions that it would be difficult to sell without ownership papers, noting that not having the correct paperwork never stopped the Tevez transfer and that even if they got caught, the Premier League would let them off with a slap on the wrist again.

I'm a Shrimper through and through

Southend bagged their first win of the season last Friday, but Lee Barnard's hat-trick against our local rivals Leyton Orient was overshadowed by far more serious concerns.

I'm talking about the players' body language which suggested extreme concern over the finances at the club, the sort of concerns that might have been provoked by inflammatory pieces in the local newspaper by their intrepid sports reporter and that the club would categorise as irresponsible.

Chairman Ron responded scathingly about both the newspaper and me.

What I will say is that nobody is a bigger fan than me (well actually, that guy in the West Stand who sometimes takes his shirt off and dances is definitely bigger than me). I go to every Southend game home and away, that's how dedicated I am. I even go to the games that Paul Clark doesn't go to, that's why I sometimes do the radio commentary on BBC Essex. That makes me a bigger fan than Paul Clark and he played 300+ times for the club and always gave 100%.

This is my 20-somethingth season following the Shrimpers. I was here before Ron Martin and I'll be here after Ron Martin. Yes, that is a sly dig at Uncle Ron to suggest that I don't think he's here for the long term, whereas I'll be here even after I ditch the notepad - if there's still a club to support.

What is clear is that there are serious questions to be asked about the club's finances. And who could be better qualified to answer those serious questions than an uber-fan? Because if you need someone to guide you through the intricate world of business, finance and planning, someone who can tell if Ron Martin is fobbing you off with a bull**** answer or has a genuine point, you don't need business experience or qualifications, you need passion. I'll tell you this much: Ron Martin wouldn't sack me for a lack of passion in the eyes.

[Original article is here]