Southend 6/1 to pay wages on time this month

It wasn't so much a case of Great Expectations as Bleak House.

Having been told to log onto the official web-site for a "special announcement" from 7am on Friday morning, fans were underwhelmed to discover that the odds of us being able to pay the players' wages this month were 6/1 (available with most bookies, 13/2 if you hunt around).

Still, you've got to give credit to the club for trying - because the banks clearly won't.