Page 20 - All at Sea Fanzine Issue 68

20 All At Sea Issue 68
Oa tale of two departures
UR glorious leader Uncle Ron was or an obituary.
enjoying some winter sun in the
Caribbean over Christmas, but checking his phone from the beach must have looked like watching Rome burn
from afar.
Performances on the pitch had, remarkably
after awful defeats at Rotherham, Doncaster and Bristol Rovers, plumbed new depths at Wimbledon to leave our so-called “promotion contenders” four points from the drop having played more games than several sides below. Meanwhile, he will have been less than impressed to learn of another trip to the magistrates’ court for a Southend player as Anthony Wordsworth appeared in the dock for assaulting a police o cer.
With the news that Nile Ranger was not ill after all for the Scunthorpe game, just late enough to miss the team coach, the bou anted supremo must have spent his entire long-haul ight back to the UK drafting media statements.
And indeed two appeared on the week of his return, thankfully devoid of bullet points and containing only a few erroneous capital letters. First, Ron moved to criticise Wordsworth for what he called “literally handbags at dawn” in the Echo.
24 hours later, enter the foreboding web headline of Club Statement above a picture of the sad corner ag which always means Something Bad has happened. The story within told of Nile Ranger’s sacking for consistent ill- discipline and poor timekeeping.
Few were surprised at the striker’s descent into ignominy following a promising rst few months and while there is regret at such a waste of talent, it was always going to be a much easier call to make given recent on-pitch performances. Some may have seen Nile as a sacri cial lamb, but really he’s been more like a cat whose ninth life has just ebbed away.
Nile’s lack of professionalism was unforgivable given his regular comments about changing his ways and grasping what was surely his last chance in professional football and sadly the chances are the next we’ll hear about him will be in a court report
Fans had taken Ranger to their hearts and everyone wanted to see him turn his life around. It hasn’t happened, and it’s the end of an enigma.
And Southend fans had just a day to process that departure before the long-running Ryan Leonard saga was sadly but sensibly concluded, the club nally accepting She eld United’s quite fair bid and allowing Lenny a chance at Championship football that he has richly deserved.
A starker contrast between Ranger and Leonard would be tough to imagine. Ranger had the world at his feet from an early age and pissed it up the wall. Leonard was released by his home-town club, and had to impress at a trial to win a deal at League Two Southend as a 19-year-old right-back in 2011. After starting o as an understudy to Sean Clohessy, his conversion into a mid elder by Paul Sturrock was a masterstroke and in the 250 plus games since, Leonard has never not given 100 per cent in a Southend shirt. A penny for the thoughts of such a dedicated professional when he watched Ranger wander into Boots and Laces late for the umpteenth time.
When you consider Leonard’s disappointment at missing out on a move in the summer, his outstanding attitude and performances this season have been particularly commendable. He has chipped in with four strikes in half a season to take him to 27 Southend United goals, a handful of which will be permanently seared in the memories of those fortunate enough to see them. A ner box-to-box mid elder simply cannot be found at this level.
While one man had every chance to earn his place in Southend United folklore, another has through hard work, six years’ dedication and no little talent, etched his name in the history books and a fond place in the hearts of all who watched him grow from that nervous 19-year-old into the best mid elder in the lower leagues. So good luck Lenny, we all hope you reach the very top. Good luck Nile, you’ll need it.
Jamie Forsyth @Jaimundo_ESX