Southend United chief executive Peter Storrie's mammoth £120,000 a-year salary was the main topic of conversation at a Blues fans' forum last night.

Storrie, who endured calls for his head from the terraces during Southend's last league fixture at Plymouth Argyle on Saturday, was quizzed by supporters, along with chairman John Main, at the Third Division club's Shrimpers bar.

Supporters demanded to know how Blues could afford to pay Storrie such a high wage, when their club was losing in excess of £1million a season.

"When Southend First approached me for my services during the summer I told them they wouldn't be able to afford me," Storrie revealed.

"But Southend put together a package and brought me on board, which is still well short of what I was earning at my previous club West Ham."

However, the underfire Blues supremo, recently criticised for putting up admission prices at Roots Hall, believes he represents good value for money.

"My primary role at Southend is the day to day running of the business side of the club," said Storrie.

"This club hasn't been run as a proper business for years, which I've come in to change, as well as reduce our losses and get Southend United running at a profit again.

"It's a case of horses for courses and I bring with me 11-years experience of being a football club chief executive at the highest level, which I believe can only be of benefit to Southend."

Storrie also revealed that he has been talking to Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger and West Ham manager Harry Redknapp about possible players who could help Blues get out of the Third Division.

He confirmed that Southend had shown an interest in Hammers youngster Michael Carrick, which would now seem dead, as he is currently starring in midfield for First Division strugglers Swindon Town.

Southend chairman Main publicly backed his right-hand man at the meeting, attended by nearly 100 supporters, who asked a number of different questions.

"I was always excited about bringing someone of Peter Storrie's calibre to Southend because I believe he can help us achieve big things," said Main.

"I brought Peter to Roots Hall because I felt he was a man who could open a lot of doors for this club and maybe help us achieve success in two-years, rather than five.

"Peter has brought a wealth of commercial knowledge and experience to Southend and is a skilful entrepreneur, who is already trying to attract a major sponsor for next-year.

"He is being paid a lot of money and only time will tell if it is money well spent, but bringing Peter to Southend was an opportunity we didn't want to miss out on."

Other topics of conversation ranged from the desperate need for hot pies in the upper tier of the South Bank to the possibility of returning the sacred North Bank back to home fans.

Storrie also revealed that 25 per cent of the Shrimpers' season-ticket holders had handed the club £3,000 to invest in a new midfielder, after he had written to them pleading for a cash donation.

Converted for the new archive on 19 November 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.