Some say "all sides need bringing to account for the mess we are in". These include Coventry City Council, SISU, Higgs Trust, Wasps, previous club directors/directors, the Football League, I think thats all of them!
Personally I think there are only three of those that actually matter at this moment. SISU, Wasps and the FL. The rest are irrelevant as they can't make a difference any more. The rest of those that are responsible are either retired, have left office or are dead.
Rightly or wrongly the Council sold the stadium that they and other partners built for Coventry City to a nomadic Rugby Club. Yes they own the freehold to the Ricoh but that is a side note really given the long lease. Any land that SISU could build this mythical stadium on within the city of Coventry is either not suitable or earmarked for housing. They no longer have any part to play and almost all of those that had a significant involvement before or during the decision to sell the Ricoh fall into the categories I've listed above.
Do they share some of the blame? Yes.
Is going after them right at this moment going to make any difference? No.
If we did go after them as a fanbase/city what punishments could actually be handed down to them given their current status? None of any note.
The Higgs Trust I feel have been dragged into this mess when they didn't really want to be a part of it in the first place. They only got involved due to the incompetence of the former owners and were only involved in recent years due to the stubbornness and shoddy ownership of the current owners.
Do they share some of the blame? No
Is going after them right at this moment going to make any difference? No.
If we did go after them as a fanbase/city what punishments could actually be handed down to them given their current status? None of any note.
Previous owners/directors of our club such as Pointon, Richardson, McGinnity and Robinson are a major reason why we are where we are. At some point some of their hearts may have been in the right place and may have even lost a few quid along the way but between them they sowed the seeds that SISU are harvesting now. From the transfers and the money made from them to the sale of our home along with the complete balls up of timescales and management during that sale, it was incompetence of the highest level. Also a special mention has to go to some of those that have been here in the SISU years such as Clouting, Igwe, Brody, Delieu & Labovitch. They're all culpable. They made poor decision after poor decision and we'd be in a far better place if they were never involved. However all of the above are now in one of the three categories I listed above.
Do they share some of the blame? Yes.
Is going after them right at this moment going to make any difference? No.
If we did go after them as a fanbase/city what punishments could actually be handed down to them given their current status? None of any note.
The current owners/directors, SISU, Joy, Dermot and Tim are the main reason why we are where we are. They took us to Northampton. They had 7 years to buy the Ricoh but didn't. They had 8 years to secure the academies future but didn't. They've got us relegated to the third tier and not looks likely we'll drop even further in the immediate future. They did ok for a year or so putting an adequate team on the pitch. Maybe that was luck rather than judgement or more likely down to having people involved that knew how to run a football club. Soon enough though it all went tits when up the people who knew what they were doing left and the individuals listed under the "previous directors" jumped on board one by one and found the nearest iceberg to head towards.
Do they share some of the blame? Yes.
Is going after them right at this moment going to make any difference? Yes.
If we did go after them as a fanbase/city what punishments could actually be handed down to them given their current status? To be forced to sell (whether this is a punishment or a favour to them it is up for debate)
To give Wasps credit they saw an opportunity to better themselves, achieved it and have done their best to bed into the community. Whether they were right or wrong to do so is up for debate. I can not stand franchising, the likes of Red Bull are in my opinion the only thing worse than the likes of SISU, Oyston, Cellino, Roland, Allam, Venkys, etc. Rugby Union clubs do have a history of moving around every so often. It's different to football. Does that make it right? I'll leave it there! Let's deal with facts not opinion. They own (or hold a very long lease on) our stadium and soon the current site of our academy. They do hold a lot of the cards. The pressure should be on them from our fans to help keep our club in our city and it's academy at the same level it is at now. Ultimately it's for them to decide if they want to deal with SISU. Would you? However it's fair to say that the club will be here long after SISU in some form so they need to be reminded of that. Not every owner is like SISU.
Do they share some of the blame? Yes.
Is going after them right at this moment going to make any difference? Yes.
If we did go after them as a fanbase/city what punishments could actually be handed down to them given their current status? Punishments is probably the wrong word here. They need to keep/get the population of Coventry and the surrounding areas in favour. purposely forcing out the football club supported by that population is never going to end well.
The Football League are not only responsible for allowing SISU to buy our club TWICE but also for allowing the likes of Oyston, Cellino, Roland, Allam, Venkys, etc to take over various other famous old football clubs that all deserve much better. This is much bigger than Coventry City. It's relevant for each and every club in the country whether they are current or prospective members of this old boys club. They need to grow a spine and put in proper regulations to not only prevent unfit owners in the first place but also permanently remove clubs from the control of unfit owners.
Do they share some of the blame? Yes.
Is going after them right at this moment going to make any difference? Yes.
If we did go after them as a fanbase/city what punishments could actually be handed down to them given their current status? Again punishments is probably the wrong word. Pressure on MPs to force change does seem to be having a positive effect. It remains to be seen whether it makes any difference.
