SympatheticSaint
New Member
Hello Sky Blues.
First of all, as you might have guessed I am a loyal Saints Fan and I was at the game yesterday. This is not going to be a wind-up post, so please do carry on reading.
I first came to the Ricoh Stadium when we were last in the Championship, can't remember the exact year. We came by car and it was a Tuesday night game so didn't have much chance to explore the local environs etc. Yesterday I arrived in good time and had chance to mooch around a bit. There seems to exists a very poor reputation of your ground from other fans - of all clubs. The reputation is that it is miles away from any pubs and that it is 'soulless and boring'. I have to say that this reputation is wholly unwarranted. Sure, the stadium is not slap-bang next to the cathedral (which I love, by the way!) but it is only a 10 minute walk from the Longford road, and a pretty walk along the canal it is.
Inside the stadium, I was delighted and surprised to find a huge underground bar with a gazillion screens showing the Newcastle/Everton game. Free to get into and a pleasant mixing of City and Saints. (my only gripe was the lack of bar staff...). Now, I guess this is actually part of the casino? But never mind, it is a really good asset.
The stadium itself is truly awesome. The food/beverage facilities were good, seating fantastic (love the steep terraces) and the acoustics have got to be amongst the best in the whole country. The pitch, like St Mary's, was fantastic - you clearly have a quality groundsman. Don't ever allow egg-chasers on it!
Now, all of this you know. Nothing new to you. But I thought I'd mention as a matter of record against the negative reputation that seems to be out there about your ground. The most corrosive aspect of which is the incorrect assumption that the ground is actually on the moon and the nearest pub is a thousand light-years away. I had a nice brace of pints in the Longford Engine pub and a few more in the 'stadium bar'. How have you allowed this myth of location to grow such strong roots?
So, CCFC has exceptional facilities, is what I am saying. Even if not owned outright. A very similar position to Saints a couple of years ago. St Mary's is an excellent stadium too. We suffered because the club was run as a PLC - listed on the stock market - but primarily owned by 'three amigos' who were anything but friends. They soon fell out and the board room was a complete disaster. Manager after manager after manager. Player wages spiraling out of control for a bunch of journey-men. In fighting, bickering, briefing the media against each other etc etc. It was not an environment conducive to good football. The final straw came when we had to sell Andrew Surman to Wolves just to pay the wages. And then one of the directors had to dip into his own account to keep the turnstiles open. I'm sure you know the story. We ended up in administration and docked 10 points for the first season in division three (as I like to call it). However, it was by no means certain that we were even going to be around to take the 'golden share' from the league in order to open the doors for business on the first game of the season. It really was literally a matter of hours before the club was wound up. And don't forget, this all happened at the height of the 'credit crunch' when no one was investing in anything.
We had a dodgy 'investor' agree terms with the Administrator but unable to prove the funds were in place. This investor was later outed to be a complete Walter Mitty. The sadness was that he managed to convince Mat Le Tiss to be the new chairman. MLT is a God at Saints, but he did himself no favours on that one. Anyway, after the Administrator deduced that there was no money coming forward from the Walter Mitty he literally begun to put in place winding up orders. It was that close to seeing the Saints die completely.
And then, out of nowhere came our Saviour in the form of Swiss Billionaire Markus Liebherr and his lawyer-friend Nicola Cortese. Within 24 hours the club was bought, the debts paid off, the old directors and PLC gone for good and the club out of administration. Our version of this forum crashed repeatedly as fans just hit it with messages of over-flowing joy and relief. The 'golden share' was returned, Pardew appointed and we opened the turnstiles with -10 points but with no debt, rock-solid boardroom stability and a decent manager. From there, we have not looked back. We rebuilt the squad, invested heavily in the academy infrastructure, scouting networks and development etc. And we started playing the beautiful game beautifully. Attendance started increasing and peaked when we played West Ham at home with St Mary's largest ever crowd - a complete sell out. On a Tuesday night!
My message to our Sky Blue brothers and sisters in the footballing community is that good things really can come from administration. You have awesome facilities, a pedigree history and a solid fan base (albeit hibernating). Get rid of these corporate muppets, take the -10 points and have faith that someone - some INDIVIDUAL - will come along and be your saviour just as the late Herr Liebherr was for us. And if it comes to pass that you do play in division three next season, it is not the end of the world. It really isn't. It is still football, still entertaining and think of all those grounds which you haven't been to in yonks!
I genuinely feel for you. I even shed a tear for Pompey after the way they have been treated. Football is more than just share prices and hedge funds. Football clubs should NEVER be run by consortia or hedge funds. Clubs play an integral role in communities and as such should only be owned by benevolent individuals who truly have the long term prospects of the club at heart.
Good luck. I have no doubt that the next generation of Sky Blues will still have a club to follow in 20 years time, even if it is going to be a rocky road.
Yours,
A Sympathetic Saint.
First of all, as you might have guessed I am a loyal Saints Fan and I was at the game yesterday. This is not going to be a wind-up post, so please do carry on reading.
I first came to the Ricoh Stadium when we were last in the Championship, can't remember the exact year. We came by car and it was a Tuesday night game so didn't have much chance to explore the local environs etc. Yesterday I arrived in good time and had chance to mooch around a bit. There seems to exists a very poor reputation of your ground from other fans - of all clubs. The reputation is that it is miles away from any pubs and that it is 'soulless and boring'. I have to say that this reputation is wholly unwarranted. Sure, the stadium is not slap-bang next to the cathedral (which I love, by the way!) but it is only a 10 minute walk from the Longford road, and a pretty walk along the canal it is.
Inside the stadium, I was delighted and surprised to find a huge underground bar with a gazillion screens showing the Newcastle/Everton game. Free to get into and a pleasant mixing of City and Saints. (my only gripe was the lack of bar staff...). Now, I guess this is actually part of the casino? But never mind, it is a really good asset.
The stadium itself is truly awesome. The food/beverage facilities were good, seating fantastic (love the steep terraces) and the acoustics have got to be amongst the best in the whole country. The pitch, like St Mary's, was fantastic - you clearly have a quality groundsman. Don't ever allow egg-chasers on it!
Now, all of this you know. Nothing new to you. But I thought I'd mention as a matter of record against the negative reputation that seems to be out there about your ground. The most corrosive aspect of which is the incorrect assumption that the ground is actually on the moon and the nearest pub is a thousand light-years away. I had a nice brace of pints in the Longford Engine pub and a few more in the 'stadium bar'. How have you allowed this myth of location to grow such strong roots?
So, CCFC has exceptional facilities, is what I am saying. Even if not owned outright. A very similar position to Saints a couple of years ago. St Mary's is an excellent stadium too. We suffered because the club was run as a PLC - listed on the stock market - but primarily owned by 'three amigos' who were anything but friends. They soon fell out and the board room was a complete disaster. Manager after manager after manager. Player wages spiraling out of control for a bunch of journey-men. In fighting, bickering, briefing the media against each other etc etc. It was not an environment conducive to good football. The final straw came when we had to sell Andrew Surman to Wolves just to pay the wages. And then one of the directors had to dip into his own account to keep the turnstiles open. I'm sure you know the story. We ended up in administration and docked 10 points for the first season in division three (as I like to call it). However, it was by no means certain that we were even going to be around to take the 'golden share' from the league in order to open the doors for business on the first game of the season. It really was literally a matter of hours before the club was wound up. And don't forget, this all happened at the height of the 'credit crunch' when no one was investing in anything.
We had a dodgy 'investor' agree terms with the Administrator but unable to prove the funds were in place. This investor was later outed to be a complete Walter Mitty. The sadness was that he managed to convince Mat Le Tiss to be the new chairman. MLT is a God at Saints, but he did himself no favours on that one. Anyway, after the Administrator deduced that there was no money coming forward from the Walter Mitty he literally begun to put in place winding up orders. It was that close to seeing the Saints die completely.
And then, out of nowhere came our Saviour in the form of Swiss Billionaire Markus Liebherr and his lawyer-friend Nicola Cortese. Within 24 hours the club was bought, the debts paid off, the old directors and PLC gone for good and the club out of administration. Our version of this forum crashed repeatedly as fans just hit it with messages of over-flowing joy and relief. The 'golden share' was returned, Pardew appointed and we opened the turnstiles with -10 points but with no debt, rock-solid boardroom stability and a decent manager. From there, we have not looked back. We rebuilt the squad, invested heavily in the academy infrastructure, scouting networks and development etc. And we started playing the beautiful game beautifully. Attendance started increasing and peaked when we played West Ham at home with St Mary's largest ever crowd - a complete sell out. On a Tuesday night!
My message to our Sky Blue brothers and sisters in the footballing community is that good things really can come from administration. You have awesome facilities, a pedigree history and a solid fan base (albeit hibernating). Get rid of these corporate muppets, take the -10 points and have faith that someone - some INDIVIDUAL - will come along and be your saviour just as the late Herr Liebherr was for us. And if it comes to pass that you do play in division three next season, it is not the end of the world. It really isn't. It is still football, still entertaining and think of all those grounds which you haven't been to in yonks!
I genuinely feel for you. I even shed a tear for Pompey after the way they have been treated. Football is more than just share prices and hedge funds. Football clubs should NEVER be run by consortia or hedge funds. Clubs play an integral role in communities and as such should only be owned by benevolent individuals who truly have the long term prospects of the club at heart.
Good luck. I have no doubt that the next generation of Sky Blues will still have a club to follow in 20 years time, even if it is going to be a rocky road.
Yours,
A Sympathetic Saint.
