A Clean Slate? (22 Viewers)

[Nick]

Basing what on? Pure observation mate nothing more.

So you have observed they have posted in the last couple of weeks rather than months and have been reading threads? Course!

If it had worked it would have been good

 

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[Sky Blue Kid]

So you have observed they have posted in the last couple of weeks rather than months and have been reading threads? Course!

If it had worked it would have been good

Get a sense of humour Nick... Isn't that what some people say?
Moff saw what I was doing, chill out for Gods sake.

 

[Irish Sky Blue]

Yes, because fans haven't over and over again said the academy is the lifeblood either have they?

If the club starts up as AFC Coventry than I'd be done with football, everybody will be saying "Yeah I will be 100% behind it" until they realise they are playing Chasetown Away on a Tuesday night.

I also don't see the logic in when people are saying they want to kill the club off rather than rot away in leagues 1 or 2 that has been said, the ambition of a new team would be to reach the football league.

Everybody is saying they want an upward curve and success etc, doesn't everybody? Surely jumping off to go and support a different team who will win games week in week out in non league is not far off jumping off to go and support Leicester?

Which is the club that won the FA cup, MK Dons, AFC Wimbledon or neither of them? I think if you ask a fan from MK or from AFC they are more likely to say the current Wimbledon club. I even think that MK returned their trophies and memorabilia a couple of years ago. To my mind there is unbroken continuity from the old Plough Lane Wimbledon to the current AFC version. That is because the fans are the same (yes, new ones will have joined along the way but broadly the fan base is the same). A choice between no Sky Blues and new Sky Blues would be an easy one for me to make. Nine years is all it took for AFC to recover their league place. Arguably they are far stronger than they were before because of all that they have been through.

 

[Nick]

Get a sense of humour Nick... Isn't that what some people say?
Moff saw what I was doing, chill out for Gods sake.

It only works if the humour isn't on par with Miranda though..

 

[kapowaz]

Having someone come in with deep pockets would be nice. So would having someone on the board with connections to the city, who knows our club and it's history and who knows what it has been like for the past 15 years. However, even if the new owners still had to rely on money generated by the club itself I would not complain so long as everything that they did was honest, transparent and for the good of the club and that they communicate. Having a fan on the board would be good, maybe someone from the Trust or even someone elected by members and season ticket holders.

Having caught the tail end of the JH era, I think we need a board who would be dynamic, who would do everything to bring the club to the attention of the people of Coventry and Warwickshire for all the right reasons. Winning, entertaining football would help but so would ideas that would bring club and community together. We need to generate a lot more funds, something that Sisu seem to have no idea how do do or have completely given up on. A bigger turnover should produce a bigger profit to be ploughed back into the team.

You would think that with Sisu gone, all of the other players in our scenario would be a lot more sympathetic to our plight and would hopefully, go out of their way to help. Doors that are firmly shut at the moment would surely now be open. Initially a longer term deal with Wasps would be needed which would allow time to stabilise and recover from the last few years. We would need to look like a professional sports team again with a proper infrastructure, ticketing and phone system that works, a ticket office and shop at the stadium and a web site that is kept up to date.
On a personal note I would hope for an improvement in the match day experience Where home fans can sit behind both goals. Perhaps initially the upper tier could be closed so that only the bottom half is filled. Although the atmosphere was better last season with fans close together, the cynic in me says that Waggott closed the North Stand to save money rather than for atmospheric reasons. It is on issues like this that a new owner can get people on side, by canvassing views and acting upon them where possible.

I think there’s tons of potential for the future if we shake off SISU’s shackles, for much the same reasons you describe — the ill-will felt towards the club is considerable, and I’m sure it hurts it financially.

Something I’ve felt a nagging sense of whenever I’ve attended Coventry City matches (very infrequently these days) is this inescapable feeling that the club just isn’t doing much innovative to try and drive engagement with the fans, and that the club’s ‘brand’ is rather lacklustre.

Whenever you visit the US and see just how sports clubs are branded, and become part of the local culture and identity, you realise that there’s just so much more the club can do. One example of this that I really like is the Portland Timbers football club. Portland airport is somewhat infamous for having had a rather gaudy and weird looking teal green carpet, with geometric patterns — it’s a bit like the kind of thing you see on the upholstered seats of London underground. But it’s been embraced by the locals and turned into a weird kind of local icon, and so even though they don’t play in teal, there’s official merchandise (a rather attractive Adidas-branded scarf) for the football club that uses the pattern.

Coventry is genuinely a city with a rich and varied history, and so is replete with things like this. I’d love to see the brand of the club undergo some sort of renaissance; make the idea of supporting the club cool regardless of how well they do, and use this to build a fanbase and new generation of supporters. These are the people who will invest in the club in the years to come, so winning their hearts and minds is key.

 

[kapowaz]

A choice between no Sky Blues and new Sky Blues would be an easy one for me to make. Nine years is all it took for AFC to recover their league place. Arguably they are far stronger than they were before because of all that they have been through.

They’re so much more financially stable now, and may even soon own a stadium literally on Plough Lane, back where they started out. But the important thing for me is that Wimbledon fans consider it their club — it’s not like they all became Kingstonian fans or something. AFC Wimbledon is as much their club now as Wimbledon FC was back in the 90s. I would consider any rebooted Coventry City (assuming the existing club literally ceased to exist) to be the same entity as the one that exists today.

 

[fernandopartridge]

I liked the comment Stuart Pearce made on Talksport, "fans are the lifeblood" of the club.. correct, as opposed to that guy Les Reid that says the Academy is the lifeblood, someone missed the point there.

With that in mind, what's your view on those fans who believe that NOPM is for the good of the club?

 

[kapowaz]

With that in mind, what's your view on those fans who believe that NOPM is for the good of the club?

Can’t it be both? Ex-players like Pearce making comments like this aren’t saying that there’s only one thing that matters — clearly lots of different factors matter for a football club to be healthy, but I think the takeaway I have is that without a healthy fanbase, any club is going to suffer.

 

[Covstu]

We'll see how this goes down...

Anyway, the owners before SISU bear a very great responsibility for SISU being here. The asset stripping and leaving a club with no assets bar a training ground meant we were vulnerable only to the type of entity that values high risk for high return. With that having failed, and the infrastructure of the club even further depressed, then it's hard to argue that we're any more appealing now.

Also, with no assets we're stuck in a bind of ever decreasing circles. To my mind, oblivion is inevitable... be it next year or after false dawns, after a decade.

Also, the club now is Otium Entertainment Group, trading as Coventry City FC. It is not the Coventry City that existed for many years prior to that, it's a sleight of hand that calls it that.

With that in mind, and if bankruptcy is inevitable... shouldn't we welcome that when it comes, in order to get it over with quicker, and then begin the rebuilding from scratch? This is not to welcome bankruptcy btw, for the over-emotional. It's to accept that this is the path we're heading, and have been inevitably heading since McGinnity and Robinson began to sell off the family silver with no consideration of how to regain it. Chinese water torture, or lethal injection, as it were, are the choices I see. I'd head to Dignitas every time myself.

If there is a way out of bankruptcy, can somebody reassure me we have something more valuable than a league share, that overcomes the structure of the club? To my mind, the league share can be regained in time... although that's not to trivialise it, and not to accept that it might take the decade to regain.

However, better to start the recovery process now, than after more fading into oblivion, and more decline? At least now *some* care?

Or... am I being too negative about the inevitability of oblivion? Tell me why... give me a reason to suggest this can be turned around at some stage.

I think the acid test would be whether it 'felt' like our club and I doubt it would. AFC Wimbledon was the fans invention and they drove that which would be something I could support on that basis, Rangers being another example is the same club whether anyone likes it or not.
My support is waining at the moment, this might kill it off for me.

 

[jimmyhillsfanclub]

It'd be a no from me......I only go to the northern away games these days anyhow as I live in Liverpool......

....if I wanted to watch non-league football, I have ample choice a lot closer to home......but in all honestly, If City do go pop, I'd probably just go to goodison more often than the 3 or 4 games a season I currently do.

 

[Otis]

I think the acid test would be whether it 'felt' like our club and I doubt it would. AFC Wimbledon was the fans invention and they drove that which would be something I could support on that basis, Rangers being another example is the same club whether anyone likes it or not.
My support is waining at the moment, this might kill it off for me.

Be very interested to know how much the likes of AFC Wimbledon and FC Manchester fans have enjoyed their rise from the back of beyond.

I am pretty certain I would still go and support the new Coventry City. Winning every week and the positivity that goes with it must surely bring a lot of satisfaction.

If you are winning games and getting promoted year upon year that must bring about a tremendous feel good factor about the club.

It's all about the financial backing. If the backing is there then you should be successful.

 

[Nick]

There is also the assumption that any new club would be winning every week.

If I wanted to support a club that wasn't CCFC winning every week I am sure there are plenty to choose from surely?

People moan about lack of ambition, but then say how good it must be to be winning every week, but with the ambition to get to the football league. It doesn't make sense.

Why not just support cov Utd now then?

 

[Irish Sky Blue]

I think the acid test would be whether it 'felt' like our club and I doubt it would. AFC Wimbledon was the fans invention and they drove that which would be something I could support on that basis, Rangers being another example is the same club whether anyone likes it or not.
My support is waining at the moment, this might kill it off for me.

Why wouldn't our fans be the driving force? If we were liquidated I can only see the fans as being the ones to start a revival.

 

[Irish Sky Blue]

There is also the assumption that any new club would be winning every week.

If I wanted to support a club that wasn't CCFC winning every week I am sure there are plenty to choose from surely?

People moan about lack of ambition, but then say how good it must be to be winning every week, but with the ambition to get to the football league. It doesn't make sense.

Why not just support cov Utd now then?

Not our club. I watch Nuneaton sometimes and am pleased when they do well but don't really support them as they are not Coventry City.

 

[kapowaz]

Yeah, who else is going to start a new club? I can’t see any for-profit entity wanting to do this, what’d be the point? At least to begin with, the club’s sole purpose for existing would be to scratch a particular itch for fans.

 

[Otis]

There is also the assumption that any new club would be winning every week.

If I wanted to support a club that wasn't CCFC winning every week I am sure there are plenty to choose from surely?

People moan about lack of ambition, but then say how good it must be to be winning every week, but with the ambition to get to the football league. It doesn't make sense.

Why not just support cov Utd now then?

As has already been said, not our club.

A new AFC Coventry City would very much be our club and would feel like the same club, just at a much lower level.

Haven't spoken to Wimbledon fans, but I bet they all say AFC Wimbledon IS still the same Wimbledon club of yesteryear.

 

[Sky Blue Kid]

It only works if the humour isn't on par with Miranda though..

Give out the advice but can't take it.... "Tongue in cheek" Remember?

 

[Nick]

As has already been said, not our club.

A new AFC Coventry City would very much be our club and would feel like the same club, just at a much lower level.

Haven't spoken to Wimbledon fans, but I bet they all say AFC Wimbledon IS still the same Wimbledon club of yesteryear.

It wouldn't be Coventry city though would it? If it was then I'd agree with you. If it was afc Coventry it would be no different than cov utd or cov sphinx.

 

[Nick]

Give out the advice but can't take it.... "Tongue in cheek" Remember?

I can take it, I'm just pointing out it's not really funny. If it was id like it, like I do when it's funny

 

[Sky Blue Kid]

I can take it, I'm just pointing out it's not really funny. If it was id like it, like I do when it's funny

It's not funny because you say it isn't...ok.

 

[Nick]

It's not funny because you say it isn't...ok.

No, it's not funny because rfc has still been posting so it's not a co incidence.

If you said somebody like pwkh for example, you would have a point

 

[Irish Sky Blue]

It wouldn't be Coventry city though would it? If it was then I'd agree with you.

Why wouldn't it? It might have AFC in front of the name but that would be the only difference. Not the first or most radical name change in our history ( Singers FC to Coventry City). We would still play in sky blue, still have the sky blue song, still play in Coventry hopefully, still get beat when you think we are sure to win. More importantly we would still have the same fans and no Sisu.

 

[Nick]

Why wouldn't it? It might have AFC in front of the name but that would be the only difference. Not the first of most radical name change in our history ( Singers FC to Coventry City). We would still play in sky blue, still have the sky blue song, still play in Coventry hopefully, still get beat when you think we are sure to win. More importantly we would still have the same fans and no Sisu.

We could just go and watch sphinx and sing pusb surely?

It wouldn't be the same club as it wouldn't be the one I grew up with, it wouldn't be the one through generations of family.

There would be no 1987, no Jimmy hill...

 

[Sky Blue Kid]

It was funny as fook... Moff laughed anyway... Oh! and the words "Defensive much" comes to mind.

 

[Nick]

It was funny as fook... Moff laughed anyway.

Yes, as Miranda may be to some

 

[Brylowes]

There is also the assumption that any new club would be winning every week.

If I wanted to support a club that wasn't CCFC winning every week I am sure there are plenty to choose from surely?

People moan about lack of ambition, but then say how good it must be to be winning every week, but with the ambition to get to the football league. It doesn't make sense.

Why not just support cov Utd now then?

I think a lot might well start following Utd, once they move to the butts, the way
Things are playing out they could well be the biggest football club in the city in
The not too distant future.

 

[Nick]

I think a lot might well start following Utd, once they move to the butts, the way
Things are playing out they could well be the biggest football club in the city in
The not too distant future.

And fair play to them if they are, it just wouldn't be ccfc

 

[Sky Blue Kid]

You know what really makes me laugh though... You are all saying it wouldn't be Coventry City FC. We were f**king Singers FC first!

 

[Irish Sky Blue]

We could just go and watch sphinx and sing pusb surely?

It wouldn't be the same club as it wouldn't be the one I grew up with, it wouldn't be the one through generations of family.

There would be no 1987, no Jimmy hill...

I disagree. It's history would be the same. To all intents and purposes it would be the same club just like Wimbledon and Rangers as mentioned above. What would be different?

 

[Otis]

It wouldn't be Coventry city though would it? If it was then I'd agree with you. If it was afc Coventry it would be no different than cov utd or cov sphinx.

Don't get that logic, Nick I'm afraid. It would very much be our club and the same club.

Cov United and Cov Sphinx are clubs in their own right. A new Coventry City club would rise from the ashes of Coventry City FC. Quite a different proposition entirely, surely?

A new Coventry City would be a direct replacement for Coventry City FC.

 

[Nick]

Don't get that logic, Nick I'm afraid. It would very much be our club and the same club.

Cov United and Cov Sphinx are clubs in their own right. A new Coventry City club would rise from the ashes of Coventry City FC. Quite a different proposition entirely, surely?

A new Coventry City would be a direct replacement for Coventry City FC.

It wouldn't, it would be a new club. It wouldn't have the memories, the tradition.

If we had gone bust then cov utd would have been at the time.

 

[kapowaz]

It wouldn't, it would be a new club. It wouldn't have the memories, the tradition.

If we had gone bust then cov utd would have been at the time.

So what happens if CCFC ceases to exist at the end of this season? Do you just accept that they’re gone forever when a new club is formed in Coventry playing in sky blue?

 

[Nick]

So what happens if CCFC ceases to exist at the end of this season? Do you just accept that they’re gone forever when a new club is formed in Coventry playing in sky blue?

Then I'm done with football. The same as I don't support sphinx because they play in sky blue in Coventry.

If it was still the same club but then put into conference for example then I'd still support.

 

[Brylowes]

And fair play to them if they are, it just wouldn't be ccfc

No I agree Nick, as I've already said if CCFC go to the wall my interest would go with them, as you say it
Wouldn't be the same, all my memories, good and bad times with city are intertwined with family and
Growing up. I would watch football on TV and go too games occasionally, but as for actually following
A team, that would be firmly in the memory bank.

You know what really makes me laugh though... You are all saying it wouldn't be Coventry City FC. We were f**king Singers FC first!

Not in any of our lifetimes.

 

[hutch1972]

Yes, because fans haven't over and over again said the academy is the lifeblood either have they?

If the club starts up as AFC Coventry than I'd be done with football, everybody will be saying "Yeah I will be 100% behind it" until they realise they are playing Chasetown Away on a Tuesday night.

I also don't see the logic in when people are saying they want to kill the club off rather than rot away in leagues 1 or 2 that has been said, the ambition of a new team would be to reach the football league.

Everybody is saying they want an upward curve and success etc, doesn't everybody? Surely jumping off to go and support a different team who will win games week in week out in non league is not far off jumping off to go and support Leicester?

But Nick , is Chasetown away on a Tuesday night any different to say Bury or Rochdale. I go to see my team and my team only , personally I don't give two hoots to who the opposition are.
Anyone who goes purely to watch a game of football have a huge choice of prem and championship football within 50 mile of here.