Alan Curbishley on the Danny Baker Show (1 Viewer)

[GaryJones]

Dont know if anyone heard the Danny Baker show yesterday on BBC 5 live?
He had Alan Curbishley on as his guest and at one point Danny asked why he wasnt still in management and would he want back in.
"Oh yes definitely but I think people in charge have probably forgotten me" says Alan
"Why dont you get involved with a club like Coventry - a massive club - you could go in and turn it around and bring them up riding on a Golden Chariot - like a Phoenix from the ashes" says Danny
"Yes they are a Massive club - Massive - but Ive managed over 800 games in the Premier League & Championship and thats the level I would be interested in" says Alan

He was a fantastic guest and it just proved to me that we are not alone in thinking that Coventry could still be and are a potentially "Massive Club"

 

---

[Terry Gibson's perm]

So he will continue to be out of work then as nobody wants him at that level he is now a forgotten man.

 

[oscillatewildly]

Despite the continuing kind words of others, we are not "a massive club". The occasional reference just serves to massage our battered, diminished ego's. We are barely hanging on as a name.

 

[oldskyblue58]

we were a large club.............. never massive............. and by what definition are we even a medium sized club now? Seems the only definition is "potential" to attract a significant number of fans sometimes

 

[4waspsting]

Staines Massiff

 

[tisza]

hasn't been a manager for about 10 years.
completely deluded if he thinks he'll get back in at Championship level.

 

[Otis]

hasn't been a manager for about 10 years.
completely deluded if he thinks he'll get back in at Championship level.

Yeah. Too long out of the game. He would have to start at a much lower level.

 

[Paxman II]

we were a large club.............. never massive............. and by what definition are we even a medium sized club now? Seems the only definition is "potential" to attract a significant number of fans sometimes

Not this old line again! Lets be honest as football clubs go the bigger the support base the bigger the club, no matter what league you are in or the hard times befallen you.
Leeds are a truly massive club and Villa = both in the second tier. Sheff.Utd and Coventry are big clubs both in the 3rd tier. Crystal Palace and Burnley are smaller clubs both in the top tier. Then there's little old Bournemouth - what the hell are they doing in the top tier?
It's just perspective and has nothing to do with performances in the long term. Blackpool for example, small club but are now probably where they would be expected to reside. The hurt for Coventry is we are not expected to reside where we are now.

 

[Captain Dart]

Not this old line again! Lets be honest as football clubs go the bigger the support base the bigger the club, no matter what league you are in or the hard times befallen you.
Leeds are a truly massive club and Villa = both in the second tier. Sheff.Utd and Coventry are big clubs both in the 3rd tier. Crystal Palace and Burnley are smaller clubs both in the top tier. Then there's little old Bournemouth - what the hell are they doing in the top tier?
It's just perspective and has nothing to do with performances in the long term. Blackpool for example, small club but are now probably where they would be expected to reside. The hurt for Coventry is we are not expected to reside where we are now.

 

[oldskyblue58]

Awful lot of our "fan base" are saying they are walking away from regular attendance next season so what exactly is the size of our "fan base". The fan base fluctuates with the fortunes of the team it is not a fixed thing. Currently it is, and has been for some time, in steep decline. There is no guarantee it will recover.

As far as I can see our average attendance is currently 8th in League One and better than only Burton in the divisions above. That currently puts us 52nd out of 92 teams in the four divisions. Closely followed by Oxford Plymouth Luton and Bristol Rovers!

Little old Bournemouth are looking to have a bigger ground to accommodate the fan base they have because they cant get everyone in. Crystal Palace and Burnley average over 20,000 per game. Currently all three are bigger than CCFC by any measure that can be proven. All have more ground security, stability and a bigger pot to piss in

Sorry but what you put forward is expectation based on a CCFC fans view of history.

 

[ecky]

Dont know if anyone heard the Danny Baker show yesterday on BBC 5 live?
He had Alan Curbishley on as his guest and at one point Danny asked why he wasnt still in management and would he want back in.
"Oh yes definitely but I think people in charge have probably forgotten me" says Alan
"Why dont you get involved with a club like Coventry - a massive club - you could go in and turn it around and bring them up riding on a Golden Chariot - like a Phoenix from the ashes" says Danny
"Yes they are a Massive club - Massive - but Ive managed over 800 games in the Premier League & Championship and thats the level I would be interested in" says Alan

He was a fantastic guest and it just proved to me that we are not alone in thinking that Coventry could still be and are a potentially "Massive Club"

We all know that try telling our owners who have destroyed this club, have no ambition and do not value whatsoever the massive potential this club could have in the hands of the right owners

 

[Terry Gibson's perm]

Awful lot of our "fan base" are saying they are walking away from regular attendance next season so what exactly is the size of our "fan base". The fan base fluctuates with the fortunes of the team it is not a fixed thing. Currently it is, and has been for some time, in steep decline. There is no guarantee it will recover.

As far as I can see our average attendance is currently 8th in League One and better than only Burton in the divisions above. That currently puts us 52nd out of 92 teams in the four divisions. Closely followed by Oxford Plymouth Luton and Bristol Rovers!

Little old Bournemouth are looking to have a bigger ground to accommodate the fan base they have because they cant get everyone in. Crystal Palace and Burnley average over 20,000 per game. Currently all three are bigger than CCFC by any measure that can be proven. All have more ground security, stability and a bigger pot to piss in

Sorry but what you put forward is expectation based on a CCFC fans view of history.

But how many of these teams have owners who have zero interest and if they were in our position what crowds would they get.

We are a medium sized club that punched above its weight for years.

 

[Ranjit Bhurpa]

So he will continue to be out of work then as nobody wants him at that level he is now a forgotten man.

Heard this on the radio. Thought he was very dismissive when asked about the challenge that managing CCFC presents and moved very quickly onto his hopes for managing in the Premier League or Championship. Though after 8 years out of management, doesn't look like the offers at that level have been flooding in.

 

[Terry Gibson's perm]

Heard this on the radio. Thought he was very dismissive when asked about the challenge that managing CCFC presents and moved very quickly onto his hopes for managing in the Premier League or Championship. Though after 8 years out of management, doesn't look like the offers at that level have been flooding in.

He knows that he couldn't make a success of it with this lot in charge.

 

[Paxman II]

Awful lot of our "fan base" are saying they are walking away from regular attendance next season so what exactly is the size of our "fan base". The fan base fluctuates with the fortunes of the team it is not a fixed thing. Currently it is, and has been for some time, in steep decline. There is no guarantee it will recover.

As far as I can see our average attendance is currently 8th in League One and better than only Burton in the divisions above. That currently puts us 52nd out of 92 teams in the four divisions. Closely followed by Oxford Plymouth Luton and Bristol Rovers!

Little old Bournemouth are looking to have a bigger ground to accommodate the fan base they have because they cant get everyone in. Crystal Palace and Burnley average over 20,000 per game. Currently all three are bigger than CCFC by any measure that can be proven. All have more ground security, stability and a bigger pot to piss in

Sorry but what you put forward is expectation based on a CCFC fans view of history.

But I'm not focusing on attendance based on league position as the measuring stick.
Bournemouth want to move to accommodate 20k. Crystal Palace would be drawing fewer than us if we swapped places.
No its about the growth of towns and cities in our country and the working class support at the grass roots of the game, particularly in the industrial regions.
The measure of a clubs size is the potential or expectation of support, given success on the pitch bearing in mind the factors I just mentioned.
If CCFC were in the premiership we would be pushing hard on 30k regular crowds, something the likes of Bournemouth will never do.
I guess its all down to opinion to how you wish to measure a football clubs size by. In these more recent modern times why else would we and the country as a whole remain so horrified at what has happened to CCFC? Because on measure we are a bigger club than many that are enjoying better times than us, and it only goes to prove what an absolute shambles we have become. I feel sorry for anyone born in the last 15 years as they have not had the opportunity to discover anything but second rate at CCFC. There are others with sad stories, Leeds, Sheff.Wed and others still fighting to get back to the promise land but that does not diminish the size of their football clubs.

 

[Ranjit Bhurpa]

He knows that he couldn't make a success of it with this lot in charge.

For sure TGP, currently not a CV enhancer for any Manager with this rabble in charge.

 

[Ranjit Bhurpa]

But I'm not focusing on attendance based on league position as the measuring stick.
Bournemouth want to move to accommodate 20k. Crystal Palace would be drawing fewer than us if we swapped places.
No its about the growth of towns and cities in our country and the working class support at the grass roots of the game, particularly in the industrial regions.
The measure of a clubs size is the potential or expectation of support, given success on the pitch bearing in mind the factors I just mentioned.
If CCFC were in the premiership we would be pushing hard on 30k regular crowds, something the likes of Bournemouth will never do.
I guess its all down to opinion to how you wish to measure a football clubs size by. In these more recent modern times why else would we and the country as a whole remain so horrified at what has happened to CCFC? Because on measure we are a bigger club than many that are enjoying better times than us, and it only goes to prove what an absolute shambles we have become. I feel sorry for anyone born in the last 15 years as they have not had the opportunity to discover anything but second rate at CCFC. There are others with sad stories, Leeds, Sheff.Wed and others still fighting to get back to the promise land but that does not diminish the size of their football clubs.

If, if, if, if............
If my Auntie had balls she'd be my Uncle.
Potential is nothing if it can't be allowed to be realised.

 

[lifeskyblue]

Don't think curbishley will get back in the game at championship level but also don't see him as an option for us in l2. Too long out of the game for the former and never been in a lower league battle for the latter.
I would love to see a young untried manager who is intelligent and full of new ideas and not afraid to upset the establishment. Would need a couple years to bed in then move the club forward.
However under the current set up I can't see anyone being able to take ccfc forward. Any up and coming manager would be unable to use their ideas and skills.
The club needs a complete clear out....owners, manager, coaching staff and many players. We need that followed by stability even if that meant little progress for a couple years. That solid base would hopefully provide the platform for some limited success in the medium term.


PUSB

 

[oldskyblue58]

Just to be contrary if the argument to get to premiership holds then so too the reverse in achieving league 2. Doesn't matter if we are a big club in league 2 we will have lost fans, got smaller, damaged potential and increased the cost of recovery to fulfilling this big club potential, making it less likely we can.

As results, league position are hit then so too are the crowds, interest and potential especially when there is nowhere to call home and no structure. ...... The direction of travel of this club is downward and smaller, the ambition of premiership is a distant memory...... The potential as it stands under the current owners is for the foreseeable future to get smaller...... there is nothing to say new owners or the present ones can change that and the further we fall the harder the task.... that's the more likely reality isn't it and not the grandeur of exchanging places with supposedly inferior but achieving clubs.

Potential is useless unless it is harnessed and this club hasn't done that in nigh on 50 years. Even winning the FA cup and being in the top division saw no great potential harnessed. League position and averages of attendance are important because they are the building blocks or the wrecking ball of potential .... they can not be dismissed as an indication as to size. But then neither can earning potential, history, tradition and statistical facts

If we went out of business in league 2 there will be a few interested articles for a week or two but reality will be a fallen league 2 team going out of business. There will not be a great outcry across the nation. The reason I push these points is because I feel that some Ccfc fans need a reality check as to what and where we are. Saying we are big club actually doesn't help or address what we need to do... It hinders

So basically there is no measure of club size other than a person's opinion and bias. It's a pointless argument. I don't care how big we are, I care that we are still here

 

[Grendel]

But I'm not focusing on attendance based on league position as the measuring stick.
Bournemouth want to move to accommodate 20k. Crystal Palace would be drawing fewer than us if we swapped places.
No its about the growth of towns and cities in our country and the working class support at the grass roots of the game, particularly in the industrial regions.
The measure of a clubs size is the potential or expectation of support, given success on the pitch bearing in mind the factors I just mentioned.
If CCFC were in the premiership we would be pushing hard on 30k regular crowds, something the likes of Bournemouth will never do.
I guess its all down to opinion to how you wish to measure a football clubs size by. In these more recent modern times why else would we and the country as a whole remain so horrified at what has happened to CCFC? Because on measure we are a bigger club than many that are enjoying better times than us, and it only goes to prove what an absolute shambles we have become. I feel sorry for anyone born in the last 15 years as they have not had the opportunity to discover anything but second rate at CCFC. There are others with sad stories, Leeds, Sheff.Wed and others still fighting to get back to the promise land but that does not diminish the size of their football clubs.

If we played Bournmouth in the premier league and it was on a Monday night sky special we'd get nowhere near 30,000 - sub Bournmouth for Palace, Burnley, Watford etc.

 

[Paxman II]

Just to be contrary if the argument to get to premiership holds then so too the reverse in achieving league 2. Doesn't matter if we are a big club in league 2 we will have lost fans, got smaller, damaged potential and increased the cost of recovery to fulfilling this big club potential, making it less likely we can.

As results, league position are hit then so too are the crowds, interest and potential especially when there is nowhere to call home and no structure. ...... The direction of travel of this club is downward and smaller, the ambition of premiership is a distant memory...... The potential as it stands under the current owners is for the foreseeable future to get smaller...... there is nothing to say new owners or the present ones can change that and the further we fall the harder the task.... that's the more likely reality isn't it and not the grandeur of exchanging places with supposedly inferior but achieving clubs.

Potential is useless unless it is harnessed and this club hasn't done that in nigh on 50 years. Even winning the FA cup and being in the top division saw no great potential harnessed. League position and averages of attendance are important because they are the building blocks or the wrecking ball of potential .... they can not be dismissed as an indication as to size. But then neither can earning potential, history, tradition and statistical facts

If we went out of business in league 2 there will be a few interested articles for a week or two but reality will be a fallen league 2 team going out of business. There will not be a great outcry across the nation. The reason I push these points is because I feel that some Ccfc fans need a reality check as to what and where we are. Saying we are big club actually doesn't help or address what we need to do... It hinders

So basically there is no measure of club size other than a person's opinion and bias. It's a pointless argument. I don't care how big we are, I care that we are still here

I agree with almost all of that but you are preaching to the converted.
All of that though was not the question we were all answering.
As for harnessing the potential when in the top flight, I would disagree. Again you measure this by success? I think 30 years in the top flight is a measure of success. This is where we would be reaching limits of our potential while unable to compete with the likes of Man Utd.

 

[Paxman II]

If we played Bournmouth in the premier league and it was on a Monday night sky special we'd get nowhere near 30,000 - sub Bournmouth for Palace, Burnley, Watford etc.

That's probably right Grendel because many would stay home even though they may have a season ticket!

 

[Grendel]

Not this old line again! Lets be honest as football clubs go the bigger the support base the bigger the club, no matter what league you are in or the hard times befallen you.
Leeds are a truly massive club and Villa = both in the second tier. Sheff.Utd and Coventry are big clubs both in the 3rd tier. Crystal Palace and Burnley are smaller clubs both in the top tier. Then there's little old Bournemouth - what the hell are they doing in the top tier?
It's just perspectiveBlackpool for example, small club but are now probably where they would be expected to reside. The hurt for Coventry is we are not expected to reside where we are now.

Blackpool - yes tiny club. Have spent 6 years less than us in the top flight. Oh but have been runners up and had 4 top 6 finishes. Had 4 players in the England team at the same time as well.

When you mention Burnley is that the same Burnley that have been champions twice and European cup quarter finalists.

Palace? Third in the top flight in the 90's - all smaller than us of course.

 

[oldskyblue58]

Are we a potentially massive club? It would be nice to think we were . We could be potentially small club just as likely, but I would say on balance we have a greater potential for the foreseeable future to be a club that stagnated and simply struggles to achieve a low level existence. I simply do not see us as massive potentially or otherwise - massive in this instance, it's a typical football misuse of queens english

 

[fernandopartridge]

Are we a potentially massive club? It would be nice to think we were . We could be potentially small club just as likely, but I would say on balance we have a greater potential for the foreseeable future to be a club that stagnated and simply struggles to achieve a low level existence. I simply do not see us as massive potentially or otherwise - massive in this instance, it's a typical football misuse of queens english

I suppose massive could mean that there is the potential for massive growth in the current average gate but it's only because we'd be starting from an increasingly lower base. To fill the Ricoh we're looking at a 250-300% increase in average numbers through the gate!
As I continually point out, apart from a boom period from the 60s to late 70s we were a top flight club that drew average or below support at that level. We then became the same thing in the Championship and then have become same again in League 1.

 

[Paxman II]

Blackpool - yes tiny club. Have spent 6 years less than us in the top flight. Oh but have been runners up and had 4 top 6 finishes. Had 4 players in the England team at the same time as well.

When you mention Burnley is that the same Burnley that have been champions twice and European cup quarter finalists.

Palace? Third in the top flight in the 90's - all smaller than us of course.

Historic comparisons Grendel. I'm looking at the modern era which is far more relatable.
Using your analogy Britain would still be the most powerful nation on earth.
Most will understand where I'm coming from and not just want to pick holes in every comment.

 

[Paxman II]

Are we a potentially massive club? It would be nice to think we were . We could be potentially small club just as likely, but I would say on balance we have a greater potential for the foreseeable future to be a club that stagnated and simply struggles to achieve a low level existence. I simply do not see us as massive potentially or otherwise - massive in this instance, it's a typical football misuse of queens english

No never a 'masive club'. A bigger club than many for sure. I'd say we are a medium to bigger club similar to say Sheff.Wed. and underachieving massively. (that's a more appropriate use of the word massive on this topic!)

 

[Grendel]

Historic comparisons Grendel. I'm looking at the modern era which is far more relatable.
Using your analogy Britain would still be the most powerful nation on earth.
Most will understand where I'm coming from and not just want to pick holes in every comment.

What modern era is that? The time we escaped relegation 11 times in the top flight on the last day and always were in the worst quartile of support in that league.

When we used to attract sub 10,000 gates we were huge.

Oh and those three teams have all been in the premier league in the last 16 years - we haven't and have far less chance than any of those clubs in the next decade.

 

[Alan Dugdales Moustache]

If we played Bournmouth in the premier league and it was on a Monday night sky special we'd get nowhere near 30,000 - sub Bournmouth for Palace, Burnley, Watford etc.

That really depends on whether we've been hanging around the bottom for 10 years , which was generally the norm for us in the premier league. All three of those clubs have not been in the prem for that long. Their supporters are still feeding off the novelty of top flight football. Bournemouth is hard to gauge particularly. Palace have been comfortable until this season, so their season tickets are based on last season's form. As for Watford, are they really a bigger club than us ? I think if you put us in the premier league with different owners and a similar run of form over 5 years as these clubs then Palace are the only club that might run us close.

 

[Gazolba]

We're not a massive club any more and won't be again for a long, long, long time.

 

[stupot07]

We've never been a massive club.

Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk

 

[shmmeee]

I think when people talk about our potential as a big club it's about the population compared to the number of teams. We have to be the biggest one club city around and similar cities population wise support tens of thousands of regular fans. What we miss is the events that create long term fans: cup wins, promotions especially.

Looking at the last 30 years won't do anyone any good, IIRC (if anyone has source would love to know) the cities population was at its lowest just after the cup win and is forecast to keep growing over the next few decades. When you include surrounding areas like Warwickshire you've got to think the potential for reasonably well off fans is there.

What it'll take is someone being able to put out a successful team. As we stand that'll require either a long slog building the club up again or some money put in for "instant success". The one good thing about Sisu's mismanagement is we are a pretty blank slate for the latter.

I know as a city we are pessimistic fuckers bit objectively CCFC has all the elements to be a sustainable mid table Prem side if we could get there.

 

[Alan Dugdales Moustache]

We've never been a massive club.

Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk

That's right. We have the "potential" (as always) to attract a lot of supporters given the right investment in the club/team from an owner. When I think of "massive" we are not Sheffield United, punching below their weight for a long time now but attracting large crowds around 20,000 and more since being in this division.

 

[cloughie]

Blackpool - yes tiny club. Have spent 6 years less than us in the top flight. Oh but have been runners up and had 4 top 6 finishes. Had 4 players in the England team at the same time as well.

When you mention Burnley is that the same Burnley that have been champions twice and European cup quarter finalists.

Palace? Third in the top flight in the 90's - all smaller than us of course.

And Billy Wright is still England captain,...........yawn yawn yawn .you have spoken again

 

[Esoterica]

The only thing massive about us as a club is our over achievement in staying in the top flight for so long.