New Stadium - The pessimist's view... (18 Viewers)

[It’sabatch87]

I just want to be back at Ricoh Arena.

Its a great stadium and I don't want to be anywhere else.

I miss the wheatsheaf,Drinking in town then taxi up too,Kind of used to that now!!

 

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[ccfcchris]

Before I get hammered with abuse, I just want to state that my sincere hope is that this has been well thought through and is a viable long term solution for us but I just wanted to put the alternative view out there.

I can't help but feel that this is a smokescreen for our inability to negotiate a deal to stay at the Ricoh. It really feels like this carrot is being dangled as a pre-cursor to an announcement that we will not be playing in Coventry for the forseeable. What has actually been announced today? 2 entities have announced that they are looking into a new ground for Coventry City at a determined site, it is nothing more than that. No planning permission, no accurate timescales, no clear source of funding. What we have is a paper thin promise.

If it doesn't come to fruition there are so many get out clauses for both parties and whilst we are playing outside of coventry it is something for SISU to fall back on to appease the fans. That means for potentially the next 5 years we'll be tenants in another clubs ground with: limited matchday revenue, no events revenue, limited F+B revenue, all whilst trying to compete in a league whereby the top clubs are paying player £50+k per week.

Remember the shortsightedness of our highfield road to ricoh move, we made an assumption that we'd still be a premier league club and the reality was that when we got relegated to div 1 and didn't bounce back, the model was unsustainable and the ricoh became a money pit. How are we mitigating the same thing happening again? We're looking into building a ground in 5 years time having only just got back into the championship, potentially taking on huge debts, with limited revenue all whilst facing the very real risk of not being able to compete in the championship (MR has stated our budget will already be the lowest)

Before everyone gets giddy we should face the real possibility that: this is all just a smokescreen for a short term announcement that we won't be playing in cov; that it impacts our revenue in a highly monetised league and it exposes us to huge financial risk when the reality is we could well be a L1 club again next year.

A lot of people being optimistic about the Uni putting their name to it here, again I can see why but let's look at their challenges 1/6 of Warwick Uni revenue comes from overseas students, in the wake and aftermath of a global pandemic it will be more difficult than ever to attract overseas students (particularly from th efar east where a large proportion come from) in addition there is no longevity in uni's keeping their fees the same whilst all teaching is being moved online, there is already uproar in the student population about this. They have to tell a story of positivity and investment. Investment attracts more investment and whilst there is the possibility of the ground go ahead they will see income from associated streams.

*** prepares for abuse ***

So to play devil's advocate would you have preferred no news at this stage?

 

[mr_monkey]

I just want to be back at Ricoh Arena.

Its a great stadium and I don't want to be anywhere else.

/Sarcasm (I hope)

 

[ccfcchris]

It's all over the national press. Would SISU really want all the negative press if all this is a smokescreen?

 

[Grendel]

Warwick has largely catered for most of the planned losses caused by Covid by pausing projects and spending and a voluntary redundancy scheme. A second wave or it never subsiding will obviously fuck things up for everyone but short of that it's not the alarm bells that may be sounding elsewhere.

Yeah there is a targeted VR scheme and targeted cost reductions on projects

 

[Deleted member 5849]

It's all over the national press. Would SISU really want all the negative press if all this is a smokescreen?

It's never bothered them before.

 

[ccfcchris]

It's never bothered them before.

I think they've moved on from those days but we'll see.

 

[WestEndAgro]

I am indeed skeptical it will ever get built at all, but also too in terms of , if it ever were to be go ahead, it will be a cheap, botch job, with far too many corners cut and it will be yet another thing for us to moan about.

So many people used to moan like hell about HR and it being cold and soulless and like a library, so would very much expect the same here too.

I don't think it will be built anyway. Talk is cheap.

The University doesn't do anything on the cheap

 

[WestEndAgro]

I am too mate, I just couldn't remember the details of last time hence why I asked. I must admit though the more I think about it the more I think we are at blues until the stadium is built

Next two seasons at Blues

 

[letsallsingtogether]

It's all over the national press. Would SISU really want all the negative press if all this is a smokescreen?

I remember it being all over the press when Bristol City were doing a partnership with their Uni.
What happened there?

Believe it when I see it, hope it happens only up the road for me.

 

[letsallsingtogether]

Next two seasons at Blues

Fuckin hope not bloody hate it there.

 

[Sky Blue Pete]

Next two seasons at Blues

Most likely now

 

[fernandopartridge]

Cov Uni have got £300m in the bank, they can probably absorb a bit of fall out from this as well tbh

 

[letsallsingtogether]

Cov Uni have got £300m in the bank, they can probably absorb a bit of fall out from this as well tbh

But they need to keep it safe 20% of their intake is Chinese and with the troubles they maybe banned from coming.

 

[Nick]

But they need to keep it safe 20% of their intake is Chinese and with the troubles they maybe banned from coming.

Is that their new way of keeping the population down

 

[letsallsingtogether]

Is that their new way of keeping the population down

No their governments way of putting sanctions on the UK.

 

[Johnnythespider]

Will it fill pint glasses up from the bottom, and can we have one stand with chequered black & white seats.

 

[shmmeee]

But they need to keep it safe 20% of their intake is Chinese and with the troubles they maybe banned from coming.

Got a source for that? It seemed to be mostly Arabic when I was there. Certainly nothing close to Warwick.

 

[shmmeee]

Just thought if they’d done this with Cov Uni instead we’d have a city centre ground

Sisu Out

 

[thekidfromstrettoncamp]

Where SISU are concerned i've always been a well known pessimist and much i would love to see this happen.The timing of this statement seems one of 3 things to put pressure on Wasps to do a deal or Wasps have said no deal if it's the latter say to the EFL look we are trying to get things in place . If we go back to S A i feel it will be a killer for us financually when crowds are back

 

[play_in_skyblue_stripes]

/Sarcasm (I hope)

No Sarcasm.
Its a great stadium, sadly team and dare I say fans have not made the most of it.

 

[ccfcway]

Next two seasons at Blues

that's us out of business then according to some on here

 

[mark82]

Next two seasons at Blues

I would think so. Nothing decided yet, there's still a chance but time is running out.

 

[mark82]

Got a source for that? It seemed to be mostly Arabic when I was there. Certainly nothing close to Warwick.

Don't know about the figures but there's definitely a large Chinese / South-East Asian contingent around the university. I can't see anyone being banned from coming here though.

 

[Nonleagueherewecome]

Don't know about the figures but there's definitely a large Chinese / South-East Asian contingent around the university. I can't see anyone being banned from coming here though.

Could happen-it's their government that may do it as a sanction:

British universities could face 'financial wipeout' if China bans its students from UK

The UK Government last week said mobile providers were banned from buying Huawei 5G equipment

inews.co.uk

Of course, they might not want to come anyway now as we're shit at social distancing and it's put them off, as reported last week:

Covid fears putting off Chinese students from UK

Universities fear loss of £4bn from Chinese students cancelling courses over UK's Covid-19 death toll.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[Mucca Mad Boys]

not necessarily, the possibility alone is enough for the uni to attract other sources of investment. They too will use the possibility of the stadium as a carrot to r+d investment and infrastructure investment

Ok, point taken. But, don’t you think investors will only part with their capital when solid plans are laid out?

The sceptical view of the statement is legitimate (of anything). After all, this announcement is only a statement of intent and nothing solid in place, yet.

The cynical view: this is a ruse to strengthen our negotiation stance. First, I agree that this does strengthen our negotiation stance. For too long, the RICOH has been the only viable home in Coventry in the long term.

Assuming this is the case, I don’t fully understand the end game. From your point of view, what’s their desired outcome; A medium term rent deal? The hope that the Wasps project fails and we acquire the RICOH by default? Or Wasps offer us a 50/50 share in the stadium? I’m interested in your point of view on this.

I just can’t see Wasps giving up their control of the stadium to any owner of CCFC.

 

[ms639]

So to play devil's advocate would you have preferred no news at this stage?

This isn’t playing devils advocate is just making a totally irrelevant point


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[aloisijohnnyaloisi]

No Sarcasm.
Its a great stadium, sadly team and dare I say fans have not made the most of it.

Personally I think the Ricoh is a soulless bowl with far too many seats that are too far away from the pitch. It’s never felt like home for me. I’d love to make a fresh start at a new stadium designed to create a great atmosphere, and without all the baggage and bad memories of the Ricoh.

If this goes ahead, I hope they learn from the mistakes at the Ricoh. I’d love it to be 2-tiers all the way round so we can just use the bottom tier if attendances fall (see MK Dons). Having all the fans on one side at the Ricoh makes for a poor atmosphere.

Love the idea of having one stand with the 2-tone cheques.

Appreciate there’s a long way to go for this to become a reality, but bloody hell I’m excited by the prospect of it!


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[Ring Of Steel]

Personally I think the Ricoh is a soulless bowl with far too many seats that are too far away from the pitch. It’s never felt like home for me. I’d love to make a fresh start at a new stadium designed to create a great atmosphere, and without all the baggage and bad memories of the Ricoh.

If this goes ahead, I hope they learn from the mistakes at the Ricoh. I’d love it to be 2-tiers all the way round so we can just use the bottom tier if attendances fall (see MK Dons). Having all the fans on one side at the Ricoh makes for a poor atmosphere.

Love the idea of having one stand with the 2-tone cheques.

Appreciate there’s a long way to go for this to become a reality, but bloody hell I’m excited by the prospect of it!


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Do you know how much a fully two tiered ground would cost? Plus you’re talking about much lower capacity, the two tiers would be tiny. Never in a million years is that going to happen.
Nothing too much wrong with the Ricoh apart from there has never been anything to cheer there, fans make atmospheres, not the stands. Be careful what you wish for, last time this was talked about Joy was on about building a replica of Shrewsbury’s ground, which is about as cheap and nasty as you could possibly get.

 

[aloisijohnnyaloisi]

Do you know how much a fully two tiered ground would cost? Plus you’re talking about much lower capacity, the two tiers would be tiny. Never in a million years is that going to happen.
Nothing too much wrong with the Ricoh apart from there has never been anything to cheer there, fans make atmospheres, not the stands. Be careful what you wish for, last time this was talked about Joy was on about building a replica of Shrewsbury’s ground, which is about as cheap and nasty as you could possibly get.

A quick Google tells me that MK Dons managed to do it on a £30m budget. Also their stadium is built for potential future expansion which is something we should do, just in case the Robbins juggernaut continues to the promised land.

Of course fans make the atmosphere, but stadiums can be designed to keep the noise in. The Ricoh was never designed to hold a good atmosphere, and having 2/3 of the seats empty every week obviously doesn’t help. The truth is we’re very rarely gonna have anywhere near a full house at the Ricoh, it’s much too big for us. A more compact ground with potential for expansion would be perfect.

Agree with your final point, would hate for it to be like Shrewsbury’s.


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[mr_monkey]

No Sarcasm.
Its a great stadium, sadly team and dare I say fans have not made the most of it.

Now I know you must be trolling, it's one of the most souless stadiums I've ever been in and has been since day one

 

[Ring Of Steel]

A quick Google tells me that MK Dons managed to do it on a £30m budget. Also their stadium is built for potential future expansion which is something we should do, just in case the Robbins juggernaut continues to the promised land.

Of course fans make the atmosphere, but stadiums can be designed to keep the noise in. The Ricoh was never designed to create a good atmosphere, and having 2/3 of the seats empty every week obviously doesn’t help. The truth is we’re very rarely gonna have anywhere near a full house at the Ricoh, it’s much too big for us. A more compact ground with potential for expansion would be perfect.

Agree with your final point, would hate for it to be like Shrewsbury’s.


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The Ricoh was specifically designed for atmosphere, we hired acoustics experts, Paul Fletcher was crowing about it at the time, that’s why the roof is higher than the other new grounds- Spurs did the same with their new ground. When full it beat the other new builds comfortably for noise.

The problem is that the Ricoh is a big occasion ground and we had no big occasion, only non stop garbage.

 

[Ring Of Steel]

Now I know you must be trolling, it's one of the most souless stadiums I've ever been in and has been since day one

nope- he’s right. How would you know about the atmosphere when there wasn’t a single successful season while playing there?

 

[mr_monkey]

nope- he’s right. How would you know about the atmosphere when there wasn’t a single successful season while playing there?

So the times we had massive crowds against Chelsea and other big teams and the place was as flat as a pancake, the ground has always been soulless and has never felt like home

 

[usskyblue]

I said it on GMK yearssss ago and I’ll say it again; The Ricoh is history. It was never home and it’s always looked like shite.

Over 23,000 when I was there and it was like a fucking morgue....

...and whoever ‘designed’ the west stand needs a floodlight up their arse. It looks like they ran out of seats so they filled it with leftover MDF