Coventry City owners invite council to talks over Sky Blues returning to Ricoh Arena (14 Viewers)

[Mr Creosote]

The stadium is only worth £7m to £11m depending on if the CCFC are there...

 

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[RoboCCFC90]

I say we just sette this with a game of peanuts, best out of three wins, Seppala vs Lucas, whoever wins sets the price for the Ricoh.

 

[thaiskyblue]

what game is peanuts ?, sisu 's value of the ricoh ?

 

[harvey098]

I never thought id say it but I don't even care if SISU own the Ricoh. Might be short-sighted to say that because it is probably not best for CCFC long term but Ive run out of patience, I just want to watch Coventry City in Coventry.

 

[RoboCCFC90]

what game is peanuts ?, sisu 's value of the ricoh ?

Unless anyone else has any better ideas? Maybe the TRUST!! Come on people wakey wakey!!!

Edit: I have just seen the Trust statement on the subject of the CCFC statement, impartial but is asking the Council to clarify, which is what I hoped for. Over to the Council.

 

[Moston]

Hmmmm - SISU getting desperate?

THEN: Ricoh = history/forget it.
NOW: Ricoh...er...can we talk?

Boycott is working.

Team doing brilliantly - financial fair play rules at present at Sixfields would struggle to maintain a Conference Prem side.

January window is on the horizon...the financial fair play rules may force their hands to sell a few of our best players, crowds diminish further - bigger do do - an ever decreasing circle.

Move back to Ricoh? - crowd problem solved, FFP - can keep players and everyone will love SISU - especially our shareholders.

 

[shy_tall_knight]

I never thought id say it but I don't even care if SISU own the Ricoh. Might be short-sighted to say that because it is probably not best for CCFC long term but Ive run out of patience, I just want to watch Coventry City in Coventry.

That is exactly the reason they moved the club to Northants, there is no new stadium its a commercial disadter but creating a feeling of desperation / embarrassment may allow SISU to get what they always wanted just cost a relegation and the loss of 1,000 of fans to get there.

 

[torchomatic]

Yeah, this one:

The Sky Blue Trust welcomes Joy Seppala's statement this morning that she is willing to talk about the future of the Ricoh with Cllr Ann Lucas. We have been campaigning for several months now for these talks to take place. It's time that a solution resulting in OUR football club returning to the Ricoh is reached.
Council leader Ann Lucas last week stated she was willing to do this and talked about a potential return by Christmas. Ms Seppala now says she is willing too.
We therefore now urge both sides to put aside any personal feelings and resentment and agree to talk without any pre-conditions at the very earliest opportunity. Nothing should be ruled in or out.
It has been abundantly clear for some time that supporters of Coventry City FC are tired and dismayed at the intransigence that has been shown by both sides in this saga. We therefore call on them to waste no further time on posturing and personal attacks and to devote every ounce of energy possible to getting OUR football club back where it belongs.

Unless anyone else has any better ideas? Maybe the TRUST!! Come on people wakey wakey!!!

Edit: I have just seen the Trust statement on the subject of the CCFC statement, impartial but is asking the Council to clarify, which is what I hoped for. Over to the Council.

 

[shmmeee]

You could flip that the other way round and say why not have a valuation on a business they haven't ruled out on selling?

Not having a go but genuinely don't understand this.

If I want to buy your house, but you aren't looking to sell (but you might with the right offer), what would you think if I knocked on your door one day and said "I fancy your house, get it valued and I might put a bid in"

I imagine you, like most people, would say "Why on earth should I do that?"

If you're saying the council should do it because of political pressure fair enough (though I don't think that's true) but in terms of common sense and logic i don't get it.

 

[RoboCCFC90]

Yeah, this one:

The Sky Blue Trust welcomes Joy Seppala's statement this morning that she is willing to talk about the future of the Ricoh with Cllr Ann Lucas. We have been campaigning for several months now for these talks to take place. It's time that a solution resulting in OUR football club returning to the Ricoh is reached.
Council leader Ann Lucas last week stated she was willing to do this and talked about a potential return by Christmas. Ms Seppala now says she is willing too.
We therefore now urge both sides to put aside any personal feelings and resentment and agree to talk without any pre-conditions at the very earliest opportunity. Nothing should be ruled in or out.
It has been abundantly clear for some time that supporters of Coventry City FC are tired and dismayed at the intransigence that has been shown by both sides in this saga. We therefore call on them to waste no further time on posturing and personal attacks and to devote every ounce of energy possible to getting OUR football club back where it belongs.

That's the one Torch, I must have missed it while crying in a corner, there also seems to be one from Get Cov Back To The Ricoh:

We welcome the club’s statement which appears to clarify its position over any Ricoh return.Ann Lucas should now say if the council is prepared to talk about stadium ownership with Sisu/Otium and, if so, on what terms.
We believe impending legal action should not prevent the council from speaking with the club, fans and taxpayers about bringing the club home.
We believe independent valuations of the Ricoh’s worth could help to settle a fair price. The club has said it is not prepared to return as tenants.
We are not pro-Sisu, but many fans believe the long-term future of the club lies in having a stake in the stadium whoever the club’s owners are - just as the council/ACL appear to accept in speaking with other would-be investors.
Our campaign, endorsed by the Sky Blue Trust, gives a voice to the thousands of people who want above all for Coventry City to return to the Ricoh Arena, regardless of who owns either.
It would be fantastic to see this exciting young Sky Blues team playing in front of large crowds at the Ricoh Arena - the club’s proper home.

 

[RoboCCFC90]

Not having a go but genuinely don't understand this.

If I want to buy your house, but you aren't looking to sell (but you might with the right offer), what would you think if I knocked on your door one day and said "I fancy your house, get it valued and I might put a bid in"

I imagine you, like most people, would say "Why on earth should I do that?"

If you're saying the council should do it because of political pressure fair enough (though I don't think that's true) but in terms of common sense and logic i don't get it.

Because CCC could use any price as an ultimatum, lets say they get a independent valuation and it comes back at £50,000,000 (For arguements sake) CCC could say to SISU, this is the price we are willing to sell either meet it or build your own stadium.

 

[shmmeee]

That's the one Torch, I must have missed it while crying in a corner, there also seems to be one from Get Cov Back To The Ricoh:

We welcome the club’s statement which appears to clarify its position over any Ricoh return.Ann Lucas should now say if the council is prepared to talk about stadium ownership with Sisu/Otium and, if so, on what terms.
We believe impending legal action should not prevent the council from speaking with the club, fans and taxpayers about bringing the club home.
We believe independent valuations of the Ricoh’s worth could help to settle a fair price. The club has said it is not prepared to return as tenants.
We are not pro-Sisu, but many fans believe the long-term future of the club lies in having a stake in the stadium whoever the club’s owners are - just as the council/ACL appear to accept in speaking with other would-be investors.
Our campaign, endorsed by the Sky Blue Trust, gives a voice to the thousands of people who want above all for Coventry City to return to the Ricoh Arena, regardless of who owns either.
It would be fantastic to see this exciting young Sky Blues team playing in front of large crowds at the Ricoh Arena - the club’s proper home.

Not sure about that one, seems awfully similar to the clubs statement in tone. And if you have to keep saying "we're not pro-Sisu"...

 

[shmmeee]

Because CCC could use any price as an ultimatum, lets say they get a independent valuation and it comes back at £50,000,000 (For arguements sake) CCC could say to SISU, this is the price we are willing to sell either meet it or build your own stadium.

Yes they could, we know Sisu did so it's not unprecedented. However why refuse to negotiate until the other side has done it. Why not offer to pay half or at least meet once to make sure there's a deal to be done. Why make it a condition of talks and refuse to do it yourself?

Edit: I'm talking in context of a club and council who both claim not to need the deal.

 

[torchomatic]

Their statement yesterday was also pretty good whereby they stated: We believe we can achieve this through negotiation, pragmatism and a professional approach. Being involved with or even running any protest group would be counter productive to this.

The problem with the old KCiC campaign was its amateurish lack of professionalism such as the Muppets banner, etc. That was never going to get anywhere. At least the Trust seem to understand that to get anywhere you have to conduct yourselves in a certain manner.

That's the one Torch, I must have missed it while crying in a corner,

 

[Astute]

They've both blabbed to the press in the past. Remember Lucas' "Woman to Woman" statement. How do you view that? Differently, I guess.

Would be better if your views stayed the same. You wanted her to offer Joy talks. And whenever she does you find fault with it. Yet never find fault with Joy only talking with people that have nothing to do with it. Will you find fault with Joy now if she don't try realistic talks?

 

[duffer]

Cllr Lucas has not so far confirmed that she will discuss a sale and does not appear to have commissioned an independent valuation to get the ball rolling

Why do the council need to commission an independent valuation? That would cost taxpayers money, and it seems unlikely that either side would respect each other's valuations in any case.

If SISU have got a figure in mind, then let them make an offer. They seem to like doing these negotiations in public, which I'm all for too, so make it public.

The council presumably know how much money they've got tied up in the Ricoh, and we've already got ballpark figures for how much a new, smaller ground will cost to build. If SISU's offer isn't within these kind of ranges, then there's probably not much to talk about. And until the JR is heard, which might impact any part of these negotiations anyway, it's hard to see how the two sides can talk about a deal.

 

[PIPSQUEEK]

how do you work that out it cost £117 million to build it in the first place !

 

[lewys33]

Why do the council need to commission an independent valuation? That would cost taxpayers money, and it seems unlikely that either side would respect each other's valuations in any case.

If SISU have got a figure in mind, then let them make an offer. They seem to like doing these negotiations in public, which I'm all for too, so make it public.

The council presumably know how much money they've got tied up in the Ricoh, and we've already got ballpark figures for how much a new, smaller ground will cost to build. If SISU's offer isn't within these kind of ranges, then there's probably not much to talk about. And until the JR is heard, which might impact any part of these negotiations anyway, it's hard to see how the two sides can talk about a deal.

how DARE you suggest that the two sides can't talk whilst 1 of them takes the other to court!!!!!!!!!!! How DARE you suggest that SISU have to make the offer!!!!!!!!!!

 

[RoboCCFC90]

Why do the council need to commission an independent valuation? That would cost taxpayers money, and it seems unlikely that either side would respect each other's valuations in any case.

If SISU have got a figure in mind, then let them make an offer. They seem to like doing these negotiations in public, which I'm all for too, so make it public.

The council presumably know how much money they've got tied up in the Ricoh, and we've already got ballpark figures for how much a new, smaller ground will cost to build. If SISU's offer isn't within these kind of ranges, then there's probably not much to talk about. And until the JR is heard, which might impact any part of these negotiations anyway, it's hard to see how the two sides can talk about a deal.

So SISU suggested it not just now but before to be a pain in the rear end?

 

[James Smith]

Fisher may have said that, but Seppala said they would talk regarding the Ricoh if they were able to purchase it, I prefer Seppala's word over Fisher's.

I'd really like to know if she made an offer (I think she did) in the ownership meeting in the summer and if so how much she offered for the freehold.

Oh and don't forget in the interview she said

Insisting the club’s survival depends on income streams from a stadium and land denied to it by the council,

Have you ever made a sensible offer for them, and if so what was it, at what price did the council deny it to you?

Ms Seppala continued: “Plan A is building a new stadium. There is something very exciting about building something that is a new beginning. It feels like the club is at a new beginning.

So Plan A is a new stadium although you're pushing plan B (or C or D etc?) quite hard with this statement

“The business side is operationally in a good place.

Is this "good place" Northampton? Why the sudden desire to return to Coventry if it's in a "good place", is it hurting financially to be in Sixfields more than you said in the interview and you're not happy with this? Are ACL doing better than you'd hoped?

“What’s exciting is being involved in the beginning to the end of building something like that, from purchasing land to planning permission to the designs for the stadium. Building it is exciting, different and new.

“Things have moved on since the Ricoh. The ability to expand (as the club grows) is exciting. We can start smaller and then build around it, whether or not it’s a multi-purpose sports stadium.

And now this statement today says that you're backtracking on this, have things moved on or haven't they?

 

[duffer]

So SISU suggested it not just now but before to be a pain in the rear end?

Well they don't have a particularly good history when it comes to negotiating in a straightforward way, do they?

The Higgs Trust claims to be out about £30 - £40k as the result of preparing Heads of Terms etc., for SISU's proposed acquisition of their 50% of ACL - costs that SISU said they'd meet and then backtracked on.

If the council came up with a valuation of £50m - £60m, or even higher, what do you think SISU would say?

And as above, how can a deal be struck until the JR is resolved in any case? The fastest way to stop the council 'hiding' behind the JR is surely to drop it.

 

[RoboCCFC90]

I'd really like to know if she made an offer (I think she did) in the ownership meeting in the summer and if so how much she offered for the freehold.

Oh and don't forget in the interview she said Have you ever made a sensible offer for them, and if so what was it, at what price did the council deny it to you?

So Plan A is a new stadium although you're pushing plan B (or C or D etc?) quite hard with this statement

Is this "good place" Northampton? Why the sudden desire to return to Coventry if it's in a "good place", is it hurting financially to be in Sixfields more than you said in the interview and you're not happy with this? Are ACL doing better than you'd hoped?

And now this statement today says that you're backtracking on this, have things moved on or haven't they?

Can't argue with none of that. I must say I even agree, but I wouldn't be surprised if building a new stadium was Plan B and acquiring the Ricoh was Plan A.

 

[RoboCCFC90]

Well they don't have a particularly good history when it comes to negotiating in a straightforward way, do they?

The Higgs Trust claims to be out about £30 - £40k as the result of preparing Heads of Terms etc., for SISU's proposed acquisition of their 50% of ACL - costs that SISU said they'd meet and then backtracked on.

If the council came up with a valuation of £50m - £60m, or even higher, what do you think SISU would say?

Agreed.

We don't even know that the figure could come up that high, that's why we need either one or two independent valuations to determine the right price. I would prefer two seperate valuations personally but it's not me CCC are dealing with. I think SISU should be assisiting but they would need information that the council hold to make any valuation accurate.

 

[wellerfan]

A misleading part of the statement to my mind is, that the club needs to own it's stadium.

If the owners buy the stadium the CLUB will not own it, and as many people on here have said they will still be as badly off.

As for running out of time, it may be that they are running out of people who believe that a new stadium will be built.A bit like a certain religious cult who used to publish dates for the end of the world.

 

[friendly_canary]

As a relative outsider I really dont know what to make of this statement.

It seems as though SISU want to return to Cov and that the Ricoh is their preferred destination because of financial and fan pressure (would take a few years to build a new stadium).

As has been noted it's not really fair to just expect the council to sell up yet the Ricoh is the only realistic place (in Cov) where City can play. Yet at the same time SISU/CCFC appears to want to own their own stadium which is fair enough...


Whatever the two parties want- just sit the Huck down- thrash out a deal and bring Cov back to Cov!

 

[dongonzalos]

Remove yourself from the Ricoh then ask for an independent valuation of it.

I hope the valuation is based on the value with a successful football team there.

 

[torchomatic]

They should do a valuation based on hosting car boot sales and Psychic Sally events. That would show 'em.

Remove yourself from the Ricoh then ask for an independent valuation of it.

I hope the valuation is based on the value with a successful football team there.

 

[James Smith]

As the council have used 14 million pounds of our money to prop up a failing business I think it's something that needs a judicial review but if she is honest about us getting back it should not stand in the way of any new negotiation we need action no more rhetoric

Well the judge who threw out the judicial review application the first time didn't agree and referenced the lack of rent payments as playing a key role.

 

[fernandopartridge]

Well the judge who threw out the judicial review application the first time didn't agree and referenced the lack of rent payments as playing a key role.

Would it be acceptible for a council to bail out a private company it didn't have a stake in who were under financial duress? (I am only asking the question - I accept the council's primary motive for the bail out was to protect a public investment)

 

[rodders]

Perhaps for the good of Coventry the city they represent and the failing business's in the area and a very good team which everyone seems to be forgetting at the moment

 

[James Smith]

Can't argue with none of that. I must say I even agree, but I wouldn't be surprised if building a new stadium was Plan B and acquiring the Ricoh was Plan A.

Thank you. Is it Tim rubbing off on Joy or vice versa as she's starting to sound like him although to be fair there aren't a lot of Joy statements to use for comparison.

What we need is some clarity from both sides:

SISU If plan A is the ricoh then say so or they'll do something else without us, remember Tim mentioning the L word started this all off. And please explain why you need the freehold.

CCC what price is it that you would consider selling your share of ACL for, and the same for the Freehold and will you make that public so we can all judge? And what did Joy offer in the summer?

 

[chiefdave]

Would it be acceptible for a council to bail out a private company it didn't have a stake in who were under financial duress? (I am only asking the question - I accept the council's primary motive for the bail out was to protect a public investment)

I suspect the answer to that must be yes. Down here in Pompey the local swimming pool, despite always being rammed, manages to lose around £1m per year. The facility is privately run but the losses covered by the council so from that I would guess that the council can do pretty much what they want so long as it's deemed to be to the benefit of the community.

 

[DazzleTommyDazzle]

They should do a valuation based on hosting car boot sales and Psychic Sally events. That would show 'em.

Have you got a bit of a thing about this Sally?

 

[torchomatic]

A bit of one.

Have you got a bit of a thing about this Sally?

 

[thaiskyblue]

Have you got a bit of a thing about this Sally?

she can wait.