Press release (21 Viewers)

[Gosford Green]

Statement Released


Who are we?

We are a group of lifelong Coventry City supporters who are frustrated and angry at the tragic demise of OUR football club.
Who we are is not important. We are merely fans who love the Sky Blues and are not prepared to put up with this downward spiral anymore.
We have spoken to and taken soundings from a huge number of City fans and know the vast majority feel the same. It is time to take action !

Why are we protesting?

In 7 years we have seen nothing but failed plans and promises from our club owners SISU. Here are some of the key points as to why we feel the need to protest.

Continued lack of investment in the playing squad
No attempt to prevent relegation into League one
2 Administration's and consequent point deductions
Repeated Transfer embargoes
Losing out on the Ricoh due to SISU's failed tactics
The unforgiveable act of tearing the club from its community and dragging it to Northampton to ground share at Sixfields against virtually all CCFC fans wishes.

Repeated failure to meet deadlines and promises that the club made themselves regarding land deals for this new ground
Considering plans to build a new ground to be built outside of Coventry - if it is not in Coventry then we are not interested. It's called Coventry City for a good reason.
Re-mortgaging of the training ground.
The sale of our best players for millions and replacing them with freebies and loan players.

The list goes on and on !
What does the Protest entail?

The protest will take place on Monday January 12th at the Ricoh Arena during the Coventry City v Swindon Town match.

We want this protest to be a strong, clear ,unequivocal but peaceful protest for the full 90 minutes of play but also a very loud statement from our passionate fans to say we are not standing for this anymore. We refuse to be treated like fools !

We are not moving to a new ground outside of Coventry so if they are your plans then put us up for SALE now and GO. If you have no plans for a new stadium as recent information obtained seems to indicate then why are you still here ?

The Protest will be focused around blocks 15 to 16 towards the scoreboard to generate a stronger and louder protest but we would encourage all fans in whatever part of the stadium to get involved !

On 7th minute (7 years of SISU) hold up GO signs

On 57th minute (12 mins 1 min for each month(12) gone by since we were promised imminent details of a new land deal ) hold up GO signs

And In between let's make our voices be heard loud and clear and let's be vocal like we always are !

We urge and welcome as many people as possible to bring their own personal banners and messages as well as we want to get as many messages across as possible to be pictured in the media

If you are NOPM or a season ticket holder we urge each and every one of you to join forces and unite for this one protest towards SISU so as to maximise the effect and send a clear defiant message to our owners.

 

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[Nick]

Could we not all turn up, get behind the team and create an atmosphere like Gillingham and show SISU would they could have? Even if they don't go its been a great atmosphere and hopefully pushed the team on to win.

This whole "do this on this minute" really is a bit random, isn't it? It will be even harder to do if they aren't showing the time on the scoreboard like the last game....

Do you find it ironic that so many people going on about this protest and saying if it is outside of the coventry boundary they aren't interested but now support Wasps? The message is that you won't support CCFC if they are moved to say Bermuda but support Wasps, is that not a bit floored?

What is the actual aim of the protest?

 

[jimmyhillsfanclub]

........sigh

 

[lamtara2006]

Red Card For Sisu!

 

[rupert_bear]

From small acorns large oak tree grow.

 

[jimmyhillsfanclub]

From small acorns large oak tree grow.

...but more often than not, they just get mixed in with the rest of the shite coming out of the squirrel....






...see what I did there??

 

[SkyBlue_Bear83]

Other than an outlet to vent our anger what will this achieve? Will SISU see the protest and think blimey we better leave now.

Also can we not keep any protest to either before or after the match and support the team for the 90 minutes?

 

[Nick]

Also, if it is by the scoreboard and in that corner then it will be underneath the TV cameras?

You would be better off taking over block 2 is it? Not the corporate but over that side and doing it there where people can see surely?

No doubt Ill get loads of abuse off some newly christened Wasps fans for saying that, just using common sense.

 

[pusbccfc]

Glad somethings being done once again. It's been a while since any reasonable protest.

I'll be singing loud and proud for the team and against SISU.

 

[Nick]

Serious question though, what happens if there is no time / clock on the scoreboard like the last game? Won't it make it a nightmare?

 

[Gosford Green]

If Coventry City Leaves Coventry then its not Coventry City.

Wasps are no longer London Wasps, no I do not have any interest in them as I am not really a rugby fan and personally I wish they never had set eyes on the Ricoh.

Though I am a bit jealous, if SISU 7 years ago had acted the way their owners have we might not be a mid table league 1 team.

 

[RFC]

Could we not all turn up, get behind the team and create an atmosphere like Gillingham and show SISU would they could have? Even if they don't go its been a great atmosphere and hopefully pushed the team on to win.

This whole "do this on this minute" really is a bit random, isn't it?

Do you find it ironic that so many people going on about this protest and saying if it is outside of the coventry boundary they aren't interested but now support Wasps?

What is the actual aim of the protest?

I'm totally apalled by the negativity that surrounds my football club and the obsession regarding our owners.

What we need is to build on the momentum and try and lift the manager and his staff and the players to greater heights, more consistency and success in the future regardless of the recent history.

Positivity just for s change instead of knocking and criticising everything involved with Coventry City!

 

[Nick]

If Coventry City Leaves Coventry then its not Coventry City.

Wasps are no longer London Wasps, no I do not have any interest in them as I am not really a rugby fan and personally I wish they had set eyes on the Ricoh.

Though I am a bit jealous, if SISU 7 years ago had acted the way their owners have we might not be a mid table league 1 team.

So if Coventry City changes their name, then moves it will be ok?

So you are jealous they haven't moved us 70 odd miles to somewhere with a bigger potential fanbase? It is so dangerous when people make stupid statements like that without really knowing what they are talking about and being so vocal, very dangerous.

Having a few hundred people who now support Wasps protesting about Coventry moving outside of Coventry sort of loses credibility a bit doesn't it? Sort of like me going to a "anti meat" protest eating a big mac. (if you can call that meat)

Could fans not just be encouraged to come down and get behind the team to show SISU what they could have every week if they didn't fuck about? It might drive the players on to get a good win as well. The message could be making a point that people are there for the 11 blokes on the pitch and not the owners.

 

[wingy]

...but more often than not, they just get mixed in with the rest of the shite coming out of the squirrel....






...see what I did there??

Or Free range Hogs.

 

[lordsummerisle]

If Coventry City Leaves Coventry then its not Coventry City.

Wasps are no longer London Wasps, no I do not have any interest in them as I am not really a rugby fan and personally I wish they never had set eyes on the Ricoh.

Though I am a bit jealous, if SISU 7 years ago had acted the way their owners have we might not be a mid table league 1 team.

Expect that 7 years ago CCC and Higgs would have been demanding at least £12miillion for ACL with the remainder of a 25 year lease and large loan to pay.

In those 7 years the club paid more in rent than Wasps have done for the whole lot and a 250 year lease thrown in.

Seems fair.

 

[skybluebeduff]

I'm totally apalled by the negativity that surrounds my football club and the obsession regarding our owners.

What we need is to build on the momentum and try and lift the manager and his staff and the players to greater heights, more consistency and success in the future regardless of the recent history.

Positivity just for s change instead of knocking and criticising everything involved with Coventry City!

I'm appalled at the way your Knights in shining armor have treated the fans of CCFC, it has been a shambolic ride in this last 7 years and enough is enough.

You're not a fan of CCFC at all, you're just as shambolic as your saviors.

 

[skybluetony176]

Could we not all turn up, get behind the team and create an atmosphere like Gillingham and show SISU would they could have? Even if they don't go its been a great atmosphere and hopefully pushed the team on to win.

This whole "do this on this minute" really is a bit random, isn't it? It will be even harder to do if they aren't showing the time on the scoreboard like the last game....

Do you find it ironic that so many people going on about this protest and saying if it is outside of the coventry boundary they aren't interested but now support Wasps? The message is that you won't support CCFC if they are moved to say Bermuda but support Wasps, is that not a bit floored?

What is the actual aim of the protest?

Nick. How long has it been since the Crewe cup game let alone the Gillingham game where SISU have seen what they could have and having seen this what have they done to either maintain it or build back up to it?


You seem to know how many people go to watch Wasps who are behind this anonymous protest. How many exactly is it? And what does that have to do with protesting about SISU's failings? If anything it's an example of the effect of SISU's failings, but don't concern yourself with that.

And finally. At what point do you think a protest against SISU will be appropriate? Playing to 1k in Nuneaton in league 2 or lower maybe?

 

[Nick]

Expect that 7 years ago CCC and Higgs would have been demanding at least £12miillion for ACL with the remainder of a 25 year lease and large loan to pay.

In those 7 years the club paid more in rent than Wasps have done for the whole lot and a 250 year lease thrown in.

Seems fair.

Piss off and stop letting actually thinking about things getting in the way of blind rage.

 

[Nick]

Nick. How long has it been since the Crewe cup game let alone the Gillingham game where SISU have seen what they could have and having seen this what have they done to either maintain it or build back up to it?


You seem to know how many people go to watch Wasps who are behind this anonymous protest. How many exactly is it? And what does that have to do with protesting about SISU's failings? If anything it's an example of the effect of SISU's failings, but don't concern yourself with that.

And finally. At what point do you think a protest against SISU will be appropriate? Playing to 1k in Nuneaton in league 2 or lower maybe?

You just need to look at Twitter to see just how many people who are blindly hating SISU (I am not saying without reason either) but are now Wasps fans What does it have to do with it? People protesting about CCFC being moved, it kind of takes away credibility doesn't it? By all means protest about SISU being dog shit, just don't bring that into it.

Like I said, people are throwing statements like how lucky wasps are about is slightly dangerous isn't it?

Like I said in the other thread, people keep going on about consortiums being interested in the club. Get them to come out and state their plans and what we can do to help get them in and I would be more than happy to back that to the hilt.

 

[Gosford Green]

After years of asset stripping and taking almost everyone they work with to court its so obvious (excluding a few on here) that if there was 25000 at the Ricoh each week no money would get invested anywhere other than litigation.

 

[Nick]

After years of asset stripping and taking almost everyone they work with to court its so obvious (excluding a few on here) that if there was 25000 at the Ricoh each week no money would get invested anywhere other than litigation.

This is just the crap that people seem to tweet all day every day over and over on Twitter.

What are you going to do with this protest if there is no clock on the scoreboard like the last game?

Surely after having so many meetings with fans groups and something this would have been raised?

 

[Gosford Green]

Negotiating by court action and rent strikes really helped there situation so much.

 

[RFC]

I'm appalled at the way your Knights in shining armor have treated the fans of CCFC, it has been a shambolic ride in this last 7 years and enough is enough.

You're not a fan of CCFC at all, you're just as shambolic as your saviors.

Without those saviours you would not have a club to be complaining about, either support the manager and the team or HELP!

 

[Nick]

Negotiating by court action and rent strikes really helped there situation so much.

Well it did though didn't it, as it got the rent down by a fair bit if you look at it that way?

 

[shy_tall_knight]

I'm totally apalled by the negativity that surrounds my football club and the obsession regarding our owners.

What we need is to build on the momentum and try and lift the manager and his staff and the players to greater heights, more consistency and success in the future regardless of the recent history.

Positivity just for s change instead of knocking and criticising everything involved with Coventry City!

RFC your confidence is SISU's ability to turn around this downward spiral is admirable yet equally obsessive. As a fan you are important to the club but more important are the 1,000s of lost fans. This can't continue an away win at Walsall although good was by a team of loanees and short term contracts. SISU have employed the PR company to promote a club that has no stock in its clubshop. SISU are not fit for purpose.

 

[Gosford Green]

You seem obessesd a bit about the scoreboard. Did Wasps stopped us using it last home game ?

 

[Nick]

You seem obessesd a bit about the scoreboard. Did Wasps stopped us using it last home game ?

Surely you know that there was no clock on the scoreboard last home game, right? Surely there is a plan of how to let people know when to hold it up as they probably have no idea how many minutes have gone in the game without the scoreboard?

Will the red cards have normal times (ie 8.02pm) so people can set alarms on their phones / watches to remind them printed on them just in case?

 

[SkyBlue_Bear83]

Well it did though didn't it, as it got the rent down by a fair bit if you look at it that way?

It didn't work though if there objective was to get the Ricoh on the cheap

 

[Nick]

It didn't work though if there objective was to get the Ricoh on the cheap

I am not saying it was a great method by any means

 

[Gosford Green]

Well it did though didn't it, as it got the rent down by a fair bit if you look at it that way?

And we are on the verge on being homeless, SISU are doing their level best to piss off their new landlord with yet more litigation. Fantastic.

 

[lordsummerisle]

It didn't work though if there objective was to get the Ricoh on the cheap

There was no way that they were going to get it on the cheap though.

No way that CCC and Higgs would sell a community asset that makes increasingly big profits and turnover year after year could be possibly be sold cheaply.

Expect that CCC and Higgs will keep it in order to benefit the local community for many,many years to come.

 

[AndreasB]

How do you "prevent relegation to league 1"? Im sure Norwich, Notts Forest, Southampton, Wolves, Sheff Utd would have liked to prevent it but it still happened.

If the "list goes on and on" why dont you mention all the things on it to make the statement more powerful.

Generally a piss poor effort which now is supposed to represent every fan.

 

[AndreasB]

Oh and how will the NOPM protest? Sit at home and wave with their GO cards at the cat?
Still, Im sure they will be with us in spirit.

 

[Gosford Green]

There was no way that they were going to get it on the cheap though.

No way that CCC and Higgs would sell a community asset that makes increasingly big profits and turnover year after year could be possibly be sold cheaply.

Expect that CCC and Higgs will keep it in order to benefit the local community for many,many years to come.

I would say 10,000 Leinster fans staying and spending money in the area will benefit a lot of people. A bit more than 36 Fleetwood fans.

 

[shy_tall_knight]

Without those saviours you would not have a club to be complaining about, either support the manager and the team or HELP!

Again if you truly believe that our situation was worse than Crystal Palace's - who were minutes away from going under or Porstmouth's who's debts were huge compared to ours then you are naive. We would not have gone under especially with the Ricoh facility potentially becoming a white elephant. As for saivours they are doing more to kill this club then any other institution.