An open letter to Joy by PSB Group (12 Viewers)

[fernandopartridge]

http://www.coventrycity-mad.co.uk/n...open_letter_to_joy_seppala_854669/index.shtml

Open Letter Issued
The Preservation Sky Blues Group have issued an open letter to SISU boss Joy Seppala.
The letter reads as follows:
"Dear Mrs Seppala
I write to you as Group Chair of PSB (Preservation Sky Blues). A group of long standing Coventry City supporters who are upset and angry at the decline of our football club. A group with a simple aim of doing all we can to ensure the preservation of Coventry City Football Club. A goal we are all firmly committed to.

In recent weeks we have written to Tim Fisher and also for balance the leader of Coventry City Council Ann Lucas but I think it is fair to say that the massive problems we have at CCFC lie firmly at your doorstep. You are the person with ultimate responsibility. You are the one with the power to do the right thing and give Coventry City FC a chance of recovering from this "god awful " mess that you and your organisation have created.

On Saturday at Sheffield United my group has organised a protest at which we will be highlighting the lack of investment by SISU. We find it abhorrent that you have allowed our club to drift towards the abyss in the way you have. Failing to invest properly in the playing side, the only real purpose of any football club, whilst continuing to throw endless amounts of cash on pointless and ill conceived legal challenges which appear to have no chance of succeeding.

Can you confirm whether there will be any investment for next season which will go anywhere close to matching the ambition of city fans ? The failure to demonstrate any ambition whatsoever this season has been clear for all to see. Should the worst happen and we do get relegated what happens then? Can we then expect another battle to retain our Football League status?

Our message on Saturday will be clear. Our club is in massive crisis and whilst this policy of non investment continues our club gets ever closer to dying. It's time for SISU to do the right thing and put the club up for sale.

If you insist that the club is not up for sale, as Tim Fisher has articulated we would ask just why you are still here and what is your actual game plan ? The Sky Blues are on the verge of League 2 football with crowds dwindling to pathetic levels, not just because the product on the field of play is poor but largely due to a lack of faith in you and your SISU board.

To use footballing terminology that you may or may not be aware of. "You have lost the dressing room " and appear to have no strategy in place to recover that situation.

You have placed great faith in Tim Fisher as chairman to help turn round fan relations but I think most Coventry City fans would agree his has been a disastrous tenure. We cannot understand why he remains at the club if you genuinely have ambitions to turn around our fortunes. Any other business would be quick to dispense with someone so closely connected to such failure. Perhaps Mr Fisher has more of a financial interest in CCFC than we are led to believe.

Maybe you could clarify the position here as my colleagues and I speak to many city fans and many of them are at a loss as to why a change has not yet been made. The image of the football club is incredibly poor right now and Tim Fisher has played a big part in that being the case.

You as owner and figurehead also now need to come clean about your real intentions with regard to a new stadium. We see no sense at all in pursuing this option at what will be massive expense for a club that you have driven into the ground. We would also point to your failed tactics in trying to gain control of the Ricoh and the disastrous move to Sixfields as prime examples of why you will find it so hard to convince Coventry City fans to have any faith in you or your current board in being able to successfully build such a stadium.

Not withstanding that we need to know the truth. Tim Fisher has said a lot of things, promised information that has never come to fruition and referred to deadlines that have just drifted. Few people believe that a new stadium will be built.
It's time for YOU to tell us clearly and unambiguously what your precise plans are and quickly. Fans will simply no longer tolerate the promise of "jam tomorrow".

The level of dismay at our clubs current plight is frightening. If you were to spend some time in Coventry and actually listen to fans who care passionately about whats happening then you would realise that the levels of anger have now risen to a worrying and unhealthy level. We are a group of professional people and everything we have done so far and will continue to do will be measured, peaceful and respectful.
Unfortunately we are witnessing now is a new wave of groups forming and ideas being suggested that go beyond anything that we would want to be involved with. Unfortunately however we can only legislate for our own groups actions.


Simply put you're running out of time. Virtually everybody we have spoken to has said they will not be purchasing season tickets for next season at the Ricoh. . Lifelong fans have now turned their backs on the club and more will follow them in the summer.

It is our opinion that Coventry City Football Club cannot recover with SISU at the helm. You have entered the "unique" world of Football and it has proved a monumental mistake. In business you need to know when the time is right to "call it a day". That day is now here. We urge you to try and retain some credibility and self respect by doing what's clearly right for the city of Coventry and the supporters of the city's football club.

Please do the decent thing and put our club up for sale.

In the meantime we will push on with our own course of action. That being the single minded aim of Preserving OUR Sky Blues.
Best Wishes
J. Taylor
Group Chair
PSB
Preservation Sky Blues"

You write the full title and then the acronym in brackets, not the other way round.

 

---

[Nick]

Not much else left to try Nick

How about getting every city fan possible to get down the Ricoh and be the 12th man. Not for SISU, not for wasps, not for ACL, not for CCC but for CCFC. It may even drive the players on to a win.

 

[Hobo]

I doubt whether Joy cares about the fans, if she did she would have engaged much better with them. Only she probably knows what her agenda and plans are.

I don't think she cares where or what level CCFC opporate at as long as it doesn't cost too much money. She won't gamble the large sums to propel us back to the Premiership. I don't think she wants the stigma of pulling the plug. So will just let the club opporate as cash positive and if it drifts away to nothing she will blame CCC and all the other people who let her down.

At least the letter has let some people get a few things of their chests. Even from a clinical business stance they have destroyed a good product. I don't think the likes of Joy Seppala can even begin to imagine what it means to a lot of the fans to what the club being mismanaged so much.

 

[Great_Expectations]

So does dragging themselves up to the ricoh in the cold to get behind their team. Shame a pointless letter gets people more excited.

Very true.

Unfortunately SP and the team are not helping the situation with the absolutely awful football on show at the Ricoh. It would be interesting to see attendances if we were pushing for promotion. The figures would be a true reflection of those who truly are NOPM and those who throw the words around as an excuse.

 

[Steve.B50]

How about getting every city fan possible to get down the Ricoh and be the 12th man. Not for SISU, not for wasps, not for ACL, not for CCC but for CCFC. It may even drive the players on to a win.

I think it's to late Nick.
The fight has gone.

 

[skybluetony176]

How about getting every city fan possible to get down the Ricoh and be the 12th man. Not for SISU, not for wasps, not for ACL, not for CCC but for CCFC. It may even drive the players on to a win.

I doubt it. If they can't do it for themselves, wages, employees and manager what makes you think they'll do it for us?

 

[Nick]

I think it's to late Nick.
The fight has gone.

Plenty of energy and fight for writing silly open letters and patting backs.

 

[skybluetony176]

Plenty of energy and fight for writing silly open letters and patting backs.

A few dozen on here and probably even less in the group that wrote the letter is hardly plenty of energy and fight. We/they are the last of a dying breed and only one party carries the blame for that.

 

[Nick]

A few dozen on here and probably even less in the group that wrote the letter is hardly plenty of energy and fight. We/they are the last of a dying breed and only one party carries the blame for that.

The energy and fight would soon be back if we had man utd at home, it would be like some sort of miracle where people walk again.

 

[skybluetony176]

The energy and fight would soon be back if we had man utd at home, it would be like some sort of miracle where people walk again.

And when they don't come back after it will only be further proof that the fight has gone. What's your point?

 

[Huckerby]

The energy and fight would soon be back if we had man utd at home, it would be like some sort of miracle where people walk again.

You say that like it's a bad thing that people would want to see their club in a big match against a good team again? You've made similar points before about that Chelsea game.

Yes...people want to go to the big matches. People want to go and see good football. Is that really much of a surprise to you? Do you think it's a bad thing?

 

[Nick]

You say that like it's a bad thing that people would want to see their club in a big match against a good team again? You've made similar points before about that Chelsea game.

Yes...people want to go to the big matches. People want to go and see good football. Is that really much of a surprise to you? Do you think it's a bad thing?

We would have the same players to pick from, so it would be the same team who would play in the next league game.

Unless you mean city fans would only go to watch Chelsea or man utd?

I do think it's a bad thing that some people only bother for big games, of course it is.

 

[SBT]

How about getting every city fan possible to get down the Ricoh and be the 12th man. Not for SISU, not for wasps, not for ACL, not for CCC but for CCFC. It may even drive the players on to a win.

Ah sorry, the weekly call-to-arms will solve everything, I forgot.

Just like the open letters, that's bait, done to get the people going. Except in this case, the people decided they aren't going anymore.

 

[letsallsingtogether]

Plenty of energy and fight for writing silly open letters and patting backs.

so your suggestion is to fill out the Ricoh .
And you call them silly.
Fucking hell you cant even give tickets away never mind trying to get 30k to pay for them.

The club is fucked and all you do is slag anyone off who tries anything?

When I met Joy the last thing she said was Callum is not for sale yet 3 weeks later he was gone..

 

[letsallsingtogether]

We would have pthe same players to pick from, so it would be the same team who would play in the next league game.

Unless you mean city fans would only go to watch Chelsea or man utd?

I do think it's a bad thing that some people only bother for big games, of course it is.

So your happy with the standard of football we are watching every week?
Glad to see you have the same ambition for this club as Sisu.

 

[ccfctommy]

CBA to read the whole thread but its a well written letter. May do naff all but atleast it went to Joy instead of Tim.

People tend to forget that some people do not go due to our rotten home form. Gates were five figures before Xmas. Disappointing regarding the drop in attendances after the Gillingham game but if we are doing well at home, we could get 12/13k

 

[Nick]

So your happy with the standard of football we are watching every week?
Glad to see you have the same ambition for this club as Sisu.

We would be in the same league and the standard of our football would be the same if we got man utd in the cup, what's your point?

 

[Nick]

so your suggestion is to fill out the Ricoh .
And you call them silly.
Fucking hell you cant even give tickets away never mind trying to get 30k to pay for them.

The club is fucked and all you do is slag anyone off who tries anything?

When I met Joy the last thing she said was Callum is not for sale yet 3 weeks later he was gone..

Shock suggestions that football fans watch their team play rather than pointless back patting, silly letters etc..

Why's that silly?

As I said, you wouldn't be able to find a ticket if we got man utd. People would soon get their fight back wouldn't they?

It's getting to the point where you can read situations a mile off. You now reply saying oh it's the fans fault, or it's the trust's fault or something else totally unrelated to anything actually said in the thread.

Maybe it will be the one about it being the same at every club, when it quite clearly isn't.

 

[shmmeee]

Shock suggestions that football fans watch their team play rather than pointless back patting, silly letters etc..

Why's that silly?

As I said, you wouldn't be able to find a ticket if we got man utd. People would soon get their fight back wouldn't they?

It's getting to the point where you can read situations a mile off. You now reply saying oh it's the fans fault, or it's the trust's fault or something else totally unrelated to anything actually said in the thread.

Maybe it will be the one about it being the same at every club, when it quite clearly isn't.

I think the general difference is that some see it as the fans' job to raise the club, and others see it as at the very least a two way street.

You need something back Nick, it's no good just whining that everyone else is an armchair fan or a lightweight while you stand with less and less fans on a matchday.

City fans can take shit. It's all most of us have ever known (insert Bane quote). It's shit without hope we can't take. Do you see the team on the pitch getting better when it's got worse almost every season for the last 7? Do you see the manager getting better if replaced when they've got steadily worse over the last 7 years? Excited about that new lad coming through? Don't be, he'll be off before you get to see the best of him. Even the old chestnut of "We'll get relegated then have a party season coming back up" has been well and truly shat on by the reality of the last 3 years.

Maybe you'll counter that that's where we are and we need to accept that, and I'd say that you need to accept that clubs that are there get 5k fans each week, and it's not because their fans are lazy fickle arseholes, it's because the product is shit.

 

[RegTheDonk]

so your suggestion is to fill out the Ricoh .
And you call them silly.
Fucking hell you cant even give tickets away never mind trying to get 30k to pay for them.

The club is fucked and all you do is slag anyone off who tries anything?

When I met Joy the last thing she said was Callum is not for sale yet 3 weeks later he was gone..

She said that? Lying cow. Proves its survive with as little investment as possible while concentrating on the land grab.

The one positive about her statement is Tim's another one who says something is not for sale.

 

[letsallsingtogether]

We would be in the same league and the standard of our football would be the same if we got man utd in the cup, what's your point?

Oh yes I forgot you need ambition to play in a better league but hey at least it is cheaper to run a football club the lower down you go...
At least we can be the team with the biggest budget and worst team well give us some bragging rights.

So how do you suggest we drag all those people to a game?
I like to think I am a die hard supporter but honestly I am starting to struggle have missed the last 2 games due to work and am finding it hard to return..
It has nothing to do with NOPM just have lost the passion.

 

[Sky Blue Pete]

Good letter. This debate is one of try everything and discount nothing when it comes to protests. The real problem with fans not going is that they may not have a club to come back to. I know nopm think otherwise and I disagree

 

[McLovin87]

I think you can break the fans into the following groups:

1. The Hardcore: These will be here if we even get relegated: Attendance: 4,000

2.The Strugglers: These are really struggling to drag themselves up to the Ricoh and will start to drift away if this bad run continues: Attendance: 7,000

3.The Fans of good winning football: These will return if the team goes on a run playing attractive football and vies for the play-offs. Attendance 14,000

4. The Play-Offs or top 2 spot fans: These will return if we are in the play off positions or top 2 of league 1 ( I would also include in this bracket people who would return if SISU are gone). Attendance: 23,000

5. The Glory Boys: If we do get to the Championship and compete to get to the Premier league in the Play-Offs, these will return: Attendance: 28,000.

6. The Premier League groupies: These will just go to experience the Premier League: Attendance: 32,000.

I would put myself in the struggler category and a lot of lads I know are in this bracket it is so hard to drag myself up there. If the run carries on then I will probably knock it on the head only to return for the relegation battle games at the end of the season. I have a season ticket and have already missed about 4 home games already.

 

[Ian1779]

If these guys are a group of professional people then surely they would realise an open letter is going to get little or no response.

Joy is a businesswoman, they are business people... how no one has thought to arrange a meeting between them is beyond me.

 

[Sub]

I think you can break the fans into the following groups:

1. The Hardcore: These will be here if we even get relegated: Attendance: 4,000

2.The Strugglers: These are really struggling to drag themselves up to the Ricoh and will start to drift away if this bad run continues: Attendance: 7,000

3.The Fans of good winning football: These will return if the team goes on a run playing attractive football and vies for the play-offs. Attendance 14,000

4. The Play-Offs or top 2 spot fans: These will return if we are in the play off positions or top 2 of league 2 ( I would also include in this bracket people who would return if SISU are gone). Attendance: 23,000

5. The Glory Boys: If we do get to the Championship and compete to get to the Premier league in the Play-Offs, these will return: Attendance: 28,000.

6. The Premier League groupies: These will just go to experience the Premier League: Attendance: 32,000.

I would put myself in the struggler category and a lot of lads I know are in this bracket it is so hard to drag myself up there. If the run carries on then I will probably knock it on the head only to return for the relegation battle games at the end of the season. I have a season ticket and have already missed about 4 home games already.

How Coventry Football club and glory boys (fans) can be used together is beyond me:thinking about:
The fans of this club have endured shit for years and now have no hope on or off the pitch no enjoyment for me this is where the problem lies no prospects no future no enjoyment equals no fans.

 

[McLovin87]

How Coventry Football club and glory boys (fans) can be used together is beyond me:thinking about:
The fans of this club have endured shit for years and now have no hope on or off the pitch no enjoyment for me this is where the problem lies no prospects no future no enjoyment equals no fans.

Every team has them, they don't put the effort in like most other fans, just roll up when the good times are back. It is more sweeter for the other fans though who endure all the pain that has gone before.

 

[Sub]

Every team has them, they don't put the effort in like most other fans, just roll up when the good times are back. It is more sweeter for the other fans though who endure all the pain that has gone before.

That's my point I can not remember that many good times but that may be down to to much alcohol or not enough??

 

[skybluetony176]

If these guys are a group of professional people then surely they would realise an open letter is going to get little or no response.

Joy is a businesswoman, they are business people... how no one has thought to arrange a meeting between them is beyond me.

Probably seen how effective meeting SISU has been in the past so see the best way forward as promoting as much negativity about SISU as possible. All meeting them would do is give SISU the platform to say to the FL "look at us meeting with fans, aren't we good little owners" if anything any fan should be boycotting any meeting with anyone from SISU or TF & SW including SW's up and coming forum. Send out a clear message that the fans aren't listening to our owners anymore, which is only fair as our owners stopped listening to us years ago if in fact they ever did.

 

[Ian1779]

Probably seen how effective meeting SISU has been in the past so see the best way forward as promoting as much negativity about SISU as possible. All meeting them would do is give SISU the platform to say to the FL "look at us meeting with fans, aren't we good little owners" if anything any fan should be boycotting any meeting with anyone from SISU or TF & SW including SW's up and coming forum. Send out a clear message that the fans aren't listening to our owners anymore, which was only fair as our owners stopped listening to us years ago if in fact they ever did.

So you endorse the model of doing what they do... and getting a few back slaps over any kind of meaningful plan.

 

[skybluetony176]

So you endorse the model of doing what they do... and getting a few back slaps over any kind of meaningful plan.

I endorse people doing anything in attempt to improve our situation over slating anyone trying to do something from the safety of their keyboard.

Will writing a letter have an effect? I'm saying it will be no less effective than meeting JS. If you disagree perhaps you could point out where fans meeting our "owner" or representatives such as ML, TF & SW have accomplished anything positive?

The way I see it meeting them has achieved jack shit. The only way forward is to highlight their failings on every stage possible so if writing an open letter achieves some bad press that's a good thing. They should write one every week until they get acknowledged by the people they're addressed to.

 

[Ian1779]

I endorse people doing anything in attempt to improve our situation over slating anyone trying to do something from the safety of their keyboard.

Will writing a letter have an effect? I'm saying it will be no less effective than meeting JS. If you disagree perhaps you could point out where fans meeting our "owner" or representatives such as ML, TF & SW have accomplished anything positive?

The way I see it meeting them has achieved jack shit. The only way forward is to highlight their failings on every stage possible so if writing an open letter achieves some bad press that's a good thing. They should write one every week until they get acknowledged by the people they're addressed to.

How does an open letter improve our situation? You criticise the 'keyboard warriors' yet are fawning over a group of organised keyboard warriors with a Twitter account.

A meeting may not achieve anything. But having a face to face discussion is at least going to start some kind of dialogue... which is more than is currently being achieved.

 

[Huckerby]

We would have the same players to pick from, so it would be the same team who would play in the next league game.

Unless you mean city fans would only go to watch Chelsea or man utd?

I do think it's a bad thing that some people only bother for big games, of course it is.

Not quite...I mean a lot of the fans who live away, or have just stopped going and lost their passion for it a bit, or found other things to do now on a Saturday and so only go by exception.

The point im trying to make is that you (and others) keep bringing up the fact that we fill out a stadium against a decent team or when there is going to be a huge atmosphere (gillingham) like it's a bad thing, where actually I think it shows the potential of the fanbase if people weren't so pissed off/fed up with things, know what I mean?

 

[Hobo]

The energy and fight would soon be back if we had man utd at home, it would be like some sort of miracle where people walk again.

The thing is Nick you are always very good at finding the negatives and being critical. One of your favourites is the lack of loyalty by fans. It seems to make you feel special about sticking by a business that is failing and being in steady decline for some years under this regime. So what is your solution?

i would suggest most failing companies have to look at two things:
1. Costs, which SISU have addressed, but not turned anything around.
2. Product, under SISU this has deteriorated considerably. It is obviously poor because the fanbase is rejecting it in droves. This board every week after another defeat or draw reflects that.

So it seems to me the main issue is quality of product. That is what SISU have to address. Unfortunately SISU have shown they seem incapable of addressing this. In fact during their tenure the one thing they have been consistent with is steady decline. In fact they seem more focussed on other things like court cases than improving the product.

in fact the thing that seems to have disengaged fans the most, is SISU total disregard of the product. Because to most of us it is not just a product, it is our football club who we have all been loyal to. But many don't feel the need to be loyal to SISU.

 

[covcity4life]

devout christian she says. acts like the devil she does.

 

[Ian1779]

The thing is Nick you are always very good at finding the negatives and being critical. One of your favourites is the lack of loyalty by fans. It seems to make you feel special about sticking by a business that is failing and being in steady decline for some years under this regime. So what is your solution?

i would suggest most failing companies have to look at two things:
1. Costs, which SISU have addressed, but not turned anything around.
2. Product, under SISU this has deteriorated considerably. It is obviously poor because the fanbase is rejecting it in droves. This board every week after another defeat or draw reflects that.

So it seems to me the main issue is quality of product. That is what SISU have to address. Unfortunately SISU have shown they seem incapable of addressing this. In fact during their tenure the one thing they have been consistent with is steady decline. In fact they seem more focussed on other things like court cases than improving the product.

in fact the thing that seems to have disengaged fans the most, is SISU total disregard of the product. Because to most of us it is not just a product, it is our football club who we have all been loyal to. But many don't feel the need to be loyal to SISU.

I agree with you, however I believe there is a lot to be said about certain fan groups who suggest that if you are loyal to CCFC, you are automatically loyal to SISU - which is of course nonsense.