oldskyblue58
CCFC Finance Director
Just a few thoughts on the PR stuff that has been going on
I think it is pretty clear that the PR stakes have been raised recently by the daily articles concerning Wasps this week. There is a definite contrast to what is coming out of CCFC and that is partly the point I suspect. You could argue that there is some sort of bias one way or another but if a local paper (CT or Observer) are given a story then they are going to report it - they have column inches to fill. Most of these articles on either side are presented to reporters it seems
I think it is the content of the articles that is the important difference - and I am not going to really lay that difference at the door of any particular reporter. There is strategy behind the release of many of the articles.
CCFC articles tend to be about the football and struggle. There are more of them, CCFC even have a separate section on the front page of the CT website. They tend to be a report of say the managers pre match chat that is then repeated by breaking the same thing down in to bite size sections. Creating three or four articles essentially saying the same thing. There is little of substance that comes out of the club regarding off field matters and I think anything of such nature is very much controlled by the club directors/owner. In fact anything that does come out about off field matters is usually via the SCG and more often than not degenerates in to Trust bashing. Classic diversion perhaps? Divisive PR off the pitch begging for unity on it? The Club directors/owner simply do not want to talk about what they are doing off the field in substantive terms. Yes there is the five point plan but that has more holes in it than a colander. We are pointed to focus on the football. Not a bad thing really because we support CCFC the team don't we, not its owners and we are relegation threatened so that's where a fans support/focus should be. The perceived message from the directors/owners is a stubborn we are not for sale and we are building our own stadium just outside Coventry - we are give no recent clear statements from the owners and no clear plan forward for our club. They allow a void to exist, for divisions to fester it seems to me. The football right now is absolutely vital to our future, so rightly focussed on and yet I still get the feeling of being told "look over there don't look over here"
Wasps PR. The articles are clearly deliberate and timed. It is professional and well thought out. It portrays an openness and willingness to engage. They are seeking to embed their rugby team in to Coventry. They are positive, they say we are here to stay and now that we are not about to play second fiddle to anyone. And yet they focus more on the business than the team. There are messages there for potential investors, "we are successful and growing get on board". There are messages for the general public - "here is something sporting in Coventry succeeding" The articles are careful not disparage CCFC "we want you here its not us looking to move you out we are willing to spend to keep you here". And yet there would seem to me a clear undertow to what is being said. There is a feeling of don't mess with us you wont like it, yes we would like you here but not at any price. It seems to me that in addition to increased profile in the area what the Wasps PR has done this week is to cut off options for the CCFC owners - "if you go you go but it will be your decision not pressure from us, we can survive without you" One thing that is apparently clear is that Wasps owners are focussed on rugby, ownership of a L1 football team is not on the agenda - which will no doubt disappoint some but it shouldn't really be a surprise. Wasps are positioning themselves for the future - one of the purposes of PR
Some of the worrying things for CCFC would seem to be
- The club because of its previous disputes has devalued the PR it can get. Many are simply at the stage where anything said by TF/SW/JS is simply not believed
- that after a reasonably low level start Wasps are going for it in terms of their PR and activities
- that the Wasps PR machine appears to be slick, well organised and threatens the once cosy assumption that cov kids turn to their football team
- that some lines are publically being drawn in the sand in respect of the Ricoh
- that room for SISU to manoeuver is being restricted
- and that SISU's bluff is being called
- that weaknesses in the CCFC business and marketing are repeatedly laid bare without being actually pointed to.
Yes it is of course posturing by both sides but cant help feeling it is more positive by design for one side not the other
That all said I do think that TF/SW/JS have plans in the background to all this, usually when they are so quiet or focus is pointed elsewhere then they have something in the pipeline. I am wary of what might happen this summer. However there seems to be a clear difference between the two in the quality of the PR at this stage.
Final thought. Is it not time that an interview with Seppala was revisited?
I think it is pretty clear that the PR stakes have been raised recently by the daily articles concerning Wasps this week. There is a definite contrast to what is coming out of CCFC and that is partly the point I suspect. You could argue that there is some sort of bias one way or another but if a local paper (CT or Observer) are given a story then they are going to report it - they have column inches to fill. Most of these articles on either side are presented to reporters it seems
I think it is the content of the articles that is the important difference - and I am not going to really lay that difference at the door of any particular reporter. There is strategy behind the release of many of the articles.
CCFC articles tend to be about the football and struggle. There are more of them, CCFC even have a separate section on the front page of the CT website. They tend to be a report of say the managers pre match chat that is then repeated by breaking the same thing down in to bite size sections. Creating three or four articles essentially saying the same thing. There is little of substance that comes out of the club regarding off field matters and I think anything of such nature is very much controlled by the club directors/owner. In fact anything that does come out about off field matters is usually via the SCG and more often than not degenerates in to Trust bashing. Classic diversion perhaps? Divisive PR off the pitch begging for unity on it? The Club directors/owner simply do not want to talk about what they are doing off the field in substantive terms. Yes there is the five point plan but that has more holes in it than a colander. We are pointed to focus on the football. Not a bad thing really because we support CCFC the team don't we, not its owners and we are relegation threatened so that's where a fans support/focus should be. The perceived message from the directors/owners is a stubborn we are not for sale and we are building our own stadium just outside Coventry - we are give no recent clear statements from the owners and no clear plan forward for our club. They allow a void to exist, for divisions to fester it seems to me. The football right now is absolutely vital to our future, so rightly focussed on and yet I still get the feeling of being told "look over there don't look over here"
Wasps PR. The articles are clearly deliberate and timed. It is professional and well thought out. It portrays an openness and willingness to engage. They are seeking to embed their rugby team in to Coventry. They are positive, they say we are here to stay and now that we are not about to play second fiddle to anyone. And yet they focus more on the business than the team. There are messages there for potential investors, "we are successful and growing get on board". There are messages for the general public - "here is something sporting in Coventry succeeding" The articles are careful not disparage CCFC "we want you here its not us looking to move you out we are willing to spend to keep you here". And yet there would seem to me a clear undertow to what is being said. There is a feeling of don't mess with us you wont like it, yes we would like you here but not at any price. It seems to me that in addition to increased profile in the area what the Wasps PR has done this week is to cut off options for the CCFC owners - "if you go you go but it will be your decision not pressure from us, we can survive without you" One thing that is apparently clear is that Wasps owners are focussed on rugby, ownership of a L1 football team is not on the agenda - which will no doubt disappoint some but it shouldn't really be a surprise. Wasps are positioning themselves for the future - one of the purposes of PR
Some of the worrying things for CCFC would seem to be
- The club because of its previous disputes has devalued the PR it can get. Many are simply at the stage where anything said by TF/SW/JS is simply not believed
- that after a reasonably low level start Wasps are going for it in terms of their PR and activities
- that the Wasps PR machine appears to be slick, well organised and threatens the once cosy assumption that cov kids turn to their football team
- that some lines are publically being drawn in the sand in respect of the Ricoh
- that room for SISU to manoeuver is being restricted
- and that SISU's bluff is being called
- that weaknesses in the CCFC business and marketing are repeatedly laid bare without being actually pointed to.
Yes it is of course posturing by both sides but cant help feeling it is more positive by design for one side not the other
That all said I do think that TF/SW/JS have plans in the background to all this, usually when they are so quiet or focus is pointed elsewhere then they have something in the pipeline. I am wary of what might happen this summer. However there seems to be a clear difference between the two in the quality of the PR at this stage.
Final thought. Is it not time that an interview with Seppala was revisited?
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