Coventry City Highfield Road collector regrets move (8 Viewers)

[simonregis]

Sure the fella is a nice decent guy but 'Paul Sheehy, of Coventry, has items including signs at his home and created a cinema in his garage to watch footage he filmed of the ground's demolition' is it me or does that sound a wee bit saddo? Watching it being demolished? Where does he go on holiday? The tip?

 

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[simonregis]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-coventry-warwickshire-32539769

Sorry link

 

[m.okeefe]

could be worse he could collect Gnomes fair play to him

 

[simonregis]

could be worse he could collect Gnomes fair play to him

No dont get me wrong I admire the guy but the bit about watching movies of it being demolished sounds a wee bit you know

 

[chinamans view]

Well we have sat and watched the club demolished since sisu arrived, we are more sad

 

[bringbackrattles]

No dont get me wrong I admire the guy but the bit about watching movies of it being demolished sounds a wee bit you know

In the feature with him watching it being demolished it showed Macca wistfully looking it being razed to the ground,but he's moved on hasn't he ? I loved Highfield Road it was more than just a football ground to me,but it's gone and we can never go back can we ?

 

[Astute]

In the feature with him watching it being demolished it showed Macca wistfully looking it being razed to the ground,but he's moved on hasn't he ? I loved Highfield Road it was more than just a football ground to me,but it's gone and we can never go back can we ?

We seem to have a problem going forward also.

 

[skybluebeduff]

Season ticket holders watch a demolishing every week, they'e the weirdos!

 

[LastGarrison]

Usually any Cov fan they wheel out in front of the TV cameras in situations such as this is a complete and utter weirdo.

This chap went above and beyond though.

 

[Nick]

He looks like McSheffrey in 20 years!

 

[Otis]

Sure the fella is a nice decent guy but 'Paul Sheehy, of Coventry, has items including signs at his home and created a cinema in his garage to watch footage he filmed of the ground's demolition' is it me or does that sound a wee bit saddo? Watching it being demolished? Where does he go on holiday? The tip?

Could be worse, he could go up every year to where Highfield Road used to be at 4.45 on the anniversary of our last game there.


Unless of course Paul Sheehy IS CJ!

 

[oldskyblue58]

I find all this wallowing in the "glory" of HR a little strange. I cant help thinking we should be concentrating on more immediate matters than a rose tinted view of a ground that is no longer there. I had some great times at HR and some pretty awful ones (probably more) too. Dwelling in the past helps how? - just my opinion that others might not agree with of course :thinking about:

 

[Otis]

cant help thinking we should be concentrating on more immediate matters than a rose tinted view of a ground that is no longer there. I had some great times at HR and some pretty awful ones too. Dwelling in the past helps how? - just my opinion that others might not agree with of course :thinking about:

Totally agree, OSB.

Very rose-tinted. I too have some great memories of HR, but then some pretty dreadful memories as well. It could be like a library most of the time.

 

[torchomatic]

Unlike the Ricoh which is always buzzing. Not.

Moving from HR was the worse decision in the history of Coventry City.

Totally agree, OSB.

Very rose-tinted. I too have some great memories of HR, but then some pretty dreadful memories as well. It could be like a library most of the time.

 

[Otis]

Unlike the Ricoh which is always buzzing. Not.

Moving from HR was the worse decision in the history of Coventry City.

Nope, the Ricoh is like a library. Only buzzed about 5 or 6 times in its history.

 

[Astute]

Totally agree, OSB.

Very rose-tinted. I too have some great memories of HR, but then some pretty dreadful memories as well. It could be like a library most of the time.

It is easy to look at the bad parts more. Like poor toilets, poor refreshment kiosks, hard to park within a 5 minute walk if you were late, quiet in 3 of the stands most of the time or even needed updating all over. But it was ours. We owned it. It was a short walk from the city centre. Plenty of pubs nearby. You didn't need over 20,000 to create an atmosphere. Free parking. Great memories.

So what does the Ricoh offer us? I tried to like the place. But I hate home games compared to away games now. No atmosphere, easy to get to but not in the best location. Have to pay to park. Lack of pubs although you have the casino. No easy pub crawl from the city centre. Expensive refreshments. And it looks like it will never be ours.

When I compare the two HR easily wins. No rose tinted or sky blue tinted glasses at all.

 

[Otis]

It is easy to look at the bad parts more. Like poor toilets, poor refreshment kiosks, hard to park within a 5 minute walk if you were late, quiet in 3 of the stands most of the time or even needed updating all over. But it was ours. We owned it. It was a short walk from the city centre. Plenty of pubs nearby. You didn't need over 20,000 to create an atmosphere. Free parking. Great memories.

So what does the Ricoh offer us? I tried to like the place. But I hate home games compared to away games now. No atmosphere, easy to get to but not in the best location. Have to pay to park. Lack of pubs although you have the casino. No easy pub crawl from the city centre. Expensive refreshments. And it looks like it will never be ours.

When I compare the two HR easily wins. No rose tinted or sky blue tinted glasses at all.

No, I agree, but some have tried to paint HR as this wonderful place where it was all sunshine and smiles.

I've been to plenty of games where HR has been half empty and soulless. Load of bad times there too. That's the rose-tinted bit I am on about.

I don't know why Torch brought the Ricoh into it, cause this thread is about HR.

The atmosphere at the Ricoh has been very poor for the most part, but when it has a healthy crowd it has a great atmosphere. All I am saying is that HR wasn't as wonderful as some have made out and it had its problems too.

I know it's a personal choice, but for me the Ricoh is a much better stadium. I love it there, even with the poor crowds. It always takes my breath away when I sit in my seat and look round the ground and I have been immensely proud of the place. The Wasps thing though has tarnished that of course now.

 

[Astute]

I don't know why Torch brought the Ricoh into it, cause this thread is about HR.

Maybe something to do with why we left HR?

 

[Otis]

Maybe something to do with why we left HR?

Yes, but it was a very obvious dig. OSB said it wasn't all rose-tinted at HR and I agreed. No-one said the Ricoh was buzzing and Torch knows I prefer the Ricoh, so it was an obvious dig, so I just replied to that.

The problem I had with HR was that I had been going up since the late 60's and the ground was constantly changing and I mean constantly. I'm pretty sure younger posters will not remember that. Stands changed and ends changed and the ground kept looking different over the years, so for me it kept losing a degree of history. If it had remained the same for decades I would have loved it so much more.

 

[oldskyblue58]

Trouble is from 20 December 1999 we didn't own it. To bring it up to premiership standard would have required millions to be spent on it - millions that events proved CCFC didn't have. Needed development to access income streams properly. Couldn't afford to do that then what?

Trouble with the Ricoh is that it has never seen any CCFC good times so that any fan feels a belonging there. Wont ever be ours of course. The concept wasn't bad but it all got screwed up by ego and self interest

 

[Astute]

The problem I had with HR was that I had been going up since the late 60's and the ground was constantly changing and I mean constantly. I'm pretty sure younger posters will not remember that. Stands changed and ends changed and the ground kept looking different over the years, so for me it kept losing a degree of history. If it had remained the same for decades I would have loved it so much more.

And it would have been even more of a shithole. It just shows they could have improved like they always had. Not risk everything like they did.

 

[Nick]

I can't remember the best memories I have had from the Ricoh. I think maybe the Preston game in the JPT?

Just not as much tradition behind it.

Maybe that would be different for people a bit younger who can't remember HR, I just about can

 

[Astute]

Trouble is from 20 December 1999 we didn't own it. To bring it up to premiership standard would have required millions to be spent on it - millions that events proved CCFC didn't have. Needed development to access income streams properly. Couldn't afford to do that then what?

Trouble with the Ricoh is that it has never seen any CCFC good times so that any fan feels a belonging there. Wont ever be ours of course. The concept wasn't bad but it all got screwed up by ego and self interest

So instead of not having the millions we needed to update it we needed even more than that.

 

[Otis]

Trouble is from 20 December 1999 we didn't own it. To bring it up to premiership standard would have required millions to be spent on it - millions that events proved CCFC didn't have. Needed development to access income streams properly. Couldn't afford to do that then what?

Trouble with the Ricoh is that it has never seen any CCFC good times so that any fan feels a belonging there. Wont ever be ours of course. The concept wasn't bad but it all got screwed up by ego and self interest

Totally agree, OSB.

 

[wingy]

So instead of not having the millions we needed to update it we needed even more than that.

If we couldn't do It successfully then
How the he'll Will It happen now?

 

[Mary_Mungo_Midge]

I think the Ricoh is much maligned. I do agree that moving from Highfield Road was terrible - but equally, until the East Stand opened and decent catering was available, trying to get a beer on matchday was a real pain. For me, HR was all about 'the day'; a cheeky beer or three in the Humber 'Hotel', a stroll across the park to the ground, walking up those terraced streets, the old tight turnstyles, the smell of smoke on a cold day....

Since our arrival at the Ricoh, the football, and the administration - both pre and post SISU - has been woeful. The number of decent games in that stadium number less then ten I'd guess. We've just seen rubbish there - and therefore it's easy to conclude the venue is rubbish. it's not. Some games - the Leicester 'your Dad's your Mum' game; have been great

 

[Otis]

And it would have been even more of a shithole. It just shows they could have improved like they always had. Not risk everything like they did.

Improved? Errr ... at times, most definitely not.

 

[oldskyblue58]

So instead of not having the millions we needed to update it we needed even more than that.

couldn't afford either no. The figures are irrelevant really CCFC Holdings Group was a basket case and taking a punt on a new stadium was (a) a last punt and (b) about ego and self interest for a number of parties involved. The choice appeared to be

Spend millions on HR and not significantly increase match day and other incomes

Borrow even more to build a new stadium with a potential for greater income from match days and other sources

CCFC H was simply too weak to make a proper business case for either in hindsight and unable to raise enough finance. Then of course in 2000 we got relegated and made things even harder

 

[Otis]

Improved? Errr ... at times, most definitely not.

Trying to find a photo. Do you not remember the Kop when it was all seated in 1981 or whenever it was? It looked awful and it was most definitely NOT an improvement.

 

[Otis]

I think it was actually 1983 and they put seating where the Kop terracing used to be and it looked awful, absolutely dreadful. That was when the crowds dropped very dramatically too and HR lost an awful lot of character.

 

[LastGarrison]

It is all about location for me and whereas HR was walkable and surrounded by boozers all within a 15 minute walk, the Ricoh is right on the edge of the city which is only accessed by car/taxi/bus and doesn't offer the same match day experience in terms of atmosphere and the pubs being full of people, away fans being escorted through the town etc.

Plenty of truly woeful games at HR but like away games it is more (for me) than just about the football and it really is having about a few beers and the crack with your mates and a lot of my mates interest tailored off as soon as we moved to the Ricoh.

All down to personal preference but I would rather be watching shit league 1 football at HR than at the Ricoh.

 

[SkyBlueHomer]

The decision to leave Highfield Road was right. As pointed out by OSB in #20 it was in need of modernization/bringing up to standard.
That is even assuming you would have been granted planning permission for any expansion or improvements. Don't forget out of 23,500 capacity almost 4000 was given up to away fans which at the time was cause for regular moaning on the radio.

The problem with the Ricoh is the people that run our club gambled with the clubs money and the correct finances were not in place to pay for it.

 

[KG7]

Sure the fella is a nice decent guy but 'Paul Sheehy, of Coventry, has items including signs at his home and created a cinema in his garage to watch footage he filmed of the ground's demolition' is it me or does that sound a wee bit saddo? Watching it being demolished? Where does he go on holiday? The tip?

Surely Midlands Today have manipulated the cinema thing to make it more of a Coventry City theme. I would bet my house that he rarely watches the footage he filmed of HR in his cinema, and mainly watches films.

 

[ajsccfc]

Yeah I'd be surprised if he's actually putting together a home cinema and using it for nothing but stadium demolition footage, like it's MTV Cribs and he's got Scarface on 24/7.

I had a mooch around during the demolition one day when there was only about a quarter of the East Stand still there, took some photos. The best shot was of one of the workers whose helmet was perched precariously on top of the most perfectly round afro I've ever seen. Magic.

 

[Astute]

The decision to leave Highfield Road was right. As pointed out by OSB in #20 it was in need of modernization/bringing up to standard.
That is even assuming you would have been granted planning permission for any expansion or improvements. Don't forget out of 23,500 capacity almost 4000 was given up to away fans which at the time was cause for regular moaning on the radio.

The problem with the Ricoh is the people that run our club gambled with the clubs money and the correct finances were not in place to pay for it.

Yes the decision to leave HR was right. The timing was totally wrong. We should have done it when we could afford it. But Richardson gambled with our clubs future and got it wrong. Majorly wrong.