Nick
Administrator
http://www.ccfc.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0,,10269~2743738,00.html
COVENTRY City today move to reassure supporters that the club will "learn from its mistakes" after the "devastation" at being relegated to League One.
Chief executive Tim Fisher announced that a major review and restructure will be undertaken in a bid to position the club for a bounce back to the Championship.
Fisher said that the process of recovery had started at the turn of the year, but had come too late to save the team from the drop and he promised that the review will look at every aspect of the club and would take "as much time as is needed".
He said: "Although the season has not yet finished, we need to carry out a full and detailed review starting now. However, it's clear that mistakes have been made - and that is why we find ourselves in this position. We must not repeat those mistakes.
"Supporters will reasonably ask whether the squad was ever strong enough after players left in the summer and whether enough was done to redress the balance within the squad. Of course that's a very good point to raise and that, along with other impacting factors, will be reviewed.
"Our away form never came close to matching our home results. There were distractions off the field, we can't deny that. You can talk about luck, refereeing decisions and a number of other reasons and they all go into the melting pot, but we have to learn from everything that has happened this season.
"Since Christmas, with some sensible changes made regarding the introduction of arguably the right people in the right posts - something which was not always the case - we have seen an improvement.
"It wasn't enough to prevent relegation but it gives everyone hope that a process of planning and positive change leading to stability is underway, something Andy Thorn made reference to this week.
"We must also remember that Coventry City have never adjusted to life in the Championship. Since 2001 and our fall from the Premier League we all believed that we should have been challenging for our place back in the top flight but, instead, the club managed just two top half finishes and battled relegation on more than one occasion.
"In terms of the review and restructure, not one part of the club will be immune. For example, I am sure that supporters will immediately ask about Andy Thorn's future as manager, but discussions with Andy will be part of the wider review, simply because we need to look at everything from top to bottom, from Ryton to the Ricoh.
"Following the review, we will communicate any proposed changes to our supporters. Rest assured that, we will be driven in all our efforts over the next few weeks to ensure that we have a stable, fit for purpose platform so that come August we have the best chance of making a robust bid of an immediate return to the Championship."
Deputy chairman John Clarke, a supporter for more than 40 years who has moved from the terraces to the boardroom, said he was devastated by the relegation.
He said: "As a Coventry City fan this hurts me and I feel for every supporter of the club. We have a very loyal fan base who have deserved better than this. Tim and I will look at every aspect at the club but we are under no illusion as to how tough this will be.
"People remember the dreadful time when we were relegated from the Premier League and we were promised that we'd have a 'fun year' in the First Division, as it was then, and then take our rightful place back in the Premier League. Eleven years on, and we never really came close to promotion. We have to learn from that experience too.
"Many, many big clubs have fallen into the third tier of English football in the past 10 to 15 years. Manchester City, Norwich City, Leeds United, Sheffield Wednesday, Southampton, Charlton Athletic and Sheffield United have all been relegated to the third tier but either bounced back or are in the process of bouncing back.
"But it won't be easy because Coventry City will be seen as the biggest scalp in League One. Clubs will up their game when they play us.
"It is very difficult when you are relegated and grieving to start talking about positives because it can be misinterpreted as simply putting a gloss on the situation. But, for me, two positives stand out - which, I believe, bodes well for the club. Firstly, it's the way the young players from the academy have come through and acquitted themselves so well in the first team. They have been an absolute credit to the club and to the academy.
"Secondly, it is the backing from the supporters. This has been our most difficult season for 50 years and, despite differences of opinion and, at times, anger, they have come out and supported the team and have shown fantastic support both home and away. It is for this reason alone that we are so determined to get this right."
"Just before Christmas, everybody thought we were as good as down but in the second half of the season the whole club pulled together as one and made a real fight of it. We gave ourselves a real chance of a great escape.
"Alas, it wasn't to be and of course relegation is a major set-back but Coventry City will bounce back. We have done it before when the club rose through the divisions - we have to show the same unity, determination and vision that we had in the days of the Sky Blues era."
