Drink + Independent Inquiry petition + £1million questions (4 Viewers)

Grendel said:

Do you honestly think 10,000 signatures is a thing to boast about Michael? I think its embarrasing to be honest and shows complete apathy in Coventry.

Your comments regarding what happened to the arsenal money etc do you little credit. That is a comment straight from that buffoon Nigel. The fact is the club recruited more players in the transfer window than they released.

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Grendel said:

Do you honestly think 10,000 signatures is a thing to boast about Michael? I think its embarrasing to be honest and shows complete apathy in Coventry.

Your comments regarding what happened to the arsenal money etc do you little credit. That is a comment straight from that buffoon Nigel. The fact is the club recruited more players in the transfer window than they released.

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Grendel said:

Do you honestly think 10,000 signatures is a thing to boast about Michael? I think its embarrasing to be honest and shows complete apathy in Coventry.

Your comments regarding what happened to the arsenal money etc do you little credit. That is a comment straight from that buffoon Nigel. The fact is the club recruited more players in the transfer window than they released.

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Grendel said:

Do you honestly think 10,000 signatures is a thing to boast about Michael? I think its embarrasing to be honest and shows complete apathy in Coventry.

Your comments regarding what happened to the arsenal money etc do you little credit. That is a comment straight from that buffoon Nigel. The fact is the club recruited more players in the transfer window than they released.

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Grendel said:

Do you honestly think 10,000 signatures is a thing to boast about Michael? I think its embarrasing to be honest and shows complete apathy in Coventry.

Your comments regarding what happened to the arsenal money etc do you little credit. That is a comment straight from that buffoon Nigel. The fact is the club recruited more players in the transfer window than they released.

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Grendel said:

Do you honestly think 10,000 signatures is a thing to boast about Michael? I think its embarrasing to be honest and shows complete apathy in Coventry.


Your comments regarding what happened to the arsenal money etc do you little credit. That is a comment straight from that buffoon Nigel. The fact is the club recruited more players in the transfer window than they released.

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The Gentleman said:

How many signatures have you got in your petition? oh sorry you haven't done one. How many people did you have at your protest? oh sorry you didn't do one. How ideas have you had to get us home that have got people interested or doing something? oh sorry you haven't done any. How many protest cards did you hand out at the last 2 protest games? oh sorry you didn't go. In fact what exactly have you done other than criticize someone who is trying their bollocks to get Cov playing back in our rightful home. You sit there in your little cave saying "well I don't go to any games" but then have a go at Michael who is actively doing lots and is getting us much needed coverage for our plight. I think you will find it is you that is embarrassing and a complete joke for you stupid post.

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James Smith said:

Are you saying you don't want the matter raised in parliament? Are you opposed to an independent enquiry of the mess we're in - and if so why?
Getting one tenth of the signatures we need in one week seems to me to be worth celebrating.

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skybluefred said:

Don't feed the troll--just ignore him--and his ludicrous comments.

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torchomatic said:

Good start on the epetition but really where are the people of Coventry? Why aren't they signing it? If half the number who went to the JPT game signed it we'd have more than we have now. Apathy reigns in Coventry and Warwickshire unfortunately.

Not sure about having a go at City for not spending the money on players straight away, Michael. Maybe the players Presley wanted weren't available and Clarke didn't go until very late in the Window so we might not have had chance. And finally would you rather we just spent it on players who happen to be available or do you want the right players? I trust Pressley.

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duffer said:

It's a fair point this, imho, about not buying players immediately. I guess we'll see the truth of the investment strategy in the close season.

10,000 is a great start on the petition, but maybe people are a bit war-weary now and don't want to hear the arguments any more. I don't know, but I think we need to keep at it. Even if the truth isn't the one I want to hear, I want it out there - who wouldn't!

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MichaelCCFC said:

Latest kcic mailout


Great win at Bristol City but less said about the Notts County game the better, although Pressley’s post match interview made me respect him even more and the ‘WHY?’ on 35 minutes was brilliant. All part of the ccfc rollercoaster


Incredible first week for Independent Inquiry epetition - http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/59884

• 10,000 signatures in its first week
• Consistently trending and at times being the number 1 epetition in the UK
• Great support from fans of other clubs, national journalists, former players and a lot of other people too

So if you like the idea of Tim Fisher and all the other people responsible for the CCFC mess being grilled in public by a Parliamentary Committee here are two things you can do this week –

1. Once you've signed the epetition, nag everyone you know to sign it too - partner, husband, wife, boyfriend, girlfriend, sons, daughters, parents, grandparents, grandkids, uncles, aunties, cousins, second cousins and that's just family. There's friends, neighbours people at work and lots more besides - go for it!
2. One suggestion is handing out leaflets in town on Saturday 15 February. It will only be worth doing if a few people will help so if you are up for it please email keepcovincov@gmail.com.

Drink! Wednesday 26th Feb

kcic doesn’t do meetings but a drink and shooting the breeze with fellow City fans is always a good way to spend an evening so on Wednesday 26th Feb a couple of us will be having a pint 8pm at the Spencer Club CV5 6JR http://www.thespencerclub.co.uk/ and anyone who fancies it is very welcome.


The £1million questions

• What's happened to the money sisu got from the Arsenal game and the sale of Leon Clarke?
• Why just more loans and no proper investment in the team?
• It’s been said plenty of times that sisu have deep pockets and can afford to subsidise losses at sixfields so isn’t the recent £1 million pay day just an unexpected bonus and why’s it then not being used for the team?

I'll leave you to draw your own conclusions on that one





Please:

#SignUp to the 'No Fans = No Football' epetition at http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/59884

Like kcic athttps://www.facebook.com/KeepCovInCovCampaign

Visit kcic at http://keepcovincov.weebly.com/

Follow kcic on twitter @NotOnePennyMore

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The 1990s

In the early 1990s we owned our own football ground, we were about to be part of the Premier League and all anyone knew was top flight football. We were established in the top flight of English football and it was only those with a long memory who could remember a time when Coventry City V Arsenal, Man Utd or Liverpool wasn't an annual fixture. With the Premier League came a change in ownership, out went Derrick Robins and in came Bryan Richardson and with him came the big names of Ron Atkinson and Gordon Strachan. Quickly the playing squad was overhauled, players were signed on big wages and for big money. Behind the scenes the board, consisting of Geoffrey Robinson and Mike McGinnity, were changing the way the club was being run with the formation of Coventry City Holdings and players were being signed under the Newmarket scheme.

Around this time the football club sold one of its prized assents, no not Robbie Keane, but Highfield Road. It could be argued that the board had no right to sell Highfield Road as the land on which is sat was given to the people of Coventry by Sir John Siddley. However, this was the start of the variety project that was to begin life as Arena 2000 and come to fruition as the Ricoh Arena. The decisions and gambles made at that time are as relevant to the situation we find ourselves in today as any decision made since. The day before we sold Highfield Road was the last time, until the CVA was refused and the rent agreement for the Ricoh Arena was ended, that the club held its own future in its own hands. Once the deal to sell Highfield Road was signed we were on a path which needed better governance than the board at the time had ever shown.

The Move to the Ricoh

By the time relegation occurred the club were around £60million in debt and the gamble had failed, by the second post relegation season the reality had kicked in and the then manager Gary McAllister was forced to turn to the youth team to provide the majority of the first team as there were no funds for signings. Between the turn of 2003 and the end of that season we picked up 11 points in 20 games and survival was achieved by a mere 4 points. Results on the pitch did improve the following season under Eric Black but with the club gearing for the move to the Ricoh it took until our last game at Highfield Road for Championship survival to be confirmed for the 2005/06 season. On the pitch we were hardly going into our new ground on a high, off it things weren’t much better.

Mike McGinnity was now in charge and the situation regarding the financing of a new stadium had taken a turn for the worse, the club couldn't afford to do it alone and it was at this time that Coventry City Council started to get involved. For them it was a chance to convert the former Foleshill Gasworks into a prime piece of retail land, it was a chance for regeneration of the north of Coventry and the development not only included a new football ground but an exhibition centre, hotel and casino. The exact dealings over the decontamination of the land and the sale of part of the land are described in this extract from Paul Fletcher.
"By the time I arrived in Coventry the deal had been struck; in simple terms it was going to be a joint venture between the football club and the council with both parties owning 50 per cent of the equity.

As the football club did not have the money to complete the purchase of the land, which would then enable them to sell off half of it to Tesco, it was agreed that Coventry City Council would purchase the land, then conclude the deal with Tesco, all as part of their joint venture agreement.

But mysteriously, once the purchase of the land and the sale to Tesco had been completed, Coventry City Council informed the football club that they were unable to share with them the profit from the sale of the land due to ‘state aid’ implications.

Instead, they offered Coventry City FC a 50 per cent share in the company that would operate the Ricoh Arena, but they, Coventry City Council would own all the equity in the property.

What I have explained in one paragraph took over 12 months to sort out and over £1m was spent on lawyers’ fees as the state aid fiasco continued through to a conclusion, which involved numerous highly paid lawyers As compensation the council offered Coventry City Football Club 50 per cent of the operating profit from the Ricoh Arena and the business plan forecasts were looking very favourable. In addition CCFC would receive all their football related income streams. "

Mike McGinnity had got the debt down to £25m but with no assets other than the training ground at Ryton the club had to sell their half of ACL to the Alan Edward Higgs Charity for a reported £6million. So instead of owning half the freehold we ended up being tenants in the ground built for us.

However, it was okay as our landlords were our council and a local charity, they would take pity on the financially crippled football club wouldn't they? The main details of what the club received for their £1.2m rent, the highest fixed price rent for a football ground in the country I believe, is well documented in the Sky Blue Trusts excellent Q&A which is on their web site. There are a couple of issues worth putting to bed here, first the club had no choice but to move into the Ricoh once it had started to be built, secondly yes the rent was the same as they had been paying the owners of Highfield Road before the move but that doesn't mean that was a fair deal and it was hardly like with like. At the Ricoh the club only received money from ticket sales, so once you entered the ground every other penny you spent in there went to someone else other than the home side, unlike Highfield Road and every other football ground in the country. To put that in perspective, we earnt more money from the last pie sold at Highfield Road and the first pie sold in Sixfields than we did from every single penny spent in the concourse of the Ricoh over 8 seasons. I'm sorry but whoever agreed to that needs to look long and hard in the mirror.

However, it was more than that, we only received money from the sponsorship at pitch level, above pitch levels the money went to ACL, the limits of the revenue streams on the football club were punitive and for no good reason. At Highfield Road, once we paid the rent for the ground any revenues generated by Coventry City Football Club playing there went to CCFC, at the Ricoh the majority of the money went to the landlords. How was that helping an already crippled football club? Well in short it wasn't.

One aspect of the new ground which did help the finances was the new ground bump in attendance and during our first season we had average gates around the 21,000 mark which was only 2,000 shy of the reported break even figure of 23,000. This was an improvement of 5,000 on the last season at Highfield Road and our highest since 1979, but even with a 8th placed finish (our highest since 1989) the attendances began to drop below 20,000 and in subsequent seasons they dropped further below the break even figure.

The manager who oversaw the move from Highfield Road to the Ricoh Arena, Mickey Adams has put it pretty bluntly since, he remarked "Also the Ricoh Arena is a millstone around the club's neck. Until they get that sorted out, they aren't going anywhere."

Within 3 years of the move to the Ricoh the writing was back on the wall, the club was in debt to the tune of £38 million and with the clock ticking down to administration on Friday 14 December 2007 the saviours appeared in the form of Ray Ranson and SISU.

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SISU

I assume the plan was simple, buy young talent on the cheap, win promotion and sell the club to the next rich Arab/Yank/Russian who wanted to own a Premier League football club. Ray Ranson made it very clear on many occasions that the Ricoh wasn’t the priority, the playing staff was. He was running the show and he was doing it his way.

In their first 2 seasons, SISU brought in Westwood, Keogh, Dann, Fox, Cranie, Clingan, Gunnarsson, and Eastwood, the latter costing a million pounds. They also allowed Chris Coleman to sign Jordan Henderson on loan. Looking back at that group of players, and the fact that in both the 2008/09 and 09/10 seasons we were on the verge of the play offs with 11 games to go it’s hard to believe we are where we are.

However, you look through that list of players and how many did we get a decent fee for? The fact that Westwood and Gunnar ran down their contracts and where allowed to leave for between nothing and pittance is shameful. In addition to the good signings, too many average players were signed for either big fees or on wages way beyond their talents.

The buy cheap, sell expensive system is great if you sell, the football club appeared to be no better run than it ever had. We still had no revenue streams off the pitch and the assets on the pitch were allowed to leave for nowhere near their market value.

At one point during Ranson’s reign it was estimated that the club was losing £500k a month, what on is anyones guess, but the rumoured wages of some of the lesser stars isn’t a tail which leaves the club looking particularly financially savvy.

Then in 2011, only days after sacking his second managerial appointment, Aidy Bothroyd, and with attendances falling, players leaving due to a lack of money to improve contracts and with no money for players to replace them, Ray Ranson quit the board. The only way I can review Ransons time at club is by pointing at the three biggest decisions he made; appointing Chris Coleman, appointing Aidy Bothroyd and not buying half the Ricoh, all three were massive errors of judgment in my opinion.

When you are at your lowest ebb, as SISU were in 2011, the main thing is to not compound that dislike by making another disastrous appointment. Well SISU gave us Ken Dulieu. The end of that season saw six players leave, including Westwood, Gunnar and Marlon King at the end of their contracts, and only three players joined. The situation wasn’t great and in echoes to the 2003/04 season the team was once again filled with youth team players and as in that season the manager just wasn’t good enough to cope with the situation.

Then on Saturday 10 December 2011 the football club hit a new low, a low beyond even the suggestion from short term director Leonard Brody that we should be allowed to vote via text for substitutions, Orange Ken Dulieu undermined the manager Andy Thorn by sitting next to him on the bench for the game against Hull City. Utterly bizarre and the actions of a man who just had no concept of what he was doing, he was shortly replaced by Tim Fisher.

In January 2012 with relegation a near certainty the club sold top scorer Lucas Jutkiewicz, and replaced him with a kid who had barely played any football. It was no surprise when the final nail was driven in to the relegation coffin and for the first time since 1964 Coventry were in the third tier of English football. Attendances dropped to around 10,000 and the club were now losing £250,000 a month.

After 3 games of the 2012 season something had to change and it started with Andy Thorn, after much consideration Tim Fisher and Steve Waggott appointed Mark Robins. For the first time in a long time it appeared that we had people in charge of the football side who wanted to actually think before they leapt in. The appointment of Robins was just what the club needed, he had the prickly attitude needed to drag the club by the throat and start the slow process of turning the club around on the pitch. Off it things were still no better.

The last 12 months

I will leave the last 12 months to the comments made by Mark Robins in an interview after he left.

“It was a considered decision,” said Robins, who alluded to the current rent dispute between the club and Arena Coventry Ltd – the owners of the Ricoh Arena. “I spoke to the owner, I sought assurances and didn’t get any assurances from the owner of Coventry,” he said as he was unveiled today as the Terrier’s fifth manager in as many years. “I absolutely wish them all the best, they work their socks off and as I’ve said before that club needs support from Coventry City Council." “That led to a decision to want to speak with Huddersfield and that’s how the decision has been arrived at.” When pressed about the nature of the assurances he wanted from Coventry, Robins added: “I won’t go into specific detail." “There are well-documented things about what’s happening down at Coventry. It is a magnificent club. Potentially huge. But it needs support to build revenue streams and help from the council.”

In short

The last statement is key, for Coventry City to prosper the club needs to have as many revenue streams as possible, for that to occur then the club needs to return to the Ricoh. For me that means that the Council must allow the club to have access to every single penny spent in the Ricoh which is due to the football club playing there.

I want both sides to prosper from the city of Coventry having a football club and a world class football stadium. However, that requires both sides accepting that the reason we don’t is down to decisions both sides, and others from the past, have made.

This situation can be resolved in the only sensible way, because for those who are worried about tax payers money if SISU own the Ricoh, there will be bigger issues if SISU go through with their promise/threat to build a new ground and the Ricoh is sat there like a massive Sky Blue Elephant exposing to the whole world how egos stood in the way of common sense.

Therefore, I believe that both sides in this on-going disaster should be reminded of their responsibilities. Coventry City Council’s is to the people of Coventry and SISUs is to the fans of Coventry City Football Club. For me, the best way to serve the people of Coventry and the fans of Coventry City is very simple

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torchomatic said:

Not sure about having a go at City for not spending the money on players straight away, Michael. Maybe the players Presley wanted weren't available and Clarke didn't go until very late in the Window so we might not have had chance. And finally would you rather we just spent it on players who happen to be available or do you want the right players? I trust Pressley.

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Astute said:

I'm sorry but can't agree with you here.

Yes the vast majority of us trust SP. But now for the rest of it.

You say that Clarke went late in the window. Was it a shock to anyone? He had handed in a transfer request. A few offers had come in from Wolves and it sounded like a couple of others as well. We more or less knew he was going to leave. There was a few days left in the window after he had gone. They also knew about the Arsenal money well before then. If they are serious about wanting us to get promoted they would have done something about it.

If you were selling your house would you wait until the sale had gone through before looking at buying a replacement? Every player has his price. It wouldn't have been that hard to bring in a replacement if they had wanted to. They did bring in replacements. These were loans......and we know what has happened here. The odds are that the money has gone towards paying for us to be in Northampton. It seems that the only permanent signings we are going to do now are free ones and in the hope that they will have value at a later date like Clarke.

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MichaelCCFC said:

The £1million questions
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• What's happened to the money sisu got from the Arsenal game and the sale of Leon Clarke?
• Why just more loans and no proper investment in the team?
• It’s been said plenty of times that sisu have deep pockets and can afford to subsidise losses at sixfields so isn’t the recent £1 million pay day just an unexpected bonus and why’s it then not being used for the team?

I'll leave you to draw your own conclusions on that one

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MichaelCCFC said:

I trust SP totally and his post match comments on Saturday just made my respect for him even greater. But I think it's legitimate to ask will the £1m bonanza be given to SP or will it be like the money for Bigi and others where it didn't seem to be reinvested in players?


With apathy, do I dare say I used to worry about it but now I can't be bothered? The last petition was the one aimed at the council and got 1,086 signatures. Independent Inquiry one is at 11,187 so tbh I'm more than happy.

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MichaelCCFC said:

I trust SP totally and his post match comments on Saturday just made my respect for him even greater. But I think it's legitimate to ask will the £1m bonanza be given to SP or will it be like the money for Bigi and others where it didn't seem to be reinvested in players?


With apathy, do I dare say I used to worry about it but now I can't be bothered? The last petition was the one aimed at the council and got 1,086 signatures. Independent Inquiry one is at 11,187 so tbh I'm more than happy.

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