Key Quotes from Reid/Seppala (1 Viewer)

[Deleted member 2526]

I wanted to highlight some quotes that I found interesting from Les Reid's interview.

At the risk of this turning in to another ACL vs SISU slanging thread, I'm gonna leave the "ACL did this" and "Council did that", and pick up on some of the other stuff.



"What’s exciting is being involved in the beginning to the end of building something like that, from purchasing land to planning permission to the designs for the stadium.
Building it is exciting, different and new."
This doesn't fill me with confidence that building a new stadium is for the club's benefit, but rather more for her portfolio.


"Look at what Northampton’s council leader said about Coventry City groundsharing -that they were delighted to have Coventry City fans contributing to the town’s economy"
Completely neglecting the economy of COVENTRY, where local pubs and businesses around the Ricoh are now really struggling.


"The new stadium will be close to Coventry but not in the jurisdiction of Coventry City Council. Instinctively, it would not cross my mind to have it within Coventry City Council’s boundary given the history, histrionics and the issue of freehold ownership"
While this does confirm that the team may not play "in" Coventry ever again, a short walk away from the city boundaries doesn't really matter to me personally.


"I am not concerned about the funding of a stadium. I'm reasonable comfortable that won’t be an issue"
"I am not looking to pack my bags and go away. I want return on my investment."
Seems we can keep shouting "Sisu Out" all we want, it doesn't look like it's gonna make a difference. They are not going anywhere.


"But the reality is we’re in it for the long term. We don’t want to sell anyone in January (when the transfer window next opens). If we have a squad with the ability to compete and be promoted, we have £5million in additional revenues in the Championship"
Good!


"I would like to get to a point where people are so interested in the football, they stop talking about Sisu Capital"
Is the bad publicity for Sisu beginning to affect them? (Private Eye etc...)


"I shepherd other people’s money. I don’t have the desire to run a football club, I don’t know anything about football."
So she doesn't run the club day-to-day, but for me this is a shocking quote from the ultimate owner of a football club. It also throws in to doubt Fisher's claims last year that she was more hands-on with the club now.

"The business side is operationally in a good place. Tim Fisher’s done a good job."
I...I don't know where to begin with this...


Thoughts?

 

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[hill83]

Nothing new has been learned really. The Telegraph has got a couple of days of advert funds out of it though.

 

[jimmyhillsfanclub]

"I would like to get to a point where people are so interested in the football, they stop talking about Sisu Capital"

A-fucking-men to that.

The only time I really want to hear anything about SISU or ACL from now on is when they both go bust or fuck off....

 

[John_Silletts_Nose]

Denying the plan was ever to distress ACL to get the stadium “on the cheap”, she said: “The council owns the freehold and has a right of re-entry. So in the event of ACL going bust they could take the lease over anyway and continue to run the stadium. This also means that if somebody went in to buy ACL, the council had the right to refuse the assignment, whoever that buyer was.
“I am focussing on the future and not looking back."
If she is focussing on the future and not looking back then why ask for a judicial review and then why appeal the decision, that is perpetuating the dispute and trying to distress the ownership. (Les Reid should have asked this question)

 

[ccfcway]

lot of crap really.

my 1st question would have been

"In the short term, until the new stadium is built, would you return to the Ricoh under the same terms and conditions as you have accepted at Northampton ?"

The answer could then have been taken to ACL "IF" the answer was YES. If no, well, we know exactly what their game is then !

 

[Godiva]

Denying the plan was ever to distress ACL to get the stadium “on the cheap”, she said: “The council owns the freehold and has a right of re-entry. So in the event of ACL going bust they could take the lease over anyway and continue to run the stadium. This also means that if somebody went in to buy ACL, the council had the right to refuse the assignment, whoever that buyer was.
“I am focussing on the future and not looking back."
If she is focussing on the future and not looking back then why ask for a judicial review and then why appeal the decision, that is perpetuating the dispute and trying to distress the ownership. (Les Reid should have asked this question)

Even if you're moving forward it doesn't mean you can't fire your rifle over your shoulder - I think she is angry and this is her way of retaliation.
But you're right - Les reid should have asked.

 

[covcity4life]

lot of crap really.

my 1st question would have been

"In the short term, until the new stadium is built, would you return to the Ricoh under the same terms and conditions as you have accepted at Northampton ?"

The answer could then have been taken to ACL "IF" the answer was YES. If no, well, we know exactly what their game is then !

she has no intention of working with ACL after the way they have acted too, i mean come on, forcing admin and rejecting a CVA out of spite is enough to sower any business relationship.

its a shame but i can understand why they only want a full resolution to ricoh issue, they cannot work with each other it seems.

 

[RoboCCFC90]

lot of crap really.

my 1st question would have been

"In the short term, until the new stadium is built, would you return to the Ricoh under the same terms and conditions as you have accepted at Northampton ?"

The answer could then have been taken to ACL "IF" the answer was YES. If no, well, we know exactly what their game is then !

Your question was answered without even asking it.

“There is no way we would go back to a rental deal. As I have said to the Football League when they asked recently if we would do a temporary arrangement, it would be irrational to return on an interim basis where I have any exposure to Coventry City Council whatsoever."

 

[ccfcmustang]

The club needs revenue this is a fact, i believe that it is also a fact that the council will ever sell the ricoh to CCFC. What other option dopes this leave?

 

[John_Silletts_Nose]

“The new stadium will be close to Coventry but not in the jurisdiction of Coventry City Council. We met the Football League in January and discussed where it should be and what it should be.
Is this a typo or did they really have this planned with the Football League since January 2013?

 

[RogerH]

The club needs revenue this is a fact, i believe that it is also a fact that the council will ever sell the ricoh to CCFC. What other option dopes this leave?

It looks to me as if fans are faced with two choices:

1. Accept, if reluctantly that SISU are here for the long haul, and will do things their way. They are clearly unaffected by any protest campaign which seems unlikely to divert them from their chosen path. Trust that they will build a new stadium close to Coventry, and are genuinely interested in running a football club.

(There seems no prospect of any return to the Ricoh as CCC/ACL/Higgs will not sell the stadium lock, stock and barrel to SISU. I detect a political element involved, i.e. Labour Council v Right Wing led Hedge Fund which makes any deal more unlikely.)

2. For those that are not prepared to accept the above, forming a new club seems more and more like the only alternative.

 

[kingharvest]

“The new stadium will be close to Coventry but not in the jurisdiction of Coventry City Council. We met the Football League in January and discussed where it should be and what it should be.
Is this a typo or did they really have this planned with the Football League since January 2013?

They informed ACL in January that it was their plan to build a new stadium and offered ACL a deal to rent the Ricoh in the interim for 3 years which was rejected by ACL. No idea what the deal looked like though. So perfectly possible they spoke to the Football League about it then.

 

[kingharvest]

It looks to me as if fans are faced with two choices:

1. Accept, if reluctantly that SISU are here for the long haul, and will do things their way. They are clearly unaffected by any protest campaign which seems unlikely to divert them from their chosen path. Trust that they will build a new stadium close to Coventry, and are genuinely interested in running a football club.

(There seems no prospect of any return to the Ricoh as CCC/ACL/Higgs will not sell the stadium lock, stock and barrel to SISU. I detect a political element involved, i.e. Labour Council v Right Wing led Hedge Fund which makes any deal more unlikely.)

2. For those that are not prepared to accept the above, forming a new club seems more and more like the only alternative.

The end of your first point is interesting, i wonder if a Tory council would be more open to selling to SISU? Probably wouldn't make a difference.

 

[chiefdave]

"I shepherd other people’s money. I don’t have the desire to run a football club, I don’t know anything about football."

"The business side is operationally in a good place. Tim Fisher’s done a good job."

These 2 for me are a pretty good summary of the mess we're in. We're told Joy is hands on day to day and making all the decisions yet she doesn't want to run a football club. To say Tim is doing a good job, don't know where to start with that really.

 

[SkyBlueScottie]

"Look at what Northampton’s council leader said about Coventry City groundsharing -that they were delighted to have Coventry City fans contributing to the town’s economy"
Completely neglecting the economy of COVENTRY, where local pubs and businesses around the Ricoh are now really struggling.

I take your point, but the Football club cant think of how other businesses will fare, especially if what they have faced over the last few years is true.

" “When the former owners of the club sold the 50 per cent share to Higgs (Alan Edward Higgs Charity), I do not believe they thought they were giving away matchday revenues. They thought they had sold the equity stake in the stadium, not the revenues.”

Thats an interesting comment to make.....

 

[Cheshire Sky Blue]

lot of crap really.

my 1st question would have been

"In the short term, until the new stadium is built, would you return to the Ricoh under the same terms and conditions as you have accepted at Northampton ?"

The answer could then have been taken to ACL "IF" the answer was YES. If no, well, we know exactly what their game is then !

She did state allegedly "“There is no way we would go back to a rental deal. As I have said to the Football League when they asked recently if we would do a temporary arrangement, it would be irrational to return on an interim basis where I have any exposure to Coventry City Council whatsoever"

Its in the article, so the answer was no to your first question, what is the second?

 

[Hobo]

Unfortunately Joy this type of interview is about 6 years too late.

It does not really tell us anything people on here didn't know.

Despite even a few days ago I was reading denials SISU had said they wanted the freehold...Joy now admits that is what she wants and said it at a meeting.

I won't be convinced they are building a stadium until it goes up. I still believe it is a delaying tactic hoping ACL become distressed and buy it on the cheap. Buying land or bidding for land means nothing, as she says that's her background; land is money and if developed properly they can't loose on that one.

No surprise either when she reiterates she wants a return on her investment (reasonable) and she has no interest in football.

I am still concerned that if they do build us a stadium we will be paying them forever, even after they have gone. Look at some of the structuring back to Arvo Master fund they have done already.

Why this interview now? They are in it up to their neck, they regret it, the bad publicity is affecting them. Send out the slugger Seppala to give a bullish speech....good rhetoric nothing more....but it will entertain people on here for months.

It doesn't however explain why so many SisU companies can't file accounts....she makes everything sound tough but rosy...gosh that girl loves a challenge.

Seems to me she was sent in as the trouble shooter and has struggled to get her own way or turn it round.

 

[Moff]

" “When the former owners of the club sold the 50 per cent share to Higgs (Alan Edward Higgs Charity), I do not believe they thought they were giving away matchday revenues. They thought they had sold the equity stake in the stadium, not the revenues.”

Thats an interesting comment to make.....

I thought that wsa a very interesting comment as well.

It highlights just how inept and/or naive our previous administration was.

 

[Moff]

“Coventry City fans think it is a big club. It is a big club, but when you’re not the Real Madrids or Manchester Uniteds of this world, there is no propensity to over-pay for mediocre players. We have to de-risk with a strong academy model"

Well it seems Joy seems to realise what got us in this shambolic mess in the first place, the spend spend spend days of Richardson paying average and poor players far more than we could ever afford. At least the new model seems to be pointing us in the right direction, if they can get the academy sorted and keep rolling out good youth team players.

 

[oldskyblue58]

“When the former owners of the club sold the 50 per cent share to Higgs (Alan Edward Higgs Charity), I do not believe they thought they were giving away matchday revenues. They thought they had sold the equity stake in the stadium, not the revenues.”

The owners were not wet behind the ears school kids though were they. They were experienced businessmen. They sold the shares which always carried the right to income it wasnt a secret or unusual transaction. ACL was set up to manage the stadium operation that meant the income aswell as the costs

 

[SkyBlueSid]

It is obvious that Seppala doesn't know anything about football, and specifically does not understand football fans. 90% of her client base is staying away from the business simply because it is no longer in Coventry. If and when it returns, 2016 at the earliest, how many will return? She seems to believe they will all have had social lives on hold while a new stadium is built, and they will all march back for the first game at Sisu Park.

Well, Joy, I've got news for you. It simply won't happen. Most lapsed fans won't be back at the drop of a hat. You may attract some if the team is doing well. But many will simply have got out of the habit of going to football. Crucially, the club will have lost a generation of young people as potential supporters. It doesn't matter, in the grand scheme of things, who has been to blame for this entire mess, the damage is done regardless.

 

[mrbluesky87]

It is obvious that Seppala doesn't know anything about football, and specifically does not understand football fans. 90% of her client base is staying away from the business simply because it is no longer in Coventry. If and when it returns, 2016 at the earliest, how many will return? She seems to believe they will all have had social lives on hold while a new stadium is built, and they will all march back for the first game at Sisu Park.

Well, Joy, I've got news for you. It simply won't happen. Most lapsed fans won't be back at the drop of a hat. You may attract some if the team is doing well. But many will simply have got out of the habit of going to football. Crucially, the club will have lost a generation of young people as potential supporters. It doesn't matter, in the grand scheme of things, who has been to blame for this entire mess, the damage is done regardless.

Which begs the question (wait for the responses) at what point do fans that no longer want to follow the SISU regime put there time and effort in to another club from Coventry?? or do we except that we couldnt support anyone else and therefore time to take a different path all together?

 

[Moff]

Well, Joy, I've got news for you. It simply won't happen. Most lapsed fans won't be back at the drop of a hat. You may attract some if the team is doing well. But many will simply have got out of the habit of going to football. Crucially, the club will have lost a generation of young people as potential supporters. It doesn't matter, in the grand scheme of things, who has been to blame for this entire mess, the damage is done regardless.

But cant new habits be formed and lost?

Yes the idiotic move to Northampton risks losing a whole generation of fans, but should the club do well again, people will come back and the habit will be reformed.

Look at Swansea. When they were in Division 4 there crowds were far below what they are now, the winning habit brought fans new and old back.

Then there was Chelsea, who in the 1980's had crowds of 12,000 or so. Give them some money and all the glory fans now watch them. As opposing fans sing to them, "where were you when you were sh*t"

Success should it come will bring back more fans...but only if we are back at home...or close to home.

 

[Covstu]

Fans are a fickle bunch and if success comes knocking they wont turn it away however it still is a major risk on SISU's behalf. I think they have made it clear they will not pump Billions into the club like Chelsea but they want to get it to a point where they can sell for a profit. Really not sure whether this is possible (or in any club to be honest!) but the ground (new or current) is an essential part of this.

 

[SkyBlueSid]

Which begs the question (wait for the responses) at what point do fans that no longer want to follow the SISU regime put there time and effort in to another club from Coventry?? or do we except that we couldnt support anyone else and therefore time to take a different path all together?

I believe that many stay-aways are almost past caring about the Sisu/ACL situation. The thing that really matters is that the club is no longer playing in, or near, Coventry. So it is no longer an option for Saturday afternoon. I doubt most will support anyone else - I certainly won't be - but will simply become armchair football watchers. Remember that City lost a large proportion of its fanbase after relegation from the Premier League and they didn't drift back. Only success will do that, and that probably means challenging for a return to the Premier League, nothing less.

But cant new habits be formed and lost?

Yes the idiotic move to Northampton risks losing a whole generation of fans, but should the club do well again, people will come back and the habit will be reformed.

Look at Swansea. When they were in Division 4 there crowds were far below what they are now, the winning habit brought fans new and old back.

Then there was Chelsea, who in the 1980's had crowds of 12,000 or so. Give them some money and all the glory fans now watch them. As opposing fans sing to them, "where were you when you were sh*t"

Success should it come will bring back more fans...but only if we are back at home...or close to home.

As I have said, the habit has been lost by many over the last decade or so, even before the move to Northampton. There was a brief 'New Ground' factor but it wasn't maintained by on-field success, rather the opposite. There have been false dawns before, so I simply can't see people being drawn back in huge numbers. We are not Swansea. They never moved away from their city, nor were they run by a bunch of cowboys who didn't care about the fans.

I would love to see good times back at the City, but we are as far away as it is possible to be. I have supported City for 50 years and never has there been as little hope as now, notwithstanding the fact that we happen to be playing well over the last few weeks. This is the first season for 46 years I've not had a season ticket, and I can't see any prospect of having another as things stand at present.

 

[RPHunt]

What a load of bluster - does the woman take us all for complete idiots?

No sane person would give them a penny to invest in CCFC or to build a new stadium, yet she expects us to believe it. I think the move to Northampton must be hurting them for her to give this interview.

 

[Deleted member 5849]

The owners were not wet behind the ears school kids though were they. They were experienced businessmen. They sold the shares which always carried the right to income it wasnt a secret or unusual transaction. ACL was set up to manage the stadium operation that meant the income aswell as the costs

Well... I take your general point, although I'm sure we could rant for a while about the competence or otherwise, and the self interest of the likes of Robinson and McGinnity

been there, done that though...

 

[ccfcway]

She didnt come out of the woodwork when SISU bought the club
She didnt come out of the woodwork when SISU relegated the club
She didnt come out of the woodwork when SISU got us into the Administration / CVA mess
She didnt come out of the woodwork when SISU moved us to Northampton

but now no-one is going, here she is !

They are hurting, they must be.

I choose to believe that, rather than believe...the owner of our club thinks TF is doing a good job

 

[kmj5000]

It is apparent that she knows nothing about football or running a football club and she has no respect for the wishes of the fans.
Her only interest is getting the Ricoh, and the surrounding development land, on the cheap and that is her one and only aim - or am I being unfair?

 

[Monners]

It is apparent that she knows nothing about football or running a football club and she has no respect for the wishes of the fans.
Her only interest is getting the Ricoh, and the surrounding development land, on the cheap and that is her one and only aim - or am I being unfair?

No - you are not

 

[kmj5000]

But cant new habits be formed and lost?

Yes the idiotic move to Northampton risks losing a whole generation of fans, but should the club do well again, people will come back and the habit will be reformed.

Look at Swansea. When they were in Division 4 there crowds were far below what they are now, the winning habit brought fans new and old back.

Then there was Chelsea, who in the 1980's had crowds of 12,000 or so. Give them some money and all the glory fans now watch them. As opposing fans sing to them, "where were you when you were sh*t"

Success should it come will bring back more fans...but only if we are back at home...or close to home.

Swansea didn't play "away" for 5 years and, as for Chelsea, our owners are not billionaires, they will never invest in the team and we will never be in the Champions League. Get real - there's no comparison is there?

And, of course, neither of those clubs did anything to infuriate, alienate, ignore and disrespect the fans in the disgraceful way that Joy, and her string of directors have done over the past 6 years!

For most fans, it will take a very long time to forgive and forget, and particularly for me after 50+ years of support, before returning to the fold.

 

[davebart]

No one has picked up on her admitted £5m a year loss of income caused by relegation. On top of that you now have the not insubstantial annual loss caused by the move to sixfields.

seems a funny way to run a business.

 

[davebart]

Nor has anyone picked on the statement that she offered ACL a three year rent deal until they built a new stadium. Given that they already had a legal rent deal in force that was very kind of her. I'm sure ACL were chuffed by that offer.

 

[fernandopartridge]

Denying the plan was ever to distress ACL to get the stadium “on the cheap”, she said: “The council owns the freehold and has a right of re-entry. So in the event of ACL going bust they could take the lease over anyway and continue to run the stadium. This also means that if somebody went in to buy ACL, the council had the right to refuse the assignment, whoever that buyer was.

Interesting point.....

 

[SkyBlueScottie]

Interesting point.....

Indeed, proves they are determined to keep their slice of the pie, whatever may happen.

Our football club must be in a better position without having to contend with the Council.