Desperados
New Member
SISU bring in another.....
http://www.coventrytelegraph.net/co...-to-turn-coventry-city-around-92746-30834649/
http://www.coventrytelegraph.net/co...-to-turn-coventry-city-around-92746-30834649/
Paul Barber to turn us around??? (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter Desperados
- Start date
Sir Digby Chicken Caesar
New Member
Sisu draft in ex-FA director to turn Coventry City around
COVENTRY City owners Sisu have recruited the services of former Vancouver Whitecaps chief executive officer Paul Barber.
The 43-year-old, who has also had stints as executive director of Tottenham Hotspur and was the commercial and marketing director for the FA, quit the Major League Soccer club in February after almost two years in order to take on his next “challenge”.
Although it is unclear whether the executive consultant will be a permanent fixture at the Ricoh Arena, it is understood that he has been drafted in in an advisory capacity in the short-term to help turn the club’s finances around, including addressing the problematic issue of stadium ownership.
On his appointment with the Whitecaps, it is claimed Barber said he would help make the club “one of the top 25 clubs in the world,” and said he always intended to review his position after two years.
“I’ve got a couple of opportunities that I want to pursue, which I can’t really talk about,” he said in an interview with The Vancouver Sun.
“I feel it’s the right time for me to take on the next challenge.
“The best time to reflect in sport is in the post-season.
"You have better perspective and you’re not caught up in the day-to-day madness of match after match and situation after situation.”
Barber feels he accomplished most of the key goals club owners set for him when he accepted the job in Vancouver – manage the transition to MLS, help the club move into two different stadiums, re-establish the Whitecaps brand, build a strong fan base and attract strong corporate sponsors.
With sponsors such as Bell, BMO and EA, the Whitecaps enjoy one of the strongest corporate sponsorship programmes in MLS – the league comprising 16 American and three Canadian teams.
League commissioner Don Garber once called the Bell/Whitecaps deal one of the richest in North American sports.
“The club is in fantastic shape for the future and I’m very, very proud to have been a small part of that,” said Barber who is also the former head of European operations for communications giant Ogilvy & Mather.
His off-field success included crowd numbers remaining high despite some dreadful performances and results on the pitch.
Many fans felt the turning point was the mid-season firing of popular coach Teitur Thordarson and the decision to replace him with Tom Soehn.
That decision went against all the claims of showing patience and developing a team that had been the standard up to that point and helped to create a sense of instability before the appointment of new coach Martin Rennie.
Barber also got involved in player recruitment and was a key factor in the signing of Korean defender Young-Pyo Lee, whose agent knew Barber from when Lee played for Tottenham.
Barber added: “I will continue to help the club where I can and if I hear of good players who might be interested in MLS, I will definitely recommend Vancouver.
"My heart is still very much here and the Whitecaps will always be a special club to me, as Tottenham has been in the past and is now.”
Meanwhile City’s staff, including personnel from Ryton and the Academy, were summoned to the Ricoh yesterday afternoon for a meeting with club chiefs to spell out the immediate way forward in light of the Sky Blues relegation to League One.
http://www.coventrytelegraph.net/co...-to-turn-coventry-city-around-92746-30834649/
COVENTRY City owners Sisu have recruited the services of former Vancouver Whitecaps chief executive officer Paul Barber.
The 43-year-old, who has also had stints as executive director of Tottenham Hotspur and was the commercial and marketing director for the FA, quit the Major League Soccer club in February after almost two years in order to take on his next “challenge”.
Although it is unclear whether the executive consultant will be a permanent fixture at the Ricoh Arena, it is understood that he has been drafted in in an advisory capacity in the short-term to help turn the club’s finances around, including addressing the problematic issue of stadium ownership.
On his appointment with the Whitecaps, it is claimed Barber said he would help make the club “one of the top 25 clubs in the world,” and said he always intended to review his position after two years.
“I’ve got a couple of opportunities that I want to pursue, which I can’t really talk about,” he said in an interview with The Vancouver Sun.
“I feel it’s the right time for me to take on the next challenge.
“The best time to reflect in sport is in the post-season.
"You have better perspective and you’re not caught up in the day-to-day madness of match after match and situation after situation.”
Barber feels he accomplished most of the key goals club owners set for him when he accepted the job in Vancouver – manage the transition to MLS, help the club move into two different stadiums, re-establish the Whitecaps brand, build a strong fan base and attract strong corporate sponsors.
With sponsors such as Bell, BMO and EA, the Whitecaps enjoy one of the strongest corporate sponsorship programmes in MLS – the league comprising 16 American and three Canadian teams.
League commissioner Don Garber once called the Bell/Whitecaps deal one of the richest in North American sports.
“The club is in fantastic shape for the future and I’m very, very proud to have been a small part of that,” said Barber who is also the former head of European operations for communications giant Ogilvy & Mather.
His off-field success included crowd numbers remaining high despite some dreadful performances and results on the pitch.
Many fans felt the turning point was the mid-season firing of popular coach Teitur Thordarson and the decision to replace him with Tom Soehn.
That decision went against all the claims of showing patience and developing a team that had been the standard up to that point and helped to create a sense of instability before the appointment of new coach Martin Rennie.
Barber also got involved in player recruitment and was a key factor in the signing of Korean defender Young-Pyo Lee, whose agent knew Barber from when Lee played for Tottenham.
Barber added: “I will continue to help the club where I can and if I hear of good players who might be interested in MLS, I will definitely recommend Vancouver.
"My heart is still very much here and the Whitecaps will always be a special club to me, as Tottenham has been in the past and is now.”
Meanwhile City’s staff, including personnel from Ryton and the Academy, were summoned to the Ricoh yesterday afternoon for a meeting with club chiefs to spell out the immediate way forward in light of the Sky Blues relegation to League One.
http://www.coventrytelegraph.net/co...-to-turn-coventry-city-around-92746-30834649/
Last edited:
LastGarrison
Well-Known Member
Paul Barber eh?
Bet he's been brought in to make some cuts.
Bet he's been brought in to make some cuts.
thorninmyside
New Member
Oh dear. Another blag artist arrives. He is here to sort out the buying of the ground. If sisu are attempting to buy the ground as they state. ..and the council just won't budge. .. it is the council that are holding this club back not sisu.
Osullivan18
Well-Known Member
I can understand why they won't sell them the ground, and if they have the money to buy the ground why wasn't investment made in the team!
Brighton Sky Blue
Well-Known Member
Stop blaming the council for the mess the club is in.
Sky Blue Sheepy
New Member
Sounds like he did good work with the MLS team. Whats more positive is that staff were invited to the Ricoh to be informed of the plans for next season. Probably means nothing but I am desperate to bring good news out of anything CCFC related at the moment...
kepit 2 yusen
New Member
I think you hit the nail on the head, Sisu have proved to the world that they cannot be trusted. They don't have any interest in the club, if they got the stadium, it would be for their own ends ultimately and I could honestly see the club pushed out whilst they wind it down to turn it into an open air LG arena !! Who knows, they might even finance a roof !
It's a pity Sisu don't make cars as they would go out of business and disappear bearing in mind their "integrity".
BurbageSkyBlues
New Member
hmmmm...how much is this costing, what can he effectively achieve if the club has no money?
it just seems like another payday for another SISU appointment of another nomadic journeyman..........
it just seems like another payday for another SISU appointment of another nomadic journeyman..........
Coventrycityfc
New Member
Same shit different day and another new suit arrives ! Time to go SISU, Time to go
oldskyblue58
CCFC Finance Director
"too many chiefs not enough indians" comes to mind
His experience seems very different to being able to turn around a League 1 side on the financial brink - but I suppose we will see what he has to offer.
Surely we know what the problems are and what is required to change it. Why do we need someone else to tell us? What have they been doing if this is the new initiative ?
The council are only holding CCFC back if you think they should just roll over and give in to a poorly run, financially woeful tenant. The council and charity stance originally was to require a financially stable, well funded tenant capable of becoming a partner in the Ricoh that could help develop the site with further investment. The club got themselves in the position to require the council & charity to bail them out (alternative at the time was bankruptcy and no club) .... the club got themselves in the position that few trust in their statements or financial planning. The Ricoh is much more than CCFC it is very much a part of the redevelopment of north Coventry and as such the council & charity are absolutely right to ensure it is in good hands. There is nothing in the last 20 years of CCFC that would indicate the club is capable of good prudent and successful financial management and and until such things are addressed at CCFC then it is CCFC that is holding the club back
His experience seems very different to being able to turn around a League 1 side on the financial brink - but I suppose we will see what he has to offer.
Surely we know what the problems are and what is required to change it. Why do we need someone else to tell us? What have they been doing if this is the new initiative ?
The council are only holding CCFC back if you think they should just roll over and give in to a poorly run, financially woeful tenant. The council and charity stance originally was to require a financially stable, well funded tenant capable of becoming a partner in the Ricoh that could help develop the site with further investment. The club got themselves in the position to require the council & charity to bail them out (alternative at the time was bankruptcy and no club) .... the club got themselves in the position that few trust in their statements or financial planning. The Ricoh is much more than CCFC it is very much a part of the redevelopment of north Coventry and as such the council & charity are absolutely right to ensure it is in good hands. There is nothing in the last 20 years of CCFC that would indicate the club is capable of good prudent and successful financial management and and until such things are addressed at CCFC then it is CCFC that is holding the club back
Here is a quote for the conspirator's among us:
Barber feels he accomplished most of the key goals club owners set for him when he accepted the job in Vancouver – manage the transition to MLS, help the club move into two different stadiums, re-establish the Whitecaps brand, build a strong fan base and attract strong corporate sponsors.
Barber feels he accomplished most of the key goals club owners set for him when he accepted the job in Vancouver – manage the transition to MLS, help the club move into two different stadiums, re-establish the Whitecaps brand, build a strong fan base and attract strong corporate sponsors.
thorninmyside
New Member
Because sisu came into this to buy the club. .. that's the players the brand and the ground. The team are worth nothing. Its the ricoh they want
Here is a quote for the conspirator's among us:
Barber feels he accomplished most of the key goals club owners set for him when he accepted the job in Vancouver – manage the transition to MLS, help the club move into two different stadiums, re-establish the Whitecaps brand, build a strong fan base and attract strong corporate sponsors.
“I’ve got a couple of opportunities that I want to pursue, which I can’t really talk about,”
thorninmyside
New Member
Yeah I think sisu will simply move us out of the ricoh. They own the club and owe the council nothing. The refusal to pay the rent should tell you everything.
Now the mover specialist turns up.
Now the mover specialist turns up.
oldskyblue58
CCFC Finance Director
except the club have a 40 year lease at the Ricoh which they would have to settle and presently there is no suitable alternative within 15 miles of the city center. Might as well liquidate the club it would be quicker and cheaper
Oh come on OSB - I was kinda hoping to start a stampede here. Now you have ruined it.
oldskyblue58
CCFC Finance Director
sorry cowboy !
Oh come on OSB - I was kinda hoping to start a stampede here. Now you have ruined it.
Next thing you know, would have been a tweet from Keys: 'Sisu are planning to move out of the Ricoh' and then Mr Mutton will call it another sisu threat and this forum ...........
kingharvest
New Member
Do SISU not realise that the only way they can get the fans back on board is by showing significant investment in the team? Its no wonder the Council won't sell to them - they have shown no genuine desire in recent years to improve the playing side, they have lied to the fans, they've lied to the council, they've lied to the fans ABOUT the council.
BurbageSkyBlues
New Member
Well if he managed to move the Vancouver team to two stadiums, maybe we will end up playing the first half of each game at the butts, then the second half at nuneaton town........that way, we get bigger crowds !!!! :thinking about:
Mary_Mungo_Midge
Well-Known Member
Another suit – after a long line of suits – who’s been drafted in, doubtless at great expense to try and perform miracles, Kings New Clothes stylee….
I firmly believe that three more loan players – bearing in mind how influential Norwood and Nimely proved – would have saved our season. Right toward the end, leading up to and after the Bristol game; when Bristol had invested, Millwall had invested and Forest had invested.
What would the cost have been of bringing in three more loans from January onwards? To date, £100K? Instead, we limped into a transfer embargo, and watched those who made sensible additions pull away from us.
And what have we spent this season on faceless ‘suits’ that haven’t performed, and haven’t understood our predicament. And why haven’t we learned?
We don’t need miracle workers. We just need a ‘sensible’ investment in the playing stock :facepalm:
I firmly believe that three more loan players – bearing in mind how influential Norwood and Nimely proved – would have saved our season. Right toward the end, leading up to and after the Bristol game; when Bristol had invested, Millwall had invested and Forest had invested.
What would the cost have been of bringing in three more loans from January onwards? To date, £100K? Instead, we limped into a transfer embargo, and watched those who made sensible additions pull away from us.
And what have we spent this season on faceless ‘suits’ that haven’t performed, and haven’t understood our predicament. And why haven’t we learned?
We don’t need miracle workers. We just need a ‘sensible’ investment in the playing stock :facepalm:
gary_ccfcforever
Well-Known Member
Barber....
Is a friend and linked to a certain Mr Leonard Brody......
Coincidence?
Is a friend and linked to a certain Mr Leonard Brody......
Coincidence?
rob9872
Well-Known Member
He still owns some shares so perhaps SISU will step aside and Brody will takeover.
Do we think that's a case of better the devil you (don't) know or out of the frying pan
The soothsayer
New Member
I shall not be getting all lathered up about him ,Im sure he is here to shave some more off the wage bill,I wonder if he has got "anything for the weekend"?
skybluebeduff
Well-Known Member
Tankie
New Member
It appears that Interim CEOs have a very short shelf life at CCFC, they are prodded to stand in front of the press and other media, to give a heart felt apology to the fans, promising what they promised last year, and refer to the complete carnage in which they have left the club, as "some unfortunate mistakes"these include the sale of The Juke box, the failure to tempt, marlon King, Kieran Westwood, plus several of our other better players, to sign contracts.
These were not mistakes,But deliberate measures to allow them to pay the bills, why don't they grow a pair, Man Up, and tell the truth.
the Interim Fisher, will no doubt be moved on when he has served the purpose, SISU will disassociate themselves from him, and insist "His words not ours"and Install another interim music facer.
Tankie...
These were not mistakes,But deliberate measures to allow them to pay the bills, why don't they grow a pair, Man Up, and tell the truth.
the Interim Fisher, will no doubt be moved on when he has served the purpose, SISU will disassociate themselves from him, and insist "His words not ours"and Install another interim music facer.
Tankie...
Brighton Sky Blue
Well-Known Member
Financial Fair Play approved for the Champs-but not implemented till 2014. Pathetic from the Football League.
Tankie, as I read the article ... especially the first lines quoted at the top of this post ... I don't read he is supposed to become CEO, interim or permanent. I don't read he is going to replace Fisher. I don't read he is supposed to be fronted to face the music, but rather that he is here in an advisory/consultant role.