Press release (13 Viewers)

[oldskyblue58]

Don't bring irrelevancies into the thread about the shop stock, fact lead time to obtain orders 20 to 30 weeks!

The club is in profit for the first time in many, many years thanks to the fact the rent is now sustainable and we are being run prudently, just for a change.

Not facts though are they. The club shop manager (the guy placing the order) said on CWR that lead times were 17 weeks, so the stock should be there by now. Irrespective of that the first thing the shop manager etc should have looked at when returning to the Ricoh were the stock levels and flexed the budgets accordingly. You do not leave the budgets the same when there is a major change in circumstances a good business reacts and takes advantage of changing conditions, retail shops do it all the time.

Who said the club was in profit? No one has not even Fisher. What he said was the business was cash flow positive. There is a difference. Of course he never said how that was achieved or for how long. But I will give you a clue it has nothing to do with a lease that no longer exists and effectively ceased in March 2013. It has everything to do with the sales of players and front loading the payments for season tickets (that would be making hard pressed fans pay up front for their ST rather than offering any instalment plan) and rolling up interest payments.

RFC your so called facts anything but......... not unusual however

 

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[Nick]

A better manager would have certainly performed better, kept us up? Possibly. Any manager which kept us up though would have been overachieving with the squad at his disposal (assuming he used the same players and didn't sign different possibly better players)

I think we would be nowhere near the top of the table, but a good lower league manager (championship, league one) could have kept us up. The amount of times we would be leading a game, the other team changes it about a bit but Thorn failed to see this until it was too late.

 

[skybluetony176]

You just need to look at Twitter to see just how many people who are blindly hating SISU (I am not saying without reason either) but are now Wasps fans What does it have to do with it? People protesting about CCFC being moved, it kind of takes away credibility doesn't it? By all means protest about SISU being dog shit, just don't bring that into it.

Like I said, people are throwing statements like how lucky wasps are about is slightly dangerous isn't it?

Like I said in the other thread, people keep going on about consortiums being interested in the club. Get them to come out and state their plans and what we can do to help get them in and I would be more than happy to back that to the hilt.

I noticed you completely dodged my first set of questions.

You read it on twitter you say. The source of all facts and knowledge, I feel stupid now having questioned you now that you pointed out it's on TWITter.

Who keeps talking about consortiums? Have you read this on twitter again?

This protest as I understand it is more about getting SISU to put the club up for sale because there is no way forward with them. I think even you'll struggle to argue the last part. By putting it on the market we'll find out who is and who isn't interested in much the same way as when AL publicly stated after being pushed by SISU that they'd listen to any reasonable offer and it turned out SISU wasn't the only show in town as many (I read on twitter claimed ).

 

[SkyBlue_Bear83]

Is that the same 2 players that people shouted about being sold off because they were great by the same people moaning about us having them in midfield to get us relegated?

Yes because they were talents, or at least Bigirimana was.

Would people be shouting if Maddison was sold off this January window? Yes
Does that mean he is good enough to play every week at the moment? Probably not

Your logic is flawed here.

 

[Sub]

But CCFC don't need the revenues?

As soon as people just turn the question around things start to get a bit tricky. I don't doubt Wasps may be better negotiators, but did they need it to survive or not? If so, why don't CCFC?

If Wasps HAD to move to survive and that is ok, would it be OK for CCFC to move to survive?

I don't think people really think things through before making statements.

CCFC did move, not to survive but to try and gain an asset they had no intention of paying a fair price for and as usual it was the fans that paid the cost. no thought was given to them or what happend to the team and its revenues. the fan base then went from 10000 a game to 1200 -2000? whos interests did that serve instead? not the clubs coffers or the fans instead of negotiating a better deal and cutting costs they add on top of that all the court costs (which has not finished), the debt and cost to the club have been massive and that is down to the owners nobody else

 

[skybluebeduff]

Without those saviours you would not have a club to be complaining about, either support the manager and the team or HELP!

You know that statement is so full of shit don't you?


Fucking HELP!!

 

[Nick]

CCFC did move, not to survive but to try and gain an asset they had no intention of paying a fair price for and as usual it was the fans that paid the cost. no thought was given to them or what happend to the team and its revenues. the fan base then went from 10000 a game to 1200 -2000? whos interests did that serve instead? not the clubs coffers or the fans instead of negotiating a better deal and cutting costs they add on top of that all the court costs (which has not finished), the debt and cost to the club have been massive and that is down to the owners nobody else

So if tomorrow a new owner came in and said "Sorry, SISU have left us in the shit so to survive we need to move 80 miles". You would back that?

I agree the whole PR was absolutely dog shit in any of it and I said that all the way through.

 

[SkyBlue_Bear83]

I think we would be nowhere near the top of the table, but a good lower league manager (championship, league one) could have kept us up. The amount of times we would be leading a game, the other team changes it about a bit but Thorn failed to see this until it was too late.

Yes he could have but he would still be overachieving with a poor squad.

 

[wingy]

Not facts though are they. The club shop manager (the guy placing the order) said on CWR that lead times were 17 weeks, so the stock should be there by now. Irrespective of that the first thing the shop manager etc should have looked at when returning to the Ricoh were the stack levels and flexed the budgets accordingly. You do not leave the budgets the same when there is a major change in circumstances a good business reacts and takes advantage of changing conditions, retail shops do it all the time.

Who said the club was in profit? No one has not even Fisher. What he said was the business was cash flow positive. There is a difference. Of course he never said how that was achieved or for how long. But I will give you a clue it has nothing to do with a lease that no longer exists and effectively ceased in March 2013. It has everything to do with the sales of players and front loading the payments for season tickets (that would be making hard pressed fans pay up front for their ST rather than offering any instalment plan) and rolling up interest payments.

RFC your so called facts anything but......... not unusual however

Nailed and Owned .

 

[Nick]

Yes he could have but he would still be overachieving with a poor squad.

Yet a lot of the people saying it was a poor squad also go on about Bigirimana being worth £35million and silly crap like that when they are sold. People need to make their minds up don't they as some keep changing when it suits.

 

[oldskyblue58]

Personally I think this protest will fall flat, for one reason the team is improving its results, secondly because people have lost the desire to go let alone protest, third it is tucked in to a corner not usually covered by the cameras.

I would also question some of the claims made in the statement.

I think there are very few fans that would not back a change of ownership if asked ....... however the over riding concern for them above all else is the team winning its matches.

But good luck with the protest, if that is what you feel is right.

 

[Nick]

Personally I think this protest will fall flat, for one reason the team is improving its results, secondly because people have lost the desire to go let alone protest, third it is tucked in to a corner not usually covered by the cameras.

I would also question some of the claims made in the statement.

I think however there are very few fans that would not back a change of ownership if asked ....... however the over riding concern for them above all else is the team winning its matches.

But good luck with the protest, if that is what you feel is right.

I think 99.9% of fans would back a change of ownerships if they knew the options though wouldn't they and there was a clear plan?

If one of these "consortiums" came out and said "Right, we want to take over CCFC and we will do X and Y to make the club success. This would be our plan going forward". I reckon if this was good then so many more people would be behind it and them from the start wouldn't they?

Rather than just saying "we need to get sisu out for being so secretive and not speaking to fans to get this secret consortium in" which everybody just thinks "yeah course bruv"

 

[Sub]

So if tomorrow a new owner came in and said "Sorry, SISU have left us in the shit so to survive we need to move 80 miles". You would back that?

I agree the whole PR was absolutely dog shit in any of it and I said that all the way through.

No i would not, i don't agree with the wasps being here its wrong but this is a whole series of events that have all been created by the CCFC owners who had first refusal on the stadium but decided to try and do it in an underhanded way. I did not go to watch CCFC when they moved to northampton , i will not watch the wasps and if CCFC is moved out of the city thats it i am no longer intersted in that team because they are no longer CCFC.

 

[SkyBlue_Bear83]

Yet a lot of the people saying it was a poor squad also go on about Bigirimana being worth £35million and silly crap like that when they are sold. People need to make their minds up don't they as some keep changing when it suits.

One person who was ridiculed for it.

Nothing to do with changing arguments to when it suits, Bigirimana looked a talented youngster when he played for us. Newcastle took a punt in the hope that they could develop his talent into a good rounded player. Physically and mentally he wasn't anywhere near being ready for the amount of championship football he played that season.

 

[Covcraig@bury]

The best protest would be for all fans to stay away.... NOPM... Simple really...
But if a protest is to happen PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE take a watch with you as you wouldn't want to miss it now would you NICK..FFS..

 

[oldskyblue58]

I think what the reaction to this statement does prove is just how disunited the fans are as to what the way forward is. That confusion and wrangling must be music to the owners ears

 

[Nick]

The best protest would be for all fans to stay away.... NOPM... Simple really...
But if a protest is to happen PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE take a watch with you as you wouldn't want to miss it now would you NICK..FFS..

Like I said, at what time should they be held up rather than which minute? Or do you expect 9,000 or however many city fans to stand there working out how many minutes have gone from the time they kicked off from the second half (while the game is on), then working out injury time etc. Pretty sure people would just give up....

Make it as easy as possible for people.

I was thinking about doing NOPM, as I heard it automatically gives me the right to go on and on about CCFC not buying Messi and Ronaldo and first dibs on a ticket to a big cup game.

 

[Nick]

I think what the reaction to this statement does prove is just how disunited the fans are as to what the way forward is. That confusion and wrangling must be music to the owners ears

Like I said on the other thread, it is music to the Wasps PR team's ears surely. All they have to do is not be SISU and due to the blind hatred and people not taking a step back and actually thinking about things they lap it up.

All you have to do is change nick eastwood to tim fisher but keep the same words and everything changes with the article.

 

[Nick]

Will the red cards be on seats for when people get in or people handing them out before the game? How will it work? How will people be treated if somebody declines to take one?

Do you need to print them off yourself?

 

[Gosford Green]

I think Wasps will buy the football club. What will be left and where we will be at is the concern.

 

[Nick]

I think Wasps will buy the football club. What will be left and where we will be at is the concern.

Now we are getting down to it.

Didn't the Wasps guy come out and say that wasn't going to happen?

Yes we are going to protest about our owners being liars and moving teams to push for somebody else who lies and moves teams to come in...

Surely all of this shit needs to be thought about at the first stage? No doubt it will be the "at least we are doing something" argument against anybody who dares to ask a question. This whole thing is like some weird cult, it really is.

 

[oldskyblue58]

Actually it is more music to SISU's ears because so long as there is such discord and confusion amongst the fans they know there is no effective challenge to their mismanagement. Which means they do not have to answer questions or explain what they are doing with OUR club. Which means they can get on with doing what they have planned without justifying it. Which means they can continue to say look at that over there when in fact we should be looking closely at what is in front of us or what is said or indeed not said by SISU, Fisher, Waggott or Seppala etc

Nothing really to do with Wasps ........ it seems to me they are just getting on with their business and trying hard to make Coventry their home (whether you or I consider that to be wrong or not). Sorry but you can not turn it about to make it all about Wasps..... it simply isnt

 

[covcity4life]

militant anti sisuers must be the worst cov fans out there.

 

[AndreasB]

The best protest would be for all fans to stay away.... NOPM... Simple really...
But if a protest is to happen PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE take a watch with you as you wouldn't want to miss it now would you NICK..FFS..

I think what would be best if you stayed away forever, if thats what you think constitutes being a football supporter.

 

[Nick]

Actually it is more music to SISU's ears because so long as there is such discord and confusion amongst the fans they know there is no effective challenge to their mismanagement. Which means they do not have to answer questions or explain what they are doing with OUR club. Which means they can get on with doing what they have planned without justifying it. Which means they can continue to say look at that over there when in fact we should be looking closely at what is in front of us or what is said or indeed not said

Well yeah i agree with that, people are arranging protests against them to get them out by holding up a red card at a certain time but didn't actually know there was no clock on the scoreboard last homegame which would screw it all up. There does need to be some actual organisation rather than just blind hatred where they would actually go!

I think the actual people who could arrange something properly are probably too scared to speak out because they get hounded because there is no sign being held up on a relevant minute or something. When the organisers of this protest keep going on and on about having meetings with fans to make it look better than it actually is, who were these meetings with? Just other people who go with the flow and are in exactly the same mindset? What does that ever achieve and where do you ever get with everybody just agreeing and patting on the back because they said SISU out the loudest or wrote the best checklist of things SISU hasn't done.

 

[Nick]

militant anti sisuers must be the worst cov fans out there.

But the best wasps fans.. Allez

 

[oldfiver]

From small acorns large oak tree grow.

You mean it's all nuts?

 

[Nick]

You mean it's all nuts?

Nuts as in bollocks?

 

[oldfiver]

It didn't work though if there objective was to get the Ricoh on the cheap

I have said before but will for those who choose to ignore it

How would SISU get it on the cheap in preference to anyone else? Answers to be submitted on the back of CCC order papers

 

[oldfiver]

Nuts as in bollocks?

You might say that but I honestly cannot comment :sarcasm:

 

[Ian1779]

Statement Released


Who are we?

We are a group of lifelong Coventry City supporters who are frustrated and angry at the tragic demise of OUR football club.
Who we are is not important. We are merely fans who love the Sky Blues and are not prepared to put up with this downward spiral anymore.
We have spoken to and taken soundings from a huge number of City fans and know the vast majority feel the same. It is time to take action !

Why are we protesting?

In 7 years we have seen nothing but failed plans and promises from our club owners SISU. Here are some of the key points as to why we feel the need to protest.

Continued lack of investment in the playing squad
No attempt to prevent relegation into League one
2 Administration's and consequent point deductions
Repeated Transfer embargoes
Losing out on the Ricoh due to SISU's failed tactics
The unforgiveable act of tearing the club from its community and dragging it to Northampton to ground share at Sixfields against virtually all CCFC fans wishes.

Repeated failure to meet deadlines and promises that the club made themselves regarding land deals for this new ground
Considering plans to build a new ground to be built outside of Coventry - if it is not in Coventry then we are not interested. It's called Coventry City for a good reason.
Re-mortgaging of the training ground.
The sale of our best players for millions and replacing them with freebies and loan players.

The list goes on and on !
What does the Protest entail?

The protest will take place on Monday January 12th at the Ricoh Arena during the Coventry City v Swindon Town match.

We want this protest to be a strong, clear ,unequivocal but peaceful protest for the full 90 minutes of play but also a very loud statement from our passionate fans to say we are not standing for this anymore. We refuse to be treated like fools !

We are not moving to a new ground outside of Coventry so if they are your plans then put us up for SALE now and GO. If you have no plans for a new stadium as recent information obtained seems to indicate then why are you still here ?

The Protest will be focused around blocks 15 to 16 towards the scoreboard to generate a stronger and louder protest but we would encourage all fans in whatever part of the stadium to get involved !

On 7th minute (7 years of SISU) hold up GO signs

On 57th minute (12 mins 1 min for each month(12) gone by since we were promised imminent details of a new land deal ) hold up GO signs

And In between let's make our voices be heard loud and clear and let's be vocal like we always are !

We urge and welcome as many people as possible to bring their own personal banners and messages as well as we want to get as many messages across as possible to be pictured in the media

If you are NOPM or a season ticket holder we urge each and every one of you to join forces and unite for this one protest towards SISU so as to maximise the effect and send a clear defiant message to our owners.

Your protest is so important that you hide behind the old anonymity excuse?

You have no real interest in supporting the football team - you are just interested in pushing your own personal agenda.

Didn't see you protesting at HR against Richardson and McGinnity over the way they dragged the club into the breach by selling everything the club owned?
Didn't see you protesting outside the council house from 2005 to 2010 over the extortionate amount of rent charged to the club without any additional revenue streams being available to them?

Basically someone has been blowing wind up your arses about the promise of owning your own little share of CCFC.

If the Trust endorse this then they have clearly demonstrated they have no intention of trying to engage with the club for the benefit of CCFC and it's fans.

Perhaps they should go as well as SISU... claearly none of them are fit for purpose.

 

[skybluetony176]

I have said before but will for those who choose to ignore it

How would SISU get it on the cheap in preference to anyone else? Answers to be submitted on the back of CCC order papers

Didn't you hear? SISU were the only show in town, there was no one else to give preference to.

 

[lamtara2006]

Well yeah i agree with that, people are arranging protests against them to get them out by holding up a red card at a certain time but didn't actually know there was no clock on the scoreboard last homegame which would screw it all up. There does need to be some actual organisation rather than just blind hatred where they would actually go!

I think the actual people who could arrange something properly are probably too scared to speak out because they get hounded because there is no sign being held up on a relevant minute or something. When the organisers of this protest keep going on and on about having meetings with fans to make it look better than it actually is, who were these meetings with? Just other people who go with the flow and are in exactly the same mindset? What does that ever achieve and where do you ever get with everybody just agreeing and patting on the back because they said SISU out the loudest or wrote the best checklist of things SISU hasn't done.

FFS Nick ... if we managed to do the WHY? protest quite successfully at Arsenal with a clock counting backwards, I think people will manage to tell the time from their own watches.

 

[Nick]

FFS Nick ... if we managed to do the WHY? protest quite successfully at Arsenal with a clock counting backwards, I think people will manage to tell the time from their own watches.

My point being, make it as easy as possible for people to do....

But no, you aren't used to people disagreeing or actually talking sense are you? The more people that can do it the better, more people will do it if it is easy.

You would probably realise that if you spoke to people outside of your SISU hating cult instead of just back patting for coming up with dodgy SISU hating graphics or RT for 1 or FAV for 2 with pointless shit wouldn't you?

What is your plan for it being under the cameras? Are they going to pan around the ground full of red cards? How will people get a red card? I am asking genuine questions, maybe if you answered them rather than go on the defensive then more people would take part?

What is the actual aim of it? What do you want to come of it?

It just looks as if it is a jolly for the cult so they can get excited about something on Twitter for weeks about who made the best sisu out song up or the best checklist about SISU with fancy little ticks, rather than actually trying to do something.

 

[Godiva]

After years of asset stripping and taking almost everyone they work with to court its so obvious (excluding a few on here) that if there was 25000 at the Ricoh each week no money would get invested anywhere other than litigation.

Right so what is the definition of 'asset stripping'?

From Wiki:
Asset stripping is a method in which a company or an individual, known as a corporate raider, attains control of another company, and then auctions off the acquired company's assets. The sold assets are often used to repay the debt of the corporate raider, which may have been increased due to the acquisition. The process of asset stripping is utilised by corporate raiders in order to repay the debts they may have, whilst increasing their net worth. A company that may become susceptible to asset stripping is a company whose individual assets are worth more than its collective net worth.

As sisu's investors have poured in money and the debt is left unpaid you can't really call them 'asset strippers'.

What you are trying to do is to create a following for a witch hunt. That is just so medieval.