Proper supporters fighting for their club (1 Viewer)

[@richh87]

Nothing to do with fighting hard to hang onto the present owners, it's to do with having no realistic option, this does not mean everyone likes it (this forum only represents a small number of fans) no one knows what other fans feel about the owners not even you.

Most on here agree that sisu need to go in the best interest of the club long term, this does not make them blind or less knowledgable about what is going on.
We can no longer afford to have millions spent on a team, this does not promise anything but more debt and more money to buy them out, if there is a buy out on the table.

No one has come in and took the club over, as for sisu saying they will only be here until the end of the season, we will have to wait and see, can not see them just being able to cut their losses with nothing back and run, but that is just my opinion.
So they will be gone, so how are they going to be able to sell any player that will fetch any money and so weaken the squad further before next season?

If that is the case then why worry about them, they will be gone, so why all the furore about trying to get them out?

Ok we may or may not be relegated but most are expecting this anyway, so come the end of the season they will be gone and we can be taken over, so I do not understand why you are getting so angry about it all the time, if they go then AT will not be manager, as any new investors would I should imagine want a more experianced manager to get the team promoted, so you will lose your messiah.

So what are you doing about it then Rich?
Writing on here about how angry they make you feel?
So you are bending over as well and taking it, disgrace.
I applauded the protest and encouraged what was being done and tried to have some ideas for Jan & Co, but a few hundred were not going to make any differance, what has happened to the protest's?
If you feel so strong about them do you do a 1 man protest? and if not why not?

You really haven't thought this through have you Ichan.

Firstly it is mental to claim there aren't talks going on - as both sides have admitted publicly that there are. Also, having said that there's no other option you then say why worry about SISU ceasing funding at the end of the season.

You can't have it both ways. Your ideal situation seems to be based around quietly allowing SISU to remain until May; at which point they piss off and then we have no owners and go bust?...

Not the best post.

 

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[@richh87]

I think you will find quite a few have said things about sisu, and about what they have done to the club, however some also do not go blinded like a rabbit in the headlights beleiving hearsay and rumours about the group who may want to take over the club, who may be just as faceless as sisu.

Would you prefer a portsmouth scenario, where we could possibly no longer have a club to support?
What then we would be blaming sisu for spending millions that they could not afford and so destroying our club.

We all want the team to be in the prem and buying a player for a few million but it just is not going to happen, this has nothing to do with supporting sisu or their strategy (whatever that is) but being realistic and taking the sky blue glasses off

Why isn't it? Smaller clubs than us are there doing it. Just need the right owners.

 

[Grendel]

Not the best post.

Ever heard an expression that includes stones and glass houses? What next you and Valient take ogwe hostage? Dont you feel a bit embarrassed by this?

 

[@richh87]

Ever heard an expression that includes stones and glass houses? What next you and Valient take ogwe hostage? Dont you feel a bit embarrassed by this?

By taking 'Ogwe' hostage? Kinda embarrassed yes - as there's no such person...

Is this Igwe and Oggy's lovechild?

:facepalm:

 

[Grendel]

By taking 'Ogwe' hostage? Kinda embarrassed yes - as there's no such person...

Is this Igwe and Oggy's lovechild?

Unfortunately I am on my phone so the odd typo is inevitable. I urge you to regain sone dignity on this nonsense. You're arguments have more holes than the proverbial Swiss cheese. It's stupidity,

 

[@richh87]

Unfortunately I am on my phone so the odd typo is inevitable. I urge you to regain sone dignity on this nonsense. You're arguments have more holes than the proverbial Swiss cheese. It's stupidity,

Hardly Duffy. I felt like stirring things up and managed to do so.

Out of that has actually come a decent debate - thanks to Ginetta and a few others.

Supporting a regime that will only fund us until May, whilst dragging us to League 1 and beyond, lying to supporters and censoring them home and away and showing a complete disregard for our league status is incomprehensible to me.

It's like Stockholm syndrome.

 

[Grendel]

They don't seem to have censored you yet. I'd be careful, there's space in the cellar this weekend.

 

[Grendel]

we debate endlessly,
we, for the most part, apart from 'trolls', all have sky blue glasses on,
but we cannot ignore the state of our club,
but, the minute amount of information that sisu decide to
feed us is farcical,
most reasoned opinion would despair at the resources given to the team to win matches,
and still sisu in their ivory tower tell us fans nothing,
we wait, yet again

Don't worry the people who helped construct you're little ivory tower will be back soon. Different name same shambolic outcome.

 

[ccfctommy]

Tbh the Blackburn fans have the right idea. Organising a protest march. Everton did the same a while back. All we seem to have done is a few small banners, with the biggest being v derby in August. We had some lads visit Sisu HQ en route to Millwall. IMO the Southampton protest sounded good on paper but was poorly organised. Then you have groups like Save Our City who got going and then imploded leaving two seperate groups who have all but fallen off the radar. My point is who are the groups representing the fans? Who are we supposed to turn to? Where is our 'Blue Union'? Most teams have a supporters trust but ours have been silent. It's all very odd.

 

[Grendel]

I've an idea just go and support the team on match days.

 

[hackneyfox]

. We have the entire county of Warwickshire that could do with a nearer team to support instead of not giving a shit or choosing to support Villa!

Cheeky bugger

 

[@richh87]

I've an idea just go and support the team on match days.

Thank god the people of Libya aren't all like you. They'd have got nothing done.

 

[ajsccfc]

Only two more dictators for hyperbole bingo!

 

[@richh87]

Saddam Hussain loved people like Duffy.

 

[Grendel]

Thank god the people of Libya aren't all like you. They'd have got nothing done.

Well I think even by your'e rather juvenile view on life this is somewhat extreme. Comparing SISU to Gaddafi is nonsense. Life may be tough watching football under Thorn but I do not feel like a torture victim or subject to persecution.
You have an amazingly blinkered view on these topics. There are at present no alternatives. Take this back 4 years. The club was on the verge of going bust. It was shelling out massive wages on mediocre players and could not pay it's way. On the board so presumably agreeing this folly was one of your beloved friends Joe Elliot.
In the shadows there was another pal of yours Ray Ranson. The football man with the money. Though actually he had no money to invest but due to business connections he had his hedge fund pals at SISU. Ray was looking for a badge to kiss but was getting no love from Derby, Villa, Man City (can you imagine) or Southampton. So he turned his attentions to us. He tells his pals at SISU he has the talent to make SISU money.
This is where it falls apart. Ray can't hack it. He appoints Coleman. He sneers at players like Adebola and mocks his goalscoring record so spends £1.6 million on Eastwood. More and more mediocre players come in and nothing changes. SISU suddenly find 3 managers on the payrol at once. A company interested only in profit is not going to be thrilled is it? The project has failed and the club is no better than it was four years ago. Ray has not delivered.
So now you believe they should just go away. Do you have any concept of business at all? In fact not only are they expected to disappear but hand power to one of the men who previously sat on the board Hoffman. Why? So he can bring back his pals and we can do it all again?
Face it this is a mess of huge proportions and all parties have played a part. Light at the end of the tunnel, we haven't even entered the darkness yet.

 

[ICHAN]

You really haven't thought this through have you Ichan.

Firstly it is mental to claim there aren't talks going on - as both sides have admitted publicly that there are. Also, having said that there's no other option you then say why worry about SISU ceasing funding at the end of the season.

You can't have it both ways. Your ideal situation seems to be based around quietly allowing SISU to remain until May; at which point they piss off and then we have no owners and go bust?...

Not the best post.

Rich you said they will only be funding until the end of the season, that is what they may have said (we all know they lie), however I can not see them just upping sticks and walking away and in so doing so giving up their investment.
So my ideal situation as you put it is not my ideal situation by going bust with no owners, you are trying to twist what I put by making out that I said that I am not worried about them going when I put 'If that's the case then why worry about them, they will be gone, so why or the furore about trying to get them out?' meaning yourself Rich, that you are so pissed off with them that you want them gone so desperatly, because they will be gone soon anyway.

All I can say is let's hope they do not just up sticks and leave without someone buying them out.

We all want better things for the club that we all support on here, but at the moment we have what we have, and just to throw this in, has anyone actually thought that it may have took this long since Hoffman and Ranson left, to get the mess sorted that was left behind?
The original people who came in with sisu are not entirely blameless for the mess that the club is in, as non of us actually know what was going on at the time when they were here, sisu are not football people and so they put all their trust in the people at the time, their fault but something happened and that depends on how much you want to believe what was said by both parties.

These are the same people some want back, no questions asked, to be once again be led blind by a group of investors, why are they going to be any differant to what we have now?
They are going to want a return on their investment just like sisu have, and if the plan fails they will want their money back just as quick by selling players, and investing less into the team.
We do not know who these people are and how much money they are truely going to invest.

 

[@richh87]

Well I think even by your'e rather juvenile view on life this is somewhat extreme. Comparing SISU to Gaddafi is nonsense. Life may be tough watching football under Thorn but I do not feel like a torture victim or subject to persecution.
You have an amazingly blinkered view on these topics. There are at present no alternatives. Take this back 4 years. The club was on the verge of going bust. It was shelling out massive wages on mediocre players and could not pay it's way. On the board so presumably agreeing this folly was one of your beloved friends Joe Elliot.
In the shadows there was another pal of yours Ray Ranson. The football man with the money. Though actually he had no money to invest but due to business connections he had his hedge fund pals at SISU. Ray was looking for a badge to kiss but was getting no love from Derby, Villa, Man City (can you imagine) or Southampton. So he turned his attentions to us. He tells his pals at SISU he has the talent to make SISU money.
This is where it falls apart. Ray can't hack it. He appoints Coleman. He sneers at players like Adebola and mocks his goalscoring record so spends £1.6 million on Eastwood. More and more mediocre players come in and nothing changes. SISU suddenly find 3 managers on the payrol at once. A company interested only in profit is not going to be thrilled is it? The project has failed and the club is no better than it was four years ago. Ray has not delivered.
So now you believe they should just go away. Do you have any concept of business at all? In fact not only are they expected to disappear but hand power to one of the men who previously sat on the board Hoffman. Why? So he can bring back his pals and we can do it all again?
Face it this is a mess of huge proportions and all parties have played a part. Light at the end of the tunnel, we haven't even entered the darkness yet.

I stopped reading at the second line when it said "there are no alternatives" so that I could put my head in my hands. SISU have been in talks with prospective new owners for over 2 months now - so there clearly is an alternative.

 

[@richh87]

Rich you said they will only be funding until the end of the season, that is what they may have said (we all know they lie), however I can not see them just upping sticks and walking away and in so doing so giving up their investment.
So my ideal situation as you put it is not my ideal situation by going bust with no owners, you are trying to twist what I put by making out that I said that I am not worried about them going when I put 'If that's the case then why worry about them, they will be gone, so why or the furore about trying to get them out?' meaning yourself Rich, that you are so pissed off with them that you want them gone so desperatly, because they will be gone soon anyway.

All I can say is let's hope they do not just up sticks and leave without someone buying them out.

We all want better things for the club that we all support on here, but at the moment we have what we have, and just to throw this in, has anyone actually thought that it may have took this long since Hoffman and Ranson left, to get the mess sorted that was left behind?
The original people who came in with sisu are not entirely blameless for the mess that the club is in, as non of us actually know what was going on at the time when they were here, sisu are not football people and so they put all their trust in the people at the time, their fault but something happened and that depends on how much you want to believe what was said by both parties.

These are the same people some want back, no questions asked, to be once again be led blind by a group of investors, why are they going to be any differant to what we have now?
They are going to want a return on their investment just like sisu have, and if the plan fails they will want their money back just as quick by selling players, and investing less into the team.
We do not know who these people are and how much money they are truely going to invest.

Hoffman wasn't around when SISU took over though. He was just another person to join the club under SISU who left disgusted.

How many people joined under SISU and very quickly left?

We shouldn't just decide that absolutely everyone involved with SISU from Seppalla down to the tea lady is corrupt - and while I'm on that - why is SISU'S character being defended on here but everyone who worked for them not (aimed at Duffy more so than you).

Hoffman is a life long City supporter who left when SISU sent Conor Thomas off to Liverpool on bloody LOAN!!

Success in football is usually down to who your owners are. We just need new ones who are actually interested in succeeding and willing to spend money.

We're no different to Southampton or Fulham etc - so the only thing holding us back is a keen investor.

I just want fans to give SISU another shove in the right direction. They are certainly not the right owners for our future - something I doubt anyone will argue with. We can't just stick with them while they drag us to league 1 through fear of another owner coming in. A new owner offers a fresh start.

 

[SydneySkyBlue]

I stopped reading at the second line when it said "there are no alternatives" so that I could put my head in my hands.

Shame. You missed him blame Ranson for our mess. Apparently player sales and small squads don't matter.

 

[Grendel]

Shame. You missed him blame Ranson for our mess. Apparently player sales and small squads don't matter.

Player sales and smaller squads do matter, and we have them because Ray "the football man" found playing football chairman was a lot harder than playing the game itself.

 

[Godiva]

I stopped reading at the second line when it said "there are no alternatives" so that I could put my head in my hands. SISU have been in talks with prospective new owners for over 2 months now - so there clearly is an alternative.

Can I please ask you to read OSB's brilliant new piece on the finances and how it will look if Hoffman (or anyone else get in on his suggested terms)?

http://www.skybluestalk.co.uk/threads/15229-Financial-mechanics-at-CCFC

 

[CCFCSteve]

Havent read all 13 pages but selling Samba at £9m-£12m isnt bad business in my eyes. He obviously wanted to go so getting that price is a good deal.

I think the football world appreciates that a majority of clubs are selling clubs so its just about ensuring you get a decent price when someone comes in for your player, something I feel we never have done over the years (Ben Turner being the latest example)

The Venkys dont appear to be the best owners in the world but nor did Mike Ashley 12 months ago and look at Newcastle now. I think some fans need to take reality check. I could understand it more if the Venkys were rejecting approaches to buy the club left, right and centre but as far as Im aware theyre not. The ongoing protests against kean are a disgrace, especially their fans reactions during games. The fact they were heard chanting "Theres only one keano" after beating Man Utd just sums it up for me.

 

[Nick]

I just want fans to give SISU another shove in the right direction. They are certainly not the right owners for our future - something I doubt anyone will argue with. We can't just stick with them while they drag us to league 1 through fear of another owner coming in. A new owner offers a fresh start.

Are there new owners lining up?

Will SISU really be arsed by a few people on the internet calling them names or standing around a statue with painted coffins?

 

[@richh87]

Are there new owners lining up?

Will SISU really be arsed by a few people on the internet calling them names or standing around a statue with painted coffins?

Stop making excuses for SISU people!

We're under a bloody transfer embargo as they won't commit to funding us!

Talk about no long term future, Haha.

Hoffman's at the table - SISU need to piss off!

 

[dongonzalos]

My own opinion is that the transfer embargo is irrelevant. SISU have no intention of bringing anyone in loan or no loan. The issue with submitting the books, is that they do not intend to be owing the club next year.
I would guess that they are looking at the legal position. I believe that they intend to keep the club till the summer drag out the negotiations to allow them to sell Clingan, Murphy, Keogh, Hussey, Deegan, Mcdonald Christie, Wood, Thomas, Bigi and anyone else that they can get more than a pound for. They will then hopefully i(n their eyes) hand the club over to the Hoff.
Legally wise they will be looking at the implications if they agree to finance the club next year and the master plan fails and they dont get to hand the club over to the Hoff or anyone else, how tied into that finance will they be. Will they be able to rejig the figures and not honour the commitment etc...

All of the above if purely my opinion and speculation. Happy to hear any facts that may mean the above is utter rubbish and put my mind at ease

 

[torchomatic]

Why slag off your own fans and label who you feel is good enough to support Coventry City and who is not?

If Hoffman is "at the table" then why worry? Surely, everything is sorted and our future is bright and rosy?

Hoffman's at the table - SISU need to piss off!

 

[@richh87]

Why slag off your own fans and label who you feel is good enough to support Coventry City and who is not?

If Hoffman is "at the table" then why worry? Surely, everything is sorted and our future is bright and rosy?

Because torchy we need to ensure they don't stay. I want them to accept whatever is on the table as it can't be worse than where we are now - in fact if owners want to buy us they will have ambitions for us which means signing etc and an attempt at least of success.

They claimed to still be looking for a striker. Well good luck bringing one in SISU when we've got a transfer embargo.

Once again City are publicly humiliated by SISU.

 

[Nick]

Stop making excuses for SISU people!

We're under a bloody transfer embargo as they won't commit to funding us!

Talk about no long term future, Haha.

Hoffman's at the table - SISU need to piss off!

Who made an excuse? I simply said would a few people with coffins and a megaphone make them walk away from millions they have invested?

If I had ploughed loads of money into a business, would I want to give it up and walk away if I didn't have to?

 

[Nick]

Because torchy we need to ensure they don't stay. I want them to accept whatever is on the table as it can't be worse than where we are now - in fact if owners want to buy us they will have ambitions for us which means signing etc and an attempt at least of success.

They claimed to still be looking for a striker. Well good luck bringing one in SISU when we've got a transfer embargo.

Once again City are publicly humiliated by SISU.

How do we know what is on the table? I want us to be taken over by an Arab Prince as much as the next person but without knowing what offers are there, how can we tell SISU to walk away?

 

[Grendel]

And 4 years ago what would rich have said? Probably Robinson and Fletcher are a disgrace. They should just accept sisu's offer and f off. How much more humiliation will we take. We want sisu. Oh dear...

 

[Godiva]

And 4 years ago what would rich have said? Probably Robinson and Fletcher are a disgrace. They should just accept sisu's offer and f off. How much more humiliation will we take. We want sisu. Oh dear...

And the two scenarios are very similar to you? No major differencies?

 

[lordsummerisle]

Shame. You missed him blame Ranson for our mess. Apparently player sales and small squads don't matter.

Ranson's big thing was a much smaller squad, which you wanked over when it was the nauseating "Ray and Chris show".

Still at least he manged to compensate himself by increasing what he took out of the club year on year in direct opposite to the income, league position and crowds during his tenure.

Shame the accounts aren't released yet, would love to know how much more he managed to leach out of the club in his final year.

 

[oldskyblue58]

I think there is a misconception here regarding undertakings given SISU. Everyone is taking it that SISU have guaranteed to fund to April and that because they have not guaranteed to fund next season (a) the accounts are not filed (b) SISU will walk away in May.

The directors, not the owners have a legal duty to look at a period of at least 12 months from the signing of the accounts to establish whether it is reasonable to assume that the club will continue in business. They have received in the 2010 accounts written assurances that it is the intention of the major shareholders to provide or source additional finance - this is not a guarantee of any additional funds from SISU. It is onr of the factors gathered by the Directors to present to the auditors who then decide whether the evidence is strong enough to support a conclusion of being a going concern.

Similar discussions will be going on at present. TF will have had budgets etc prepared, they will be discussed with SISU. Assurances of intention to continue funding obtained, evidence of major creditors not calling debts in, a plan as to how funds can be raised etc. As yet there process is not complete and in part the GH bid will cloud the completion of the accounts

Whilst talking of GH. If a deal is imminent then the auditors will require assurance from the new owners who are to buy the company (ies)..... it is the company that gets auditted who ever the owner is. They will need to prove their plan going forward to some degree because them buying or not could have a significant effect on arriving at a going concern conclusion. Oh btw GH consortium will have to provide the same assurances that SISU has in future years - thats an expensive on going commitment.

 

[Godiva]

But if Hoffmans investors are to be involved in the excercise to deliver proof of funding, the parties will surely have signed a LOI regarding a takeover or joint adventure. I don't think a LOU would suffice. Anyway, if either were signed, we would surely have heard about it.

 

[Grendel]

And the two scenarios are very similar to you? No major differencies?

How do we know what the differences are? We know nothing about the supposed "new" investors. We may never know much about them in the same way no-one knows the true investment source at, say, Leeds Utd. Having a supporter as a chairman is all very well but does that mean anything. The budget is to be dictated by the investment source.

All we seem to know is that a couple of familiar names are associated with these new bids which makes it hard to identify anything different and means that we cannot neccesaily see a brighter future. It seems odd the talks are very protracted. Agreement has not therefore been reached. Both sides seem to be playing cat and mouse and we as supporters are the lump of cheese in the middle.