Watching football at the Ricoh... (1 Viewer)

[oakey]

A new stadium is likely to be a vastly inferior version of the Ricoh, with all its defects: concrete and plastic (the Ricoh seats are a high spec, compared to other grounds' plastic seats), soulless vomitory, but none of it's virtues: decent facilities, toilets, food outlets, space, lines of sight.

 

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[bigfatronssba]

A new stadium is likely to be a vastly inferior version of the Ricoh, with all it's defects: concrete and plastic (the Ricoh seats are a high spec, compared to other grounds' plastic seats), soulless vomitory, but none of it's virtues: decent facilities, toilets, food outlets, space, lines of sight.

A good example would be Colchester. Widely regarded as the worst ground in league 1.

 

[play_in_skyblue_stripes]

Totally disagree with people who say Ricoh is no good as a stadium and souless with no atmosphere.

Fans make the atmosphere, and COVENTRY fans lack passion and imagination.

I remember the noise of second game at Ricoh when Reading missed penalty, absolutely incredible. Nothing wrong at all with the stadium.

Look at other new grounds, its what you put into it yourself.

Smacks of toolsman blaming their tools.

Ricoh sound much better than Highfield road. You could hardly ever hear the West end from the Kop.

Sorry guys it the fans fault. Im a big a fan as you can get and Im saying this.

 

[covhead1]

Get 17,000 in the Ricoh and its pretty dead, on the other hand 17,000 at HR and it was rockin.

The fact is the Ricoh is too big for us now, and always will be (if we stay).

 

[bigfatronssba]

Get 17,000 in the Ricoh and its pretty dead, on the other hand 17,000 at HR and it was rockin.

The fact is the Ricoh is too big for us now, and always will be (if we stay).

HR was too big for us in 1961 just before JH took over. Should they have moved then?

 

[SkyBlueBlood]

What did they get in league one?

I think Leeds and Sheff Wed would still have had at least one game per year above 30k in league 1

 

[italiahorse]

Ricoh is a god-awful place, barely even in coventry with nothing but corporate crap surrounding it, there was no reason whatsoever to leave HR.

Ricoh is a fantastic stadium without any doubt. The atmosphere is a separate issue and being at this level any ground would struggle.
HR had 3 ancient stands with no facilities worth mentioning. The parking was abysmal for any game over 10,000 and local residents had no parking if they went out on a Saturday.

How we soon forget.

 

[italiahorse]

Get 17,000 in the Ricoh and its pretty dead, on the other hand 17,000 at HR and it was rockin.

The fact is the Ricoh is too big for us now, and always will be (if we stay).

No it wasn't.

It rocked when we were winning against the big teams and was dead when we were loosing.

How soon we forget.

 

[italiahorse]

Let me get this straight - you don't like a modern stadium, so instead you want to support the building of a new modern stadium!

ARE YOU INSANE!!!

It would be an even MORE modern stadium!

priceless fuckwit comment of the millenium!

How about we build a 22K stadium exactly like HR and it place it right in the middle of town.
We will be guranteed a full house every week of really enthuisiastic fans as now there are no excuses.
The only queues would be for tickets.:wave:

 

[stupot07]

I think Leeds and Sheff Wed would still have had at least one game per year above 30k in league 1

Exactly. .

 

[valiant15]

I dont miss the old ground one bit. The ricoh is miles better. Highfield road was like a morgue most of the time. I remember the year we were relegated, 16k against Leicester and it was dead. Take the rose tinted glasses off,like it or lump it,the ricoh is our home.

 

[theferret]

The Ricoh is a terrible football stadium. There is no reason why you cannot build a new ground and retain the features that give football grounds their character.

Brighton is a far better example of how to build a new ground - asymmetrical and fans much closer to the pitch - it is a new ground but was built with football in mind and it shows.

However, there is lots of nonsense being spoken about the Ricoh and atmosphere. Only 2 or 3 times did I encounter a L1 ground last season where the atmosphere was half decent. In fact, on a L1 forum a few people in an end of season review named it as the most atmospheric ground they visited.

As for the clowns that say the Ricoh will 'never' be filled - they are clearly kids with no understanding of what this club is about.

I have mixed views - I don't like the Ricoh - very little thought went into the main stadium element and it was very much value engineered (most of the money went on the added-ons, underground casino etc.); that said it isn't nearly as bad as some make out.

 

[theferret]

I dont miss the old ground one bit. The ricoh is miles better. Highfield road was like a morgue most of the time. I remember the year we were relegated, 16k against Leicester and it was dead. Take the rose tinted glasses off,like it or lump it,the ricoh is our home.

You don't remember all that well then - it was over 17K and the atmosphere was decent. Sure you don't mean the year before when we lost at home to Leicester in front of 22K, when it was indeed very flat?

 

[DaleM]

Nothing wrong with the Ricoh . I prefer it to Highfield Road to be honest . Decisions were made at the time as we were a premier league team and needed a premier league stadium . Only trouble is it's all gone to shit so we are now a third division team (Soon to be 4th if all this shit carries on) and can't get the support we need to get the Ricoh rocking. It is a top class facility and in this day and age it would be what is needed for a premier league club.
As I said though it's all gone to shit over the last decade so it's human nature to yearn for the days when we had a modicum of success and Highfield Road was part of that.

 

[Noggin]

Get 17,000 in the Ricoh and its pretty dead, on the other hand 17,000 at HR and it was rockin.

The fact is the Ricoh is too big for us now, and always will be (if we stay).

You can have a great atmosphere at the ricoh with 11/12k people that was proved on a couple of occasions this season in the JPT. All you need to do is put everyone together. It will upset a few people but it needs to be done (if of course we are playing at the ricoh), its presumably also cheaper for security etc.

 

[theferret]

You can have a great atmosphere at the ricoh with 11/12k people that was proved on a couple of occasions this season in the JPT. All you need to do is put everyone together. It will upset a few people but it needs to be done (if of course we are playing at the ricoh), its presumably also cheaper for security etc.

This is true. It is certainly easier to create an atmosphere with more people, but it is no guarantee. Many Preston fans commented that the atmosphere at the JPT game was the best they have ever encountered at this level.

 

[Grendel]

You can have a great atmosphere at the ricoh with 11/12k people that was proved on a couple of occasions this season in the JPT. All you need to do is put everyone together. It will upset a few people but it needs to be done (if of course we are playing at the ricoh), its presumably also cheaper for security etc.

If I was forced to change my seat just to create an atmosphere I would not renew my ticket.

 

[Noggin]

If I was forced to change my seat just to create an atmosphere I would not renew my ticket.

Doing it half way through a season would be unreasonable but between seasons the few people with such stuck in their way attitudes would need to suck it up or not come, it's in the best interests of the club, the club is losing alot more people due to bad atmosphere, than they would lose due to saying only these blocks are for sale this year.

low crowds are a vicious circle, crowds get lower the experience gets worse so the crowds get lower, so the experience gets worse, so the crowds get lower.

I thought you were buying a season ticket this year as long as we were in coventry? do you mean I'm only buying a season ticket if I get my seat at the ricoh? didn't you also say you were happy in northampton or somewhere as your friend would get you a a ticket? so your happy to move an hour away but not happy to move 10 blocks?

One of the main reasons for going to sporting events is the atmosphere and when the event is also on the tv then the atmosphere is by an order of magnitude the main reason. The silverstone Grand prix is coming up, its between £150-300 a ticket for the weekend you have far less idea about whats going on than you do sat at home, yet it's a fantastic weekend and thats the atmosphere.

 

[Williescar]

How about we build a 22K stadium exactly like HR and it place it right in the middle of town.
We will be guranteed a full house every week of really enthuisiastic fans as now there are no excuses.
The only queues would be for tickets.:wave:

I doubt it

 

[tyler56895]

Can i be controversial?

A apart from all this Sisu & ACL squabbling, one of the biggest issues with attendances is the apathy of the people of Coventry!

I've seen plenty of mid week Premiership games at HR with less than 10K so what makes people think a new stadium or better team will make any difference.

You cant force people to follow Coventry, but for a city the size of Cov, its a disgrace!

I wonder actually how many fans don't even live in the city, I bet a very high percentage live in Nuneaton, Bedworth, Leamington, Warwick etc. as I do.

Its surprising how many City fans turn right toward the M6 / Nuneaton following home games.

 

[theferret]

A apart from all this Sisu & ACL squabbling, one of the biggest issues with attendances is the apathy of the people of Coventry!

I've seen plenty of mid week Premiership games at HR with less than 10K so what makes people think a new stadium or better team will make any difference.

You cant force people to follow Coventry, but for a city the size of Cov, its a disgrace!

I wonder actually how many fans don't even live in the city, I bet a very high percentage live in Nuneaton, Bedworth, Leamington, Warwick etc. as I do.

Its surprising how many City fans turn right toward the M6 / Nuneaton following home games.

You're making stuff up. Less than 10K at PL games? What? Our average gate in the last 4 season in the PL was over 20K. You have to go back to the 80s for old division 1 games for sub-10K attendances and even then they were very rare (except for 1983-85 when attendances were poor everywhere).

Our all time average gate is 20th out of all the clubs in England. Just what gates do you think we should be getting? Don't overstate the 'size of the city' thing either - it is not nearly as big as people think and our urban area is no bigger than that of Bournemouth - and the wider catchment area even if you include large satellite towns is smaller than some clubs who get much worse gates than we do.

Considering we have not troubled the top 6 in 40 years there is a surprising lack of apathy if you ask me.

 

[valiant15]

You don't remember all that well then - it was over 17K and the atmosphere was decent. Sure you don't mean the year before when we lost at home to Leicester in front of 22K, when it was indeed very flat?

I cant remember now, I think it might of been a Sunday game for sky.

 

[tyler56895]

You're making stuff up. Less than 10K at PL games? What? Our average gate in the last 4 season in the PL was over 20K. You have to go back to the 80s for old division 1 games for sub-10K attendances and even then they were very rare (except for 1983-85 when attendances were poor everywhere).

Our all time average gate is 20th out of all the clubs in England. Just what gates do you think we should be getting? Don't overstate the 'size of the city' thing either - it is not nearly as big as people think and our urban area is no bigger than that of Bournemouth - and the wider catchment area even if you include large satellite towns is smaller than some clubs who get much worse gates than we do.

Considering we have not troubled the top 6 in 40 years there is a surprising lack of apathy if you ask me.

PL lowest attendance

89/90 8,294
90/91 8,875
91/92 8,454
93/94 9,837
94/95 9,509

 

[Johnnythespider]

It's the football that has been shite, not the stadium. If we watched them in the local park and the team were winning consistently whilst playing attractive football we would'nt give a flying f**k about where we were, the atmosphere would take care of itself because we would all be happy chappy's, oh and lassie's, sorry ladies nearly forgot you.

 

[wingy]

It's the football that has been shite, not the stadium. If we watched them in the local park and the team were winning consistently whilst playing attractive football we would'nt give a flying f**k about where we were, the atmosphere would take care of itself because we would all be happy chappy's, oh and lassie's, sorry ladies nearly forgot you.

So long as you don't mean Happy Clappy Chappy's.And Lassies ,Why have you brought a breed of dog into it I'll never know ,there are one or two fit birds up the City.:thinking about:

 

[deanocity3]

Have I heard that they are looking in a coventry post code area.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CV_postcode_area
It could be the other side of Statford?

 

[James Smith]

LIke the Ricoh then? Like any ground that isn't full?

HR was a football ground. The Ricoh is a "complex" with a football pitch.

Yeah I guess like any ground for example even when we were winning at Selhurst Park against a pre MKDons Wimbledon side the fact that the stadium was devoid of their fans didn't make it a nice atmosphere.