So are you saying right from the start the council wouldn't budge ?!....... If so why did they proceed then !?
I remember reading at the time that SISU were the council’s preferred bidder for the club (I believe there were 5 options) as they were the only party not interested in taking on stadium ownership - though I cannot find the associated article which stated this. This ties in with their short-term strategy of looking at a quick promotion, hit the Premier League jackpot, get out again. This was the vision that Ranson - who we must remember was considered by them some kind of footballing guru thanks to his scouting software - sold to them.
The point being that the council have only ever looked at their stadium retention as a cash cow. This was also evident when rent renegotiation circa 2010/11 was rebuffed even when the club was dying on its arse. Evidence has been released showing that the council were effectively stringing SISU along in their ownership negotiations to afford them time to sell the story to Yorkshire Bank that their business (ACL) was in financial difficulty and they wanted early release from their loan. The entire angle was retaining ownership and, as such, control.
I’m not for one second going to sit here and say SISU have been good owners. They’ve disregarded the very nature of fandom and consistently alienated parts of the fan base/commercial partnerships that have been struck up. They’ve done two good things: firstly getting us out of the crippling rent deal that existed pre-2013, and secondly got the club to a basis where it runs
almost self-sufficiently. The by-product of this has been a voluntary move out of the city on one occasion and the lapsing of any chance to own the stadium which was once built for us.
Having said that, the council - much like previous stakeholders in the club (and indeed current stakeholders in the club) - have only ever used the club for their own means and have shown a serious lack of consideration for their electorate and the local businesses that thrive on the back of Coventry City Football Club. They are a disgrace.
Just for measure, Wasps can fuck off as well.