It promised to be a season littered with the usual off-the-field fracas and on-the-field woes. Starting ten points in the red seemingly dashed any faint promotion hopes, and deep down I was resigned to relegation.
The campaign now appears destined to end with the Sky Blues resting comfortably in the fuzzy warmth of the mid-table. This, however, is certainly no cause for sadness. Quite the opposite, in fact.
Pressley's men are now caught in the most bizarre of catch-22 situations, with every step closer to the playoffs making the ten point deduction all the more painful. The cries of "we'd be in the top six were it not for the minus ten" seem to increase in ferocity with every lurch up the table.
I'm struggling to decide exactly where I would like City to finish this season. Anywhere within ten points of sixth position would be emotionally unbearable, but willing the Sky Blues not to pick up all the points they can is just freakishly unnatural.
While I feel that the threat of relegation is now minimal (solely because of the return of Callum Wilson), what remains of this season is by no means a mere formality.
There are opportunities to experiment with new formations and styles of play, give fringe players the chance to prove themselves and run the rule over loanees with a view to them returning next season.
We've already seen some impressive tactical variation, with Pressley deploying wing-backs a few weeks ago in a rather nostalgic tactical display.
Granted, much of the recent tinkering was primarily to stop the rot, but who knows what the gaffer has up his sleeve for the coming months.
In the right circumstances, it would be good to see some of the recently retained academy players featuring in the first team.
Whilst on the subject, I urge anyone who has not already seen Alex Gott's tweet, posted after being told he would not be retained by the club, to take a look. A refreshingly honest message from someone who clearly cares about the club.
I have to say though I think Huckerby could still play at League One level as he still looks good on the ball,although obviously his fitness would need to go up a bit.But him and Whelan would be great as motivators to our younger players and it would be good if they could come here in some role.
But at the end of the day we should still be playing at the Ricoh and not miles away in Northampton being watched by a thousand of our fans who even though I don't agree with them attending the match must surely be wondering have I done the right thing ?
]]> I'm amazed that many followed the Sky Blues there as I expected just a few hundred as seeing the protests going on like the march and tying of ribbons all over the place the vast majority of us have decided to stay away from Sixfields.I got talking to a fan on Sunday who is usually with a half dozen of his mates but he was on his own as they had gone to Northampton and they had even bought season tickets so he will only see them now at away games.
He said he's still friends with them but doesn't agree or understand why they changed their minds as they all said they were not going.But if the City do start winning games there will many more also decide to eat Humble Pie and follow suit ?
But that's what SISU want and I bet they are hoping the team does start winning as then they will say look there starting to turn up in numbers so our decision to come to Sixfields is paying off.
But if we want to stay here in Coventry we must stick to our decision and not be tempted or the march will have been in vain and all our talk will be just hot air and fruitless.
As my title reads charity begins at home and our abode is the Ricoh Arena not at another's ground Seventy miles away.
]]>To say I'm angry and upset would be an understatement as I'm feeling really low and in shock as well as I was hoping sense would prevail and things would be sorted out.
This without doubt is the worst day I've ever known since becoming a Coventry City supporter fifty years ago and it feels like a bereavement and like I've lost a close family member or friend.
]]> I imagine I'm not the only City fan feeling depressed right now in fact talking to fellow fans on Saturday we all are gutted and unsure what to do now for the best ?Do we boycott the "home" games and just go to the away matches ?I bet getting tickets to watch the Sky Blues on the road will be hard now as the majority will want to show their support to the team.
But the players will be running out on to the pitch at Sixfields to a sparse crowd of City supporters and surely that may have an affect on performances ?They may give out soundbites saying it doesn't bother them but I bet it would really.
I bet SISU are feeling really smug today with themselves as they have got what they have always wanted now and that is to see the decline of Coventry City as a football
club.
All this nonsense of a new ground in three years is complete hogwash and to think they believe we have taken it all in as truth is an insult to our intelligence.
All of those forums were a smokescreen as they knew what the outcome would be so all I can say is finally thankyou SISU for destroying my Football Club a club my late father supported before me and it was his love for the City that led me on to becoming a fan myself.
I really hate the men in suits who have come into my club and slowly and cunningly destroyed it I have so much contempt for you I BETTER END THIS NOW BEFORE I REALLY LET RIP !
]]>We've suddenly been hit once again by a wall of silence a common trait of SISU who have the annoying habit of shutting up shop just when you think they are opening up a bit.
So here we are on the cusp of a new season with not the foggiest idea what will be the final outcome and all we can do is sit and wait to see what happens.
]]> We've had forums and demonstrations and the websites have been swamped by irate Sky Blue supporters venting their anger at the state of our beloved club since the end of last season.But at the end of the day will it count for nothing ?As the people we are dealing with here are stubborn and pig headed and with the sensitivity of spitting Cobras !As fans all we can do is vent our anger and hope it penetrates through their thick skins and hard hearts.
Other clubs around the country are buying players and their fans are buying their new kits and renewing season tickets whilst we sit around waiting nervously waiting to hear our plight it's like we are on the equivalent of Footballs Death Row.
Do we abandon the club altogether or accept things ?I never thought that question would ever be asked but many fans are saying they feel so strongly about the state of things now they have had enough.
As I've written so many times before I love Coventry Football Club and always will and the thought of these charlatans coming into my club and destroying a club who I've followed for fifty years makes me so angry.
I'm now so mixed up in my head as I guess are thousands of others but we can't just stop supporting the club can we ?Please let there be a positive outcome before we all go round the bend !
]]>What with these forums with Fisher where he answers only questions he likes and any probing one's get dismissed and you still find yourself still in the dark as to what the hell is really going on.
Then if that isn't enough to contend with you get yet another Pantomime Villain in none other than Craig Bellamy sticking the boot in with extracts from his book slagging the club and players off.
]]> And to top it all off we have been awarded the dubious honour of having the worst ever kit with our Brown one back in the days of Ferguson and Wallace so what more can happen to rub Salt into our wounds ?Talk about kicking someone when they're down on the ground when we are all looking for a chink of light in a dark sky all we get is more negativity day after day.
Talking to a fellow dejected City fan about all this he said did I believe in curses and bad luck stuff ?I told him not really but he said he recalled hearing a few years back that a curse was put on Coventry City by Gypsies because they wanted the Ricoh site for themselves and were angry at missing out.
I can't believe that since moving from Highfield Road we have been cast a bad spell as that is down to mismanagement by men in suits and getting rid of our best players too.
But we have to accept that for many years as a club we have had little to celebrate and our future currently is looking bleak to say the least.Other clubs seem to prosper and grow while we seem to go backwards when we should be moving forward.
While I'm pretty sure the club we love and follow isn't cursed by some malevolent force it does make you wonder though at times if we have to accept we are never going to be a successful and a top flight club for a very long time to come ?
]]>Facing a barrage of passionate and probing questions from a room of understandably aggrieved fans is no doubt one of the least enjoyable facets of Tim Fisher's job, but seeking to provide acceptable answers to a highly waspish audience is just one aspect of what is arguably one of the hardest jobs in football.
]]> The purpose of this blog is certainly not to defend the indefensible. In fact, I'm strongly of the belief that the ludicrous relocation plan of which Fisher appears to be the main proponent is as infeasible as it is abhorrent.I am, however, aiming to suggest that Tim Fisher, to a large extent, has his hands tied.
He remains completely obstinate in his belief that the Sky Blues will not be playing at the Ricoh Arena next season. His steadfastness in the face of growing criticism must surely result from the fact that he has little to no room for manoeuvre.
All he can do is follow the orders of Sisu; his boss. That is what he is paid to do. The owners of Coventry City have clearly had a hugely acrimonious fall out with the owners of the Ricoh Arena; the upshot of which is that the club will not play there under Sisu's stewardship.
Fisher is thus forced to be the face of the club's faceless owners; pushing the unpopular and impractical decision to seek a new home for Coventry City.
The aforementioned fall out essentially means that only a takeover will see the Sky Blues returning to the Ricoh.
For me this is the sensible course of action, and one that should be pursued with vigour. It is what the fans want and what the club needs. Tim Fisher, clearly an intelligent man who knows the business side of football inside out, must know this too, but is forced to resolutely stand by his employer.
Richard Keys, so often correct among a sea of all things rumoured and ridiculous, today took to twitter to claim that nothing Tim Fisher says should be believed.
This scathing criticism from one of City's most influential fans is of course understandable, but I can't help but feel in Fisher's position, there is little one can do to appease the growing unrest.
]]>He stated that the club is not for sale, and that he "believes", that the Golden Share is in CCFC Holdings Ltd, the part of the club that is not in administration.
He also stated, quite categorically, that there has been no movement of Assetts, since the club went into admin.
BUT, and it's a BIG BUT, 10 questions remain unanswered:
1, How are the club going to be funded for the next three years, without our own stadium?
2, How much money will be lost during this period, through lack of advertising around the ground?
3,How much money will be lost through the lack of Match Day Sponsorship?
4, If they are moving to a shared stadium for the next three years, how can we bring in new players, with the onset of Financial Fair Play?
5, Why did they oversee the club being relegated into our lowest league position in living memory?
6, In what league are they prepared to let us drop to, before "Highfield 2" is built?
7, Why did they abandon the "Ray Ranson plan" of buying lower league players, (Dann & Fox) to finance the rebuilding of the club?
8, Why didn't they carry out "Due Diligence" Correctly when buying CCFC?
9, Why didn't they negotiate a better rent at the Ricoh when they bought the football club?
10, Where do the fans "The True Custodians" of the football club, stand in their list of "Priorities"?
Lots of talk, but little in the way of substance, now that sounds familiar....................
]]>I've long been an ardent supporter of Tim Fisher's sentiment; defending the club's owners against often unwarranted criticism. However, his insistence on playing games with a club that is so important to thousands of people is abhorrent.
]]> For me the situation is simple; the club can't function without the Ricoh Arena and the stadium will be useless without the club. Therefore the only solution is for the two quibbling parties to put their petulance and pride to one side and agree to some mutually beneficial terms. This situation is bigger than Sisu and bigger than ACL.The prospect of the club playing away from the Ricoh is ludicrous on all counts. Ground sharing with a team outside of the city? Ridiculous. Financing and building a new stadium within three years? Bonkers.
The sooner the club stops wasting time with money-guzzling property agents the better, especially given that hundreds of thousands of pounds have already been thrown at Paul Appleton in order for him to tell us what we knew all along.
As the bickering parties continue to exchange their obstinate rhetoric, the detrimental effects on the Sky Blues' already slim promotion chances continue to increase in severity.
Stephen Pressley will no doubt have a wealth of transfer targets in mind, but he will be forced to helplessly watch as they're snapped up by rival clubs. One can only imagine he was told the team's transfer embargo would be a transient affair, but with the farcical war of words showing no sign of abating it seems that will not be the case.
This problem may well be compounded by the fact that Pressley has already highlighted a cohort of players that do not feature in his plans for next season. However, given his inability to recruit, he may be forced to hang on to the aforementioned group, who may well be understandably disgruntled.
Of course a resolution could also take the form of a takeover, with a number of parties reportedly showing an interest in the Sky Blues. This may be the closest thing to a panacea that we can realistically hope for, but a change of ownership would certainly be a lengthy procedure.
]]>It's okay for Fisher to calmly say when this new stadium is built the statue will be moved there but that is just not on as it deserves to be outside a ground now and the upcoming season too.Doesn't he understand what Jimmy Hill means to us supporters ?
They may glibly say it's only a statue and the great man is alive and well but that's not relevant as he was overjoyed to unveil it and you could see the club still means everything to him.
]]> As I write this there's talk of a late take over bid from a couple of interested parties so please let's hope we get to hear positive news for a change.But if we don't and we do have to go elsewhere till this so called new ground gets built I can see a lot of anger and rebellion from a large majority of City fans.I wonder what Jimmy Hill is saying and thinking about all this ?
He started the Sky Blue revolution he is Mr Coventry in my eyes and it must be a kick in the teeth to him to see what he started being slowly dismantled and destroyed and not just his statue.
Every club around the country has it's heroes and legends with statues and stands named after them and rightly so but when you get these men in suits breeze into clubs who know nothing about football just casually dismiss them as people from the past it really makes me angry.
So it may be just a piece of sculpture or work of art to some but to us long serving fans it means so much more and to treat it as basically nothing which could be put away in storage is downright disgusting and an insult to Jimmy Hill and the person who made it.
]]>Will we be playing our home games next season at the Ricoh Arena or at some other venue seems such a simple question but as yet nobody can give us a straight yes or no ?
Usually the close season is a time for us fans to have a break from the Football but this one I guess for the majority of us will not be spent relaxing on a Beach but be a time of anxiety and worry fretting over the future of our club.
]]> And if that's not bad enough we have now got the manager saying Coventry City aren't a big club anyway and haven't been for a very long time.Which is a contrast to what other managers and players usually say as they usually go on about how "massive" this club is.Pressley backs his statement up by saying that the club has been in decline for at least Fifteen years and has massively underachieved in the process.Which even though hurts is spot on as you only have to look at where we are now to see how right he is.
Our long spell in the Premier League along with our F.A.Cup win put us in the top club bracket I guess but for a very long time we have done nothing to back it up have we ?
Having a Thirty two thousand seater stadium may look impressive but when you struggle to half fill it and play your Football in League One the big club label does look silly to say the least.
I'd rather us be known as a "Sleeping Giant" than a massive club because when rival fans and the Football world in general poke fun at us we can respond by saying one day we will get back in the top flight but until then we're just resting !
But until all this off the field stuff is sorted out we're not going to be able to call ourselves anything and if we end up playing at an alternative ground which struggles to squeeze in under Ten thousand people a "sleeping Giant" would sound bizarre !
]]>There's been some good times especially under Jimmy Hill when we won two promotions and of course the great F.A.Cup Final win at Wembley which still brings great memories back and a case of you had to be there to understand what a day that was for our club.
But there have been some bad times too with relegation down from the Premier League and then the drop down to League One which as it's really the Third Division was when I first started going to watch my beloved City.
]]> And fast forward to the present day where we are currently wondering where we will be playing our "home" games next season ?This great club is in a mess on and off the pitch but as a proud Coventrian I'm still going to support my club even though it hurts me to see the state it is in right now.A lot of City supporters say they won't go and watch the team if we end up playing somewhere else but neither do I want that to happen but if everyone decided to stop going to games that would be a disaster too.
Obviously we want this resolved before next season kicks off and we continue to play at the Ricoh Arena as that is our home stadium but if the worse comes to the worse I bet when all the anger has died down you will get the die-hard fans going to wherever we play.
That is the mind set of a true Football fan they love their club no matter what anyone else says or thinks and they will go to support their team and that is a fact.
I admire the Telegraph with their campaign to stay at the Ricoh and I am behind it all the way but we have to be realistic here and look at what may happen as it has happened to other clubs hasn't it ?
What I'm trying to convey here is that Football fans want to follow their team and also to be seen doing that I know I'm like that in fact the tougher things get the true fan is there in the thick of it.
That is reality and not a myth and not some fairytale story because you just can't stop someone following their chosen club that's why Football has lasted for so long.
So Fifty years a Coventry City fan and what a Rollercoaster ride so far with more twists and turns no doubt to come but I want to be watching my club playing at the Ricoh but if not it'll have to be elsewhere.
I was devastated leaving Highfield Road but have accepted that is now in the past and on to the next chapter as they say because it's a journey and who knows the ending !
]]>Andy Thorn was a lovely man, but was found to be out of his depth at this level; Mark Robbins came in, got rid of the dead wood and bought in players capable of making a challenge for promotion. He left, along with any faint hope of reaching the play off's, and since Elvis arrived that hope was finally extinguished for good, but the worrying thing is, that Elvis seems to think that some of the players deemed not up to scratch by Robbins, are now good enough and have been given the nod for a first team place.
There has been a lot made of the fact the Elvis is getting all the players in, one by one, over the coming weeks, to let them know whether they are "part of his plans" going forward. But what are his plans? To allow Richard Wood, Stephen Elliot and, by the looks of it Gary McSheffrey, to leave is going to weaken the squad overall and make next seasons promotion push even less likely.
Playing with only one striker at home is not going to get the crowds rushing back and the results (2 draws & 3 Defeats in April) under him have been not far short of pathetic. There is a malaise about the place at the end of the season, with a seeming lack of a game plan, lack of any decent football by the team and a lack of any real ambition to go out and compete against mediocre teams. The football being served up under Pressley was pretty depressing and the results had started to turn against us, and what looked like a team geared to a late promotion push, ended up looking nothing other than "average" at best and "cannon fodder" at worst.
No one seems to know where we the club will be playing home games next season, with the talk being: Northampton Saints "Franklins Gardens" Stadium or Walsall's Bescott Stadium, up the M6. An Hour's drive to watch a home game will certainly not make it very appealing to "Home Fans"!
Had it not been for Mark Robbins stint as manager and the results we had under his stewardship, it is likely we would have been fighting a relegation battle last season, without the 10 point deduction.
Pressley's has shown no signs of bringing the good times back, the performances have been dire and the lack of a goal scorer will probably come back to haunt him next season. This is a difficult league and not one we are likely to get out of with kids from the Academy (if we had one)!
It is a worrying time to be a Sky Blues fan,
But we had hopes of maybe sneaking into the play offs not that long ago but alas we never envisaged the dreaded ten point deduction and all the negativity and baggage with it.
So here we are yet again not sure of our future and with morale amongst players and us fans as low as a Snakes belly you do worry as to where it's all leading to ?
]]> The manager is now experiencing bad vibes from many City supporters who just don't rate him as the man for the job and already want a change and who would be shocked to see yet another new face managing us next season ?Myself I feel he needs more time before we can pass judgement on him as he has taken charge of a club in a right mess on and off the pitch and let's be honest who in their right mind would want to manage us right now anyway ?
With uncertainty over the stadium and players wanting to move on and a transfer embargo as well it isn't the most appealing job going.
And will the American with wads of cash come in and rescue us as he has said he wants too or will that fizzle out and come to nothing ?So many ifs and buts and maybe's but nothing really of substance which is so frustrating as usual.
So the Orient game on Saturday is our final home match and I wonder what sort of crowd will turn up ?I'll be there as usual as will all the other hardcore City fans I imagine but will a lot stay on afterwards for the usual parade from the players ?
I feel uncomfortable when that happens because I like to applaud them but on the other hand you feel as if you've been short changed as well so it's an awkward one !
But we had hopes of maybe sneaking into the play offs not that long ago but alas we never envisaged the dreaded ten point deduction and all the negativity and baggage with it.
So here we are yet again not sure of our future and with morale amongst players and us fans as low as a Snakes belly you do worry as to where it's all leading to ?
]]> The manager is now experiencing bad vibes from many City supporters who just don't rate him as the man for the job and already want a change and who would be shocked to see yet another new face managing us next season ?Myself I feel he needs more time before we can pass judgement on him as he has taken charge of a club in a right mess on and off the pitch and let's be honest who in their right mind would want to manage us right now anyway ?
With uncertainty over the stadium and players wanting to move on and a transfer embargo as well it isn't the most appealing job going.
And will the American with wads of cash come in and rescue us as he has said he wants too or will that fizzle out and come to nothing ?So many ifs and buts and maybe's but nothing really of substance which is so frustrating as usual.
So the Orient game on Saturday is our final home match and I wonder what sort of crowd will turn up ?I'll be there as usual as will all the other hardcore City fans I imagine but will a lot stay on afterwards for the usual parade from the players ?
I feel uncomfortable when that happens because I like to applaud them but on the other hand you feel as if you've been short changed as well so it's an awkward one !
The Sky Blues Supporters Trust are at least seemingly making headway in their efforts to keep a dialogue alive with SISU, but they seem to be hiding behind the Administrator now, and are not making any comments worthy of note.
Preston Haskell IV has been spotted at the Ricoh, and seems ready to pick up the Baton, but SISU are not going to play ball with him, or anyone else for that matter, until they get what they want? The biggest worry is that no one seems to know what it is they really want to do?
Do they want to sell the club?
Do they want to build a new Stadium?
Do they want to stay at the Ricoh if an agreement over the rent can be reached?
Do they have "ANY" plans for the future?
Have we lost 10 Points or not?
Are they really interested in Coventry City FC?
There are no sure answers at present, we don't even know whether the "Golden Share" is in the part of the business that has gone into administration, and all we do know is that there is no end in sight and no sign of any talks to resolve the issues raging about the survival of our football club.............................