Coventry Vacate the Ricoh

The stadium owners filed a case for administration against Coventry for a rent bill at approximately 1.3m.

I cant help feeling that perhaps the owners are cutting their nose off in spite of their face. I mean surely even to Coventry, €1.3m isnt alot of money and their revenue stream would be more than enough to cover it over a long period?

Has there been a bit of jumping the gun here? I realise they havent paid up but surely the powers that be on both sides should realise that they both need each other. I mean surely it would be worth more to this Arena if Coventry remained in the Ricoh.

Link here http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2013/mar/22/coventry-city-financial-plight

Coventry staff vacate Ricoh Arena as Football League assess finances

coventry City staff have been moved from the Ricoh Arena to the training ground and the club shop has been emptied. Photograph: Jan Kruger/Getty Images
Coventry City's plight reached a new low on Friday night as staff were moved from the Ricoh Arena to work at the training ground in Ryton and the club shop was emptied of its goods. A high court hearing earlier in the day to decide whether the Sky Blues should be placed into administration was adjourned until Tuesday.

dd972

Things can change on a sixpence in football, the bigger clubs in the lower divisions always have a bit of a chance, Southampton were in this predicament or something close to it very recently.

padd b1975

What the hell was wrong with Highfield Road??

I don't think they have ever sold out The Ricoh.

padd b1975

padd b1975 wrote: »

What the hell was wrong with Highfield Road??

I don't think they have ever sold out The Ricoh.

The amount of empty seats at Premier league grounds let alone lower leagues is quite incredible week in week out it must be said. The Ricoh might have been too ambitious given where Coventry were at the time of moving there. Its a super facility no doubt but i do think that Coventry being the city's team are needed to play there in order to secure the future of the stadium because otherwise it will become a white elephant (no pun intended).

It would also be a travesty if the fans of Coventry probably hailing from the city, had to travel to Birmingham or Wolverhampton in order to watch their local football team. The administration move by the Ricoh owners for a measly 1.3 million was very rash. Granted the Coventry owners havent covered themselves in glory either. Trying to pull a right fast one it would seem. When you buy a football club you buy the debts it has like it or not.

Lucan Bohs

Deleted User wrote: »

The amount of empty seats at Premier league grounds let alone lower leagues is quite incredible week in week out it must be said.

Which grounds are these? Wigan are the only team which a swathe of empty seats each week.

Lucan Bohs

Lucan Bohs wrote: »

Which grounds are these? Wigan are the only team which a swathe of empty seats each week.

I can remember Middlesborough in the premiership and even Sunderland a couple of years back. Its probably more of a different team reaching a low each week sort of thing this season as opposed to on a regular basis however Fulham, Wigan and Villa only at 75% capacity at the moment to begin with

Here is a table i found.
http://www.soccerstats.com/attendance.asp?league=england

Lucan Bohs

The chart doesn't show that there's an incredible amount of empty sheets.

The Ricoh symbolises everything wrong with modern football. A sterile, plastic ground with doesn't harbour the interest of the fans.

monkey9

Deleted User wrote: »

The stadium owners filed a case for administration against Coventry for a rent bill at approximately 1.3m.

I cant help feeling that perhaps the owners are cutting their nose off in spite of their face. I mean surely even to Coventry, €1.3m isnt alot of money and their revenue stream would be more than enough to cover it over a long period?

Has there been a bit of jumping the gun here? I realise they havent paid up but surely the powers that be on both sides should realise that they both need each other. I mean surely it would be worth more to this Arena if Coventry remained in the Ricoh.

Link here http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2013/mar/22/coventry-city-financial-plight

The owners should just start up their own football club. Liverpool were formed under similar circumstances.

Lucan Bohs

Lucan Bohs wrote: »

The chart doesn't show that there's an incredible amount of empty sheets.

The Ricoh symbolises everything wrong with modern football. A sterile, plastic ground with doesn't harbour the interest of the fans.

It kind of does though, doesn't it?

Chucky the tree

AdamD wrote: »

It kind of does though, doesn't it?

I wouldn't think so. Only 5 teams with less than 90% attendance is pretty good going I think.

Chucky the tree

Chucky the tree wrote: »

I wouldn't think so. Only 5 teams with less than 90% attendance is pretty good going I think.

Sorry I've written that wrong. Meant to say that the chart pretty accurately portrays the situation. He might think that there are plenty of empty seats but you can't really argue with the stats.

thebaz

the stadium may be state of the art - but the last time i saw it was more like a battered rugby field

Lucan Bohs

AdamD wrote: »

Sorry I've written that wrong. Meant to say that the chart pretty accurately portrays the situation. He might think that there are plenty of empty seats but you can't really argue with the stats.

But the stats don't show that there are an "incredible" number of empty seats?!

thebaz

Lucan Bohs wrote: »

But the stats don't show that there are an "incredible" number of empty seats?!

the only ones well below capacity are fulham and wigan - both really league one sides , bar rich sugar daddies

Lucan Bohs

thebaz wrote: »

the only ones well below capacity are fulham and wigan - both really league one sides , bar rich sugar daddies

Fulham and Wigan league 1! What are you talking about?

Darkglasses

Lucan Bohs wrote: »

Fulham and Wigan league 1! What are you talking about?

I think he means the clubs are historically quite small, by premier league standards. Look at the leagues that Fulham occupied from 1969 all the way to 1999. They have been in tier 2/3. Wigan even lower than that.

Lucan Bohs

Yes but not League 1 small

thebaz

Lucan Bohs wrote: »

Fulham and Wigan league 1! What are you talking about?

most teams even in the Championship would have bigger support bases than Wigan or Fulham - thats all

Lucan Bohs

thebaz wrote: »

most teams even in the Championship would have bigger support bases than Wigan or Fulham - thats all

Probably but the other poster said league 1 not the Championship

Beefy78

Lucan Bohs wrote: »

Probably but the other poster said league 1 not the Championship

What makes you think either Wigan or Fulham are anything above League One naturally? I think that's being generous TBH.

Lucan Bohs

Beefy78 wrote: »

What makes you think either Wigan or Fulham are anything above League One naturally? I think that's being generous TBH.

Probably the fact they're in the premiership and have been able to stay there for a good few seasons

markesmith

Lucan Bohs wrote: »

Probably the fact they're in the premiership and have been able to stay there for a good few seasons

Lucan Bohs

Dunno what you're point is? A club with a "sugar daddy" should be in the PL or thereabouts

Beefy78

Lucan Bohs wrote: »

Probably the fact they're in the premiership and have been able to stay there for a good few seasons

They've achieved that because they have been bank-rolled. I remember going to Craven Cottage for a cup game when they were two divisions below Southend. Wigan were non-league within the lifetime of many on here. If you took away the Fayed and Whelan money both clubs would be a couple of divisions below where they are hence their relatively low gates.

Beefy78

Beefy78 wrote: »

They've achieved that because they have been bank-rolled. I remember going to Craven Cottage for a cup game when they were two divisions below Southend. Wigan were non-league within the lifetime of many on here. If you took away the Fayed and Whelan money both clubs would be a couple of divisions below where they are hence their relatively low gates.

The fact Wigan has low gates could be down to the fact that they are in a rugby league stronghold. Football has been always swimming against the tide in Wigan even in these premier league times

Fulham compete with 3 other clubs in West London (one of whom right next door is Chelsea) and about 10 other football league clubs in the area. Tottenham and Arsenal being 2 of them

Dozen Wicked Words

Cov have signed a short term deal so they will play the final three home games of the season at the Ricoh, no idea what the future holds for them after that.

dfx-

Dozen Wicked Words wrote: »

Cov have signed a short term deal so they will play the final three home games of the season at the Ricoh, no idea what the future holds for them after that.

I was wondering where they'd play if they had moved out..

Cantona's Collars

Deducted 10 points now after going into administration.

Dozen Wicked Words

They only drop 4 places though, secure in League One anyway, which is bad, but dropping down again would have been a disaster for them. Imagine they were paying Championship type wages right up until it went pear shaped in the hope they wouldn't mess around in that league. Hard league to get out of these days.

Dozen Wicked Words

Big turn up for the books, Coventry are apparently going to be playing at Northampton Town's ground for next 3 seasons!

Not good news for Coventry but will earn Northampton a few quid. The Cov fans will sample the "delights" of Sixfields!

http://www.coventrytelegraph.net/news/coventry-news/look-coventry-city-agree-groundshare-4866094

LuckyLloyd

Jaysus, what a mess!

CSF

They're not that near, expect Coventrys financial woes to get worse

Dozen Wicked Words

CSF wrote: »

They're not that near, expect Coventrys financial woes to get worse

30 odd miles, decent road but not good at all for Cov fans. Brighton spent a couple of seasons in Gillingham though and that's double the distance so not all hope is lost for them.

Not convinced it's going to happen anyway. Fixtures need sorting if they are. Both teams due to start at home.

mrsoundie

Heading over to Northampton next week and taking a Cobblers Home game. Was going to get photo taken outside Sixfields and send it back to my very good friend, a Sky Blue fan, thinking now it may be a touch too far.