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Robinson lays into to Coventry

Stimacked

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CumbrianRam

CumbrianRam

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Coventry face ridicule after a prominent club shareholder proposed fans vote by text, X-Factor style, to determine substitutions in matches.

The cash-strapped Championship side are struggling again this season and narrowly avoided administration in March.

Now Canadian entrepreneur Leonard Brody has revealed some of his bizarre ideas designed to make money out of giving fans more say at the Ricoh Arena.

Brody this week resigned from Coventry's board but is continuing as shareholder of Sky Blue Sport and Leisure Limited, the club's parent company.

And he wants to see fans charged premium rates to text in who they think should be subbed and who should come on for Andy Thorn's side.

Brody said: "Let's be the most progressive club in the country in connecting its fans to the game with a representative on the board and an impact on in-game decisions.

"One of the issues is that you are effectively in the Championship because your television income is so low and the only source of revenue other than sponsors is your fan base.

"And so the question is how do you make a more exciting experience for your fan base so they are willing to do more than just show up at a game.

"How do you engage them more in the game and get their input in the process, and at the same time derive revenue in a way we were never able to before.

"Those plans to do that are still very much in play and it starts, first and foremost, by having some fan representation on the board looking at how you connect the fans to the game but at the same time not cheapening and making it some sort of three-ringed circus.

"It is a really delicate balancing act between figuring out how to do that and doing stuff that fans actually care about and are willing to pay for.

"Those are things I am still focused on as a shareholder and the hope is we will be able to start working on.

"I believe in the sport and entertainment world - period - not just football."

[url=http://www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/news/X-Factor-style-voting-by-fans-would-have-decided-substitutions-at-Coventry-if-a-board-members-bizarre-plan-had-been-adopted-article831663.html]http://www.mirrorfoo...icle831663.html

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curb

curb

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[size=4]TBF to SISU, it would be like turning an oil tanker round, Coventry haven't finished in the top 5 of ANY division since 1967.[/size]

[size=4]I love that stat, here it is again in case you missed it;[/size]

[size=4]Coventry haven't finished in the top 5 of ANY division since 1967.[/size]

[size=4] 'http://www.dcfcfans.co.uk/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':D' /> 'http://www.dcfcfans.co.uk/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':D' /> 'http://www.dcfcfans.co.uk/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':D' /> 'http://www.dcfcfans.co.uk/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':D' /> 'http://www.dcfcfans.co.uk/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':D' /> 'http://www.dcfcfans.co.uk/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':D' /> 'http://www.dcfcfans.co.uk/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':D' /> [/size]

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  • 1 year later...
CumbrianRam

CumbrianRam

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RICOH Arena bosses have given Coventry City 21 days to stump up their unpaid rent – or the club will face closure.

Stadium company ACL - jointly owned by the Higgs Charity and Coventry City Council – has issued a statutory demand for the £1.1million arrears owed by CCFC.

If they fail to meet the Boxing Day deadline, the Sky Blues, bankrolled by Sisu for the last five years, would have to declare themselves insolvent or face a winding up order.

A statement from the ACL board said it had been left "no choice but to issue the statutory demand".

The statement continued: "The Board feels that all other avenues to resolve this issue have been exhausted and is astonished that the club’s owners have allowed matters to come to this sorry pass.

"Responsibility for this situation lies completely with Sisu, a Mayfair hedge fund which has let CCFC fail under its direction."

The club and ACL had been in talks over the Sky Blues, who say the £1.2m-a-year rent is too high, buying the charity’s 50 per cent stake in the stadium.

But the club stopped paying the rent ten months ago and the relationship has broken down into a bitter war of words.

ACL won a High Court battle to force Coventry City to pay up in the summer but the club have failed to meet deadlines for payment, insisting the rent issue should be included in negotiations over the stadium ownership.

ACL is adamant the stadium business is healthy but – with a hole in its accounts due to the unpaid rent – has refused to deny that Yorkshire Bank has sent in consultants to look at restructuring the firm.

The bank holds a £15m-plus mortgage on the stadium, and its influence could prove vital as it seeks to protect its investment.

ACL STATEMENT IN FULL:

"Following the refusal of Coventry City Football Club and its owners, Sisu, to pay outstanding rent to Arena Coventry Limited (ACL), the ACL Board has today issued a statutory demand to Coventry City Football Club (CCFC).

"The statutory demand covers the £1.1 million owed by CCFC to ACL in rent arrears of a total £1.6 million owed by the club.

This is not a course of action the ACL Board wanted to take. However, the behaviour of Sisu, the owners of CCFC has left the Board with no choice but to issue the statutory demand.

What happens next is very much in the hands of Sisu. The statutory demand gives Sisu a further 21 days to pay the outstanding rent lawfully owed to ACL.

"If they don’t meet this deadline, Sisu must either declare CCFC insolvent or face a winding up order for the club.

"The Board has worked patiently with CCFC and Sisu during the last ten months to try and find a solution to managing the rent arrears owed to ACL.

"Unfortunately, no solution has been found and the Board has taken this action in the best interests of ACL, its employees, its shareholders and the many other tenants, customers and stakeholders with an interest in the Ricoh Arena.

The Board has stated many times before that it cannot allow CCFC’s business issues to compromise the successful operations of ACL. CCFC has a legal obligation to pay its rent, which is required by ACL in order to meet its long term financial commitments.

"CCFC has failed to comply with its legal obligations and the Board is taking this action now to protect the long term sustainability of its already healthy and successful business.

The Board feels that all other avenues to resolve this issue have been exhausted and is astonished that the club’s owners have allowed matters to come to this sorry pass. Responsibility for this situation lies completely with Sisu, a Mayfair hedge fund which has let CCFC fail under its direction.

"Outgoings at CCFC have consistently exceeded income and it seems clear that Sisu had no contingency plans in place at any stage to guard against the possibility that CCFC would not return to the Premier League in the short term.

"The attempts of Sisu to blame all the Club’s financial problems on the stadium rent are completely unfounded.

"We remain hopeful that a workable solution can be arrived at which allows CCFC to continue to operate in a financially sustainable manner.

"This must include the payment of the rent arrears lawfully owed by the Club to ACL and the production to the Board of ACL of a realistic business and financing plan to safeguard the future of CCFC.

[url=http://www.coventrytelegraph.net/coventry-city-fc/coventry-city-fc-news/2012/12/05/coventry-city-given-21-days-to-pay-unpaid-rent-or-face-closure-92746-32370027/]http://www.coventryt...92746-32370027/

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Animal is a Ram

Animal is a Ram

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[url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/20714161]http://www.bbc.co.uk...otball/20714161

Coventry City hold talks with Hinckley over stadium move

Coventry City have held provisional talks with Hinckley United over playing at the Blue Square Bet North side's Greene King Stadium.

Coventry are looking at other grounds as they [url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-coventry-warwickshire-20616466]discuss a £1.1m bill in rent arrears with Arena Coventry Limited (ACL), the owners of the Ricoh Arena.

And Hinckley told BBC Radio Leicester they discussed a potential share with the Sky Blues.

The Greene King Stadium can hold 4,329 fans, 28,280 less than the Ricoh Arena.

ACL have issued League One Coventry with a Boxing Day deadline to pay the claimed amount of rent, or face a winding-up petition.

However, the Sky Blues believe that the rent is too high in relation to other clubs of a similar level, and are keen to negotiate with ACL.

The club are also interested in retaining some of the match-day revenue, which currently goes to ACL.

As a result, Coventry have been searching for a contingency plan if a deal for the Ricoh falls through, and reports suggested that they could move to Nene Park, home of the now disbanded Rushden & Diamonds and latterly Kettering Town.

However the Sky Blues, who have averaged just under 10,500 fans this season, could now move 13 miles away to Leicestershire if a deal is struck with Hinckley.

Coventry currently lie 15th in League One following their relegation from the Championship last year, and are on a run of three wins out of their last four league matches.

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