Coventry City FC (The Bantams, Sky Blues)

As those of us lucky enough to have tickets for the match tonight begin to get excited at the prospect of the return to the Ricoh, please spare a thought to our own member Deanocity3, who, last night, on the eve of the Sky Blues return, tore a knee ligament and ended up in hospital. Although home now, he is in far too much pain to go to the match! Best wishes Dean, and Get Well Soon!

New deal for Steven Pressley

Ricoh Arena sold to London Wasps

I think it is still a bit premature to say the Ricoh has been sold to Wasps. Talks were happening, but the quoted source is notoriously unreliable in my experience. The Telegraph have not confirmed it as yet, and I would regard them as slightly more reliable than FootyMad. If the sale does go through, I can only wonder what the implications are for Coventry City. Clearly their new stadium is no more than pie-in-the-sky. This development would appear to call their bluff and they would either have to accept a rental agreement with no prospect of buying the Ricoh or actually go ahead and build a real new stadium. Perhaps it could be the end-game for Sisu.

Mister D-Di said "Perhaps it could be the end-game for Sisu". If only... Fingers crossed!

I am new to the site so please forgive me. What a great topic! Being a Sky Blues supporter I obviously find this thread very interesting. In the past 12 to 15 years I have developed a very keen interest in the history of CCFC. Having failed my English Language and Literature exams at Caludon Castle School in 1972, I am somewhat surprised I have been able to research, write and have two books published on the club's history. See, if you have the passion for subject matter, you can achieve success! My first book was about the history of the Coventry City Supporters Club formed in 1920. Walter Joseph Harris was a founder member of this organisation. He became a famous local football administrator for his work as secretary of the Coventry Football Association from 1919 to 1923, and his contribution as a member of the Birmingham County Football Association. Walter was very well-known in Coventry and was a respected historian, covering most of the leading sports in the city at that time, writing articles for the Midland Daily Telegraph under the nom-de-plumes: WJH, HISTORIAN and THE VETERAN. He was secretary of CCFC from 1907 to 1909 and became chairman in March 1922. It was during his tenure as secretary in 1907 which provides information for this thread. At this time he was living at 13 Steam Yard in East Street, Hillfields, literally a stone's throw from Highfield Road. His grand-daughter told me that his wife and daughter often washed the Bantams kit after matches. When it was pegged out to dry it attracted much attention from neighbours who often shouted: "Come on the Bants" as they passed by. There has been much debate over the years about when Coventry City adopted the "Bantams" nickname. This testimony proves it was certainly in existence during his tenure as secretary, but of course it could have been used much before this date. I suppose we will never find out the exact date it was introduced. The "Bantams" nickname was replaced in 1962 when Derek Henderson referred to the team as "The Sky Blues" in his early match reports. The team used the all-sky blue kit for the first time in a friendly match played at St. Andrews against Birmingham City, I believe 10 August 1962. I can also recall seeing a photograph in one of the books published on the club's history, which shows a supporter parading around Highfield Road dressed in a sky-blue Bantam! This is confusing and must have happened literally at the time when the changeover was evolving. I confess as to not being old enough to claim to have seen City play under the "Bantams" nickname, my interest in the club being forged in August 1964. Those glorious Jimmy Hill days! But that's another story......

THE OLD FIVE There has been much debate about the origin of "The Old Five" chant often heard at Highfield Road during the 1930's and maybe even before. The earliest reference to the chant I have is contained in a match report of Singers Football Club when they played their last game under that name at the Stoke Road Ground. Singers played a friendly against Foleshill Great Heath F.C. on 30 April 1898 which they won 3-0. Singers led 2-0 at half-time. Foleshill Great Heath were under more pressure early in the second half. In an attempt to galvanise their team into better action, the Foleshill supporters in the crowd shouted encouragement to "The Old Five" thus signifying the chant originated with their club. "The Heathens" as they were known, were a very successful free goalscoring club and had a formidable forward line (five forwards in those days) and it was their supporters who shouted "Come on the Old Five". During research for my book on the history of Coventry City Supporters Club (formed 1920) I discovered that a CCFC Foleshill Supporters Group had been established by 1936 and were based at the General Wolfe Public House. Bert Stretton, proprietor of a newsagents business in Lockhurst Lane, had some involvement in this group and he was a high profile member of the CCSC. Could some of the Foleshill group been old supporters of Foleshill Great Heath and introduced the "Old Five" chant to Highfield Road all those years later?

Bert Stretton still had his newsagents in the late 1960s when I worked over the road in Courtaulds Main Works

Thanks Midland Red. This tells me that Bert lived long enough to experience the Jimmy Hill era. He was a lucky man then. He witnessed the great City team of the 1930's and probably watched City win the Third and Second Division titles during Hill's magical period. He must have been able to compare the skills and qualities of Clarrie Bourton and George Hudson. What a topic of conversation that would be in the pub!

I think he died in 1972

I have a programme for the 1972 Edgewick School "Old Boys" reunion which lists William Erle Shanks as the chairman, also the chairman of CCFC from 1936 to 1958. I understand he was instrumental in the purchase of Highfield Road. He died in 1999 aged 97.

Coventry council vote tomorrow on the sale of the Ricoh arena to Wasps rugby club (BBC Midlands News)

I agree Mr. D-Di I think the Council are trying to call SISU's bluff. The facts are simple. SISU had an agreement to purchase 100% ownership of ACL (the Council's and Higgs Charity 50% shares) in October 2007 (yes October 2007!) but reneged on the deal when they acquired 100% ownership of CCFC in March 2008. SISU stuck to their business plan as explained to shareholders in an Emergency Shareholders Meeting held in the Legends Lounge in December 2007. However, two years into that plan they reneged on that and started asset stripping, selling best players and Prozone to use the money for day to day running of the club. Major playing assets replaced by kids or free transfers and no proper investment in the team for the last three years. This led to relegation and the rest is history as they say. SISU had a second chance to purchase shares in ACL in 2012 when they agreed a deal to acquire Higgs Charity 50% share but changed their minds again saying the shares were worthless. They will not pay market value. SISU's prolonged litigation action has always been designed to financially destabilise ACL and put that company into administration so they could purchase it off the Administrator for a rock bottom price. They even tried to purchase the ACL bank loan in attempt to destabilise the stadium operator. I do not blame the Council one bit. They have a moral and legal obligation to protect the Coventry taxpayer by doing the best possible deal. SISU only have themselves to blame for the situation they are in. Start asking questions about Seppala's ARVO MASTER FUND company registered in the Cayman Islands. Arvo issued a charge on Otium Entertainment Group (Coventry City F.C.) in August 2013 which entitles it to take any money out of Otium at any time. How much money has Arvo taken out in the past twelve months? Transfer fees for players sold remain "undisclosed", a deliberate financial tactic to conceal how much money has been received. Debt to Seppala is approximately £18 million and she wants her money back. The problem is, the charge can also be used as the liquidating tool. There have also been changes to the Arvo shareholding in Otium, which now stands at 99.97%. So even if Seppala assets strips to the bone and then sells, she will still receive all of the money from any sale. As a former shareholder and supporter of 50 years I am appalled at SISU's mis-management of our football club. They reneged on the promises given to shareholders in December 2007. It is for these reasons why I will not give Seppala one penny of my money. For me it will be Not One Penny More until SISU are gone.

Thanks for that. There is a lot of detail there that many fans would do well to take on board. I have long believed that the club's owners (whoever they actually are!) have an agenda that ultimately cannot be sustainable and will never deliver any sort of success. We are still in a spiral that can ultimately see the end of CCFC. The club is merely a small cog in their corporate operation. Who could have forseen this in those days of optimism when the shares were signed over to Ranson's consortium? One significant point you make is the council's obligation to get the best deal for the taxpayer, a point I have made several times on the Fans' Forum. This is indeed a legal obligation and if councillors fail they can be held personally responsible and face financial ruin and/or prosecution. Even in the euphoria of the return to the Ricoh, Fisher stressed that they were still building their own stadium. What do people expect the council to do? They have no long-term tenant and no prospective buyer in CCFC. So when the Wasps offer came in they had little choice in order to protect the asset. What is significant is that, having agreed to sell the Ricoh, they would be obliged to accept the highest offer, so had Sisu bid more than Wasps it would be theirs. This demonstrates to me that they have never had any intention of buying it unless it was at a giveaway price from a distressed ACL, which is what hedge funds do.

Mr D-Di I echo your sentiments entirely. The majority of fans and the general public have been hoodwinked by Seppala's/Fisher's rhetoric which constantly blamed ACL/CCC for their failings. It was always the big bad council's fault wasn't it... Seppala had ample opportunity to buy ACL/HIGGS shares in full over a reasonable period of time but chose not to do so. Instead waged war on a council and its tax-payers in an attempt to acquire the business at a knock-down price. But we should not be surprised. This is what hedge funds do for a living. I am sure Wasps management will not make the same mistakes as Seppala. If they embrace CCFC and CRFC and work with the local community, then this arrangement can be a winner for everyone. Just glad SISU will never get their grubby mits on the Ricoh. A message to Seppala/Fisher: Go and build that fictitious stadium. 18 months planning and a current £350,000 bill needs to be justified does it not? Anyone seen or heard of the Stadium Consultation Committee? lol.