Coventry City FC (The Bantams, Sky Blues)

Hi all, Hi Midland Red, I love the pic. A nice tribute to Ernie Machin. What I know about football can be written on a pin-head, but what I am sure about is that any enterprise must have a passion of support from every side & corner. The fact that for the first time in a decade, there are signs that the business side of our football club is receiving attention, gives me more hope for the future, than the long list of eleven managers that have come & mostly gone. They can't all have been wrong, surely? As said though, the strategy of the game takes me out of my depth & I will leave that for our football experts. Best wishes for our club as their future success would also be a tribute to him.

Very nicely put Philip, my hubby would have agreed with you. He always remembered the glory days.

Hi all Calling all Sky Blue Experts, please. Football or Fitba, as my dad called it is very much an unknown subject for me. I do however remember controversy regards the Saturday afternoon start time which was 3.15pm. In 1977, the last game of the season ended with a draw for Coventry who were playing Bristol, which sent Sunderland down. Both Coventry & Bristol received the Sunderland result & so for the remaining fifteen minutes of Cov's game, they passed the ball to each other as though it was a game with children on the beach, knowing that by drawing, they were both safe from the drop. Please can you tell me, was the 3.15pm start normal at that time?

Philip, I was at the game, & If my memory serves me well (!) it was a midweek game, so it would have been a 7.30 or 7.45 kick off. I seem to remember City quite often kicked off at 3.15 for Saturday home games as well. Anybody ????

"Coventry 2-2 Bristol City (First Division, May 19, 1977) Jimmy Hill was chairman of Coventry in 1976-77 when three teams went into the last day of the campaign facing relegation - Sunderland, Bristol City and the Sky Blues. Hill had the kick-off at the Coventry-Bristol City game delayed for 15 minutes due to 'crowd congestion' and when news came through that Sunderland had lost to Everton, he ensured the result was announced over the PA. It sent the message to both teams they would stay up at Sunderland's expense, if neither scored again. What followed was a passage of keep-ball in which neither side attempted to win and the score conveniently remained the same" It was a Thursday night game,, and it was only JH's delay which caused the game to finish later than Sunderland's City always kicked off at 3.00pm on Saturdays, apart from a period when JH changed it to 3.15pm

Hi all Thank you all for your replies on this, so far & putting me right on the fact that the fifteen minute delay was sometimes applied on week nights too, which I had no idea about. I had read the Daily Mirror match report for the game in question 1977, but had not realised that it was a Thursday evening match. There was quite a debate going on in our home last evening on which I could not make much of a contribution. Sky Blues, earning more than double their points in the last few games has kindled a bit of cheer. Thank you all again very much.

This recent talk about that (in)famous Bristol City match that occurred over 35 years ago has brought about one of the most amazing coincidences that I've ever known - I'll explain..... Since that evening, of which I can just about recall the controversy (I was 12 at the time, and still "into" football in a big way - not so nowadays), I have barely heard a word about it - until this recent post by Philip last Sunday. However (and I know this will sound completely irrelevant), I'm currently reading a well known book that gets down to the nitty-gritty of evolution called "The Selfish Gene", by Richard Dawkins. I know what you're all thinking - how on earth can such a subject be even remotely related to football??? My thoughts exactly! Well, Mr. Dawkins explains how most species in nature gain their advantage through "beating the opposition" (i.e. by eating them), and generally speaking there is no advantage in altruism (or being nice), because that would usually put you at a disadvantage. Failure to try and win would normally result in the other species "winning" at your expense. In an attempt to illustrate his idea he drew a parallel to football, and how a team would go all out to win a match - obviously no advantage could be gained by going for a draw.... or could there? He then devoted all of page 223 - and then some - to describing the match between Coventry City and Bristol City on the last day of the 1977 season, and how the 5 minute delay resulted in very unusual circumstances. The evolutionary parallel obviously being that other circumstances (the Sunderland result) dictated that both species (Sky Blues and Bristol) could gain mutual advantage by agreeing not to beat each other. Additionally, trying to win might even be a disadvantage, because an attack might leave your defence vulnerable and end up in defeat. So, to read all this in a book about evolution - only a couple of days after reading Philip's post - was just the most unlikely coincidence I could ever have imagined! Thank you for bearing with me on that!

I also think they was one of the first "if not the first" grounds to have a live away game shown on a big screen at their ground, that would be in the 70s someone will put me right about that

The Premier League wasn't in existence in the 70s when Manchester United were relegated - that's why they are one of the seven ever-presents as mentioned previously As far as "the top flight" is concerned, Wigan Athletic are the only team not relegated therefrom CCFC went 34 years before being relegated from the top flight, but it was no record

Apologies if this has been mentioned before but I'm still working my way through the boards. Wasn't it while Jimmy Hill was in charge City were the first team to wear sponsored shirts, possibly Tallon Pens? I seem to remember the BBC made them change them for televised matches because you weren't allowed to advertise on Match of the Day . I also beleive Highfield Road was the first all seater stadium (or very nearly all seater). Unfortunately the seats weren't too secure and I remember Leeds United fans using them as frisbees!

Prior to their relegation in 2001 it was often humourously mentioned that they should have painted the Titanic sky blue.... It would never have gone down!

Was anyone on this video getting the autographs at the end? Jimmy Hill

Sad to report the passing of Iain Jamieson, ex-CCFC player and director, former MD of Courtaulds, on 19 October 2012 Thoroughly nice man RIP Iain

Can I just mention a little gem we have on our bookshelf:- Coventry City at Highfield Road 1899-2005. Ghosts of a Vanished Stadium. Written by Jim Brown. According to the records therein I had a relative who used to play for the City and was a leading goal scorer in 1928-29. There are some great photos which I am sure would ring a few bells for you boys.

Aren't you going to enlighten us Dreamtime, with his name?