skY BLUEs: `iT's WHaT THE Fans WanT Us aLL To Do'
COVENTRY City have entered back into negotiations with the Ricoh Arena in a bid to thrash out a deal on their rent.
Sky Blues chiefs had ramped up their threat to quit the stadium and find a “more affordable home“ this week, casting their net far and wide in search of an alternative ground to play their fixtures.
The Telegraph exclusively revealed yesterday that the club have been looking at the vacant Nene Park 45 miles away in Northamptonshire * former home of Rushden and Diamonds before they went bust * and understands that club chiefs looked round the mothballed site on Friday. And although the 6,500 capacity ground doesn't necessarily fit the bill, a host of other venues are believed to have been considered including Hinckley United, with a view to ground sharing.
City said yesterday that the club had, “commenced the sensible process of making contact with other football clubs to evaluate if their stadiums meet our requirements should negotiations with ACL fail to reach a mutually agreed position on the rent with the result that CCFC is forced to move away from the Ricoh to a new venue.“
We exclusively revealed on Saturday that the club turned down the latest deal from the stadium firm who offered to cut the £1.28million annual rent by 67 per cent to £400,000 and give City ten years to repay the £1.1m arrears as well as a chance to take matchday revenue from refreshments.
In response to that an online Telegraph poll this week revealed a massive 91 per cent of supporters want the club to accept the latest offer on the table.
And last night a Coventry City FC spokesman revealed: “Happily, we are now talking with ACL. It is clear that this is what the fans want us all to do.
“However, whilst these talks are ongoing it wouldn't be right for us to make any statements or to comment on any aspect of the situation. “ ACL have already issued a statutory demand for the arrears, giving the club until Boxing Day to pay. If they fail to meet the deadline the Sky Blues, bankrolled by Sisu for the last five years, would have to declare themselves insolvent of face a winding up order.
COVENTRY City have entered back into negotiations with the Ricoh Arena in a bid to thrash out a deal on their rent.
Sky Blues chiefs had ramped up their threat to quit the stadium and find a “more affordable home“ this week, casting their net far and wide in search of an alternative ground to play their fixtures.
The Telegraph exclusively revealed yesterday that the club have been looking at the vacant Nene Park 45 miles away in Northamptonshire * former home of Rushden and Diamonds before they went bust * and understands that club chiefs looked round the mothballed site on Friday. And although the 6,500 capacity ground doesn't necessarily fit the bill, a host of other venues are believed to have been considered including Hinckley United, with a view to ground sharing.
City said yesterday that the club had, “commenced the sensible process of making contact with other football clubs to evaluate if their stadiums meet our requirements should negotiations with ACL fail to reach a mutually agreed position on the rent with the result that CCFC is forced to move away from the Ricoh to a new venue.“
We exclusively revealed on Saturday that the club turned down the latest deal from the stadium firm who offered to cut the £1.28million annual rent by 67 per cent to £400,000 and give City ten years to repay the £1.1m arrears as well as a chance to take matchday revenue from refreshments.
In response to that an online Telegraph poll this week revealed a massive 91 per cent of supporters want the club to accept the latest offer on the table.
And last night a Coventry City FC spokesman revealed: “Happily, we are now talking with ACL. It is clear that this is what the fans want us all to do.
“However, whilst these talks are ongoing it wouldn't be right for us to make any statements or to comment on any aspect of the situation. “ ACL have already issued a statutory demand for the arrears, giving the club until Boxing Day to pay. If they fail to meet the deadline the Sky Blues, bankrolled by Sisu for the last five years, would have to declare themselves insolvent of face a winding up order.