Fisher "As Dismayed As Anyone" Apparently (2 Viewers)

posted it like this torchy for people that cant open the link hope you don't mind

EXCLUSIVE: Coventry chief Fisher is as dismayed as anyone with Ricoh fiasco after securing ground-share with Northampton
Coventry City chief executive Tim Fisher is a tall man with broad shoulders. Which is a good job.
Apart from physical threats to himself and his family, he has had to endure all manner of abuse in the past ten days.
Following the announcement that the League One club is to ground-share with Northampton Town next season, Fisher has been cast in the role of public enemy No 1.



As the club's chief executive, employed by the hedge-fund SISU, Fisher is gingerly manoeuvring his way around the emotions aroused by his controversial decision.SISU
Man in charge: Tim Fisher is Coventry's chief executive, employed by the hedge fund SISU

Coventry MP Bob Ainsworth used parliamentary privilege to label him 'a fraudster.' He has been the target of physical violence to the extent that Warwickshire police are maintaining a watching brief on the Sky Blues' training ground.
His family have been subject to verbal abuse. And one upset Coventry fan, Nigel Warren from the suburb of Styvechale, has even vowed to go on a 24-hour hunger strike either side of any game the Sky Blues' play, 31 miles away in Northampton.


It is fair to say that Fisher's decision has not been well-received.
To understand the complexities of why the Sky Blues find themselves in this situation, we have to rewind the clock.
When the Ricoh Arena was opened eight years ago, the club was subject to a rent agreement, administered by a management firm, Arena Coventry Ltd.


This was a joint venture between Coventry City Council and a local charity, the Higgs' Trust.
Unfortunately, due to cash-flow problems, the football club needed finance. And so, it sold its' revenues from drink and food on matchdays to the charity to plug the immediate gap.
This left Coventry, who eventually were within minutes of going to the wall, without any access to cash other than that which they could raise through ticket-sales and sponsorship.


However, a saviour was at hand. A hedge-fund called SISU, introduced by former Manchester City and Birmingham City right-back Ray Ranson.
But while SISU ploughed ever-increasing amounts of money into the Sky Blues, fortunes on the pitch were dipping.
It reached a point where the club found itself, last season, in League One. With a rent of £1m to pay and no access to funds, the owners sought a re-negotiation.


To cut a very long story short, no agreement between all three parties has been made since the Sky Blues decided to withhold payment.
The club entered administration and were docked ten points.
Not any more: Coventry have moved out of the Ricoh Arena in their own city



Since then, a bitter row has broken out between the parties. Arena Coventry Ltd and Coventry City Council on one side of the fence, SISU on the other.
After a company related to SISU won the battle to take over last month by effectively writing off debt to itself, there has been a continued battle.
The hedge fund believes the local authority has attempted to economically damage it and has launched a judicial review in an attempt to highlight this perceived injustice.


However, the schism and the lack of progress has meant that the £32m Ricoh Arena, opened on a brownfield site seven years ago, is now an empty shell.
Fisher and SISU are committed to building a new ground, obviously outside the jurisdiction of Coventry City Council, within three years. In the meantime, they are heading 31 miles south-east to Northampton to play their home fixtures.


There isn't enough space on this web-site to chart the fighting and bitterness that has accompanied this public fall-out.
The Football League has, nervously, backed SISU's plans.
There has been talk in Coventry of mass boycotts, of fans refusing to buy merchandise, replica shirts.
England's ninth largest city is hurting. So is Fisher.
'It's with remorse that we couldn't do a deal,' he said, 'it's with sombre mood that we have got to ground-share.
'It was a hard decision to make on one hand. Easy on the other.


'Hard in the sense that, metaphorically speaking, we wouldn't be able to take the majority of fans with us but with ACL pushing us in towards the edge of the cliff in that we must fulfil our fixtures, the Football League were getting nervous.
'That's why they supported the ground-share. The biggest risk in all of this was that we couldn't kick of the season.
'A decision had to be taken. And it was.


'However, with us having taken the decision, the reaction has been one of shock. I have to say this has surprised me.
'Two months ago, I held a series of fans' forums and invited the local media to spread the word.
'The reason I did this was to pass on the message that we would be ground-sharing.
'I also said that we would build a new stadium. So, while I understand the emotions - absolutely - I don't understand the surprise.
'You cannot posture or mislead in a situation like this. It would be insane.


'We thought it was a game,' they said. But we were absolutely clear what we were going to do.
'As a professional, you must never posture or filibuster. You must do what you say you're going to. I don't understand the surprise.
'It's been ratified by the Football League. People are now giving them stick, asking: ''How can you not support the club?''
'The club is a member of the Football League.


'Whilst is has rules and regulations to which all clubs must adhere, one of its' fundamental principles is that its members get to fulfil its' fixtures. And this is what it has done.'
Let's cut to the chase. Was this whole episode avoidable?
'Absolutely,' added Fisher, 'we could have done a deal with the council to take a stake in the stadium.
'We could have turned the stadium around. As it stands, it's not a great business. We know that because we have done our due diligence on it.

'We wanted to buy half of the Arena because we needed access to matchday revenues. We agreed with the council we would bring in a professional stadium operator, AEG, to orchestrate a turnaround.'
That leads to the next question: As it was possible, why hasn't it been possible?
'I believe that the council made a decision that they did not want a hedge fund running Coventry City Football Club,' added Coventry's chief executive.

'For political reasons. This is a socialist council. They couldn't come to terms that there was an uber-capitalist - ie a hedge fund - running the club.
'I don't think that sat well with them. They they tried to wrestle control of the club away from SISU by pushing for, and getting, an administration order on the club.

'But it was such a foolhardy scheme that it was never going to work.

'It is unlawful in this country to wrestle control of a business that you don't own, market a business that you don't own - to be clear, they had buyers lined up - and now this matter is the subject of a judicial review.




'Let me be clear, I have a huge amount of empathy with the fans. But they don't appreciate what has gone on behind-the-scenes.
'It's easy to blame a hedge-fund. Secretive, money-making - all the usual straplines you'd see to describe a hedge-fund.
'But SISU has acted with proper purpose. In the best interests of the club and yet the fans don't see what the council has done.

'We have suffered huge economic damage and financial loss as a consequence of this.
'The administration process and associated legal fees have cost a small fortune.
'What's becoming clear is that the advice the council has had been wrong. I can't believe how much hasn't been said by the taxpayers.


'They seem to have lost at every turn. Why isn't someone asking of the council: "Just what are you doing?'''
There is a possibility - although a small one - that if ACL reject a creditors' voluntary agreement on July 22 that the club will go into liquidation.
That could mean the deduction of 15 points. However, ACL would be jeopardising £590,000 if they were to pursue this course of action.


In the meantime, SISU will press ahead with identifying and purchasing the site upon which it will kick-start the new Sky Blues.
Fisher cannot say for certain whether the exile will last three years. At present, the club cannot even sell season-tickets.
Financially, this is torturing the owners. But the positions between the parties are now so entrenched that there appears no way back now that contracts have been exchanged with the Cobblers.


Or is there?

'My sense is that it has just gone too far,' said Fisher, 'I've not had any calls. They (the council) just don't recognise either the new company, Otium or Coventry City Holdings as the football club.
'In February, we suggested mediation, they said: ''No.'' It was Ainsworth, we wrote to him asking for it to be held in public, so people could see what was going on.
'Not only did he reject that. He trashed SISU. I don't know what's left for them. A new business plan for the Ricoh with football in it? I don't know.
'And so, regrettably, Coventry City Football Club will be sharing with Northampton Town for the next three seasons, minimum.


'Regrettably...' A sorry tale from whichever side it is viewed.


But for the majority of Coventry's fans, that one word doesn't really cover the half of it.

torchomatic said:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/fo...e-Tim-Fisher-dismayed-Ricoh-Arena-fiasco.html

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What a load of BS he hasn't got a clue what it is like to be fan.

I can assure you Fisher we are exceedingly more than 'dismayed'

More Of Mr Moxleys PR ,he's a villain ,enough said .

The usual 'it's everyone else's fault' from TF.

If what he says is true and it's the result of the socialist council not wanting a hedge fund to own the stadium.
F*cking f*ck the f*ck off then.
Just go. Sell up. Don't bring a 125 year old football club down with you, alienating thousand of fans you stupid c*nt.

It's not even about who's wrong and who's right anymore, I don't give a f*ck. Just p*ss off.

'It is unlawful in this country to wrestle control of a business that you don't own, market a business that you don't own - to be clear, they had buyers lined up - and now this matter is the subject of a judicial review.

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And Tim never made statements or agreements on behalf of Ltd whilst it was in admin, so that's all right then.

While I hate what SISU and Fisher have done to our beloved club I still think the Council and ACL are at fault not directly, but are at fault.

James Smith said:

And Tim never made statements or agreements on behalf of Ltd whilst it was in admin, so that's all right then.

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Fisher is making statements on behalf of Holdings as because Fisher has said before along with the Administrator, Tim Fisher believes that while CCFC Ltd has the Golden Share (Or supposedly did), Holdings owns the Football Club. Why I don't know..

Tim. Everyone can see through you and what your game is. You're now just a joke - you really are!

i really am starting to think that floppy haired twat fisher is deluded...i wish him and joy would just fook off....he's doing just as much damage to this club and city that anyone in history has done....does he realise just what he's doing to the economy of the city.....possible job losses etc....he has a lot to answer for and so does that faceless bitch Joy

And as for the 'I told the fans at the forum' part.

If I told someone I was going to stamp on their head next week I think they would still be slightly peeved if I actually did it.

"What's up fella, I told you what I was going to do"

Tim used the forums for his own agenda...it was so he could say to the fl that he had consulted with the fans about this fookin ground share....never in a million years was anything the fans said gonna be listened to so as far as the fans go it was a total waste of time

And so the drama continues................

covkid69 said:

i really am starting to think that floppy haired twat fisher is deluded...i wish him and joy would just fook off....he's doing just as much damage to this club and city that anyone in history has done....does he realise just what he's doing to the economy of the city.....possible job losses etc....he has a lot to answer for and so does that faceless bitch Joy

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I'd wager that this knowledge is behind their Actions.

DaleM said:

And so the drama continues................

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whats the.latest.from inside the ropes

coop said:

whats the.latest.from inside the ropes

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Most of the youth team training with the first team.
New shop on Gallagher
Staff aint got a scooby whats going on.
Will elaborate in pub .We can have a good old moan. Pint ?

how could anyone believe that twaddle i don't:blue::blue:

'We thought it was a game,' they said. But we were absolutely clear what we were going to do. 'As a professional, you must never posture or filibuster. You must do what you say you're going to. I don't understand the surprise. Is that so Fisher? How come you never bought the share of the Ricoh, on the three seperate occasions you said you were! You and Septic are a fucking disgrace to your profession. Tell the Septic one to fuck off back to Finland, and if you feel you should follow her, please feel free to do so.

i am dismayed that nobody has wedged his face in a vice yet , oh well lets hope eh