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Happy Birthday (2 Viewers)

  • Thread starter robbiethemole
  • Start date Wednesday at 10:03 AM
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robbiethemole

Well-Known Member
  • Wednesday at 10:03 AM
  • #1
Ricoh/CBS Arena. 20 years old today and coincidentally our first match here was QPR resulting in a 3-0win. Good omens for Saturday?
We’ve had a rough ride to get here, sometimes not even being here, but hopefully the future is more settled.
 
Reactions: duffer, ptr, torchomatic and 8 others

Sky Blue Wozza

Well-Known Member
  • Wednesday at 10:11 AM
  • #2
First game I went to there was against Hull, as was the last! (Not as good an omen, admittedly)
 
Reactions: robbiethemole
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GC1976

Well-Known Member
  • Wednesday at 10:17 AM
  • #3
You could argue 20 years of problems still not resolved. Great facility poorly managed and financed not sure it could have got much worse than it did. We nearly ceased to exist because of the Arena. Not much to celebrate here.
 
Reactions: Saddlebrains

Sick Boy

Super Moderator
  • Wednesday at 10:19 AM
  • #4
Im sure I remember the capacity being reduced to something like 23,000 for that first game because it wasn’t fully finished?
 
Reactions: RegTheDonk, AOM, TomRad85 and 4 others

Joy Division

Well-Known Member
  • Wednesday at 10:24 AM
  • #5
20 years old, yet it only has really started to feel like home in the last 3 years.
 
Reactions: Para1140, skybluecam and Alkhen

mmttww

Well-Known Member
  • Wednesday at 10:25 AM
  • #6
Sick Boy said:
Im sure I remember the capacity being reduced to something like 23,000 for that first game because it wasn’t fully finished?
Click to expand...

It was. I worked on one of the bars that day. Had all the benches full of pre-poured pints, still got fans fully kicking off about how long it took to get served. Thankless task in those places! Not one I repeated.
 
Reactions: duffer
P

PVA

Well-Known Member
  • Wednesday at 10:36 AM
  • #7
Ahh these were the days, such happy memories



 
Reactions: Para1140, Terry_dactyl and AOM
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robbiethemole

Well-Known Member
  • Wednesday at 10:52 AM
  • #8
GC1976 said:
You could argue 20 years of problems still not resolved. Great facility poorly managed and financed not sure it could have got much worse than it did. We nearly ceased to exist because of the Arena. Not much to celebrate here.
Click to expand...
Well we got rid of the Wasps and Sisu and reduced the influence of the scummy Council, all worth celebrating in my eyes
 
Reactions: duffer, Brylowes, ccfcanon and 1 other person
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SBT

Well-Known Member
  • Wednesday at 10:57 AM
  • #9
PVA said:
Ahh these were the days, such happy memories



Click to expand...
Can you pay on the gate?
 
Reactions: AOM

Earlsdon_Skyblue1

Well-Known Member
  • Wednesday at 11:35 AM
  • #10
It's been an interesting one. A few departures to strange places like Northampton, and a Birmingham. A Wasps infestation that took over so badly some of our fans became possessed and converted to genuine cuckolds to go and watch them.

Don't even get me started on the fucking train station...

Here's to 20 more years!
 
Reactions: SkyBlueSam01, ptr, ccfcanon and 4 others

AOM

Well-Known Member
  • Wednesday at 11:42 AM
  • #11
PVA said:
Ahh these were the days, such happy memories



Click to expand...

Season ticket options back then were "Which row do you want to yourself?"
Rock up at 2:55 for a 3 o'clock kick off. Bliss
 

AOM

Well-Known Member
  • Wednesday at 11:44 AM
  • #12
Thought the Ricoh/CBS always had the potential to be a really good ground, but it's only since our rise back from League Two has it started to become the ground we wanted it to be imo
 
Reactions: LastChance
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PVA

Well-Known Member
  • Wednesday at 11:46 AM
  • #13
AOM said:
Season ticket options back then were "Which row do you want to yourself?"
Rock up at 2:55 for a 3 o'clock kick off. Bliss
Click to expand...

Yeah there were some benefits of it being empty

I used to sit at the end we were attacking and then walk round to switch ends at half time
 
Reactions: duffer, PUSB-We_are_going_up and AOM

SIR ERNIE

Well-Known Member
  • Wednesday at 11:58 AM
  • #14
PVA said:
Yeah there were some benefits of it being empty

I used to sit at the end we were attacking and then walk round to switch ends at half time
Click to expand...

Preferred to watch the action from a distance did you?
 
Reactions: duffer, Kneeza, LastChance and 4 others

Alkhen

Well-Known Member
  • Wednesday at 12:01 PM
  • #15
Feels like home now, the vibe of the place hasn't been better. Having an owner that actually puts a bit of thought into match day experience makes so much difference.
 
Reactions: AOM
J

jto123

Well-Known Member
  • Wednesday at 2:34 PM
  • #16
robbiethemole said:
Ricoh/CBS Arena. 20 years old today and coincidentally our first match here was QPR resulting in a 3-0win. Good omens for Saturday?
We’ve had a rough ride to get here, sometimes not even being here, but hopefully the future is more settled.
Click to expand...
20 years today and we’ve played in it altogether for about six months of that 20 years
 

rob9872

Well-Known Member
  • Wednesday at 2:42 PM
  • #17
I always remember Claus Jorgensen scoring the first, as it's been asked many times since. I was at the game and yet was surprised to read Dele got the other 2, completely forgotten in their importance.

The article also referred to Doyler starting a scuffle in the tunnel to get the players a bit more fired up - love it!
 
Reactions: SwanLane

Sky_Blue_Daz

Well-Known Member
  • Wednesday at 2:44 PM
  • #18
rob9872 said:
I always remember Claus Jorgensen scoring the first, as it's been asked many times since. I was at the game and yet was surprised to read Dele got the other 2, completely forgotten in their importance.

The article also referred to Doyler starting a scuffle in the tunnel to get the players a bit more fired up - love it!
Click to expand...
Dele was great in that game, completely different player when he was angry
 
Reactions: duffer

TomRad85

Well-Known Member
  • Wednesday at 2:46 PM
  • #19
I don't know if any teenagers post on here but i know there are some in their early 20s and its so weird to me that they were actual babies when i was there watching this. Time has a nasty habit of punching you in the gut.
 
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robbiethemole

Well-Known Member
  • Wednesday at 2:56 PM
  • #20
My youngest is 29 and we were at the last Highfield Rd game and 1st at the Ricoh. Used to do loads of away games in those days too, good ol’ Harry Shaw from carpark C
 

skybluecam

Well-Known Member
  • Wednesday at 2:57 PM
  • #21
TomRad85 said:
I don't know if any teenagers post on here but i know there are some in their early 20s and its so weird to me that they were actual babies when i was there watching this. Time has a nasty habit of punching you in the gut.
Click to expand...
 
Reactions: AOM
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play_in_skyblue_stripes

Well-Known Member
  • Wednesday at 3:27 PM
  • #22
Prefer the bars/location of Highfield Road plus amazing memories of Highfield Road.
As for the ground itself,prefer Ricoh/CBS .

I was so proud to walk to to Highfield Road from the street I grew in and then on way back could see in the distance Ricoh Arena almost finished.

Walking around the stadium in the rain after that 2-0 West Brom win in penultimate home game I felt even more proud .I moved away from Coventry a long time ago but that day showed what I truly am , someone from Coventry who supports a very special club.

CBS is not without its faults but I love going there and always have done.

Happy Birthday Ricoh/ CBS!!
 
Reactions: Mercian In Anglia

rob9872

Well-Known Member
  • Wednesday at 3:29 PM
  • #23
I used to drive up occasionally and sit outside to take a look at it in various states of build from when they first started. Really wish I'd taken some photos to have a diary of it evolving.
 

torchomatic

Well-Known Member
  • Wednesday at 3:41 PM
  • #24
Sick Boy said:
Im sure I remember the capacity being reduced to something like 23,000 for that first game because it wasn’t fully finished?
Click to expand...

Remember we had that "dummy run" too where we turned up to sit in our seats to take in the view.
 
Reactions: AOM

rob9872

Well-Known Member
  • Wednesday at 3:44 PM
  • #25
I can also tell you that first game very nearly didn't go ahead and was then almost going ahead with a capacity of only one stand open. Mum & Dad's next door neighbour was the chief planning officer and the safety certificate hadn't been generated in time. Seems like we've always had some sort if idiocy involved.
 

torchomatic

Well-Known Member
  • Wednesday at 3:45 PM
  • #26
TomRad85 said:
I don't know if any teenagers post on here but i know there are some in their early 20s and its so weird to me that they were actual babies when i was there watching this. Time has a nasty habit of punching you in the gut.
Click to expand...

Remember at school I was pissing about with a few of my mates at the back of the class. Our physics teacher came up to us and said something like "You lads need to knuckle down. You'll soon learn that life is like a Lamborghini with no brakes". We all thought, "yeah, whatever old man". I'm sixty in two months. He was right about life being a Lamborghini. That conversation has always stuck with me. This was in 1981 or something like that. Blimey.
 
Reactions: MaltaSkyBlue, Terry_dactyl and TomRad85
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play_in_skyblue_stripes

Well-Known Member
  • Wednesday at 3:53 PM
  • #27
rob9872 said:
I used to drive up occasionally and sit outside to take a look at it in various states of build from when they first started. Really wish I'd taken some photos to have a diary of it evolving.
Click to expand...
I did the same everytime I was back in Coventry and thankfully did take some photos.
 
Reactions: rob9872

alexccfc99

Well-Known Member
  • Wednesday at 3:54 PM
  • #28
St Ands. draws the line in the sand for me

Hated The Ricoh

Love The CBS
 
Reactions: Joy Division, Hiraeth, TomRad85 and 1 other person
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play_in_skyblue_stripes

Well-Known Member
  • Wednesday at 4:00 PM
  • #29
torchomatic said:
Remember at school I was pissing about with a few of my mates at the back of the class. Our physics teacher came up to us and said something like "You lads need to knuckle down. You'll soon learn that life is like a Lamborghini with no brakes". We all thought, "yeah, whatever old man". I'm sixty in two months. He was right about life being a Lamborghini. That conversation has always stuck with me. This was in 1981 or something like that. Blimey.
Click to expand...
Yes you and that teacher particularly are/was totally right. It goes so quick and particularly from 40 to 60.
Thankfully people in there 60's are much, more active I imagine than previous generations. I feel for the 16-25s people now because things are so expensive. Basically I could go to any football game or see any group. These days it's super expensive and actually hard to get tickets for as well.
 
Reactions: torchomatic and Skyblue Bangkok
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Skyblue Bangkok

Well-Known Member
  • Wednesday at 4:16 PM
  • #30
play_in_skyblue_stripes said:
Yes you and that teacher particularly are/was totally right. It goes so quick and particularly from 40 to 60.
Thankfully people in there 60's are much, more active I imagine than previous generations. I feel for the 16-25s people now because things are so expensive. Basically I could go to any football game or see any group. These days it's super expensive and actually hard to get tickets for as well.
Click to expand...
As an oldie I agree .
 
Reactions: torchomatic

Para1140

Well-Known Member
  • Wednesday at 8:07 PM
  • #31
PVA said:
Ahh these were the days, such happy memories



Click to expand...
NOPM in full swing. Amazing really how things have changed
 
W

wingy

Well-Known Member
  • Wednesday at 8:19 PM
  • #32
rob9872 said:
I always remember Claus Jorgensen scoring the first, as it's been asked many times since. I was at the game and yet was surprised to read Dele got the other 2, completely forgotten in their importance.

The article also referred to Doyler starting a scuffle in the tunnel to get the players a bit more fired up - love it!
Click to expand...
A Houchen style header, wonderful moment,iconic in it's own right.
 
Reactions: rob9872
S

SwanLane

Well-Known Member
  • Wednesday at 10:40 PM
  • #33
Great day. I grew up near Highfield Rd and the very idea of us not playing there felt wrong. But hey-ho, I’d relocated away from Cov and when we kicked off with a 3-0 win at the Ricoh, there was the idea that it could become a fortress. I remember being there for the Hull game a few weeks later where that idea got well and truly punctured.

Paul Furlong played for QPR that day in 2005 which was a nice link back to my early days on the kop at HR. We got him from non league and he scored 3 or 4 in his first few games for us in the top flight. Can you imagine that now?

But QPR were in ugly mood on Ricoh day, no doubt due to Doyler kicking it off In the tunnel. By the end, Furlong just came across as a shithouse old CF. Like the club and fans meant nothing to him.
 
Reactions: Gynnsthetonic

Kneeza

Well-Known Member
  • Yesterday at 1:27 PM
  • #34
Memories of driving along Roland Avenue and Hen Lane every weekday, watching the progress on the skyline.
It all seemed so positive and full of promise...
 

Bad Boy

Well-Known Member
  • Yesterday at 2:27 PM
  • #35
Kneeza said:
Memories of driving along Roland Avenue and Hen Lane every weekday, watching the progress on the skyline.
It all seemed so positive and full of promise...
Click to expand...
Indeed it did.

But not dismissing/ignoring the shitty experiences we've endured for a chunk of the last 20 years, the good times are back and hopefully we can build on it.

I didn't particularly like HR after it became an all seater stadium and I don't care much for the CBS either but it's our home ground and it is what it is and maybe one day it will belong to the club.

Most of us would drink to that I'm sure.
 
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