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http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/fo...vour-emotional-homecoming-to-Ricoh-Arena.html
Coventry City fans savour emotional homecoming to Ricoh Arena
For the first time in 503 days, Sky Blues supporters were able to flock back to their home ground – and they partied hard
“Ownership is temporary,’’ Jimmy Hill once said, “loyalty is permanent.’’ The words of the Coventry City legend have been adopted by supporters of his beloved Sky Blues. Coventry fans have been to hell and back, administration and back, Northampton and back, but were rewarded for their loyalty on Friday night. They still have questionable hedge fund owners, Sisu, but at least they are back in the right postcode.
For the first time in 503 days, Coventry fans were able to flock back to the Ricoh. The homecoming was a party, the music especially chosen by supporters and ranging from ‘The Boys Are Back In Town’, a version of‘Three Lions (Football’s Coming Home)’ and ‘Mr Blue Sky’. They picked songs by Coventry bands like The Specials. Ghost town? Coventry didn’t feel it on Friday. Coventry fans guaranteed that. When Frank Nouble scored early on against Gillingham in the 1-0 League One win, the Ricoh was rocking and all that frustration of so many months away was heard in 27,000 voices.
The club can put spin on the negotiations between Sisu and Arena Coventry Limited, the ground’s owners, in brokering the deal over the rental dispute to return home but it was fan power that counted. It was all the campaigners who highlighted the moral disgrace of moving the club out of the city, who staged protests at high-profile matches like last season’s Cup tie at the Emirates when Arsenal fans joined in, showing their disgust at the way Coventry supporters have been treated.
The return to the Ricoh was a victory for supporters who refused to accept their club being treated like a franchise, moved around, messed around.
Coventry fans never stopped believing, never stopped campaigning, never stopped holding up cards asking “WHEN?”. When would they be back at the Ricoh? They tied sky blue ribbons to the railings outside the ground.
“Football is the religion; the Ricoh is my church,’’ read one of their banners during the darkest hours. The congregation filled the Ricoh again. It was not Highfield Road, it never will be, but it was home. It was a home that gets used for so many events, including a gaming convention that left disfigured patches on the pitch.
The fans did not care. They were home. Fans queued overnight for tickets, or went online for the few extra tickets released. Kick-off was even put back 15 minutes because of the congestion outside. From 4pm they had been gathering. A Coventry-supporting steward could not contain his emotion. He stood by one entrance, shaking hands with old friends amongst the returning steward army, embracing them, stepping back occasionally and shouting “it’s good to be back home” and “back on home turf”. Again and again. Even the police got in on the celebration, wearing sky blue ribbons on their uniforms.
Mingling amongst the thousands in Sky Blue shirts walking into the ground was the smartly-suited Shaun Harvey, the chief executive of the Football League, the governing body which caused such resentment by permitting the move to Sixfields. Harvey happily stopped to talk, relieved that Coventry were home. “Coventry fans have been exceptionally vocal about the move,’’ he said. “I understand that a move 35 miles away from the place they want to be was never going to be well-received.
“They have been campaigning hard, properly, and effectively. The return here to a certain extent is down to their persistence. It is also down to the club and ACL sitting down, resolving the differences in the best interests of the city of Coventry, the club, the council and the 28,000 here tonight.”
Harvey believes that Coventry would not be in existence if the League had not made that controversial decision. “It is my view that if we hadn’t permitted a move then we wouldn’t be stood here today seeing Coventry City come back,’’ said Harvey.
His aim is simple: to keep together the 72-strong family of Football League clubs. “At the end of last season we had an internal celebration that we didn’t lose a single club to administration. My objective is to try and keep the 72 clubs that start the season in business. FFP has brought in an element of sanity in the majority of cases. But money-laundering is a significant concern.
“One of the things that does keep me awake at night is I don’t know where my next 72 club owners are coming from, particularly in League One and League Two. Because you do need a significant amount of money now to operate a football club. If I don’t know where the next 72 are coming from, I’ve got to make sure that the 72 we’ve got are content.’’
Most owners would be content with football of the attractive quality put on by Steven Pressley’s side, and with the level of support that saw 27,306 in the Ricoh, including 495 Gillingham fans. Coventry supporters waved their banners saying “welcome home lads” and “welcome back”.
They cheered at half-time as the screen showed pictures of Hill leaning over a hoarding at Highfield Road, Keith Houchen famously diving in to head home at Wembley in 1987, John Sillett cradling the FA Cup and Micky Quinn celebrating one of the many goals he scored in sky blue colours.
There were whoops of delight as Coventry’s nimble left-footed midfielder, John Fleck, almost scored with a half-volley from an improbable angle. They launched into “stand up if you love City”, the sound shaking the stadium that has caused so much emotion. They kept singing in praise of Pressley, who has dealt so stoically with the pressures of the situation.
“I came here with my eyes wide open but the situation developed more seriously,’’ Pressley said. “It’s been truly challenging, we’ve had 10-point deductions and a transfer embargo. What’s been evident over the last 14 months is that every person in the city has been affected by us not playing here. It was an emotional return and we showed the true potential of this club. I was exceptionally proud to be manager of this football club tonight.’’
At the final whistle, Pressley marched on the pitch embracing his players, saluting the fans. “At times, the game has lost touch with the supporters from ticket pricing to decisions made on the strategy of their club. Our supporters have shown that ultimately football is about the people and they should be proud of themselves. The club can't survive without the supporters. The fans voted with their feet and forced the club back where they belonged.”
There were absent friends, Coventry fans who did not join in the return to the Ricoh. Campaigning under the banner “Not One Penny More”, they refuse to do anything that benefits Sisu. Questions continue about Sisu, whose Ricoh deal is only for two years.
What has befallen Coventry is more than a one-club story. It is a footballing morality tale about modern ownership and the loyalty of supporters. “Let’s hope this is not a false dawn,’’ concluded Pressley. “We have so much work ahead of us. But we’ve given people hope.’’
Coventry City fans savour emotional homecoming to Ricoh Arena
For the first time in 503 days, Sky Blues supporters were able to flock back to their home ground – and they partied hard
“Ownership is temporary,’’ Jimmy Hill once said, “loyalty is permanent.’’ The words of the Coventry City legend have been adopted by supporters of his beloved Sky Blues. Coventry fans have been to hell and back, administration and back, Northampton and back, but were rewarded for their loyalty on Friday night. They still have questionable hedge fund owners, Sisu, but at least they are back in the right postcode.
For the first time in 503 days, Coventry fans were able to flock back to the Ricoh. The homecoming was a party, the music especially chosen by supporters and ranging from ‘The Boys Are Back In Town’, a version of‘Three Lions (Football’s Coming Home)’ and ‘Mr Blue Sky’. They picked songs by Coventry bands like The Specials. Ghost town? Coventry didn’t feel it on Friday. Coventry fans guaranteed that. When Frank Nouble scored early on against Gillingham in the 1-0 League One win, the Ricoh was rocking and all that frustration of so many months away was heard in 27,000 voices.
The club can put spin on the negotiations between Sisu and Arena Coventry Limited, the ground’s owners, in brokering the deal over the rental dispute to return home but it was fan power that counted. It was all the campaigners who highlighted the moral disgrace of moving the club out of the city, who staged protests at high-profile matches like last season’s Cup tie at the Emirates when Arsenal fans joined in, showing their disgust at the way Coventry supporters have been treated.
The return to the Ricoh was a victory for supporters who refused to accept their club being treated like a franchise, moved around, messed around.
Coventry fans never stopped believing, never stopped campaigning, never stopped holding up cards asking “WHEN?”. When would they be back at the Ricoh? They tied sky blue ribbons to the railings outside the ground.
“Football is the religion; the Ricoh is my church,’’ read one of their banners during the darkest hours. The congregation filled the Ricoh again. It was not Highfield Road, it never will be, but it was home. It was a home that gets used for so many events, including a gaming convention that left disfigured patches on the pitch.
The fans did not care. They were home. Fans queued overnight for tickets, or went online for the few extra tickets released. Kick-off was even put back 15 minutes because of the congestion outside. From 4pm they had been gathering. A Coventry-supporting steward could not contain his emotion. He stood by one entrance, shaking hands with old friends amongst the returning steward army, embracing them, stepping back occasionally and shouting “it’s good to be back home” and “back on home turf”. Again and again. Even the police got in on the celebration, wearing sky blue ribbons on their uniforms.
Mingling amongst the thousands in Sky Blue shirts walking into the ground was the smartly-suited Shaun Harvey, the chief executive of the Football League, the governing body which caused such resentment by permitting the move to Sixfields. Harvey happily stopped to talk, relieved that Coventry were home. “Coventry fans have been exceptionally vocal about the move,’’ he said. “I understand that a move 35 miles away from the place they want to be was never going to be well-received.
“They have been campaigning hard, properly, and effectively. The return here to a certain extent is down to their persistence. It is also down to the club and ACL sitting down, resolving the differences in the best interests of the city of Coventry, the club, the council and the 28,000 here tonight.”
Harvey believes that Coventry would not be in existence if the League had not made that controversial decision. “It is my view that if we hadn’t permitted a move then we wouldn’t be stood here today seeing Coventry City come back,’’ said Harvey.
His aim is simple: to keep together the 72-strong family of Football League clubs. “At the end of last season we had an internal celebration that we didn’t lose a single club to administration. My objective is to try and keep the 72 clubs that start the season in business. FFP has brought in an element of sanity in the majority of cases. But money-laundering is a significant concern.
“One of the things that does keep me awake at night is I don’t know where my next 72 club owners are coming from, particularly in League One and League Two. Because you do need a significant amount of money now to operate a football club. If I don’t know where the next 72 are coming from, I’ve got to make sure that the 72 we’ve got are content.’’
Most owners would be content with football of the attractive quality put on by Steven Pressley’s side, and with the level of support that saw 27,306 in the Ricoh, including 495 Gillingham fans. Coventry supporters waved their banners saying “welcome home lads” and “welcome back”.
They cheered at half-time as the screen showed pictures of Hill leaning over a hoarding at Highfield Road, Keith Houchen famously diving in to head home at Wembley in 1987, John Sillett cradling the FA Cup and Micky Quinn celebrating one of the many goals he scored in sky blue colours.
There were whoops of delight as Coventry’s nimble left-footed midfielder, John Fleck, almost scored with a half-volley from an improbable angle. They launched into “stand up if you love City”, the sound shaking the stadium that has caused so much emotion. They kept singing in praise of Pressley, who has dealt so stoically with the pressures of the situation.
“I came here with my eyes wide open but the situation developed more seriously,’’ Pressley said. “It’s been truly challenging, we’ve had 10-point deductions and a transfer embargo. What’s been evident over the last 14 months is that every person in the city has been affected by us not playing here. It was an emotional return and we showed the true potential of this club. I was exceptionally proud to be manager of this football club tonight.’’
At the final whistle, Pressley marched on the pitch embracing his players, saluting the fans. “At times, the game has lost touch with the supporters from ticket pricing to decisions made on the strategy of their club. Our supporters have shown that ultimately football is about the people and they should be proud of themselves. The club can't survive without the supporters. The fans voted with their feet and forced the club back where they belonged.”
There were absent friends, Coventry fans who did not join in the return to the Ricoh. Campaigning under the banner “Not One Penny More”, they refuse to do anything that benefits Sisu. Questions continue about Sisu, whose Ricoh deal is only for two years.
What has befallen Coventry is more than a one-club story. It is a footballing morality tale about modern ownership and the loyalty of supporters. “Let’s hope this is not a false dawn,’’ concluded Pressley. “We have so much work ahead of us. But we’ve given people hope.’’
