Just how culpable are Coventry Council in all this? (1 Viewer)

I think that you're being a little unfair there. The council stepped in and saved us when we begged to sell them HR early and they are rightly protecting their investment for their customers (residents) in the City who are not all City fans and don't have it at the heart of their interests. The club have failed and imo the council owe us or them nothing

The council didn't ask for sisu to be a sustainable business, they asked for them to have a sustainable business strategy.

Two completely different things.

Sisu are a sustainable business, it is their strategy with co* that seems unsustainable.

To be honest at the moment I have to admit that I think the stadium is better off in the councils control, If Sisu get their hands on the arena I am not convinced that they won't mortgage it to the max to get their money back and then we have a situation like we have with Ryton now.

Does any football club have a sustainable business plan?

skyblu3sk said:

Does any football club have a sustainable business plan?

Click to expand...

Good point, I can only think of Arsenal who seem to make a decent profit, even Man U are up to their eyes in debt

That wasn't due to a business plan though.

No but a certain amount of good planning, which most clubs don't have.. the bubble will burst one day and the fall out from that will be incredible with some of the biggest clubs going to the wall

I meant Man U aren't in debt due to a business strategy.
Unless you blame having shares.

Man U were well in the black until Glazer turned up.

I've also been thinking and I was wondering why Dulieu would say he had a meeting with the council set up when he didn't? The only thing I thought was maybe he was trying to call their bluff. Say he had been in contact with the council about a meeting and they were dragging their feet, maybe he said it publicly to give them a kick up the backside. Very risky but it's not as if our position is solid and no need for risks? Just an idea.

I know quite a few of the councillors in Coventry, and if I'm being honest I can't stand John Mutton so I have no reason to stand up for him. But, I know that he is a big city fan so I very much doubt he would try and stitch the club up.

I imagine the Council also suspect Sisu of what some on here suggested. Buy the Ricoh, put a massive mortgage on it, take the money out and get rid of the club.

The thought of SISU getting their hands on the Arena sends a shiver down my back!! Although we don't own it, my understanding is that, we do have an option to buy half of it (the Alan Higgs half) at a price that is determined by several factors. As I recall these factors are related to interest rates, land values and the length of time it takes for us to buy it. When this agreement was set up it was done in a way that by using these factors to determine the price no one could either drive the price up or down as it would already be determined. Anyone else remember hearing this at the time?
The other half that is owned by the council is a completely different matter and will be determined by how much the council feel is a fair price and how much SISU can afford. Given that I have heard that the council are making a nice little income from there half of the Arena, they may not be too keen to sell, and if they do may drive a hard bargain. Who could blame them after all? They are not here to subsidise the football club, and especially the way SISU have presented themselves one way and another I wouldn't be suprised if the council put plenty of obsticles in their way if they are serious about buying the councils share.
If, and I pray it never happens, SISU do get complete ownwership and control of the Arena could anyone here see them running it with the interests of the football club at heart given their track record? At the first opportunity they would seperate CCFC from the Arena, legally, and then sell the Arena as a going concern for a lot more than they bought it, meanwhile allowing CCFC to wither and die due to lack of revenue streams.
Am I being too cynical?

Spot on me thinks RedSalmon spot on

No, you´re not cynical you are being realistic-SISU has taken off their mask little by little through these years, and what we see today is the face of sheer greed. The board today has basically no local ties it´s there for profit and profit only.
Ithink u are correct in your assesment, unfortunatley.

RedSalmon said:

Am I being too cynical?

Click to expand...

No, not at all. I can see the events described in your post actually happening.

And I can't blame the Council, without them we would have been ground-sharing at Brum or Leicester. It was City's (or rather the board's) decision to sell HR well before our new home was built.

That is point I'm making.... would you pay £1 billion for a footy club, unlikely they would go out business, but just goes to show how crazy football is