SomersetSB
Well-Known Member
I miss the wheatsheaf,Drinking in town then taxi up too,Kind of used to that now!!
I miss the wheatsheaf,Drinking in town then taxi up too,Kind of used to that now!!I just want to be back at Ricoh Arena.
Its a great stadium and I don't want to be anywhere else.
So to play devil's advocate would you have preferred no news at this stage?Before I get hammered with abuse, I just want to state that my sincere hope is that this has been well thought through and is a viable long term solution for us but I just wanted to put the alternative view out there.
I can't help but feel that this is a smokescreen for our inability to negotiate a deal to stay at the Ricoh. It really feels like this carrot is being dangled as a pre-cursor to an announcement that we will not be playing in Coventry for the forseeable. What has actually been announced today? 2 entities have announced that they are looking into a new ground for Coventry City at a determined site, it is nothing more than that. No planning permission, no accurate timescales, no clear source of funding. What we have is a paper thin promise.
If it doesn't come to fruition there are so many get out clauses for both parties and whilst we are playing outside of coventry it is something for SISU to fall back on to appease the fans. That means for potentially the next 5 years we'll be tenants in another clubs ground with: limited matchday revenue, no events revenue, limited F+B revenue, all whilst trying to compete in a league whereby the top clubs are paying player £50+k per week.
Remember the shortsightedness of our highfield road to ricoh move, we made an assumption that we'd still be a premier league club and the reality was that when we got relegated to div 1 and didn't bounce back, the model was unsustainable and the ricoh became a money pit. How are we mitigating the same thing happening again? We're looking into building a ground in 5 years time having only just got back into the championship, potentially taking on huge debts, with limited revenue all whilst facing the very real risk of not being able to compete in the championship (MR has stated our budget will already be the lowest)
Before everyone gets giddy we should face the real possibility that: this is all just a smokescreen for a short term announcement that we won't be playing in cov; that it impacts our revenue in a highly monetised league and it exposes us to huge financial risk when the reality is we could well be a L1 club again next year.
A lot of people being optimistic about the Uni putting their name to it here, again I can see why but let's look at their challenges 1/6 of Warwick Uni revenue comes from overseas students, in the wake and aftermath of a global pandemic it will be more difficult than ever to attract overseas students (particularly from th efar east where a large proportion come from) in addition there is no longevity in uni's keeping their fees the same whilst all teaching is being moved online, there is already uproar in the student population about this. They have to tell a story of positivity and investment. Investment attracts more investment and whilst there is the possibility of the ground go ahead they will see income from associated streams.
*** prepares for abuse ***
I just want to be back at Ricoh Arena.
Its a great stadium and I don't want to be anywhere else.
Warwick has largely catered for most of the planned losses caused by Covid by pausing projects and spending and a voluntary redundancy scheme. A second wave or it never subsiding will obviously fuck things up for everyone but short of that it's not the alarm bells that may be sounding elsewhere.
It's never bothered them before.It's all over the national press. Would SISU really want all the negative press if all this is a smokescreen?
I think they've moved on from those days but we'll see.It's never bothered them before.
The University doesn't do anything on the cheapI am indeed skeptical it will ever get built at all, but also too in terms of , if it ever were to be go ahead, it will be a cheap, botch job, with far too many corners cut and it will be yet another thing for us to moan about.
So many people used to moan like hell about HR and it being cold and soulless and like a library, so would very much expect the same here too.
I don't think it will be built anyway. Talk is cheap.
Next two seasons at BluesI am too mate, I just couldn't remember the details of last time hence why I asked. I must admit though the more I think about it the more I think we are at blues until the stadium is built
I remember it being all over the press when Bristol City were doing a partnership with their Uni.It's all over the national press. Would SISU really want all the negative press if all this is a smokescreen?
Fuckin hope not bloody hate it there.Next two seasons at Blues
Most likely nowNext two seasons at Blues
But they need to keep it safe 20% of their intake is Chinese and with the troubles they maybe banned from coming.Cov Uni have got £300m in the bank, they can probably absorb a bit of fall out from this as well tbh
Is that their new way of keeping the population downBut they need to keep it safe 20% of their intake is Chinese and with the troubles they maybe banned from coming.
No their governments way of putting sanctions on the UK.Is that their new way of keeping the population down
But they need to keep it safe 20% of their intake is Chinese and with the troubles they maybe banned from coming.
/Sarcasm (I hope)
Next two seasons at Blues
Next two seasons at Blues
Got a source for that? It seemed to be mostly Arabic when I was there. Certainly nothing close to Warwick.
Don't know about the figures but there's definitely a large Chinese / South-East Asian contingent around the university. I can't see anyone being banned from coming here though.
not necessarily, the possibility alone is enough for the uni to attract other sources of investment. They too will use the possibility of the stadium as a carrot to r+d investment and infrastructure investment
So to play devil's advocate would you have preferred no news at this stage?
No Sarcasm.
Its a great stadium, sadly team and dare I say fans have not made the most of it.
Personally I think the Ricoh is a soulless bowl with far too many seats that are too far away from the pitch. It’s never felt like home for me. I’d love to make a fresh start at a new stadium designed to create a great atmosphere, and without all the baggage and bad memories of the Ricoh.
If this goes ahead, I hope they learn from the mistakes at the Ricoh. I’d love it to be 2-tiers all the way round so we can just use the bottom tier if attendances fall (see MK Dons). Having all the fans on one side at the Ricoh makes for a poor atmosphere.
Love the idea of having one stand with the 2-tone cheques.
Appreciate there’s a long way to go for this to become a reality, but bloody hell I’m excited by the prospect of it!
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Do you know how much a fully two tiered ground would cost? Plus you’re talking about much lower capacity, the two tiers would be tiny. Never in a million years is that going to happen.
Nothing too much wrong with the Ricoh apart from there has never been anything to cheer there, fans make atmospheres, not the stands. Be careful what you wish for, last time this was talked about Joy was on about building a replica of Shrewsbury’s ground, which is about as cheap and nasty as you could possibly get.
No Sarcasm.
Its a great stadium, sadly team and dare I say fans have not made the most of it.
A quick Google tells me that MK Dons managed to do it on a £30m budget. Also their stadium is built for potential future expansion which is something we should do, just in case the Robbins juggernaut continues to the promised land.
Of course fans make the atmosphere, but stadiums can be designed to keep the noise in. The Ricoh was never designed to create a good atmosphere, and having 2/3 of the seats empty every week obviously doesn’t help. The truth is we’re very rarely gonna have anywhere near a full house at the Ricoh, it’s much too big for us. A more compact ground with potential for expansion would be perfect.
Agree with your final point, would hate for it to be like Shrewsbury’s.
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Now I know you must be trolling, it's one of the most souless stadiums I've ever been in and has been since day one
nope- he’s right. How would you know about the atmosphere when there wasn’t a single successful season while playing there?
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