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treenie01

New Member
http://www.northamptonchron.co.uk/n...xpecting-sixfields-crowd-to-be-tiny-1-5375362

From this week's chronicle & Echo

Coventry City fans say Northampton Borough Council is living in “cloud cuckoo land” if it think the club’s move to Sixfields will benefit the local economy.
Sky Blue Trust member Michael Orton says he expects there to be a “tiny” crowd at Coventry’s first ‘home’ game with Bristol City on Sunday.
And he thinks a charity game taking place at the Ricoh Arena, deliberately organised to clash with the League One fixture, will attract a bigger attendance.
Mr Orton said: “In terms of paying fans, it is going to be a tiny number, when you consider we are a city of 300,000 people. It is going to be a fraction of that.
“We want to make it a ghost town. People in Northampton thinking it is going to make money [for the local economy] are living in cloud cuckoo land.”
Speaking about the timing of the charity match, which kicks off an hour before the Sky Blues game, Mr Orton said: “That is very deliberate. It is to give a focus for Coventry fans, and I suspect there will be a lot more people at the Ricoh than at Sixfields, which will send a message.
“What we really want to do is get people to the Ricoh and keep them away from Northampton altogether.”
Sky Blues fans vented their frustration by invading the pitch during their team’s 3-2 defeat at Crawley Town on Saturday.
Mr Orton is urging them to keep their protests peaceful if they visit Sixfields on Sunday.
“There is a lot of talk of disruption – but the message we are trying to put out is that will only help SISU.
“We now have massive public support and we need to keep it peaceful.
 

treenie01

New Member
http://www.northamptonchron.co.uk/n...he-dark-over-coventry-traffic-plans-1-5370278

Concerned St James residents say they are being “left in the dark” as they prepare for traffic for Coventry City’s ‘home’ games making their streets even busier.


Four members of St James Residents Association (SJRA) attended a hastily-convened meeting with the authorities last month following the announcement of Coventry City’s move to Sixfields.
But in a five-page letter sent to Northamptonshire County Council and Northampton Borough Council, SJRA has expressed its concerns over a lack of information since.
In the letter, SJRA also calls for a number of measures to help ease congestion in the district on match days.
The suggestions include the re-phasing of traffic lights, road closures and avoiding kick-off clashes.
Other measures proposed include park-and-ride schemes, using areas such as Dallington Park and industrial areas for parking, a match day parking permit scheme and setting up dialogue with rail and bus companies to provide transport for Coventry City fans.
Speaking about the Coventry move, SJRA secretary Graham Croucher said: “To coin an old phrase, we will have to suck it and see. We don’t know how many people are going to come from Coventry yet .
“It is going to be all weekend, every weekend once the Saints games kick in as well.
“There has been no work on the infrastructure and we are always being kept in the dark.
“We have seen millions spent in Kingsthorpe and at Barnes Meadow, but the most important gateway to the town has had no investment.
“People in St James are angry about this,” Mr Croucher added.
 

bigfatronssba

Well-Known Member

Loughborough Sky Blue

Well-Known Member
Michael Orton needs to get his facts straight before speaking to the media! The game was scheduled to specifically not clash with the club's first game. When it was organised, we were playing on Saturday!
 

treenie01

New Member
More poor journalism from our local rag

http://m.northamptonchron.co.uk/new...es-move-to-sixfields-revealed-today-1-5376426


Just how many Coventry City supporters are interested in a future for their team at Sixfields stadium will be revealed later today as the team plays its first ‘home’ game in Northampton.


Campaigners against the move from the Ricoh Arena have predicted that hardcore fans will focus their efforts on watching a charity game taking place today at the Coventry venue instead.

Some have also pledged to make Sixfields a ‘ghost town’ as far as Coventry fans are concerned, leavng Northampton businesses that would normally do well on Cobblers match days no better off.

What could be a five-year exile has arisen because Coventry City Football Club has become embroiled in a rental dispute with the owners of the Ricoh Arena. Until that is resolved the team is unable to play at the stadium.

The Cobblers have entered into an agreeent for Sixfields stadium to be rented by Coventry City on ‘home’ match days so the Sky Blues can fulfil their fixtures.

The match kicks off at 3pm and further updates will follow on the news and sports sections of the Chron website this afternoon.
 

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