Thats all folks (3 Viewers)

[Senior Vick from Alicante]

This is an open letter to whoever at our beloved club is allowed to read posts and report them back to the powers that be. My 10 and 7 year old season ticket holding sons are now refusing to go to any more matches this season, infact my youngest son was tearfull when he said it as he didnt want to upset me as he knows the cost of the tickets.

The future life blood of any club is attracting continued family support, I attended my first match in 1972 as a 5 year old standing on a stool on the old Kop. My 2 sons attend the match with myself when I can, and regulaly with their grandfather, they are the future lifeblood of our club and the fourth generation from the same family. So a minimum of 2 members of the same family have been season ticket holders attending matches for the last 40 odd years.

If you want to take the heart and soul out of the future, as well as the obvious acummalitive income from younger generations and their future offspring, then carry on. You have managed in your short tenure to rip the heart out of a once proud club as well as the soul from all but the hard core of support. Too see my sons sit quietly at a match thinking that their Nintendo ds is better entertainment than that on the pitch is heartbreaking. The ten year old compaired us to a boxer after yesterday when he said that how would you feel going to watch me box knowing that he would either be knocked out or have the towel thrown in every week.

From a business point of view his annalagy is exactly where you are, its time for you to throw the towel in. You have no money to invest, your business plan has failed and you have no chance of buying a part or whole share in the stadium in short your going no where fast and your income stream is reducing even quicker. The fact that you continualy lie to us through your chairman actually says a lot about you and him. I would take his monthly pay check for just taking flak from some dissgruntled supporters, do you not realise how many intelligent senior management figures actually contribute to forums like this. Its very easy to see right through the crap that is inconsistantly spurted out by Ken Dulieu, and Mr Igwes continued regular correspondance with the fans is great. I presume his ongoing openess is limited to speaking to the fans just once a year, after all he is a fund manager not chairman.

It is time to realise that the mantle of ownership needs to be passed on to someone who has the time and effort that is needed to make a team and club that youngsters want to go and watch. Instead of taking money out of the club to pay back the money your investers put in to purchase us originally, you should have reinvested in a playing squad that was being built under Ray Ransons stewardship. To have a certain Mr Fox playing in our team yesterday would have been great! Your investment will now never be recouped but that doesnt interest me, the fact that you have driven my children away from a family love affair that we all once shared is heart breaking. For that I hope the money you are loosing is hurting you as much, I have never been one for demonstrating, not that I dont believe in it, I just have a busy work life. But where ever possible from now on I will do my utmost to have you and your cronys removed from this city to enable my sons to be able to have hope and believe again!

 

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[SydneySkyBlue]

Well said.

 

[torchomatic]

I wouldn't worry about it. My five year old only goes for the hotdogs.

 

[Regis87]

Same as ! What used to be father and son time for me has now come to an abrupt holt . My son does not want to go anymore cos " they are rubbish dad " and he is 100% correct . So no season tickets have been purchased this season . And he won't be back until something changes but then it will be too late . I think it is going to be Man Utd for him now ( maybe I should have made that choice many years ago in the playground )
Sisu out + soon pls

 

[torchomatic]

My first match was also in '72 and I remember telling my Dad that it was rubbish. However, he kept taking me and I've had some of the best (and worst!) times of my life supporting CCFC. OK, so there wasn't the distractions of Sky and Playstations in the 70s, but I know if I stick with it my son will be hooked as much as I am.

The children are our future, etc etc.

Same as ! What used to be father and son time for me has now come to an abrupt holt . My son does not want to go anymore cos " they are rubbish dad " and he is 100% correct . So no season tickets have been purchased this season . And he won't be back until something changes but then it will be too late . I think it is going to be Man Utd for him now ( maybe I should have made that choice many years ago in the playground )
Sisu out + soon pls

 

[SydneySkyBlue]

Trouble is torchomatic, I'm reminded of something my uncle told me yesterday. City had some great players in the 70's. For our younger generation it's just shit, shit with more shit to come. The Tommy Hutch's of this world don't play for us any more.

 

[shunt81]

Sorry to hear that your sons are refusing to go to games because we haven't won enough games at home this season. At home we have won 2, drawn 3 and lost 3. Which although not tremendous is half decent. If the last minutes of games had been different we would be 4-1-3 with a home record half way up the league. If they're going to every away game and deciding not to go again then I'd understand. You don't buy a season ticket because it guarantees a number of wins, you buy a season ticket to go and support your team, whoever is on the pitch against the opposition. Yes we lost yesterday, but the feeling when Platt nudged in our second yesterday and the roar for a few minutes after it made my day. We have got a half decent home record this season whilst playing at a venue which has had louder away fans than home fans, removing a lot of the home advantage, imagine how decent our home form could be if we all got behind the team and made it an intimidating place for the away sides. People can give whatever excuses about numbers and the stadium, but 13,000 home fans can make a lot of noise when they want to, but they shouldn't have to wait for goals for them to want to.

 

[torchomatic]

The trouble is though as I tried to point out, though obviously not very successfully, that the football world is a different place now than what it was when I first used to go. Kids now see Utd, Man City and Chelsea on tele scoring loads of goals and they want a piece of that and you can't blame them. It wasn't like that for me. My Dad (and Grandad) supported City, so I did and I went and I cheered the team and if we won great, if we lost, then well, we lost. Kids don't have the patience for that. They want success and they want it now.

 

[kdrinkell]

thats not good reading for the future of ccfc

 

[SydneySkyBlue]

The trouble is though as I tried to point out, though obviously not very successfully, that the football world is a different place now than what it was when I first used to go. Kids now see Utd, Man City and Chelsea on tele scoring loads of goals and they want a piece of that and you can't blame them. It wasn't like that for me. My Dad (and Grandad) supported City, so I did and I went and I cheered the team and if we won great, if we lost, then well, we lost. Kids don't have the patience for that. They want success and they want it now.

I can only go on my own experience. I had to put up with being surrounded by scoffing Man U fans at school in the 90s and hated Man U and their 'glory supporting' fans passionately as a result.

What I worry about is that we are now in a situation where there appears to be no hope - and this is made quite public for even our kids to see. If you have no hope as a child, then you have nothing. The most excited I ever got was when I contemplated the idea that we could win the FA cup again. Can any of our young supporters even dream of this now? It's all far too money-oriented. If you don't have it, there's no hope. In that sense, I completely agree with you.

 

[torchomatic]

No, our supporters can never dream of winning the FA Cup again or the Premiership. But, that said, there's no hope for anyone who doesn't support Utd, Man City, Chelsea or Arsenal either.

 

[SydneySkyBlue]

No, our supporters can never dream of winning the FA Cup again or the Premiership. But, that said, there's no hope for anyone who doesn't support Utd, Man City, Chelsea or Arsenal either.

I guess my point is that under the current regime we're going nowhere. We could even look at our own league to see fans with more hope, and again it's down to money - Southampton and Leicester.

 

[SydneySkyBlue]

Southampton - a club that turned down SISU and went into administration. And now they have a player that should still be playing for us. Telling stuff...

 

[ccfcway]

thats not good reading for the future of ccfc

that could be said from pretty much EVERYTHING related to CCFC in the past few years

 

[gary_ccfcforever]

That needs sending to the club and the telegraph....

 

[torchomatic]

Very true, we're going nowhere with SISU, but at least we are somewhere. The Hoff thing has gone quiet which is which as that seemed to be the only offer on the table. If he is serious then he needs to put his money where his not unsizeable mouth is and offer SISU more than a quid.

As others have pointed out maybe going down will be "good for us". Can't see it myself, but who knows?

I guess my point is that under the current regime we're going nowhere. We could even look at our own league to see fans with more hope, and again it's down to money - Southampton and Leicester.

 

[sky_blue_up_north]

I have exactly the same problem. I've been a Skyblue since around 1962. Used to go to games with my Dad and Granddad. I was lucky to be brought up the Jimmy Hill 'Golden Era'. It seemed like anything was possible and we would be the best team in the land. Back pages everyday, innovation on and off the pitch. Coventry was the team to watch, you'll see find the odd fan today who has nothing to do with Coventry the City but had been brought up to follow us like those kids who follow the likes of Man U and Chelsea. To be honest I stopped going whilst we were in Division One years of relegation battles did it for me. However once we eventually got relegated I thought well we'll win a few now, might even get promoted back give us something to shout about... how wrong was I. I have a season ticket now, and have inflicted the Sky Blue curse on my 3 Grand-kids with season tickets as well, but to be honest they are not interested, comments like 'we are just rubbish Granddad' I have to agree with them, even a 4, 7 and 11 can see it. Not only that for each home game I travel over 180 miles, plus a large amount of away games as well. It is really starting to test my sanity. I must be mad paying to watch this rubbish, but I love the Sky Blues. At the moment I'm hurting so bad, we are as good as down even though we are only in November. We have clueless board that is forcing a manager to work with nothing, how any one can blame Andy Thorn is beyond me. We have a team of 1st and 2nd Division players with the odd exception. Don't think we'll bounce straight back, just have look at the other teams in Division One, ie Bury who were really poor against. As a club we are on a massive downward spiral and I cannot see that changing any time in there future unless some magical figure comes along and remove the current owner and give us a huge injection of cash. Then if we get a winning side the fans will return and life maybe and little better for the Grandkids and me... here is hoping

 

[chiefdave]

I've got a similar problem. Ever since I moved from Cov I've always planned my visits to my parents to coincide with home games and taken my Dad who has been going for over 50 years. The other day when I was on the phone to him he told me not to bother getting tickets for him anymore as he can't stand to watch what's being done to the club. I fear when we hit a game without a strong away following there's a real danger of an attendance of under 10K this year. The old fans are leaving cos they can't stand it any more and the local kids aren't interested as all they can remember is us being rubbish.

 

[blueflint]

well put we needed hope we got bob we needed faith we got adam we need footballers we get ?????????????

 

[ashbyjan]

Let's be clear SISU don't give a monkey's cuss about the future support as they have no plans to be here next season let alone in five. They couldn't care less if your sons don't want to go - you've paid your money this season so that's you milked and now discarded, you have served your purpose, thank you and goodbye. These scum don't care about the club, the team, the supporters - it was telling that in Dullards article in the Mail the only thing he was excited about was the possibility of developing 5 acres of derelict land behind the Tesco stand - probably doesn't even know what division we play in. Sooner this mob crawl back under whatever rock they emerged from the better (maybe they'll find that mystery loan player there). SISU do one and quickly.

 

[Sky]

I'm 17, started supporting in the 02/03 season i made the choice to support my city and that will never change no matter how bad it gets (how much worse can it get watching 10 years of religation battles) unfortunately I am in the minority and all but two or three of my mates support the "big four" while most of them have never been to a game

 

[Johnnythespider]

Am i the only one thinking this isn't a new problem. Back when i was at secondary school between 75-80 i got plenty of ridicule from lads that "supported" Liverpool and Man u. One day when asked why i supported that heep of shit i replied " when's the last time you went to watch Man u or the scousers play live " the following week in the queue for dinner i was knocked forward by a surge from behind and those same lads shouting about the west end shove. They were converted, Of course there was'nt blanket coverage of the big teams on sky back then, which is a big problem for smaller clubs, we seem to have lost the pride in our club which for me is an even bigger sin on sisu's part than there lack of invetment in the team.

 

[skyblue19]

One thing I noticed more than I have before at the game, most of the kids around us didn't watch the game at all just heads down playing with there phones/ds whatever.

 

[kdrinkell]

One thing I noticed more than I have before at the game, most of the kids around us didn't watch the game at all just heads down playing with there phones/ds whatever.

thats surely a positive with the cak on the pitch

 

[skyblue19]

thats surely a positive with the cak on the pitch

Probably finding out what the man u score was anyway!

 

[georgehudson]

a truly well constructed and poignant post, and it has 'echoes' for all us CCFC real supporters,
i say CCFC, because, i became a city fan in 1956, before, of course they became the 'sky blues', and am proud to have never wavered in any way since then,
and, having experienced & been exhilarated, intrigued, disappointed, & bewildered, by so many owners of the club,
i can truly say, that in my humble opinion this lot ARE THE WORST, i wonder what their future business profiles will bring?
they have demonstrated HOW NOT TO RUN A BUSINESS !!!
just for one moment, disregarding CCFC, would / could, anyone ever contemplate an investment that had any of this mob involved in it?
more to the point how can WE for CCFC move forward ?
i sincerely hope that there are reasoned persons out there who will accept the enormous potential that this club has
many questions i know, and no answers, as yet,
I WAIT A A TRUE SKY BLUE,

PUSB

 

[Paxman II]

asby jan;
The problem is they only pumped in 30+ million right? What horrible people!
More has gone in since and we lose money each week. in times of austerity they feel it worse than most investors which has messed up any original business plan they had.
I don't support them at the helm but can you blame them for the tight reign they have on finances now?
Don't expect them to 'do one' any time soon unless you also know of some fairy god mother?
I'm glad they are there at the moment and we have a football club to support.

 

[covcity4life]

give ya tickets to someone who will use it

 

[Sub]

did they pump in 30 million ?? how much debt was written off when they took over ? or have they just refinaced it somwhere else. how much of the debt does SISU still carry any ideas OSB ?

 

[We'll_live_and_die]

Sorry to hear that your sons are refusing to go to games because we haven't won enough games at home this season. At home we have won 2, drawn 3 and lost 3. Which although not tremendous is half decent. If the last minutes of games had been different we would be 4-1-3 with a home record half way up the league. If they're going to every away game and deciding not to go again then I'd understand. You don't buy a season ticket because it guarantees a number of wins, you buy a season ticket to go and support your team, whoever is on the pitch against the opposition. Yes we lost yesterday, but the feeling when Platt nudged in our second yesterday and the roar for a few minutes after it made my day. We have got a half decent home record this season whilst playing at a venue which has had louder away fans than home fans, removing a lot of the home advantage, imagine how decent our home form could be if we all got behind the team and made it an intimidating place for the away sides. People can give whatever excuses about numbers and the stadium, but 13,000 home fans can make a lot of noise when they want to, but they shouldn't have to wait for goals for them to want to.

That's a very mature response, the only issue I have with your statement is that it's quite ignorant. The gentleman that started the thread was referring to his children. Children are immature and do not understand that even though the "entertainment" is poor you still go because you love the team. Children do not understand that you support your local team through thick and thin. Children do not understand that you support the team that your Grand Parents did because it's tradition.

Children need to be entertained to gain their interest, it's only later in life when they mature that all the above points come to their thoughts. It's only when Junior Vick from Alicante becomes Senior Vick from Alicante and has kids of his own that he realises the true reason that you sit in -15c temperatures watching your team get hammered by the likes of Brighton and Hove Albion on boxing day. Lets be honest supporting CCFC is a shit game when you could be playing on your xbox as Man United thrashing CCFC 6-0 and staying warm whilst you do it.

You sir come across as ignorant as our board.

If children are not our future, then what future do we have?

 

[sky blue john]

asby jan;
The problem is they only pumped in 30+ million right? What horrible people!
More has gone in since and we lose money each week. in times of austerity they feel it worse than most investors which has messed up any original business plan they had.
I don't support them at the helm but can you blame them for the tight reign they have on finances now?
Don't expect them to 'do one' any time soon unless you also know of some fairy god mother?
I'm glad they are there at the moment and we have a football club to support.

I would like to know exactly what this 30million has been spent on ?