No Ifs, Maybe Butts – What Now?

How do you sum up this season as a Coventry City fan?

Progress? Underachievement? Both?

Another season for the majority of our fanbase who get off on the fact that we’re really shit and have been for a while to gloat and say told you so at the end?

We took ‘doing a Cov’ to a whole new level and it’s the classic post-mortem time of year where we have to find someone to blame.

For me – the naivety of youth thinking the job was done at Christmas was the reason for our downfall. They have the ability to achieve special things in their careers, just unfortunately it won’t be with us.

Mowbray was given the green light to recruit in January, but chose the toothpicks to dig out of Shawshank as opposed to the huge fucking JCB next to it when he chose Henderson, Ramage etc instead of using that cash elsewhere.

To say he wasn’t given backing is ludicrous – Joe Cole was a Coventry City player from January onwards and we kept Armstrong for the full season as opposed to the initial length of his spell.

It’s hard to put your finger on, but it seemed everyone was doing their best to stay in the division from January onwards – just look at Peterborough and Gillingham.

And going off the field, I don’t know what to make of the news breaking this week (or late last year depending on who you listen to)

The Butts move has it positives – the location meaning that I’ll be a dribbling mess for most home games due to the amount of pubs within a 3 mile radius; the train station that serves trains made for the 21st century another bonus, and the obvious resemblance it has to the good ol’ days of Highfield Road.

But, say we went up next year after signing a deal for the Butts, and then, somehow, got promoted again (hypothetically, obviously) – wouldn’t this be a huge step backwards going to a lot smaller ground?

Is this potential move an acknowledgement of our level and that we will be here for a while?

I’m not going to go into the rights of wrongs of this whole Wasps bollocks, you’re probably already aware that my opinion is that a nomad rubgy team with no real fanbase here should not have first dibs on the ground that was, at the end of the day, built for this football club.

And I won’t shed any tears on seeing the back on Ann Lucas who has ensured that we won’t own the ground for at least the next how ever many stupid hundred years the lease runs out in.

I’m also fed up of the council’s line of it benefits our economy more, admittedly in the short run a European rugby club will have its benefits over a League One football team, but in the long run surely a Premier League football club, which has global benefits as opposed to European, would reap much more of an economical reward?!

What’s even more alarming is that it’s emerged that Coventry City Council are doing everything in their power to stop CCFC from re-housing itself within the city boundary through actual legislation – there’s actual hard evidence of this, yet everybody seems comfortable with this and the easy way out is to just point all of the blame SISU’s way.

And even Kieran Crowley, who has let his whistle gather dust in the cupboard for all of these years, has started blowing violently now he’s leaving the club.

The problem we have here is that the actions of all people at the top, both within the Council and at SISU, are responsible for the darkest 10 years this club has seen.

Their immaturity, stubborn stance and lack of consideration for the majority of people this affects will be there permanently in our history books.

Even a move to the Butts means we’ll be sharing again – it just wouldn’t work, we need our own ground. But how can we achieve this? There’s no room and the ground that was actually built for us no longer belongs to us and, really, doesn’t feel like home anyway.

For years now we’ve been quick fixing things with no plan of action, no end goal – you can’t see where we’ll be housed in three years time, let alone ten.

The actions of Lucas, Seppala, Fisher etc have been out of personal spite and with no consideration of the impact their actions have further down the line.

We have a fanbase that demands success through spending money on transfers, yet moan when they’re asked to pay the equivalent of 15 quid a ticket – success doesn’t come for free, if you want to get out of this league we need bums on seats.

Is this a dig at the fans? No – it’s a dig at the sorry mess that this club has become.

We only have ticket revenues to go on, and it really fucks me off that when I pay 4.50 a pint at half time, most of that is going into the honey pot of Wasps. *grabs coat*

So what do we do now?

I’ll be getting a season ticket, despite the increase I’ll be there and thought, mostly, this season was fantastic value.

I don’t have the answer, I just know that, even though there’s been progress on the field, you know that off it, it won’t be happening any time soon.

 

An A-Z Guide On The Demise Of Coventry City

“It’s the same every year – they do well up until Christmas and then they’ll drop off, just like they do every year.”

I shut down every pessimistic bastard that uttered these words, whether these nay-sayers were in the pub or at work I tried to convince them this year was different and this was our year.

Come March, with eleven games to go we have ‘done a Coventry’ and everything has gone to shit.

I’ve tried to sum up everything that has gone wrong with this handy A-Z guide

Armstrong reliance

We have been too reliant on his goals, the next best scorer is Murphy who is on 10. When you scrutinise these goals further – these two don’t actually score in that many games – that isn’t a criticism of them, it’s a criticism that other players have not been mucking in too with the goals.

Bury Away

As you will discover in this piece as you read on – I struggle to fill various letters so will pluck random little bits of shitness out of the air. I went to Bury away, and remember it taking 4 hours to get there and, upon arrival, Leon Clarke scoring twice in a 2-1 defeat (what I’d give to have him, or a similar player, back)

Captaincy

With Ricketts I’d like someone to lead us from the back, be consistent and have a commanding presence, and I’m absolutely amazed he hasn’t been a victim of Mowbray’s rotation, there have been too many games this season when he has been found wanting.

Defensive frailty

Need I say more.

Exits From The Cup

It’s nice to have a cup run – we have not had one for some time now. An easy route to Wembley is the JPT and we failed to beat Yeovil early in the competition.

Fortune’s Selection

I am not one to victimise a player, but he must have pictures of Mowbray in some sort of compromising position.

Goals to shot ratio

Looking at games in which we have failed to win this season – we’ve had shots in the mid to high double figures and have been incredibly wasteful.

Height

We win games with someone like Reda or Ben Turner at the back, because they’re big bastards who are dominant in the air and won’t let anything through and can defend set pieces.

Injuries

It’s out of our hands, but the timing of the injuries to our centre backs this season has been unfortunate.

Joe Cole

Since the initial elation of him signing (and, don’t get me wrong, I still can’t believe he plays for us) he hasn’t lived up to the monumental expectations placed upon him. A bit off the pace and not weighing in with the goals and assists as much as I’d like.

Kent’s Return

Despite at the time bemoaning his lack of productivity in the final third, the link he provided between defence and attack was lightning quick.

Lack of fight

No fight and no desire has contributed to this downfall in recent months – when the requirement has been for certain players to stand up and be counted, this just hasn’t happened.

Momentum

It’s hard to believe that in among this period we have recorded victories by 5 or 6 goals to nil. Annoyingly, there hasn’t been a game a couple of days after or even the following week, with 10 and 14 days wait respectively. This has halted momentum and takes us back to the cup exits.

Norwich City

These bastards grabbed our star man as the clock turned 11 on deadline day. Since that, there’s been a drop in form in our Madders. His head may have been turned and may be somewhere else, or it is a natural drop in form. It’s up for debate, but the next 11 games will see.

O’ Brien’s Homesickness

Got to feel sorry for Jim – in my eyes one of our most improved players this season. I’d love to see him as an option in the run in, he will not give up and will stand up and be counted if required.

Prittlewell Station

For those unfamiliar, this is the station near Southend. We lost 3-0 and I had a drunken meltdown on Twitter at this station – one of the lowest points of the season, especially against 10 men.

Questionable Tactics

A lack of Plan B and not trying many new things has contributed to our downfall – but the calls for Mowbray to be sacked, with 11 games left, seem ludicrous.

Rotation

Some of it was enforced when Aidy Hoofroyd called up Armstrong, other times it has left us screaming as to why we haven’t started a winning team in consecutive games.

Sheffield United

This game really pissed me off

Trolls & Unity between fans and players

I think a contribution to the early successes of was the unity between fans and players on social media. I don’t buy into this “I pay his wages so I can say what I like” attitude on Twitter. Some of the tweets I have seen directed at our young players has been atrocious. In all fairness criticise certain players, but directly tweeting them and hurling obscenities at them makes us no better than those dickhead Villa fans who went viral after the Wycombe game.

Vanishing fans

Seeing it fall about 8,000 has been disheartening, nobody forces anybody else to go, and if you don’t fancy it on a cold Saturday I don’t blame you. But we still have an opportunity this season, and I think the support still have a part to play.

Wasps

To be fair they’ve maintained the pitch okay and have been better landlords than the council, but I just can’t stand them being here. And they have trains.

eX Players

They always seems to score against us, even Philliskirk FFS

You got a noose?

The most common phrase heard between fans at the Ricoh since the turn of the year.

Zeal

“Great energy or enthusiasm in pursuit of a cause or an objective.” is the definition you get of this on Google – it’d just be nice to see some of this in the 11 matches remaining.

The form recently has been disgusting, but the game last night sounded like there was some passion, at least for the first half. 

With 11 games to go, there are still 33 points up for grabs and we’re still within touching distance, starting with a very, very winnable game at Blackpool.

It’s in our hands still, with April being huge if we’re still in the hunt. 

Calling for the head of Mowbray at games, sarcastically heckling Murphy or a completed Fortune pass won’t breed an atmosphere for success – you saw the response from the players when the crowd picked up against Rochdale in the second half. 

I think it would be a shame to give up on them now, and with 3,500 going up to Blackpool you’d have to fancy our chances(ish). 

Keep the faith, and PUSB

 

 

Life With(Out) James Maddison

It’s usually safe for City fans to go to bed way before the 11pm cut off on transfer deadline day.

A couple of late arrivals addressed the big issues in defence an hour or so before the deadline and an uncharacteristically positive deadline day was coming to an end.

What happened next can probably be best summed up by Heath Ledger playing the joker in Batman (bear with me here)

Now in this case, “the plan” was Maddison would be sold for the reported £7million to a club in the higher echelons of the Premier League (probably Spurs) and likely to be loaned back until the end of the season.

This wasn’t the case – instead, it was an “undisclosed fee”, to someone scrapping for relegation in the form of Norwich, and everyone lost their minds.

 

Kids were crying, calendars were screwed up with Maddison’s face on – everyone lost their shit.

It’s hard to see anything positive from the timing of the deal – with more games under his belt in the summer this would have meant an appreciation on his value and a higher fee in the summer.

 

I think the biggest disappointment from a fan’s perspective is that it has given us a sharp dig of realism straight in the ribs.

Even though the bubble has burst slightly with our dip in form, this has reminded us of off the field issues that a lot of us had forgotten about. I’ve seen the term ‘SISU puppet’ for the first time in months and it’s a harsh reminder that this current ownership will take any cash up for grabs.

We’ll drop our pants at the first notable 7 figure fee offered to us for any of our talented players. What hurts about this one is that Maddison is like no other we’ve seen before – his career as a whole is in its infancy and he has already made more of an impression than any youth player, or any player to that matter, in the time I have supported this club.

This last 24 hours has brought out the worst in some of our fan base – some of the tweets towards James Maddison last night were obscene.

As much as the manner and the timing of the sale was ridiculous – we can’t lose focus on the prospect of a promotion, which is what we all want, including James Maddison, who we still have until the end of the season.

If you plan on paying money for a ticket to go and boo Maddison for wanting a brighter future and so he can look after his family financially at a young age – stay at home.

Yesterday overshadowed the fact we have what sounds like two very promising defenders who will hopefully ease our worries at the back.

We still have a strong squad and we have seen what this team is capable of when it is at its devastating best.

 

True winners stick together through adversity, divisions are forming between fans and, if you want to be a successful football team (which is what we all want) the divisions must stop.

Most teams have crumbled under the intense atmosphere at the Ricoh this season, a deflated and divided Ricoh won’t see us over the line at the end of the season.

Yes be pissed off at the ownership, but on a Saturday afternoon, we have to get behind Maddison, the team and help see through the work that Mowbray, Venus and the other members of staff have done so well this season in what has been an unimaginable turnaround.

PUSB

A short response to this evening’s game at Rochdale

Let’s not shit ourselves now…

Okay so the goals have dried up, other teams picked up results and we no longer go top if we win the game in hand.

Let’s not have such a short termist attitude and let’s look at the bigger picture:

We have kept a ridiculous amount of clean sheets and still kept one without big Reda Johnson at the back – this is NOT something that would have happened last season.

I acknowledge that the goals aren’t flying in, but we made an exceptional start on that front, and during this barren run we’re still creating chances – we’re not going to steam roll every team in this division.

Did people actually notice us go up a place in the league this evening?

And did you not hear the amount of chances the other team also had?

We had Kent and Murphy coming off the bench and Joe Cole playing in a Coventry City shirt.

We have depth that teams in and around us cannot brag about, one of our biggest weaknesses in previous seasons was not having any impact players on the bench – now every player on our bench can make a real difference.

If Gillingham or Burton have a couple of injuries, they don’t have the choices that we have.

And also if we lose our game in hand – it’s not the end of the world, as there is another 30 games following that and another 90 points up for grabs.

Played 13, Won 7, Drawn 3, Lost 3, with the third best goal difference in the league and the 2^nd lowest in the conceded column.

With Joe Cole (yes, Joe Cole, that Coventry player) only getting stronger with more game time (unless you read the Sun, wankers) this is only going to get better.

Let’s not worry now, we’re in such a strong position, let’s not fall into the trap of being a Cov fan and picking on the minor negatives which, with a bit of time, will probably sort itself out.

Keep the faith and PUSB

F*ck It – Let’s Get Carried Away

I’ve looked back at my previous posts and utilise  this blog to usually moan about something that is griping me as a Coventry fan.

Last season was a real graft – going to the Ricoh Arena required the strongest of mental strength and the tolerance levels of the most patient of saints.

Let’s rewind a year, at this point we had not won in six matches, we were Crewe Alexandra’s first victory of the season and things were looking bleak.

We fast forward just slightly from that point and we were lingering above the relegation zone with little hope and a victory was rare.

Now let’s appreciate, before I start uncontrollably gushing about our transformation, that I have been in the pub for a few hours – so hyperbole may be rife.

I want to dedicate some of my time to appreciate Tony Mowbray.

Words will not describe how much this man has turned this club from total oblivion to, from what certain people are calling us, promotion certainties.

Today was such a big day for Coventry City.

Some 5 months ago, if I would have turned around to one of my mates and suggested that in 5 months times, we would be in the top 6, had signed Joe Cole on loan and had depth in all positions – I would have been deemed full of shit.

Joe Cole – I don’t know about you, but it still has not sunk in, I’m still laughing about it.

When I see Joe Cole in a Coventry shirt – it still will not have sunk in.

I’m worried this is turning into incoherent babbling, so let’s just consider the position we are in.

Played 11, Won 7, Drawn 1, Lost 3

We have depth in every position, when somebody gets injured, we have somebody ready and raring to take their place.

There are leaders up and down the field, ready to take the game by the scruff of the neck whenever required – which is what we have missed for so, so long.

We have players who are too good for this level, we have a team who are a collective and a manager who is too good for this level.

Blog posts and reviews from fans on a weekly basis are positive; listening to the Nii Lamptey Show on a weekly basis reminds you of the masterclass that you saw a few days ago.

On the rare occasion we have lost this season, we have never followed it up with another loss.

We have a team of winners and a team mentality and it massively excites me.

There are no chants about the ownership and everyone is talking about football again.

The fans who are still edging close to venturing up on a Saturday afternoon – just come along and see for yourselves.

We have a team to be proud of, a manager that wants to take us back to the highest level, an atmosphere that doesn’t revolve around in-fighting and protests against the ownership.

This man Tony Mowbray has given us a reason to fall back in love with the beautiful game again.

This signing today has generated hype and rightfully so – it’s a benchmark to other clubs in this division – I think it would be accurate to suggest he would not have gone to anybody else.

I hope to write something more cohesive further along the line, but get up the Ricoh tomorrow, let’s keep the home form going and let’s push for the top of this league – because we’re more than capable of something oh so special this season.

Thank you so much Tony Mowbray, Mark Venus and everybody else involved in this unthinkable transformation.

PUSB

Why Are So Many Coventry Fans On The Ledge?!

Just when I thought there was some sort of feel-good factor gripping us: we’re playing an attractive brand of football that is so alien to our fan base, we have taken 10 points from a possible 15 and we have, in my opinion, the best manager of the league.

You wouldn’t think this looking at social media – various tweets and comments on either the official site or the Telegraph suggests the complete opposite.

Why are most people under the impression that we should be splashing the cash during the transfer window?!

It would be patronising to try and explain how money and business works – so let’s go through some statistics to try and make my point.

Last year, Bristol City and MK Dons both got promoted and achieved points in the 90’s.

Of the players they brought in, combined, 81% of these were either free transfers or loan players.

These are both clubs who own their own stadiums and are in a healthy financial position, yet they have to rely on this because the third tier of English football does not get first dibs on the best.

I know many people will contest this, immediately get on their Twitter and send me a tweet saying that I must be controlled by SISU and/or defending them.

I think SISU have utilised the markets that you have to be successful very well.

Ricketts is one of the most composed defenders I have seen on a City strip, and he knows what it takes to get promoted out of this league – I’ve also noticed his leadership as well, he is very vocal and, with Reda, could build a great partnership.

The small fee we paid for Vincelot was a bargain – another partnership is forming with Fleck in the middle and they have both made a more than competent start.

Armstrong may only be here until January but we need to realise we are lucky to have him here for even a month – he will be a prolific striker at the top level in the near future.

Do we need a couple more bodies in? Of course we do, but this is not the point I am making.

We’re in no position to splash the cash, and the way forward in this division is the loan and free market.

There will be some bad choices and some risks that don’t pay off, but that is the game we have to play and we will encounter some snakes before climbing the ladders.

For the people just simply saying “let’s splash the cash”, who would you spend the money on?

I know it’s not cool to praise SISU, but so far I think they haven’t done badly. I don’t want to repeat myself, and I said before the season the mind-set of some of the fans has to change.

People will always look for an excuse not to go, the excuse before was ‘if they put a team on the pitch, I will go up’ and this has now turned into ‘I’m not going until SISU have gone’.

The prices are the lowest they’ve been in years (yet people hark on about Bradford’s being lower – another gripe) and the value for money is great because Tony Mowbray does not do boring football.

So if you are a Coventry fan looking over the edge step back, we’ve had a strong start, got some exciting young players and might actually do well for a change.

For the people on an anti-SISU crusade, if that is your agenda so be it.

I will be accused of being a puppet but unfortunately I’m not, I am just willing to be a bit more tolerant of them if they start to extend olive branches.

Let me take you back four months – if someone before Crawley said we’d still have Mowbray, had won our opening three fixtures and acquired the players we had, I would have called the men in white coats.

There are still mistakes being made – the ticket fiasco, the bar staff on the opening day, but the difference to last year is the fans are being listened to and these mistakes are being rectified.

We have moved from being a club that just plods along and exists to one that wants success. We have a manager who has come in and changed everything behind the scenes and wants to take this club places – what I love about Mowbray is that he’s not one that runs to the fans at the end of the game, he lets his style of play and his results do the talking. He also appeases the “post-match press conference brigade” with his straight talking assessments of the game and the situation in general.

If you want to pick holes in every small negative then go ahead if that’s what you want to do – but I know what I’d rather do, I’d rather focus on the positives in the hope that they lead to greater successes.

Considering all the shite we’ve had to put up with over the last few years, I think one thing we can agree on, is that things could be significantly worse.

PUSB

Do The Fans Have To Change For Coventry To Be Successful?

There has been one constant in my time being a Coventry fan, and it is the poor home form.

Managers have come and gone, as have the players and even owners.

However there has been one constant, and that is the fans.

I’m becoming annoyed by the attitude of some of our fans, whether it is at games or over social media, and I think for the club to be successful this has to change.

Bear with me for a second, this isn’t just a spontaneous attack on our fan base, the one thing we have in common is that we want the team to do well – and I understand that everyone is entitled to their opinion.

But the mind-set of our fans needs to change – let me give some examples.

Due to our current situation, we have to rely on younger players. These lads will need some encouragement as their progression is being rushed. At times, they will misplace a pass – last season when George Thomas misplaced a pass after beating three players one game, he was openly booed by fans who were meant to have his back.

These young lads will make mistakes, and boos and collective groans and gripes will do nothing for confidence.

Another example – we went 2-1 up against Crawley on the last day of the season.

Behind me, there were a set of fans trying to start a song about Leicester, with 2 minutes to go and a couple of goals either way possibly relegating us.

What’s with the obsession with Leicester?

Have you heard them chanting about Coventry on Match of the Day?

I haven’t.

I’m not saying people shouldn’t vent frustration – I’m one of the worst for it.

I’m saying let’s swap a Leicester chant for Let’s All Sing Together.

Let’s ditch the SISU out chants, they’re arseholes but they are trying to build bridges.

Nobody thought Mowbray would stay, and he is only here on his terms.

They’ve sorted the ticket prices, are trying to improve the matchday experience and are even spending undisclosed fees on players! (Presumably £50)

One set of people that can improve the experience is the fans, who, if they come together, could build one of the most intimidating atmospheres in this division if they wanted to.

It’s the hope that kills you, but in Mowbray we trust, and PUSB.

Why I Have Stopped Going To The Ricoh

I’m getting pissed off with the whole Coventry City situation that I haven’t been to a home game since the 0-0 against Walsall.

The ‘I’m going because I’m a city fan’ reason for going doesn’t cut it anymore and I have so much respect for the people who brave that every week because recently it requires too much patience.

And even when you go to the Ricoh, the minority who sing in the funeral-esque atmosphere mainly sing about how they hate the ownership (understandable) and how they don’t like Leicester (people who don’t give a shit about us anymore). Singing about SISU at the game reminds the players on the pitch of the situation and doesn’t motivate them at all.

Fans are squabbling, journalists are squabbling, and if rumours are to be true – players and staff are squabbling. There is no enjoyment to take out of this.

Who is accountable for this mess? Pretty much everyone who is at the top, in my opinion, is to blame.

The council didn’t take us to Northampton, but at the same time SISU didn’t sell the Ricoh to Wasps. I think it’s a shame that the future of our football club was left in the hands of politicians and a Mayfair based hedge fund. The bottom line is that neither of these give a shit about football and only about themselves. They especially don’t give a shit about the people of Coventry and the fans.

I’ve experienced the front of Tim Fisher first hand on the way to Arsenal, he couldn’t even look me in the eye when asked about taking the team I love to Northampton.

Seeing Ann Lucas pose for pictures under the rugby posts as Wasps were hastily unveiled at the Ricoh Arena rubbed what she had just done in the face of every Coventry fan, and her attitude since that day has been disgusting. ‘Oh, I got those figures wrong…ah well, no biggie.’

The majority of the money I would spend going to watch my team on a Saturday would line the pockets of pretty much anyone but the club. If I wanted to wear my club’s shirt, it’s out of stock but if I needed to clean the car at least I have my trusty Coventry City screen wash. It’s a fucking shambles.

The whole thing is a joke, and this is why I’ve stopped going. It’s hard – but it’s not enjoyable. It used to be a hobby, but with transport, ticket and beers it’s not worth the £50+ on a Saturday. Staying in with Jeff Stelling every Saturday with my feet up and beer in hand saves me both stress and cash.

It’s a situation that isn’t going to change soon unless something at the top changes, but it won’t. SISU once again are pissing away the money made from Wilson on court fees and we have no ground thanks to our friends at the council.

I still go to games away from home but after freezing my tits off at Gillingham even that is difficult. Away from home it feels like how it used to be, we have a few beers, a good laugh and support the team.

Every fan is entitled to their opinion and that is the beauty of football. But pretty much any decision made at the football club is heavily criticised.

When we signed those two lads on loan, instead of acknowledging the short term introduction of much needed pace, it was ‘Oh not another loan signing’ yet if we had signed no-one imagine the outrage. I saw no moaning about loans when we relied on their goals to get a point against Rochdale.

I’m very confused about the criticism of Les Reid recently – it was not so long ago that everybody was praising him for his fantastic work. I can’t understand why some people think he has an agenda, and I think he is absolutely spot on when calling on an inquiry for the sale to Wasps. Does anyone else think the sale was rushed through, with little publicity and now they are calling for people to ‘move on’? Something isn’t right.

When it becomes about the football again I’ll start going up again every week. I will still pop up now and again because grudgingly I wouldn’t be able to keep away all season.

But I can’t see this mess ending anytime soon, and the only people that will suffer for this in the long term is us, the fans. The issue is because the fan base is so divided, there is no chance of a huge protest because this has placed such a huge divide down the middle.

The frustrating thing is the infrastructure is there, and with suitable investment in the right places it is not hard to gain momentum to the Premier League. Look at Southampton, if you would have said to the fans not so long ago when they were in League One that, give it a bit of time, you’ll be contesting for the Champions League spots in 2015, they would have had you sectioned.

I’ve protested, I’ve still gone up but enough is enough. And if you want serious change, I think the biggest protest would be not to go at all. Would love to hear your thoughts and opinions, and if you’re going to Sheffield United in a couple of weeks, would love to have a chat over a pint.

PUSB

The Least We Owe Pressley Is Another Season

What a difference 48 days make.

Back in our rightful home in front of a close to full stadium against Gillingham – an entire stadium filled giving its full backing to both the manager and his team.

It’s amazing what such a short space of time can do to a football club and the mentality of its support. My brother mentioned how Steven Pressley could achieve hero status at the club on the way out of that first match back and you could see why.

Whenever a job vacancy was to arise in a division higher up last year, we would twitch nervously as to whether Pressley would stay or go, and I was amazed as anyone he turned a blind eye to these obvious approaches.

It is obvious how poor they have been recently in this poor run of form, I saw the lack of desire at Rochdale and the bizarre five minutes at Crawley where we just squandered what seemed an unassailable lead at the time.

I was not at Oldham in the week, but by all accounts it was another gutless performance.

What angered me was the reaction of some fans on Twitter after the Oldham game. Now I’m not sure if this was knee-jerk after an obviously disappointing result, but sacking the manager is not the answer at all.

After all of the things Steven Pressley has been through with us, some fans were willing to sack him on just a bad run of form.

With such uncertainty surrounding our long-term future with the farcical situation off the pitch it is absolutely vital we try and build something on it. In Pressley, we have a manager who wants to give this club an identity. He bloods the youth players and it has been great to see players like Aaron Phillips and Ryan Haines flourish at times.

There have been times in games this season where we have retained possession fantastically well and have looked like a solid footballing side.

But one thing that is missing, and has evidently been missing since early in the game at Scunthorpe, is leadership. Reda Johnson is not the best defender I have seen, but he is committed and leads from the back which is what we have lacked not just at the back when he is absent, but anywhere on the field at all.

We are only in October – the season finishes in May and is only in its infancy.

I’m disappointed the club didn’t build on the hype after the Gillingham game – I’m not sure how they can justify the prices they charge.

I’m not sold on the shite they feed of ‘we can only do special offers on the odd occasion for league games’ when they were charging half the price when we were at Sixfields.

And my arse had only just warmed the seat at the Ricoh when we were told the news about Wasps. The thing that surprises me the most is that the windows at the council house are still there.

I am under the impression that if SISU sold their share to Wasps, the reaction would be a lot stronger.

The smug and arrogance of various councillors on Twitter was hard to believe – with responses of ‘oh well – SISU are building you a stadium anyway’ being rubbed in the faces of their electorate.

So with this shite happening off the field – the last thing we need is complete turmoil on it.

What happening at the moment is pretty kak granted – but all teams have bad runs of form. I have the faith that Pressley can turn it round and he deserves at least until the end of the season to turn this around.

Keep the faith and PUSB

(Image courtesy of the express)

Get Them Back to the Ricoh – Before It’s Too Late

Growing up as a child was difficult being a Coventry fan – we never really won anything, were constantly fighting relegation and other children on the playground seemed baffled why I proudly wore my Sky Blue kit while they had ‘Henry’ or ‘Beckham’ on their back.

This makes me think of the Cov kids now, what motivates them to wear a Coventry City kit on the playground?

I had no choice when I was younger, but I put up with the jokes about how my team wasn’t as good and was proud to be a season ticket holder while most of the other kids were limited to their armchair when they watched their team play.

Back then the City was an actual football club – an actual part of the community where kids could play footy in the morning with the Junior Sky Blues and then pile on to coaches to go and watch their heroes like Robbie Keane and Mo Konjic don the Highfield Road turf.

You were part of the club – you could wait outside the turnstile for autographs afterwards between using a coke can as a football.

A lot of what I write about with the City is always sentimental and I do question it sometimes – but it’s not like I can write about the football and what happens on the pitch because I rarely see a kick anymore.

I listen on the radio, read the write up in the Telegraph, follow it on Twitter and listen to the Nii Lamptey boys – but I like to see it for myself, football is a very subjective sport and that’s what the great thing about our game is.

Instead, our fan base is no longer a collective, they are a group who squabble over the merits of actually watching their team play instead of how we played.

Fans get called scabs and scumbags for going to watch their team – I personally think it is wrong to go to Sixfields but I will not think any less of people who will watch their team. Some are people who have watched this club for 50 years.

A fan who won a Facebook competition for a season ticket next season got crucified in the comments section for winning a free chance to watch his club pay next year – someone who is not putting a penny in SISU’s pockets. Someone who – like the rest of us – just wants to watch the team play.

This Saturday coming – people have to be unified in what we all want. That is to be able to watch our team on a weekly basis in our own city. I have developed an even better friendship with Jeff Stelling this season – but I did prefer the days when I just saw him every other Saturday.

There is a fine line between running a football club like a football club and running it like a business – you have to find the right balance. SISU are running this purely like a business – you can’t outsource your stadium and expect your main stakeholders (the fans) to be content.

Sponsors are running a mile and even Ricoh have turned round and said they will not put their name on to an empty home.

Not going back this year will alienate the vast majority of the future generation of fans – I for one hope the march attracts even larger numbers than the previous one. I think if the numbers have dwindled – it might even already be too late.

If we were to return home – we have one of the best managers – if not the best – since I have supported the club. I don’t buy into the very small minority calling for Pressley’s head – there are a lack of managers out there who could work with such limited resources and have produced the same results. Anybody who starts on -10 is already the favourite for relegation – staying up was a sterling achievement.

Considering we play at a tiny ground in Northampton the ability of Steven Pressley to attract even half-decent players is a credit to the work he has done.

Everybody supports the recent campaign to #bringCityhome – I without a doubt will be there on Saturday regardless of sun or storms. I’m not willing to give up on our football club.

What a great moment it would be on national television in August to be finally home against a freshly relegated top flight club.

This has gone on for too long now – #bringCityhome before it is too late.

PUSB