Life's a Pitch...from the Ricoh to Paddyfields

A fine stat was reproduced by Jim Brown last week: the last Sky Blues' home game to be postponed was the Spurs '02 FA Cup tie at Highfield Road. The Ricoh Arena during its seven season tenure had 100% fixture completion and coped admirably with the Midlands weather - it was a state of the art stadia after all wasn't it Mr Richardson?

We've all seen the state of pitches when teams share their ground, in a normal world its with Rugby League/Union. Leeds, Wigan, Huddersfield, Watford and Reading's pitches are ready for a breather by May. We don't currently exist in a normal world at Coventry City. I'm in a position where I can't attend an evening 'home' game because I'd arrive at 8:30pm due to the extra distance involved driving from Bristol. The Ricoh saw an arrival right on kick-off as we never risked parking at Tesco like the away fans did and all this with the foot to the floor.

It would be nice to have a choice in the matter, at Ashton Gate last week it was great to be under a set of floodlights again, evening games were always my favourite at Highfield Road/The Ricoh, memories aplenty attacking the West Terrace. Who can forget the 6-1 v Sunderland in '83, the 5-4 League Cup tie v Forest, the 5-0 thumping of Sunderland with 'Livvo' scoring four, the 4-1 v Preston inspired by Bjarni Gudjonsson and the Brian Kilcline winner vs Luton as he smashed home past Les Sealey with seven minutes remaining. There are countless other examples of magical nights which began walking up King Richard Street with hot dogs and cigarette smoke filling the air.

Step forward the wettest January for 250 years. The postponement of Walsall could be followed by Bradford as 'Paddyfields' struggles to cope with two sides playing competitive fixtures in a dire climate. Lower league grounds are renowned for postponements, the facilities don't match their top flight/second tier compatriots. We will now find our passing game bogged down for the rest of the season, it will take a summer like last year to restore the grass. In the meantime the Ricoh sits patiently waiting for its turnstiles to click and the Bovril tap to flow. No Carling or Carlsberg for me with the drive home but many others partake as part of their matchday routine...which many of us don't have at this moment....and it hurts like hell.

There are two quotes from City supporters that summise where we're at in my view. 'Trampbeater''s line below is my away day to Brentford mid-March.


'Why is it no party will compromise or budge an inch, yet supporters are expected to bend, twist, and flex to accommodate this crazy situation?'


The Brentford journey comprises three trains then a pub on each corner of Griffin Park. The return journey is similar but with Guinness involved the connecting trains might prove an issue. I'll be meeting, amongst others, our very own 'Sky Blues Blog', Neil Allison, whose train journey comprises a similar number of stops from Coventry. Last year he wrote in one of his many fine musings a line which has remained with me to this day:


'SISU have stolen the season from us'


Let's hope these egos see sense and relocate us back home. From a business perspective we'll linger in League One with a rice terrace for a pitch, you won't generate income on these crowds and there's only so long you can sustain the losses. I know its been written time and time again, you never know Tim and Joy might browse through 'Newsnow' and take a peep at this.........yeah right.


Play up Sky Blues

"They shan't defeat us, we'll fight 'till the game is won..."

I've always stated we, as football supporters, have no control over anything the players and management do. We can't make a game changing substitution, we can't tell Steven Pressley who to pick, we can't affect change in any way for 90 plus minutes. What happens on the pitch is in the hands of our heroes and the gaffer, we're there to be entertained, to see the Sky Blues win and to witness an occasional glimpse of class.

These glimpses of class were regularly on show at Highfield Road, from Mark Hateley to Steve Hunt, Terry Gibson to Michael Gynn, Dave Bennett to Big Cyrille through to messrs Whelan, Huckerby and Dublin. Along with visiting stars like Peter Beardsley, John Barnes, David Rocastle, Ian Rush, Ian Wright and Bryan Robson there was quality on show each time you went to our former home of football. You knew the names of all the players who were numbered one to eleven, unlike the modern era. The players talked to the fans, even the manager signed an autograph, unlike now. A programme cost no more than £1 and you could park for free, unlike now.
 

Then it all went a bit wrong and after 34 years of top flight football we welcomed Grimsby Town and Burnley to CV6...and they went home with the points. Eric Black gave us four months of free flowing football as Bjarni Gudjonsson and Gary McSheffrey linked with the finally fit Julian Joachim to bring hope and optimism to City's faithful following. To quote modern day City journalist Kieran Crowley it was 'liquid football' - what a great phrase.
 

Then, Mike McGinnity's ambition got the better of him as he brought Peter Reid into the hot seat...only to call on the services of former favourite Micky Adams just six months later. Micky's City side began life at the Ricoh Arena and, with the introduction of Don Hutchison and Dennis Wise, oversaw an eighth place finish in May 2006.
 

Then, Gary McSheffrey was sold up the A45, not replaced and seasonal struggle became the norm....

SISU Capital and Ray Ranson rode into town and signed a wealth of talent as Keiren Westwood, Scott Dann and Danny Fox lit up the arena with fantastic shot stopping, the ability to defend and a repertoire of free kicks not seen since the days of Oggy, 'Killer' and Stuart Pearce.
 

Then, they were sold and a recurring theme again reared it's ugly head...
 

2012 saw relegation to the third tier as the best players continued to be sold, the inability to hang onto Marlon King a key factor in the demise of Andy Thorn's men as the battle with SISU began...
 

Then, we stopped talking about the football and the eleven men who took to the pitch every Saturday afternoon at 3pm. The ground share has torn Coventry City supporters apart from the club and each other. Last Saturday I witnessed one of the best City goals I've ever seen when Franck Moussa fired in his tremendous strike at Vale Park. For a few moments it provided over 3,000 supporters directly in line with him that glimpse of magic so rare nowadays. Looking back through the memories I can recall Don Hutchison's volley at Elland Road, Danny Fox at Norwich, Ritchie Partridge's Boxing Day strike versus Reading and Gary Mac's dipping volley against Derby. They remain in the memory as these glimpses are so few and far between, we've pined for a cult hero since Big Mo, we thought we had one with David McGoldrick but, he too, was allowed to go elsewhere. At Highfield Road genius was the norm, especially when Robbie Keane and his entertainers took to the stage.
 

The best memories for me down the years have come from night matches, especially those at Highfield Road. You always knew if City were attacking the West End in the second half any deficit could be overturned. There was something special about a ground we needlessly departed in search of individual greed and benefit. In its final season the wonderful theatre was filled just once but left a memory that we will never forget on that April day in glorious sunshine as Jimmy Hill led his rendition of the Sky Blue song.
 

Then, people got greedier and the beautiful game evolved into a business. Supporters, once valued and appreciated, are now the last thought as the money men focus on their investment, this in an era when the cost of following your team has never been higher and continues to soar.
 

Three years ago I wrote 'Coventry City On This Day', a calendar history of our wonderful football club, there is simply no finer club in the country but that's just my opinion. I began watching in 1979, many others go way back, what we all have in common is the desire for our club to return to its rightful place in the City of Coventry. Once the wrongs have been righted our club can get back to where it belongs and there will be no set of supporters more deserving than the Sky Blue Army.

Keep the faith