Talking about the Sky Blues in the pub
I WAS talking to an ex city fan in the pub recently, he was once a season ticket holder, but he said he got so fed up with season after season watching the City get nowhere.
He still cared about the team, but not enough to go and watch them anymore, in fact he has only been to the Ricoh a couple of times, saying he preferred Highfield Road.
Then another ex fan joined in our conversation, he said to me : " Face facts, you won't see the City play in the Premier in our lifetime. " And he wasn't even drunk.
This once proud supporter, was not happy about that bold statement, but he just can't see Cov City ever getting back into the top flight again, when I asked him why he replied,
" Because the club isn't ambitious enough, and the players aren't good enough to get us back there, and that's why the attendances are down, fans have had enough of false promises. "
When I told them both that I was a season ticket holder, and I reckon that we will get into the Premier in the next two or three seasons, they said I was naive, and living in a Sky Blue dreamland, leaving me to ask myself, am I ?
Surely that's what being a fan must mean, following your team, wanting them to do well, and to be successful, we don't go season after season, just to see our club struggle, to go nowhere, but after the conversation in the pub, I thought they may have a valid point, because that's all the City have been doing for years.
But I've decided to forget their negative comments, just put it down to a couple of grumpy and bitter ex fans, and stay positive, because if I don't, I will end up in the pub, saying to fans, don't waste your time and money on the Sky blues, their going nowhere.
But on a lighter note, they must have felt sorry for me, because they both bought me a pint, and I said when the City get back to the Premier, I'll buy their beer all night, they replied : "They'll both be dead by then, and I will be too. " Charming .
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I don't think being a fan of a football club and being realistic about the state of the club are mutually exclusive. In the cold light of day most City fans would acknowledge that the team isn't good enough to get back into the Premier League at present, and if by some miracle they were to sneak into the playoffs and make it through, they'd be cursed with a team totally inadequate for the division they found themselves in.
Prudence would dictate the purchase of several new players to increase the squad size, all of whom would command salaries far above Championship levels. Existing players approaching the ends of their contracts would demand a pay rise based on their new-found Premier League status, and whilst revenues would increase, every team promoted from the Championship in recent years has heavily speculated on their continued top-flight status, spending more than they'll make with a single season in the Premier League.
However, none of this guarantees survival in the Premier League, and so the situation quickly resembles the Red Queen's statement in Through The Looking-Glass: “It takes all the running you can do, to keep in the same place”. And what exactly would happen to Coventry City if they were to speculate on their potential future in the Premier League, only to be relegated? I'm sure some fans would be quite happy to see the club in the top flight again, playing the big names, even if we were to be relegated immediately, but for myself I'd like to see the team actually start to play good football consistently first. I don't care who our opponents are; I want to see a team that's entertaining to watch, who play good football, score goals and win games. If we can maintain that, then promotion is inevitable, rather than the lottery winner's dream.
The one comment I would disagree with from your Sky Blue cynic is that the club lacks ambition; frankly for me this word is synonymous with financial mismanagement and overspending, on players and salaries. We should all be immensely grateful that the club didn't slide into administration, which I'm certain would have meant relegation to League One. That the club's finances are on a far more stable footing these days is definitely a good thing, and will be the basis of any future success.
A really intelligent reply to my blog Ben.
I've talked to a few City fans lately, about all things Sky Blue, and they all say the same thing, that we are not good enough for top flight football, and we need a strong squad first, because what's the point of going up, to just come straight back down again ?
But one thing that we all agree on is, we just wish that all these stay away "fans "
would come back,and get behind the team, because every successful club has a good fan base, we've got our hardcore following, but it would be good if we had some more to come and join us !