Sky Blue Trust
Press Release
November 27th 2007
The Sky Blue Trust met with Ray Ranson yesterday (Monday 26th November) to seek answers to questions posed by Trust members and Sky Blue supporters with regard to his proposed takeover of the club.
We wish to reassert that a supporter-director and shareholding are key objectives of the supporters trust movement and of the Sky Blue Trust. However, if to ensure the on-going survival of Coventry City Football Club, the sale of all shares must be transferred to SISU then the Trust will endorse this, but will continue to speak strongly for the release of these shares to supporters and to open the debate of supporters' representation at board level at some point in the future.
We have already taken advice from Supporters Direct who have discussed with us how representation can and does work at other football clubs, and we will continue to pursue this aim if SISU's bid is successful.
1. Administration
With the threat of administration causing anxiety amongst supporters, Mr. Ranson was clear that SISU - the investment company behind his bid - would rather utilise funds to purchase a solvent football club, rather than one which had taken a minimum ten point deduction, possibly forced to lose its manager and top players, and suffering from low morale among staff and its' support.
2. SISU and their plans for the club
Mr. Ranson and SISU have been seeking a suitable club to invest in for the last eighteen months, and have been in discussions and involved both directly and indirectly, with Manchester City and Southampton, amongst others. After a rejected approach, this summer, for Coventry City, Mr. Ranson was invited back for further talks about a proposed takeover. As Coventry City FC fulfilled a list of criteria that Mr. Ranson and SISU had compiled, including a one team town, loyal fan base and a finished stadium, they came back to the table to attempt to conclude specific negotiations that had not been achieved previously. Talks are progressing with all parties including the football club and ACL, but the clock is ticking.
When asked about his vision for Coventry City Football Club, Mr. Ranson stated he was not here "to turn it around and flip it" but wanted to build a stable, inclusive Premiership club, and to continue to work with Coventry City Council on the strategic re-development of the north-east of the city.
3. Share ownership and representation
His initial priority would be to purchase 100% of the shares for Coventry City Holdings Limited. He said he would then have the option to purchase the Higgs Charity's share of ACL and to focus time, effort and resources on financing a new small management team to run the football club.
Mr Ranson said he would hope to release shares for purchase by supporters at a later date as they are the lifeblood of any football club and at the top of the agenda, although he could not commit at this point about supporters' representation on the board as there were a number of potential hurdles to overcome, not least confidentiality. But he would be willing to hold an open debate on the subject.
4. Overall development of the club
He said supporters worried about the potential sale of Michael Mifsud, and others, in the January transfer window should be reassured that, should his and SISU's bid be successful, there are no plans for the sale of any key players in their business plan. If successful, they plan to sit down with Iain Dowie and his management team to discuss investment throughout the whole football club including the Academy and youth team to build for the future rather than for the short-term.
The driving force behind Mr. Ranson's bid is not ego, he says, but rather because he has always worked within sport and the football industry. He has travelled the world from Real Madrid to Rochdale and believes that he can be a success at the right club, with the right strategy at the right time.
He believes that he can achieve that at Coventry City Football Club and already has ideas about how to increase match day attendances through inclusion, community involvement, pricing and merchandising. Mr. Ranson promised the Sky Blue Trust that he would leave the football club, after a long term involvement, in a better shape than if and when he acquired it.
The Sky Blue Trust respected Mr Ransons request for business confidentiality on answers to a full range of questions posed by supporters, but were delighted with his frank and honest approach and response to every question asked.
The Trust intends to publish the questions asked by supporters in an open letter to Mr Robinson who, to date, has not found the time in his schedule to personally attend a twice agreed, scheduled and cancelled (by Mr Robinson), meeting and reply to the same questions posed to Mr Ranson.
At this point the Trust does not formally, fully, endorse either bid, but it is clear that Mr Robinson's position is the key to a successful conclusion of whatever deal represents the best possible outcome for the club.