There have only been rare sightings in the past 9 years of Joy Seppala, boss of the company Sisu Capital that has owned Coventry City FC for that time. These glimpses are usually in or around a court-room.
To put this right, the Jimmy Hill Way team plan are arranging a multiple appearance by our elusive owner before the Sheffield United game tonight.
We are holding a special Christmas Concert to start at 6.45pm on Thursday 15th by Jimmy’s statue outside the Ricoh Arena. Our budget won’t stretch to the “Three Tenors” but we can bring you the “Seven Seppalas” to serenade you and spread the “Joys of Christmas”.
Below you can see the Ms Seppalas + friend (and there’s precious few of those in Coventry!) in a moment of relaxation at rehearsal, on what used to be the pitch at Highfield Road, now Signet Square, Coventry.
Entertaining though these “Ladies” may be, fortunately we also have the properly talented David Goody joining us. As many of you will know, David is a comic lyricist and musician from Coventry and will be performing the title track from his forthcoming EP “Sky Blue Xmas”. The EP, due for release via Domesticated Records on iTunes, Amazon, Google Play, Spotify and other major digital music stores on Boxing Day, also contains the tracks One More Cathedral Than You, Spon End Santa and Straight Out Of Earlsdon.
Here is the video for “Sky Blue Xmas (Sisu Out)”. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6RbHd7nExyc
Not to be outdone by Mr Goody, the “Seven Seppalas” have been making their own video, now released on YouTube this week
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rAsi_4j44Q0&feature=youtu.be%20
and if that doesn’t drive Sisu out of Coventry, nothing will!
All Sky Blues fans are very welcome to attend the “Joys of Christmas” concert and we encourage audience assistance with our repertoire – as you will have heard, we definitely need help.
At the meeting of the Sky Blue Trust on 28th November, we were asked to come up with a protest that NOPM fans could join and this seemed appropriate to the festive season.
The lyrics for all our songs – 9 tunes, 1 for each year that Sisu have been lousy custodians of our football club – are detailed below. Some song sheets will be available on the night but please feel free to print your own copies.
While this is just a bit of fun, we are very serious about the message running through these lyrics. As the game is televised live on Sky TV, it would be great to hear some of these songs ringing out from the
stands. One Christmas refrain that didn’t make the recording session sums it up: “Let Joy Know, Sisu You Should Sell and Go!” (apologies to Bob Geldof & Midge Ure)
For those expecting protests in the ground on Thursday, apart from singing, we hope that you won’t be disappointed. But like all “Christmas Presents” they are best when kept secret until the day itself arrives.
Merry Christmas Everybody
David Johnson
“Joys of Christmas” Song Sheet
12 Days of Christmas [see explanatory notes on final page]
On the 12th Day of Christmas, Seppala took from me
12 months at Sixfields
11 Thousand Fans
10 Point Deductions
9 Years of Failure
8 Blocks of Seating
7 First Team Bosses
6 Pleasing Players
5 Thousand Pounds;
4 Years in Court
3 Play Offs
2 Training Grounds
And My Coventry City FC
Merry Christmas Everybody
Verse
After Sisu bought our club nine years ago
Tim and Joy inflicted every kind of blow
First they got us relegated and
Then kicked out of our home
Now half the team we’re watching is on loan.
Chorus
Sell Up and Go, Joy Seppala
Sky Blue Army want some fun
We’ll have a future after
Joy & Tim have gone.
Sell Up and Go, Joy Seppala
Sky Blue Army want some fun
We’ll have a future after
Sisu’s days are done.
Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer
Sisu the Unfit Owners
Claimed they had a great big purse
But as we never saw it
Sisu made the Sky Blues worse
Most of the Sky Blue Army
Used to shout and call them names
Sisu would never listen
We were always losing games
Then one cold December day
Thousands came to say
Sisu with your purse strings tight
Please Sell Up & Go tonight
Oh how the fans will love it
When we get the chance to see
Sisu the Unfit Owners
Heading out of Coventry.
White Christmas
I’m dreaming of a nice Christmas
Just like the ones before Sisu
With the City winning
And fans all singing
To cheer players in Sky Blue.
I’m dreaming of a nice Christmas
When Sisu sell up and take flight
So our days are merry and bright
Because Joy and Tim are gone from sight.
Let it Snow
Oh the City have become frightful
On the pitch not so delightful
The fans would all just like to know
Will you Go? Sisu Go! Sisu Go!
As our City is slowly dying
And our fans do their good-bying
Sisu have dragged us way down low
Will you Go? Sisu Go! Sisu Go!
Hark the Herald Angels Sing
Hark the Herald Angels Sing
Sisu when are you leaving?
You have made our club not right
Can’t you sell up overnight?
Joyous this would make the fans
Of the club we think so grand
Come on Sisu make our day
Just sell up for this we pray
Hark the Herald Angels Sing
Sky Blues climb the leagues again.
O Little Town of Bethlehem
O Football Club of Coventry
So sad it makes me cry
To just sit back and watch us crack
While Sisu just stand by
We see our great club crumbling
Our hopes will all soon die
O come with us, come side with us
To wave Sisu goodbye.
Jingle Bells
Jingle Bells ‘til Sisu Sells
Fans will drift away
We would all come running back
If Sisu sold today, hey
Jingle Bells when Sisu Sells
Seppala Goes Away
No more Tim, the City Sing
And watch the Sky Blues Play.
We Wish You A Merry Christmas
We won't have a Merry Christmas
we won't have a Merry Christmas we won't have a Merry Christmas
While Sisu are here
Court hearings they bring, relegation and spin They took us away to Sixfields
For a whole wasted year.
We won't have a Merry Christmas we won't have a Merry Christmas we won't have a Merry Christmas
While Sisu are here
12 Days of Christmas – Explanatory Notes
On the 12th Day of Christmas Seppala took from me
12 months at Sixfields [from first game on 11th August 2013 to last game on 19th August 2014]
11 Thousand Fans [average league attendances down from around 20,000 to 9,000]
10 Point Deductions [twice: 2012/13 and 2013/14]
9 Years of Failure [Sisu took over in December 2007]
8 Blocks of Seating [North Stand closed to CCFC fans from 2015/16 season]
7 First Team Bosses [Mowbray, Pressley, Robins, Thorn, Boothroyd, Coleman, Dowie]
6 Pleasing Players [and the rest – my pick Vincelot, Fleck, Maddison, Baker, Christie, Wilson]
5 Thousand Pounds [estimated amount spent by typical fan following Sky Blues since Sisu took over]
4 Years in Court [from Rent dispute in 2012 to Supreme Court refusing leave to appeal in 2016]
3 Play Offs [no of times that arguably CCFC should have reached play off or automatic promotion spots in last 9 seasons]
2 Training Grounds [Academy + Ryton both under threat]
And My Coventry City FC.