Coventry City Chairman Ken Dulieu has given his thoughts to Sky Blue Player.
"Everybody knew that this was going to be a tough campaign. Without wanting to go over old ground, I do believe the situation that I and the new management team inherited in March with regards to the playing squad and wider financial outlook was, and is going to take time to resolve", said Mr Dulieu.
"Southampton is a club I know well, having been Chairman there for nearly two years. I learned a lot during my time, including that a warring Boardroom can only lead to disaster. It still is of great frustration to me personally that despite helping to turn around the club''s day-to-day trading position, that the shareholders of Southampton could not then agree a deal which would have saved them from a future administration.
"It was during my time at Saints that I got to know SISU Capital and I would like to think that the work I and my team undertook at St Mary''s is the main reason why I was asked to try and change the fortunes of Coventry City.I did see at firsthand how a dedicated executive and staff across a club can make a difference. I remain proud that despite no new investment we were able to deliver a top six finish while cutting debt and making the business cash positive. Alas Southampton then had to endure a torrid two years, in large part due to warring factions in the Boardroom.
"Thankfully the situation at Coventry is now nothing like that. We have made some progress off the field and as I indicated in a recent interview with the Daily Mail, our monthly losses are falling. Like many other clubs, we continue to rely heavily on the financial support of our owner. The position in March was that the owner had lost faith with the club''s previous management and one of my main tasks has been to restore this faith.
"Yes we have made some progress but, the reality is that we have so much more to do. In particular, we have to build the faith of many of the club''s stakeholders in our ability to successfully manage Coventry City.Again as I indicated in my recent interview, this is most important when it comes to the future of our home ground. I do appreciate that this building of faith and trust will take time and ultimately we will be judged by our actions rather than our words.
"This season is certainly a major challenge for us, but one I firmly believe we can overcome. I know that Andy Thorn and his team are focused, and that with all of our support they can start to move up the table. As Andy himself confirmed yesterday, there are funds available for a loan signing and we hope to bring the right player to the club in due course.
"I mention support for again this Saturday I call on all fans to play their part. Whatever your frustrations or views of what has happened off the field over the past year are, the team need your vocal support for this game and the remainder of the season."