The Sky Blue Trust notes the announcement that Chris Anderson has vacated his position as Managing Director and Executive Vice-Chairman of Coventry City. We wish Mr Anderson all the best for the future.
It is perhaps an unfortunate co-incidence that this news comes with Coventry City languishing at the very foot of League One. When Anderson replaced Steve Waggott on the club board, the team sat at the top of the League One table with high hopes for promotion to the Championship. To have fallen so spectacularly in fortunes during Mr Anderson’s tenure is causing dismay and anger among fans. The club we love is in crisis.
During this time, the squad has been severely depleted both in quantity and quality of players. We intend no denigration of the current young team but the impact from the loss of contracted players such as James Maddison, John Fleck, Romain Vincelot, Aaron Martin as well as the departure of some excellent loans signings last season, is plain to see in the performances and results this term. No wonder that Saturday’s crowd was less than 9,000 and it would be surprising if the next home game against AFC Wimbledon is not even worse, barring a miraculous return to success on the trip to Gillingham.
Off the pitch, the situation is no better. We face the loss of the Academy, a prized asset of the club. The arrangement with Wasps / ACL to play matches at the Ricoh has less than two seasons to run and talks have stalled over an extension. There is no substantive news on an alternative ground within (or close to) the city boundaries, with the proposal to ground share at Butts Park Arena seemingly at a dead-end.
The Trust calls upon the Board of Coventry City to make an early announcement of a recovery plan for the club, covering issues both on and off the pitch. We expect this plan to be quantifiable and deliverable. In the close season, based on promises made by the club management, around 5,500 supporters were persuaded to invest in season tickets for the current season. The return on their investment to date in 4 home league games has been 1 goal and 4 points which is simply unacceptable. All Sky Blues supporters deserve far better.
In other circumstances, there might have been a clamour for the Manager to be replaced. However, the Trust and most fans recognise that the fault lies to a large degree beyond Tony Mowbray’s control, in the Board Room and with the owners. Sisu have been stewards of Coventry City since 2007 during which time the state of the club has declined appallingly, with only brief interludes to lighten the gloom. Tim Fisher has been a director since 2012, Chairman for much of this time and his tenure has been little short of disastrous.
Therefore, unless the current Directors with support from the owners are prepared to bring forward a convincing strategy to turn around the fortunes of Coventry City, we call upon Mr Fisher to resign with immediate effect and for Sisu to put the club up for sale by auction.
Trust members and other supporters generally are no longer prepared to tolerate a regime of failure and mediocrity.