The Letter from the Chairman

[briggcov]

An Open Letter to all CCFC supporters from Managing Director Paul Fletcher
Dear Supporter


Today, Wednesday January 17 at 12 noon we parted company with Manager Micky Adams. Over the past twelve months I have received numerous letters and e-mails from supporters giving me their personal views on the football management. I have answered them all.


We’d like to thank Micky for the contribution he has made to Coventry City over the last two years and wish him and his family well for the future.


You are probably wondering at this moment ‘where does this leave us?’ You deserve an answer.


The simple answer is this. Over the past year we have been restructuring the Club operationally and commercially and we feel that the time has now come to extend that restructuring to the playing side.


We have always known that returning to the Premiership as a strong, healthy club would require us to reorganise and modernise the Club in all respects. Only in this way can we be sure that the Club will grow and prosper in the coming years.


Over the past 12 months we have studied other clubs, investigated their methods, interviewed their senior executives, talked to their Chairmen and a raft of experts from the football industry. This research confirms that to be successful we need to build a sustainable ‘culture’ at Coventry City - one that identifies us and sets us apart from other clubs, one that underpins everything that we do.


Traditionally football clubs have been entities of two distinct halves. One half administering all the day-to-day functions of the Club, the other managing the team on the pitch. For too long these two halves have worked apart, often with different plans and agendas. As we move into a new ‘management’ era at the Club we now intend to appoint a manager who is willing to work to a common plan for success and is open to exploring new methods of achieving it.


From today we intend to make more use of scientific methods and best practice policies to support the manager and players. We want to instill a new culture into the fabric of the way we do everything on the playing side of the Club, so we can build sustainable depth, stability and long term continuity for the future.


By doing this, we intend to develop a foundation of good practice which can be built on year after year and will remain even when individuals come and go. We will take interest in all new methods that have brought success in other teams, other sports and other walks of life, scrutinising them and testing them before introducing them to the team and thus slowly build a ‘Coventry Way’ of doing things.


In implementing this transition we intend to respect the supporters and the history of the Club. We want to establish what does Coventry City stand for? What are our principles? What will make us great? Why will young kids want to join us? How do we include and value our supporters when making important decisions? What is the link between the manager, the players and the fans? How do we help our players off the field? What is our policy on racism, smoking or drug taking? How do we interface with our community? How do we best represent the City of Coventry? How do we handle problems? How do we celebrate success? What style of football do we want to play? Is it the same one as the academy teams are using? When we get into the Premiership and how will we stay there?


As we develop this plan we intend to include EVERY facet of Coventry City Football Club. It will thus become a plan that establishes the values and principles that the Club works by, so that no one individual is ever allowed to become more important than the Club itself, be they a player, Manager or Director. Only in this way will we overcome the fragility and lack of progress that has beset the playing side in recent times.


The financial troubles that we inherited have at times forced us to let go of players that we have wanted to keep at the Club, Gary McSheffrey being one, but whilst a certain amount of wage restructuring has been beyond our control, the combined commercial and performance plans we are now implementing should ensure that we are not put in this situation again.


I hope that as loyal Coventry fans, you will support us in this pursuit of progress and support the new manager and systems that will soon emerge. As always I am keen to hear your views on these matters and I look forward to sharing greater success with you in the coming years.


Best wishes,

Paul Fletcher MBE

Managing Director

We can only wait and see what the have in mind but something has to seriously change at Coventry.......

[Jibbers]

You seem to have a very good MD (MBE ) who on paper at least has some good ideas to move the club forward. From what he is saing not sure which manager you will get though as sounds as though Mr Fletcher (MBE) wants superman and dont think you get people like that on the wages that you would be prepared to pay. Fair play to his honesty though and forward thinking.

[briggcov]

Dear Supporter


In the wake of Micky Adams’ departure and the inevitable discussion that has ensued, I feel that it is important, before we move on, to clear up the three main areas of doubt that have remained since my open letter.


Firstly, in appointing a new ‘progressive’ manager we are looking for someone who is not only technically capable of taking on the job, but also someone who is committed to our long-term goals and open minded enough to consider new methods and approaches to management. This means that candidates will not be judged solely on how successful they are right now, but also on what methods they intend to use at Coventry and how willing they will be to work with other people to continually improve their methods thereafter. We intend to give Adrian Heath sufficient time to show whether he has these qualities and if so then we will add his name to the shortlist of candidates that will unfold.


Secondly, we have learned from studying success in many walks of life that it is nearly always preceded by a clearly stated vision and a well thought out plan. Operation Premiership is thus designed to align everyone in the club to a clear vision. If all the ingredients and finances come together quickly then it may be possible to achieve success in one or two seasons, but we of course realise that it often takes a little longer. By stating a three-year objective we have given ourselves an achievable timeframe to work to and something to focus everyone’s minds on. If we had not stated any timetable at all then it would have just given myself, my staff and others license to procrastinate. We are therefore clear about our three-year aim and everything we do is still working towards it.


Thirdly, some of the goals set out in my last letter have been described as ‘spin’. I appreciate that Coventry fans have often been let down in the past, and that the inevitable frustration has led to a certain amount of cynicism. This I expect, but I want to assure you that every part of that letter has been carefully thought through and we are already taking steps to put those principles into place. Every time our actions win another cynical fan around, we know we will be one step closer to our dream.


I would like to take this opportunity to thank those of you who have made statements of support in the last few days and thank those who have continued to come to the games when the team weren’t delivering the type of football you deserve. I hope you will see the recent changes and those to come as positive steps forward for your Club and join us in our single-minded pursuit of success.


Best wishes,


Paul Fletcher MBE

Managing Director

Coventry City Football Club.


For those that may be interested here is the a follow up leter from the MD of CCFC attempting to clear a few things up, I am still confused but then I don't speak managment speak.

[Jibbers]

'your Club and join us in our single-minded pursuit of success.'

Is he a supporter or out to make money out of supporters Or he could be both. Bit of a strange sentance.