Coventry

[Riviera]

Originally Posted by Barry Siddall

Don't forget the blood pressure tablets Riv

You don't need blood if you don't have a heart

Originally Posted by jcrossan

Like to see Bristol City down there too..

Wouldn't it be nice if they had to fight it out to see who goes down on the final game of the season.

Never forget.

Both having to win on the last day of the season, then depending on results above them.

Other sides draw and wins are no longer enough.

Coventry have done it to us twice (Spurs - Coventry delayed kick-off in 1997) remember.

[The Great Perhaps]

Originally Posted by Mackem_Beefy

Both having to win on the last day of the season, then depending on results above them.

Other sides draw and wins are no longer enough.

Coventry have done it to us twice (Spurs - Coventry delayed kick-off in 1997) remember.

Aye I was at Selhurst park that day as well.

[Andy Reids Love Chil]

I've got an old newspaper cutting out of the loft. States the attendance at Highfield was 36,289 with between 5,500-7,500 Bristol City fans present.

I'll put a picture up when I get home this afternoon.

1-0 Riv.

[Mercia Blackcat]

Originally Posted by Riviera

Nice sidestep there Mercia

I've just said that I disagreed with your initial point there were more than 10,000 Bristol City fans arriving late and that was the cause of the delay.

That was simply the bullshit that was put out by the 2 clubs at the time.

The amount of Coventry and Bristol fans is irrelevant but you seem to be obsessed with it so I'll be polite and answer. I don't have access to all my programmes, etc but I'll go from memory.

IIRC there was around 37,000 in the ground.
Coventry had an average of around 21/22,000 with high's of around 30,000.
Assuming Coventry had a high of 30,000 that would give Bristol under 10,000.
The stories of over 10,000 and even 15,000 to 20,000 are shite.

Besides, why would so many people arrive late for such a vital match?

They didn't, it was Jimmy Hill bullshit and you've gulped it down

Indeed, nice sidestep back to the whole crux of the issue.

Coventry had highs of 30,000 against teams like Liverpool on a Saturday afternoon for a 3pm kick off.

I personally think that with big teams like Liverpool that some were actually away supporters.

The home support for Coventry peaked at around 25,000 I would say.

Their average for the season was just over 21,000 which means they had much lower crowds for many games.

Despite the Bristol game being midweek it was a big game despite being at the end of a miserable season so they probably did pull in 25,000 on the night.

If the gate was 37,000 then that left 12,000 that were Bristol.

I was in the City that night not far from the ground and had mates that went to the game.

They said there were Bristol in all parts of the ground except the West End. I wouldn't expect them to big up the Bristol support.

This fact was well known in the City afterwards and confirmed by people that were not my mates.

The Bristol video at least confirms a fever hit Bristol over the game with even court cases being adjourned so jurors could attend.

The reason they were late....the amount of support was high, the route is not exactly M1 and entering the City they had to reach Highfield Road through heavy traffic.

I get the feeling that even if Dr Who took you back in time to the game you would claim the red and whites around the ground were really Stoke supporters pretending to talk like pirates.

Maybe you would be right and this conspiracy was wider than we think.

Bottom line. Jimmy Hill did take advantage of the situation when he knew Sunderland had lost and for that his is the ultimate twat in football for me who I will never really forget or forgive.

[Martw]

Guys

Been trying to find the right words for this (one off) message for which I have joined the board especially to write.

I recognise this message might be in vain but worth a try I think to ask if it could be calmed down as it doesnt reflect well upon or reflect upon the Sunderland fans that I know and respect.

My pal and I completed a 400 miles round trip yesterday from Coventry to attend the funeral of George Summerside (aka Poledance and Podgy) we had met him on Cricketing holidays and he and Yvonne had became friends. I have no doubt that George probably didnt like Jimmy Hill either and that the events of that day must have hurt badly, However, to me he was nothing other than another England fan and a passionate lover of Sunderland with whom we drank and chatted into the early hours putting the world to rights.
If he felt that pain he put it to oneside and never showed anything other than amazing kindness and friendship.

At his funeral yesterday, I saw the same passion and friendliness from other Sunderland fans that we saw from George, his funeral was a tribute to the man but also a tribute I think to his friends, team and the city of Sunderland.

That is why this message is so sad to me, I understand that it only takes a minority of fans on either side for things to escalate but I hope it can stop now as it doesnt represent the fans that I have met or know on either side.

I am sorry for the mindless few on our sites and I actually do understand how the events of May 1977 must have felt like but the Coventry fans werent responsible (I was only 12 so that is my recollection!)

Sorry for the long message but felt it important to say in the hope it could stop the growing sense of despair I was feeling in reading this message trail.

Good luck for the remainder of the season.

From Martin, a Coventry fan

[RokerRoarKate]

I was reading this yesterday and I'm too young to remember it at all but my Dad was at Goodison the night it all went down so I asked him his thoughts on it all.

He thinks although there was rumour and talk on the night, which led to anger, the truth has probably been lost in time and "facts" have been created via urban legend. There may have been a little gamesmanship towards the end by putting that score up but their game was tied at 2 each anyway. who is to say the score would have changed in the 5 or so minutes left anyway so we'd have most likely gone down in all likelihood.

He said there probably wasn't the cheating on the scale the story now tells and it was all blown out of proportion.

Personally I can't speak from my own experience but with regards to the current situation I don't like to see any club doing badly financially. The club now will have no staff or anybody involved from those days It could quite easily be us one day. It's all a little petty imo.

[Riviera]

Originally Posted by Mercia Blackcat

Indeed, nice sidestep back to the whole crux of the issue.

Coventry had highs of 30,000 against teams like Liverpool on a Saturday afternoon for a 3pm kick off.

I personally think that with big teams like Liverpool that some were actually away supporters.

The home support for Coventry peaked at around 25,000 I would say.

Their average for the season was just over 21,000 which means they had much lower crowds for many games.

Despite the Bristol game being midweek it was a big game despite being at the end of a miserable season so they probably did pull in 25,000 on the night.

If the gate was 37,000 then that left 12,000 that were Bristol.

I was in the City that night not far from the ground and had mates that went to the game.

They said there were Bristol in all parts of the ground except the West End. I wouldn't expect them to big up the Bristol support.

This fact was well known in the City afterwards and confirmed by people that were not my mates.

The Bristol video at least confirms a fever hit Bristol over the game with even court cases being adjourned so jurors could attend.

The reason they were late....the amount of support was high, the route is not exactly M1 and entering the City they had to reach Highfield Road through heavy traffic.

I get the feeling that even if Dr Who took you back in time to the game you would claim the red and whites around the ground were really Stoke supporters pretending to talk like pirates.

Maybe you would be right and this conspiracy was wider than we think.

Bottom line. Jimmy Hill did take advantage of the situation when he knew Sunderland had lost and for that his is the ultimate twat in football for me who I will never really forget or forgive.

I've highlighted all of your guesswork and fictional facts.

ARLC has posted the facts but you choose to ignore them, fair enough.

The road to Highfield Road was never the M1 and the coaches wouldn't have just taken 'pot luck' hoping they'd turn up on time for such a vital match.
Nothing that you've said has any basis, in fact, and it's pure guesswork.

You've absolutely no idea how many were outside at kick off.

Originally Posted by RokerRoarKate

There may have been a little gamesmanship towards the end by putting that score up but their game was tied at 2 each anyway.

Yeah, that's what's known as cheating in the real world

[RokerRoarKate]

lol... It's hardly cheating on the level of organised delays with prior agreement and stuff like that and as for 1997, again my dad was there and I was about 20, but that is just a load of poop. The game was delayed by the Met Police due to a crash half a mile from the ground in which people were seriously injured. You all seem to think Coventry would be able to 'organise' with the major police force a delay that was then told to their fans to so they could enjoy a bit more drinking time.

The whole thread just smacks of these conspiracy theories like 9/11. each side has their cold hard "facts" which neither side can prove or skirt around. It's all a little childish and petty.

I've just read their forum and to be honest I think their IQ adds up to a total of 80 or 90 between them. But to a netural observer reading ours, a few people like yourself actually discussing it aside, people are just saying the same stupid inbred insults. "drop bombs on them" "fuck em" etc. It's equally embarrassing for our forum imo.

[Riviera]

Originally Posted by RokerRoarKate

lol... It's hardly cheating on the level of organised delays with prior agreement and stuff like that and as for 1997, again my dad was there and I was about 20, but that is just a load of poop. The game was delayed by the Met Police due to a crash half a mile from the ground in which people were seriously injured. You all seem to think Coventry would be able to 'organise' with the major police force a delay that was then told to their fans to so they could enjoy a bit more drinking time.

The whole thread just smacks of these conspiracy theories like 9/11. each side has their cold hard "facts" which neither side can prove or skirt around. It's all a little childish and petty.

I've just read their forum and to be honest I think their IQ adds up to a total of 80 or 90 between them. But to a netural observer reading ours, a few people like yourself actually discussing it aside, people are just saying the same stupid inbred insults. "drop bombs on them" "fuck em" etc. It's equally embarrassing for our forum imo.

There's no conspiracy theory at all in the 1977 case.

Hill demanded the delay of the match, intructed the Sunderland result to be flashed up on the scoreboard and Coventry were found guilty. Jimmy Hill said they would fight the judgement in the highest courts but did nothing.

No conspiracy theory, just facts.

To call fellow Sunderland fans 'inbreds' put's you on an IQ level of a shithouse spider.