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Members comments
If you have any comments or ideas about CCFC Kenilworth Supporters let us know and we can
put it on this page for all to see.
You can use the form on the contact us page to pass on your comments.
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Dear Harry,
We understand that Coventry City FC will be visiting Austria during the 1st week of July and in particular the Obertraun Sports School .
We are owners of a small Gasthof in the village, offering spacious en-suite
rooms many with balconies offering panoramic views of the Dachstein Massif. Our standard rates are 36EUR per person per night,
including continental buffet breakfast and all local taxes. We would be happy to offer anybody travelling from the supporters
club a 10% discount. Our Gasthof comes complete with a restaurant/bar and is 5min level walk from the training pitches of
the Sports School
.
We hope that might be of interest to some of your members.
Regards
Debbie & Trevor
Obertrauner Hof
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Now that the
season’s finally over and we’ve managed to survive both from relegation and financial ruin; let us look to the
future with optimism no matter what has been said.
With more money
available for players, a positive chairman and management team things should improve next season, however, no talk of operation
premiership yet.
Many thanks
to Harry, David and Nigel who have taken on more work with the bookings, and to Jim Seaton who has done a great PR job and
also set up the presentation on the pitch for taking 5000 fans to the games over two and a half years.
A big thank
you to all supporters on the coaches, your company has been greatly appreciated and enjoyed. We look forward to seeing you
all next season for another roller coaster ride; (hopefully with all the thrills and no spills). Stick with us!
Jim Arnold
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Dear Coventry supporters,
I found the contact details of your Coventry supporters club on the internet and I'm contacting you because I'd
like to ask you a favor. I'm a passionate Austrian football player and fan studying English at the University of Graz and I'm currently writing my thesis on the topic of football and language (with focus on English
football). For one part of the thesis I need to gather information from fans all over England concerning their football habits
and attitudes. I created a homepage for my thesis on which I posted an online questionnaire for this purpose. So, what I would
need is that about 10 fans of your supporters club do the questionnaire and thus help me to gather the information I need
to get on with my work. The Questionnaire is anonymous and will not take too much of your time, but it would really help me
if some of you could do it. I would be very grateful for your help.
The link to the homepage is www.footballandlanguage.uk.tt
Under
point 5 Questionnaire you can find it. Or you can use the link below to get to the questionnaire directly:
http://www.phongjim.com/limesurvey/index.php?sid=53965&lang=en
You can, of course, have a look at the whole webpage to get a better picture of what I'm doing.
I
would like to thank you very much in advance for your efforts, and I hope you can help me.
Kind regards from Austria,
Mario Piffer
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2007/8 Season – more ups and downs than The Grand
Old Duke of York! – a look back at the season
At
the end of most seasons, it’s difficult to remember all the highs and lows, but this season has been more of a challenge
in this respect than most!
Back
in August, City had just completed a relatively good pre-season, and entered into the Championship full pelt – after
six games, we were still undefeated, and clear at the top of the table by a point from Watford.
We were still in “the last stages” of negotiations with the US
consortium that were to be our “dream ticket” and all looked rosy. The negotiations dragged on past the end of
the first transfer window, and Iain Dowie (remember him?) started to grumble about the inability to “freshen up”
the squad. However, the existing squad continued to “do the business” if a bit more sporadically – spectacular
success came in the cup against Man Utd at Old Trafford – over 74,000 seeing us take the game 2-0. However, league form
started to slump, and slowly but surely we dropped down the table. The Americans eventually pulled out of their bid and our
desperation to find a buyer to sort the club’s debt problem got ever more urgent. Eventually, having twice posted a
“drop dead” time for going into receivership, Ray Ranson and SISU came to the rescue – even this was not
clear cut, and the inability to get the amount of shareholder backing that they sought meant another transfer deadline came
and went…..we did however lose strikers Dele Adebola and Kevin Kyle to Championship opposition, with no replacements
lined up, Leon Best requesting a transfer away, and Leon Mc Kenzie out for the season. Form continued to drop off alarmingly,
and we dropped to the point where we are still not mathematically certain that we won’t be in the dreaded bottom three.
January saw some cheer with a magnificent away win at Blackburn in the FA Cup, soon countered
by an embarrassing home defeat against “The Baggies”. Ray Ranson decided to part company with Iain Dowie and his
management team over “different views on how the team should progress” and in came Chris Coleman.
It’s
difficult to judge how good the new management on and off the pitch will fare next year as their hands have been tied by missing
the boat with transfers and an obvious concentration on sorting the business side of things (including our club having a share
in the Ricoh Arena and it’s incomes). It’ll be a very interesting close season……
As
the club started well and things got worse, CCFC Kenilworth Supporters had a bad start and things got better. We ran coaches
to all the home games, but the second one, to the friendly against Udinese left us stranded at the Ricoh for a while due to
a broken down coach, followed not long after at the Bristol
game, breaking down on the way back! – as ever, you all remained patient until things were resolved – much appreciated
by all of us. Furthermore, Kenilworth Supporters have stayed amazingly loyal despite the disappointments on the pitch. 26th
January (Millwall in the FA Cup) saw us pass a remarkable milestone as we celebrated having taken 5,000 to games since the
Ricoh opened its doors. Jim Seaton had just joined the Committee with responsibility
for PR, and was given the job of arranging something suitable to mark the occasion. Consequently, prior to the home game against
Barnsley, we were invited “pitchside” for a presentation of recognition by local
boy (and then Assistant manager) Tim Flowers – thrashing Barnsley 4-0 really made it
a day to remember. Unfortunately, Tim was to leave the club around one week later.
During
the year, your Committee members have spoken on our behalf on BBC Cov & Warks,
and have now become involved in the Sky Blues “Fans Forum” initiative – giving us a direct voice to the
senior management of the club.
The
final “icing on the cake” came at the last home game against Wolves where we broke our record for attendees on
a day, taking 115 to the game. In total, we’ve taken 5,683 fans to games at the Ricoh now, which is a fantastic testament
to the support we have here in Kenilworth. After the game we were able to enjoy a drink and
refreshments at the Tiltyard, and to look forward to next year. The whole committee wanted to put on record their thanks for
the fantastic support you’ve all given over the year – Chairman and founder, Jim Arnold said “thanks to
the loyalty of CCFC Kenilworth Supporters, through thick and thin, we’ve now firmly established a consistent service
for all supporters in the area from what was originally started three years ago. We are now averaging over 70 supporters for
every game, and that figure is rising constantly. This support means an awful lot in terms of assuring our future ability
to run the service, and hopefully, to ensure that the voice of CCFC Kenilworth Supporters is heard by the club; many thanks
to all our regulars, and also to the growing band of new supporters who have joined us during the year”.
We
will still meet during the close season on Mondays at 19.00 in the Tiltyard, and will as ever welcome anyone who wants to
come and join us. We will be making arrangements for next year, and naturally will be trying to contain costs consistent with
providing a reliable service – as soon as we have any information, we’ll post it on the website. We will also
be continuing to liaise with the club – especially through the forum – and will willingly consider any issues
or ideas that members wish to put forward.
Have
a really good summer, see you all next season
Jim,
Dave, Harry Nigel and Jim
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A letter from Ray Ranson to Jim Seaton PR CCFC Kenilworth
Thank you for your letter of 7th January and for explaining the enormous effort you have all provided as
supporters of the Club.
It really ia a great achievement and I agree that, as you say, you should be recognised as you approach a key milestone,
In this regard I have passed your letter onto Jo Lumani, our Press &PR Manager and Jo will be in touch directly concerning
all of your points.
Please pass on our thanks to everyone involved and in particular the Committee of the CCFC Kenilworth Supporters,
as I can assure you that your support is very much needed and appreciated
Best Wishes
Yours Sincerely
Ray Ranson
Chairman
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To all fans that went on the coaches to the Colchester games on Saturday; a very big thank
you from myself, the committee and Lionel Bird (Trust Fund) for the money raised from the raffle. In total we raised £110.00.
Lionel sends his sincere thanks and says we are the first supporters group to respond.
Les Reid will write about us in
the Coventry Times this week. Once again many thanks to you all.
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Dear Mr Lucas
I am writing to thank you for your donation of £51.00 to OAB, which was most gratefully
received. It was so kind of you to support our work with visually impaired people.
It is so encouraging to know that we have good friends and supporters. We are currently
working with 3000 clients theoughout Oxfordshire ensuring that they receive helpful information, support and fellowship whilst
they are dealing with the problems of visual inpairment. With help yours we will be able to comtinue our vital work providing
these much needed services
Thank you again
Colin Cure
Director
This is a letter send to Mr Lucas after the raffle for the picture of Highfield Road we
had on the coach Thank you to all
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Raffle
Ormand
and Jim would like to thank the fans on the Preston Coach for
the raffle in aid of Oxfordshire Association for the Blind;
we collected £51
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Kids to the
football
On Saturday 15th September
a coach will be laid on for Kenilworth Wardens
junior football club for the home game against Bristol City at The Ricoh.
The coach has been kindly
sponsored by Rick Cressman; the proprietor of Nailcote Hall: Hotel, Golf & Country Club and the tickets supplied by
Coventry
City Football Club.
With our regular fans we should have
good support from Kenilworth. Lets hope for a good game and another win.
Our
thanks to Rick and Coventry City for
their support,
Jim Arnold
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Hello Harry, well for
me unfortunately the season is over as work has well truly got in the way this year!! Such a shame as we were really hoping
to come along for the Burnley game but alas it is not be. Just wanted to say a big thanks to all of you who have done a F.A.B job once again
organising the coaches for us. Enjoy the last 2 games, looking forward to 2007/8 already!
kEEP THE FAITH
Julie Kelley :~)
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Went to the Wolves game last night with two friends. First time that we used the coach pickup at the Tiltyard.
I would like to thank you for providing such a first class service. The hassle free journey, there and back, made
the match all the more enjoyable. It was our first trip to the Ricoh. A tremendous evening which we all enjoyed.
We will be going again.
Thanks and best wishes
Gerry Lewis
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report from the kenilworth weekly news Web site by Gemma LYNN
1,000 travel from Kenilworth to see Coventry
City
More than 1,000 football fans from Kenilworth have been able to see their beloved heroes in action thanks to
a new club.
CCFC Kenilworth Supporters formed in August 2005 as a means of getting Coventry
City fans to the Ricoh Arena by coach for all the home games.
It
was established by Jim Arnold who said: "There were coaches laid on in Coventry, Bedworth and Nuneaton but there was nothing round here. So we got in touch with some
coach firms and put adverts in shop windows.
"It has come a long way since it started. We have taken at least one coach to each of the home games, with over 1,000
fans already and we have 60 members.
With the help of CCFC and coach sponsors we have taken three kids coaches to games,
some of which have never been to a game before. We have also become a member of the Sky Blue Trust who help us at the beginning
and are a great support."
Coaches, which are not just restricted to members, go from Abbey End car park and the Tiltyard
in Leyes Lane an hour and a half before kick off, getting back to Kenilworth an hour after the game.
Club member Harry Braggington said their main aim is to get children
to the Ricoh Arena.
He said: "It is important to get the kids up there and to get the local kids to support their local
team because they are the future of Coventry City Football Club."
They put on coaches for schools in Kenilworth and surrounding areas but need sponsors to fund the scheme.
In October, CCFC Kenilworth Supporters
Club ran a coach for children from Park Hill Primary School to Coventry
City's match against Crystal Palace.
The coach was sponsored by Paul Elkin on behalf of Provex Solutions,
in association with Coventry City,
who provided free tickets for the children.
Member Nigel Smith said: "The coach operated by Catteralls left Kenilworth full of excited children and 5 of their teachers, most of which were visiting the Ricoh Arena For
the first time. During the match the children joined in with the chanting of the Sky Blue supporters, and indulged themselves
with a mini version of the Mexican Wave. All of the children enjoyed the atmosphere at the Arena and had a very enjoyable
afternoon, despite the result, Coventry losing 1-4."
Members of the club hope to expand this to other
schools next season. Following a lot of interest from supporters outside the town they are also hoping to get a coach going
from Leamington and Warwick in the near future.
The next home game is against Leicester City this weekend. Places on the coach must be booked in advance by
calling Jim Arnold on 748507
For further information about the club visit the website www.ccfc-kenilworth-supporters.co.uk
or meet the members any Monday after 7pm in the Tiltyard.
11 April 2006
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