Rival Watch

[Zip]

Am kinda looking in both directions as the division is so tight.

Just seen Hull and Blackpool play each other on Boxing Day. Coventry play WBA tomorrow, a win for either takes them above us.

WBA are unsurprisingly climbing up to where their squad should have them now they’ve got Corberan in charge. Fully expect them to continue Coventry’s problem form, though will be hoping for a draw there.

Fully expecting WBA to be in the play-off spots by the end of January latest. Win tonight will see them just 2 points off.

Yep.

[Franchise FC]

WBA are unsurprisingly climbing up to where their squad should have them now they’ve got Corberan in charge. Fully expect them to continue Coventry’s problem form, though will be hoping for a draw there.

Fully expecting WBA to be in the play-off spots by the end of January latest. Win tonight will see them just 2 points off.

Yep.

It’s almost as if Bruce wasn’t the right man for the job

[Ascotexgunner]

Norwich fans calling for the head of Dean Smith. 2-0 down at home.

Their entire business model is in jeopardy.

[Hound]

So Cov end WBA’s winning run. Looks like they were all over them as well interestingly

[LUX]

Tbh I’d say that match was irrelevant to our season.

[Franchise FC]

Tbh I’d say that match was irrelevant to our season.

Much like our own

[Stranded]

So Cov end WBA’s winning run. Looks like they were all over them as well interestingly

That'll be because they are a very good team and we were, for a change, lucky to play Cov when we did - could end up being a big 3 points.

[YorkshireRoyal99]

So Cov end WBA’s winning run. Looks like they were all over them as well interestingly

That'll be because they are a very good team and we were, for a change, lucky to play Cov when we did - could end up being a big 3 points.

Yeah a lot of it can come down to when you play teams. Now might be one of our best times to play Norwich at Carrow Road where they are not exactly in form and there's a lot of unrest towards the manager, whereas you'd expect that to be a defeat on paper. (It probably will end up being a defeat as they are better than us, but the point is it's a better opportunity than what you'd expect it to be)

[Stranded]

So Cov end WBA’s winning run. Looks like they were all over them as well interestingly

That'll be because they are a very good team and we were, for a change, lucky to play Cov when we did - could end up being a big 3 points.

Yeah a lot of it can come down to when you play teams. Now might be one of our best times to play Norwich at Carrow Road where they are not exactly in form and there's a lot of unrest towards the manager, whereas you'd expect that to be a defeat on paper. (It probably will end up being a defeat as they are better than us, but the point is it's a better opportunity than what you'd expect it to be)

Absolutely - said it before but the WBA loss was in a lot of ways down to it being the first game post-Bruce. If he had still been in charge, we would have won that one.

[URZZZZ]

That'll be because they are a very good team and we were, for a change, lucky to play Cov when we did - could end up being a big 3 points.

Yeah a lot of it can come down to when you play teams. Now might be one of our best times to play Norwich at Carrow Road where they are not exactly in form and there's a lot of unrest towards the manager, whereas you'd expect that to be a defeat on paper. (It probably will end up being a defeat as they are better than us, but the point is it's a better opportunity than what you'd expect it to be)

Absolutely - said it before but the WBA loss was in a lot of ways down to it being the first game post-Bruce. If he had still been in charge, we would have won that one.

To be fair, Bruce only lost 4 games out of 13 this season. The problem was they’d only won 1, too many draws

Strangely enough, we were the team to halt Norwich (along with Bruce’s West Brom actually). 8 wins in 9 before our game. 3 in 11 since. Momentum is a strange thing. Our season, to an extent, has been defined by one very good run (from Blackburn to Huddersfield) and one awful run (from QPR to Watford) too

[The Royal Forester]

Coventry has been "fined" a five point deduction (suspended until the end of next season) for the unplayable pitch at the beginning of this season. They also have to pay compensation to the three clubs involved, as well as the cost of the EFL's investigation. Seems like Coventry City are having to pay for the mess made by other people, as I am pretty sure the football club didn't have any say in the matter of allowing rugby games being played on the pitch. As Wasps and the ground owners are not in existence anymore they will not be able to reclaim repayment from those responsible for the fiasco.

[Mr Angry]

Coventry has been "fined" a five point deduction (suspended until the end of next season) for the unplayable pitch at the beginning of this season. They also have to pay compensation to the three clubs involved, as well as the cost of the EFL's investigation. Seems like Coventry City are having to pay for the mess made by other people, as I am pretty sure the football club didn't have any say in the matter of allowing rugby games being played on the pitch. As Wasps and the ground owners are not in existence anymore they will not be able to reclaim repayment from those responsible for the fiasco.

How will that 5 point deduction ever be served? Presumably they have been told "If Commonwealth Games Rugby Seven's is sanctioned to be played on the pitch that you play on, despite not owning the rights to the stadium nor have any control over who decideds to use the ground and for what purpose, and if the Commonwealth Games Rugby Seven's damages the pitch to the extent that games have to be postponed, you will get an automatic 5 point deduction"...........

Coventry getting a fine for something they didn't agree with, sanction or have any say in; the EFL should seek the recompensation from the Commonwealth Games people IMHO.

[Hendo]

Coventry has been "fined" a five point deduction (suspended until the end of next season) for the unplayable pitch at the beginning of this season. They also have to pay compensation to the three clubs involved, as well as the cost of the EFL's investigation. Seems like Coventry City are having to pay for the mess made by other people, as I am pretty sure the football club didn't have any say in the matter of allowing rugby games being played on the pitch. As Wasps and the ground owners are not in existence anymore they will not be able to reclaim repayment from those responsible for the fiasco.

How will that 5 point deduction ever be served? .

I would imagine it'll be if any games get called off in the next 18 months due to an unfit ground or similar.

[Snowflake Royal]

Coventry has been "fined" a five point deduction (suspended until the end of next season) for the unplayable pitch at the beginning of this season. They also have to pay compensation to the three clubs involved, as well as the cost of the EFL's investigation. Seems like Coventry City are having to pay for the mess made by other people, as I am pretty sure the football club didn't have any say in the matter of allowing rugby games being played on the pitch. As Wasps and the ground owners are not in existence anymore they will not be able to reclaim repayment from those responsible for the fiasco.

How will that 5 point deduction ever be served? Presumably they have been told "If Commonwealth Games Rugby Seven's is sanctioned to be played on the pitch that you play on, despite not owning the rights to the stadium nor have any control over who decideds to use the ground and for what purpose, and if the Commonwealth Games Rugby Seven's damages the pitch to the extent that games have to be postponed, you will get an automatic 5 point deduction"...........

Coventry getting a fine for something they didn't agree with, sanction or have any say in; the EFL should seek the recompensation from the Commonwealth Games people IMHO.

I imagine it's more along the lines of "the points deduction is suspended pending your successful fulfillment of all fixtures for the period and paying your fines."

And "As a club you are responsible for having a suitable playing surface available. If you choose to play in someone else's ground without the ability to control the condition of the pitch or enforce minimum standards are provided to you through your contract, that's your lookout".

[Stranded]

Coventry has been "fined" a five point deduction (suspended until the end of next season) for the unplayable pitch at the beginning of this season. They also have to pay compensation to the three clubs involved, as well as the cost of the EFL's investigation. Seems like Coventry City are having to pay for the mess made by other people, as I am pretty sure the football club didn't have any say in the matter of allowing rugby games being played on the pitch. As Wasps and the ground owners are not in existence anymore they will not be able to reclaim repayment from those responsible for the fiasco.

How will that 5 point deduction ever be served? Presumably they have been told "If Commonwealth Games Rugby Seven's is sanctioned to be played on the pitch that you play on, despite not owning the rights to the stadium nor have any control over who decideds to use the ground and for what purpose, and if the Commonwealth Games Rugby Seven's damages the pitch to the extent that games have to be postponed, you will get an automatic 5 point deduction"...........

Coventry getting a fine for something they didn't agree with, sanction or have any say in; the EFL should seek the recompensation from the Commonwealth Games people IMHO.

I imagine it's more along the lines of "the points deduction is suspended pending your successful fulfillment of all fixtures for the period and paying your fines."

And "As a club you are responsible for having a suitable playing surface available. If you choose to play in someone else's ground without the ability to control the condition of the pitch or enforce minimum standards are provided to you through your contract, that's your lookout".

Very much the latter. Coventry, as every club, are obliged to gave a home ground that is fit for purpose. If in obtaining one a club enters into an agreement where they are not the primary user, then they have to accept the risk attached to it.

5pts could get applied as the ground is now owned by Mike Ashley who only cares about the bottom line, so if he decides to host a monster truck rally 3 there as it will sell tickets then Cov will have to deal with it.

[Sutekh]

Coventry has been "fined" a five point deduction (suspended until the end of next season) for the unplayable pitch at the beginning of this season. They also have to pay compensation to the three clubs involved, as well as the cost of the EFL's investigation. Seems like Coventry City are having to pay for the mess made by other people, as I am pretty sure the football club didn't have any say in the matter of allowing rugby games being played on the pitch. As Wasps and the ground owners are not in existence anymore they will not be able to reclaim repayment from those responsible for the fiasco.

How will that 5 point deduction ever be served? .

I would imagine it'll be if any games get called off in the next 18 months due to an unfit ground or similar.

Which, given their record, is a high probability.

[YorkshireRoyal99]

How will that 5 point deduction ever be served? Presumably they have been told "If Commonwealth Games Rugby Seven's is sanctioned to be played on the pitch that you play on, despite not owning the rights to the stadium nor have any control over who decideds to use the ground and for what purpose, and if the Commonwealth Games Rugby Seven's damages the pitch to the extent that games have to be postponed, you will get an automatic 5 point deduction"...........

Coventry getting a fine for something they didn't agree with, sanction or have any say in; the EFL should seek the recompensation from the Commonwealth Games people IMHO.

I imagine it's more along the lines of "the points deduction is suspended pending your successful fulfillment of all fixtures for the period and paying your fines."

And "As a club you are responsible for having a suitable playing surface available. If you choose to play in someone else's ground without the ability to control the condition of the pitch or enforce minimum standards are provided to you through your contract, that's your lookout".

Very much the latter. Coventry, as every club, are obliged to gave a home ground that is fit for purpose. If in obtaining one a club enters into an agreement where they are not the primary user, then they have to accept the risk attached to it.

5pts could get applied as the ground is now owned by Mike Ashley who only cares about the bottom line, so if he decides to host a monster truck rally 3 there as it will sell tickets then Cov will have to deal with it.

How much leniency is there in "fit for purpose"? If there are snow and icy conditions like we've seen in the last couple of weeks that could effect the playing surface, would this trigger a 5 point deduction if the game was called off due to the weather? I'd imagine so.

I think it could be a bigger issue for them going into next season as they've only got an agreement until the end of this season and if it starts taking weeks/months over the summer to have another agreement then it could leave them in a tough situation. Ashley certainly has the upper hand in this though now, he could be charging extortionate prices for renting the stadium next season and Coventry could be forced into a tough situation.

[Stranded]

I imagine it's more along the lines of "the points deduction is suspended pending your successful fulfillment of all fixtures for the period and paying your fines."

And "As a club you are responsible for having a suitable playing surface available. If you choose to play in someone else's ground without the ability to control the condition of the pitch or enforce minimum standards are provided to you through your contract, that's your lookout".

Very much the latter. Coventry, as every club, are obliged to gave a home ground that is fit for purpose. If in obtaining one a club enters into an agreement where they are not the primary user, then they have to accept the risk attached to it.

5pts could get applied as the ground is now owned by Mike Ashley who only cares about the bottom line, so if he decides to host a monster truck rally 3 there as it will sell tickets then Cov will have to deal with it.

How much leniency is there in "fit for purpose"? If there are snow and icy conditions like we've seen in the last couple of weeks that could effect the playing surface, would this trigger a 5 point deduction if the game was called off due to the weather? I'd imagine so.

I think it could be a bigger issue for them going into next season as they've only got an agreement until the end of this season and if it starts taking weeks/months over the summer to have another agreement then it could leave them in a tough situation. Ashley certainly has the upper hand in this though now, he could be charging extortionate prices for renting the stadium next season and Coventry could be forced into a tough situation.

They breached the following rules:

2.1 The Club is to be responsible for the maintenance of the pitch and for the general
maintenance of the ground, including (but not limited to) ground safety. The Club must
ensure that adequate arrangements are in place to maintain its pitch in good order, as
required under Regulation 13.
27.4 Each Club shall take all reasonable steps to maintain its pitch in good order. The
League may require a Club to take such steps as it shall specify if not satisfied that an
adequate standard of pitch is being maintained, including but not limited to The League
commissioning an independent report on the state of the pitch by a Club, the cost of such
independent report to be borne by the Club concerned.
Regulation 32.1 Each Club will use its best endeavours to ensure that each match under
the jurisdiction of The League takes place on the date and at the time fixed for it.
Regulation 32.2 Any Club failing to fulfil its fixture obligations in respect of any match
under the jurisdiction of The League on the appointed date or dates or causing The
League to suspend any fixture shall be deemed guilty of misconduct, unless the Club is
successfully able to demonstrate that Regulation 32.2 applies. The burden of proof will
rest with the Club.
Regulation 33.1 Except where these Regulations provide otherwise, Clubs must give
priority to League Matches whether home or away. This means that a Club must not
allow any matches or activities to interfere with or take precedence over League fixtures
required to be played in accordance with these Regulations.

Based on that, a postponement for weather is unlikely to cause a postponement unless it is something along the lines of that game at Sunderland we had called off in the PL, in August, due to rain.

I would say that they are most at risk of breaching 33.1 as they have absolutely no control on what takes place at the stadium and when.

[YorkshireRoyal99]

Very much the latter. Coventry, as every club, are obliged to gave a home ground that is fit for purpose. If in obtaining one a club enters into an agreement where they are not the primary user, then they have to accept the risk attached to it.

5pts could get applied as the ground is now owned by Mike Ashley who only cares about the bottom line, so if he decides to host a monster truck rally 3 there as it will sell tickets then Cov will have to deal with it.

How much leniency is there in "fit for purpose"? If there are snow and icy conditions like we've seen in the last couple of weeks that could effect the playing surface, would this trigger a 5 point deduction if the game was called off due to the weather? I'd imagine so.

I think it could be a bigger issue for them going into next season as they've only got an agreement until the end of this season and if it starts taking weeks/months over the summer to have another agreement then it could leave them in a tough situation. Ashley certainly has the upper hand in this though now, he could be charging extortionate prices for renting the stadium next season and Coventry could be forced into a tough situation.

They breached the following rules:

2.1 The Club is to be responsible for the maintenance of the pitch and for the general
maintenance of the ground, including (but not limited to) ground safety. The Club must
ensure that adequate arrangements are in place to maintain its pitch in good order, as
required under Regulation 13.
27.4 Each Club shall take all reasonable steps to maintain its pitch in good order. The
League may require a Club to take such steps as it shall specify if not satisfied that an
adequate standard of pitch is being maintained, including but not limited to The League
commissioning an independent report on the state of the pitch by a Club, the cost of such
independent report to be borne by the Club concerned.
Regulation 32.1 Each Club will use its best endeavours to ensure that each match under
the jurisdiction of The League takes place on the date and at the time fixed for it.
Regulation 32.2 Any Club failing to fulfil its fixture obligations in respect of any match
under the jurisdiction of The League on the appointed date or dates or causing The
League to suspend any fixture shall be deemed guilty of misconduct, unless the Club is
successfully able to demonstrate that Regulation 32.2 applies. The burden of proof will
rest with the Club.
Regulation 33.1 Except where these Regulations provide otherwise, Clubs must give
priority to League Matches whether home or away. This means that a Club must not
allow any matches or activities to interfere with or take precedence over League fixtures
required to be played in accordance with these Regulations.

Based on that, a postponement for weather is unlikely to cause a postponement unless it is something along the lines of that game at Sunderland we had called off in the PL, in August, due to rain.

I would say that they are most at risk of breaching 33.1 as they have absolutely no control on what takes place at the stadium and when.

Yeah I thought as much, thought it would be quite harsh to see them punished due to weather.

Either way, a 5 point deduction won't put them in any trouble really, it'll just scupper there play off chances really.

[Snowflake Royal]

There's really no excuse for a professional club in the top two divisions of English football, and one of the richest divisions in the world, not to ensure they own and control the quality and availability of their own pitch.

It's all just badly run clubs taking unnecessary gambles to fiddle their finances. Ourselves included.