Coventry Protest Turns Sour

M-50 · Post by **M-50** » Tue Dec 13, 2011 8:05 pm

I forgot the add that the guy at the start of the vid got a 3 year ban (as safcftm mentioned)

MK Gould · Post by **MK Gould** » Tue Dec 13, 2011 8:06 pm

SWLGooner wrote:
MK Gould wrote:
safcftm wrote:As a Sunderland fan I've got no sympathy for Coventry or their supporters in football matters, I hope they go to the fucking wall, bunch of c**ts.....
WHAT??? I don't think I've ever heard anyone have a bad word to say about Coventry. Good day out and harmless as f*ck....surely? Had only one bad(ish) experience on the way to the old Highfield Road but even that was caused by the gooners I was tagging along with.

What they do to you?
Sunlun and Cov hate each other....

...off RTG...

The year is 1977. Sunderland, Coventry and Bristol City go into the last game of the season battling against relegation. Jimmy Hill was the chairman of Coventry and had his game kick off delayed by 15 minutes because of "crowd congestion." As the second half began at Highfield, we were getting beat by Everton, I think it was, Mr Hill announced our score throughout the second half and as the game wore on had a message sent on the pitch that Sunderland were getting beat 2-0 (iirc) and Coventry and Bristol only needed a point for both to stay up. The end result was farcical with both teams just passing the ball about between each other and not bothering to get into each others box. Sunderland got beat and Coventry and Bristol ended their game 15 minutes later fully aware that they were safe.

Sunderland went down and Bristol and Coventry stayed up by cheating.

Read more: http://www.readytogo.net/smb/showthread ... z1gRmBtqEb

Think our Mackem friend has a point. Coventry should have had points deducted and gone down in their place!

M-50 · Post by **M-50** » Tue Dec 13, 2011 8:06 pm

safcftm wrote:
brazilianGOONER wrote:
sorry 'bout the ignorance mate, but what is it with you and coventry? not the first time i hear it
Story is here mate http://www.sunderlandecho.com/sport/sun ... _1_1054248

Fuck Coventry, Bristol City and Jimmy fucking Hill

Anyway, thats a quick aside, back to the matter in hand

This is fascinating. Never been aware of this.

Cheers

safcftm · Post by **safcftm** » Tue Dec 13, 2011 8:09 pm

SWLGooner wrote:
safcftm wrote: The bit I found worse tbh was the bit where a steward was quite obviously pulling at someones flag and putting his hands on the bloke while he does it. Someone might need to clear this up for me but I know that stewards have next to no power- they can ask you to leave but they shouldnt be putting their hands on people, that should be left to the police. I find it disgusting that so many clubs (Arsenal included) seem to think they can restrict freedom of speech as one of their entry conditions. If a banner isnt inciting violence, it doesnt have swearing and it isnt racist/ homophobic etc it should be allowed in. Clubs seem to think their ground is the hub of a totalitarian society where they can dictate what is and isnt expressed.
Unfortunately legally they can restrict freedom of speech as much as they want on public property, if you do it in the form of banners, and they can ban anyone if they want to.

Although stewards do have very little power.

I do expect to hear about that Coventry case through the FSF soon.

A bit odd if that is the case- was looking at the fountain of all knowledge (wikipedia) and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_of ... expression mentions "Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted in 1948, states that:

"Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers."[6]

To me that would mean that anyone can impart their thoughts (ie "Wenger Out") through any medium (ie on a banner) regardless of frontiers- I would have thought that a fundamental human right would override a football clubs terms and conditions in much the same way that a term of "if the bloke next to you is making too much noise you can kill him" wouldnt let you get away with murder- the law of the land overrides company/ club terms and conditions. I'm probably wrong like but I dont see how they can argue that they should be allowed to ignore a basic human right

safcftm · Post by **safcftm** » Tue Dec 13, 2011 8:13 pm

M-50 wrote:
safcftm wrote:
brazilianGOONER wrote:
sorry 'bout the ignorance mate, but what is it with you and coventry? not the first time i hear it
Story is here mate http://www.sunderlandecho.com/sport/sun ... _1_1054248

Fuck Coventry, Bristol City and Jimmy fucking Hill

Anyway, thats a quick aside, back to the matter in hand
This is fascinating. Never been aware of this.

Cheers

Aye, iirc it was a major reason for the now enforced rule that all games (and second halves) must kick off at the same time on the last day of the season. Jimmy Hill is widely seen as a gentleman of the game but delaying the kick off and announcing our score over the tannoy is about as fucking dirty as you can get- its cheating and should have seen Coventry docked points. Bristol City went along with the idea of just knocking the ball about (a goal to either side would have kept us up) so fuck them too. One of these days I might try and compile a book with all the clubs in England and all the random reasons why they hate certain people and other clubs, probably a load of stories out there!

Henry Norris 1913 · Post by **Henry Norris 1913** » Tue Dec 13, 2011 8:42 pm

sorry safcftm but you haven't got a legitimate reason to have cov IMO. you can't blame the players, they obviously wanted to make everything safe for each other. I agree it was a stupid situation and hill should have been fined, but its not like they purposely fucked sunderland over

coventry is a shithole though, still remember wrighty's antics against them....

safcftm · Post by **safcftm** » Tue Dec 13, 2011 8:48 pm

Henry Norris 1913 wrote:sorry safcftm but you haven't got a legitimate reason to have cov IMO. you can't blame the players, they obviously wanted to make everything safe for each other. I agree it was a stupid situation and hill should have been fined, but its not like they purposely fucked sunderland over
coventry is a shithole though, still remember wrighty's antics against them....

The main one we hate is Hill, he went out of his way to relegate us. Yes, only to save his club, but it was still cheating and he still got away with it and it is still a disgraceful way to survive. Fact is though, he was Coventry's chairman, so obviously its going to lead to thinking "they should have gone down, cheating bastards" and thus when they're struggling, it leads to thinking "good, fuck them, cheats". Doesnt help that Coventry fans always sing "one Jimmy Hill" etc to rub it in, hence not liking the fans either. Its as legitimate a reason to hate a club as many other clubs reasons to hate other clubs tbh, but its football, its all a bit tribal bollocks when you analyse it- hell, I hate coventry for 77 and i wasnt even born until 84

Henry Norris 1913 · Post by **Henry Norris 1913** » Tue Dec 13, 2011 8:53 pm

he was the chairman?

fair enough mate

SWLGooner · Post by **SWLGooner** » Tue Dec 13, 2011 9:00 pm

safcftm wrote: To me that would mean that anyone can impart their thoughts (ie "Wenger Out") through any medium (ie on a banner) regardless of frontiers- I would have thought that a fundamental human right would override a football clubs terms and conditions in much the same way that a term of "if the bloke next to you is making too much noise you can kill him" wouldnt let you get away with murder- the law of the land overrides company/ club terms and conditions. I'm probably wrong like but I dont see how they can argue that they should be allowed to ignore a basic human right

But I couldn't say hang a banner you disagreed with on your house could I?

safcftm · Post by **safcftm** » Tue Dec 13, 2011 9:02 pm

Henry Norris 1913 wrote:he was the chairman?

fair enough mate

Yep- from the link above "Best-known these days as a veteran TV pundit, Hill was chairman of Coventry City in 1976-77 when three teams went into the last day of the campaign facing relegation â€“ Sunderland, Bristol City and Coventry.

Hill had the kick-off at the Coventry-Bristol City game delayed for 15 minutes because of "crowd congestion" and when news came through that Sunderland had lost to Everton, he had the result announced over the tannoy.

That sent the message to both teams that â€“ provided neither scored â€“ they would stay up at Sunderland's expense and what followed was a farcical passage of play in which neither side attempted to win.

Hill was reprimanded by the Football Association, but Sunderland's relegation still stood."

An absolute wanker of the highest order and since it was Coventry's chairman that did it, we hate Coventry as a result!

Anyway, back to the protest, did we ever find out exactly what the law is regarding freedom of speech in a public place? Be interesting to find out if the club really do have grounds to remove banners etc and if not, itd be extremely interesting to know why more isnt made of the issue

safcftm · Post by **safcftm** » Tue Dec 13, 2011 9:05 pm

SWLGooner wrote:
safcftm wrote: To me that would mean that anyone can impart their thoughts (ie "Wenger Out") through any medium (ie on a banner) regardless of frontiers- I would have thought that a fundamental human right would override a football clubs terms and conditions in much the same way that a term of "if the bloke next to you is making too much noise you can kill him" wouldnt let you get away with murder- the law of the land overrides company/ club terms and conditions. I'm probably wrong like but I dont see how they can argue that they should be allowed to ignore a basic human right
But I couldn't say hang a banner you disagreed with on your house could I?

I see what you're saying mate, I just think it must be the kind of issue that is dealt with somewhere in law and I am determined to find it through the medium of google! If you trespassed to put up the banner on me house I'd have it taken down but if I've let you in, as the clubs let the fans in, I'm not sure (legally speaking) what right I would have to deny you the opportunity to express your feelings.

SWLGooner · Post by **SWLGooner** » Tue Dec 13, 2011 9:05 pm

safcftm wrote: Anyway, back to the protest, did we ever find out exactly what the law is regarding freedom of speech in a public place? Be interesting to find out if the club really do have grounds to remove banners etc and if not, itd be extremely interesting to know why more isnt made of the issue

They do, I've taken legal advice on the issue.

safcftm · Post by **safcftm** » Tue Dec 13, 2011 9:25 pm

SWLGooner wrote:
safcftm wrote: Anyway, back to the protest, did we ever find out exactly what the law is regarding freedom of speech in a public place? Be interesting to find out if the club really do have grounds to remove banners etc and if not, itd be extremely interesting to know why more isnt made of the issue
They do, I've taken legal advice on the issue.

Fucking hell. Bit odd, although from your earlier example I can see their point. Having had a quick read up on it, it seems that you're right, especially if a stadium is entirely privately funded (as I believe the Emirates is, unless you count RBS as now being part public, but lets not go there

).

rodders999 · Post by **rodders999** » Tue Dec 13, 2011 9:27 pm

Ahhhh Jimmy Hill, the man who penned "Good Old Arsenal", I won't hear a bad word said about the bloke.

Plus didn't Jimmy do linesman at Highbury one day? The man's a fucking legend! Piss off ya miserable Mackem bastard......

safcftm · Post by **safcftm** » Tue Dec 13, 2011 9:28 pm

rodders999 wrote:Ahhhh Jimmy Hill, the man who penned "Good Old Arsenal", I won't hear a bad word said about the bloke.

Plus didn't Jimmy do linesman at Highbury one day? The man's a fucking legend! Piss off ya miserable Mackem bastard......

just as well you werent playing coventry or fulham that day, they could have had Inzaghi upfront and still never seen an offside flag