City bosses: "We will take Jimmy Hill statue with us"

[dutchman]

Coventry City owners Sisu plan to remove the Jimmy Hill statue from the Ricoh Arena and take it to a new stadium outside the city.



Sky Blues chief executive Tim Fisher has said plans are underway to relocate the much-loved statue as well as the memorial garden which has the ashes of fans spread on it.

He insists they are “in the closing stages” of buying a site to build a new stadium on and the sale should be completed within a month.

Sisu also plan to remove the panel of bricks - purchased by fans and engraved with their names - which form part of the Ricoh Arena.

Mr Fisher said: “Let’s be absolutely crystal clear, these are all things that will be accommodated at the new stadium.

“It’s very important that the fans understand that whilst it’s a business decision, we know full well we are custodians of a football club which has a heritage going back more than 100 years.

“The bricks in the wall, the memorial garden and the Jimmy Hill statue will all be accommodated in our thinking.”

Former life president Joe Elliott led the £150,000 appeal for donations to pay for the seven-foot bronze effigy of the club’s greatest manager.

He also part funded the memorial garden.

Joe is now part of the bid backed by US property tycoon Preston Haskell which is aiming to take over the club and keep the team playing at the Ricoh.

Speaking to the Telegraph, Joe said he wanted to see the statue remain where it is.

“As far as I’m concerned the statue was built in honour of Jimmy’s great work at Coventry City,” he said.

“We collected all the money for that as a tribute to Jimmy and at this moment in time we are happy to see it at the Ricoh in the hope that the football club is playing there in the coming season.”

In response to questions as to whether ACL will allow Sisu to take them from the Ricoh Arena, Mr Fisher said: “I’m sure ACL won’t want to get involved in an emotional argument with the fans.

“The memorial garden is very important to us, as are the bricks, as is the Jimmy Hill statue.”

The Jimmy Hill statue was created by Devon sculptor Nicholas Dimbleby and unveiled to much fanfare last year.

The Garden of Remembrance was officially opened by the Dean of Coventry Cathedral, Rev John Irvine, in 2006 and has the ashes of many die-hard City fans spread on it.

[rebbonk]

I wonder who actually owns the statue and remembrance garden?

I know at least one fan has said that he won't allow his father's ashes to be removed...

It really is time to call a halt to all this silliness and to actually start thinking of the fans. The way things are going there won't be any fans left; no fans mean no footie club. And when that happens, all have lost.

[rebbonk]

Fisher back-tracks. I reckon he's full of the proverbial!



Source : Coventry Telegraph