STAR’S PITCH PERFECT RESPONSE
PLAYERS WANTED TO PLAY IN COV AGAIN BUT WILL GIVE RETURN TO BRUM BEST SHOT, INSISTS CITY ACE SHIPLEY
SHIPLEY BELIEVES SKY BLUES PLAYERS MUST BE POSITIVE ABOUT PLAYING IN BIRMINGHAM AGAIN DESPITE THEIR DESIRE FOR A RETURN TO COVENTRY
COVENTRY City star Jordan Shipley says he and his team-mates will have to be professional about the club’s decision to remain at Birmingham’s St Andrew’s next season, despite wanting the club to return to the city.
Speaking recently, the 22-yearold midfielder revealed that he joined the club in hoping a Ricoh Arena return could be sealed and that every one of his team-mates would agree with him.
But since then a deal to remain in Birmingham has been confirmed after talks with stadium owners Wasps Groups collapsed – and Shipley believes the club must take the positives from it, praising the stadium’s immaculate pitch.
“No, no disappointment. We are there to play football,” said Shipley.
“We want to be back in Coventry, obviously, but we have to be professional about it.
“We are not going back there now, we’re going back to St Andrew’s so we are going to have to be professional about it and we are going to have to give it our best shot.
“Speaking purely in football terms, St Andrew’s is a great stadium with a great pitch and we can play our football on that pitch so I am delighted to be back there and hopefully some of the fans are too,” he said.
Last week fans joined forces to demand that Wasps Group and Coventry City return to the negotiating table to agree a deal for the return of the Sky Blues to the Ricoh Arena for the 2020/21 season.
In the longer-term, the club are working with the University of Warwick on recently-announced plans to build a new stadium on the university’s main campus, which the Sky Blues would own and be
We’re going back to St Andrew’s so we are going to have to be professional about it.
Jordan Shipley
entirely responsible for. Now a number of Coventry City fan groups have produced the following ‘Open Letter on Behalf of Coventry City Fans.’
“On behalf of all Coventry City fans we, as fan groups, demand representatives of both Wasps RFC and Coventry City FC to return to the negotiating table to agree a deal for the return of Coventry City to the Ricoh Arena for the 2020/21 season and beyond,” the statement says, before going on to refer to the latest twists in the dispute. Former Coventry City star Adam Armstrong is attracting big interest from the Premier League this summer. The Blackburn Rovers man, still working under Tony Mowbray, enjoyed an impressive season in the Championship this term, scoring 17 goals in all competitions.
Formerly of Premier League Newcastle United, Armstrong spent a season on loan with Coventry in League One where, as a teenager, he proved he possessed quality well above third division level.
A number of Premier teams including Crystal Palace are said to be interested. Speaking about his Rovers future, Armstrong said: “I’m at a good age now where I can really kick on and keep performing.
“I’m still only 23 and you’re not in your prime until your late 20s. I’m playing well.”