Coventry Rugby 37 Nottingham 21 - an on/off performance. (That's good on the pitch, not so good off it).

You think you've got it

Oh, you think you've got it

But "got it" just don't get it 'til there's nothing at all (ah)

We get together

Oh, we get together

But separate's always better when there's feelings involved (ah)

If what they say is, "Nothing is forever"

Then what makes, then what makes

Then what makes, then what makes

Then what makes love the exception?

Hey Ya! - OutKast

5047.

Not a prime number but nevertheless a pretty significant one in its own right.

And one that will be etched into the memories of the vast majority of supporters who witnessed what was a good, if not spectacular, Coventry performance against Nottingham yesterday afternoon.

5047.

A memorable number and one that somewhere will doubtless become a PIN code in the not too distant future.

The Boxing Day fixture was always going to attract a big gate, even without the added significance of the 150th Anniversary Game tag that the club had attached to it before the season proper had started. Cov had set its stall back then to break the BPA's attendance record for any game, league or Cup, and that it did so, and by several hundred, is much to its credit.

I'm sure there will have been many who worked tirelessly in the background to promote the game to sponsors, local businesses and to the public in general and they will rightly have earned all the plaudits that have come their way these last 24 hours. Such a huge gate is not just good for Coventry Rugby, it's good for the game as a whole and it surely won't have gone unnoticed in the ivory towers that are Rugby's HQ. It goes some way to undermining Bill Sweeney's arguments about the unviability of rugby at this level.

So plenty to celebrate then.

But if yesterday's experience is anything to go by, then it comes at a cost - both to the club and to the supporters. But more on that later.

Quite a lot more in fact.

But first...

... in the days leading up to the game it became clear that something significant was in the making. Hospitality had sold out weeks and weeks ago and it was soon evident that demand for tickets was at an all-time high. Coventry's social media team was in overdrive with daily reminders always including a link directing us to the appropriate ticket purchasing section of the club's website. It was a job well done. Very, very well done.

I think we all wanted to be a part of something special and it soon became apparent yesterday that that was, indeed, going to be the case. When we arrived at 1.30 pm, the car park was already very busy and with 90 minutes still to go before kickoff, there were far more people milling around than normal.

By 2.15 pm a surprising number of spectators were spaced out around the ground, watching the players go through their paces as the warm-ups and pre-match drills got underway in earnest.

With half an hour to go, there were plenty of spectators watching the warm up

That said, considering there were almost 2000 more spectators in the ground than the average Cov gate this season for Championship fixtures, it was all rather subdued. Even during the game, it wasn't obvious from the noise that this was such a large crowd. There were moments when the roar went up, but generally there wasn't the cacophony of sounds that you might have expected. It's hard to explain why, but it wasn't anything like the celebration that I'd anticipated. Yet again, the chap on the PA had to try and whip up a bit of enthusiasm at times which is odd given the occasion and the size of the crowd.

Nottingham were much quicker out of the blocks when the whistle did eventually blow, a good few seconds after the PA's count down (much to the amusement of many) and as a result the crowd didn't really have reason to get involved for a fair few minutes.

However, once Cov got a bit of momentum going and Martin had scored in the corner, (another fine finish too), everyone was able to relax a little and although Nottingham briefly threatened, Pellegrini's try (and Cov's second) ensured that there was a big enough gap to ease a few of the inevitable jitters amongst the Coventry faithful.

But memories of Nottingham's stunning comeback from a similar sort of start in the Cup game in September meant that when they pulled a try back from a rare insurgence into the Coventry half, there were some worried looking faces. The decision to take the three points just before half time showed that Cov, too, were well aware of the threat the Archers posed - that penalty signalling that perhaps this time Cov were going to kill the game when they had the chance, rather than take the greater risk and go for the corner which had always seemed to be the preferred option up to, and including, the Ampthill game.

One of the big pluses for me was the scrum. In the last game against Cambridge, it had looked far stronger and again against Nottingham the front row was more of a cohesive unit; rather than giving away penalty after penalty, Cov had the foundations on which to build its attacking options.

A lot has been said about the injuries that have decimated the front row this far in this campaign and it's much to Alex Rae's credit that he and the coaches have been able to shore up the scrum with the same players who just a few weeks back looked to be struggling at this level. He's shown great faith in Chivers, Salt and Southworth and they, in turn, have repaid him with increasingly impressive performances. Add Nichol and Trinder into the mix, together with Nairau, the young Fijian prop, and suddenly things look very promising long term.

Indeed, one of the few times the crowd really got at all animated was when Nairau went on the charge soon after his appearance in the second half, breaking tackles and sending the Nottingham defences scrambling. Once he gets used to the pace of the game and fitness levels are where they need to be for him to start, he's going to be a real crowd favourite.

Cov looked really sharp at times, some deft handling and astute running of lines caused Notting a shed load of problems. However, we weren't quite clinical enough and several forays into the Nottingham 22 ended with little reward. That sounds a bit picky, but against Bedford on Monday, Cov will need to be a little more incisive - they did what needed to be done and looked the better side but it wasn't a dominating performance by any means, despite the scoreline. Granted, it was huge improvement on the Hartpury game but then again, it needed to be. I don't think the referee's rather liberal interpretation of what constitutes a high/late tackle helped our cause on a couple of occasions either, but that's a fairly blinkered opinion I know..

There were plenty of positives though. Kvesic and Chudley, the sponsors' MotM, had both left the field with 25 minutes still to play, ensuring they should be fresh for the trip to Goldington Road whilst also allowing Lane and Bartlett to get some deserved game time. It says a lot about Rae's confidence in his squad that he can afford to replace both of them knowing the team's performance won't suffer unduly. Nkwocha had a very effective game and he looks to be another quality signing - we've seen a fair few of those under Rae's leadership to be fair. Rigg was back to his barnstorming best and Wand showed why he made the Championship Dream team last season.

Whereas back in September Coventry took their foot off the gas and allowed Nottingham back into the game and earn themselves the 33-33 draw, there was never going to be a repeat this time round. With Wand, Hutler and Pellegrini all starting yesterday, the gaps that Nottingham had been able to exploit back then just weren't there and although they did cause Cov a few worrying moments in the final quarter, Cov finished the stronger of the two sides and can go into the next game knowing they're good enough to take all five points on offer against Bedford.

The contrast between the end of the Hartpury game and that of yesterday couldn't have been greater. Whereas many supporters had already left the ground by the time the final whistle blew two weeks ago, the ground remained full yesterday as Pellegrini kicked the final penalty to give Cov the deserved win.

There were no complaints from anyone in the crowd about the game and the players had done themselves and the Cov supporters proud on the pitch.

Which is rather more than can be said of the club off it.

I do always try to be positive or, if critical, to at least explain the reasons why I feel that is the case. I'll try and do so now.

I do think Cov sometimes misreads the mood of its supporters.

Take yesterday, for instance. A massive crowd buying into the idea of a game to mark the 150th anniversary of the club.

Yet at no point was there anything approaching a sense of celebration . The supporters had done their bit, boosting the coffers of the club by £000s, yet in return all that was on offer appeared to be an anniversary shirt that was getting on for £60 and the prospect of waiting up to 30 minutes plus for a pint in a queue at peak times and another 20 or so for a burger.

Nothing for the many young children there before the game and no half time entertainment.

It was all a bit of (a lot of) an anticlimax really.

A quick perusal of social media suggests there are plenty of positive comments about the size of the crowd, but also a goodly number of negative remarks about the overall match day experience, comments that have been repeated far too regularly in recent weeks.

If Cov is genuinely keen to promote itself as a club capable of Premiership status, not only does it have to prove its worth on the pitch, it has to do so off it too. At the moment, it seems to be placing all its energies into producing a squad capable of competing for a top spot in the Championship whilst neglecting the wants and needs of its supporters. I guess I can understand that, but it does seem a dangerous path to take.

Yes, there are real signs that support for the club is very much on the up, but if the club is to retain those supporters new or returning to the club, and add to them, then it is going to have to do a far better job of providing a whole match day experience for them.

Take the food outlets, for example. There were only two yesterday. One inside, one outside (I'm discounting the Forest van as that is principally a hot drink outlet). Exactly the same as for the game against Nottingham back in September but catering for a crowd of almost 3000 more (check the photos in the blog elsewhere to confirm). Coventry Rugby has known for months that this would be a huge crowd yet no additional food outlets were made available.

I can't for the sake of me imagine why....

There were those amongst the crowd who were looking for the 5 loaves and two fish, but sadly they never materialised.

I don't think The Food Heroes do a fish option, do they?

Above and below - the two food outlets providing for a crowd of over 5000.

And given they also knew that a Boxing Day crowd would include young families with many additional children, why were curry and rice and burgers and various types of fries the only options available?

Again.

It beggars' belief that a club, and indeed a sport, that purports to encourage healthy living and healthy lifestyle choices can sacrifice its own principles quite so readily.

And then coax us into eating more unhealthy food by having a 'happy hour' so presumably we can fill both ourselves and our kids with yet more additives and get us/them twice as hyper for half the price.

Brilliant...

Cov knew months in advance that there would be a real need for additional food options, but seemingly had no wish to provide any healthy alternatives. I've nothing against burgers and chips as readers of this and the previous blog will know, but I'm all too aware these days of just what the implications of eating a diet based on an overindulgence of junk food can be.

Cov should be leading the way here, not lagging behind.

Not only that, the club also requires its supporters to go through a bag search prior to entering the ground. And get this, it's not about safeguarding against anyone bringing into the ground something that could be construed as a weapon or the like, but to ensure that bottles of water or juice, biscuits and the like or just child-friendly foods are removed and binned so that the only consumable foods are those purchased on the premises.

In other words, it's profit before well-being - and that's a slippery slope.

Bah humbug.

Although I'm assuming that minty sweets are banned too, nowadays?

So much for the festive spirit...

..and what little of it is on offer down at the BPA these days involves a 30-minute queue.

Now I don't drink at games any more, but for those who do then the situation is even worse - so much so that I gather yesterday many chose to forgo a pint simply to avoid the queues to ensure they saw the game.

And that's a double whammy for the club - there's a considerable loss of revenue on a day when potentially they could make a proverbial killing from the sale of drinks and beverages and there's the real chance that having worked so hard to get supporters through the turnstiles, the experience they had means many won't be returning again anytime in the near future.

It all seems at odds with the brilliant work being done on the playing side. It frustrates me because Cov has a golden opportunity here to really promote its product, one that is pretty unique to the Championship. As of now, it's not really taking advantage of the opportunities the playing side of the club is currently providing and if it's not careful, it will lose the initiative it is presently enjoying.

I'm sure there are all sorts of reasons why the club's not where it would perhaps like to be in terms of the facilities currently on offer on a match day. Lack of bar staff is an obvious one, but without acknowledging there is an issue, without holding its hands up and saying look we know there's a problem and here's how we're trying to address it, it's allowing supporters to believe that what is currently being provided is acceptable and no one should be complaining.

It's actively encouraging everyone to think that what we saw yesterday is, and will remain, the norm. And that, for me, is a big miscalculation.

People will vote with their feet and their wallets. We saw recently the club Tweet (I'm not sure what the verb is now the nomenclature has changed?) that it now has 1500 season ticket holders - how many of those will renew if they're having to endure long queues and a lack of choice.

All of them?

I'm not so sure.

Where was the sense celebration yesterday before or during the game, where was the feeling that this was a very special occasion?

AWOL for me.

150th anniversary?

If you'd turned up to the game and not known, you would have left the ground at 4.50 equally unedified.

It felt like just another game with a particularly large attendance. I understand there was a party of sorts after the game so perhaps the expectation was that any celebration would take place then but if that is the case, then it certainly wasn't made clear beforehand.

I'm not sure how Cov can get it so right in one breath and so wrong in the next...

It was lovely, though, sitting in the stand and watching the long stream of supporters leaving the ground at the end of the game; a reminder of the halcyon days of the 70s and 80s and one can only hope that continues. And it will, provided the club listens to its supporters and is proactive rather than reactive.

Supporters leaving yesterday after Cov's win against Nottingham

Yesterday was a massive step forward in many respects, and it did send out a clear message to the RFU that it's a club very much on the up in a league that is thriving despite massive underfunding from its governing body.

But the club is some way from providing the kind of matchday experience those of us who travelled down to Gloucester enjoyed, or even Cambridge for that matter.

Success on the field is no guarantee of enjoyment off it.

And to some extent that was true of my experience at the BPA yesterday.

Probably not the case for most, but l do know there are others who felt something similar.

On to Bedford on Monday...

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