EX-CLARET Paul Fletcher has been appointed chief executive of the £120 million project to build a new state-of-the-art stadium for Coventry City.

The former Turf Moor star - acknowledged as one of the foremost authorities on stadia development in the country - is in charge of the three-year project to build a major regional sports and concert venue on a site just off the M6.

It is the third time he has taken charge of a new stadium development, having built his reputation with his work on Huddersfield Town's move from Leeds Road to the McAlpine Stadium and Bolton Wanderers' transfer from Burnden Park to the Reebok -- two of the major ground construction projects of the nineties.

Coventry hope to have their new 32,500 all-seater stadium open by 2005. Together with the 12,500-capacity indoor arena, it will create a major sport and concert venue for the East Midlands.

"I see it as another good challenge for me," Fletcher said from his Newchurch-in-Rossendale home.

"There is no great secret to success in building a stadium, apart from knowing how to work in a team situation and that's where I draw on my experiences in football."

Fletcher became one of the country's most expensive players when he joined Burnley from Bolton in 1970 for a then club record fee of £66,000. He quickly became a crowd favourite at Turf Moor and in a career with the club that spanned 350 games, he scored almost 100 goals and won four under-23 international caps.

After being signed by Stan Ternent for Blackpool injuries brought an end to his playing days at the age of 32. He later returned to the game as promotions manager for Colne Dynamoes.

Fletcher's successes with the McAlpine and Reebok developments landed him the job as commercial director of the Wembley National Stadium Company. But he resigned from the ill-fated £500m project 15 months ago and joined the team fighting the Wembley bid.

Having spent the last six months as an adviser on Birmingham's attempt to build the new national stadium, he now favours the East Midlands as a better location and more viable project than the much-maligned proposal for the new national stadium at Wembley.

"I think Birmingham is still by far the best idea," he says.