italiahorse
Well-Known Member
We should oppose it regardless on the principle of sporting clubs moving from place to place...
We have our own fight. It should not effect us.
We should oppose it regardless on the principle of sporting clubs moving from place to place...
When did it change from Wasps playing at the Ricoh to Wasps and Cov merging? The report on CWR said it was announced that Cov would be fully consulted. To me that's the correct stance at this point. You can't expect ACL or CCC to dismiss any offer out of hand, especially if they haven't even seen the offer yet, and it is absolutely correct that if things start to move forward Cov are fully consulted.
The announcement adds more fuel to the fire that something is happening behind the scenes. Why would Cov have been told that if nothing was happening.
Putting in any offer at all would be a good first move. Instead of having Fisher keep banging on about it not being for sale SISU could get their own valuation done and make a conditional offer (conditional based on any assumptions they have had to make due to lack of open book access). Then if CCC / ACL dismiss it out of hand SISU might see an increase in support. It drives me mad that for everything they've said about ground ownership they still haven't made any offer to buy the freehold or lease.
We have our own fight. It should not effect us.
More on the comments here:
A council sanctioned takeover of the Ricoh Arena would be a "betrayal" according to the chairman of Coventry Rugby Club: http://www.coventrytelegraph.net/sport/rugby/wasps-ricoh-arena-interest-concern-7805937
Regardless of whether its a good deal for ACL/CCC/Higgs (or even if in some unforeseen way for CCFC/SISU), it's morally wrong. Remember how we felt last year.
If you read their unofficial forum on this, it's pretty clear that the majority of Wasps fans oppose the idea. There are statements like 'I couldn't support anyone else, but I won't go to Coventry to watch them' and 'I've had a season ticket for years but won't go if they move' etc. Sound familiar?
It has nothing to do with valuations there would just need to be negotiated agreement. Tim Fisher continues to say the club doesnt want the Ricoh we are building a new stadium. If that has changed he better hurry up and say so and start talking to the stadium owners. That is pretty much all there is to say on this. Personally even if CCFC dont want the stadium I wouldnt want WASPS moving in unless the fans of WASPS and COV agreed to it.I agree, I am not sure how they would go about getting actual valuations (ie would ACL need to agree to it for certain parts) but has one of those at least been done?
I take it you forget that we were one relegation and they were one promotion from competing in the same league as us.
You are correct in one sense it should definitely sound ridiculous unfortunately at one point it became remotely plausible.
You accept the principle of Wasps moving to Coventry, you accept a precedent for CCFC moving to Dublin.
Pretty clear statement that, eh Otis?
It has nothing to do with valuations there would just need to be negotiated agreement. Tim Fisher continues to say the club doesnt want the Ricoh we are building a new stadium. If that has changed he better hurry up and say so and start talking to the stadium owners. That is pretty much all there is to say on this. Personally even if CCFC dont want the stadium I wouldnt want WASPS moving in unless the fans of WASPS and COV agreed to it.
Wasps are homeless. They are moving from place to place. It wouldn't be like us last season where Fisher made out we were homeless.
I don't eant them to become the owners of the arena. Could handle both clubs sharing though. After all wasps are homeless and need a home. And we could become homeless again in less than two years.
Added Sharp: “We have received assurances from the City Council that nothing will be done without gaining our full approval or prior consultation.
Am very, very happy with that for sure. Never wish to see anything happen against people's wishes.
If you read their unofficial forum on this, it's pretty clear that the majority of Wasps fans oppose the idea. There are statements like 'I couldn't support anyone else, but I won't go to Coventry to watch them' and 'I've had a season ticket for years but won't go if they move' etc. Sound familiar?
It also seems fairly clear that Cov RFC aren't keen on the idea and as a fan of them, I'm dead against it too. (I've been to more rugby than football in the last year, fwiw.)
This isn't an idea that any fan who has gone through the travesty of having their club forceably relocated should support.
Regardless of whether its a good deal for ACL/CCC/Higgs (or even if in some unforeseen way for CCFC/SISU), it's morally wrong. Remember how we felt last year.
I'm honestly surprised that anyone here would support it, if indeed anyone does.
I am staggered by some of the comments regarding this given that we have first hand experience of the effect on fans of moving. For once i am almost speechless.
Don't encourage them!
You've clearly never taken part in a council's 'consultation'. The word's only ever used when a council wants to do whatever it's previously decided to.
No, I haven't, but I have most certainly heard of 'nothing will be done without our full approval.'
That's more than good enough surely.
I really am. Its outrageous. We sent petitions here there and everywhere asking for sympathy yet couldn't give a damn when it may now be beneficial to our club. Its an outrage and beyond belief.
It would have been without the OR afterwards!
I think you are a decent post, Grendel and I feel that you often counter balance arguments to good effect, but to suggest that people don't give a damn about this proposal is simply disengenuous.
Maybe it's the way you are reading it. Or maybe the way I am reading it.
To me I read that as 'both.' Without full approval or consultation, meaning both.
am staggered by some of the comments regarding this given that we have first hand experience of the effect on fans of moving. For once i am almost speechless.
In which case you don't use the word 'or'.
There are many council leisure activities that suffer at the hands of 'consultation', despite the public being against what happens. It's lip service before completing a done deal, and about as reassuring as being told the man eating tiger's harmless really, while it pins you to the ground and lovingly wraps its teeth around your throat.
That being said...
Councils are (amazingly enough) not above playing politics. After previously saying 'no sale' and 'no sale to SISU' then there are ways of softening up attitudes to 'sale to SISU'.
Of course the other reason it won't happen and why we're worrying for no reason is that ACL's 50% owned by a charity committed to doing good for Coventry causes. As this would harm Coventry institutions, it won't happen.
Where do Wasps fans live, isn't it mainly Middlesex?
I can't see Wasps wanting to move here for all their games, it is a London club by heritage & the support level for Rugby in Coventry has never been close to CCFC even in its hey day when David Duckham was playing.
Now having a 5-10 year contract for 3 or 4 big matches per season, I can see that.
And Cov rugby have come out and said they wouldn't mind a few games played here in Coventry either.
That doesn't make them right either, of course...