Fair play on that one. I am not having a go by the way but I don't think this wasps thing is as bad as some make out. I think about 1000 wasps fans was it, signed a petition.
Cov rugby club hardly kicked up a stink.
A banner at their match when they found out about the proposal was a big as the protest got. (Wasps)
It is down to the governing body of rugby to manage franchising in their sport.
The job of Coventry council is safeguarding jobs protecting a council owned stadium and bring money and regeneration into the city.
People have backed the NFL thing saying well franchise happens in America (doesnt make it right) From what I can see so far rugby fans seems pretty happy to go anywhere for top level rugby.
I wouldn't make yourself the moral bastion of a protest over what happened to wasps when their own fans don't seem that bothered. Plus fans of other clubs that live within our region are likely to attend.
Fans of Wasps are bothered - it's simply not correct or fair to suggest otherwise. You can read their boards, or simply put yourself in their shoes. Some will follow Wasps up here, many, many more will not. Rugby fans are not happy to 'go anywhere' to watch top flight rugby - look at the attendances of rugby's latest franchise, London Welsh for evidence of that.
Coventry RFC didn't kick up a stink because it was presented to them as a done deal - again it's a pretence to suggest that they 'welcome' Wasps. They're just going to do their best now with the hand that they've been dealt. As a fan of CRFC, take it from me, the club have been shafted - it's just there's not much point in complaining.
As for the council protecting jobs and encouraging regeneration, the simple fact is that even a moderately successful football club would draw in far more money and prestige than Wasps. If what the council has done here results in the club either leaving the city, or falling further into the abyss whilst still at the Ricoh, then this will be an almost entirely negative result for the city.
Similarly if Wasps go under, or bobble along at their current level of support then that's hardly a big win for the city either. In fact if they go under and can't pay the £13.4m mortgage, then the council takes a big hit - it's worth noting that they already seem to have written off a million pounds to sweeten the deal.
In fact, in terms of a definite unambiguous result, the only thing the council will have done successfully is washed their hands of having to deal with SISU. Whether that's worth handing ACL to an out-of-town franchise rugby team is a matter of opinion - but to me at least, it isn't.