Moff
Well-Known Member
Perhaps you could summarise it in a paragrpah to save reading 77 pages of shit.
Wasps in talks to takeover Ricoh (7 Viewers)
- Thread starter SimonGilbert
- Start date
Perhaps you could summarise it in a paragrpah to save reading 77 pages of shit.
torchomatic
Well-Known Member
Simon's article was on the 18th September, yet on the 22nd August:
The acting leader of Coventry City Council has not ruled out the Sky Blues owning the Ricoh Arena in the future in the future.
Weeks of secret negotiations have led to the club agreeing to return to the stadium on a temporary agreement for up to four years.
While both parties have indicated that could be extended, club officials insist they eventually need to own a stadium.
Speaking after the Telegraph broke news of the Sky Blues Ricoh Arena return, Coun Phil Townshend said time was needed for trust to be rebuilt before looking at the potential of the council agreeing a deal for ownership of the Ricoh Arena with the club.
He also refused to say whether the new agreement included a clause which gave the club preference on buying the Ricoh.
He said: “The terms of the agreement between the club and ACL are commercially confidential. I’m optimistic and looking forward to seeing the club back playing there.
“As for the future, I think we should take one day at a time and not get ahead of ourselves and use this period to rebuild trust.
“All parties concerned need to learn to open doors the door for one another as opposed to allowing it to slam in other people’s faces.
“There’s been too much personal criticism in the past. A conciliatory approach is in the best interests of all parties concerned.”
Coun Townshend also said he believed the fans had played a role in bringing the club back to Coventry.
He said: “The fans made a difference. They have shown a committed dedication to trying to get the club playing back at the Ricoh where they should play.
“They have maintained their campaign throughout and they have kept the issue in the public eye.
“They have been one of the key pressure points in bringing the people involved to the table.”
Coun Townshend also said the return of the club was good for the entire city. “It’s difficult to find words to describe how pleased I am,” he said.
“Credit must go to all those involved in negotiations which have been difficult at times.
“If the football club is successful, the Ricoh is successful and the city is successful.
“The club will be paying rent, providing jobs and will make the Ricoh a more powerful sporting location.”
The acting leader of Coventry City Council has not ruled out the Sky Blues owning the Ricoh Arena in the future in the future.
Weeks of secret negotiations have led to the club agreeing to return to the stadium on a temporary agreement for up to four years.
While both parties have indicated that could be extended, club officials insist they eventually need to own a stadium.
Speaking after the Telegraph broke news of the Sky Blues Ricoh Arena return, Coun Phil Townshend said time was needed for trust to be rebuilt before looking at the potential of the council agreeing a deal for ownership of the Ricoh Arena with the club.
He also refused to say whether the new agreement included a clause which gave the club preference on buying the Ricoh.
He said: “The terms of the agreement between the club and ACL are commercially confidential. I’m optimistic and looking forward to seeing the club back playing there.
“As for the future, I think we should take one day at a time and not get ahead of ourselves and use this period to rebuild trust.
“All parties concerned need to learn to open doors the door for one another as opposed to allowing it to slam in other people’s faces.
“There’s been too much personal criticism in the past. A conciliatory approach is in the best interests of all parties concerned.”
Coun Townshend also said he believed the fans had played a role in bringing the club back to Coventry.
He said: “The fans made a difference. They have shown a committed dedication to trying to get the club playing back at the Ricoh where they should play.
“They have maintained their campaign throughout and they have kept the issue in the public eye.
“They have been one of the key pressure points in bringing the people involved to the table.”
Coun Townshend also said the return of the club was good for the entire city. “It’s difficult to find words to describe how pleased I am,” he said.
“Credit must go to all those involved in negotiations which have been difficult at times.
“If the football club is successful, the Ricoh is successful and the city is successful.
“The club will be paying rent, providing jobs and will make the Ricoh a more powerful sporting location.”
covmark
Well-Known Member
chiefdave
Well-Known Member
Corrected that for you.
Still amazes me that the vast majority of our fan base are not in the slightest bit bothered about the council's role in this. Just in what you've quoted there we can some more outright lies yet its all OK because they got one over on SISU.
torchomatic
Well-Known Member
I know. It's almost as if they are blanking it out if their minds. :thinking about:Still "it was all SISU what done it" is easier, isn't it?
torchomatic
Well-Known Member
I imagine there'll be a bit of head scratching before the inevitable "yeah but..." posts.
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shy_tall_knight
Well-Known Member
Fan base is diminished in both number and appetite, fan-base id divided post Northampton, SISU keep talking about building a stadium so certain fans aren't bothered about losing the Ricoh but SISU will always be seen as the villains following Sixfields.
skybluetony176
Well-Known Member
I don't think that it's a case of not being bothered because I don't think that there isn't any genuine CCFC fans who aren't. We can all see what it means for the club. It's just that when some fans were running it down, calling it a soulless concrete white elephant, insisting SISU were the only show in town, cheering SISU on in the JR, laying all the blame at the door of CCC/Higgs while forgetting why both parties got involved in the first place the rest of us could see something like what did happen, happening. Could we have put a name to the party who would end up taking it over? No. But I think most off us could envisage it being sold from under the clubs feet while someone else was persueing a different and ill fated route to gain control. If you dare point out that it was the wrong course to gain control you got labeled a council supporter when the truth was anything but.
Personally I'm still throwing my hands in the air in disbelief and having to bite my lip to stop saying "I told you so" although I just did. Doesn't mean I'm not bothered, because I am. Doesn't mean I'm a CCC supporter, because I'm not. All it means is that I can see how our owners course of action led to the circumstances that lead to the Wasps takeover and I think it's only fair that I hold them to account for that.
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Grendel
Well-Known Member
The thread is worth reading again to show how idiotic our fans are and don't even question the clear mis truths that came from the council at the time.
Perhaps we can a read subsequent articles like the one that said its a £30 million deal when it turned out to be a third of that - oh and for 6 times the least length.
As the telegraph took an anti move to Northampton stance I assume there were lots of editorials at the time showing protests over the issue
skyblueinBaku
Well-Known Member
That Townsend bloke should hang his head in shame. The sentence I've put in bold type is particularly galling. Has he ever been questioned about this disgraceful statement?
Grendel
Well-Known Member
Don't be silly. Most people are more interested in getting their free wasps tickets than questioning the councils role in this grubby affair.
I seem to remember that straight after the Gillingham game, when we all thought we were back in the Ricoh, Tim came out and said that they, SISU, were going ahead and building their own stadium. Door well and truly slammed shut. Hello Wasps, but where is the stadium? Who should be holding their head in shame?
Grendel
Well-Known Member
Bollocks -- so you really believe that Wasps had not talked to the council before September and that Sisu didn't know the deal had been done.
What apologist tosh
torchomatic
Well-Known Member
Nick
Administrator
Ha don't you think wasps were already in then?
lordsummerisle
Well-Known Member
Didn't he say that we would never go back to the Ricoh as tenants?
shy_tall_knight
Well-Known Member
Be truthful now with the benefit of hindsight do you think sixfields was avoidable and without sixfields would WASPS have got ACL
Grendel
Well-Known Member
No we'd still be paying £1.3 million rent and propping up the Council's white elephant while hell froze over before we were given an opportunity to buy.
We could have paid more for the Higgs share than Wasps paid for the lot I suppose. I'm surprised the Charity Commission haven't done something about that.
D
Deleted member 5849
Guest
Everybody.
We can go around the he said, she said for a tedious eternity. It doesn't make any of the statements made by any of the parties less wrong.
D
Deleted member 5849
Guest
tbh I think we'd have gone bankrupt and out of business, and the Ricoh would have then needed something in it anyway.
Broken Hearted Sky Blue
Well-Known Member
You were invited once before to protest at the Ricoh you could have gone to the Council House to protest,you know to make your voice heard,but I suppose its much better on an anonymous internet forum.
torchomatic
Well-Known Member
At the time of this article neogiations have apparently being going on for "weeks"according to Simon's article so you will obviously believe every word. That makes the Townsend comments and subsequent sale to Wasps even more galling. Well, it does to me anyway. Obviously not to you.
skybluetony176
Well-Known Member
So what you're saying is that SISU knew a deal had been done (but not yet signed as the full council meeting was yet to happen) and rather than put their hands up, stop playing silly games and do a deal themselves they let it happen and continued playing silly games?
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shy_tall_knight
Well-Known Member
But WASPS proved that it wasn't a white elephant - £1.3m rent was being negotiated down, to £0.4m if memory serves me right but pre WASPS we had hope, unfortunately there is little or no hope especially with SISU in charge
SkyBlue_Bear83
Well-Known Member
True, they could have done that.
But do you honestly think IF they had done that we would have the Ricoh now? Because I don't.
I for one don't believe the council ever had any intention of selling the Ricoh to anybody before the rent strike happened, they were backed into a wall by SISU's tactics and then took the stance we will sell to anyone but SISU.
What are you on about? I have not mentioned the article. I just pointed out the most gallig part of the story, which put the final nail in CCFC's coffin. That being the confirmation, that despite the optimism and rejoicing of the fans ( including a full house ), Tim put the boot in once again and destroyed any last minute ending of the Wasps' negotiations. Had he said "we will not be slamming any doors, let's get down to business, let's bury the hatchet and see what how we can move forward", I think the council would have some, or if you prefer, more explaining to do. Or, maybe Wasps wouldn't even be here..... Where's the stadium?
Broken Hearted Sky Blue
Well-Known Member
Thats exactly what they did do,anyway looking forward to the Crewe game and safety then the Crawley game,new contract fot TM and getting my season ticket,then again if the first three don't happen will still get season ticket. Can't wait for the JPT games next season in other words bring up an old thread that will carry on the devisive theme thats been even more obvious the last few days.
D
Deleted member 5849
Guest
Not sure if that deserves respect or a call for the men in white coats
Broken Hearted Sky Blue
Well-Known Member
Not sure if that deserves respect or a call for the men in white coats
You've seen my carers then?
skybluetony176
Well-Known Member
We'll never know now. The one thing we do know is that the strategy SISU did choose was never going to bring ACL/Ricoh ownership. It was doomed to failure the moment it started. Plenty of us could see it. It was divisive, aggressive, inconsiderate, idiotic, counter productive and unnecessary. It may well have worked in the corporate world but ACL wasn't a corporation. Quango was the word I think some liked to use around here. SISU never understood that and that is why they took the tactics they did and that's why they failed and someone else capitalised on their failure.
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Says you. If SISU knew the deal had been done, why didn't they jump up and down at that point? Nothing to lose, but great victim publicity. I think the other hedge fund is a damn sight cleverer than ours and I don't doubt for a minute that SISU were totally outplayed by Richardson. Don't give me any more SISU victim tosh while you are at it.
Grendel
Well-Known Member
The £0.4 million deal was for one season before reverting back to the original deal. At least get the facts right before posting.
chiefdave
Well-Known Member
So is it the old Fisher talks shit except when him telling the truth would be useful to support a standpoint?
Fisher said we were never coming back - no one believed him; Fisher said we weren't interested in the Ricoh - no one believed him. Now we're being told CCC sold to Wasps because of a comment Fisher made after we'd agreed to come back, conveniently ignoring the fact that by then CCC were a long way down the line with Wasps, in fact there's a good chance the deal was already agreed.
If Fisher was so set on not having anything to do with the Ricoh why did the club bid for Higgs half of ACL?
Fisher said we were never coming back - no one believed him; Fisher said we weren't interested in the Ricoh - no one believed him. Now we're being told CCC sold to Wasps because of a comment Fisher made after we'd agreed to come back, conveniently ignoring the fact that by then CCC were a long way down the line with Wasps, in fact there's a good chance the deal was already agreed.
If Fisher was so set on not having anything to do with the Ricoh why did the club bid for Higgs half of ACL?
stupot07
Well-Known Member
Completely agree. If fisher had not said it, guess what - the wasps deal would have still gone through. It's foolish to suggest otherwise.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk - so please excuse any spelling or grammar errors
skybluetony176
Well-Known Member
I've said this dozens of times now but whether you believe him or not has nothing to do with it, he was the CEO and is now the chairman and he said/says it.
The only thing that does matter is the difference of what he's saying makes and from what I can see it's always counter productive and that always comes across to me as deliberate.
Not being believed unless it suits is not a good quality for a CEO or Chairman to have. Especially if what he's saying is only exacerbating an already awful situation.