Sepalla interview (2 Viewers)

skybluetony176

Well-Known Member
Extraordinary - next you'll be telling that sisu are the paragons of truth.

That's part of the problem isn't it. They throw that much aaround it's hard to know what to take seriously and what not to. For every "we are debt free" comment there's a "we're moving to Northampton" comment.

If you have a magic formula that separates SISU's fact from fiction please share it with the group.
 

Godiva

Well-Known Member
That's part of the problem isn't it. They throw that much aaround it's hard to know what to take seriously and what not to. For every "we are debt free" comment there's a "we're moving to Northampton" comment.

If you have a magic formula that separates SISU's fact from fiction please share it with the group.

The 'debt free' comment is a poor example as the club really had no external debt on time Ranson said it.

Better example would be 'stadium location will be revealed in three weeks'.
 

duffer

Well-Known Member
Duffer, there was never going to be a way back for us with SISU in charge without them paying the right price for it.

The day the final nail went into CCFC coffin was the day they abandoned the Ricoh for Sixfields. If they had stuck it out and paid even a little bit of the rent which was affordable it would have been difficult for the Wasps to come in take control of the Ricoh as I am confident it would have ended up being a big PR disaster for CCC/ACL/Higgs.

As my solicitor advised me if I ever go through a divorce never ever leave or abandon your marital home because as soon as you do so, the wife will have changed the locks, bring in a new lover and get the kids to call him daddy therefore legally losing your home and making you penniless.

Afraid that's sums up what is happening to our club under SISU's watch.

That's my take.

Hi Dai, appreciate what you're saying here, and it's all fair enough. But as I see it there was always the hope that SISU would either see sense, or sell to someone that did, and either way the club would sooner or later have to get serious about a deal for the Ricoh/ACL. Almost everyone other than Tim and Joy knows that a new stadium doesn't really add up, and I think most people would agree that the city is better off with CCFC thriving at the Ricoh. You'd have think that at some point positions at both ends would have started to shift.

SISU won't be here forever, but the club is now effectively shut out of ever having a share of ACL. To have made this deal literally a few weeks after the "let's build trust and see where it goes" speech is just wrong to me.

I'm not pretending that it isn't SISU who have led us to where we are - but it is still the council who chose to sell to Wasps, no one forced them to do it.

Like I say, I'm going to leave this. I fully accept there are different opinions, and yours is as well-made and valid as anyone else's.

Me arguing here isn't going to change anything, but anytime someone from the council pops up to say this was the right thing to do for the city, I'm going to feel a bit aggrieved. From where I'm sitting that's really not true.
 

Astute

Well-Known Member
Hi Dai, appreciate what you're saying here, and it's all fair enough. But as I see it there was always the hope that SISU would either see sense, or sell to someone that did, and either way the club would sooner or later have to get serious about a deal for the Ricoh/ACL. Almost everyone other than Tim and Joy knows that a new stadium doesn't really add up, and I think most people would agree that the city is better off with CCFC thriving at the Ricoh. You'd have think that at some point positions at both ends would have started to shift.

SISU won't be here forever, but the club is now effectively shut out of ever having a share of ACL. To have made this deal literally a few weeks after the "let's build trust and see where it goes" speech is just wrong to me.

I'm not pretending that it isn't SISU who have led us to where we are - but it is still the council who chose to sell to Wasps, no one forced them to do it.

Like I say, I'm going to leave this. I fully accept there are different opinions, and yours is as well-made and valid as anyone else's.

Me arguing here isn't going to change anything, but anytime someone from the council pops up to say this was the right thing to do for the city, I'm going to feel a bit aggrieved. From where I'm sitting that's really not true.

None of us agree that it was a good thing for CCC to sell to Wasps. I would go as far as saying a totally shit thing to do. But it is understandable why they did.
 

Astute

Well-Known Member
The 'debt free' comment is a poor example as the club really had no external debt on time Ranson said it.

Better example would be 'stadium location will be revealed in three weeks'.

My favourite one has become 'Tim Fisher doesn't bluster'
 
I don't think it's understandable as they've never outlined the reasons for it.

We will probably never know all the reasons, but there can not be too many organisations that are either capable of buying or in need of a 32k stadium, so if Wasps were in the frame and said, here is a very good offer take it now or leave it, then CCC were very much between a rock and a hard place.

I don't like it, but I will get over it.

Unlike I don't like what SISU did to my club, and i will never get over that (Until they are gone that is)
 

skybluetony176

Well-Known Member
The 'debt free' comment is a poor example as the club really had no external debt on time Ranson said it.

Better example would be 'stadium location will be revealed in three weeks'.

I was thinking more of the time Tim said it. We were in administration within a year.
 

Godiva

Well-Known Member
I was thinking more of the time Tim said it. We were in administration within a year.

But not because of the debt. It was the only route to break the lease.
 

dadgad

Well-Known Member
From beginning to end (though we're not quite there yet) Sisu have misjudged the situation and lost credibility everywhere. They were mad to take on Ccfc in the first place so we shouldn't be too surprised at all subsequent decisions.
 

James Smith

Well-Known Member
As always it's never that simple, is it?

We all seem to forget what Wasps CEO said at the press conference: "This takeover is the culmination of two years meticulous planning."
That put the start of the negotiation right into the timeframe when CCC/Higgs and sisu were all negotiating in good faith. Forget about all the noise about who went to the bank and all that - the negotiations seem to have died when Wasps came around if we are to believe Mr Eastwood.

It would be interesting to know when Wasps approached CCC about this deal. I'm not talking about any historic ACL plan "B" stuff (as I haven't seen any evidence to say that was ever anything more than talk) just when Wasps actually approached the council about this deal. Also like to know when the Higgs were told of the approach. What I think is possible with the Higgs is that we were either still in Northampton or saying that we we only wanted a short term rent deal when coming/already back at the Ricoh. The Higgs we know wanted out and I think weren't expecting to be in this for anything like as long as they have been. It's not impossible that the council said to them Wasps have approached us and made an offer for ACL you can get out now too and in fact Wasps would like you to. In the light of our new stadium idea and a lack of interest in ACL (other than as a short term tenant) they agreed to sell up. This is of course only a possibility and something entirely different may have occurred. As I have said before if our intention was the Ricoh & ACL all along then we shouldn't have made so many daft statements saying the New Stadium is our future.
 

Astute

Well-Known Member
It would be interesting to know when Wasps approached CCC about this deal. I'm not talking about any historic ACL plan "B" stuff (as I haven't seen any evidence to say that was ever anything more than talk) just when Wasps actually approached the council about this deal. Also like to know when the Higgs were told of the approach. What I think is possible with the Higgs is that we were either still in Northampton or saying that we we only wanted a short term rent deal when coming/already back at the Ricoh. The Higgs we know wanted out and I think weren't expecting to be in this for anything like as long as they have been. It's not impossible that the council said to them Wasps have approached us and made an offer for ACL you can get out now too and in fact Wasps would like you to. In the light of our new stadium idea and a lack of interest in ACL (other than as a short term tenant) they agreed to sell up. This is of course only a possibility and something entirely different may have occurred. As I have said before if our intention was the Ricoh & ACL all along then we shouldn't have made so many daft statements saying the New Stadium is our future.

I fully agree with all of this other than the so many daft statement bit. It wasn't the amount of times that they said it IMO but the timing of it each time. To me it was designed to put pressure on CCC/Higgs. It seems to have worked, but not in the way any of us wanted. And now they are doing the same to Wasps. At least it should help with any agreement between the two of them if it comes to it.
 

Grendel

Well-Known Member
It would be interesting to know when Wasps approached CCC about this deal. I'm not talking about any historic ACL plan "B" stuff (as I haven't seen any evidence to say that was ever anything more than talk) just when Wasps actually approached the council about this deal. Also like to know when the Higgs were told of the approach. What I think is possible with the Higgs is that we were either still in Northampton or saying that we we only wanted a short term rent deal when coming/already back at the Ricoh. The Higgs we know wanted out and I think weren't expecting to be in this for anything like as long as they have been. It's not impossible that the council said to them Wasps have approached us and made an offer for ACL you can get out now too and in fact Wasps would like you to. In the light of our new stadium idea and a lack of interest in ACL (other than as a short term tenant) they agreed to sell up. This is of course only a possibility and something entirely different may have occurred. As I have said before if our intention was the Ricoh & ACL all along then we shouldn't have made so many daft statements saying the New Stadium is our future.

Has it been confirmes that WASPS approached the council and not the other way round?
 

Grendel

Well-Known Member
It has been well "rumoured" that WASPS were considering a deal for the Ricoh 2 years ago

I alluded to that and as could produce no evidence on here the council pitchfork brigade decided to burn me at the stake.
 

James Smith

Well-Known Member
Has it been confirmes that WASPS approached the council and not the other way round?

I thought I'd read it somewhere and I've now answered part of my own question. Lucas said it was July (this year?) on the radio (I assume CWR) apparently the day of the press conference.

Interesting that Ann Lucas said today on the radio that Wasps made contact for the first time in July.
http://www.coventrytelegraph.net/news/coventry-news/happened-wasps-announce-move-ricoh-7900368

Assuming she was telling the truth of course.
 

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