I'd suggest most people (myself included) don't want to play tenant at the Ricoh to the franchise rugby club, but would accept returning there as an interim measure whilst our own home is built in the city.
Are you really buying that? Can’t believe some people are actually falling for this guff still. Hedge funds do not build football stadiums.
Are you really buying that? Can’t believe some people are actually falling for this guff still. Hedge funds do not build football stadiums.
I'd suggest most people (myself included) don't want to play tenant at the Ricoh to the franchise rugby club, but would accept returning there as an interim measure whilst our own home is built in the city.
We aren’t building our own.
You can either go back to the Ricoh as Wasps tenants, or you can gamble on the EU process going Sisus way and then the council doing exactly what Sisu want and not something else and we get the Ricoh and still can’t afford to run it.
No one is seriously planning for a new stadium. It’s a fun distraction like “which retired player would you play?”, but it’s not a serious plan for our future. It’s unicorn level stuff.
Ultimately we need to return but not at grossly disadvantageous price which would effectively put a ceiling on usWe aren’t building our own.
You can either go back to the Ricoh as Wasps tenants, or you can gamble on the EU process going Sisus way and then the council doing exactly what Sisu want and not something else and we get the Ricoh and still can’t afford to run it.
No one is seriously planning for a new stadium. It’s a fun distraction like “which retired player would you play?”, but it’s not a serious plan for our future. It’s unicorn level stuff.
And in my conversations with casual fans, the vast majority don’t give a shit about Wasps but think CCFC should play at the Ricoh.
Wouldn't fancy a slide tackle.
Ultimately we need to return but not at grossly disadvantageous price which would effectively put a ceiling on us
The trouble with comparing to the other groundshares is that those owners are football not rugby orientated. Simply not the case at the Ricoh. Why would wasps set it up in anything other than what suits them best and costs them least? That may match CCFC requirements but i wouldnt bet on it. They certainly are not going to give guarantees as to the pitch being in the best state for CCFC if it doesnt suit wasps.
Last time they relayed the pitch i seem to remember it cost a fortune sure i heard £1m quoted somewhere. If wasps dont need those improvements why would they spend that money again? If they did they are going to expect a large contribution from CCFC.
As i understand it how the ball rolls is not so important to rugby teams and traditionally the grass is longer. Both of which are handicaps to CCFC. Not handicaps to wasps. If the stadium owners were to do anything it would make more sense to install a synthetic pitch like Saracens have - lower maintenance, more usage etc. - CCFC can not under current ruless come back then
There has been a big thing made of the St Andrews pitch by the directors, manager and players. Views supported by many fans in general. In a sense that burns a lot of bridges back to the Ricoh. CCFC have cut their cloth accordingly and so far it seems to be working well. However wasps have not sat back wringing their hands at the loss of CCFC, they have made their own financial adjustments to match the financial realities. It will be interesting to see the 2020 CCFC accounts which will indicate what the St Andrews exile cost and additional investment by SISU
Not sure i share as yet the sentiment that SISU are covering any shortfalls. I think that the players sales have greatly softened that blow. Those player sales i suspect are the only reason we had anything like a decent budget this season and are not in embargo right now. At the moment things are looking positive on the pitch, attendances have probably beaten expectation and the finances are covered for now. The problem will be if the season tails off to any degree.
I would suspect that many of those that go to St Andrews this season would do so again next but will we have the players to sell to cover the shortfall next season. Possibly but probably at the expense of weakening the team - it isnt possible to keep pulling the trick out of the bag every season. I wouldn't as it stands rely on SISU putting major funding in.
The rent at st Andrews is apparently £300k, have match day expenses increased too in order to cover the ST Andrews pitch maintenance costs for example? There is a reason for the quality of the pitch - money
The feeling i get is that the club, and fans that go, are happy with what is happening at St Andrews playing/team wise. At the same time wasps are making cost savings, reorganising and apparently planning for the next 5 years (that has to be planning without ccfc doesnt it?) - going their own way. The EC complaint is the last throw at getting the Ricoh and could take until next Feb at least dependant on Brexit, There has been little given as to any plan for CCFC or stadium. CCC are stonewalling anything CCFC related so no idea if there is any movement their from either CCC or SISU. The club owners after a burst of PR activity appear once more silent. The EFL will do nothing. Dig behind the team results and CCFC are in a whole lot of potential problems
Personally i cant help thinking that CCFC are not coming back to the Ricoh and for now a growing number of fans are buying in to that. I just do not see how CCFC come back to the Ricoh any time soon if ever given attitudes and obstacles. The benefits of being elsewhere are being talked up, there are substantial obstacles including the playing surface and an unsympathetic potential landlord at the Ricoh. Not to mention those that dont go to St Andrews slowly losing the habit.
Are you really buying that? Can’t believe some people are actually falling for this guff still. Hedge funds do not build football stadiums.
The pitch at St Andrews is better because of maintenance, Wasps got Andy Turner down there to take pictures and do an article because they had hired heat lamps in. Most clubs will be doing this as standard anyway and won't need a big PR push.
Again have a look at the pitches at Ryton and the Higgs, they are both like carpet as well. The ones at Ryton were redone this summer and grew back I think.
You can tell that the Ricoh pitch isn't looked after as it should be (regardless of whether it's Rugby or Football and the PR pieces that are put out about it) .
Thanks. Lesson 2 is what councils do and what/who they represent. Lesson 3 is about franchises and sports teams/clubs.I'm not on about the hedge fund. I'm talking generally that is what I would like, I don't think SISU will build a stadium.
Thanks for the lesson on what hedge funds do and don't do, really helpful.
The trouble with comparing to the other groundshares is that those owners are football not rugby orientated. Simply not the case at the Ricoh. Why would wasps set it up in anything other than what suits them best and costs them least? That may match CCFC requirements but i wouldnt bet on it. They certainly are not going to give guarantees as to the pitch being in the best state for CCFC if it doesnt suit wasps or increases their own costs.
Last time they relayed the pitch i seem to remember it cost a fortune sure i heard £1m quoted somewhere. If wasps dont need those improvements why would they spend that money again? If they did they are going to expect a large contribution from CCFC.
As i understand it how the ball rolls is not so important to rugby teams and traditionally the grass is longer. Both of which are handicaps to CCFC. Not handicaps to wasps. If the stadium owners were to do anything it would make more sense to install a synthetic pitch like Saracens have - lower maintenance, more usage etc. - CCFC can not under current ruless come back then
There has been a big thing made of the St Andrews pitch by the directors, manager and players. Views supported by many fans in general. In a sense that burns a lot of bridges back to the Ricoh. CCFC have cut their cloth accordingly and so far it seems to be working well team wise. However wasps have not sat back wringing their hands at the loss of CCFC, they have made their own financial adjustments to match the financial realities. It will be interesting to see the 2020 CCFC accounts which will indicate what the St Andrews exile cost and additional investment by SISU. As it will be to see the same period financials for wasps
Not sure i share as yet the sentiment that SISU are covering any shortfalls. I think that the players sales have greatly softened that blow. Those player sales i suspect are the only reason we had anything like a decent budget this season and are not in embargo right now. At the moment things are looking positive on the pitch, attendances have probably beaten expectation and the finances are covered for now. The problem will be if the season tails off to any degree.
I would suspect that many of those that go to St Andrews this season would do so again next but will we have the players to sell to cover the shortfall next season. Possibly but probably at the expense of weakening the team - it isnt possible to keep pulling the trick out of the bag every season. I wouldn't as it stands rely on SISU putting major funding in.
The rent at st Andrews is apparently £300k, have match day expenses increased too in order to cover the ST Andrews pitch maintenance costs for example? There is a reason for the quality of the pitch - money
The feeling i get is that the club, and fans that go, are happy with what is happening at St Andrews playing/team wise. At the same time wasps are making cost savings, reorganising and apparently planning for the next 5 years (that has to be planning without ccfc doesnt it?) - going their own way. The EC complaint is the last throw at getting the Ricoh and could take until next Feb at least dependant on Brexit, There has been little given as to any plan for CCFC or stadium. CCC are stonewalling anything CCFC related so no idea if there is any movement their from either CCC or SISU. The club owners after a burst of PR activity appear once more silent. The EFL will do nothing. Dig behind the team results and CCFC are in a whole lot of potential problems
Personally i cant help thinking that CCFC are not coming back to the Ricoh and for now a growing number of fans are buying in to that. I just do not see how CCFC come back to the Ricoh any time soon if ever given attitudes and obstacles. The benefits of being elsewhere are being talked up, there are substantial obstacles including the playing surface and an unsympathetic potential landlord at the Ricoh. Not to mention those that dont go to St Andrews slowly losing the habit.
Not sure CCFC are in a position to make demands about the pitch in order to come back. wasps i suspect know/think that
The big draw for SISU wasn't the football stadium itself - with taking on the maintenance costs etc it wouldn't have been much if any more profitable that renting and keeping the gate money. The big draw was all the extras that came with it in the exhibition hall, potential for concerts, hotel etc. with expansion possibilities.
Any new stadium would be just that - a football stadium and the income generating potential would be much more limited. Hence why the new stadium thing was always nothing more than a smokescreen. It was going to be the Ricoh or nothing.
Yep, if there was a blueprint/planning accepted etc and shovels in the ground I would be on the phone now getting a season ticket.I think a hell of a lot of fans would go St Andrews who aren't already if we saw cranes and diggers at a Coventry site starting the building of a new Stadium, sadly deep down, I don't think that is going to happen.
I want to be at the Ricoh, but where we are the only team, or that it feels our home, like it did when we first moved into the Ricoh in 2005. The pitch was always so good, and despite the debate about if it's better or not than Highfield Road, I for one loved going and proud that we had great new stadium to play in.
Fast forward to returning from Northampton, and the season's since. I don't know about anyone else, but I don't have that same love and affection for the Ricoh as I did before we left. The reason, wasps. Wasps logos bigger than ours, no ccfc club shop at the stadium, all these things have made it feel that we don't really belong there, it's sad as if Wasps were to be playing there, we should be the tenants.
Wasps are the problem, and I don't mean they are solely at fault, but them being there is a 3rd party and makes it almost impossible for us to have the Ricoh.
Seppala talked about wasps wanting to be involved in buying CCFC, could SISU buy Wasps?
It is hard to see how the Ricoh can be made to feel like it once did while Wasps are there. Maybe a co-ownership, I don't know.
Forgive me if I am repeating but I seem to remember the pitch being in a poor state before Wasps took over? I thought the current pitch was hybrid synthetic/natural which was supposed to suit a mixture of football and rugby?
Yep, if there was a blueprint/planning accepted etc and shovels in the ground I would be on the phone now getting a season ticket.
Yep, fair post. Unfortunately while Sisu are in charge there is always going to be a glass ceiling to what we can/will achieve and that is probably going to be at the level we are at or lower as we have seen recently.The losing habit bit I don’t think is much of an issue
I think if a ground was built it would attract big crowds
The issue is how’s it realistically going to get built. Even if there was a positive transparent plan of action it would take a long time and there is not even that
I don’t know if people are that happy going to St Andrews. I’m not and it’s not that inconvenient as I live by the A45 not far from the NEC - to be honest if I was still working the hours I did I wouldn’t bother and I think there will be a tail off - we have to keep winning to keep the crowd we have and the weather is kind at the moment.
I’d assume the loans are higher than what was being put in before to cover costs if nothing else. The Baylis cash will have funded the club for a short term but it’s not sustainable
I am moving more to the opinion like you that we will not be going back due to the way the Pr is going but this isn’t to my mind a sustainable position
I don’t think promotion is remotely achievable and even if it is we would have a very inadequate squad and would lose a lot of matches in the championship so financially it’s of no benefit
Clocks counting down on us I think
Forgive me if I am repeating but I seem to remember the pitch being in a poor state before Wasps took over? I thought the current pitch was hybrid synthetic/natural which was supposed to suit a mixture of football and rugby?
We aren’t building our own.
You can either go back to the Ricoh as Wasps tenants, or you can gamble on the EU process going Sisus way and then the council doing exactly what Sisu want and not something else and we get the Ricoh and still can’t afford to run it.
.
That who has told you then?No but if you speak with the players management see what they say
Ultimately we need to return but not at grossly disadvantageous price which would effectively put a ceiling on us
you?
dont you mean we?
my only hope i cling to is that we get promoted this year and that opens up
new ambitious owners
sisu become more mbitious themselves and back robins to try get them to promise land of prem
new deal at ricoh is secured on good terms for ccfc and attendences rise back to 18k as we go back to being a 16th place team
any of those would do
I'd suggest most people (myself included) don't want to play tenant at the Ricoh to the franchise rugby club, but would accept returning there as an interim measure whilst our own home is built in the city.
To be honest the best thing was to let ACL default and go bust. Start again. Although the council weren’t going to have that.To be honest I’m not sure such a price exists that allows us to run the Ricoh without Wasps there. I suspect (no evidence obvs) that a ground share between the two clubs is the only thing that’ll make the Ricoh viable.
Of course that would mean a relationship with Wasps and neither Sisu nor many fans seem to want that. I worry about the plan should the EU action fail. Maybe we will seriously look at building somewhere, but that could be a decade or more away.
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