Just seen this on the news. Mixed feelings - when I was growing up Wasps were my local rugby union team, in Sudbury in those days, and I have a vague attachment to them (though I always preferred Quins shirt). I know they have played at our place, Watford, Reading over the last few years, now relocating to the Midlands ....whatever West London fan base they have is going to be seriously pissed off. There are also numerous local (to Coventry) rugby clubs that surely won't welcome competition for young talent and support - Coventry and Broadstreet are good set ups in particular, though the real local talent goes to Worcester, Leicester (which is like the Chelsea of rugby, vacuuming up and spitting out youngsters ad nauseum) or Northampton. For me it gives premiership rugby a 20 minute drive away, which is great, especially as I really don't like Tigers and Saints, the nearest alternatives. It does mean going to Coventry though, which I usually avoid like the plague. In other rugby news, my true love (as a result on a conversation on here with our Irish colleagues) Connacht have had a great start to the season, only one loss and a win over the mighty Leinster, who will doubtless steal all their players as a result.
Nice post Stan. Why did so many rugby clubs vacate this quartile of London in that era? I've always preferred the Quins myself but did enjoy watching Wasps when they played at LR 15 odd years ago when I worked there. ( Were they not the same club in their early foundation but split shortly afterwards?) They had a great side then and were great to watch. They have become quite nomadic since leaving Sunbury which is a great shame. Hopefully they can resettle and rebuild at the Ricoh.
wasps were my local team too Stan...Just up the road, although my cousins played wing and prop for Sarries and my Dad took me all the way cross London to London Welsh. So will Wasps move up there and then be thrown out in a few years and end up in Northampton or Milton Keynes. Strange how Union teams wander around so much and nobody really cares. The fans seem to go for the rugby and not the tribal allegiance that we footy fans follow
The West London fan base were very put out when Wasps moved to Wycombe, although it was still possible for them to attend as Wycombe is just down the M40. They went through a lot of s**t with Steve Hayes owning both them and Wycombe Wanderers, but have come through it. The club would not relinquish the name London Wasps. Now they are moving to Coventry where they are buying The Ricoh from the local council and a charitable trust who co-own it. (I wonder if Coventry City have a good deal in place for the hire of the stadium that will transfer to the new ownership.) Wasps have said that they will provide free coaches to take fans (ST holders) from Wycombe to Coventry until the end of the season. Imagine driving from London to Wycombe, finding a parking space (as I am sure Wycombe Wanderers will let them use their car park - for a price) and then sit on a bloody coach for a couple of hours to get to Coventry. See a match and then do it all in reverse. Every match would be an away match. They will be pleased when they get to go "away" to London Irish at Sunbury, Harlequins at Twickenham or Saracens at Barnet!
they've got to fill that soulless bowl of the Ricoh somehow....remember we lost there on it's opening game!
I guess if the timing had been different, Tony could have possibly done a ground-share with them at New Queen's Park (Old Oak Common), although the way we're going right now, that project seems like sheer fantasy.
Frankly, I couldn't give a flying f** what "Tony" could do. The way things are going I may well be watching rugby exclusively next season. Sorry Killy, nothing personal, just a bit sick of TF at the moment. Completely agree, Old Oak is a slim chance, and a 10 year development at least. I'd like to sit without my knees in my chin before arthritis makes it impossible to get up again. Was just trying to have a TF, Redknapp, Taarabt etc etc free thread for a change. And sorry Nines, failing in my 'morale officer' role. But we still have the name and the shirt, plus the mates and the memories, and thats enough!
The wife has just found out about this move. As a Welshwoman the response was instant -'brilliant, let's get season tickets'. I pointed out that I already have a season ticket elsewhere, to which she responded 'yeah, but it just makes you miserable, can you get your money back?' I have no credible response.
Say you sit next to a Welshwoman from fine rugby stock....and she is miserable too, so you have to stay at Loftus Road this season to keep her sane...(OK that won't hold water either, and would probably make matters a whole lot worst). ..how about work stops you going as much as you could to Loftus Road, and so that makes you a little happier that you are only missing misery...and if you had a season ticket for wasps and work stopped you going to that match...you would be much more unhappy...yeah, now that is a good excuse!!! Pleased with that one...try it out Stan!
Probably in a minority on here in that I much prefer league to union (probably the Aussies excepted) - and being a longstanding Wigan RLFC fan am really looking forward to the Grand Final. Still waiting to catch the NRL version from last weekend - lots of English represented in that for the first time in years. Sounded pretty brutal.
Good memories Stan. ...I played at wasps ground in sudbury a few times, the pitch was huge with the rickerty wooden stands on both sides of the pitch....They did have a decent club house and good beer.... During .my school days at the Wren our old pe teacher John Powell would take us to wasps on a Saturday afternoon after playing at Warren farm in the morning, as he played for them, so we could watch either their 1st or 2nd team play depending on who was playing. In many ways sky money has ruined rugby in the same way as football, gone are the days of paying a £20 sub and a couple of quid per game to play or watch and then copious amounts of beer....
I'm like you Tooting. I prefer league. I was only ever at two rugby matches live in my entire life, one union and one league. The rugby league was far better and far more entertaining. Looks like Wasps are treating their fan base in a similar hostile manner to how QPR are treating our own fans in the Lower Loft.
At least you get to stay in the same ground and don't have to travel 100 miles to see home games. Wasps lost a lot of fans after their move to Wycombe. Currently about 80% of their fans come from the Wycombe area. They always said that they hoped to move back to London (even keeping the name London Wasps whilst playing in High Wycombe). They are now just chasing the money. Moving to Coventry gives them a larger local catchment area including Coventry and Birmingham where there are no professional rugby teams and a nice shiny stadium to put them in (in which they have a 50% stake, purchased from Coventry Council and desire to buy the other 50% from the charitable organisation that owns it.)
http://www.wasps.co.uk/news/article/2014/10/08/the-ricoh-arena-q-as Here's what Wasps management have to say about it. Obviously a money driven move, allied to the big ambition to be the 'best'. I think the Ricoh will be a big echoey place for years to come, the hardcore local rugby fans are already firmly allied to either Tigers, Saints or their local clubs, like Moseley, which is still potentially a big club. But Wasps are clearly in a dilemma, the Wycombe thing would never work for a premiership club. As noted by Tramore above, another sport being ruined by money. But at least there is still a good structure in place at local club level, I'm missing watching colts rugby this year - always 100% commitment, frequent displays of skill and courage, and all for the hell of it and a few beers.
The biggest losers will be Coventry RFC who thirty years ago, before Rugby Union went totally professional, were one of the top half dozen clubs in the country. This could be the last nail in their coffin...
