Wasps/Football Fan
Member
Hi everyone,
I am a "London" Wasps fan from High Wycombe, where the rugby team obviously used to play before relocating to Coventry. I used to go to the rugby matches every week, because it was local, high quality and great entertainment. Wasps weren't doing very well on the field, but that didn't really bother me because I was supporting the team I loved and could easily see every game. Regardless of your opinions about rugby, there was nothing wrong with that. I loved it. At the same time, I am also a season ticket holder on the terrace at Adams Park for Wycombe Wanderers, so I can appreciate both games, and see both sports for their positives and negatives. I love each sport equally.
I acutely know about all about the anger amongst Coventry City fans about the move, partly from this forum and partly from Coventry fan mates I have. I'm not going to come on here to condescendingly talk to you like children. Instead, I actually agree with all of your frustration. I would be incredibly p*ssed off if a team from another sport bought the stadium and training ground off Wycombe, and then belittled us constantly, and created a host of other issues. WWFC had lots of problems with Wasps' tenancy, and many football fans were very pleased when Wasps left. But that was nothing in comparison to what is happening to your great club.
Wasps moved for money. They sold their soul to businessmen and corporate types. It annoyed me hugely that my team had moved 90 miles away into a soulless new stadium in a city with no connection to them. Yes, we have experienced a huge upturn in form on the field and are now one of the best teams in Europe. Yes, we are now mega-rich. And yes, we have managed to attract some new fans from the Midlands. As Borat would say, it has been a "Great Success", both financially and sportingly. But to me, it hasn't.
They've alienated fans from their traditional home in the London area. I've only been to 3 matches at the Ricoh in a year and a half. And I don't enjoy our success as much as I used to, because we're just buying the best players in the world in order to dominate the game. Galacticos if you like. Wasps fans used to always complain about the bigger rugby teams spending massively on international stars. Now, we're the worst culprits. The hypocrisy is astounding. It is essentially buying success with the new money, and I don't feel comfortable or satisfied with that. At the same time, we're destroying a historic football team who had been in the city for 130 years. It doesn't sit well with me at all.
I will still support Wasps because I always have done, and I have many great friends who support Wasps. They are my team, I want them to win, and I know they aren't moving out any time soon. But they are now a distant soulless team attempting to buy victory, at the expense of another great sporting institution. And when CCFC fans complain, the superior attitude of many rugby fans is displayed, failing to understand your situation, and making the irrelevant point that football is a thug's game full of uneducated idiots. That is a part of rugby that I hate. Both sets of fans should try to understand/respect the other sport for what it is. Not dismiss it out of hand.
Personally, I disagree with many of the comments about Haskell on this forum. He is a great guy IMO, and doesn't deserve the treatment he gets. I also disagree with your general hatred of rugby as a sport too. It just seems like blind tribalism on both sides of the fence. But overall, I definitely sympathise greatly with CCFC. I wish there was an easy way to sort the mess out, beneficial to both teams. I just wanted you to realise that many of us Wasps fans can see your plight.
I am a "London" Wasps fan from High Wycombe, where the rugby team obviously used to play before relocating to Coventry. I used to go to the rugby matches every week, because it was local, high quality and great entertainment. Wasps weren't doing very well on the field, but that didn't really bother me because I was supporting the team I loved and could easily see every game. Regardless of your opinions about rugby, there was nothing wrong with that. I loved it. At the same time, I am also a season ticket holder on the terrace at Adams Park for Wycombe Wanderers, so I can appreciate both games, and see both sports for their positives and negatives. I love each sport equally.
I acutely know about all about the anger amongst Coventry City fans about the move, partly from this forum and partly from Coventry fan mates I have. I'm not going to come on here to condescendingly talk to you like children. Instead, I actually agree with all of your frustration. I would be incredibly p*ssed off if a team from another sport bought the stadium and training ground off Wycombe, and then belittled us constantly, and created a host of other issues. WWFC had lots of problems with Wasps' tenancy, and many football fans were very pleased when Wasps left. But that was nothing in comparison to what is happening to your great club.
Wasps moved for money. They sold their soul to businessmen and corporate types. It annoyed me hugely that my team had moved 90 miles away into a soulless new stadium in a city with no connection to them. Yes, we have experienced a huge upturn in form on the field and are now one of the best teams in Europe. Yes, we are now mega-rich. And yes, we have managed to attract some new fans from the Midlands. As Borat would say, it has been a "Great Success", both financially and sportingly. But to me, it hasn't.
They've alienated fans from their traditional home in the London area. I've only been to 3 matches at the Ricoh in a year and a half. And I don't enjoy our success as much as I used to, because we're just buying the best players in the world in order to dominate the game. Galacticos if you like. Wasps fans used to always complain about the bigger rugby teams spending massively on international stars. Now, we're the worst culprits. The hypocrisy is astounding. It is essentially buying success with the new money, and I don't feel comfortable or satisfied with that. At the same time, we're destroying a historic football team who had been in the city for 130 years. It doesn't sit well with me at all.
I will still support Wasps because I always have done, and I have many great friends who support Wasps. They are my team, I want them to win, and I know they aren't moving out any time soon. But they are now a distant soulless team attempting to buy victory, at the expense of another great sporting institution. And when CCFC fans complain, the superior attitude of many rugby fans is displayed, failing to understand your situation, and making the irrelevant point that football is a thug's game full of uneducated idiots. That is a part of rugby that I hate. Both sets of fans should try to understand/respect the other sport for what it is. Not dismiss it out of hand.
Personally, I disagree with many of the comments about Haskell on this forum. He is a great guy IMO, and doesn't deserve the treatment he gets. I also disagree with your general hatred of rugby as a sport too. It just seems like blind tribalism on both sides of the fence. But overall, I definitely sympathise greatly with CCFC. I wish there was an easy way to sort the mess out, beneficial to both teams. I just wanted you to realise that many of us Wasps fans can see your plight.