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Post by headingtonutd on Jan 25, 2017 12:56:17 GMT
I'm sorry boys but I don't agree with all the celebrating and back slapping on here at the death of a sports club. 'They ruined our pitch"? Come on, they found somewhere to play and played. The state of the pitch was down to the stadium owners who allowed duel use. Funny how people are prepared to see us walk out of the county and ruin someone else's pitch if it gets us what we want with our ground issues? As for what their directors may have tried to do I just don't see how you hold a club responsible for their actions. Would we deserve do go out of business if Kassam had tried to turn someone over while in charge here? A club is not it's owner or their actions, it's the supporters and staff who have followed the club from before the owner was involved and should be able to after they leave. London Welsh were founded eight years before Headington Utd were. Imagine how we'd feel right now. This goes beyond the pitch issue. We all know that that was Firoka’s fault although few pitches are truly robust enough to have both rugby and football played on it once or twice a week. They came to Oxford making all the right noises including sounding out a joint bid for the stadium. However, they were looking to do a deal behind our back with FK. It doesn’t matter whether it was their owners or board who made the decision – London Welsh was the entity they wanted to force into the Kassam Stadium and their attitude to the incumbent tenants was one of contempt. That’s where my sympathy ends. There is a cautionary lesson in all of his and that’s keep your core support happy and look to build on it. Don’t go thinking that the grass is always greener and understand that certain clubs have a limit. The appetite for top flight rugby in Oxford is low (amateur and university level rugby commands the support around here) and their failed experiment in chasing an impossible dream has ended the existence of a very old club. Maybe their meagre handful of supporters can resurrect a phoenix club and the handful of now jobless staff can find employment again quickly, but it goes to show that if you treat your core support with contempt there is no way back. Again, people are gloating over the demise of a historic club because of the actions of their present board. We could just have easily been dragged into a situation in the Maxwell years with Thames Valley Royals or we could be moved to someone else's ground over our current issues. Would that make it fair or funny if we went bankrupt? I have little sympathy for those in charge but this smug 'serves them right' attitude towards the club in general by some on here reflects really badly on us. A club is it's supporters and the staff of run it. Are we really glad their club has died?
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Post by Gary Baldi on Jan 25, 2017 13:17:41 GMT
Few people gave a toss when we had our money issues and got relegated to the Conference. Can't see why we should feel sorry for anyone else who falls on hard times.
I do feel sorry for the staff, but why should I care otherwise? Their attitude stunk to high heaven and it was needless.
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Post by headingtonutd on Jan 25, 2017 14:09:18 GMT
Few people gave a toss when we had our money issues and got relegated to the Conference. Can't see why we should feel sorry for anyone else who falls on hard times. I do feel sorry for the staff, but why should I care otherwise? Their attitude stunk to high heaven and it was needless. Nobody said anyone should care deeply, but gloating at supporters who have lost the club that many have supported their whole life is a bit much don't you think? And as it happens I don't think it's unreasonable to have a little sympathy for any club in danger of going out of business. I've chucked money in buckets at away games before when clubs have been on their knees. I was also proud of the club giving up their gate money this season for a lower league club who needed it much more than we did.
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Post by essexyellows on Jan 25, 2017 15:40:33 GMT
We could very easily have ended up like Coventry if LW had bought the ground.To have ended up as "lodgers" to a nomadic rugby club would have been embarrassing. LW had delusions of grandeur that were obviously just that. Much like football life outside the Premiership is tough as they found out, sad they have gone but I`ll sleep OK.
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Post by holdsteady on Jan 25, 2017 15:48:21 GMT
Whether people are gloating or not, their is no demand for a professional rugby union team in either London or Oxford, or surrounding areas, for a team called London Welsh.
They can't get people through the gates at div one or two level, in any location, so them going to the wall is not exactly a surprise.
The fact that they were willing to relocate their failing club, and try to succeed at our expense means their will be little sympathy from most Oxford fans.
They actually have amateur sides, as most of these long standing fans must of started watching them in the days when all Rugby Union was a sport supposedly paid for free means that it shouldn't be to much of a shock to go and watch those sides at their traditional home.
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Post by thehorse on Jan 25, 2017 20:32:21 GMT
Those who are saying "we could have ended up like Coventry" had LW been able to buy the stadium......aren't Coventry in a better position now than before Wasps went in there?
Also, why would oufc be in a worse position had LW managed to buy the kassam? They've been gone over a year and OUFC are still no closer to buying the ground and still have Firoz Kassam as landlord, who's to say that Welsh wouldn't have been a great landlord and would have given the club a much better deal....
As someone who also enjoys watching rugby both live and on tv it's a shame to see a club go to the wall, just as it is to see any football club whatever the level, all clubs are about the supporters and the volunteers at lower levels, Its them who really lose out at times like these.
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Post by holdsteady on Jan 25, 2017 21:02:05 GMT
Those who are saying "we could have ended up like Coventry" had LW been able to buy the stadium......aren't Coventry in a better position now than before Wasps went in there? Also, why would oufc be in a worse position had LW managed to buy the kassam? They've been gone over a year and OUFC are still no closer to buying the ground and still have Firoz Kassam as landlord, who's to say that Welsh wouldn't have been a great landlord and would have given the club a much better deal.... As someone who also enjoys watching rugby both live and on tv it's a shame to see a club go to the wall, just as it is to see any football club whatever the level, all clubs are about the supporters and the volunteers at lower levels, Its them who really lose out at times like these. They are bottom of league one and have to find somewhere new to play soon, so no, they really ain't.
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Post by thehorse on Jan 25, 2017 21:25:31 GMT
So you are blaming wasps for the current situation at Coventry?
Coventry moved out of the Ricoh Arena to play at Sixfields in 2013 and returned again in 2014
2007 - Coventry were 20 mins away from administration 2012 - Coventry were relegated to league one
Coventry had entered into an agreement that saw them paying £1.3 million a year rent to the previous (sole) owners of the ground.
Coventry City have been making a loss of around £7m a season before the move to Sixfields
I would suggest these are all major contributing factors to their current position in the league than the arrival of a rugby club at the ground in 2014.
Incidentally, since the rugby club have moved in and acquired a 100% ownership of the stadium Coventry have been able to return to the city and are paying a much more reasonable £100k a year.
So yes, I would say that overall, given the more favourable rental agreement and that they are back in the City, they are in a better position than before Wasps were involved.
But hey, why let facts get in the way of an argument.
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Post by Gary Baldi on Jan 25, 2017 21:32:02 GMT
Few people gave a toss when we had our money issues and got relegated to the Conference. Can't see why we should feel sorry for anyone else who falls on hard times. I do feel sorry for the staff, but why should I care otherwise? Their attitude stunk to high heaven and it was needless. Nobody said anyone should care deeply, but gloating at supporters who have lost the club that many have supported their whole life is a bit much don't you think? And as it happens I don't think it's unreasonable to have a little sympathy for any club in danger of going out of business. I've chucked money in buckets at away games before when clubs have been on their knees. I was also proud of the club giving up their gate money this season for a lower league club who needed it much more than we did. If we are gloating, its on a reciprocal basis. If LW had been true partners at the stadium, my attitude (and many others) would be different. They swanned in like they owned the place but disappeared very quietly when it went wrong. Professional sport is not a place for sentiment.
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Post by MJB on Jan 25, 2017 21:53:47 GMT
Jem/OxVox:
Any chance of us getting the London Welsh badges back up on the stadium for the rest of the season as a mark of respect?
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Post by holdsteady on Jan 25, 2017 21:56:19 GMT
So you are blaming wasps for the current situation at Coventry? Coventry moved out of the Ricoh Arena to play at Sixfields in 2013 and returned again in 2014 2007 - Coventry were 20 mins away from administration 2012 - Coventry were relegated to league one Coventry had entered into an agreement that saw them paying £1.3 million a year rent to the previous (sole) owners of the ground. Coventry City have been making a loss of around £7m a season before the move to Sixfields I would suggest these are all major contributing factors to their current position in the league than the arrival of a rugby club at the ground in 2014. Incidentally, since the rugby club have moved in and acquired a 100% ownership of the stadium Coventry have been able to return to the city and are paying a much more reasonable £100k a year. So yes, I would say that overall, given the more favourable rental agreement and that they are back in the City, they are in a better position than before Wasps were involved. But hey, why let facts get in the way of an argument. I wasn't blaming wasps for Coventrys problems, I just pointed out that things have not improved since they shared a stadium, you could of saved yourself a lot of time if you had comprehended that.
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Post by Colin B on Jan 25, 2017 22:10:14 GMT
Jem/OxVox: Any chance of us getting the London Welsh badges back up on the stadium for the rest of the season as a mark of respect? Sorry but they've already been used. They went up very well on November 5th.............
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Post by MJB on Jan 25, 2017 22:13:54 GMT
Jem/OxVox: Any chance of us getting the London Welsh badges back up on the stadium for the rest of the season as a mark of respect? Sorry but they've already been used. They went up very well on November 5th............. Ah well, shouldn't let it dragon I guess.
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Post by concretebob on Jan 25, 2017 22:14:31 GMT
Here's a reminder of how bad the pitch got when the jolly japers were tearing it to shreds youtu.be/rCELsqTKNzw
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Post by MJB on Jan 25, 2017 22:20:08 GMT
Here's a reminder of how bad the pitch got when the jolly japers were tearing it to shreds youtu.be/rCELsqTKNzwChrist. I'd genuinely forgotten how dreadful it was.
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