WDC Leader wants talks with Wanderers and Wasps owners (From Bucks Free Press)

Balls in your court Mr Collingwood. You have played a significant part in the creation of the Trusts ownership and now its up to YOU to support it. The voters of Wycombe are watching!

Story about Wasps with a photo of Cllr Collingwood looking as though he's about to squat a wasp. I've commented on this before - surely its about time the BFP consigned this bizarre image to the recycle bin!?!? :-/

If things go well for Wanderers and Wasps then he will claim he as part of it all. If things don't go well it will be everybody else's fault.
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He is currently trying to claim credit for the Rye Lido which he was against and only supported after seeing just how many votes he would lose if he didn't!
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Typical egocentric politician.

geoffW wrote:
If things go well for Wanderers and Wasps then he will claim he as part of it all. If things don't go well it will be everybody else's fault.
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He is currently trying to claim credit for the Rye Lido which he was against and only supported after seeing just how many votes he would lose if he didn't!
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Typical egocentric politician.

Yet again Tories quick to come forward when its not costing them anything-- Talk is cheap Collingwood!!

These councillors and leaders are all the same, they are trying to leave a legacy and score points against each other, no way are they doing it to benefit others, that is not how these people work, this blokes is trying to leave a trademark, ie Sports Centre, Running Track, and the dreaded Town Centre Masterplan, which will ruin the centre for good. Clarke was exactly the same with Eden.
His true colours are slowly coming out.

townraider wrote:

geoffW wrote: If things go well for Wanderers and Wasps then he will claim he as part of it all. If things don't go well it will be everybody else's fault. . He is currently trying to claim credit for the Rye Lido which he was against and only supported after seeing just how many votes he would lose if he didn't! . Typical egocentric politician.

Yet again Tories quick to come forward when its not costing them anything-- Talk is cheap Collingwood!!

Hmmm, that might be a fair comment were it not the case during the stadium fiasco, when not only did he put his political reputation on the line, but that of his professional too.

The easy way out for Alex Collingwood and his team, would have been to adopt the status quo, he and the committee didn't, he stuck to his brief the figures were scrutinised in spite of a powerful pig-headed bunch of old school politicians, stuck with with the fact that financially, the stadium did not stack up financially or indeed policy wise. So impressed with his performance, he is now leader of the Council and the only ammunition the opposition has against his performance, is slights against the mans character. I should say that is a key performance indicator that he is doing a good job.

All Political parties and the public are responsible for the new era that WASPs, WW are in, that Mr Collingwood has come forward and extended a hand towards these CLUBS, under new ownership should be applauded, not ridiculed with cheap jibes.

wayneo wrote:

townraider wrote:

geoffW wrote: If things go well for Wanderers and Wasps then he will claim he as part of it all. If things don't go well it will be everybody else's fault. . He is currently trying to claim credit for the Rye Lido which he was against and only supported after seeing just how many votes he would lose if he didn't! . Typical egocentric politician.

Yet again Tories quick to come forward when its not costing them anything-- Talk is cheap Collingwood!!

Hmmm, that might be a fair comment were it not the case during the stadium fiasco, when not only did he put his political reputation on the line, but that of his professional too. The easy way out for Alex Collingwood and his team, would have been to adopt the status quo, he and the committee didn't, he stuck to his brief the figures were scrutinised in spite of a powerful pig-headed bunch of old school politicians, stuck with with the fact that financially, the stadium did not stack up financially or indeed policy wise. So impressed with his performance, he is now leader of the Council and the only ammunition the opposition has against his performance, is slights against the mans character. I should say that is a key performance indicator that he is doing a good job. All Political parties and the public are responsible for the new era that WASPs, WW are in, that Mr Collingwood has come forward and extended a hand towards these CLUBS, under new ownership should be applauded, not ridiculed with cheap jibes.

" ... he put his political reputation on the line ..."
... and now, as if by magic, he is leader!
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He saw an opportunity to further his own "career". It is called calculated risk.
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Where were/are he and his "team" when other Wycombe businesses were/are going under? Obviously not high profile enough.

Pehaps Mr Collingwood would like to write to the new owners and invite them to a meeting.
It would be an improvement on the lack of contact from him, he did not write to Mr Hayes or Wasps, after the end of the Booker Stadium debacle.

williamjames wrote:
Pehaps Mr Collingwood would like to write to the new owners and invite them to a meeting. It would be an improvement on the lack of contact from him, he did not write to Mr Hayes or Wasps, after the end of the Booker Stadium debacle.

Is it the job of the Leader of a Council to go running after every business owner in the District?
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Seem to recall he did state that he was open to having a dialogue with the Clubs but that they hadn't been in touch since last July (up to which point they, or at least WSDL, were VERY happy to have a constant dialogue going whilst they thought the Council was going to pay for a new stadium for them).
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Surely the job of a Leader is to do as he has, and suggest that he's at least open to having a discussion? Thereby leaving the ball, so to speak, in their court.

Now that there is someone to talk to! ......... he's doing what should be done.
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Too many critics with time on their hands.
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But "Wycombe Wasps" would be so much nicer, if they ultimately decide this is where they want to settle.

I'm afraid my answer on this matter is fairly simple. Cllr Collingwood you and your fellow cronies can jump off the nearest available cliff. I have read many posts on this story and many others on the BFP site, and feel it is glaringly obvious that the local community do not wish Wasps to be part of their blessed green and pleasant town.
I for one shall be sad as a Wasps fan that the decision will be made to move away from High Wycombe, but reading comments on all the pages relating to new stadiums, club administration worries and current situations it is clear that the vast majority of blinkered local do-gooders do not see for themselves what good actually comes from having such teams within their midst.
One such post made the point that they would be happy to see Wasps leave as they never wanted them in the first place, and that frankly they didn't want WWFC there either as they were nothing but a blight on their town.
I have supported Wasps for as long as I can remember and have very, very fond memories of Adams Park / Causeway Stadium,
And remember the days we played at Loftus Road and Sudbury, and was as happy as anyone when Wasps decided to move to a High Wycombe. It will be a sad day for me, and many wasps fans when we have to leave High Wycombe, but that day will come. The local people had the opportunity to embrace a club in need of a long-term stable home, and failed to do so. We cannot keep to Adams Park forever, rugby is ever more popular, and attendances are rising. We cannot expect to stay at a 10,500 capacity stadium when regular attendances at other clubs are regularly over 20,000.

So, again, with regret I say you are too late Cllr Collingwood, the talking should have been done months / years ago, not starting now. Go find that cliff...

laircm wrote:
Story about Wasps with a photo of Cllr Collingwood looking as though he's about to squat a wasp. I've commented on this before - surely its about time the BFP consigned this bizarre image to the recycle bin!?!? :-/

I think they are hinting that he is an alien searching the cosmos with his telescopic gaze, looking for the mother ship and possibly communicating with it telepathically.

LifelongWasp wrote:
I'm afraid my answer on this matter is fairly simple. Cllr Collingwood you and your fellow cronies can jump off the nearest available cliff. I have read many posts on this story and many others on the BFP site, and feel it is glaringly obvious that the local community do not wish Wasps to be part of their blessed green and pleasant town.
I for one shall be sad as a Wasps fan that the decision will be made to move away from High Wycombe, but reading comments on all the pages relating to new stadiums, club administration worries and current situations it is clear that the vast majority of blinkered local do-gooders do not see for themselves what good actually comes from having such teams within their midst.
One such post made the point that they would be happy to see Wasps leave as they never wanted them in the first place, and that frankly they didn't want WWFC there either as they were nothing but a blight on their town.
I have supported Wasps for as long as I can remember and have very, very fond memories of Adams Park / Causeway Stadium,
And remember the days we played at Loftus Road and Sudbury, and was as happy as anyone when Wasps decided to move to a High Wycombe. It will be a sad day for me, and many wasps fans when we have to leave High Wycombe, but that day will come. The local people had the opportunity to embrace a club in need of a long-term stable home, and failed to do so. We cannot keep to Adams Park forever, rugby is ever more popular, and attendances are rising. We cannot expect to stay at a 10,500 capacity stadium when regular attendances at other clubs are regularly over 20,000.

So, again, with regret I say you are too late Cllr Collingwood, the talking should have been done months / years ago, not starting now. Go find that cliff...

Personally I would much prefer London Wasps to remain at Adams Park. But that doesn't mean I think the Council should have spent £40M+ on building another stadium, let alone the impact on existing businesses and the harm to the Green Belt that the proposal entailed.
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If the Club needed a stadium with a higher capacity then it could have redeveloped Adams Park. That would have meant the club finding the money itself though.

I think Collingswood wants to do this, because when and probably not if, Wasps decide to go, its going to be humiliating for the council, i don't think he doing this because he wants to, its because he has too.

miccles wrote:
I think Collingswood wants to do this, because when and probably not if, Wasps decide to go, its going to be humiliating for the council, i don't think he doing this because he wants to, its because he has too.

Why is it going to be humiliating for the council ???

washondo wrote:

miccles wrote:
I think Collingswood wants to do this, because when and probably not if, Wasps decide to go, its going to be humiliating for the council, i don't think he doing this because he wants to, its because he has too.

Why is it going to be humiliating for the council ???

Well its obvious, both parties (WDC and Wasps) are not bosom buddies, and never will be, the main reason they are going, or maybe going, is because of the council/stadium saga, now all of a sudden the council wants to talk and help them out, to me this should have been done last year, and both parties are at fault, because if Wasps go, they are going to say its because of the council who didn't want to know.

laircm wrote:
Story about Wasps with a photo of Cllr Collingwood looking as though he's about to squat a wasp. I've commented on this before - surely its about time the BFP consigned this bizarre image to the recycle bin!?!? :-/

Apart from wondering how one 'squats' a wasp rather than swatting one, I think this photo should have a caption or speech balloon competition, in which people write in and say what they think Mr Collingwood was thinking or saying to himself when this photograph was taken.