I think one understated area where Wasps are in desperate need of improvement is in the PR department.
Ali Donnelly and Mel Platt were absolutely brilliant at their jobs and the way Wasps fans engaged with the club in the struggles throughout 2011/12 was testament to how good ally and her team were. Mel Platt did a very good job when she joined the club and had a really good level of control on the media.
I have nothing against Paul Smith. He's a top bloke who I got to know well. I wrote a few blogs for him when he was at the Coventry Telegraph and fact checked a few bits for the club website when he joined the club. However I don't think he had anywhere near the control with the media and that's when the tide started to turn. I don't think he appreciated how demanding the role would be either. He did contact me before he left to say he was leaving, although in hindsight I'm not overly convinced he told me the full story as to why.
His replacement, Tom Value, didn't convince me at all to be honest, and it was around this time that things started to change.
(SBSam may disagree with me here...)
Sisu/CCFC really got their act together in terms of what they told the media and supporters and how things were worded. That in turn helped persuade fans who had previously been against them that they had changed.
The problem was, they did exactly what they agreed not to knowing full well it would lead to a breakdown in contract negotiations to extend their deal at the Arena. They didn't really change; they just spun it in a way that made it look like they had.
Personally I don't think they really had any desire to return after a year at Birmingham City as they were doing so well in the PR war and still had time to milk it. With restrictions on crowd size they had not a lot to lose.
Vale left during the first lockdown and Chris Kerr stepped up into a role he wasn't really suited for, and not only that had to do the role for three clubs (Wasps Men, Women and Netball). He left earlier in the year, but nobody seems to know who has replaced him.
We're now on a hiding to nothing in the PR battle and regardless of whether the club speak out or keep quiet, they're on for a hiding.
CCFC were told that no new pitch would be laid in May or June, depending on who you choose to believe. David Boddy hasn't said that CCFC objected at the time, something I think that had they done so he'd be quick to point out.
My question is this: did they not object at the time knowing the impact the Sevens would have on the pitch, as they saw it as an opportunity for another PR battle to put further pressure on Wasps?
Relationships with Sky Blue fans have improved since
Various SISU people with odd ideas left, leaving Joy Seppala more hands on and becoming far more visible.
Appointment of Dave Boddy, not everyone’s favourite and describes as a SISU puppet - but then he is an employee.
Subsequent to all of the above Tim Fisher taking a huge step back
Appointment of Robins and Viveash leading to the development of a very attractive playing style.
The above leading to promotions and annual progression on the pitch
The above leading to the best relationship I have seen between team management, players and supporters for a very long time.
The atmosphere at the arena was fantastic last season, hardly any moaning and groaning just total support.
All this leading to modern era record season ticket sales of 13,500 which I would imagine Wasps can only dream of.
In relation to the move to Birmingham, I think less blame is attached to SISU. No doubt it was spun well, but indemnifying against any future legal action would have left CCFC with little recourse in the current situation.
The return - I enjoyed the time at Birmingham, definitely a bit of a siege mentality. In my view, hatchets were buried on the Ricoh (rapidly CBS Arena) return. The return suited both clubs, additional revenue and increased asset value for Wasps (including greater value in stadium naming rights) and obviously increased revenue for CCFC.
Of course, the additional revenue to Wasps (rent And IEC) was not just a contribution to overheads: there was always going to be the additional cost of maintaining a pitch suitable for both sports and would have(certainly should have) been built into the rent. The fact that Wasps seem to have reneged / abrogated their responsibilities is not playing well in PR terms as you have said. I thinks it will be very difficult for Wasps to redeem themselves in that regard.
Who knows what the content of the discussion about the new pitch not being installed was. I get the impression, including from the very beginning of this thread, that a 7s tournament would not have been expected to cause so much damage to a well maintained playing surface. The concerts will not have helped. Fundamentally I think Wasps have over reached and are in dire straits financially and in a very difficult place reputationally.
Sorry about length of post.
Always a Wasp