Debt article by you know who on Beeb

[Neils]

Wasps: Rugby club's debts totalled £95m when they went into administration - report - https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/63874443

[Neils]

Don't want to read the admin report again but wasn't the figure owed to the fall over merchants a 400 figure rather than 400thousandish ?

[Neils]

CB16        Otium Entertainment Group Ltd         Sky Blue Lodge, Leamington Road, Ryton On Dunsmore, Coventry, CV8 3FL        480.00



As far as I can see in the Administrators Report that is it. But maybe he knows better.

[Andywasp50]

I've just read that report and thrown my toys out of the pram. It's such a badly written piece, highly provocative and deliberately going out of its way to paint Wasps as villains deliberately setting out to defraud the taxpayer.

Anyway, I decided to complain to the BBC so will see what they respond with. This is what I wrote if anyone is interested:

I've just read your report into 'Wasps debts totalling £95million when they went into administration' by Simon Gilbert. There is a huge emphasis throughout on 'costing taxpayers millions of pounds' as though the business deliberately set out to defraud the public . It's heavily provocative, lacks depth and objectivity and cherrypicks salacious facts designed to paint Wasps as villains. It clearly fails to take into account the impact of Covid on the business and conveniently omits finer details on the distribution of the debts in the administrators report. He claims Coventry city FC are owed £465,000 yet fails to mention how much they distressed Coventry City Council in order to drive the price down (leading to Wasps buying the stadium) and the repeated litigation by SISU, the CCFC owners, which aimed to financially distress all parties over a sustained period of time.
It's also been written by 'political correspondent' Simon Gilbert, who is far from neutral and hardly fits the impartiality tag that the BBC claims to uphold. There couldn't be a more politically incorrect and unsuitable viewpoint for this story. I come to the BBC to read clear, well balanced articles. This piece (and previous by this reporter) have been unprofessional and failed in objectivity. This piece has a leading 'tabloid' style edge, loaded to provoke an emotive response. It feels more like gossip and may well be aligned with his work for The Mirror online.
Let's just consider his 'neutral' standing:
He is a lifelong Coventry city fan
He is a long term host of the CCFC podcast
He led the Coventry Telegraph's #bringCityhome campaign in the summer of 2014
He wrote the book 'Without a Home: The Fight Behind The Sky Blues' Return from Exile' in 2016
He has campaigned against Wasps Rugby club in a variety of media, social media and online since they purchased the Ricoh/CBS arena legally. I don't expect the BBC to indulge journalists' personal vendettas and maintain higher standards.

[Heathen]

It feels more like gossip and may well be aligned with his work for The Mirror online.

Like another of his Trinity Mirror cohorts, that we know for all the wrong reasons - Les Reid

[WonkyWasp]

The trouble is that the BBC seems to have little or no interest in Rugby Union.  Wendy ball, yes.  League, a bit. I'm not whinging; just stating an evident fact.  Shame on them.

[Old Sod]

 >:(My first reaction to this was I was ashamed that Wasps could have got into this debt in the first place. Simplistic I know but my second thought was how on earth are Wasps going to do business with any new supplier in future given this damaging article.

[JF]

The trouble is that the BBC seems to have little or no interest in Rugby Union.  Wendy ball, yes.  League, a bit. I'm not whinging; just stating an evident fact.  Shame on them.

Like all sports, the Beeb's interest extends as far as events for which they have broadcast rights. It enables them to say how wonderful they are, and the Beeb's favourite subject is always themselves.

[WonkyWasp]

There is little or no info regarding Union either on TV or radio.  Nothing informative on red button  There has been far more on BBC Midlands regarding wendy ball, and always subtly blaming Wasps.

[Neils]

There is little or no info regarding Union either on TV or radio.  Nothing informative on red button  There has been far more on BBC Midlands regarding wendy ball, and always subtly blaming Wasps.

For a number of years recently the head of Sports was a fervent RL fan who hated RU. This explains the lack of broad coverage with Sports being based in Salford. A relative working their complained but was told his policy was the Company policy!

[Mark.S]

I've just read that report and thrown my toys out of the pram. It's such a badly written piece, highly provocative and deliberately going out of its way to paint Wasps as villains deliberately setting out to defraud the taxpayer.

Anyway, I decided to complain to the BBC so will see what they respond with. This is what I wrote if anyone is interested:

I've just read your report into 'Wasps debts totalling £95million when they went into administration' by Simon Gilbert. There is a huge emphasis throughout on 'costing taxpayers millions of pounds' as though the business deliberately set out to defraud the public . It's heavily provocative, lacks depth and objectivity and cherrypicks salacious facts designed to paint Wasps as villains. It clearly fails to take into account the impact of Covid on the business and conveniently omits finer details on the distribution of the debts in the administrators report. He claims Coventry city FC are owed £465,000 yet fails to mention how much they distressed Coventry City Council in order to drive the price down (leading to Wasps buying the stadium) and the repeated litigation by SISU, the CCFC owners, which aimed to financially distress all parties over a sustained period of time.
It's also been written by 'political correspondent' Simon Gilbert, who is far from neutral and hardly fits the impartiality tag that the BBC claims to uphold. There couldn't be a more politically incorrect and unsuitable viewpoint for this story. I come to the BBC to read clear, well balanced articles. This piece (and previous by this reporter) have been unprofessional and failed in objectivity. This piece has a leading 'tabloid' style edge, loaded to provoke an emotive response. It feels more like gossip and may well be aligned with his work for The Mirror online.
Let's just consider his 'neutral' standing:
He is a lifelong Coventry city fan
He is a long term host of the CCFC podcast
He led the Coventry Telegraph's #bringCityhome campaign in the summer of 2014
He wrote the book 'Without a Home: The Fight Behind The Sky Blues' Return from Exile' in 2016
He has campaigned against Wasps Rugby club in a variety of media, social media and online since they purchased the Ricoh/CBS arena legally. I don't expect the BBC to indulge journalists' personal vendettas and maintain higher standards.

Badly written article it may be. However any article is written it is a sh1t show and anyone associated with the management of Wasps should hang their heads in shame.