So, what do we know now?

PC said:
Welcome back Myles.
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Ditto that @myles

Do you still have any input with crowd safety aspects in and around the breeze block?

Also, presumably, you are already aware of the dangerous situation that arose outside the Quadrangle after the home cup game against Manchester City(?) ...with your safety adviser hat on, what is your opinion of the club (OUFC) announcing, 2 days after the event happened, that there would be an enquiry into what happened, but, as yet have not invited input from any supporters affected by, or injured during the post match situation?

After all, without any input from those most affected, how can there be a fair and balanced inquiry?
 
As we have been mentioned in the original post we feel the need to put a brief response to it here as follows;

OxVox have had a number of meetings with both Tiger and Niall McWilliams, both together and separately, over the last three or four months, as well as several other communications between us. This is during a period where, not only were they relatively new to the club, but OxVox had a new Committee and Chair, so all parties have needed to get to know each other and build trust.

These meetings and communications have covered all of those subjects that supporters would expect. We will be meeting one of the new Directors within the next week and expect to meet the other(s) before the end of the month.

We will inform our members by email of any salient points coming out of these meetings, as we have always done, as this is the correct and appropriate method of communicating these things. We have a policy of trying not to engage in forum gossip, although often our minutes and notifications are copied onto here, which is no problem.

We have not "disappeared" neither have we "said precisely nothing of substance" in recent months, as the original poster claims. We have made approximately the same number of announcements on our website, issued approximately the same number of member emails, and had approximately the same number of committee meetings over the last six months, as we did the previous two years.

Hopefully sensible people will appreciate the situation for what it is and allow us to report back to members shortly, with what we feel will be interesting news.
 
myles said:
OK, I'll happily give my reasons for why I think it's guff.

Oxford is world famous as a seat of learning. Believing that will translate into additional global support for the football club, particularly at its current level, is naive imho. If it was as simple as that, it would've been done by now. English clubs have become famous around the world through their footballing pedigree alone. Can you name one club which has a large global profile which hasn't come from its football success? And, yes, maybe Tiger does know more about it than me, so it'd be nice if he actually outlined his plans to us mere mortals.

Picking up on @Scotchegg 's point above about using the name to attract investors, this is precisely what Guerriero was doing at City. He was reliant on, to be blunt, gullible investors buying into the Oxford name - helped by the deliberate smoke and mirrors of marketing the football club along with "Oxford City University" etc etc. That doesn't seem to be a particularly sustainable way of growing revenue.
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I can't name a single one. However, the world is changing, we are living in a more and more globalised society. In south east Asia in particular football is becoming more and more popular. Is it not reasonable to try and leverage an international name of Oxford to growing support? After all, the first part of branding is it just having something "people have heard of". We seem to have made some headway with interesting sponsors. I have friends in Hong Kong who said when Sun Dai was signed it all over the papers, and I recall a tweet from the club saying they were making sales of merchandise there. A small thing indeed, but a small indication of success.

Will Tiger's plan work? Obviously I don't know, infact i'd admit it is more likely to fail than succeed. However, just because something hasn't been done, doesn't mean it can't, which appears to be your only point. Why not give him a chance, rather than being being the naysayer before he has even begun. After all, building an "oxford united brand" is the best thing we can hope for as fans, as that would outlive any chairman, owner or manager.

Guerriero was a convicted fraudster. It would be unwise, and redundant, to make comparisons between him and Tiger.
 
OxVox said:
We have not "disappeared" neither have we "said precisely nothing of substance" in recent months, as the original poster claims. We have made approximately the same number of announcements on our website, issued approximately the same number of member emails, and had approximately the same number of committee meetings over the last six months, as we did the previous two years.
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Oh, in that case, can you point me in the direction of the minutes of these meetings with Tiger and Niall McWilliams? Or the report from the Fans Forum? Anything on the new directors? Or any response to the club's claim about five alternative stadium locations?

Hopefully sensible people will appreciate the situation for what it is and allow us to report back to members shortly, with what we feel will be interesting news.
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"Sensible people" i.e. those who don't question what OxVox are up to? I noticed one of the committee calling a season ticket holder "a complete and utter moron" on Twitter last week, unprovoked. Is that really what it's come to?
 
radicalox said:
Guerriero was a convicted fraudster. It would be unwise, and redundant, to make comparisons between him and Tiger.
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He was convicted as a result of what he was trying to do with the Oxford City "brand". I'm making comparisons between the approach being taken of attempting to exploit that brand, not the individuals.
 
myles said:
He was convicted as a result of what he was trying to do with the Oxford City "brand". I'm making comparisons between the approach being taken of attempting to exploit that brand, not the individuals.
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I think you will find he was convicted as a result of fraud in America.
 
myles said:
Oh, in that case, can you point me in the direction of the minutes of these meetings with Tiger and Niall McWilliams? Or the report from the Fans Forum? Anything on the new directors? Or any response to the club's claim about five alternative stadium locations?

"Sensible people" i.e. those who don't question what OxVox are up to? I noticed one of the committee calling a season ticket holder "a complete and utter moron" on Twitter last week, unprovoked. Is that really what it's come to?
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Tiger and Niall stated that stadium plans and details of future investors are expected in the coming weeks, and OxVox have said that they hope to report back shortly on interesting news. Is it therefore not unreasonable (and sensible) to give time for everything to be confirmed before demanding details?
 
I
Scotchegg said:
Tiger and Niall stated that stadium plans and details of future investors are expected in the coming weeks, and OxVox have said that they hope to report back shortly on interesting news. Is it therefore not unreasonable (and sensible) to give time for everything to be confirmed before demanding details?
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It is indeed very reasonable. Which all makes the half stories and half information at the recent FF all the more baffling. I can’t see any real benefit to anybody in leaking those snippets prematurely. I think the forum could have been handled a lot more sensibly.
 
I don’t disagree. But would it not be sensible for OxVox to have published some sort of feedback on the fans forum, at the very least for members who couldn’t attend? And as part of that feedback would it not have been sensible to say something like “We noted the club’s comments about potential stadium locations which appears to be at odds with the exhaustive research we carried out recently. We look forward to exploring these options with club shortly”?

Would it not have been sensible for them to acknowledge the new directors with some other bland statement about looking forward to meeting them and discussing their plans?

I’m not alleging any great conspiracy here, simply making the point that there have been some significant off-field developments and issues which have passed uncommented on by OxVox. Heck, even Simon Bradbury was on here the other day hinting that OxVox haven’t been as visible as they ought!
 
I know nothing, and apologies for my ignorance. But I don’t find Oxvox very visible. The main places people go for United info are here and the Oxford Mail - it be would be worth putting regular bulletins in both places. Or alternatively try to make the Oxvox site the go-to place, with a forum.
 
myles said:
Indeed he was. And that fraud was running a boiler room operation selling shares in “Oxford City Football Club Inc”.
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Not forgetting all the other s**t regarding real estate etc. in America. I think the 2 situations are completely different regarding the Oxford brand. After this post I won’t be posting for a while until more is known as I am honestly fed up with some of the negative posts from people who say they support the club but only seem to ever comment about bad things. That isn’t a dig at you Myles.
 
I have to say I’m not a member of oxvox but have considered it. More people might do likewise if they were more visible and accessible. I hadn’t even considered visiting their website until it was mentioned on here for instance. I notice the clubs twitter feed comes up on this forum, do Oxvox do the same and it’s passing me by? Could Oxvox link some sort of feed onto here, place bulletins etc? Obviously not continuous bland stuff, just significant updates. Even advertise their website on here and the OM website?
 
I think it is perhaps worth remembering that OxVox committee members have jobs, families and lives away from the club. I would rather they update us when it is important, with full details of what is going on rather than regular snippets of nothing. It sounds like news is coming and I trust OxVox to share this when necessary.
 
Scotchegg said:
I think it is perhaps worth remembering that OxVox committee members have jobs, families and lives away from the club. I would rather they update us when it is important, with full details of what is going on rather than regular snippets of nothing. It sounds like news is coming and I trust OxVox to share this when necessary.
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Nah, lets infer they are lazy and are secretive instead ;)
 
Now, as aside, I am surprised no has questioned how Geicke and Tiger know each other, and what he will bring to the overall picture. No obvious history with Tiger or the "Oxford brand", so why OUFC? It's not like he lives in Thailand either.
 
Scotchegg said:
I think it is perhaps worth remembering that OxVox committee members have jobs, families and lives away from the club. I would rather they update us when it is important, with full details of what is going on rather than regular snippets of nothing. It sounds like news is coming and I trust OxVox to share this when necessary.
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I trust them to inform me when they have any information. Whose opinion is sought when considering importance? What is necessary? If OxVox are party to discussions of interest to supporters (and members) then that information should be made available. That is the function of a supporters group. To represent and inform. Not decide what is or what is not important.
 
yellowbow said:
One point I’d like to raise about the OP is regarding the day to day management of the club and the problems with an absent owner and part-time MD. My feelings are that KR has a lot more power at the club than that given to most managers. This in turn might be the answer to some of his muddled interviews and thought processes in general. I think he’s been given too much reign for somebody with his personality. Just my personal view, I have no evidence to back it up.
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He seemed to imply that he had nothing to do with the signing of Jamie Hansom which looks at odds to the above.
 
OxVox said:
Hopefully sensible people will appreciate the situation for what it is and allow us to report back to members shortly, with what we feel will be interesting news.
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I've just renewed my membership.

I recognise the need to 'build trust' with the cub management, and I'm aware that there can be sensitive information from time to time. I understand that there are 'factions' and all that sort of discouraging stuff. I acknowledge the quantity of articles being sent from OxVox and really do appreciate the effort committee members make.

But when I read that last sentence I feel a little bit sick. OxVox should be above the inferred slight of 'sensible people' and might consider that, in the light of the paucity of actual information coming from ANY source, there is plenty of concern about what the situation is. OxVox's remit is surely to shine that light as much as possible?

And "what we feel will be interesting news"! really - it says this on OxVox' web site "We aim to keep fans better informed, and to represent fans’ interests to the football club." What you wrote is, if taken seriously, shocking levity. Poor show.
 
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