General The Board & Senior Management

[Scrongo]

It's all tuning a bit Micky Mouse , as Joe Kinear once said..

 

[chuckbert]

He was pretty fast.

Great at running the ball fast up the wing and not being able to stop before running it out over the goal line

 

[Yellow River]

What a complete crock of an update!

Does he realise that we are supporters, not shareholders? This wasn't supposed to be a finance and sustainability update to the money men. "matchday activations" and "best ever December" in the retail department- is he having a laugh?

Des previously advised us that he'd attended two interviews with the desired assistant manager, a third interview had been lined up. It wasn't Hackett, clearly. Why are we not attracting our first choice members of staff?

Recruitment - "With injuries in a number of key positions and the way we utilise the loan market, we will be active this January to recruit players so that the team can continue to compete at the top end of the table". I'm not sure this screams out ambition in the transfer market. To me, it sounds very much like we will be utilising the loan market, again. If so, i'm not sure it represents #goingforit.

Most importantly the stadium, more plans are to be released in "the coming weeks". So, there is apparently no timeline for the planning application going in, then? If there is, why wouldn't he make reference to it, even if he didn't wish to commit to a timeframe?

This update relating to the stadium is of most concern and should have alarm bells ringing. What does more details mean? Why hasn't he addressed peoples concerns that the build timeframe is reducing with every passing week that the application is not submitted?

Great to hear some sort of correspondance, but seeing Williams hide behind an official update that doesn't actually put him front, centre and held to account is extremely disappointing. I don't feel in anyway at ease that things are moving in the right direction under his stewardship.

A open and transparent fans forum where supporters can push our CEO on all these points would be a good thing, but as we all know Tim doesn’t like awkward questions from the great unwashed. He hides.

It does feel as if Tim’s puff piece was aimed much more at our overseas investors rather than the paying supporters.

Everything at OUFC Towers is hunky dory.

 

[SteMerritt]

Great at running the ball fast up the wing and not being able to stop before running it out over the goal line

Was he coached by Chicken George? (who was my hero as a lad trying his best to play on the wing - loved watching George terrorise fullbacks, before usually running the ball out of play)

 

[ThatSlopesATwelfthMan]

The people running this club have no hesitation talking our ticket money, flogging us merch and clearly communicating with 'asks' when they need us for something, like lobbying local government on a land deal. The people running this club have cushy conditions and salaries from rich owners who also write the cheques that keep the club alive. The people running this club have a consistent record of one-step-forward, three-steps-back decision making, flip-flopping on commitments and dodging responsibility.

Oxford fans have a good nose for BS sadly. History and all that.

The last few years have seen some really positive things and I'm typically quite relaxed about day to day shenanigans - that's lower league football. But... the mood music coming out of oufc right now at *the* most important moment in our recent history is worrying. At least Tim showed his face I suppose but everything about this message reads like a diversion from what matters.

Hell, for all I know it's just bad comms but we'll know soon enough. By end of Jan it'll be actions not words that show if we're moving forward, standing still or really in the doo-dah.

* Decent investment in loan and permanent signings to capitalise on our league position, show confidence in Buckingham and Waldron, match or exceed previous budgets.

* Get a high calibre analyst in to replace the highly regarded ex-Arsenal employee we lost

* Most importantly, get specific and honest news on the stadium status and how we are planning for different scenarios. For those who keep asking why fans should be kept abreast of details on this please, please think deeper. Big shot international investors don't typically get the chance to build multimillion pound private infrastructure on council land at peppercorn rent or tie up half a local authority in scrutinising things like transport adaptations on major highways. The *only* reason this new stadium is even on the cards is because of the unique cultural importance of the football club and that means fans. Without fans and without our history down the generations none of the people involved would be in Oxford. We are *the* key stakeholders. If hold ups are minor there's no harm in telling us. If something major then we deserve to know what mitigations are being put in place. If it's about money and commitment from our owners then I'd expect signs of disinvestment on the playing side, deflected answers to questions or silence and vague waffle. Oops. That's why I'm worried and why the next few weeks will be so important and informative.

* I'd also love to know what the hell a 'fan activation' means but that can wait till I stop worrying we're going to be spending the next ten years organising a phoenix club.

 

[ThatSlopesATwelfthMan]

What a complete crock of an update!

Does he realise that we are supporters, not shareholders? This wasn't supposed to be a finance and sustainability update to the money men. "matchday activations" and "best ever December" in the retail department- is he having a laugh?

Des previously advised us that he'd attended two interviews with the desired assistant manager, a third interview had been lined up. It wasn't Hackett, clearly. Why are we not attracting our first choice members of staff?

Recruitment - "With injuries in a number of key positions and the way we utilise the loan market, we will be active this January to recruit players so that the team can continue to compete at the top end of the table". I'm not sure this screams out ambition in the transfer market. To me, it sounds very much like we will be utilising the loan market, again. If so, i'm not sure it represents #goingforit.

Most importantly the stadium, more plans are to be released in "the coming weeks". So, there is apparently no timeline for the planning application going in, then? If there is, why wouldn't he make reference to it, even if he didn't wish to commit to a timeframe?

This update relating to the stadium is of most concern and should have alarm bells ringing. What does more details mean? Why hasn't he addressed peoples concerns that the build timeframe is reducing with every passing week that the application is not submitted?

Great to hear some sort of correspondance, but seeing Williams hide behind an official update that doesn't actually put him front, centre and held to account is extremely disappointing. I don't feel in anyway at ease that things are moving in the right direction under his stewardship.

100% - brilliant post

 

[Osleroad]

Didn't they have another candidate offered the job which fell through so opening up applications again has led us here. Plus it's no good having planning held up by unnecessary delays at the planning office so better get it right first time.

 

[BeechRoadBokelberg]

Reading that latest update they may as well have blasted 'Gimme just a lil more time' by Chairmen of the board out of the stadium PA!

 

[arthurturner]

It’s literally the only factual information in the whole piece.

I applaud the fact that he has had a go, but it’s the pure definition of a fluff-piece.

You don’t think he wrote it himself do you? Isn’t that what Chris Williams is for?

 

[LeftSideLarry]

You don’t think he wrote it himself do you? Isn’t that what Chris Williams is for?

Unless he’s a complete fool, which I don’t think he is, the least he will have contributed to it is to sign it off for publication. By doing so, he has thought it good enough to be said in his name.

 

[tatabanya]

Has anyone ever been involved in employing anyone? I'dd have thought two months with finding candidates, interviewing, negotiations and taking up references is pretty much par for the course

It just isn't in football, or for an internal appointment.

 

[Paul Cannell]

........... there will be helpdesk next, where another layer of bull S stops you getting to the key players.

I think forcing the customer to download an app in order to prepare Customer Service for the 'engagement' is more efficient and helps weed the bastards out.

 

[Paul Cannell]

I’ve just looked up “match day activations” in my copy of the Customer Manual (personally signed by both Tim & Grant by the way) and I’m still none the wiser what they are?

You need to purchase the Glossary of Customer Interaction Protocols. The information's there under a midden of obfuscation, I'm promised.

Or you can take my opinion which is that “match day activations” are the latest evolution of "bought tickets" which "used to be "bums on seats".*



* And in happy days was cash payers at the turnstile standing on the terrace.

 

[Paul Cannell]

It's all tuning a bit Micky Mouse , as Joe Kinnear once said..

A name that's almost as happily onomatopoeic as "Paul Cannell". Dear old JFK, Warwick Hunt.

 

[Brahma]

Didn't they have another candidate offered the job which fell through so opening up applications again has led us here. Plus it's no good having planning held up by unnecessary delays at the planning office so better get it right first time.

We had an assistant lined up and he took another job, early/mid December. Confirmed by Des on the Radio.

We then in the lead up to Derby, had been closing in on the next candidate. Des confirmed a contract had been sent and within 24hours hoped it'd be tied up. This was the individual, I suspect, had several interviews. That person, was not Chris Hackett.

 

[tatabanya]

We had an assistant lined up and he took another job, early/mid December. Confirmed by Des on the Radio.

We then in the lead up to Derby, had been closing in on the next candidate. Des confirmed a contract had been sent and within 24hours hoped it'd be tied up. This was the individual, I suspect, had several interviews. That person, was not Chris Hackett.

But but but, "When Des joined the club, he made it very clear that he wanted to assess the current staffing set-up before making any changes or bringing in new coaches"?

Are we being taken for fools?

 

[Steve Gilbert]

Well that piece by Tim comes across as a tick boxing exercise just to shut up us fans who are starting to ask difficult questions.

Good luck to Chrissy Hackett on his new role. I have no objection to hold interviews to then decide the best person for the job is in the building, why it took 2 months though is a bit mind boggling.

 

[Chippy]

I completely share everyone’s concerns about the process and what’s really gone on behind the scenes in terms of getting a new coach in, but if a new coach had been appointed who came from the IPL or New Zealand for example, then there would be an outcry on here about not appointing anyone with EFL experience or we might as well have recruited from within?

Unless we get told by any ITK’s who we were after externally and why we didn’t appoint them, then we really don’t know what has gone on. The slightly strange thing is why Craig Short wouldn’t be made the assistant and Chris Hackett then stepping up to his role? Also never hear much about Steve Kinniburgh these days who I thought was the academy manager?

 

[Marked Ox]

I completely share everyone’s concerns about the process and what’s really gone on behind the scenes in terms of getting a new coach in, but if a new coach had been appointed who came from the IPL or New Zealand for example, then there would be an outcry on here about not appointing anyone with EFL experience or we might as well have recruited from within?

Unless we get told by any ITK’s who we were after externally and why we didn’t appoint them, then we really don’t know what has gone on. The slightly strange thing is why Craig Short wouldn’t be made the assistant and Chris Hackett then stepping up to his role? Also never hear much about Steve Kinniburgh these days who I thought was the academy manager?

Steve Kinniburgh did an update on the Academy just before Christmas on the OWS.

 

[Yellow River]

We had an assistant lined up and he took another job, early/mid December. Confirmed by Des on the Radio.

We then in the lead up to Derby, had been closing in on the next candidate. Des confirmed a contract had been sent and within 24hours hoped it'd be tied up. This was the individual, I suspect, had several interviews. That person, was not Chris Hackett.

Quite.

As much as I’m sure we all wish Chris Hackett well and congratulate him on his new appointment. It’s clear to anyone who has followed this saga that Hackett was not first choice, and not second choice.

The deliberate burying of Hackett’s appointment in Tim William’s puff piece is disrespectful to Hackett, and supporters alike.