Fans Forum

[arthurturner]

Maybe the licence was signed on behalf of Oxford United by the previous owner of the club, Mr F Kassam. He owned both the stadium company and the club and therefore it made sense at the time, rip thé club off to make the stadium company viable. Just a thought.

It was.

 

[uptheus]

I wonder if Tiger and co will be in it for the same reason Kassam did e.g. they get cheap land, build a new stadium then hold us over a barrel!

 

[Gary Baldi]

Start protesting outside his other businesses and disrupt them. Does he still own Heythrop Park as I'm sure that wouldn't go down too well with his clientele? Charlton have gone to their owner's house in Belgium after all.

He still wouldn't care. It's the sort of cold person he is. It would be a short term blip to cash flow, whatever was done and I cannot think it would suddenly give him a road to Damascus moment if his bank balance and asset value would not be positively affected.

The sort of person you workaround, not with.

 

[sideshowrob]

Iirc, he sold the Manor to another of his companies for about £6m which paid off the club debts. He then got planning and sold it on for something like £12m. My recollection may be wrong though.

Kassam sold the land at the Manor to the Ackland Hospital for £9m. At a fans' forum he said that he took the money as 'his fee' for taking the risk in the stadium deal (after which there was uproar in the room).

 

[sideshowrob]

Someone on the phone-in suggested knocking down the ice rink to build a new stadium. Maybe this is not as silly as it might sound. There is so much brown field land up for development between Oxpens Road, the railway, the river and Oseney lane that the Ice Rink would not need to be demolished. Oxford City Council would have to change their development plan of 2013 https://www.oxford.gov.uk/downloads/file/592/oxpens_masterplan_spd . This might not seem as far fetched as it might seem since the City Council proposed this site as an alternative to the finishing the half built Grenoble Road site in 1999.

 

[Marked Ox]

Kassam sold the land at the Manor to the Ackland Hospital for £9m. At a fans' forum he said that he took the money as 'his fee' for taking the risk in the stadium deal (after which there was uproar in the room).

Cheers.

 

[Shropshire U]

Someone on the phone-in suggested knocking down the ice rink to build a new stadium. Maybe this is not as silly as it might sound. There is so much brown field land up for development between Oxpens Road, the railway, the river and Oseney lane that the Ice Rink would not need to be demolished. Oxford City Council would have to change their development plan of 2013 https://www.oxford.gov.uk/downloads/file/592/oxpens_masterplan_spd . This might not seem as far fetched as it might seem since the City Council proposed this site as an alternative to the finishing the half built Grenoble Road site in 1999.

But the western side of the city centre is a traffic nightmare, full of superstores and bottlenecks, and there's no way a new road in and out of a centrally placed stadium would ever be approved.

 

[Mystery Yellow]

Someone on the phone-in suggested knocking down the ice rink to build a new stadium. Maybe this is not as silly as it might sound. There is so much brown field land up for development between Oxpens Road, the railway, the river and Oseney lane that the Ice Rink would not need to be demolished. Oxford City Council would have to change their development plan of 2013 https://www.oxford.gov.uk/downloads/file/592/oxpens_masterplan_spd . This might not seem as far fetched as it might seem since the City Council proposed this site as an alternative to the finishing the half built Grenoble Road site in 1999.

New Shopping centre & a football stadium would never happen it would just be carnage plus there’s not enough land there imo

Don’t know if anyone knows but can anything built at Kidlingtons Stafford brake there’s massive amount of land there to build a stadium

 

[Yellowmania]

This bloke’s not short of a few bob is he!

 

[holdsteady]

There doesn't need to be an alternative ground. It's simple in principle, we continue to play at Grenoble Road whilst building a new stadium. Once new stadium is complete, we move. I accept that the new site needs to be announced which I believe is what Niall was referring to as the news in four or five weeks time. If no news then, that becomes a worry but it's not like the Oxvox timeline of 6 months to get a Heads of Agreement in place.

Why would we look for an alternative place to play in the short term when still being liable for the existing rent under the terms of the licence agreement?

This.

Why do we, as long as we are paying the rent on the shithole, need an alternative venue?

Move ground once it’s finished.

 

[Phantompieman]

Same old nonsense...

 

[Witney Wag]

Mmm yes I did wonder why there was a FF and why some club officials are driving for a move away from the stadium, is the shadow of DE still hanging over the place.

I think you will find that it was Oxvox who requested an earlier FF that’s what the last Oxvox notes said and confirmed by the Chairman. I think it was a good move by Oxvox.

 

[uptheus]

View attachment 747
This bloke’s not short of a few bob is he!

Why are these guys interested in Oxford United?

 

[ljs]

This.

Why do we, as long as we are paying the rent on the shithole, need an alternative venue?

Move ground once it’s finished.

Agreed, move if ever a new ground got built, not necessarily before then.... (unless things are so difficult with Kassam).

If a new ground was built in the next 3 or 4 years and we then still had 3 or 4 years of the licence left at the Kassam, surely it would be in everyone's interest if we moved at that point. The council would get land for housing, Kassam would get more money by selling than the rent (?), and we would be in control of our own ground.

But, even if that didn't happen, then, as Jerome mentioned, paying £3 million in rent could be partly covered by income from the new stadium. (It's also peanuts to someone who splashed out 250 million to buy Inter).

 

[Scotchegg]

Why are these guys interested in Oxford United?

To make money, to develop outstanding business interests, to get additional media attention etc.

Unless you find a life long fan with very deep pockets then all owners will look at buying a football club as a business opportunity. That doesn't mean it is a bad thing, it depends on how much people are prepared to invest/lose and whether that fits with the teams performance.

 

[m]

View attachment 747
This bloke’s not short of a few bob is he!

Inter Milan finishing in the top 10 of serie A constitutes success?

Really?

 

[daveoufc]

Very interesting fans forum yesterday does anyone on here from oxvox know any detail on the concessions (food and drink) that we will now recieve from dec? I cant imagine Firoz has just conceeded this very important revenue stream to the club was it a loop hole DEor Tiger recently discovered and should we of been entitled to this all along.
Is there a case to answer where we can reclaim 17 years of this revenue.

 

[yellowbow]

It’ll be interesting what follows on from yesterday in the coming weeks. My personal view is that there’s now a co-ordinated plan by all parties, including LAs and FK to move OUFC away from the Kassam. Interesting times ahead.. ?

 

[sideshowrob]

If Thorhir owns DC United maybe they could lend us Wayne Rooney?

 

[Banbury2018]

He still wouldn't care. It's the sort of cold person he is. It would be a short term blip to cash flow, whatever was done and I cannot think it would suddenly give him a road to Damascus moment if his bank balance and asset value would not be positively affected.

The sort of person you workaround, not with.

He doesn’t give a s**t what we say/do as you say. The only 2 times he will react is if someone breaks the law against him or if he can make money. Your last sentence sums the situation up perfectly as we have tried working with him for years now we must work round him and then as a club we can progress.