League One Tinpot Reading

[WuTang]

F*ck Reading, but I can't help feeling that some of these comments could come back to bite us in the behind.

We currently survive paying way over our organic income thanks to subsidies from a distant set of owners that seem to have more interest in property speculation that football. Feels like a very Reading situation. If Bakri and chums lost interest in shovelling cash into soft loans to OUFC every year, who would ever want to pick up the pieces, and where would our club end up?

Our situation hasn't changed since K*ssam screwed us and Nick Merry signed us further into oblivion with the stadium contract. We are lucky to have a club whilst we lose £2m a season and have managed to find rich benefactors to prop us up and fund that. As soon as any of them leave we have to cross our fingers and pray we find someone else, after Lenagan came Eales, after Eales came Tiger, after Tiger came the current group. We are fortunate that Oxford is a worldwide household name and that will encourage some to get on board despite our situation.

We have become smarter with our signings in recent years and that's allowed us to sell one or two each summer and reinvest, but it papers over the cracks. We've been waiting 25 years for the stadium situation to resolve, a new stadium will allow us to survive sustainably ongoing once we can generate our own revenue on a massively reduced rent.

We have, with help, survived thanks to generous owners for those 25 years but have also spent those years in League 1 down to the National League. I wonder where we'd be if one of those owners tried to invest hard Championship finances to try and reach the PL to the tune of 10s of millions for the past 25 years? Probably where Reading are, absolutely up sh*t creek. We've had half decent playing budgets in that time but haven't gone s**t or bust tying to reach the promised land, that's the difference for the two.

 

[Scrongo]

I have just been into a charity shop in HEADINGTON, & unbelievably in the men's section was this ,pictured below.
How it ended up in Oxford I've no idea , but they've got as much chance of selling it, as me becoming Prime minister Strange....

 

[oufc1991]

I have just been into a charity shop in HEADINGTON, & unbelievably in the men's section was this ,pictured below.
How it ended up in Oxford I've no idea , but they've got as much chance of selling it, as me becoming Prime minister Strange....View attachment 17459

I'm sure someone could use it if they get caught short and need to take a dump in the park

 

[SteMerritt]

I have just been into a charity shop in HEADINGTON, & unbelievably in the men's section was this ,pictured below.
How it ended up in Oxford I've no idea , but they've got as much chance of selling it, as me becoming Prime minister Strange....View attachment 17459

Joke Christmas present is the only possible answer.

 

[Older Shotts]

Is that Yongge advertising the club for sale for £6.95?

 

[tonyw]

But anyway, if people want to see Reading drop down or die because they hate the club, more power to ya. But if you think Reading fans deserve it because they didn't kick up a fuss about accepting money and success from club owners that might not always have the club's best interests at heart forever, then I'd probably encourage people to think about how Oxford fits into that pattern.

I think the situation we're in is exactly the same (albeit on a different scale, as our losses and debt is, I believe, about 5x smaller than Reading's)

If Bakari decides he's had enough and ups and leaves, and we can't find a buyer and are in a position where we can no longer service our debts, we as a fanbase will deserve the consequences and shouldn't expect sympathy from anyone else. If you go the rich benefactor route and spend way beyond your means, then your club is taking a risk. And everything going to hell in a hand basket if that benefactor decides they've had enough is one of the possible consequences of that risk.

And if you can't accept that risk, then you should be protesting and advocating that we reduce our spending to operate within our means.

 

[Wallop]

I think the situation we're in is exactly the same (albeit on a different scale, as our losses and debt is, I believe, about 5x smaller than Reading's)

If Bakari decides he's had enough and ups and leaves, and we can't find a buyer and are in a position where we can no longer service our debts, we as a fanbase will deserve the consequences and shouldn't expect sympathy from anyone else. If you go the rich benefactor route and spend way beyond your means, then your club is taking a risk. And everything going to hell in a hand basket if that benefactor decides they've had enough is one of the possible consequences of that risk.

And if you can't accept that risk, then you should be protesting and advocating that we reduce our spending to operate within our means.

Deserve. Really?

what realistically can any of us do to change the current situation and its risks?

 

[Whingit]

Live fast, Dai Yongge.

 

[Peterdev]

I personally hope that Reading survive. We would hate to be in the position they’re in.
I have friends who’ve supported Reading for over forty years. They would not have rubbed our noses in it if we were struggling.
Anyway it’d be good to have a derby to look forward to, hopefully not spoiled by Reading followers aim8ng to cause problems on the day

 

[Jster]

Yeah, I don't get this "oh they laughed at us when we went down" stuff being particularly relevant. That's all part of the theatre of football. We dish it out, and we have to take it too, and we wouldn't have it any other way.

But in the end Reading fans are fans just like you and me, they support their club, and if it disappeared they would be just as worthy of sympathy as we would if Oxford suddenly disappeared. I wouldn't wish that on anybody.

 

[Marked Ox]

I personally hope that Reading survive. We would hate to be in the position they’re in.
I have friends who’ve supported Reading for over forty years. They would not have rubbed our noses in it if we were struggling.
Anyway it’d be good to have a derby to look forward to, hopefully not spoiled by Reading followers aim8ng to cause problems on the day

I want them to survive but end up outside the FL.

 

[bazzer9461]

I personally hope that Reading survive. We would hate to be in the position they’re in.
I have friends who’ve supported Reading for over forty years. They would not have rubbed our noses in it if we were struggling.
Anyway it’d be good to have a derby to look forward to, hopefully not spoiled by Reading followers aim8ng to cause problems on the day

Shane those cockney wannabes didn’t show us the same when we were struggling. So no f**k em relegate them to non league

 

[Colin B]

Yeah, I don't get this "oh they laughed at us when we went down" stuff being particularly relevant. That's all part of the theatre of football. We dish it out, and we have to take it too, and we wouldn't have it any other way.

But in the end Reading fans are fans just like you and me, they support their club, and if it disappeared they would be just as worthy of sympathy as we would if Oxford suddenly disappeared. I wouldn't wish that on anybody.

If we were in their position, I would neither ask for, nor expect any help or sympathy from Reading or Swindon fans.

Most other clubs, yes, no problem, but not those two.

 

[McXal]

Yep - seconded! Desperate to beat them on the pitch (and I won’t pretend I don’t enjoy Oxford being higher in the FL standings than all of Swindon, Reading, Wycombe, MK etc) - but I completely empathise with their fans right now. And admire them doing all they can to save their club.

I live in Reading and know quite a few Reading fans. They are in an awful place right now. Oxford have been there before. We may well be again in future.

(Although that admiration doesn’t mean i wouldn’t be recruiting extra stewards now to stand in a huge ring around them when they come to our place to prevent them from getting on the pitch)

 

[bazzer9461]

If we were in their position, I would neither ask for, nor expect any help or sympathy from Reading or Swindon fans.

Most other clubs, yes, no problem, but not those two.

Exactly

 

[bazzer9461]

Yep - seconded! Desperate to beat them on the pitch (and I won’t pretend I don’t enjoy Oxford being higher in the FL standings than all of Swindon, Reading, Wycombe, MK etc) - but I completely empathise with their fans right now. And admire them doing all they can to save their club.

I live in Reading and know quite a few Reading fans. They are in an awful place right now. Oxford have been there before. We may well be again in future.

(Although that admiration doesn’t mean i wouldn’t be recruiting extra stewards now to stand in a huge ring around them when they come to our place to prevent them from getting on the pitch)

Yes we have and did they show anything then utter contempt for us? …..no so sorry fcuk your friends with their support but as people they might be decent

 

[Peterdev]

I want them to survive but end up outside the FL.

I’d be ok with that. We suffered for four years so they should too

 

[Steve Gilbert]

Reading fans not only mocked us and our struggles but also mocked Pompey fans and Derby fans when they were close to going under.
Now they want sympathy? Not from me. Treat others the way you would like to be treated.

 

[Chrisox]

Reading fans not only mocked us and our struggles but also mocked Pompey fans and Derby fans when they were close to going under.
Now they want sympathy? Not from me. Treat others the way you would like to be treated.

Couldn't agree more

 

[Followtheox1]

Reading fans not only mocked us and our struggles but also mocked Pompey fans and Derby fans when they were close to going under.
Now they want sympathy? Not from me. Treat others the way you would like to be treated.

That last sentence, honestly want to know, how would you like to be treated if we were in a similar situation again?