• Further New Features Are Available - Click To Update

  • Join OxVox

    The forum would encourage all members to consider joining OxVox during this important moment in our history. See here for more information.

General Didcot And OUFC

Steve Gilbert said:
It was sad to hear on @DanC podcast (well worth a listen) that Powelly doesn’t like to come to Oxford games anymore due to people saying that he could have made more of his career.
Click to expand...
Iirc wasn't he supposedly close to a move to Newcastle, but then got.injured?

It was a terrible time to be an Oxford player to be fair...the club was in a really precarious place.
 
Steve Gilbert said:
It was sad to hear on @DanC podcast (well worth a listen) that Powelly doesn’t like to come to Oxford games anymore due to people saying that he could have made more of his career.
Click to expand...
He really could have though! At a time England were lacking in left sided talent he was superb and played a huge part in keeping us up.

People choose different paths, for multiple reasons, and deserve no criticism but Powell had the talent to retire a multi millionaire.
 
greatunclekip said:
He really could have though! At a time England were lacking in left sided talent he was superb and played a huge part in keeping us up.

People choose different paths, for multiple reasons, and deserve no criticism but Powell had the talent to retire a multi millionaire.
Click to expand...
Yes he could have but he was content with where he got to and was happy playing his football at Oxford so I’m not sure it is down to us fans to decide whether he had a good career or not. He was happy with where he got to and that’s the most important thing.
 
I vaguely remember Denis Smith wanted to take Powell to WBA, but Powell had just broken into the first team when we were in the old Championship league. I guess he decided to stay at Oxford to get more chance of regular first team football, plus he was becoming a cult hero here!

Unfortunately, we then dropped quite quickly to League 2 (bottom league) shortly after this, then I remember that Powell then fell out of favour of the then manager (cannot remember who that was..want to say Adkins, but may be wrong), plus I think Powell had taken to the liking of drink! This meant that his only chance then to get regular football was at non league level! So in the space of 3-5 years, he’d gone from being a youth team England player winning a European tournament, on the verge of joining a recognised Championship/Premiership team (WBA), to playing at Didcot Town etc! Shame!
 
Steve Gilbert said:
Yes he could have but he was content with where he got to and was happy playing his football at Oxford so I’m not sure it is down to us fans to decide whether he had a good career or not. He was happy with where he got to and that’s the most important thing.
Click to expand...
His league career was finished by the time he was 25, I’m sure he’s not happy with that. Though there’s more to life than work.
 
I can bring this thread to a close.

I was in Costa Coffee on Saturday morning. As I watched the people walk by, I saw 6 people in football shirts. They were broken down thus:

3 OUFC
1 RFC
1 MUFC
1 THFC

Empirical data there, folks.

Didcot is Oxford's and by quite the margin.
 
Last edited:
Steve Gilbert said:
Yes he could have but he was content with where he got to and was happy playing his football at Oxford so I’m not sure it is down to us fans to decide whether he had a good career or not. He was happy with where he got to and that’s the most important thing.
Click to expand...

Thing is, most of us would have given up an awful lot to have the talent to play for Oxford.

Paul Powell not only had the talent to play for Oxford.....he had the talent to go a whole lot higher in the game. Part of the reason why he didn't was a horribly timed injury; but part of the reason was a lack of personal discipline. The guy simply didn't do everything he could to have his body in shape to play at his best level week in-week out.

And yeah, that's his decision. But if you don't make the most of your talent because you want to go on the lash every Friday night - that's fine, but don't get precious when people who wish they could have had your talent call you out for it.

Each to their own, but the players that I love are the ones that grind out every possible drop of ability they have and become the very best player they can possibly be (Sam Long being the classic example today).
 
tonyw said:
Thing is, most of us would have given up an awful lot to have the talent to play for Oxford.

Paul Powell not only had the talent to play for Oxford.....he had the talent to go a whole lot higher in the game. Part of the reason why he didn't was a horribly timed injury; but part of the reason was a lack of personal discipline. The guy simply didn't do everything he could to have his body in shape to play at his best level week in-week out.

And yeah, that's his decision. But if you don't make the most of your talent because you want to go on the lash every Friday night - that's fine, but don't get precious when people who wish they could have had your talent call you out for it.

Each to their own, but the players that I love are the ones that grind out every possible drop of ability they have and become the very best player they can possibly be (Sam Long being the classic example today).
Click to expand...
Bit harsh. There are often underlying reasons why someone might hit the booze rather than follow their chosen career path and sometimes people don't (or can't) always make the right choices. To blame that on some sort of character flaw that they could put right if only they could be arsed seems a bit insensitive
 
Boris said:
Bit harsh. There are often underlying reasons why someone might hit the booze rather than follow their chosen career path and sometimes people don't (or can't) always make the right choices. To blame that on some sort of character flaw that they could put right if only they could be arsed seems a bit insensitive
Click to expand...

Yeah, well, life is harsh.

There's only so much sympathy and sensitivity to go around, and I prefer to reserve mine for those that don't have opportunities, rather than those that fail to take them.
 
tonyw said:
And yeah, that's his decision. But if you don't make the most of your talent because you want to go on the lash every Friday night - that's fine, but don't get precious when people who wish they could have had your talent call you out for it.
Click to expand...

But what gives them the right to do that? If the bloke is minding his own business then it seems an unreasonable thing to give him a lecture on.
 
Osei Yaw said:
But what gives them the right to do that? If the bloke is minding his own business then it seems an unreasonable thing to give him a lecture on.
Click to expand...

I mean fair enough - if someone just happens to see Paul Powell at a game, and decides to give him a lecture on life lessons, that is oddball behaviour, no argument.

I was just answering Steve's original post, which was basically the question "Did Paul Powell have a good career?", to which my answer would be "No, he did not" because he underachieved in respect to his talent level. Whereas if someone asked me "Did Sam Long have a good career?", I would say "Yes, absolutely". And that's despite the fact that they both peaked at the same level.

I wouldn't feel the need to tell him to his face if I saw him in a bar (and still recognised him......which I probably wouldn't any more.......)
 
Steve Gilbert said:
Didcot was always more Reading than Oxford. Like Wantage has a large number of Swindon fans but Abingdon, Witney, Carterton is majority Oxford from memory.
Click to expand...
Not in my experience of growing up there. Far more Oxford. And a fair few Swindon.
 
Last edited:
Last time I was at Didcot Town (last season), the pitch was in a poor state. Don’t think either us or Reading would risk players on it.
Back in the day, the pitch was pretty good, allowing the pre-season friendlies against local EFL opposition.
 
I
OX11yellow said:
Last time I was at Didcot Town (last season), the pitch was in a poor state. Don’t think either us or Reading would risk players on it.
Back in the day, the pitch was pretty good, allowing the pre-season friendlies against local EFL opposition.
Click to expand...

Least it’s local to get our players injured in pre season though, we travelled thousands of miles to do it last time.
 
OX11yellow said:
Last time I was at Didcot Town (last season), the pitch was in a poor state. Don’t think either us or Reading would risk players on it.
Back in the day, the pitch was pretty good, allowing the pre-season friendlies against local EFL opposition.
Click to expand...
It's managed entirely by unpaid ground staff. I think the guy who did it for years went elsewhere for a paid job and his replacements are not as good/don't have the time
 
SouthOxonOx said:
Swindon. In 28 years of living here I have never seen a Swindon shirt.
Click to expand...
Yeah, might well have changed now. I left Didcot more than 30 years ago, so we don't overlap! I had quite a few Swindon supporting mates back in those days, though. Or were you saying you live in Swindon and you've never seen a Swindon shirt there?
 
Briggsy said:
Yeah, might well have changed now. I left Didcot more than 30 years ago, so we don't overlap! I had quite a few Swindon supporting mates back in those days, though. Or were you saying you live in Swindon and you've never seen a Swindon shirt there?
Click to expand...
No I was referring to living in Didcot. I have never and will never live in Swindon
 
I have been back in Diddy for the last 7 years and can say that there a still a fair few old school Swindon in the area as well as Reading, but as i said O.u.f.c still the majority in the town.. .. ..
 
Osleroader said:
I have been back in Diddy for the last 7 years and can say that there a still a fair few old school Swindon in the area as well as Reading, but as i said O.u.f.c still the majority in the town.. .. ..
Click to expand...
Will that be to do with those clubs' respective recent history though? More Oxford shirts because they are in the Championship, fewer Scum and Plastics because they are Leagues Two and One? If Reading were back in the Prem, Didcot would suddenly see more hopped shirts around town.

The same reason I have seen 5 Arsenal shirts and a cap today (despite in my 2 years of living in Gothenburg the only time I've seen any was when their Women's team were playing Häcken). Some people only show their colours when they are doing well.
 
Emilio said:
Will that be to do with those clubs' respective recent history though? More Oxford shirts because they are in the Championship, fewer Scum and Plastics because they are Leagues Two and One? If Reading were back in the Prem, Didcot would suddenly see more hopped shirts around town.

The same reason I have seen 5 Arsenal shirts and a cap today (despite in my 2 years of living in Gothenburg the only time I've seen any was when their Women's team were playing Häcken). Some people only show their colours when they are doing well.
Click to expand...
Yeah of course, when Reading were doing better they come out of the woodwork, but i would say it's still a oufc stronghold.. ..
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar Threads

AbbeyOx
Didcot Town
Replies
0
Views
2K
AbbeyOx
AbbeyOx
SamLongSlidingTackle
Memory Lane Good, average, and bad OUFC players
Replies
23
Views
2K
Emilio
Emilio
SamLongSlidingTackle
General Spot the difference (OUFC version)
Replies
1
Views
744
Steve Gilbert
Steve Gilbert
Manorlounger
Being an OUFC supporter is so good!
Replies
3
Views
1K
SSO
S
West Oxon U’s
January 2022 L1 Transfers (other than OUFC players in or out)
5 6 7
Replies
204
Views
30K
Foley
Foley
Back
Top Bottom