OxVox meeting Live

[DannyW]

Pitch got skated over a bit, but there is an issue there in that it has been laid to poor spec. OU would like the club to get the specification defined when the pitch was relaid.

 

[uptheus]

Didn’t attend, so this is based purely on the above from east stand boy, but it doesn’t seem like the club representatives were very forthcoming with answers to anything tonight, makes you wonder why they bothered to turn up?

What do you expect from Niall ‘I’ll check and come back to you’ McWilliams?

 

[yellowbow]

I couldn’t get to the meeting last night due to commitments at home, but looked forward, with the invited club directors there, to finally get some idea what the clubs plans were going forward and finding out what this new board has to offer. Despite people present saying it was a good meeting, I haven’t seen any evidence of anything substantial coming from them despite this being the perfect opportunity for them to put everyone’s minds at rest. I think I’m feeling more concerned than ever this morning. As I say, I wasn’t there so maybe people could put me right if I’ve got the wrong end of the stick?

 

[uptheus]

Being dealt with this week if you read the whole thing

Must have misread that bit.

So why has it taken so long to deal with it?

ps, Glad you liked it Maurice!

 

[behindthegoal]

I couldn’t get to the meeting last night due to commitments at home, but looked forward, with the invited club directors there, to finally get some idea what the clubs plans were going forward and finding out what this new board has to offer. Despite people present saying it was a good meeting, I haven’t seen any evidence of anything substantial coming from them despite this being the perfect opportunity for them to put everyone’s minds at rest. I think I’m feeling more concerned than ever this morning. As I say, I wasn’t there so maybe people could put me right if I’ve got the wrong end of the stick?

Wait for TLs report

 

[oxford1985]

re. the HMRC response = "error and should not have happened" what exactly was the error - was that expanded on? the crucks of it is that this "error" has happened twice in less than a year (yes i know they blamed the first one on the takeover) but common - this is a repetable business task that occures every quarter.

the fact that it will be dealt wih this week, and hasnt already been sorted - does that allude to cash flow problems?

 

[LondonRoader]

re. the HMRC response = "error and should not have happened" what exactly was the error - was that expanded on? the crucks of it is that this "error" has happened twice in less than a year (yes i know they blamed the first one on the takeover) but common - this is a repetable business task that occures every quarter.

the fact that it will be dealt wih this week, and hasnt already been sorted - does that allude to cash flow problems?

This is a worrying thing.
We have a very experienced financial director on board so it can't be because someone forgot.
IF it is cash flow problems, that won't be helped out by missing the HMRC obligation as late payment normally incurs a financial penalty.
I'm gl;ad the club have reconised the supporters concerns over this news, but I think this sort of information should be managed better from within the club, we won't be having a FF or Oxvox meeting more than once a year to try and reasure supoorters of their concerns on subjects like this, I know most of the answers from the club are just holding tit bits and it's an area that needs to be addressed.

 

[Northstandboy]

Zaki or whatever his name is, was very dismissive about needing to communicate the news about the winding up order.

 

[Manorlounger]

 

[DannyW]

They answered very little IMO, but well done OX VOX for getting them there. The common theme seemed to be we have been very busy working a lot of things out over the last six weeks. I was left wondering if there is something going on with the ownership and who pays the taxman was wrapped up in that. There was a distinct reluctance to even talk about it, so if it was just an error why the reluctance. I don't think it's cash flow more who's cash are we going to be using.

 

[Oxymoron]

Although I have no knowledge of why HRMC petitioned the club, I do know that once the petition was granted, the club would have had 7 days to either settle or contest the debt and have good grounds for doing so. Now that we are being told it is the later, it would imply that this bill was not expected or was for a larger amount than the club believes it owes.

Either way, this in turn implies that this is not an administrative oversight or the consequence of empty coffers, but the act of a business that is pro-actively managing demands upon it's money.

 

[myles]

The Forum Mafia showed their true colours by not turning up, it's so easy to type messages on a forum but it's so hard to turn up to a meeting.

When you have to attend a work meeting in London which doesn't finish until 6:30pm, yes it is hard to turn up to a meeting in Oxford at 7pm.

It's also interesting that an OxVox committe member dismisses those who dare ask questions of OxVox as the "Forum Mafia". Along with another committee member calling a season ticket holder a "complete and utter moron" on Twitter, is it any wonder I get messages from people who agree with my questions but are frightened to speak up themselves because of the reaction they may get?! I don't ask questions because I have some anti-OxVox agenda (far from it!), or with any personal beef, or just to be mischievous; it's because I consider them to be important issues which affect the longer-term future of the club.

Anyway, it's worth noting that the big question wasn't actually answered. Has the HMRC debt been paid off or not? The fact that the winding up petition hasn't been Gazetted yet suggests that SOMEBODY has paid it, so in what sense is it being "dealt with" this week? For the club to dismiss it as "not an issue" is just contemptuous of fans who understand how the process actually works.

PS Thanks to OxVox for setting the meeting up, and to ESB for the notes

 

[myles]

the club would have had 7 days to either settle or contest the debt and have good grounds for doing so. Now that we are being told it is the later,

I may have missed it, but where was this said?

 

[Colin B]

In the interests of clarity, we will of course be issuing minutes of the meeting to members, and we would hope that people who couldn't be there will wait for these minutes which should give a more detailed picture than ESB's brief (but welcome) notes.

That's not a dig at you Myles, but your post made me think that we ought to let people know we're in the process of compiling them, before people think ESB's notes are all the information they'll get. It may take a day or two to get them out though, so please be patient with us.

 

[Navegante]

Zaki or whatever his name is, was very dismissive about needing to communicate the news about the winding up order.

Interesting. Certainly gives the impression that there are deeper issues at play here then.

And even if everything was dandy, trying to bat it off as a non-issue rather than give an open and honest story (no matter how truthful) is bound to raise suspicions.

 

[myles]

That's not a dig at you Myles, but your post made me think that we ought to let people know we're in the process of compiling them, before people think ESB's notes are all the information they'll get. It may take a day or two to get them out though, so please be patient with us.

None taken, and I was expecting that OxVox would put out some more comprehensive notes. I was simply acknowledging ESB for doing some live from the meeting.

 

[Northstandboy]

In the interests of clarity, we will of course be issuing minutes of the meeting to members, and we would hope that people who couldn't be there will wait for these minutes which should give a more detailed picture than ESB's brief (but welcome) notes.

That's not a dig at you Myles, but your post made me think that we ought to let people know we're in the process of compiling them, before people think ESB's notes are all the information they'll get. It may take a day or two to get them out though, so please be patient with us.

Deffo. I should have made this the "Unofficial OxVox Live" thread

Purely basic, key points from the meeting, before the minutes are posted.

 

[Manorlounger]

I couldn't get to the meeting, living some 85 miles away is a pain and with my normal shift meaning I don't get home before 7pm, not much chance of me ever attending a weekday meet.
However, I am happy to read the notes on here and wait for the minutes to be published.

What does worry me is the apparent glossing over of recent events by the club officials who attended. Were any follow up questions asked? If the club is merely paying lip service to OxVox then this is rather insulting. OxVox do a lot of work, unpaid, for the club. The members are all good supporters and a lot of them have been around a lot, lot longer than the present board of directors. To divert the conversation away from the more "delicate" areas of the club is counter productive. A lot more questions will be asked than would be if some transparency were to be applied.
Happy supporters spread good news, worth remembering?

 

[Oxymoron]

I may have missed it, but where was this said?

It's not verbatim (& I appreciate that this is a very simplistic take on things) but the comment "1928 - @Paul B asks if we have money to pay it. It is being dealt with this week. " is a fairly big pointer to us not having settled the bill and as the WUP has not been published, we can conclude that we must have challenged HRMC over the demand.

But without an official statement, this is just (more) conjecture......

 

[Sarge]

Well, decent meeting last night, reflecting the day after the meeting

Those of us who were there are (probably more ),aware of, well not much really- bar a few minor crumbs of information, apart from the fact the current regime certainly do seem to think giving supporters the proverbial mushroom treatment on real issues is the way forward. Judging on the two OUFC directors evasiveness, perhaps the answer to Englands test cricket openers issue could be solved with these two? They 'left' , parried or sidestepped many of the more serious questions asked, with the occasional 'we'll get back to you'

despite few answers of any substance, (from OUFC directors there last night... and even after they were pressed on several points)
both FFs and Oxvox members meetings ( and Shareholders AGMs too - promised one for 2018, yet its not happening in 2018 despite Tiger himself agreeing to one at his first FF!), these meetings give OUFC supporters the opportunity to ask questions directly to those in a position to provide an answer. The fact that questions were evaded, unanswered or ignored, (By both the OUFC directors), frustrating though it is, it demonstrates what a hard job OxVox committee members obviously have when dealing with the current regime, as I doubt if the 'Keep em in the dark and feed em s**t' approach to supporters in general (like at last nights meeting), changes much when OUFC club officials are meeting with elected members of Ox Vox committee?

The current regime it seems to me, want to fleece as much £ out of loyal OUFC fans, and in return treat Loyal OUFC supporters like mushrooms at best.
It seems the current board have little else but contempt plus an air of superiority when it comes to interacting with OUFC supporters- the same supporters who were 'here' before this lot rocked up, and will be here after they've gone, the same supporters who spend £ on official club merch, STs, membership cards , replica kits etc etc etc .... but who are not, it seems, to be trusted with any real information, by avoiding answering direct questions put to them (OUFC board members) by Ox Vox supporters trust committee members or OUFC supporters in general.



picture of OxVox open members meeting last night ( of how the OUFC saw the Oxvox membership? )