Players and staff not paid for March

[Teddydee1980]

You can't compare a football club to a car manufacturer. The reason people scrutinise their football club more than other companies they deal with is because they have an emotional investment in it and because the future of their club absolutely depends on what the current owner does whilst he is in charge. If a car manufacturer goes bust then you might have to buy another make of car. If you are a football supporter and your club goes bust, you can't just get a different one.

I'm sure that this wasn't supposed to 'get out' (I think Robinson alluded to that in his interview on Saturday and who knows what else has successfully been kept under wraps) - but once it did, there needed to be some sort of statement.
Why? Well apart from anything else, we are about to start attracting players for next season. Given the choice between two clubs, any player is going to take into account the way the club is being run. When you have multiple winding up orders (or petitions or whatever they are) and staff not being paid, that is - to say the least - an indication that all might not be well. We don't want to know the financial minutiae - we want to feel that the club is being well run. At the moment it isn't.

I agree, I don't think you can compare a football club to any other business model (aside from other sports clubs)...perhaps that's where the problem lies. That dividing line between supporting the football played on the pitch and the success of the team, alongside the profit and loss (or loss and more loss in our case) of the balance sheet.

With regard to the Season ticket point (from OxfordYankee), I agree, they'll be keen on our loyalty, but again....you won't get facts until whether it's good news ("There will be a competitive budget" "If the player is right, the money is there" and other non commital b.s) or bad. Ultimately, it will be a choice for the fan as to what they want to believe.

 

[bazzer9461]

Considering the extry amount Tiger is having to stump up due to the fight DE picked with FK, knowing full well he would never win and the money that saved him, I do think it is relevant.

All the hard work put in by Ashton, Appleton, and to be fair DE too, was shot to bits when Ashton was shown the door. DE didn't know how to run a football club, and didn't like anything or anyone disagreeing with him. All that brilliant work done, ruined, and now we are seeing things go from bad to worse.

Why did DE think Tiger was better for OUFC, than Donald Methven Satori? DE can sell to who he wants, but he said it was in the best interests of the club. Does anyone believe that?

Without Ashton and Appleton, Eales didn't do a great job. I do feel that although DE's time has gone, events now are linked and are part of the fall out.

Anything is better than that arrogant t**t

 

[Sarge]

Cultural differences are probably the major factor in lack of any cohesive information from our owner (on all manner of subjects)?

Admitting your failings in depth publically are perhaps not how those with money act in thailand?

Also many employees at oufc may not be able to publically and officially make any comments or statements about anything sensitive, or perceived as sensitive , without permission/clearance from our current owner?

Md Niall mac's 'catchphrase' " Ill get back to you on that "could well in reality speak volumes regarding how our owner wants n insists things such as info, communication etc on 'awkward' or percieved awkward topics ? ....as it might be the case that absolutely everything, as in every snippet of information made on behalf of oufc, has to have tigers approval first?

 

[oxfordkits]

Can someone clarify today's situation. Have the staff actually downed tools, or is it (as I suspect) Firoka have not been paid so have prevented staff from entering the building?

 

[Foley]

Can someone clarify today's situation. Have the staff actually downed tools, or is it (as I suspect) Firoka have not been paid so have prevented staff from entering the building?

Not sure that FK would be allowed to do this contractually if he was due rent last Friday.

 

[Foley]

You're right. It is a business and he has every right to run it as such.

Of course, he won't be using emotional blackmail and calls for 'loyalty' to try and get his business backed by its customers despite the substandard product and environment he has created. No, of course he won't.

You want facts? Come summer and the Season Ticket renewal campaign, he'll want it both ways. "Leave me alone, it's a business and I can do with it what I please" and "No, don't leave me alone, I need you and you should be loyal despite the chaos and poor product"

Most of us support our club.
Poor product? Again most of us probably remember the years under Talbot, Patterson. and the years in the Conference and League 2.
Sure it ain't great but things have been an awful lot worse over many years.

 

[Wallop]

Not sure that FK would be allowed to do this contractually if he was due rent last Friday.

Some were saying last week that the rent was due a week ago so he may be entitled if that is the case. The statement on the OWS is succinct to say the least and the subsequent silence is deafening.

 

[Wallop]

Some were saying last week that the rent was due a week ago so he may be entitled if that is the case. The statement on the OWS is succinct to say the least and the subsequent silence is deafening.

Furthermore if the rent is c.9 days overdue, then I can have no real issue with FK doing this, what else is he supposed to do especially given the recent issues re delays in due payments for the outcome of the arbitration? If, buts and monkey nuts though in the absence of any real information.

 

[Deleted member 142]

Most of us support our club.
Poor product? Again most of us probably remember the years under Talbot, Patterson. and the years in the Conference and League 2.
Sure it ain't great but things have been an awful lot worse over many years.

I should hope we do.

My point was only to highlight the double standards of club owners.

As for product, yes we're at a higher standard of football than all of those examples but, if the claims of top-8 budgets are correct, have we ever underachieved to the level we have this year?

 

[Upthecowboys]

Is this anything to do with Firoka?

i.e If rent has not been paid has he denied the club access to the stadium.

 

[Oxymoron]

It would seem we're not the only one

 

[Sarge]

While im 100% unhappy that staff werent paid as contracted, and oufc finance dept shouldve had a plan and infastructure in place for this to never happen, Ive heard that that extensive funds were transfered from thailand middle of last week to barclays bank. Im told that due to the amount, barclays implimented the newish tighter anti money laundering laws which meant until the required proccess had run its course ,transfered in funds have been frozen /delayed. Of course oufc financial dept shouldve perhaps ensured , given that it was a sizable amount likely to trigger the anti money laundering laws, that funds arrived earlier, it was barclays holding bank (?) Complying with the law, who held up releasing funds to oufc for wages. And it seems still are awaiting clearance?
One minor question is where did oufc find the £ to pay players (albeit late) with incoming funds frozen at the time?

The department in clearance banks in the UK are called compliance department....I reliably informed even within banking compliance departments are a law to themselves, no one in or outside of banking can have any contact with them regarding a transaction that is under compliance investigation....which usually takes between 5 and 8 working days

Which may part explain why hmrc situations and the late paying of staff &players happened?
Which if true and is a factor in late payments, bill paying etc it raises the question as to why the situation with funds in a bank compliance dept being investigated under money laundering laws wasnt communicated by oufc?
Could have avoided a lot of un needed speculation

Honesty goes a long way imo

 

[Oxymoron]

It's probably an offence under subsection 6, paragraph v, addendum 49 to even mention that payments are under investigation.......

 

[OX18]

To be honest moving or getting money is a bloody fiasco nowadays. I have an equal amount moved from a pension company once a year, same insurer, same bank, same branch. I went into the branch last week (Nat West) to withdraw a couple of grand and they asked me what I was going to spend it on.

 

[Oldman159]

You have to jump through hoops just to change a couple of hundred squids into any other currency these days, to make sure you are not money laundering.

Meanwhile, massively expensive property deals involving Arabs, Russians, whoever seem to go through on the nod.

Perhaps ....As my mum used to say: "take care of the pennies and the pounds will look after themselves"

 

[ZeroTheHero]

Surely the lesson is to do it in very good time, and to have (for example) one or two months money in a bank account over here 'just in case'?

 

[Yellowbelly]

Can someone clarify today's situation. Have the staff actually downed tools, or is it (as I suspect) Firoka have not been paid so have prevented staff from entering the building?

Staff downed tools is my understanding due to non payment of their wages.

 

[jambon46]

To be honest moving or getting money is a bloody fiasco nowadays. I have an equal amount moved from a pension company once a year, same insurer, same bank, same branch. I went into the branch last week (Nat West) to withdraw a couple of grand and they asked me what I was going to spend it on.

Perhaps they were worried you were going to donate to the wage bill at oufc?

 

[outsidethebox]

@John Lennon are you still part of the backroom team at oufc? Genuine question as I'm often out if date with matters.

 

[sideshowrob]

The staff have been paid

Oxford United settle overdue wages for staff

OXFORD United’s staff have now all been paid the wages which had been due on Friday, the Oxford Mail understands.

www.oxfordmail.co.uk