General Rage Online - Grenoble Road - Holding OUFC back?

Would also add:
The Kassam is far from perfect but it is all we have for at least another 6.75 seasons.
Continuing to slam it is doing harm.
The club needs more bums on seats.
The team deserves more support.
Embrace it.
 
In what way is it difficult to get to?
Ok by car, ok by bus?
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Not that easy by car - I've done it a couple of times and on one occasion I was stuck in the car park for over an hour.
Fair point regarding buses, but as an away fan in a new location - or for a casual fan - buses are not as simple as they are for a regular home fan.
 
Would also add:
The Kassam is far from perfect but it is all we have for at least another 6.75 seasons.
Continuing to slam it is doing harm.
The club needs more bums on seats.
The team deserves more support.
Embrace it.
Trouble is, that it's such a dump, it puts off all but pretty keen supporters. I can only get to 6-8 'live' games/season, and would much rather go to an away game. If we had a proper stadium, with decent facilities (including catering), then the 6.5k average home support would rise to 8.5k or so very quickly. People have so many more leisure opportunities compared to 30+years ago, and you have to compete for the casual/ less committed supporter. Sadly, as long as Kassam remains landlord, the chances of an upgrade at t
 
Trouble is, that it's such a dump, it puts off all but pretty keen supporters. I can only get to 6-8 'live' games/season, and would much rather go to an away game. If we had a proper stadium, with decent facilities (including catering), then the 6.5k average home support would rise to 8.5k or so very quickly. People have so many more leisure opportunities compared to 30+years ago, and you have to compete for the casual/ less committed supporter. Sadly, as long as Kassam remains landlord, the chances of an upgrade at t
,chances of an upgrade of facilities are nil
 
Seems a lot more excuses to not attend again as far as I am concerned, I get the train from Paddington or Marlebone, then have a few beers in town and get a no 5 bus which can be a bit of a pain but so what..

Seems some want everything on a plate, and even the transport links were perfect there would be another reason!
 
Lot said in here that makes sense, but - the fact that other clubs have rubbish grounds doesn't mean we should accept ours being rubbish. It is rubbish. It harms the club. I personally think our stadium is worse than all of the aforementioned except Bristol Rovers and Gillingham, but even so, if we want to progress we need to build a stadium better than the one we currently have. I appreciate your point that our ground is not terrible - perhaps I was laying it on a bit thick - but I do disagree in that we should accept the Ka$$am purely because other clubs have grounds as bad as it. If we adopt that mentality our club will never get anywhere.
As you said, though, COYY
Have you been to Wimbledon? worse than the Kassam really?
 
Just a comment on this:

"It’s also all gone quiet at the OxVox end about this mural – which is disappointing considering that about 200 people have put a fair bit of money together."

Actually it hasn't gone quiet. In OxVox's latest bulletin, circulated to members on Sunday, there's a full update on the mural project and all the work that's being done. So I'm not disappointed.
 
Lot said in here that makes sense, but - the fact that other clubs have rubbish grounds doesn't mean we should accept ours being rubbish. It is rubbish. It harms the club. I personally think our stadium is worse than all of the aforementioned except Bristol Rovers and Gillingham, but even so, if we want to progress we need to build a stadium better than the one we currently have. I appreciate your point that our ground is not terrible - perhaps I was laying it on a bit thick - but I do disagree in that we should accept the Ka$$am purely because other clubs have grounds as bad as it. If we adopt that mentality our club will never get anywhere.
As you said, though, COYY
I think that his point is thay we dont accept Kassam medium.term but at the moment we have no choice and a new ground will be years away.
So when the club are trying to build crowds to match the superb football just slagging off the ground doesn't help and there is some perspective required.
 
Have you been to Wimbledon? worse than the Kassam really?
If you want to see the game, yes.
Very shallow terracing and anybody under 6 foot sees very little of the game if there are a lot of away supporters.
I have rarely seen less of a game in the last 10 years!
Contrast with Rotherham on Saturday where the stand is so steep that you feel like toppling over.
 
If you want to see the game, yes.
Very shallow terracing and anybody under 6 foot sees very little of the game if there are a lot of away supporters.
I have rarely seen less of a game in the last 10 years!
Contrast with Rotherham on Saturday where the stand is so steep that you feel like toppling over.
Whooops I messed that up, I meant to say Wimbledon better than the Kassam really? ( lesson dont post early morning) as you say Wimbledon is a terrible experience I wont be going to that terrace ever again. I find my seat in the north stand gives me a good view of the the game.
 
Seems a lot more excuses to not attend again as far as I am concerned, I get the train from Paddington or Marlebone, then have a few beers in town and get a no 5 bus which can be a bit of a pain but so what..

Seems some want everything on a plate, and even the transport links were perfect there would be another reason!
The thing is though, do you just want the hardcore 6,000 or so, to attend every week, who like yourself don't mind putting themselves out to go to a quite basic and not at all inviting stadium, to watch their team. Or, would you like us to attact the casual supporter more often, and even new supporters, by better marketing, incentives to attend, or trying to improve the match day experience.

Fine if you are okay with just the 6,000 attending and us milling around between league 1 and 2 forever, but to improve finances, and in turn the playing squad and so being sustainable at top end of L1 to championship, then we need larger attendences.
 
There are PLENTY of grounds far worse than ours.
There are a good few that are better.

Maybe (dons tin hat) we should be doing stuff like offering work parties to clean the loo`s ? Yes I know we pay rent etc, however if we want to improve things....
There was a post about overgrown hedges blocking parking spaces.....few folk, petrol strimmer, job done. Pretty sure there is probably a few landscape gardeners attend the matches!
Not only would it improve the "matchday experience" (I hate that phrase!) but evil Uncle FK might mellow a bit..........

Oh and don`t get a committee involved, JFDI ! ?

Just a thought.
 
if/when we get a nice new stadium i hope the board listens to the views and ideas of its main punters - us.
another replica new build would still have the same problems the breeze block has.
would love something that’s unique to oxford and make visiting fans envious
 
The thing is though, do you just want the hardcore 6,000 or so, to attend every week, who like yourself don't mind putting themselves out to go to a quite basic and not at all inviting stadium, to watch their team. Or, would you like us to attact the casual supporter more often, and even new supporters, by better marketing, incentives to attend, or trying to improve the match day experience.

Fine if you are okay with just the 6,000 attending and us milling around between league 1 and 2 forever, but to improve finances, and in turn the playing squad and so being sustainable at top end of L1 to championship, then we need larger attendences.

No I want as many as possible attending, but it is what it is and as stated there are worse grounds for transport.
 
In life you will always find people who offer objections than solutions. It's the same with the stadium.

Let's build a new one (having taken 40 years to get approval to build this one), we want a 30,000 seater stadium - failing to accept we struggle to get 6000 home fans (I doubt a shiny new stadium will suddenly result in a 25,000 home attendance regularly), the Thai's can afford it (but will they wait five years to see it come to fruition?), etc etc.

The stadium is made out of corrugated iron, it needs £1m repairs (never was the case and was a vexatious and mischievous comment made by a previous owner to flush out people who on committees who were breaking confidences), it doesn't have any colour, it doesn't have OUFC in the seats, it's not our home............

The opening article states "The stadium itself is also, well, a bit rubbish. You can see immediately that the build quality is extremely low. It’s basically made out of corrugated iron painted blue and grey. Inside, the concourse is bland and the toilets are a bit grim. The roofs (rooves? Roofes? KEMAR ROOFE IS MAGIC) are too high so it’s hard to generate any noise. My mate, who’s doing the 92, commented that the stands (with the exception of the SSU) are shallow – the views are poor and fans are far from the pitch. The massive gap between the stands and the turf doesn’t help either. Nor do the empty corners or the absence of a fourth stand. This in of itself makes our club something of a laughing stock. I’m going to be honest and say that I would rather we had Accrington’s stadium – with its 5,450 capacity – than ours. It’s easy to get to, compact, with terracing and low roofs, and we would sell it out every week. Far better than our current rows and rows of empty seats".

The stadium isn't rubbish in comparison to many L1 and L2 offerings. Yes it's low build quality but it has potential to do a lot, fourth stand that fans could provide constructive feedback on, four corners to fill in, options exist or existed to bring the North Stand closer (see Colin B's previous research on that). Is moving stadium coming down to some shitty rust stains in the toilets, lack of colour etc. It's not a laughing stock, it has huge, monumental potential. A potential new train station, a huge residential and growing catchment area.

OxVox are sorting out a mural, a colourful addition to the stadium. It's soulless nature and description when Oxford lose and an inference that was a reason for poor form - not heard that one for a few months - wonder why?

It offers 2000 free car parking, comparing it's accessibility to West Bromwich - fans know how difficult it is to get 20K plus into that area of Birmingham.

Yes it needs work, it needs investment, but it's far far better than many give it credit for.

And if you'd rather have a 5000 stadium like Accrington, then god help us all.
 
In life you will always find people who offer objections than solutions. It's the same with the stadium.

Let's build a new one (having taken 40 years to get approval to build this one), we want a 30,000 seater stadium - failing to accept we struggle to get 6000 home fans (I doubt a shiny new stadium will suddenly result in a 25,000 home attendance regularly), the Thai's can afford it (but will they wait five years to see it come to fruition?), etc etc.

The stadium is made out of corrugated iron, it needs £1m repairs (never was the case and was a vexatious and mischievous comment made by a previous owner to flush out people who on committees who were breaking confidences), it doesn't have any colour, it doesn't have OUFC in the seats, it's not our home............

The opening article states "The stadium itself is also, well, a bit rubbish. You can see immediately that the build quality is extremely low. It’s basically made out of corrugated iron painted blue and grey. Inside, the concourse is bland and the toilets are a bit grim. The roofs (rooves? Roofes? KEMAR ROOFE IS MAGIC) are too high so it’s hard to generate any noise. My mate, who’s doing the 92, commented that the stands (with the exception of the SSU) are shallow – the views are poor and fans are far from the pitch. The massive gap between the stands and the turf doesn’t help either. Nor do the empty corners or the absence of a fourth stand. This in of itself makes our club something of a laughing stock. I’m going to be honest and say that I would rather we had Accrington’s stadium – with its 5,450 capacity – than ours. It’s easy to get to, compact, with terracing and low roofs, and we would sell it out every week. Far better than our current rows and rows of empty seats".

The stadium isn't rubbish in comparison to many L1 and L2 offerings. Yes it's low build quality but it has potential to do a lot, fourth stand that fans could provide constructive feedback on, four corners to fill in, options exist or existed to bring the North Stand closer (see Colin B's previous research on that). Is moving stadium coming down to some shitty rust stains in the toilets, lack of colour etc. It's not a laughing stock, it has huge, monumental potential. A potential new train station, a huge residential and growing catchment area.

OxVox are sorting out a mural, a colourful addition to the stadium. It's soulless nature and description when Oxford lose and an inference that was a reason for poor form - not heard that one for a few months - wonder why?

It offers 2000 free car parking, comparing it's accessibility to West Bromwich - fans know how difficult it is to get 20K plus into that area of Birmingham.

Yes it needs work, it needs investment, but it's far far better than many give it credit for.

And if you'd rather have a 5000 stadium like Accrington, then god help us all.

Owning the breeze block and installing a low roofed, ox rails/rail seat/ safe standing 4th stand
(along with the installation of the OxVox membership funded 'murals') would be steps in the right
direction IMO , to making the breeze block begin to resemble something it has never done, which, to me,
is 'home'

plenty of other tweaks and changes could be made to help it feel like home, could be carried out, once the ownership
is no longer the current, tax exile, slum landlord.

And that, of course, is presuming the current OUFC owners'/board aren't going to build a new stadium elsewhere?

Which, should that be the case, wasting time and energy, as well as effort, on hypothetically discussing making changes to the breeze block(as we are on this thread), is actually a bit pointless
 
Just a sort of general response to this:
There have been lots of good points made here. The comment about preferring Accrington's stadium was in hindsight misguided. I was speaking with my football fan head on - I do prefer their ground - but it is without a doubt worse for more casual fans. Snookered myself. Apologies.
I do disagree with some of the responses, though. Regarding transport - yes, you can park in Sandford or elsewhere (I've parked just across the river from the King's Arms a couple of times) - but is a casual fan going to want to walk for 40 minutes to a game? No, not really. Many people don't really like travelling on buses so that isn't a particularly inviting option either for the uninitiated. The railway station would be an excellent plan but considering the state of Oxford Council and how little they care about the club, I don't think this will happen any time soon. That said if the Science Park really start lobbying for it the chances are increased.
I take the point about other grounds, but - the fact that other clubs have rubbish grounds is again not a reason for us to accept ours. We need an ambitious club with desire to progress, but Ka$$am will not sell up unless the deal is hugely advantageous to him, and the build quality is poor. It's not falling apart but it's also very basic - breeze blocks and corrugated iron are not inviting either (I hate Millwall's stadium as well, though).
Generally I understand that the stadium is not horrendous, and I appreciate that since I've only see us play at home five times my opinion may lose some weight, but I'm speaking from the opinion of an outsider, and I can firmly say that I far prefer going to away games. Considering that I'm a pretty committed Oxford fan (albeit constrained by being a student - busy life and no money) I don't think that the matchday experience as a whole is going to attract many new fans.
 
Have to agree with lots of Bradders points here.
Also, I don't think the views are particularly bad - there are many larger stadiums where you are a lot further back and higher up and away from the pitch.
One recurrent theme is calling it a breezeblock stadium - never quite sure if this is because of the construction or the missing corners and stand means it's more open to the elements. And then people start saying about ****hole grounds like the c***ty ground or Accrington / Luton / Southend / Bristol Rovers / AFC Wimbledon where you are can be on an open terrace or crammed into tiny seats on a converted terrace with posts and pillars blocking viewlines. Make your mind up, do people want a shitty old ground or a relatively modern ground with no blocked views and all covered?
I'm not too convinced by the idea of a new station at the science park and whether it would take match day 'traffic' but that's another argument.
 
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