General The Board & Senior Management

[witney50]

You must have missed the fact that this was our second major cock up, so even by your own description, we haven't identified the errors in our processes, and we haven't improved said processes. Or do we need to make the same mistake multiple times in order to get the picture?

Havent misses that fact at all...Which process failed ? Was it the same issue repeated , was it the same department , was it the same person who made it....none of you know!!! And why should you know...when its not your job to investigate these things...

 

[Manorlounger]

Havent misses that fact at all...Which process failed ? Was it the same issue repeated , was it the same department , was it the same person who made it....none of you know!!! And why should you know...when its not your job to investigate these things...

 

[tonyw]

Havent misses that fact at all...Which process failed ? Was it the same issue repeated , was it the same department , was it the same person who made it....none of you know!!! And why should you know...when its not your job to investigate these things...

Well, we know it wasn't the same person who made it - because we fired the guy that screwed up the first time.

It was, however, the same CEO (and former CFO of Inter Milan and Man U, so not exactly lacking football finance experience!) who was overseeing, and who is therefore ultimately responsible for our second embargo in as many years due to financial incompetence.

 

[witney50]

So, you believe everything Tim Williams says then?

How’s that working out so far?

You either believe everyone is dishonest until they prove otherwise, or you choose to take people at face value—especially when your dealings with them are limited. People can decide for themselves which approach they take. Personally, I see no reason to doubt his perspective on the workings of OUFC. As the CEO of a small business, it's inevitable that he won't please everyone. That said, it's clear from this forum that there are individuals with questionable motives and personal agendas.

 

[witney50]

Well, we know it wasn't the same person who made it - because we fired the guy that screwed up the first time.

It was, however, the same CEO (and former CFO of Inter Milan and Man U, so not exactly lacking football finance experience!) who was overseeing, and who is therefore ultimately responsible for our second embargo in as many years due to financial incompetence.

There it is—investigation complete, verdict delivered, and sentence passed. May as well sack him, and everything will magically be fixed, right? The real question is whether the owners—his actual employers—trust him in his role. If they do, he stays. If they don’t, he goes. It’s that simple. Perhaps the owners have a broader, more informed perspective on OUFC’s operations than a few fans here who seem all too eager to revel in negativity.

 

[Carpy]

Havent misses that fact at all...Which process failed ? Was it the same issue repeated , was it the same department , was it the same person who made it....none of you know!!! And why should you know...when its not your job to investigate these things...

Both finance related, both resulted in significant sanctions, both under the watch of a CEO who's bread and butter is football club finance (apparently). You can give him two free passes if you like, I personally expect better. Once is a mistake, twice is negligence.

 

[witney50]

Both finance related, both resulted in significant sanctions, both under the watch of a CEO who's bread and butter is football club finance (apparently). You can give him two free passes if you like, I personally expect better. Once is a mistake, twice is negligence.

Ok...you are so right

Both finance related, both resulted in significant sanctions, both under the watch of a CEO who's bread and butter is football club finance (apparently). You can give him two free passes if you like, I personally expect better. Once is a mistake, twice is negligence.

I'm not giving him a free pass, nor am I passing judgment—that's not my role, and it’s not yours either, unless you’re financially invested in the club. What I will say is this: under his leadership, we’re in the strongest league position we've seen in decades, and there's a clear plan to unify the club and stadium into one sustainable future. That speaks volumes.

 

[tonyw]

There it is—investigation complete, verdict delivered, and sentence passed. May as well sack him, and everything will magically be fixed, right? The real question is whether the owners—his actual employers—trust him in his role. If they do, he stays. If they don’t, he goes. It’s that simple. Perhaps the owners have a broader, more informed perspective on OUFC’s operations than a few fans here who seem all too eager to revel in negativity.

While it's true that my opinion on this doesn't matter at all......

.......we do know certain facts. We know that we got a transfer embargo last summer because we failed to pay Sunderland what we owed them for Matete's loan for several months consecutively. We know that we got a transfer embargo last month because (alone amongst all football league clubs) we didn't get our accounts into the EFL on time.

It's not exactly outrageous to spend a few sentences on the fan's message board to question why the hell that's happened.

 

[Oxymoron]

Well, we know it wasn't the same person who made it - because we fired the guy that screwed up the first time.

It was, however, the same CEO (and former CFO of Inter Milan and Man U, so not exactly lacking football finance experience!) who was overseeing, and who is therefore ultimately responsible for our second embargo in as many years due to financial incompetence.

Was it not administrative incompetence?

 

[Smokey’s Chair]

why the hell that's happened.

Isn’t that the UK Eurovision entry or am I mistaken - perhaps Tim Williams is now singing it then?

 

[witney50]

While it's true that my opinion on this doesn't matter at all......

.......we do know certain facts. We know that we got a transfer embargo last summer because we failed to pay Sunderland what we owed them for Matete's loan for several months consecutively. We know that we got a transfer embargo last month because (alone amongst all football league clubs) we didn't get our accounts into the EFL on time.

It's not exactly outrageous to spend a few sentences on the fan's message board to question why the hell that's happened.

Of course you can comment and question, so can I, but there isnt a devine right for us to know why it happened , the over arching theme on here though is that the employed leadership is incompetent, even when the club is on an upward trajectory ... even the managed debt ... followed the Us for decades and we have never had it so good behind the scenes...we could go back to just Rosie, Mick Brown and a fax machine. perhaps thats what we are missing.

 

[christenedinjericho]

Between all of you, arguing, you are f*cking it up media wise once and for all. I hope you are all well pleased.

These guys with decades of business experience, are maybe, just maybe smart enough, to know what they are doing, whatever the weather - "North Oxford forever".

COYY'S.

 

[Colin B]

Of course you can comment and question, so can I, but there isnt a devine right for us to know why it happened , the over arching theme on here though is that the employed leadership is incompetent, even when the club is on an upward trajectory ... even the managed debt ... followed the Us for decades and we have never had it so good behind the scenes...we could go back to just Rosie, Mick Brown and a fax machine. perhaps thats what we are missing.

Why are you, with your admitted lack of knowledge of what has happened, so eager to stick up for someone who has not only cocked up majorly TWICE, leading to the club facing EFL sanctions TWICE, but has cut off communications with the fans via fans forums, and alienated the supporters' trust?

Why are you so keen to dismiss those of us who have been a little closer to things than you as nothing more than some sort of trouble makers?

Why are you not even a little bit worried that we are £50m in debt, with no way of paying it back? Are you really so thick that you believe it when you say "we've never had it so good"? It's the personal equivalent of having £50k of credit card debt and thinking you must be well off because you've got all these nice shiny things.

Regimes like ours love fans like you, who follow blindly, believing everything is OK until the day the bailiffs turn up. It's incredibly unhealthy to not question those gambling with our very existence, and I for one will continue to do so for as long as they play Russian roulette with our football club.

Do I do it because I'm a trouble maker? No, I do it because I care, and I do it because I'm concerned.

 

[OxfordBoy]

Between all of you, arguing, you are f*cking it up media wise once and for all. I hope you are all well pleased.

These guys with decades of business experience, are maybe, just maybe smart enough, to know what they are doing, whatever the weather - "North Oxford forever".

COYY'S.

Expecting a fans forum (that was continuously promised) and expecting answers for us being in serious trouble for infringements that no club should be making isn't ruining anything, it's just expecting what should be the bare minimum expected of any board of any club in the football league

And they clearly don't know what they're doing or we wouldn't be demanding answers for their continuous basic mistakes

 

[witney50]

Why are you, with your admitted lack of knowledge of what has happened, so eager to stick up for someone who has not only cocked up majorly TWICE, leading to the club facing EFL sanctions TWICE, but has cut off communications with the fans via fans forums, and alienated the supporters' trust?

Why are you so keen to dismiss those of us who have been a little closer to things than you as nothing more than some sort of trouble makers?

Why are you not even a little bit worried that we are £50m in debt, with no way of paying it back? Are you really so thick that you believe it when you say "we've never had it so good"? It's the personal equivalent of having £50k of credit card debt and thinking you must be well off because you've got all these nice shiny things.

Regimes like ours love fans like you, who follow blindly, believing everything is OK until the day the bailiffs turn up. It's incredibly unhealthy to not question those gambling with our very existence, and I for one will continue to do so for as long as they play Russian roulette with our football club.

Do I do it because I'm a trouble maker? No, I do it because I care, and I do it because I'm concerned.

Let’s keep this constructive—there’s no need to get personal. I haven’t come at you in that way. However, it’s become clear that you're not open to different viewpoints, and that’s your choice. As for me, I’ll base my perspective on what I see and hear directly, not on what others shout, speculate, or dramatize.

I’m not losing sleep over the debt issue. We’ve been told repeatedly that it’s soft debt and won’t be called in. I have no evidence to the contrary, and unless you do, I don’t see the point in panicking over hypotheticals. You’ve chosen to interpret the situation differently, to assume the worst, and that’s your right—but it doesn’t make your view more valid than mine.

Personally, I’d rather focus on what I can control than carry around anxiety over things I can’t change. If that means keeping perspective and not feeding into fear, so be it. If you still feel the need to respond with aggression, go ahead—I’ll stick with reason.

 

[Colin B]

Let’s keep this constructive—there’s no need to get personal. I haven’t come at you in that way. However, it’s become clear that you're not open to different viewpoints, and that’s your choice. As for me, I’ll base my perspective on what I see and hear directly, not on what others shout, speculate, or dramatize.

I’m not losing sleep over the debt issue. We’ve been told repeatedly that it’s soft debt and won’t be called in. I have no evidence to the contrary, and unless you do, I don’t see the point in panicking over hypotheticals. You’ve chosen to interpret the situation differently, to assume the worst, and that’s your right—but it doesn’t make your view more valid than mine.

Personally, I’d rather focus on what I can control than carry around anxiety over things I can’t change. If that means keeping perspective and not feeding into fear, so be it. If you still feel the need to respond with aggression, go ahead—I’ll stick with reason.

You do know that I was in the boardroom for the first year of Tim Williams' being at the club, and the four years before that, don't you?

That's not a boast, but it's me explaining how I have come to hold the views that I do, from first hand experience of dealing with him. I've then observed the many missteps, mistakes, missed deadlines, broken promises, shedding of good staff, and huge over spending that he has presided over.

So, I'm interested in what experience you have of dealing with him that leads you to defend him so vigorously?

 

[Paul Cannell]

All key metrics are trending in the right direction, yet we're calling this incompetence? Mistakes happen—that’s reality. The true measure of operational excellence is how we respond: identify the error, correct it, improve the process.

This wouldn't have been a funny post if it wasn't the second time the management failed to submit the mandatory information.

 

[witney50]

You do know that I was in the boardroom for the first year of Tim Williams' being at the club, and the four years before that, don't you?

That's not a boast, but it's me explaining how I have come to hold the views that I do, from first hand experience of dealing with him. I've then observed the many missteps, mistakes, missed deadlines, broken promises, shedding of good staff, and huge over spending that he has presided over.

So, I'm interested in what experience you have of dealing with him that leads you to defend him so vigorously?

Why would I know what you do or have done? The fact that you're no longer involved suggests something broke down with that arrangement.

I’ve had no personal dealings with Tim Williams beyond the occasional greeting. I’m not defending him passionately, nor is it my role—or yours—to determine whether he's doing a good job. That responsibility lies with his employers.

I’ve made it clear that my views are based on the club’s key metrics. You see debt as a major issue; I don’t. That’s based on messaging and context provided by the club itself. So while you speak from your experience, I speak from mine—and both are valid, but neither is definitive.

It’s obvious you have an axe to grind, but that doesn’t mean you should take aim at anyone who simply holds a different view. If you wanted your voice to carry real influence, perhaps you should have stayed in the boardroom where it might have mattered, instead of venting frustrations on a forum with a handful of active posters.

 

[Colin B]

Why would I know what you do or have done? The fact that you're no longer involved suggests something broke down with that arrangement.

I’ve had no personal dealings with Tim Williams beyond the occasional greeting. I’m not defending him passionately, nor is it my role—or yours—to determine whether he's doing a good job. That responsibility lies with his employers.

I’ve made it clear that my views are based on the club’s key metrics. You see debt as a major issue; I don’t. That’s based on messaging and context provided by the club itself. So while you speak from your experience, I speak from mine—and both are valid, but neither is definitive.

It’s obvious you have an axe to grind, but that doesn’t mean you should take aim at anyone who simply holds a different view. If you wanted your voice to carry real influence, perhaps you should have stayed in the boardroom where it might have mattered, instead of venting frustrations on a forum with a handful of active posters.

Now who's getting personal???!!!

On the one hand you claim you don't, or shouldn't know anything about me, and in the next breath imply that "something broke down" between me and the board. You follow up by claiming I obviously have an axe to grind and then accuses me of venting. If you think this is me venting, then you really don't know me. You know absolutely fuck all about why I decided to leave the boardroom, so don't try to suggest that you do.

I've tried rationalising the situation with you, and all you keep coming back with is "But Tim said it would be alright". I've got better things to do than keep repeating my self to someone who isn't prepared to listen, so I'll leave you with this. Somewhere near Witney, there's a village that's looking for its idiot.

 

[Steve Gilbert]

Now who's getting personal???!!!

On the one hand you claim you don't, or shouldn't know anything about me, and in the next breath imply that "something broke down" between me and the board. You follow up by claiming I obviously have an axe to grind and then accuses me of venting. If you think this is me venting, then you really don't know me. You know absolutely fuck all about why I decided to leave the boardroom, so don't try to suggest that you do.

I've tried rationalising the situation with you, and all you keep coming back with is "But Tim said it would be alright". I've got better things to do than keep repeating my self to someone who isn't prepared to listen, so I'll leave you with this. Somewhere near Witney, there's a village that's looking for its idiot.

My money is on Ducklington.

 

[Marked Ox]

My money is on Ducklington.

Does Tackley count as close?

 

[witney50]

Now who's getting personal???!!!

On the one hand you claim you don't, or shouldn't know anything about me, and in the next breath imply that "something broke down" between me and the board. You follow up by claiming I obviously have an axe to grind and then accuses me of venting. If you think this is me venting, then you really don't know me. You know absolutely fuck all about why I decided to leave the boardroom, so don't try to suggest that you do.

I've tried rationalising the situation with you, and all you keep coming back with is "But Tim said it would be alright". I've got better things to do than keep repeating my self to someone who isn't prepared to listen, so I'll leave you with this. Somewhere near Witney, there's a village that's looking for its idiot.

Well, if that’s truly the level you’ve stooped to, then I’m honestly taken aback. I’ve read your points—you have your perspective, and I have mine. You're absolutely right: I don’t know the full story behind your departure from the boardroom. But your own words offer more than a few clues—five years in, no longer there, and a strong opinion on alleged mismanagement. As Sherlock Holmes would say: “It’s elementary, my dear Colin B.”

Anyway, I think it’s time to bow out. I’ve cast the line, reeled you in, and tossed you back too many times. Consider this my retirement.

 

[carefreeoufc]

Sick of people complaining about our leaders. The disrespect shown as they navigate EFL embargo to embargo is disgraceful. Shame on you @Colin B

 

[carefreeoufc]

Well, if that’s truly the level you’ve stooped to, then I’m honestly taken aback. I’ve read your points—you have your perspective, and I have mine. You're absolutely right: I don’t know the full story behind your departure from the boardroom. But your own words offer more than a few clues—five years in, no longer there, and a strong opinion on alleged mismanagement. As Sherlock Holmes would say: “It’s elementary, my dear Colin B.”

Anyway, I think it’s time to bow out. I’ve cast the line, reeled you in, and tossed you back too many times. Consider this my retirement.

Thank you, Ian. About time someone stood up for us!!

 

[maidenheadox]

Isn't the level of debt ultimately down to the owners? I would have thought (with no actual knowledge) that the management would be working to a budget set by the owners. Which they in turn are funding through loans. It would feel more comfortable if they were converted to equity, but maybe there are fiscal reasons for doing it this way.

 

[Colin B]

Well, if that’s truly the level you’ve stooped to, then I’m honestly taken aback. I’ve read your points—you have your perspective, and I have mine. You're absolutely right: I don’t know the full story behind your departure from the boardroom. But your own words offer more than a few clues—five years in, no longer there, and a strong opinion on alleged mismanagement. As Sherlock Holmes would say: “It’s elementary, my dear Colin B.”

Anyway, I think it’s time to bow out. I’ve cast the line, reeled you in, and tossed you back too many times. Consider this my retirement.

For the benefit of others reading this, not for you, I need to make something clear.

That's twice you've inferred that I was in some way kicked out of the boardroom. That is most certainly not true and is a slur on my character. I spent several years, as an Associate Director, working on the stadium project, and some other things, with the previous senior management. When the current senior management came in I wasn't keen on what they were doing and how they were doing it, so at the end of season 2022/2023 I ceased being an Associate Director and therefore left the boardroom. That was 100% my decision and I did it as a man of principle as I wasn't prepared to sit at a table and glad-hand people who I didn't agree with.

As for the rest of your nonsensical and childish drivel, it doesn't deserve a response.