The Stadium.....the clock is ticking.

[Paul P]

I hope i'm not duplicating here but I think we lost the dedicated stadium thread in the move. I personally think the clock is ticking on this issue and we need to come together and explore options and see how we as supporters can help move this forward. After an interesting and positive OxVox meeting the other night and a couple of great signings i'm feeling pretty good about where we are heading on the playing/academy front but the stadium situation still makes me extremely nervous. To me it makes sense to be exploring all options. We have around eight years left on the licence and to arrive there without any option but to sign again on the same terms would be criminal negligence on our part. Can we use what must be a wide pool of legal, planning, and business experience along with a huge amount of passion for our club to work together and find a way out of the shackles we were signed into? Both sides of what became a counterproductive and slightly childish argument actually had merit. This time can we work on ALL options together as supporters and see if we can save our club from another twenty years of having to over perform just to stand still. I for one am open to suggestions?

 

[Colin B]

I discussed this very thing with Jem earlier today!

 

[Paul P]

I discussed this very thing with Jem earlier today!

It's either 'Great minds think alike' or 'Donkeys seldom differ'.
Actually I do think there is a willingness among supporters to work together on this. Maybe it's worth asking the question who out there has specific skills, contacts or ideas that may be of help?

 

[Ox4Eva]

The slum landlord has taken the P**s out of us for years. Many have said we should not upset him as there may be a deal to be done. Truth is that will never happen with this rat!


He must have a London office and even if he is not there we should maybe have a demo outside it and show some balls for a change!

 

[Paul P]

The slum landlord has taken the P**s out of us for years. Many have said we should not upset him as there may be a deal to be done. Truth is that will never happen with this rat!


He must have a London office and even if he is not there we should maybe have a demo outside it and show some balls for a change!

It's definitely one way to go I suppose. Personally I just don't think he cares in the slightest what we think. I doubt he'd even be there and if he was he'd be sat in his office smiling. Is he really worried about the effect on his company? Again I doubt it, he has had worse things thrown at him and this would gain very little attention outside Oxford. My worry would be it would turn a man indifferent to us into one wanting to stick the knife in further. If we get to the point of no return and he still hasn't shifted in attitude, why not try to directly lobby the businesses around the ground that directly put money in his pocket. Some at least might feel their business in being hurt by his intransigence. For now, and this is just my opinion, there are other ways to try and get things moving.

 

[malcolmsmoustache]

It's definitely one way to go I suppose. Personally I just don't think he cares in the slightest what we think. I doubt he'd even be there and if he was he's be sat in his office smiling. Is he really worried about the effect on his company? Again I doubt it, he has had worse things thrown at him and this would gain very little attention outside Oxford. My worry would be it would turn a man indifferent to us into one wanting to stick the knife in further. If we get to the point of no return and he still hasn't shifted in attitude, why not try to directly lobby the businesses around the ground that directly put money in his pocket. Some at least might feel their business in being hurt by his intransigence. For now, and this is just my opinion, there are other ways to try and get things moving.

I am not an expert at all in this area and apologies if this has been covered already. But am I right in thinking that we can play pro football outside Oxon? If yes, why not play at WWFC for a season? V far from ideal but it

 

[malcolmsmoustache]

I am not an expert at all in this area and apologies if this has been covered already. But am I right in thinking that we can play pro football outside Oxon? If yes, why not play at WWFC for a season? V far from ideal but it[/QUOTE
Would flush kassam out. He would be left with a white elephant?

 

[LondonRoader]

Depend on what your aspirations for the stadium are.

If its a ground where we hold our matches and over the coming years the stadium and infracstructure around the stadium improves what are you looking for?
Have we got a willing landlord who wants to sell the stadium at the price we can afford, is it financially prudent to take on the stadium ownership and upkeep, will we be able to service the debt buying the ground will entail, and will owning the ground give us any financial security to help the club move forward in a football arena where ground ownership is not the do all and end all, owning the stadium and club is open to prospective future owners undoing what would of been a really hard fought achievement that could ultimately put our future at risk with an unscrupulous owner, the money in football is in league position and TV money.

Can we afford to move out of this present tenure, is there land, money and inclination from everyone that would have to be involved to move away from the current residence and for what reason?

Is the future really that bad if we did carry on paying the rent we pay now on a new lease, if you are in division 2 yes it has some impact, if we are comfortably in the championship it might seem a bargain.

If we could purchase the ground without a greater financial burden, it would have to be under a trust umbrella.
If we stayed and renewed the lease, it would have to be under better terms and control so we could use the ground to further our footballing ambitions.

 

[eraser]

Unfortunately the stadium is no longer a White Elephant to Ka$$am. It is owned outright and if anyone has ever rented out property with no mortgage you charge enough to cover all the bills plus profit. The only way out is to not renew any lease. Ka$$am can move the rent up and down as fast as our league position. We can never get him over a barrel because we've already recouped his investment through rent.

 

[Jason N]

Ka££am is a c*nt!

“I am planning on providing housing for Oxfordshire which it desperately needs. I do not have to do deals in order to get planning permission so they can buy the stadium for a cheaper price.

“We are a commercial organisation not a charity.”

So not only has he screwed us over with the stadium, he's determined to remove the overflow carpark, build housing and still get over paid for the purchase of the stadium.

Surely he's made enough money out of Oxford!!!! What an A*****e.

http://www.Oxfordm**l.co.uk/sport/o...adium_deal___but_he_has_a_fight_on_his_hands/

Again Ka££am uses the excuse that he doesn't want to sell to another investor who may not have the best interests in OUFC (pot calling kettle black!!!). Of course Firoz!! it's nothing to do with the fact that your fleecing the club month in month out without having to lift a finger..

 

[LondonRoader]

As I said one of the options might be renew the lease on as best terms as you can afford, these terms might not be such a financial issue if we were in the championship, a lease can't be moved up and down as you are suggesting and in the time frame if we have to renew a lease we should have a clearer direction on where the club is going.
What you have said might be right or wrong, but you have to look at our future as a business model not personal like or dislike of the FK.

 

[Paul P]

As I said one of the options might be renew the lease on as best terms as you can afford, these terms might not be such a financial issue if we were in the championship, a lease can't be moved up and down as you are suggesting and in the time frame if we have to renew a lease we should have a clearer direction on where the club is going.
What you have said might be right or wrong, but you have to look at our future as a business model not personal like or dislike of the FK.

While I absolutely agree that renegotiating the licence at a better rate, maybe even with provision for us to take revenue from the ground and be able to develop the stadium, would be a very attractive idea, the fact of the matter is that without leverage, what is his motivation to agree to that? I fear if we are relying on altruism then we may be in for a long wait. I honestly believe that if we don't act now and find a way to either make renegotiating an attractive proposition for him or have a financially viable plan to move away within eight to ten years, then he will merely sit back and tell us that we are within our rights to resign the licence on the current terms or we can leave. If we are hoping at that point to use the threat of leaving to play at WWFC or NTFC then I think we are sitting down at a poker table with a guy who owns all the cards. And the table. And the chair we are sitting on.

 

[bazzer9461]

As I said one of the options might be renew the lease on as best terms as you can afford, these terms might not be such a financial issue if we were in the championship, a lease can't be moved up and down as you are suggesting and in the time frame if we have to renew a lease we should have a clearer direction on where the club is going.
What you have said might be right or wrong, but you have to look at our future as a business model not personal like or dislike of the FK.

Sorry LR but I can’t see what benefit of renegotiating the lease would be. I appreciate what Oxvox are trying to do, but to be frank , Kassam giving us a much better financial deal? He’s tight-fisted he is only in it for himself and couldn’t give one iota about this club of ours.

 

[Blox21]

Agree bazzer , you can't talk to this bloke
It's time for action , we as fans can put pressure on his business interest .
Why oh why people still buy food and drink from the stadium is beyond me , hit him where it hurts .
And the council can stop pandering to him , hit him hard over the priory debacle .

 

[LondonRoader]

Sorry LR but I can’t see what benefit of renegotiating the lease would be. I appreciate what Oxvox are trying to do, but to be frank , Kassam giving us a much better financial deal? He’s tight-fisted he is only in it for himself and couldn’t give one iota about this club of ours.

Ok, I did say it was an option, you have expressed your opinion but there are people who are at least talking to him and trying to look at all options that can be achieved with him.

 

[bazzer9461]

Ok, I did say it was an option, you have expressed your opinion but there are people who are at least talking to him and trying to look at all options that can be achieved with him.

I know there are people talking to him but I cannot see a good deal from that man that will benefit the club.

 

[LondonRoader]

While I absolutely agree that renegotiating the licence at a better rate, maybe even with provision for us to take revenue from the ground and be able to develop the stadium, would be a very attractive idea, the fact of the matter is that without leverage, what is his motivation to agree to that? I fear if we are relying on altruism then we may be in for a long wait. I honestly believe that if we don't act now and find a way to either make renegotiating an attractive proposition for him or have a financially viable plan to move away within eight to ten years, then he will merely sit back and tell us that we are within our rights to resign the licence on the current terms or we can leave. If we are hoping at that point to use the threat of leaving to play at WWFC or NTFC then I think we are sitting down at a poker table with a guy who owns all the cards. And the table. And the chair we are sitting on.

This was discussed at the Oxvox meeting, dialog is on going with FK but has halted until this arbitration situation is sorted.
People are and have been trying to sort the stadium situation out for a long time now, nothing has changed apart from the clock ticking down, FK knows what we can and can't do moving the club away and the financial implications that brings for both sides, as you say no point in playing poker with the man when you are holding none of the cards.

Do you not think the academy ground situation is a far more important situation for the future of the club against trying to own this ground or another ground that will have a drain on resources.

 

[LondonRoader]

I know there are people talking to him but I cannot see a good deal from that man that will benefit the club.

I know there are people talking to him but I cannot see a good deal from that man that will benefit the club.

Ok only time will tell on that, because no one will really know until something does or doesn't happen.

 

[LondonRoader]

Agree bazzer , you can't talk to this bloke
It's time for action , we as fans can put pressure on his business interest .
Why oh why people still buy food and drink from the stadium is beyond me , hit him where it hurts .
And the council can stop pandering to him , hit him hard over the priory debacle .

We might be reaping now for the last time we took action, it was discussed and agreed at the Oxvox meeting that tackling FK head on and trying to force him into a corner is a tough task, that was from the council and Oxvox people there who have had meetings with him.
We all want the best for the football club, whether that means buying the stadium, moving, staying there will not be a perfect solution to please everyone.

 

[LondonRoader]

Ka££am is a c*nt!

“I am planning on providing housing for Oxfordshire which it desperately needs. I do not have to do deals in order to get planning permission so they can buy the stadium for a cheaper price.

“We are a commercial organisation not a charity.”

So not only has he screwed us over with the stadium, he's determined to remove the overflow carpark, build housing and still get over paid for the purchase of the stadium.

Surely he's made enough money out of Oxford!!!! What an A*****e.

http://www.Oxfordm**l.co.uk/sport/o...adium_deal___but_he_has_a_fight_on_his_hands/

Again Ka££am uses the excuse that he doesn't want to sell to another investor who may not have the best interests in OUFC (pot calling kettle black!!!). Of course Firoz!! it's nothing to do with the fact that your fleecing the club month in month out without having to lift a finger..

The Oxford mail is unhelpful for the football club, what they have said was all discussed at the Oxvox meeting by Bob Price, it was out in the public domain, but they have to try and get a click bait headline to help their chip wrapper paper, they are trying to put a negative situation on a positive Oxvox meeting.