There has to be something going on..

[Navegante]

Oxfordshire County Council, Oxford City Council and Oxford United have released the following statement:

The leaders and senior officers of County Council and City Council have held discussions with the Directors of Oxford United about their search for alternative sites for a potential new stadium. Both Councils value Oxford United as important to the residents of Oxford City and Oxfordshire.

Any future move would not be a short term process and would be subject to the normal planning requirements. However, there is a shared commitment to ensure that Oxfordshire has a multi-use sporting venue that we are all proud to be associated with.

Oxford United have identified potential sites and has appointed a planning consultant in order to progress its ambition.


Source: OWS.

 

[unification]

It’s pretty bleak, isn’t it? It’s easy to be on a downer with the team slumping along but things behind the scenes really have taken a horrific turn to make things a whole lot worse.

The saddest thing is that it’s taken a mere eight months to find ourselves in this position. EIGHT MONTHS! Our decline in the ‘90s was a long, drawn out affair stemming from the collapse of the Maxwell empire, but even then the likes of Herd keeping us limping on and even with a brief bit of excitement in 1995-96.

This new crisis – and it’s slowly becoming one – has taken so little time to materialise. DE selling to the ‘wrong’ investor (let’s be honest, we all would have preferred Sartori. I can’t blame DE too much as he was looking out for himself rather than the club. It hurts to us but putting myself in his shoes and having a club I had no emotional affinity to, I would have done the same), Tiger overpromising and under-delivering, the worsening relationship with Kassam and now the utter shitpit that was our summer recruitment. We’re left no closer to a new home or buying the Kassam (probably even further away), we’re laboured with a weak squad of loanees and has-beens with some on long contracts, we have a part-time MD who, as nice as he is, is a schoolteacher with minimal experience of the role he’s in, we’re bottom of the league and we’re getting the mushroom treatment.

At the end of 2016-17, we finished 8th in League having navigated our way to the 5th round of the FA Cup and an EFL Trophy final and scoring 100 goals in the season. We sold some stars, as per the model, and reinvested. Yep – first big mistake was in Clotet, but things like that do happen. Clotet talked better than he managed so we were all happy to write it off and find the next guy who would buy into the OUFC approach.

What approach now? KR bumbling around, frustrated at the squad he assembled, Tiger nowhere to be seen and a ‘jam tomorrow’ approach from the fans’ forum. In only eight months, the professionalism has been obliterated. Deeply saddening.

 

[Witney Wag]

Oxfordshire County Council, Oxford City Council and Oxford United have released the following statement:

The leaders and senior officers of County Council and City Council have held discussions with the Directors of Oxford United about their search for alternative sites for a potential new stadium. Both Councils value Oxford United as important to the residents of Oxford City and Oxfordshire.

Any future move would not be a short term process and would be subject to the normal planning requirements. However, there is a shared commitment to ensure that Oxfordshire has a multi-use sporting venue that we are all proud to be associated with.

Oxford United have identified potential sites and has appointed a planning consultant in order to progress its ambition.


Source: OWS.

WATER EATON the perfect site? Or is it?

 

[RyanioBirdio]

Just read the statement.

So basically we will end up in a shared stadium that someone else will likely retain ownership of, and it will also be surrounded by other businesses such as leisure facilities and hotels, which will also be owned by the people who paid for the stadium and they will therefore take all profits while the club sits in a stadium with no assets of its own.

...WAIT A MINUTE!

 

[MarkG]

Quite, Zaki and Horst haven't come in yet as investors. They are directors, one with a history of lending money to Reading football club , the other as a property investor in far East. There is no implied route to the Premiership and taking out tv money as dividends or salaries like Blackpool. It seems to be all a property play.

 

[Sheik djibouti]

Just read the statement.

So basically we will end up in a shared stadium that someone else will likely retain ownership of, and it will also be surrounded by other businesses such as leisure facilities and hotels, which will also be owned by the people who paid for the stadium and they will therefore take all profits while the club sits in a stadium with no assets of its own.

...WAIT A MINUTE!

But won't that always be the model?...Even if we found someone with ridiculously deep pockets who was happy to let a brand new stadium not pay its way and sit idle for all but a few hours a fortnight, the Planning Authorities would never allow that in a month of Sundays!

Unless it has a wider community benefit to it (ie shared site/leisure facilities) and unless it can turn a profit/at least pay for itself (ie associated business), it will never happen.

The crux in terms of the fate of OUFC is just how much any new owner/developer/speculator actually care about us.....which has ALWAYS been the case. As nice a fantasy as it is to pretend that some mega rich benevolent soul is about to gallop over the horizon to end all our woes, it is just that - pure fantasy.

 

[greatunclekip]

It’s pretty bleak, isn’t it? It’s easy to be on a downer with the team slumping along but things behind the scenes really have taken a horrific turn to make things a whole lot worse.

The saddest thing is that it’s taken a mere eight months to find ourselves in this position. EIGHT MONTHS! Our decline in the ‘90s was a long, drawn out affair stemming from the collapse of the Maxwell empire, but even then the likes of Herd keeping us limping on and even with a brief bit of excitement in 1995-96.

This new crisis – and it’s slowly becoming one – has taken so little time to materialise. DE selling to the ‘wrong’ investor (let’s be honest, we all would have preferred Sartori. I can’t blame DE too much as he was looking out for himself rather than the club. It hurts to us but putting myself in his shoes and having a club I had no emotional affinity to, I would have done the same), Tiger overpromising and under-delivering, the worsening relationship with Kassam and now the utter shitpit that was our summer recruitment. We’re left no closer to a new home or buying the Kassam (probably even further away), we’re laboured with a weak squad of loanees and has-beens with some on long contracts, we have a part-time MD who, as nice as he is, is a schoolteacher with minimal experience of the role he’s in, we’re bottom of the league and we’re getting the mushroom treatment.

At the end of 2016-17, we finished 8th in League having navigated our way to the 5th round of the FA Cup and an EFL Trophy final and scoring 100 goals in the season. We sold some stars, as per the model, and reinvested. Yep – first big mistake was in Clotet, but things like that do happen. Clotet talked better than he managed so we were all happy to write it off and find the next guy who would buy into the OUFC approach.

What approach now? KR bumbling around, frustrated at the squad he assembled, Tiger nowhere to be seen and a ‘jam tomorrow’ approach from the fans’ forum. In only eight months, the professionalism has been obliterated. Deeply saddening.

Best post on here in ages. We (me especially) moaned at times during the Eales/App years but my goodness we had it good. We were the envy of lower league clubs.

Ive said it before but it reminds me so much of Chesterfield who after walking league 2, stabilised in the league 1, a couple of bad managerial appointments, random "investors" and they are now floundering in the conference.

A successful football club has everyone pulling in the same direction with a clear vision. Everything we dont have.

 

[ZeroTheHero]

Re: the statement.

Is this activity for the good of the football club, or primarily for the good of a load of investors? It certainly will not end up with the football club being the owner of the stadium. But until any site for the new stadium has been found, permissions granted, appeals gone through, infrastructure and transport considered, finance arranged, plans approved, contractors appointed and there actually being someone on site with a JCB I will remain pretty sceptical. Will it be done within the seven years left on our Grenoble Road agreement? Or will we be moved out somewhere only to find that the new stadium never gets built?

So I reiterate my original question: how many of those with power and influence at the club actually have the club's interests as their over-riding concern?

 

[Ox4Eva]

Oxfordshire County Council, Oxford City Council and Oxford United have released the following statement:

The leaders and senior officers of County Council and City Council have held discussions with the Directors of Oxford United about their search for alternative sites for a potential new stadium. Both Councils value Oxford United as important to the residents of Oxford City and Oxfordshire.

Any future move would not be a short term process and would be subject to the normal planning requirements. However, there is a shared commitment to ensure that Oxfordshire has a multi-use sporting venue that we are all proud to be associated with.

Oxford United have identified potential sites and has appointed a planning consultant in order to progress its ambition.


Source: OWS.

A statement that says f*ck all and in reality and we are no further forward!

 

[Sarge]

We have fallen down the rabbit hole into Alice in Wonderland. Apart from the complete non-performance of the management 'team' and the 'team' on the pitch, we have seemingly been bought (on tick) by an ineffectual, disorganised man with little money of his own but some moneyed contacts whose motives for (perhaps) getting involved with the club are completely unclear. With a part time MD (!) and an absentee owner there seems to be little control over what is happening day to day (yes, I know he can email and Skype, but that is not the same as actually being there) and the club has managed to make a fractious relationship with Kassam even worse (perhaps not difficult, but perhaps not very sensible either). With constant promises of 'jam tomorrow' both on and off the pitch, some people are prepared to swallow whatever crap is fed to them - but none of us can do very much about it at all.
The current hope that some bloke from Inter (who has presided over a slump for them and is reviled by their support) will bring his multimillions to the club, sort out the stadium situation and allow us to 'do a Bournemouth' because 'Oxford is a marketable brand' seems like wishful thinking to me (perhaps unfortunately). If things aren't sorted quickly, we will be in L2 next season in all likelihood, stuck in a stadium we can't leave but can't afford to play in, with our best players sold to bridge the gap and a team made up of ageing journeyman crocks, promising youngsters and a few loanees.
I'm off to buy a EuroMillions ticket...

its all (on and off pitch), been getting curiouser and curiouser since Tigers take over, thats for sure

 

[Paul Cannell]

Re: the statement.

Is this activity for the good of the football club, or primarily for the good of a load of investors? It certainly will not end up with the football club being the owner of the stadium.
.
.
.
So I reiterate my original question: how many of those with power and influence at the club actually have the club's interests as their over-riding concern?

That's a good question. Or two.

If this move all comes off there's probably, as Mr Birdio observes, no difference between the situation with Kassam when we moved to Grenoble Road - the club will be owned by the people who own the development or as part of a structure of companies that might include a council.

It won't be ideal, but it may not be that bad. It depends on how keen Tiger is on his trainset, for how long, and whether he can stand up to his partners. You never know - he might carve out a self-contained club with council-backed rights to a decent stadium with a sustainable deal on rent vs profits......

 

[Manorlounger]

It all sounds like a repetition of the FK scam. Using the club as a front to get land, planning and licences as all necessary for looking after the club and the good people (voters) of Oxfordshire.

 

[Sarge]

Oxfordshire County Council, Oxford City Council and Oxford United have released the following statement:

The leaders and senior officers of County Council and City Council have held discussions with the Directors of Oxford United about their search for alternative sites for a potential new stadium. Both Councils value Oxford United as important to the residents of Oxford City and Oxfordshire.

Any future move would not be a short term process and would be subject to the normal planning requirements. However, there is a shared commitment to ensure that Oxfordshire has a multi-use sporting venue that we are all proud to be associated with.

Oxford United have identified potential sites and has appointed a planning consultant in order to progress its ambition.


Source: OWS.

Theres been a few rumblings in the local media about the old speedway /dog racing stadium in
Sandy Lane, BBleys albeit pretty much derelict currently = multi sport stadium potential dog racing, speedway & football

downsides - parking minimal in the vicinity, if there is dog n speedway racing distance from the (football) pitch
would probably require binoculars?

Apart from the novelty of OUFC being a boys toy for our absentee owner , he and other investors will be looking to make as much £ as they can
from owning an EFL football club

I doubt if anything other than filthy lucre is what any owners or 'investors' are interested in... fact is none of them give a f**k about Oxford United football club as anything other than a means to (try to) accrue more money by whatever means, as far as I can see

 

[holdsteady]

Not that much room around the dog stadium to build hotels etc, it’s pretty penned in.

 

[Sarge]

Not that much room around the dog stadium to build hotels etc, it’s pretty penned in.

indeed .... but there again hotel(s) can depend on how tall n narrow the designers aim?

 

[Ox4Eva]

There is a train line running near the old dog track I think.

Reality is nothing is going to happen for years and when it does I very much doubt it will be for the benefit of OUFC.

What is the plan short to medium term? There does not seem to be one...

 

[MJB]

Theres been a few rumblings in the local media about the old speedway /dog racing stadium in
Sandy Lane, BBleys albeit pretty much derelict currently = multi sport stadium potential dog racing, speedway & football

downsides - parking minimal in the vicinity, if there is dog n speedway racing distance from the (football) pitch
would probably require binoculars?

Apart from the novelty of OUFC being a boys toy for our absentee owner , he and other investors will be looking to make as much £ as they can
from owning an EFL football club

I doubt if anything other than filthy lucre is what any owners or 'investors' are interested in... fact is none of them give a f**k about Oxford United football club as anything other than a means to (try to) accrue more money by whatever means, as far as I can see

So you’re saying we’re going to the dogs?

 

[Sarge]

So you’re saying we’re going to the dogs?

Been feeling ruff all season

 

[yellowbow]

A statement that says f*ck all and in reality and we are no further forward!

Agree wholeheartedly. This statement says that discussions about discussing alternative sites has begun. Nothing to get excited about, even if all parties were serious about sorting the stadium situation out we’re about a decade away from it all coming to any sort of fruition. Where will the club be then? Southern league? The requirements for a new stadium will be a lot less expensive then.. Depressing times...

 

[BeechRoadBokelberg]

So you’re saying we’re going to the dogs?

First and foremost we need to start to winalot more games...