Col The Ox

Thanks for the kind words everyone. In no particular order just a brief reply to a few of the things you've mentioned: The reason Mark Sykes was available on a free is because our idiot of a previous manager (Karl Robinson) threw him under the bus a few times in his penultimate season with us. Sykesy dared to answer back to him and Robinson slagged him off in public. So when he entered his last season with us Sykesy refused to even contemplate signing a new contract and was able to leave on a free. Very much our loss and your gain. The irony is that Robinson was sacked last season and our new manager, Liam Manning, is the sort of progressive manager that I'm sure would have got the best out of Mark Sykes. Anyway, good luck to him, there's no hard feelings from our side. The amount of crap that the NIMBYS came out with was mind blowing in its ignorance and arrogance, and there was a real class aspect to a lot of it too. But they made the mistake of assuming all football fans were thick hooligans (most of us are intelligent hooligans!!!) and they very much under estimated the response from the fans. Yes, we've very much already stuck two fingers up to Kassam, as a fanbase, although we still have to play at his shit stadium for another three years. I absolutely despise the man for what he's done to my football club, robbing us of the best part of 25 years, that we'll never get back. Just to close, I was a bit disappointed with the team we fielded against you in the Carabao Cup game, there were too many changes for us to do ourselves justice really, and you certainly took full advantage. Since then we've really gelled and are currently one point off the top, with a game in hand, so promotion is certainly the aim this year. Hopefully we'll meet again next season, unless you can go one better and get promotion yourselves. I see no reason why you can't be in the discussion at the end of the season. I don't want to outstay my welcome, so will leave it for now, but may pop back with an update in the future if people are interested in hearing it?

Back in July I posted on here asking for support for our new stadium proposal. To those of you who responded to our County Council survey I'd like to pass on the thanks of all Oxford United fans, as yesterday Oxfordshire County Council agreed to let us have the land. It's a massive step for us, as there has been a concerted campaign from local NIMBYS, Green Party activists, and yesterday even some loon who spoke at the council meeting saying it shouldn't be built as nuclear warheads are transported past the site and we could all die! Hopefully you won't mind if I come back again asking for help, if it's needed during the planning stage, as our campaign to get other football fans involved was a great success. Thanks again.

As my name implies I'm an Oxford fan, and have posted here separately regarding our new stadium bid, where a number of you have been very supportive and filled out our County Council's survey. Thanks very much for that, it's much appreciated. If anyone else wants to do it today is the last day before it closes. It's under the thread title Oxford United Help Needed, which is currently on page 3. Anyway, as I'm here I thought I'd give you an OUFC perspective on yesterday's game. It didn't tell us much, as that was very much a reserves, kids, and trialists line up from us, as we played Swansea on Friday night. We fielded pretty much a first team against Swansea, who did the same, and beat them 1-0, although it was more comfortable than the scoreline suggests. They used the game very much as an audition for their first team, in a match situation, to impress their new manager. On the basis of what I saw he clearly wouldn't have been very impressed at all. They only made two or three changes, no bringing the kids on in the second half, and it got a bit niggly, so they must have had a blocking at half time. On the evidence of the two games, you looked far better than Swansea, although our line up has to be taken into consideration. There was probably only one, possibly two, players out there who will be pushing for a first team start, and I'm not even sure about that. We finished the game with seven teenagers on the field I think, and used nine teenagers overall. We normally play a high pressing, passing game, with the keeper as a sweeper keeper, passing out from the back with the keeper needing to be good on the ball. Unfortunately yesterday we had the hapless Simon Eastwood in goal, who will be nowhere near our first team this season, and it showed. He's hopeless with ball at his feet and your lads soon sussed that out and closed him down, leading to him putting defenders under pressure with poor passes to them. I think the Carabao Cup game in a few weeks time will be a better test, but even then it might be that both teams field a bit of a mix and match side? Lastly, it was good to see Sykes and Dickie out there, both good players for us. Sykes in particular, was badly treated by our previous idiot of a manager and he let his contract run down as he was pissed off with how we treated him, so you got the advantage of that. Most OUFC fans criticised our manager's treatment of him. Dickie was great for us, and most of us were surprised that he never pushed on from QPR, as there were rumours of a number of Premier League teams being interested. I think the fact they appointed Gareth Ainsworth as manager worked against Dickie, as he's more of a ball playing CH than an Ainsworth lump it merchant. Shame Atkinson didn't play, as I think he might have the highest ceiling out of them all, and it would have been interesting to see how he has progressed. I think I've rambled on enough, good luck, I think you'll have a good season, and see you for the Carabao Cup game.

Thank you, and yes, it is as perfect a location as there will ever be in Oxfordshire. You will be able to either drink in Oxford City Centre and make the 5 minute train journey to Parkway, or go to Parkway and drink/eat around the stadium, something you couldn't do at The Manor and can't do at The Kassam Stadium. There are now only 6 days left if anyone else would be kind enough to fill out the survey.

Thank you for the kind words. You haven't missed much by not visiting The Kassam Stadium, it's as soulless as a stadium can be, and a masterclass in what not to do, amplified by the stadium owner's lack of care. It's never been home for me, that was The Manor, but with the plans we have and (most of) the community behind us I'm hopeful that The Triangle can become our new home in name and in spirit.

Yes, that's the irony of the NIMBY protests, it's as perfect a site as you'll ever find in Oxford. Thanks again all, for filling out the survey.

Thanks very much, and once again thanks to all who have done the survey. It's ironic that the Green Party and local NIMBYS are trying to claim that it's not an appropriate site, and yet it couldn't be "greener" or more sustainable. As well as being next to Oxford Parkway Station, two large Park & Rides, the A34 dual carriageway, and a myriad of local bus routes, the aim is to make it the most sustainable stadium in the country, with rainwater harvesting, living, or grass roof to part of it, solar panels to the rest, five times more accessible parking spaces than the regulation demands, and 400 cycle spaces on site, with the aim of eventually having 90% of all fans travelling by sustainable means. Personally I just want a home of our own, without a bloody great stand missing, and with all of the income from the stadium going to the club (which is not the case now). It is apparently not going to be a standard wrap around bowl, but will have a bit of individuality about it, which I think is great. It's the same architects as Brentford new stadium, and I love what they've done there. At the risk of repeating myself, thanks again everyone. Please tell me when I've become boring and repetitive, and I'll bugger off and stop bothering you!!!

Thanks to all of you who have done the survey and posted your support. It is greatly appreciated.

If you click on the FAQs - Oxford United Stadium link in my original post it takes you to a page where one of the top headers is titled Stadium Development. If you click on that, the drop down box has Our Vision among the options and that takes you to the preliminary plans, where there is a schematic drawing of how the stadium sits in The Triangle. I hope that doesn't sound too complicated, it literally is three clicks and you're there. We're planning on 18,000 capacity, home end with safe standing, 200 bedroom hotel, conference centre and lots of community spaces. There will be a green roof for the hotel and loads of other environmental features, as the local green council are making us jump through all sorts of hoops. We will be putting in a detailed planning application in October, after the County Council (hopefully) approve the long term lease of the land, so there will be proper plans and drawings available then. The location is on the northern edge of the city, right next door to Oxford Parkway Station and two massive Park and Rides and the A34, so access is perfect for visitors. it will be 1000% better than our current rented, three sided shit pit. I, and all Oxford fans, can't wait to leave and have a place to call home again, as we haven't had that since we left The Manor.

Hi all, Firstly I'm an Oxford United fan and here to ask for your help please. We've played each other quite a bit over the years, although not so much recently, as we seem to have been in the same league as that other lot from North Bristol over the past few years. Having said that we'll play each other twice in the coming weeks, and I'm looking forward to visiting for the Carabao Cup game. Hopefully you're enjoying Sykes and Atkinson, two good players who are both more than capable of succeeding at Championship level. Having got Sykes from us for free (due to our stupid previous manager messing him around) I think you owe us one, so here comes the begging bit! My club, are desperately trying to secure a new stadium site, or we’ll be homeless from 2026. How we got to this stage is a long story but in short we're being screwed over by our ex-owner and current stadium landlord, Firoz Kassam. Hopefully, as a club that have seen some dark days in the distant past, and are now on an upward trajectory, you'll be sympathetic, and able to help. When he was the owner of the club and stadium in 2001 he agreed a 25 year licence agreement between OUFC and his stadium company, Firoka. This expires on 30th June 2026 and he is unwilling to extend this or sell to OUFC (3 different subsequent owners have tried) as he stands to make much more from redeveloping the entire Kassam Stadium complex (a process he started two weeks ago: Kassam Stadium owner looks to demolish nearby bingo hall for science facility) As such, OUFC have no choice to move. A small 11 acre, triangular plot on the edge of the city has been identified as the only suitable land available. It's a logistically perfect location right across the road from Oxford Parkway station and next to the A34. Amenities are within minutes in nearby Kidlington. The Triangle, as this plot is known, is owned by Oxfordshire County Council and OUFC approached OCC in 2021 about leasing or buying land for a stadium. They have committed to reaching a decision on The Triangle on 19th September and their decision will be influenced by the results of a public survey they are conducting. With that in mind, if anyone on here would be happy to fill in a short online questionnaire being run by Oxfordshire County Council, our fans would be extremely grateful. It only takes about five minutes or so to fill in the short online form with positive answers at https://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/C8O8VI/ by 23 July 2023. Additional details can be found here: How do Oxford United’s proposals for the land known as ‘the Triangle’ impact the communities of Oxfordshire? And here: FAQs – Oxford United Stadium The benefits to you as away fans will be: A sustainable stadium right next door to a major railway station in Oxford Parkway (5 mins from Oxford City Centre, 8 mins from Bicester Village and an hour or so from Marylebone) and opposite a large Park&Ride site with thousands of parking spaces, which would make it one of the easiest, greenest grounds to get to in the UK. Proper drinking, food and entertainment options at the ground itself, compared to embarrassing facilities currently on offer at our current ground or nearby. A modern, well-designed ground which will help to support a proper atmosphere, rather than the soulless, three-side ground we have now. A few sentences on any of the above for the survey’s final comment box would be really helpful in showing our County Council that the new ground will be sustainable, increase spending in Oxfordshire, and provide excellent facilities for home AND away fans. We all appreciate the value of a good away day and hopefully we'll play you in the league or a cup game from 2026 onwards. Taking a few minutes to support a fellow club before it becomes homeless in just a few years would be massively appreciated. We need to show support to get the council to agree to leasing or selling OUFC the land in September to allow an planning application to be made in October/November so construction can start in June 2024. Thanks in anticipation of your help, and good luck next season (apart from against us!).