Lesscambe

[Dr Bob]

What worries me about YF Dan's phone call to the club and the answer he got is that it would suggest the club sees those two options as substitutes rather than complements. One is about getting a big crowd in for one game - which, as we have found out all too often in the past, can coincide with some dreadful performances and which can therefore discourage return visits. The other one is about working week by week to build a broader fan-base and get more people in on a more regular basis. Why not do both? Why not invest the additional revenue from a big Boxing Day crowd into giving away tickets to local schools?

Trouble is, none of this will improve the quality of refereeing, nor avoid (as we had last night) the spoiling tactics of Newport. Justin Edinburgh must be a very good coach to have schooled them so efficiently in his style of 'play'. Still no excuse for not being able to hit a pass or two (nor, indeed, a cow's arse with a banjo, Mr Beano), but hey ho. Thought Ruffles was rubbish in the first half and only a little bit better in the second before being subbed. It will have been a chastening (and hopefully good learning) experience for CO'D, to have come up against a defender so competent at fooling the ref into booking the young lad.

[neilw]

I'd hate to refer to Ruffles performace as rubbish given that he's a young lad, on his debut and is still finding his way. However, had he not been on the pitch in the first half, it wouldn't have made any difference. I really felt for him. He's clearly not ready.

[Dartford Ox]

Oh and if anyone is still staying away because of Wilder they may be able to see mid table football soon but at least the manager will be different!

http://www1.skysports.com/football/news ... nagers-job

Wouldn't that make Tom Craddock happy

[Jimski]

I thought O'Dowda was a definite improvement on Ruffles - at least he seemed to have some intent, and wasn't bullied by the spoiling tactics.

[Jimski]

As far as other points are concerned, another factor at the Kassam is how cold it can be. Last night wasn't too bad, but when the wind whips in, it can be bloody freezing, whereas the Manor never seemed so cold. Standing helped of course. There was a match last season where I decided not to go because the weather was so cold. I just couldn't face the thought of freezing again while watching very average football.

[Hog]

I thought O'Dowda was a definite improvement on Ruffles - at least he seemed to have some intent, and wasn't bullied by the spoiling tactics.

Ha! Damned with faint praise! Agree that Ruffles was anonymous but O'Dowda is patently not ready either from what I've seen. Very disappointing. He's like Marsh, lightweight and no presence. I know we're all desperate for them to do well but there's been very little sign so far that it might happen.

I wondered why we didn't see Scott Davies in stead of either of them but Hoglette has just informed me that his grandfather passed away earlier today (Weds) so perhaps he wasn't in the right frame of mind.

[Kairdiff Exile]

Just to add a few thoughts about the 'Match Day Experience' (yuk) and related things:

I noticed on Saturday that as well as smoking being banned in the ground, we now also don't allow e-cigarettes. Why the hell not? I'm not a smoker, but I cannot see how someone using an e-cig causes any great problem, even for the anti-smoking zealots out there. It's all very well saying "Can't people wait two hours for a fag/burger/drink" etc when defending the Kas Stad - but this seems an unnecessary ban, and one which brings no tangible benefits.

I agree that the term 'Match Day Experience' sounds like some god-awful post-Premiership piece of hateful marketing speak - but it is a handy catch-all for all the things which form a fan's judgement of how enjoyable it is to go to an Oxford game. The 4,000 or so die-hards will always go, whatever - but the key factor is how many of the 30,000 other potential fans come, and how regularly. They won't all come every week, but if they come ten times rather than one, that's a lot more bodies through the turnstiles and revenue.

In that light, the quality and waits for food, the lack of anywhere remotely pleasant for a pre-match drink, the lack of free internet commentary to keep the casual fan connected with who is in the team etc all matter. Clearly at the moment we're not doing enough to change things. A lick of yellow paint in the South Stand Bar is no substitute for working with the local authority, the local community and groups like OxVox to make the Kas Stad feel like home.

[Old Abingdonian]

I agree very much that those of us there for the football (ST holders, effectively) would be foolish to underestimate the impact of non-football related influences on more casual fans. During some pretty grim game at Grenoble Rd this season, I was standing next to a couple of young families, and to listen to the kids, they were watching a Champions League thriller - and I was like that at their age! Conversely, you can understand that the ridiculous wait to get out of the car-park or the lack of a decent pint will put people off.

In the latest twist - insignificant in itself, but typical, I suspect, of the things which deter fans - there is only one member of staff serving in the SSU catering point. Does Mr Kassam still manage this? If so, is it some cynical calculation that the profit is greater by serving 20% fewer customers but using half the staff?

[Snake]

Just to add a few thoughts about the 'Match Day Experience' (yuk) and related things:

I noticed on Saturday that as well as smoking being banned in the ground, we now also don't allow e-cigarettes. Why the hell not? I'm not a smoker, but I cannot see how someone using an e-cig causes any great problem, even for the anti-smoking zealots out there. It's all very well saying "Can't people wait two hours for a fag/burger/drink" etc when defending the Kas Stad - but this seems an unnecessary ban, and one which brings no tangible benefits.

I agree that the term 'Match Day Experience' sounds like some god-awful post-Premiership piece of hateful marketing speak - but it is a handy catch-all for all the things which form a fan's judgement of how enjoyable it is to go to an Oxford game. The 4,000 or so die-hards will always go, whatever - but the key factor is how many of the 30,000 other potential fans come, and how regularly. They won't all come every week, but if they come ten times rather than one, that's a lot more bodies through the turnstiles and revenue.

In that light, the quality and waits for food, the lack of anywhere remotely pleasant for a pre-match drink, the lack of free internet commentary to keep the casual fan connected with who is in the team etc all matter. Clearly at the moment we're not doing enough to change things. A lick of yellow paint in the South Stand Bar is no substitute for working with the local authority, the local community and groups like OxVox to make the Kas Stad feel like home.

It seems to be a policy that has been adopted nationwide in football grounds from my experience, though increasingly some places let the fans outside into a penned or supervised area, even in the Prem - so it can’t be that difficult to organise. As x% of the footballing attendees smoke and the others (100 minus ‘x’%) hate it then providing a facility that keep both groups apart and happy seems like a win-win addition to the matchday experience.

[Kairdiff Exile]

Snake, I think there are two points here. You may be right on one of them, that there ought to be a designated smoking area somewhere around the ground for people to have a half-time puff. I was making a separate point - that people using e-cigarettes should be able to use them wherever they like, as they have no unpleasant side-effects for those standing near them, and there's no evidence to support them being banned from the ground.

[Snake]

At the Etihad today I asked a copper in the concourse at half time if I could use mine. He said he had no worries about it as it was not illegal and so none of his business, but I needed to check with the stewards as it was up to them. Along comes a steward just at the sight of me talking to a sergeant waving an e-cigg around and was I told to "put it away as it would encourage others to smoke real fags". Fine, so I just went into their really nice football toilets and had a real one instead...

[GodalmingYellow]

Food is improving. Not from Lindleys of course - their fare is overpriced nastiness with appallingly slow service as always, nor from KassStad bars which are equally overpriced and nasty.

But Bailey Farr introduced roast pork and roast beef rolls to his catering van (corner of fence and South Stand) and has now extended that into the 12th man bar. A big improvement for us carnivores.

Much to my surprise, the 12th man bar has definitely added to the "matchday experience" but it still has a long way to go to get up to standard, with wider quality food choices, including for veggies, and much better drinks and sensible pricing.

I think we may be turning a corner with our home form, and if that picks up, it will help gates considerably, but I agree with YFD's point about Wilder's preservation rather than offensive tendencies.

The car park is a huge problem and IMHO puts off many from attending. If you have to park in the overflow, don't expect to be released on bail for at least an hour after the match, sometimes longer. To have to spend as long to queue to get away as the event itself takes is just barmy. This isn't really the club's fault, or even Kassam's fault, but that of the City Council, who failed to upgrade either the Sandfield junction or Cowley roundabout (and to a lesser extent Headington roundabout) to enable traffic to move away quickly. I guess there is the inbuilt far left anti-motorist policies partly behind that, but to have such a policy that is liveable with, requires replacement public transport options of which there are next to none that are convenient and regular and linked into wider public transport systems. If there is an insistence that a mass public venue is located inconveniently, then there must be either traffic easing or public transport that is at least as convenient and cost effective.

I've noticed a small improvement in the club's marketing, although it has had to start from a very low base point. Marketing is an expensive and time consuming business to be effective, but persistence is the key.

Giving away free tickets to schools cannot be faulted when there are empty seats. Not free season tickets though (excepting small children) as that restricts the club's ability to generate cash for games with predictably high attendance, such as cup matches and local derbys.

I quite agree about the cold wind at the stadium, which seems to exist even on still days or when weather is a little warmer. Put on a jumper I hear you say! Well I barely feel the cold anyway (cue the usual range of jokes), but many do, especially those of a retired persuasion. A 4th stand would no doubt improve the situation, but none of us will hold our breath for that one.

[Kernow Yellow]

If there is an insistence that a mass public venue is located inconveniently, then there must be either traffic easing or public transport that is at least as convenient and cost effective.

I couldn't agree more. The dedicated matchday bus services stopped because they were overpriced and infrequent (it was cheaper and more convenient for a group of 3 or 4 to get a taxi up from town). The regular bus services to Blackbird Leys aren't bad at all, but they're not well publicised to fans and it's a bit of a walk to the ground from the bus stop - it would be better if they could be somehow diverted to run past the front of the stadium for a few hours on a matchday.

And don't get me started on the parking restrictions. Why some people who live on public highways think that other members of the public shouldn't be allowed to park outside their house once a fortnight is beyond me. As long as access to driveways isn't blocked, parking should be allowed in the sidestreets (at least in marked bays) to ease the pressure on the car parks. And the restrictions on the main road should be eased, at least back to how they were when we first moved to Minchery Farm. And the Science Park should allow parking on their land too of course - they could make a few quid out of it with very little effort.

[Mooro]

If there is an insistence that a mass public venue is located inconveniently, then there must be either traffic easing or public transport that is at least as convenient and cost effective.

I couldn't agree more. The dedicated matchday bus services stopped because they were overpriced and infrequent (it was cheaper and more convenient for a group of 3 or 4 to get a taxi up from town). The regular bus services to Blackbird Leys aren't bad at all, but they're not well publicised to fans and it's a bit of a walk to the ground from the bus stop - it would be better if they could be somehow diverted to run past the front of the stadium for a few hours on a matchday.

And don't get me started on the parking restrictions. Why some people who live on public highways think that other members of the public shouldn't be allowed to park outside their house once a fortnight is beyond me. As long as access to driveways isn't blocked, parking should be allowed in the sidestreets (at least in marked bays) to ease the pressure on the car parks. And the restrictions on the main road should be eased, at least back to how they were when we first moved to Minchery Farm. And the Science Park should allow parking on their land too of course - they could make a few quid out of it with very little effort.

Is it? A bottleneck on the path through to BL yes, but then isn't it only about 200 yards to the bus stop (not much further than to parts of the overflow carpark).
Still cannot believe that no-one has been able to persuade the Science Park to play ball either (either on the roads or specific car parks - could OUFC not supply stewards to help?)

[GodalmingYellow]

If there is an insistence that a mass public venue is located inconveniently, then there must be either traffic easing or public transport that is at least as convenient and cost effective.

I couldn't agree more. The dedicated matchday bus services stopped because they were overpriced and infrequent (it was cheaper and more convenient for a group of 3 or 4 to get a taxi up from town). The regular bus services to Blackbird Leys aren't bad at all, but they're not well publicised to fans and it's a bit of a walk to the ground from the bus stop - it would be better if they could be somehow diverted to run past the front of the stadium for a few hours on a matchday.

And don't get me started on the parking restrictions. Why some people who live on public highways think that other members of the public shouldn't be allowed to park outside their house once a fortnight is beyond me. As long as access to driveways isn't blocked, parking should be allowed in the sidestreets (at least in marked bays) to ease the pressure on the car parks. And the restrictions on the main road should be eased, at least back to how they were when we first moved to Minchery Farm. And the Science Park should allow parking on their land too of course - they could make a few quid out of it with very little effort.

Is it? A bottleneck on the path through to BL yes, but then isn't it only about 200 yards to the bus stop (not much further than to parts of the overflow carpark).
Still cannot believe that no-one has been able to persuade the Science Park to play ball either (either on the roads or specific car parks - could OUFC not supply stewards to help?)

It is a good 20 minute walk each way to the chippy in BBL, which I guess is more or less where the buses go. 20 minutes if you can find out about the bus services, the correct routes and numbers, and if they are regular, and if the times are convenient, and where they drop off and pick up, and how they link in with other public transport services, and if they are reliable, and cost, and if they go to and from a place you can park without hassle and cost. And that's if you are happy to run the risk of meeting the less salubrious members of BBL on your own in the dark. Hardly as convenient as door to door in your own car at the time of your own choosing is it?