Kassam drove the club into the ground

[quote=&quotGodalmingYellow&quot][quote=&quotSnake&quot]Nothing wrong in starting up a debate, Terry, but just posting up this kind of inaccurate and inflammatory stuff just clutters up our board. And yes, I do realise that it’s al least partly the fault of others in biting on your posting, so stop it, you other guys.

And before you go off on one Mr. T, it’s taken me 20 minutes just to work out what’s happened today (as I was surprised to see so many postings) and the answer was err, nothing, unless I’ve missed something amongst this day long spat you’ve been having with lots of the regular of this forum.

Then I go and look on MemorOx, and err, dunno - but ‘busy’ would not be a word I’d use to describe it, so why not raise what are clearly very personal issues to you on there instead, eh?

/

Fantastic news on season ticket sales so far, as they are 244% up on last year at this point in time, 266% up on the year before, and 201% up from the year before that.

It’s also possible that we WILL beat last years total sales, but it’s still early days yet I guess.

What would help even more though would be to get some new players on board before the July 7th discount deadline, as it is getting a tad worrying that other clubs are snapping them up while Jim Smith stays “constantly on the phone

[quote=&quotAnonymous&quot][quote=&quotGodalmingYellow&quot][quote=&quotSnake&quot]Nothing wrong in starting up a debate, Terry, but just posting up this kind of inaccurate and inflammatory stuff just clutters up our board. And yes, I do realise that it’s al least partly the fault of others in biting on your posting, so stop it, you other guys.

And before you go off on one Mr. T, it’s taken me 20 minutes just to work out what’s happened today (as I was surprised to see so many postings) and the answer was err, nothing, unless I’ve missed something amongst this day long spat you’ve been having with lots of the regular of this forum.

Then I go and look on MemorOx, and err, dunno - but ‘busy’ would not be a word I’d use to describe it, so why not raise what are clearly very personal issues to you on there instead, eh?

/

Fantastic news on season ticket sales so far, as they are 244% up on last year at this point in time, 266% up on the year before, and 201% up from the year before that.

It’s also possible that we WILL beat last years total sales, but it’s still early days yet I guess.

What would help even more though would be to get some new players on board before the July 7th discount deadline, as it is getting a tad worrying that other clubs are snapping them up while Jim Smith stays “constantly on the phone

[TopOx]

GY: Possibly the most self serving post EVER posted on an internet forum.

[GodalmingYellow]

GY: Possibly the most self serving post EVER posted on an internet forum.

Another insult and no debate. Well done. Hope you feel better now.

I bet you feel very proud of yourself, especially as you had the bottle to do it using your own name. What's that I hear you say? It isn't your own name, not even your regular registered pseudonym?

How brave.

And it only took you 3 attempts.

[Myles Francis]

The timing of the deal was pretty much all down to Kassam though. In my view the appointment of B&ampB was deliberate too as a final lever.

Not sure I entirely agree with this. Merry et al were well aware of the looming transfer deadline and the handful of games remaining, so what drove them to rush the deal through when they did? Why not postpone the deal until the close season and use the time to construct an appropriate deal to purchase the club and stadium together? (Assuming the consortium has the resources to purchase the stadium as well)

I don't think there's any doubt that Kassam dragged out negotiations for whatever reason, but any deal needed two sets of signatures.

[DLT]

In fact I believe B&ampB were appointed after Merry and co had announced that the deal was off.

My advice, be careful when playing poker with Cool Hand Firoz.

[GodalmingYellow]

The timing of the deal was pretty much all down to Kassam though. In my view the appointment of B&ampB was deliberate too as a final lever.

Not sure I entirely agree with this. Merry et al were well aware of the looming transfer deadline and the handful of games remaining, so what drove them to rush the deal through when they did? Why not postpone the deal until the close season and use the time to construct an appropriate deal to purchase the club and stadium together? (Assuming the consortium has the resources to purchase the stadium as well)

I don't think there's any doubt that Kassam dragged out negotiations for whatever reason, but any deal needed two sets of signatures.

I'm pleased to see that some are more interested in discussing the important matters than mudslinging.

They are really good questions Myles and perhaps only really understood by what was going on at the time.

For about 2 months, Kassam had a tactic of reaching an agreement, then reneging on the deal. Putting up some more obstacles and demands and reaching another agreement, and then the same process repeated. then there came the tipping point where Merry said enough is enough. Elements of what would be included in the stadium were the stumbling block, rather than the club. Then there was a delay where neither side would back down. Then our form was looking so bad that we might actually be relegated.

About a week or 10 days before the loan transfer deadline, I think Merry then felt he would prefer to buy a club with league status, with or without the stadium, and if Kassam remained, the league status would go, but if he bought then at least Merry would have some control over avoiding relegation, which at that time, in my view, Kassam wasn't fussed about.

So Merry came back to the table and there was the usual to and fro for several days on the stadium negotiations, until just before deadline day, which Kassam knew was the last lever point he had in the negotiations. So he pushed it all the way. Its no wonder he has more money than I ever will!

In the end Merry wasn't able to avoid relegation either, though given Mooro's comments, I do have that nagging doubt about whether we might have avoided relegation if Patto had been left in situ for the remaining 6 or 8 games.

The above is my interpretation of events from the information that found its way to me. No doubt others will have details I didn't know about.

[Matt D]

Not sure I entirely agree with this. Merry et al were well aware of the looming transfer deadline and the handful of games remaining, so what drove them to rush the deal through when they did? Why not postpone the deal until the close season and use the time to construct an appropriate deal to purchase the club and stadium together? (Assuming the consortium has the resources to purchase the stadium as well)

I don't think there's any doubt that Kassam dragged out negotiations for whatever reason, but any deal needed two sets of signatures.

i suspect that there was a certain amount of underestimating the task on the pitch. we'd just picked up five points from 3 games, and i think the feeling was that it would be pretty easy to maintain, if not improve on, that record. so taking over the club at that point might not have been seen as so risky, and the new ownership start by achieving objective # 1 of keeping oxford in the league.

nick merry et al seem very astute at making the most of any 'feel-good factor' that comes from a change of regime, the test will come when the new season kicks off. let's hope the football means they have an easy job keeping everyone positive.

[Myles Francis]

i suspect that there was a certain amount of underestimating the task on the pitch. we'd just picked up five points from 3 games, and i think the feeling was that it would be pretty easy to maintain, if not improve on, that record. so taking over the club at that point might not have been seen as so risky, and the new ownership start by achieving objective # 1 of keeping oxford in the league.

If that is the case, that is rather worrying. The Smith and Merry team had watched more than just 3 games prior to the takeover and should have been aware of the task in hand - although in football it would appear that the task is always bigger than first thought!

That perspective could also be seen as being the opposite of what GY feels was a deciding factor in rushing through the deal. His view seems to be that Merry &amp Smith were convinced that the league status would be lost under Kassam, whereas yours is almost saying that they were confident the league status would be kept and they could take the credit for it.

I just can't help thinking that Merry dropped a bollock by rushing the deal through when he did - I understand (from GY's perspective) why he felt the need, but the deal does have a whiff of panic buy about it.

[Isaac]

Cool hand Firoz maybe, but it just adds further evidence to the fact that he's a very unpleasant man. It's really quite distasteful that a chairman who claimed to support the club and want the best for it would be willing to use the club and it's league status as a pawn in a machiavellian chess game involving squeezing out a few more pounds for the stadium. A game that continues as well. I hope at least, that this will stop people claiming that he has always wanted what is best for the club.

As for the Patto/Smith discussion, having seen a couple of performances under Patterson, I'm not sure we would have stayed up, we were awful, but committed and in the Bury game at least, lucky to get a draw. It pretty much continued once Smith took over.

Merry and gang, the two major positives so far are the training ground (something Kassam paid lip service to) and hopefully, the announcement of a chief scout (Kassam talked a good game on this one too). I get the impression they intend to run the club as a football club and so far, they're willing to carry the £2m debt too.

[GodalmingYellow]

i suspect that there was a certain amount of underestimating the task on the pitch. we'd just picked up five points from 3 games, and i think the feeling was that it would be pretty easy to maintain, if not improve on, that record. so taking over the club at that point might not have been seen as so risky, and the new ownership start by achieving objective # 1 of keeping oxford in the league.

If that is the case, that is rather worrying. The Smith and Merry team had watched more than just 3 games prior to the takeover and should have been aware of the task in hand - although in football it would appear that the task is always bigger than first thought!

That perspective could also be seen as being the opposite of what GY feels was a deciding factor in rushing through the deal. His view seems to be that Merry &amp Smith were convinced that the league status would be lost under Kassam, whereas yours is almost saying that they were confident the league status would be kept and they could take the credit for it.

I just can't help thinking that Merry dropped a bollock by rushing the deal through when he did - I understand (from GY's perspective) why he felt the need, but the deal does have a whiff of panic buy about it.

I think its more than just a whiff Myles.

The bit I've never understood, is that Merry must have known there was a chance of losing league status at the start of negotiations. So why couldn't he negotiate from the point of his finally agreed position to start with so he could have taken over earlier? Possibly because he felt Kassam would renege again and try to up the ante some more. Who knows?

[Matt D]

If that is the case, that is rather worrying. The Smith and Merry team had watched more than just 3 games prior to the takeover and should have been aware of the task in hand - although in football it would appear that the task is always bigger than first thought!

That perspective could also be seen as being the opposite of what GY feels was a deciding factor in rushing through the deal. His view seems to be that Merry &amp Smith were convinced that the league status would be lost under Kassam, whereas yours is almost saying that they were confident the league status would be kept and they could take the credit for it.

I just can't help thinking that Merry dropped a bollock by rushing the deal through when he did - I understand (from GY's perspective) why he felt the need, but the deal does have a whiff of panic buy about it.

the impression comes from the fact that when nick merry arrived and talked about taking the club forward, league survival was mentioned almost as an afterthought, and in fact, the first interview i heard on radio oxford didn't mention it at all - it seemed to be taken for granted until the mansfield and chester games. the talk was more about taking oxford back into the community back up the leagues.

i don't think it was a particualrly cynical move on their part - just a way to ensure a good start.

on the training ground issue that isaac mentions, i was very impressed. let's not forget that firoz kassam repeatedly said he was looking for a ground, and had asked for oxvox's help in identifying suitable sites that could be developed. as far as i know (and i'm sure someone will correct me if oxvox had put a number of options to kassam) this seemed to be an intractable problem due to the lack of, or expense of, a suitably-sized plot of land in the area.

it took nick merry and jim smith a matter of weeks to sort out what seems an ideal solution on a number of levels - we get a good training ground, and begin to restore some of our reputation in local footballing circles. bravo.

[DLT]

This will get things going.

Issac, as someone who has met Kassam more times than I have met most of my cousins in the last 8 years, I have to say that I certainly don't find him 'unpleasant'.

He is a man of conviction, who will never believe that he didn't do things properly for the club.

Simply his 'style, principles, business ethos' didn't work in a football club.

He has come a long way in his life and is very keen to get the best for him/his business out of any deal. If that involves shafting people who he regards as friends then he will do it, because business is business.

The last forum he attended showed everyone how ballsy he is.

Just a shame he brought into The Argies, Rix and Talbot

[Isaac]

This will get things going.

Issac, as someone who has met Kassam more times than I have met most of my cousins in the last 8 years, I have to say that I certainly don't find him 'unpleasant'.

He is a man of conviction, who will never believe that he didn't do things properly for the club.

Simply his 'style, principles, business ethos' didn't work in a football club.

He has come a long way in his life and is very keen to get the best for him/his business out of any deal. If that involves shafting people who he regards as friends then he will do it, because business is business.

The last forum he attended showed everyone how ballsy he is.

Just a shame he brought into The Argies, Rix and Talbot

Firstly, if this gets going, I'm taking the credit.

Secondly, I'm sure Kassam is perfectly pleasant on a personal level - whoopeedoo, but if part of his business ethos involves &quotshafting people he regards as friends&quot then that, to my mind, makes him rather unpleasant.

I'm surprised people are happy to defend him, seeing as the so-called courage of his convictions had a large influence on our relegation.

I'm not sure about the ballsy bit either, a demonstration from the Oxford fans that might have negatively impacted his other businesses and he was off, after all.

[Mally]

a demonstration from the Oxford fans that might have negatively impacted his other businesses and he was off, after all.

I think you'd have a job proving a causal link there. From what I understand from people much closer to the deal than me Kassam decided he wanted to do the deal when first approached by Merry and long before any Kassam Out protests.

Merry and Co couldn't find the money to buy the stadium and club together but did offer something other than money which wasn't acceptable to Kassam. Only after Bill &amp Bren were appointed and announced did Merry come back with the offer to buy the club without the stadium.

Perhaps the Ally Pally situation helped him decide to sell the club on its own where previously he had refused to do so but he was already looking for an exit long before that point. Lets hope that in the fullness of time it doesn't end up being a Pyrrhic victory because splitting the stadium from the club can be a very dangerous business.