Chairman's Programme Notes v Scunthorpe

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slappy
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Re: Chairman's Programme Notes v Scunthorpe

Post by slappy »

Several questions / points about all of this:-
Eales has obviously struggled to get any decent business relationship going with Kassam.
Kassam has no real need to sell the stadium as it is a nice cash generator from the conference side of things as well as getting a decent inflation linked rent from the club.
Eales has said the club need the stadium situation to be sorted out on a quicker timescale but we don't really know why?
- is it because he is looking to move office to Court Place Farm and needs to know whether to go ahead?
- is it to try and plan for revenues for next year?
Why are OCC involved? If it's a land deal on the overflow car park, wouldn't that just be between OCC and Kassam, and not really anything to do with the stadium?
I think it's been mentioned, but the Oxvox plan seems to be to secure a sustainable home for the club at L1 or L2 level, as I don't think there seems to be any mention of significantly expanding capacity, and if there were, who pays for it?
If for instance the corners are filled in like Leyton Orient with flats, would that make the club even more unattractive to a buyer, with even less ability to expand ground capacity?
The ground is nearly 20 years old, and the concourses and facilities have had nothing done to them in that time. Who would pay for improvements and renovations?
With the "science village" South of Grenoble Road, does this upset the whole plan in that Kassam may see different opportunities?
If the community takeover does happen, who runs the conference facilities?
GodalmingYellow
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Re: Chairman's Programme Notes v Scunthorpe

Post by GodalmingYellow »

Myles Francis wrote:
GodalmingYellow wrote:Those whose arguments are the sum total of "words fail me" clearly have no defensible argument.
Oh come on Terry, you're better than that. I just find it absolutely gob-smacking that you are having a pop at OxVox for what you perceive as "public criticism of the owner". I could understand it from others, but you're a smart individual.

If calling out Eales on his behaviour and statements (moving the club out of the county for Christ's sake!) upsets him, so what? If that causes him to leave, so what? Owners come and go and being a "good owner" for a period doesn't make them a "good owner" in perpetuity cf. Robin Herd. In many ways, the club is in a stronger and more attractive position than it was two and a half years ago, and Eales' wasn't the only bid on the table now. So why people seem to think he's now untouchable/irreplaceable I don't know.
Awww ta! :-)

I'm not having a pop at OxVox per se. I just think their statements are not progressing the stadium position, or unifying the club and supports, and I don't think their actions are doing so either on the stadium issue.

OxVox are not above criticism anyway. If OxVox doesn't act sensibly we have a right and indeed a duty to tell them so.

As for calling out Eales re taking the club out of the county, that is just repetition of OxVox rhetoric and politics. Eales didn't suggest taking the club out of the county. Jerome Sale asked if it was ruled out and Eales said nothing was ruled out.

"Owners come and go..." My turn. Come on Myles, you're an intelligent chap, that's a silly comment. Owners that progress the club as Eales has done do not come and go. Eales is by a very wide margin, the best chairman and owner of OUFC ever. Bar none. OUFC are now a proper football club, not a dried husk of a club struggling to beat Tonbridge Angels, and not a club funded by Mirror Group pensioners.
GodalmingYellow
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Re: Chairman's Programme Notes v Scunthorpe

Post by GodalmingYellow »

slappy wrote:Several questions / points about all of this:-
Eales has obviously struggled to get any decent business relationship going with Kassam.
Kassam has no real need to sell the stadium as it is a nice cash generator from the conference side of things as well as getting a decent inflation linked rent from the club.
Eales has said the club need the stadium situation to be sorted out on a quicker timescale but we don't really know why?
- is it because he is looking to move office to Court Place Farm and needs to know whether to go ahead?
- is it to try and plan for revenues for next year?
Why are OCC involved? If it's a land deal on the overflow car park, wouldn't that just be between OCC and Kassam, and not really anything to do with the stadium?
I think it's been mentioned, but the Oxvox plan seems to be to secure a sustainable home for the club at L1 or L2 level, as I don't think there seems to be any mention of significantly expanding capacity, and if there were, who pays for it?
If for instance the corners are filled in like Leyton Orient with flats, would that make the club even more unattractive to a buyer, with even less ability to expand ground capacity?
The ground is nearly 20 years old, and the concourses and facilities have had nothing done to them in that time. Who would pay for improvements and renovations?
With the "science village" South of Grenoble Road, does this upset the whole plan in that Kassam may see different opportunities?
If the community takeover does happen, who runs the conference facilities?
Some valid and key questions in there.

I think Daryl Eales had a good relationship with Firoz Kassam up until the point that he went to arbitration over the maintenance charge. That was a case of 2 heavyweights refusing to back down at the pre-fight weigh in.

I think it was a mistake for Daryl Eales to try to go toe to toe with Firoz Kassam, not because he doesn't have the capability, but because he didn't hold the right cards.

I think it would go some way to mend bridges if Eales relented on this issue, paid the maintenance charge, and sought to re-open dialogue with Firoz Kassam.
Myles Francis
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Re: Chairman's Programme Notes v Scunthorpe

Post by Myles Francis »

GodalmingYellow wrote:"Owners come and go..." My turn. Come on Myles, you're an intelligent chap, that's a silly comment. Owners that progress the club as Eales has done do not come and go. Eales is by a very wide margin, the best chairman and owner of OUFC ever. Bar none. OUFC are now a proper football club, not a dried husk of a club struggling to beat Tonbridge Angels, and not a club funded by Mirror Group pensioners.
Sorry, but I feel I have to repeat myself again on this. Being a "good owner" doesn't mean they remain so. If we want to talk about turning round a club, how about Robin Herd? After a shaky start, storming run to get promotion to the (now) Championship. Getting as high as 5th place in the Championship the following season. Getting the stadium move sorted and construction actually started. Good on-field and off-field progress making it difficult to ask the awkward questions about how long the money would last.

And then it went wrong - money ran out, budgets cut, stadium progress stalled, followed by a sudden and ignominious exit. Some interesting parallels....
GodalmingYellow
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Re: Chairman's Programme Notes v Scunthorpe

Post by GodalmingYellow »

Myles Francis wrote:
GodalmingYellow wrote:"Owners come and go..." My turn. Come on Myles, you're an intelligent chap, that's a silly comment. Owners that progress the club as Eales has done do not come and go. Eales is by a very wide margin, the best chairman and owner of OUFC ever. Bar none. OUFC are now a proper football club, not a dried husk of a club struggling to beat Tonbridge Angels, and not a club funded by Mirror Group pensioners.
Sorry, but I feel I have to repeat myself again on this. Being a "good owner" doesn't mean they remain so. If we want to talk about turning round a club, how about Robin Herd? After a shaky start, storming run to get promotion to the (now) Championship. Getting as high as 5th place in the Championship the following season. Getting the stadium move sorted and construction actually started. Good on-field and off-field progress making it difficult to ask the awkward questions about how long the money would last.

And then it went wrong - money ran out, budgets cut, stadium progress stalled, followed by a sudden and ignominious exit. Some interesting parallels....
Sadly your last line proves the contradiction to your comment about Herd.

He wasn't a good owner. He very nearly killed the club with signings that he had no money to pay for, starting to build a stadium he had no funding in place for. These rank him pretty lowly in the scheme of things.

I accept your comment that past actions are no guarantee of future actions, but we have to use the evidence available to us, not suspicion and doubt because we can't think of a better answer.

I'm really sorry Myles, but I have to focus on completing Tax Returns at present, but I've enjoyed the discussion. Maybe come back to it over the weekend.
Kernow Yellow
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Re: Chairman's Programme Notes v Scunthorpe

Post by Kernow Yellow »

slappy wrote:If for instance the corners are filled in like Leyton Orient with flats, would that make the club even more unattractive to a buyer, with even less ability to expand ground capacity?
I've been worrying for some time whether the deal being thrashed out (or not as the case may be) includes eg FK building flats in the corners, or retaining some development rights which might prevent our ability to develop the ground ourselves to its full potential. I sincerely hope that's not the case.
Myles Francis
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Re: Chairman's Programme Notes v Scunthorpe

Post by Myles Francis »

GodalmingYellow wrote: Sadly your last line proves the contradiction to your comment about Herd.

He wasn't a good owner. He very nearly killed the club with signings that he had no money to pay for, starting to build a stadium he had no funding in place for. These rank him pretty lowly in the scheme of things.

I accept your comment that past actions are no guarantee of future actions, but we have to use the evidence available to us, not suspicion and doubt because we can't think of a better answer.

I'm really sorry Myles, but I have to focus on completing Tax Returns at present, but I've enjoyed the discussion. Maybe come back to it over the weekend.
I appreciate you have other time pressures but I do have to come back on some of this (unsurprisingly!).

The parallels between Herd's first two seasons and Eales' are readily apparent, and of course none of us have a perfect crystal ball. So, yes, let's look at the evidence available.

- Near-record losses in the first season
- Indications of significant losses in the second season despite significant cup income
- An owner who, on the one hand, claims he can fund the club "all day long" In Leagues 1 and 2, but then talks of slashing budgets and closing the academy NEXT SEASON when the likelihood is we will still be in League 1
- Failure to make any meaningful progress on the stadium having apparently made exactly the same mistakes as previous attempts
- From the figures quoted by the owner himself, there is an indication that he is starting to exhaust the pot of money he set aside for this "project"

Time will tell how this pans out, but to my mind the warning signs are there - certainly enough for people to start wondering what is going on.
OUFC4eva
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Re: Chairman's Programme Notes v Scunthorpe

Post by OUFC4eva »

Oxford United FC release a statement at 5pm tonight in response
to last night's newsletter to members of OxVox.

http://www.oufc.co.uk/news/article/2016 ... 40817.aspx
Radley Rambler
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Re: Chairman's Programme Notes v Scunthorpe

Post by Radley Rambler »

OUFC4eva wrote:Oxford United FC release a statement at 5pm tonight in response
to last night's newsletter to members of OxVox.

http://www.oufc.co.uk/news/article/2016 ... 40817.aspx
I have an image in my mind of Mr Kassam sitting back, stroking a white cat and enjoying the show. Anyway, at least there is some footie to enjoy tomorrow.
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