Stadium rent

[Pe├▒a Oxford United]

IL has been conspicious by his absence (both at the ground and with OxVox) since getting involved with Wigan.

Indeed.

In fact he's been so inconspicuous, I suppose he could even be going to the games, since he could sit in the stand and nobody would recognise him.

There's not much worse for a football club than an absentee owner.

[Ascension Ox]

Any more?

No idea.

Ask Ian Lenagan, if you can find him.

He doesn't get the criticism that the pig's head did, but it's surely his hand at the other end of the stick.

Another good point.

Assuming we do get a fans forum soon then I hope it will be Ian fronting it and not Kelvin.

Why? Far better to have the CEO at the fore than the owner.

[Ascension Ox]

IL has been conspicious by his absence (both at the ground and with OxVox) since getting involved with Wigan.

Indeed.

In fact he's been so inconspicuous, I suppose he could even be going to the games, since he could sit in the stand and nobody would recognise him.

There's not much worse for a football club than an absentee owner.

No CEO/ no day to day decision maker is far worse. PS plenty of OUFC fans have met Lenagan and know what he looks like. and who he looks like. Ever heard of Eric Pollard Sr Pena?

[Pe├▒a Oxford United]

Why? Far better to have the CEO at the fore than the owner.

Well, it depends on the relationship between the two and what &quotCEO&quot actually means in practice. But I can't see that it's better to have the CEO to the fore, not at a football club.

Ever heard of Eric Pollard

You would not believe the range of my cultural experience.

However, I wonder what would happen if you took a photo of Mr Lenagan and stood outside Minchery Farm asking people to guess who it was.

[Snake]

I think there was a period when this was true (I also seem to remember a fairly long period when it wasn't). But the answer as to why he couldn't get it right may have lain within himself, and I doubt he was in a position to understand that, let alone to accept it.

I think that statement could apply equally to FK as it does to IL.

History appears to be repeating itself.

But FK didn't effectivly withdraw all funding from the club. He also faced the fans yearly even at the bitter end. IL has been conspicious by his absence (both at the ground and with OxVox) since getting involved with Wigan.

Hang on a minute. We just don’t KNOW that IL has withdrawn funding - we’re relying on muddled tales of woe from OxVox without any real facts other than knowing the rent consistently gets paid late. (and the OxVox angle is understandable because the more we’re apparently in the mire the bigger their membership will grow).

[Snake]

No idea.

Ask Ian Lenagan, if you can find him.

He doesn't get the criticism that the pig's head did, but it's surely his hand at the other end of the stick.

Another good point.

Assuming we do get a fans forum soon then I hope it will be Ian fronting it and not Kelvin.

Why? Far better to have the CEO at the fore than the owner.

Why?

Because Ian Lenagan pays the wages, along with Us.

Of course I’d like Kelvin to be there as well, along with Mick and Patto (but please not Nick), but without the main man a lot of questions people would like to ask could not be answered.

[Snake]

Why? Far better to have the CEO at the fore than the owner.

Well, it depends on the relationship between the two and what &quotCEO&quot actually means in practice. But I can't see that it's better to have the CEO to the fore, not at a football club.

Ever heard of Eric Pollard

You would not believe the range of my cultural experience.

However, I wonder what would happen if you took a photo of Mr Lenagan and stood outside Minchery Farm asking people to guess who it was.

C’mon, people are not that stupid.

But hey, if this guy was spotted in the Directors Box it would fool a few fans.

[Baboo]

&quotThe people who pop up on here to defend Kassam to the hilt &quot

I think there are far more around who attack Kassam to the hilt, which has been said many a time deflects from where the real problems are.

As for the defending to the hilt - I don't know anyone who has defended his decision not to appoint a Chief Exec to run the football club.

[Mally]

&quotThe people who pop up on here to defend Kassam to the hilt &quot

I think there are far more around who attack Kassam to the hilt, which has been said many a time deflects from where the real problems are.

As for the defending to the hilt - I don't know anyone who has defended his decision not to appoint a Chief Exec to run the football club.

And very few defended some of his ridiculous management decisions or his lack of understanding of the value of goodwill, but hey don't let that get in the way of a good rant.

What gets me is this cult of criticism when the ill informed (and dubiously motivated) spew out their invective when the facts tell a very different story. All it does is deflect attention from the real problems and issues and has alowed Nick Merry to fiddle whilst our version of Rome spontaneously combusts around him.

[Snake]

&quotThe people who pop up on here to defend Kassam to the hilt &quot

I think there are far more around who attack Kassam to the hilt

I don’t think people should be so precious about that because it’s to be expected on an internet forum. Have you not seen some of the race arguments that proliferate on TiU? After all, FK is of Asian decent, so not only is he not white but some people think he’s a Muslim (actually he’s a Hindu). He’s also rich and smart, which offends some people who are neither. On top of that there are still people out there who got financially shafted in the CVA and ten years on they still bear a grudge against Kassam rather than the people who were responsible for not being able to pay their invoices (i.e. the Herd/Cox regime).

In essence it’s not that unusual to see a new poster on here attacking Kassam that no one knows from Adam with little or nothing to back up their argument - and it’s a very common occurrence on TiU!

And yes, Baboo, this anti-Kassam argument has been a godsend for WPL for the last two and a half years. There is only so long you can put the blame on previous owners but the time is rapidly approaching when Ian Lenagan has to step up to the plate and tell Us what’s going on.

/

Moving on (and my, what a busy thread YF Dan started less than 24 hours ago this is) does anyone know how much OV have collected in their online appeals and how many ‘Lucky 7’ tickets we’ve sold so far? Not that I give a fuck because it’s all just chicken feed in the bigger picture - it’s just an observation from an internet blogger like me who thinks it’s crap communication to those who have already put their hand in their pocket to help out.

[Isaac]

And very few defended some of his ridiculous management decisions or his lack of understanding of the value of goodwill, but hey don't let that get in the way of a good rant.

What gets me is this cult of criticism when the ill informed (and dubiously motivated) spew out their invective when the facts tell a very different story. All it does is deflect attention from the real problems and issues and has alowed Nick Merry to fiddle whilst our version of Rome spontaneously combusts around him.

That second paragraph is a massive cop out isn't it, so the cult of criticism is only apparent when it's Kassam that's being criticised? This cult of criticism isn't critical enough when it's Merry. Right.

And what sort of dubious motive does anyone have to criticise Kassam anyway, what exactly does that mean?

I don't think anyone here has ever said Merry=good, Kassam=bad at all (if so, find it), but to have a full understanding of the problems at the club, you need to understand how we ended up where we are, which is the fault of both Kassam and Merry after all. They're both crap, but for some reason many people on here are particularly precious about Kassam, for reasons beyond me (although I think Pena may have hit the nail on the head).

[OUFC4eva]

Firoz kassam, I understand is a follower of Ismaili &quotbranch&quot of Sunni Islam and is a passionate and generous supporter of the Aga Khan Foundation
which is based in Geneva.

[Pe├▒a Oxford United]

All it does is deflect attention from the real problems and issues

&quotIf you say Kassam bears some of the responsibility, then you deflect attention from Merry even if you consistently attack the latter&quot.

Horseshit should be more fertile than this.

[Snake]

... is a passionate and generous supporter of the Aga Khan Foundation which is based in Geneva.

Which is a non-denominational organisation.

[Mally]

And very few defended some of his ridiculous management decisions or his lack of understanding of the value of goodwill, but hey don't let that get in the way of a good rant.

What gets me is this cult of criticism when the ill informed (and dubiously motivated) spew out their invective when the facts tell a very different story. All it does is deflect attention from the real problems and issues and has alowed Nick Merry to fiddle whilst our version of Rome spontaneously combusts around him.

That second paragraph is a massive cop out isn't it, so the cult of criticism is only apparent when it's Kassam that's being criticised? This cult of criticism isn't critical enough when it's Merry. Right.

And what sort of dubious motive does anyone have to criticise Kassam anyway, what exactly does that mean?

I don't think anyone here has ever said Merry=good, Kassam=bad at all (if so, find it), but to have a full understanding of the problems at the club, you need to understand how we ended up where we are, which is the fault of both Kassam and Merry after all. They're both crap, but for some reason many people on here are particularly precious about Kassam, for reasons beyond me (although I think Pena may have hit the nail on the head).

Agreed the state the club finds itself in is the fault of both Merry and Kassam - (and quite a few others to be thrown into the mix) no argument there. I have criticised Kassam on plenty of occasions. The unjustified criticism of Kassam I am referring to on this occasion is the suggestion he has set an unreasonably high rent for the stadium. This is (IMHO) not true. It is reasonable, agreed by both parties and increased once a year by the rate of inflation. On top of all of this Kassam his given the club a rent holiday to help with their cash flow, and this is against a backdrop of the club never having paid the rent on time. Criticism of anybody is fine if its based on facts and logic or reasonable supposition.

As for the dubious motives I don't know why, for example, the Oxford Mail ran a story about the considerable increases in stadium rent that were a major cause for OUFC's financial plight when this clearly isn't true. I don't think such a story was written due to ignorance and therefore conclude there's a dubious motive behind it.