General The Board & Senior Management

[Jster]

I'm getting a really bad feeling about it all too now. Thing is if it's all ok really, then the club could actually communicate this to the fans. It's a bloody vacuum at the moment.

 

[Thomas/Brock/Jones]

Think Adam Benson is one looking to get out from a comment I had said to me recently. Didn't think much of it at the time but makes more sense now.

 

[holdsteady]

GK coach possibly?

He would be the least worrying one for me, one of Mannings boys and has wanted out since his mate buggered off, if it’s someone else then that’s a bit more worrying. Can only think of Short and Hackett though other than Buckingham and the goalkeeping coach as we are not exactly overloaded with coaches compared to some clubs.

 

[38yearsofpain]

I'd say it matters massively. If , say , gk coach and Shorty then could well just be a personality clash , Who would blame Des for bringing his own team in like what happens in the majority of cases .
If board level especially stadium related than that would be extremely concerning.
Just a little bit of communication from our owners( Bakrie, Thoir , Horst) every 3 or so months saying how things all are surely wouldn't be that hard to arrange and would massively settle us all down.
Tim and Grant likewise to just front up I'm shocked hasn't been happening.
I do have a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach a bit tbh

That conversation should have/ did happen 7 weeks ago. The question is why isn't he or the next choice or the next choice or the next choice here yet.
It's all beginning to look like a circus yet again.
It's hard to imagine how we can get into this situation in the space of 2 months.
From a team and fan base looking forward with positivity to one with abject negativity. Whether the negativity is real or imaginery, the absolute failure is managing the situation.
The ostrich style management really doesnt suit football. You would have thought anybody who worked for Man U through those falures might have realised that is not a constructive approach.

 

[Shosho]

He would be the least worrying one for me, one of Mannings boys and has wanted out since his mate buggered off, if it’s someone else then that’s a bit more worrying. Can only think of Short and Hackett though other than Buckingham and the goalkeeping coach as we are not exactly overloaded with coaches compared to some clubs.

Short said: “Pricey’s been great because they’re his pals and they’ve gone. I know he was disappointed and a little bit disillusioned, but he’s been wonderful for me, helping with the set pieces. That’s a massive part of the game.”

Craig Short praises âdisappointed and disillusionedâ goalkeeping coach

CRAIG Short has paid credit to the coaching staff at Oxford United for the role they have played in supporting him as interim boss.

www.oxfordmail.co.uk

 

[LowerSouth]

Players unhappy .
Coaching staff unhappy.
Sounds like a ship drifting towards a mutiny .

 

[ECYellow]

Do we REALLY want football in our county in the long run?

If so, you all need to collectively start asking more questions of Benson, Ferguson, Williams & McWilliams.

You need to start asking questions, now.

 

[Northstandboy]

Think Adam Benson is one looking to get out from a comment I had said to me recently. Didn't think much of it at the time but makes more sense now.

Is that a bad thing? I think I could do his job better!

 

[Scotchegg]

So unrest in the first team camp?

Players? Well everyone has been given a fair chance simply due to the amount of injuries we've had. I get that O'Donkor and Gorrin may want more playing time, but who else is missing out? Half of them are not fir to play, and most of the others went through a shitload worse last season without throwing their dolls out.

Coaching staff? Shorty may be put out with not being offered the Assistsnt Managers role, but I can't believe that he'll be any worse off under Buckingham than he was under Manning. And he is local and has always said that this is the most important reason for being here. Chris Hackett has been helping out but will presumably returning fulltime to the academy work where he was doing really well. Lewis Price? Well he would be pissed at being brought in by Manning then left behind. He may well want to leave, but I'm not sure that the club would be to blame for this. Ed Waldron? The one person who has come through the last 6 months or so with the most credit and apparently a healthy budget to work with. Who's left? Fitness and performance teams? Analysts? Scouts? Physios and medical team? Faz?

Why now? What has changed to make some of these people want to leave? I'm not naive to think that there are never any issues behind the scenes, they happen everywhere. And I'm sure that there are people who feel that we may repeat the mistakes me made last season. But I would have hoped that most would have faith in themselves to do better than those that came before.

 

[Chris on a Bike]

I’m not at liberty to say.

Christ on a bike!

 

[holdsteady]

Christ on a bike!

What sort of bike do you think our Lord and saviour would have ridden? Raleigh Chopper?

 

[ECYellow]

Christ on a bike!

Indeed. Where are you next week? Barrow? Salford? Harrogate?

 

[Chris on a Bike]

Indeed. Where are you next week? Barrow? Salford? Harrogate?

Christ on a bike! I'm not at liberty to say

 

[Joey]

Tim and Grant likewise to just front up I'm shocked hasn't been happening.

Just picking this out and I'm genuinely not having a dig here, but what is shocking about them not fronting up? They've been here 18 months or so and never shown anything more than the bare minimum in terms of fan engagement, see the famous phantom fans forum as a prime example. No one ever seems to know when Grant is even in the country and when he is here he sneaks in and out. Tim doesn't appear to think much of his customers either.

There are several things wrong at the club at the moment. I actually think that at some point we'll spend a decent but of money which might not be the best thing long term as plenty of people will point to that and say "see, they're not bad. They're putting money in, we don't need to updates on what they do every day, just trust them." Really dangerous attitude to have, questions need to be answered sharpish even if they know we won't like the answers. Wonder if Tim's still got the number for his bodyguards.

 

[yellowbow]

Saviour on a Suzuki! This place needs a lift doesn’t it?! Hopefully a couple of exciting signings next week will do the trick

 

[greatunclekip]

Saviour on a Suzuki! This place needs a lift doesn’t it?! Hopefully a couple of exciting signings next week will do the trick

There is not a chance that will be happening.

 

[Chris on a Bike]

What sort of bike do you think our Lord and saviour would have ridden? Raleigh Chopper?

Christ on a bike! If you mean Chris Wilder than probably a Rayleigh Chipper

 

[unification]

Saviour on a Suzuki! This place needs a lift doesn’t it?! Hopefully a couple of exciting signings next week will do the trick

Yahweh on a Yamaha?

 

[holdsteady]

There is not a chance that will be happening.

You don’t really understand probability if you think that.

 

[oxfordkits]

The problem high-ranking personnel at the club have is... that calls on here and Radio Ox for communication (whilst extremely valid) would be a problem for the club to address. It would risk emboldening fans, who would see that the club do indeed read posts on here and if addressed, could be perceived as a weakness on the club's part, with the fans 'calling the tune'. I think the day when TW invited disgruntled fans to the training ground last season was an awkward lesson learnt. So I certainly can see why we don't hear anything.

That said, meaningful communication is appalling. Engagement of any sort is non-existent. Remember TW's statement when he said every part of the club will be looked at with a view to improving? That was over a year ago, and I've seen nothing to demonstrate any improvement off the field anywhere. Same old same old. The only difference is, we no longer have any fans forums, no longer have Radio Ox 5 minutes fans forum, and Oxvox appears to be given a cold shoulder.

I really do think the club needs to take a long hard look at how they are perceived by their most important stakeholders.

All of this disgruntled talk and disconnect between club hierarchy and supporters is avoidable. But I fear the personnel at the club are either too thick-skinned or uninterested to fix. And not just fix, but engage, nuture and charm. Any other successful business in a B2C sector will be doing this as a bare minimum.

EDIT: If the club was on the front foot, communicating, controlling the narrative and, driving change, then there wouldn't be this void of dissatisfaction, unanswered questions and a rumour mill. To conclude, the club needs to be proactive in its comms, not extremely slow to be reactive. And certainly not left for the First Team manager to address.