Manager/Coach Horton out !!..............

[swolley]

My favourite Brian Horton quote ' a game of 2 halves, we were awful in both'

 

[MJB]

Mark Stein wouldn't agree. I remember reading scathing quotes about the style of play Horton demanded - long balls aimed at a fast, but short and skillful forward... Mark Stein said that the players were capable of playing a more technical game, with the ball on the ground.

I remember seeing Stein stand still, facing his own goal, and glance a long ball off the top of his head to the opposing goalkeeper. Lots of head tennis occurred from memory.

Oxford had some very good players in the decade after being in the top flight.

Conversely, Jim Magilton handed out the certificates at my football club in about 1993.

One of the kids asked him if he preferred Horton or Denis Smith, who had recently taken over.

Magilton told us he definitely preferred Horton as training was easier under him!

 

[Belgium Yellow]

Indeed it was, what a weekend that was.

Bloody Aldridge celebrating his goal, not too impressed with that.

 

[stokeu]

Bloody Aldridge celebrating his goal, not too impressed with that.

The words at the end of that clip..."what Oxford need now is an owner to keep them in the style to which they'd like to be accustomed "

 

[Scotchegg]

Bloody Aldridge celebrating his goal, not too impressed with that.

It was his 40th goal of the season, a club record. Plus those were the days when players celebrated everything regardless of who they played against.

 

[windmill]

Indeed it was, what a weekend that was.

GooD old Eric Nixon. Seem to remember him making three appearances at the Manor with three different clubs,. . . . .all in the same season! He always managed to wind up the London Road. He had a certain arrogance about him, but with very little to back it up.

 

[Marked Ox]

Yes, one of the great away games.
Won 2 1 (Joey scored our other and John Aldridge their goal)
Paul Kee had a really good game in goal.
Then we had to spend 10 minutes waiting for other results to come in to see if we stayed up or not

I couldn't go to that game

 

[chuckbert]

Horton was the manager when I first started going up the Manor at 11, being on the London Road for the first few games one of the only songs I can really remember is “Brian Hortons yellow and blue army” so he had some support for a while, later on I remember the “Horton out” chants starting and as said above our terrible away form seemed to turn fans against him and it did stop us building any momentum.

Still have fond memories of him as my first proper Oxford manager, back then I thought he was really old like all kids do of adults but he couldn’t of even been much over 40?

I also remember the “where’s your ‘Horton out’” chants from the LR (left) when we were winning.

 

[West Oxon U’s]

Brian Horton named in David Pleat’s best ELEVEN.

 

[PottersRightBoot]

Brian Horton did well for the club. A good football man.

There was no sense that the club was ‘building’ under him like there is under. Robinson though.

He also always seemed so grim when he had a microphone shoved in front of his face.

Not surprising when you consider how fruitloop things were off the pitch.

 

[lodeyellow]

I bought a copy of Brian's autobiography last year after I heard him talking about it on the radio. It was an interesting read.

 

[Colin B]

Was it Horton in charge, when we went to Prenton park needing to win and avoid relagation, and we won 2-1 I’m sure Johnny Lager scored.

It truly was one of the great days.

My abiding memory is of Brian Horton taking the team off at the end of the game, until all of the other games had finished and the scores were confirmed. This was pre internet and smart phone, so you could never be 100% sure if the person in the crowd with a transistor radio had heard/given you the right score. Rumours were that results had gone our way, but nobody was really sure. Then Brian Horton came sprinting out of the tunnel, leaping and punching the air, followed by the players doing the same. That was THE moment we knew we'd done it, and the 2,000 or so Oxford fans went crazy! Not a single Oxford fan had left the ground, unlike what happens today. For younger fans it was the equivalent of Alfie and Sam in the last minute at Wembley 2010.

It bought tears to my eyes then, and a lump in my throat now. Brian Horton, top man in my book. I so wish that level of emotion was still evident in our fanbase today.

 

[chuckbert]

Me watching the result on ceefax in my student flat doesn’t quite evoke the same excitement. But I remember it clearly.

 

[holdsteady]

I was the only one of my friends not allowed to go to that game as I was to young (parents never stopped me doing much else for that reason so I assume they were probably just to skint to pay for me) so I was absolutely gutted to miss out on celebrating staying up, made even worse when all I heard about school the following week was how mental everyone had gone celebrating.

I was glad we stayed up and everything, but even now all these posts about it has bought up the envy and regret I feel at missing out, alongside the time they hid my megadrive on Christmas morning and said they were sold out and kept the pretence up for ages it’s the reason they are going in a shite care home.

 

[werthersoriginal]

It truly was one of the great days.

My abiding memory is of Brian Horton taking the team off at the end of the game, until all of the other games had finished and the scores were confirmed. This was pre internet and smart phone, so you could never be 100% sure if the person in the crowd with a transistor radio had heard/given you the right score. Rumours were that results had gone our way, but nobody was really sure. Then Brian Horton came sprinting out of the tunnel, leaping and punching the air, followed by the players doing the same. That was THE moment we knew we'd done, and the 2,000 or so Oxford fans went crazy! Not a single Oxford fan had left the ground, unlike what happens today. For younger fans it was the equivalent of Alfie and Sam in the last minute at Wembley 2010.

It bought tears to my eyes then, and a lump in my throat now. Brian Horton, top man in my book. I so wish that level of emotion was still evident in our fanbase today.

Tranmere had done well that year and had a great home record but couldn't reach the playoffs and I guess were half way to the beach, though they certainly gave us some scares and Paul Kee was I think MoM. I remember the Tranmere fans taking the P**s throughout the match but being very nice afterwards and shaking people's hands. Eeeeh, grand days.

 

[windmill]

I was the only one of my friends not allowed to go to that game as I was to young (parents never stopped me doing much else for that reason so I assume they were probably just to skint to pay for me) so I was absolutely gutted to miss out on celebrating staying up, made even worse when all I heard about school the following week was how mental everyone had gone celebrating.

I was glad we stayed up and everything, but even now all these posts about it has bought up the envy and regret I feel at missing out, alongside the time they hid my megadrive on Christmas morning and said they were sold out and kept the pretence up for ages it’s the reason they are going in a shite care home.

You have witnessed two promotions and possibly a third. Is that not enough? Spare a thought for us long stayers.

 

[holdsteady]

You have witnessed two promotions and possibly a third. Is that not enough? Spare a thought for us long stayers.

3 promotions and 4 relegations, if you are in your 50s I reckon you are in credit with all the promotions in the 80s?

The milk cup final was my first ever game though so I am pretty good on that front.

 

[SteMerritt]

3 promotions and 4 relegations, if you are in your 50s I reckon you are in credit with all the promotions in the 80s?

The milk cup final was my first ever game though so I am pretty good on that front.

I think you've had 3 promotions and 5 relegations if you started in 86.

I'm not 50 (give it a year), but I'm back where I started with all of this promotion and relegation malarkey. Started off in Division III with the dynamic Bill Asprey team, and have had 5 Promotions and 5 Relegations in 41 years.

 

[werthersoriginal]

I think you've had 3 promotions and 5 relegations if you started in 86.

I'm not 50 (give it a year), but I'm back where I started with all of this promotion and relegation malarkey. Started off in Division III with the dynamic Bill Asprey team, and have had 5 Promotions and 5 Relegations in 41 years.

I started off at a similar point, with a 0-2 home defeat to Southend in mid div 3. A couple of years ago I was back where I started, but now I reckon I'm slightly ahead.

 

[TailsWeWin]

I think you've had 3 promotions and 5 relegations if you started in 86.

I'm not 50 (give it a year), but I'm back where I started with all of this promotion and relegation malarkey. Started off in Division III with the dynamic Bill Asprey team, and have had 5 Promotions and 5 Relegations in 41 years.

6 promotions and 6 relegations for me. OUFC and the Rollercoaster Ride.