RESIDENTS PETITION AGAINST MULTIPLEX

A group of local residents has handed in a petition to protest against the proposed multiplex development at Minchery Farm. The petition has been handed both to Andrew Smith MP and to Oxford City Council. The petition contains roughly 200 signatures. The residents claim that they have not been consulted about proceedings. Resident Chris Hatton said, "Residents are disgusted at the lack of any communication regarding this whole saga. If need be, we will apply to the court for a judicial review."

The fact that both the Council and FOUL had been lobbying public opinion for weeks before the decision was made seems to have escaped these residents. Public meetings have already been held in Littlemore, Blackbird Leys and Oxford Town Hall. Surveys have been handed out to residents. It seems to me that opponents of the multiplex are now jumping on the Judicial Review bandwagon. Since Pentith Developments called for a Judicial Review, both the Oxford Preservation Trust and now this group of residents have mentioned the possibility of calling for a Judicial Review.

The secretary of the Oxford Preservation Trust sent the following letter (which appeared on Friday) to the Oxford Times :

Sir -- Over the past weeks we have lobbied Oxford City Council to prevent the latest bizarre development in the Oxford United saga - a nine-screen multiplex cinema on the out-of-town site. This, without thought for the disastrous consequences for our in-town cinemas or the extra traffic and, what is worse, completely disregarding an imaginative proposal for a seven-screen cinema on the ABC George Street site which has been under discussion with the city planners for two years.
    We and others, increasingly concerned that the City Council was allowing football to cloud its judgment, wrote to John Prescott, Secretary of State, asking him to call in the application so that it could be judged fairly. After all, his government has a policy of discouraging out-of-town developement and he has already called in similar applications at Abingdon and Oxpens, which he subsequently rejected. But then there was no football involved!
    The City Council has granted the permission. The Secretary of State has not called in the application. This should unquestionably have been the subject of a public enquiry.
    We will no doubt be accused of being anti-football. We are not. We are merely concerned for the consequences for our city and to see fair play. Football and cinemas are not related activities. They do not need to go together.
    Pentith, the disappointed would-be developer of the Oxpens Leisure Village, is a strange ally for Oxford Preservation trust. However, we wholeheartedly back its request for a judicial review of the Secretary of State's decision. The rules should and must apoply to everyone fairly.

Deborah Dance
Secretary
Oxford Preservation Trust

WIZARD!

Remember Pål Lundin's ridiculous tunic that he wore in the second half against Oldham? Looked like a cross between a leopard-skin print and a Merlin the Magician outfit. Well that was yet another symptom of Oxford's financial impecuniousness. At half-time the referee decided that Lundin's regular goalkeeping top clashed with Oldham's shirts. But Oxford can't afford a change goalkeeper's shirt, and thus for the second half Lundin had to wear the strangest get-up yet seen in football.  Shotton commented, "It's a big embarrassment and doesn't look good on the club. But that's the state we're in because of what's gone on." But where did they get this strange tunic?

I'M NO LOUGANIS

Steve Anthrobus has denied that he dived to gain the penalty against Oldham, and claimed that the referee had been dead right to award the spot kick. "It certainly was a penalty. I felt him give me a strong push in the back as I went to jump, and the ref blew straight away", claimed the 'Bus, who is suspended for Oxford's next three games (including Everton at home) thanks to his sending-off at Bristol.

Shaun Garnett, the Oldham defender who conceded the penalty, thought differently. "I thought it was harsh. I was watching the ball come in and just standing my ground when he ran into me. In my book that’s me being clever, rather than bringing someone down."

BLACKPOOL 1 OXFORD 1

Oxford gained their first draw of the season at Blackpool, Derek Lilley equalising with his first goal for Oxford. It was a performance that fitted in well with the Blackpool seafront - low in class. An unbelievably dull first half saw Blackpool scoring from a corner. The second half was better, and the Us actually put a few moves together, and soon got their deserved equaliser. Oxford could have gone on to win after that, but in truth a draw was about right.

OXFORD 1 OLDHAM 0

Oxford did their best not to win against the Latics, but Oldham's dire finishing and uninspiring approach-work meant that Matt Murphy's penalty settled a low quality match. Ostensibly the penalty was given for a foul by Garnett on Anthrobus, but the challenge was innocuous at best. This refereeing approach set the tone for the match, and that seldom makes for good viewing. The players seemed to wilt in the sun, with pace and movement at a premium, particularly in the second half. Still, it's 3 points, and that can't be bad. Oldham are now the only team in the entire league not to have scored a league goal.

IT'S EVERTON

Oxford got a "plum Premiership draw" (to use the cliched term) against Everton in the second round of the League Cup. First leg at the Manor. Ties to be played in the weeks commencing 13 and 20 September.

OXFORD v OLDHAM PREVIEW

Oxford take on Oldham Athletic at the Manor today. A bad omen is that Oldham are both pointless and goalless in their league campaign so far, and the Us specialise in generosity in such cases. Remember Tranmere last season?

Malcolm Shotton will select from a similar squad as for Southend, changed only by the addition of Jamie Lambert. Mickey Lewis will again be on the bench to provide defensive cover. As for those recovering from injury, Peter Fear and Phil Whelan may be fit enough to feature at Blackpool on Monday, but Steve Davis is still some way from recovery.

OXFORD TIMES ARTICLE

The following article appeared on page 2 of today's Oxford Times.

MULTIPLEX PLAN : NO ONE ASKED US
Residents have complained they were not consulted over plans for a Multiplex cinema and have handed a petition to MP Andrew Smith. Oxford City Council has also received a copy of the 200 signature petition against the planned multiplex at the new Oxford United Stadium at Minchery Farm.

In the petition, residents near the development complained that some of them did not know about the plans until it was too late. They said in the letter, "Residents are disgusted at the lack of any communication regarding this whole saga; if need be we will apply to the court of a Judicial Review." The letter to Mr Smith MP, demands a full investigation into the handling of the application.

An Oxford City Council spokesman said two public meetings had been held ar BBL and Littlemore. He added, "As far as we are concerned,we have been very thourough with public consulation."

THERE CAN BE ONLY ONE

Oxford have signed Christopher Lambert. Actually he's better known as 26 year old left-winger James Lambert (left) of Reading, who came through their ranks, and was at one time fairly highly rated there. However he fell out of favour at Reading when Tommy Burns arrived, and he is now available on a free transfer. Oxford have so far offered him only a temporary contract (effectively he is on trial), but he has gone straight into the squad for tomorrow's match against Oldham.

PROFILE FROM HOB NOB,ANYONE?
James Lambert - Winger
Talented young left winger in the Gilkes way. Got trials for Monaco a few years back. He calmed down a bit last season and is normally on the bench if he doesn't make a start. Rumoured to be unhappy not getting a first team place and possibly on the move soon.

PROFILE FROM JUSTIN'S ROYALS PAGE
James Lambert
Position - Left Midfield
Born - Henley 14.09.73
Signed - From Youth, 1992
Nickname - anything with 'wanker' in it, apparently.
James signed professional forms for Reading after taking his A-levels in 1990. A skilful winger, he had trials with Blackburn and Monaco before becoming a first team regular under Quinn and Gooding. Perhaps best remembered for a superb individual goal against Nottingham Forest in 1997, James has failed to prosper under the new management. Tommy Burns has made it clear he has no place for Lambert in the new Royals team and is trying to find him another club. An unsuccessful trial at Walsall in September was the closest James has come to relocating.

NEWS CANCELLED

There has been a complete lack of news about Oxford United today.

ORWELL AND THE RYMAN LEAGUE

The Ryman League (that's Isthmian League to the pre-sponsorship generation) has come over all Big Brotherish.  They have written to all member clubs and told them that they will not allow unofficial websites to list their fixtures. They will only permit the official websites of member clubs to list the fixtures. As the League holds the copyright on the fixtures, they are entitled to do this. Will anyone take a blind bit of notice? I hope not!

CRAWLEY GO INTO ADMINISTRATION

Crawley Town of the Doc Martens (Southern) League have gone into administration. A meeting between the club and its creditors has been organised for the 23 September. Crawley are £380,000 in debt - a substantial sum for a club at that level. Read more at the Official Crawley Town site.

FOULMOUTH 4

FOUL have just issued Issue 4 of FOULMouth. You can read it here.

OXFORD 1 SOUTHEND 0  (3-0 agg.)

Last night saw an impressive display by the Us against Southend, with Matt Murphy (again the goalscorer) making outstanding use of the ample space left to him by a Southend team who looked half-interested. Still, Oxford showed they can play with flair and skill, if they are given the time and space to do so! An important point for Shotts to note is that Powell played virtually as a winger, and was excellent.

Mickey Lewis made a brief appearance at the end - his first in over three years - but overall the injury crisis had eased. Ross Weatherstone was nowhere to be seen, and both his brother Simon and Mark Watson passed fitness tests and played without seeming to be affected. Even the "definitely ruled out" Neil McGowan made an appearance from the bench.

A quote from Shotton after last night's match:

"I've been the first one to criticise the players when they haven't done their jobs in a couple of games - so it's only fair that I should be the first to praise them after a performance like that. I thought our passing and movement was exceptional - even allowing for the fact we went into the game two goals up from the first leg against a team from a lower division. We knew we had to be positive and we played really well. I just hope that we can take the confidence we've gained from this performance into our next league game.
"Matt Murphy did ever so well for the goal and he's now got five from midfield which is a great return by anyone's standards at this stage of the season. I know he's got his critics about certain things but he's a quality player and a good professional which is why we've been fighting so hard to keep him at the club."

No news on the judicial review - so presumably Nick Pentith was correct in stating that the decision (on whether to be granted the review) was not made yesterday. Apparently Pentith requires more time to prepare his case. He seems to be completely uninterested in the football club, claiming that his only interest is in why his Oxpens multiplex proposal was turned down, and Kassam's Minchery proposal was accepted. He is now keen to resubmit a proposal for Oxpens before any development commences at Minchery.

LOOKING FOR PLAYERS

In an interview on Thames Valley FM this morning, Firoz Kassam confirmed that Shotts is currently looking to add to our limited squad. He is apparently looking at various players, and when he has found the "right one" he will make a move to sign him.

BARROW ACCEPTED INTO NPL

The Northern Premier League (in new money that's the Unibond League) this week accepted Barrow into its premier division., and Barrow should now be added into the fixture list in time to play their first match this weekend. This brings to an end the long-running saga which started when Barrow reformed as a new company after going bankrupt, and were kicked out of the Conference as a result. A meeting of the NPL saw Barrow, requiring a two-thirds majority, voted in by 38 votes to 6. Read more at BAFC.

COFS MEETS FOOTBALL TASK FORCE

Today sees a meeting between the Confederation of Football Supporters (COFS) and the Football Task Force. The COFS is seeking to bring supporters' issues to the Taskforce for their attention. One of the major points to be addressed today is the rising cost of admission to football matches.

JUDICIAL REVIEW LATEST

Pentith Developments Ltd will be taking their case for a judicial review on the multiplex decision before a judge tomorrow. Then we just have to sit tight and see what the judge decides. LATEST NEWS is that I have heard that Nick Pentith has denied that the case is to be heard tomorrow. Who knows, then?

Want to write to (or phone) Pentith Developments (more specifically Nick Pentith) to explain the importance of the multiplex to Oxford United? The address is :

Pentith Developments Ltd
147 London Road South
Poynton
Cheshire, SK12 1LG
Tel: 01625 871184

What did I say about an injury crisis? Looks like Chrissy Allen may have to play after all. According to the Official Site, only ten players (including two goalies) reported for training this morning, leaving major doubts hanging over our squad for tomorrow evening's match at home to Southend. The situation is so bad that trainee, Ross Weatherstone, and youth manager, Mickey Lewis, have been signed up in order to make them available (if necessary) for the match.

Players confirmed as unfit for tomorrow are : Steve Davis, Peter Fear, Phil Whelan, Neil McGowan.
Players doubtful for tomorrow are : Simon Weatherstone, Mark Watson.

 I guess we're lucky we've got a 2-0 cushion.

BARNET LATEST

The Independent on Sunday yesterday reported that the Copthall site, on which Barnet wanted to build their new stadium, has now been earmarked for development as an olympic aquatic stadium. This is after Barnet failed to get planning permission for the site, being told it was classified as "green belt", despite currently housing a delapidated athletics stadium. As Mike Edwards of KBA (Keep Barnet Alive) says, "This is staggering hypocrisy."

More on Barnet - Steve Merritt has sent me an article detailing Barnet's plight from a Coventry fanzine ("Twist and Shout"). Well worth a read.

SENDING OFF HARSH?

Both managers expressed the view that the sending off of The Bus in yesterday's match was perhaps harsh. Malcolm Shotton commented, "I was very close to the incident and I am convinced it was unintentional. Steve was nearly in tears in the dressing room afterwards and I think he was unlucky."

Meanwhile Rovers manager, Ian Holloway, who reacted angrily to the challenge at the time, commented, "I hope my reaction didn't play a part in the lad going off because I am prepared to give him the benefit of the doubt. My concern at the time was for Dave Pritchard, who took a very bad blow to his cheekbone and could have been more seriously hurt."

Anthrobus will miss three matches, starting with the home game against Wycombe, as a result of his being sent off for violent conduct.

CHRISSY WON'T PLAY

According to Shotts, Chrissy Allen will not be playing for Oxford. In an interview with Thames Valley FM, Shotton said that Allen was being allowed to train with Oxford as a favour to him, so that he could get himself fit enough to find a new club. So he won't be playing for us (until the inevitable injury crisis hits us...)

BRISTOL R 1 OXFORD 0

Oxford sank to a second successive defeat today, losing to Jason Roberts' 60th minute strike for the Gasheads. The goal came just two minutes after Steve Anthrobus had been sent off for use of the elbow.

WHO?

An amusing contribution to the Dunfermline online discussion board was found by a member of the Oxford forum yesterday. Dated 16 August, and posted by one Big Erik,  it states, "Campbell has put in a bid of £125,000 for oxford united striker John Murphy. The 30yr old prolific goalscorer notched two against cardiff city at the weekend." (Campbell being Pars boss, Dick Campbell.)

INJURY NEWS

Oxford have four players with injury doubts for tomorrow's match at Bristol Rovers. Peter Fear, hoping to play his first game after starting the season with a three match suspension, is the least likely to play after gaining an ankle injury in a reserve game. The others struggling for fitness are Steve Davis, Paul Powell and Steve Anthrobus. It could be that Neil McGowan is asked to step into the starting line-up despite not being considered fully match-fit. (And of course if 'Bus is unable to play, our prolific man John Murphy can always step in!)

LATEST:  Peter Fear has been ruled out of the match, but Paul Powell will play.

STADIUM HITCH?

A company named Pentith Ltd have asked for a judicial review of the decision to grant Oxford United planning permission for a multiplex cinema development at Minchery Farm. Pentith are the company that were previously refused permission to build a cinema at Oxpens.

There are several possible consequences. The appointed judge may refuse Pentith leave to seek the review. If the judge rules in their favour, however, much will depend on what redress they are seeking from the review.

Whatever happens, this turn of events will probably delay the developments at Minchery. The judge's decision should take just days. Anything else could take longer, although apparently a judicial review is one of the quicker legal processes.

Thanks to the folk at FOUL for this information. These facts were made known to them in confidence earlier in the week. John Evans of FOUL has kindly supplied me a document with details of the judicial review process.

OTHER NEWS

Peter Fear went off with a bruised ankle during yesterday's reserve match at Peterborough. He is now a strong doubt for Saturday's match. Fear is yet to appear for the oxford first team in a competitive match, as he has been suspended for the first three matches. A strong reserve side could draw 1-1 at Peterborough, with Ross Weatherstone scoring for the Us. Neil McGowan and Chrissy Allen both played in the match.

Paul Powell is said to be an injury doubt for our match at Bristol Rovers on Saturday. He is suffering from a calf strain. With our new left back, Neil McGowan, said not to be fully match fit yet (he only played part-time in Scotland), it will be interesting to see who plays in that position if Powell fails to recover in time.

Interestingly, Albion Rovers' likely defensive replacement for Neil McGowan is former Oxford trainee, Todd Lumsden, whom Albion signed last week. The 21 year old was freed by Oxford in the 1996 close season, without having made a first team appearance. He has since played on 22 occasions for Stirling Albion, and was most recently turning out for Chester-le-Street of the Northern League.

McGOWAN COSTS £20,000

Oxford are paying £20,000 to Albion Rovers for defender, Neil McGowan. £5,000 of this sum is deferred until McGowan has appeared a given number of times for the Us. Apparently McGowan heard at work (he was an engineer) that Oxford were interested in him, and he seems to be eager to make the switch from part-time to full-time football.

As for our newest trialist, one Christopher Allen - apparently he phoned Oxford to ask for a trial after having trouble finding a club to join in the summer.

WRIGHT TRIES SWINDON

According to the Swindon-based Evening Advertiser, Tony Wright is on trial at Swindon, and was included in their reserve squad to play Cambridge today. Wright, 19, was released by Oxford in the summer, despite many fans thinking he was a fine prospect. Wright has been playing for Merthyr Tydfil on a non-contract basis.

KASSAM TO SPEND £10 MILLION

Firoz Kassam said yesterday that he would have to put up £10 million of his own money to fund the stadium project. Basically this money is required to pay Taylor Woodrow fro their building work. Presumably Kassam plans to recoup this money from the other Minchery Farm developments.

Kassam also indicated that Shotton will have around £300,000 to spend on players as a result of the sale of Phil Gilchrist.

ABBEY GETS TWO

The official Ben Abbey promotion service continues : Abbey got two more goals for Crawley Town last night in their 3-3 draw at Rothwell. He has now scored 3 goals in Crawley's first two matches of the season. Some bad news for Crawley, who have been in financial trouble for a while, is that they face an Administration Hearing on Friday to determine whether administrators should take over at the club.

NEW SIGNING

Thames Valley FM have confirmed that we have signed the "mystery" player, and that he is indeed Neil McGowan of Albion Rovers, who can play as left back or central defender. He is 5'10", Glasgow born and 22 years old. He signed for Stranraer as an 18 year old, but moved on to Albion a year later without having featured in Stranraer's first team. He has since made 47 appearances for Albion. He only gained a regular place in the Albion first team last season, when he played all but three of their league matches at no. 3 (which suggests left back to me).

EARLIER NEWS

Apparently Shotts is on the verge of signing a 21 year old Scottish defender. Shotts won't reveal who this is in case he is stolen from under our noses. Is it possible that it could be Neil McGowan of Albion Rovers? Shotts was after him before. The only problem is that he's 22 not 21, but that doesn't necessarily rule it out.

Chrissy Allen has re-signed for the club, on non-contract terms. This means that, like Nicky Banger, Allen will be paid on a match-to-match basis. Allen left Oxford in July 1996 for an unsuccessful three year spell with Nottigham Forest. Forest eventually loaned him out to Cardiff and Luton. He left Forest on transfer deadline day last season, on a free transfer to Brian Horton's Port Vale . He was given a free by Vale at the end of the season, after starting just two games for the Potteries side.

The player bonus issue was reportedly settled just minutes before the Cardiff game. Evidently the win bonus wasn't set high enough for some players, judging by performances!

Paul Powell, Steve Anthrobus and Steve Davis are all under treatment for minor injuries at the moment. It was apparent to many fans that Powell was playing whilst injured on Saturday, and now unsurprisingly he is receiving treatment for a calf strain. Shotton commented, "We kept asking him if he was OK. Fair play to Powelly, he wanted to carry on and you have to applaud that attitude."  This just a day after he said he'd fine Powell if he had played whilst injured. Maybe the difference is he's calmed down a bit now...

SHOTTON GETS ANGRY

Malcolm Shotton described the team as "brainless idiots" after Saturday's match. Maybe this is what you expect from supporters of the team in private, but from the manager in public? Shotts is not going to hold onto the respect of the players with that kind of talk. Even more bizarre was his statement when asked if Powell was playing whilst injured on Saturday. After indicating that he believed Powell not to be injured, he said, "If he was injured, I will fine him."

Rumours of a dispute over player bonuses hover over the Manor after Saturday's debacle, but many more performance like that and the issue will be purely hypothetical...

PLAYERS IN?

Malcolm Shotton has indicated that he will step up his search for players this week in an attempt to bolster the squad. They are badly needed. A nudge for Shotts : Ben Abbey scored Crawley's goal in their opening game of the season, a 3-1 defeat by Clevedon. He also had an excellent free kick tipped onto the bar.

OXFORD 2 CARDIFF 3

This was the worst Oxford home performance in a long time, and Cardiff's 85th minute winner was fully deserved. Oxford had somehow managed to level the match at 2-2 after going in at 2-0 down, but Cardiff were always clearly the better side, and always looked the more likely winners.

Please tell me that I dreamed the sale of Phil Gilchrist. Today's defence missed him badly, despite Mark Watson's best efforts. Mind you, even Gilly would have had trouble holding that defence together. Davis and Robbo looked old. Too old. Paul Powell is NOT a defender. Find a left-back, Malcolm. Quickly.

I'd forgotten how much I love our playing against Welsh sides. All those oh-so-witty chants. All that racism. "Sheep-sheep-sheep-shaggers". Brilliant. And I thought we were watching Oxford play, not Ing-er-land. Recent performances have been similar though, so I can understand the confusion.

Further depression today as I read that we are not to sign Ben Abbey because Crawley are holding out for the princely sum of £25,000. Also Shotts thinks that his position (striker) is not a priority. That might have been a fair point before today's match, but watching Derek Lilley... sigh...

OXFORD v CARDIFF PREVIEW

Oxford play their first home game of the season today, entertaining promoted Cardiff City. Last season Cardiff gained a reputation as a defensive side, hard to score against but unlikely to score themselves. It was from Oxford that they gained their star midfielder, Danny Hill (no kidding). Unconvinced? Then read this profile of Hill from a Cardiff website. Or this profile, for that matter. We lost a good player there, I suspect. Cardiff will, of course, also include former Oxford stalwart Mike Ford, who I suspect will get a rousing reception from the Oxford fans.

Oxford's squad for the game is bolstered by the return of Phil Whelan after mumps. Well at least we can fill our five spots on the bench now, unlike at Southend!

COFS FORMED

The Coalition of Football Supporters (COFS) was formed on Thursday. This is a campaigning organisation formed from existing fans' groups, including FOUL. The COFS will be meeting with the Football Taskforce on 25 August to discuss its charter, which you can find at its nascent website. Any fans interested in getting involved in the COFS should contact them for more information.

TeamTalk reports that Shotton will get in excess of £300,000 to spend on players to bolster the squad. I feel that this is probably just speculation at the moment, as according to the official website Shotts is still not sure whether he will be seeing any of the money.

It has been reported that Gilly will attempt to follow further in Matty Elliott's footsteps by making himself eligible for the Scottish national team. Gilly has a Scottish grandfather.

Leicester are still chasing Newcastle defender, Nikos Dabizas, despite signing Gilly.

OTHER CLUBS

The FA have climbed down in their battle with the Unibond League over Barrow's league status. The Unibond clubs have agreed to meet Barrow in talks over the club's future, and the FA are hopeful that these talks should see Barrow admitted into the League, although it could be at First Division rather than Premier Division level. Some Unibond League clubs (such as Leek Town) are known still to be opposed to Barrow's being accepted. The Unibond League will now kick off as planned this weekend, without Barrow for now. Previously the FA had issued an edict to the effect that the Unibond League could not commence until Barrow were included in the fixture list.

Mark Goldberg has resigned as chairman of Crystal Palace, although he is involved with a consortium planning a £16 million takeover of the first division club.

Phil Gilchrist made his Leicester debut in their 1-0 win over Coventry last night. Gilly did not start, but came on midway through the second half to link up with former Us team-mate, Matty Elliott.

Malcolm Shotton has said he will not be drawn into any "panic signings" following Gilchrist's move to Leicester. One would hope that the scouts have been doing their jobs, and be clued up on who to buy at any given moment in time. A few injuries, and we will be panicking!

Talking of players, Crawley Town striker Ben Abbey was back at Crawley this week, playing in their pre-season friendlies. There are rumours that Crawley are asking for more money than Oxford are prepared to pay for Abbey. In the light of the Gilly transfer, maybe we can now stump up the dosh.

Southend boss Alan Little is remaining optimistic despite his side's 2-0 home defeat in the first leg. "Oxford never really hurt us as a team and they came here to soak up the pressure and hit us on the counter-attack, but in Beauchamp they had the one player on the field who could make a difference," said Little. "We've given ourselves a hell of a lot to do when we go to Oxford's place in two weeks, but you've got to remain optimistic that we can still get through."

KASSAM DELIGHTED

Firoz Kassam was delighted at John Prescott's decision to lift the holding order on the cinema application, and indicated that the new stadium at Minchery Farm should be ready by June, meaning we can move into it next season. The club are meeting Taylor Woodrow on Monday, and building should recommence in six weeks. Kassam thanked the Oxford fans, and FOUL in particular, for their campaigning work.

A word of warning though. The Council still have to reach agreement with Kassam over the sale of the land near Minchery Farm. The Council continues to indicate that the stadium must be completed before any further development can be started. I continue to feel that this is a good thing, as it safeguards the future of the club above all else.

SOUTHEND AT SEA
(SOUTHEND 0 OXFORD 2)

Oxford last night beat Southend 2-0 in the first leg of the opening round of the League Cup. The goalscorers were Murphy and Beauchamp. This latter goal from Joey was worth the entrance fee on its own - a rocket from well outside the area. We gave Southend lots of possession, but had the necessary class to get the goals we needed.

There were rumours on the terraces last night that Shotts would get to spend the £375,000 we gained from the sale of Gilly. Hartlepool apparently get 25% of the total fee (rather than just of our profit). The Oxford Mail indicates that Shotton expects to get at least some of the money for new players. It would possibly be better to buy a number of cheaper players, rather than spending all the money in one go. Our squad size is extremely scary at the moment. If we get a few injuries...

HOLDING ORDER LIFTED

The GOSE confirmed this morning that the Article 14 Holding Order on the Minchery Farm multiplex planning application has been lifted. This means the decision can be made locally where it is almost certain to be ratified by the two Councils involved. Great news!

GOODBYE GILLY

Phil Gilchrist has today joined Leicester City for a paltry £500,000 (further reduced by Hartlepool's 25% sell on clause). This comes just ONE day after the following statement from Malcolm Shotton (as reported in the Oxford Mail) : "At the moment Gilly is staying." It was a short moment. Gilly is likely to renew his old defensive partnership with Matt Elliott in Leicester's match with Coventry tomorrow night.

I'd love to know who made the decision to sell Gilly so cheaply. I'd like to write a VERY strongly worded letter to that person...

There was an interesting quote from Matt Elliott about Gilchrist: "In our Oxford days, Denis Smith tried to sell us as a pair." Great - just think where that would have left us at the time. Good old Denis.

SHRIMP SUPPER

Tonight Oxford travel to Southend (for the Legaue Cup 1st rnd 1st leg) presumably without Gilly, but bolstered (?) by the return of Nicky Banger. Jon Shepheard stays in Oxford as he has suspected glandular fever. Luckily we only require three subs tonight (I hope). Apparently the player to watch out for at Southend is their winger, Scott Houghton.

ABC SUBMIT RIVAL MULTIPLEX APPLICATION

ABC Cinemas have submitted a planning application to upgrade their town centre (George Street) cinema into a seven screen multiplex. It is thought that this application will only be heard if the Minchery Farm application is rejected. ABC had already announced their opposition to the Minchery Farm plans, but their objections were rejected by the Council Planning Committee as they had been made too late. Also, the objections were on commercial rather than planning grounds.

BARROW LOSE APPEAL

Barrow today lost their appeal to be accepted back into the Football Conference. Barrow were expelled from the Conference because they had reformed as a new company after the original company had gone bankrupt. They had narrowly avoided relegation on a shoestring squad, but to no avail. The FA Appeals Committee have ruled that the Conference were entitled to expel Barrow.

Meanwhile the FA are locked in a bizarre battle with the Unibond (Northern Premier) League over Barrow's future. The FA had granted Barrow the right to play in the top division of the Unibond after their expulsion from the Conference, but the Unibond League have refused to accept Barrow, saying that as Barrow were not relegated (but rather expelled) from the Conference, they do not have to accept the Cumbrian club into their League. The FA has responded by suspending the entire Unibond League, meaning that the start of its season will be delayed if the matter is not cleared up before this weekend.

HANG ON TO YOUR SUNBEDS

Nicky Banger has returned to Oxford on non-contract forms. I think this means he is paid weekly whilst trying to attract a buyer. He will be available for Oxford's matches until he can find a new club. I guess he'll keep the fanzines in business, at any rate...

Banger complained that he had been unable to impress Bournemouth manager, Mel Machin, whilst on trial there, because Machin had not played him in the right positions during friendly matches. So what are the right positions for Banger? Email your answers to...

GILLY TO LEICESTER?

The Leicester Mercury today reports that Saturday's injury to defender Steve Walsh may cause Leicester to step up their hunt for Phil Gilchrist, and indicate that the Foxes' interest in Dabizas may now take a back seat. Malcolm Shotton has said that Gilly is not for sale, and that for the first time he is not under pressure to sell players, but appeared to leave some doubt by saying, "People have got interest in our players, we've got interest in others. If we can bring people in and people go out, so be it."

WEEKEND NEWS

Oxford's summer target, Gerard Lavin, who signed instead for Bristol City, could be sacked by his club after just one match. Lavin was sent off early in City's match against Reading for deliberately kicking the ball straight at Reading supporters. Bristol City manager Tony Pulis is recommending that Lavin be sacked immediately. I guess we're lucky we didn't sign him!

Andy Thomson scored an 18-yarder on his debut for Gillingham. Peter Taylor evidently knows how to get the best out of him then. Another surprising scorer was Dave Smith for Stockport.

GOVERNMENT REPLY TO BARNET LETTER

Steve Merritt recently emailed a letter (provided by Keep Barnet Alive) about Barnet's plight to the government, and he has now received a reply. Here is the text:

Dear Mr Merritt

Thank you for your e-mail message to the Secretary of State about Barnet Football Club.  I have been asked to reply.

Firstly, the principle of collective Government means that Ministers from this Department cannot comment on the decision by the
Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions in respect of the planning application to develop Copthall as the new home for Barnet Football Club.

However, the Secretary of State and new Minister for Sport have seen the background to this case and certainly recognise the
very difficult position in which the Club finds itself, and that a great deal of effort has already been put in by the Club and the Barnet Council in trying to find a suitable new home for Barnet FC.  The Football Licensing Authority (FLA) and the Football League are sympathetic to the situation and are in discussions with the Club as to next steps.  Ministers have suggested that other options will need to be considered such as relocating outside the Barnet area, or, as an interim measure, entering into a ground sharing arrangement.  Any alternative new location will, of course, be subject to the normal planning process.

Ministers do appreciate that the above is cold comfort to you and the many other Barnet supporters but as a commercial operation,
ultimately, the future of Barnet FC is a matter for the Directors of the club itself. I am afraid that Ministers from this Department can only encourage the Club to continue working with the local authority and the FA to find a long term solution.

Yours sincerely
Lloyd Evans

OXFORD WIN AWAY
(STOKE 1 OXFORD 2)

Amazing! Oxford went to possibly the biggest club in the division (though notably not the favourites) and came away with a 2-1 victory. In truth it was a very scrappy match, and Oxford created very few chances, whilst Stoke wasted many of theirs. Arendse pulled off some good saves on his debut. Both goals originated on the wing, which is always the way I like to see Oxford creating opportunities. A superb Paul Powell cross set up Matt Murphy's goal, whilst an equally good centre from Joey flicked off a despairing defender's head straight to the head of Anthrobus (already a cult figure), who powered it in. Cue wild celebrations.

The team line-up was as follows:
Arendse, Robinson, Powell, Watson, Gilchrist, Tait, Murphy, Beauchamp, Weatherstone, Anthrobus, Lilley (Folland).

Stoke fans were handing out SOS (Save Our Stoke) pamphlets before the match. We'd heard from Stoke fans at the Barnet demo about how their board had spent ten years' worth of sponsorship money (from Britannia) in the first year, and how financial crisis was thus looming. Save Our Stoke are attempting to create a community based club which encourages active participation of its supporters.

Rumours were circling around the terraces that this would be Phil Gilchrist's last match for Oxford, as Leicester would sign him tomorrow for a figure of around £800,000. But most Leicester sources seem to indicate that Nikos Dabizas will be arriving for talks with Martin O'Neill tomorrow, and that the Newcastle defender would be their first choice signing. So I guess we sit and wait and wonder...

SQUAD FOR STOKE

Oxford have 16 fit and eligible players for tomorrow's match at Stoke, and considering we now need 11 starters plus 5 subs, Shotts has an easy task picking his 16. The three players unavailable for tomorrow are Kevin Francis (injured), Phil Whelan (mumps) and Peter Fear (suspended).

GILLY LATEST

The Leicester Mercury reports that Leicester are closing in on Newcastle's unwanted defender, Nikos Dabizas. He is currently in talks with the club, and if he signs, Leicester's move for Phil Gilchrist will be put "on hold". Apparently Leicester want a new central defender as soon as possible, and Oxford are reluctant to let Gilly go before securing a replacement.

Martin O'Neill has reportedly said that he has only so far made an initial enquiry about Gilchrist, and has no firm plans to make a formal  bid as yet. O'Neill was a spectator at the recent friendly against Derby.

BLOODY PREMIERSHIP VULTURES

Leicester vultures are reported by various newspapers to be circling over Oxford, ready to rip Phil Gilchrist off the bare bones that constitute the Oxford squad. Ok, enough crap metaphors. Leicester are apprently hopeful of landing Gilly for between £500,000 (The Mirror) and £700,000 (The Sun), when he's worth double the latter at today's prices. Can't Martin O'Neill leave us alone? He's already ripped us off for Matty Elliott. You see now why I'm eager for top clubs to buy foreigners rather than prey on lower division clubs.

SPEND, SPEND, SPEND

According to both SoccerNet and TeamTalk, we actually paid £75,000 to Leeds for Derek Lilley, who has signed a three year contract. When we start spending money, it can mean only one thing - we're about to sell someone...

Meanwhile former Oxford target, Gerard Lavin of Millwall, has signed for Bristol City on a free transfer under the Bosman ruling.

NO, NO, NO

"The whole football business is evolving and the only way for smaller clubs to survive is by merging to become stronger. I think it would attract a lot of investment." Yes, the free marketeers are being let loose on our game. This delightful quote was from Sheffield United MD, John Thurman, who currently has the bright idea of merging the two league clubs in Sheffield. Thurman goes on to say, "I'm not aware of any serious debate having taken place so far but I would expect that in the future there will be, and market forces may decide it is sooner rather than later." Yes, but what will the fans say?

And yes there's more. Another spokesperson for Sheffield United said, "Neither Sheffield club is a global football brand and both are competing for the same supporter base so major benefits could be achieved by pooling resources." Oh dear...

GOODBYE THOMMO

Andy "Feather" Thomson has signed for Gillingham in a £25,000 transfer. BBC Kent have already carried an interview with him, so we're down another squad member. Thomson has rejoined his former Southend boss, Peter Taylor, at Gillingham. He has signed a two year contract with the Gills.

LILLEY SIGNS

Andy Thomson has been replaced with transfer-listed Leeds striker, Derek Lilley (left), who signed for Oxford today. Lilley scored that goal for Bury at the Manor towards the end of last season, whilst on loan with the Shakers. He is 25, and was once a fairly prolific striker with Greenock Morton. Leeds in fact paid Morton £500,000 for Lilley. I hope they realise that they're not going to make their money back from us! You can view his details on SoccerBase.

HAUNTED

TeamTalk, source of many a dubious rumour, have started an Oxford news page. One of the first stories they report on is the future of Nicky Banger. After being rejected by Bournemouth, Banger is now apparently in Scotland trying to find a club. (I guess they won't know much about him up there...) However, worryingly, it is suggested that he may still return to Oxford and be offered a new contract. Honestly, this is getting ridiculous now. Can we never be rid of the spectre of this man? Please, someone, anyone but us, sign Nicky Banger!

The Football League is acting to try to prevent clubs falling into the financial mire, as so many clubs have done over the past few seasons. League clubs will have to produce their financial records twice a year for inspection by the Football League. These records are to include profit and loss accounts, balance sheets and statements on sources of funds.

Apparently the Egham match last night was a youth team match. Mind you, with our squad size, there isn't much difference between reserves and youth...

Crawley Town manager, Billy Smith, the man who "discovered" Ian Wright, has compared Ben Abbey with the former England striker. We can expect a rap single and presenter's slot on Top Of the Pops from Abbey in the future then.

GET YOUR "EGG" PUNS READY

Oxford reserves (or, officially, an Oxford United XI) drew 1-1 at Egham Town (Ryman Div 3) tonight. No details as yet.

GOOD NEWS FOR LUTON, PALACE

The Football League has announced that both Luton Town and Crystal Palace will be allowed to start the season, despite neither club's financial future yet being secure. Crystal Palace's administrators have announced that there are bids from two consortia currently under consideration, but neither has yet been accepted. Meanwhile Luton, currently in receivership, have given the League details of four parties interested in a takeover. Football League rules state that no club may compete in their competitions whilst in administration or receivership, but these rules thankfully seem to have been relaxed. However, the League will be reviewing the positions of both clubs on a daily basis.

GOSE NEWS

There is a rumour circulating that the holding order on the multiplex planning application has a 30 day limit, which has now expired. This is untrue - the duration of the holding order is in fact indefinite, and the order will stay in place until the GOSE withdraw it. Apparently the application was discussed by ministers last week, and an announcement is expected fairly soon.

BANGER STILL SEARCHING

Nicky Banger is apparently unlikely to be offered a contract by Bournemouth, after his trial period there. This leaves our Nicky still searching for a club for next season.

ABBEY STAYS ON TRIAL

Ben Abbey will remain on trial at Oxford this week as Shotts decides whether to offer him a contract. Abbey had an impressive cameo against Walsall, and also an impressive performance for the reserves the previous night. Most Oxford fans would like to see Abbey signed up, especially given the paucity of striking quality at the Manor.

Steve Davis' injury in the Walsall match was concussion after a clash of heads. Apparently he had blurred vision and was hyperventilating, but still wanted to continue playing!

Meanwhile, Bristol City look set to sign former Millwall right back, Gerard Lavin, within the next 24 hours. Lavin had also been linked with Oxford this summer.

CLYDEBANK BOYCOTT

Just 29 paying fans attended Clydebank's opening fixture of the season at home to East Stirling. United Clydebank Suppoters (UCS) called for a boycott of all home games at Greenock Morton's Cappielow ground. It seems the boycott call was very successful! Clydebank owner, John Hall (no relation), has been trying to move the club from its traditional home to places as far afield as Dublin and Carlisle, and the club are now without a ground of their own thanks to Dr Hall. The BBC seemed to report on the attendance figure with amusement, and even took it as indication that John Hall is right to want to move the club to a different area. Maybe they should look into the facts first.

This page is maintained by James Beard.