OXFORD MUST MAKE LEONI DECISION

Bristol Rovers manager, Ian Holloway, has told Oxford to make up their minds about trialist Stéphane Leoni. Oxford have said they want to take another look at Leoni after his reserve outing on Tuesday, but Holloway has other thoughts on the matter. "Oxford want Steph with them for another week, but they’ve had him a week and a half now and they’re taking liberties. Frank [Bennett] only went there on Monday and I don’t mind them having another look at him at this stage, but it’s an insult to Steph and us to keep him hanging on. He’s a good player and if they don’t want him, they should tell us now so we can have him back.”

Shotton is keen to keep both Leoni and Bennett on for another week. But Holloway has now put his foot down in the case of Leoni. "Either he takes Stéphane on loan or he comes back to us,” Holloway announced. “It’s unsettling for the lad to be on trial for this length of time. I don’t know why a decision hasn’t been made one way or the other and that’s what I’m looking for.” But Shotton dissented, saying, "It’s too soon to decide on whether to take [him] on a month’s loan or not.”

ABBEY FEE

According to the Oxford Mail, the fee Oxford paid for Ben Abbey was £20,000. Other sources have reported it as £35,000. Maybe the difference is in appearance or goal increments? Whatever the fee, Abbey gets half of it for himself. Shotton said of Abbey's signature, "He has scored goals at each level he has played. Hopefully, he can do it at Oxford as well."

PENTITH THREAT

FOUL are getting increasingly concerned about Nick Pentith and his seeking of a Judicial Review (JR). Pentith has confirmed that he has served JR papers already, and it is now up to a judge to decide whether his case merits a JR. Pentith puts his case to the judge, but there is ni opportunity for anyone to put the other side of the case. If the judge agrees to Pentith's request for a JR, we face one hell of a wait, as the waiting list for JRs is apparently over a year. Scary.

Of course officially the JR is concerned with the multiplex deal, and thus building of the stadium can legally commence even if Pentith's application succeeds. However, judging by Kassam's caution in the past, he is unlikely to risk commencing stadium work if his multiplex plan is still under threat.

So, yet again, we wait and we wait...

If you would like to impress on Nick Pentith the importance of his actions to Oxford United, his company address is as follows:

Pentith Ltd
147 London Rd South
Poynton
Stockport
Cheshire SK12 1LG
Tel: 01625 871184

Ben Abbey has finally completed his signing for Oxford this morning. The Crawley News quoted him as saying the following shortly before his Oxford move: "I have got to speak to Oxford about terms but they have not got a prolific striker there and I would fancy my chances of playing. I have got to look at the situation there and at Exeter but it would be a dream come true to play league football. The travelling to Oxford would not be as bad and the chance to play in Division Two would be fantastic. I have been getting very frustrated with the situation at Crawley but I am really waiting to see what Oxford put in fromt of
me."

Apparently Abbey receives 50% of any transfer fee Crawley receive for him - this was inserted as a clause in his contract because Crawley could not match his wage demands when they signed him.

(Details taken from Crawley Town message board.)

COUNCIL S&R MEETING

No news on yesterday's City Council Strategy and Resources (S&R) committee meeting. The meeting would hopefully have approved the Minchery Farm land valuations, so that agreement with Thames Water can be reached over their covenant.

RESERVES WIN

An Abbey-less reserve side took revenge for Saturday's first team result, and beat Luton reserves by a nicely symmetrical 4-2. The scorers were Lilley (pen), Weatherstone, Lambert and Cook. Both trialists from Bristol Rovers played and impressed, but Portuguese midfielder Fau (not Fua) did not. The fourth Oxford goal was created by Frankie Bennett whose pacy run and cross undid the Luton defence.

ABBEY STILL NOT SIGNED

Ben Abbey will NOT make his Oxford debut in the home reserves match against Luton tonight. Apparently the transfer has not yet gone through as there are still some "loose ends" to tie up. This stalling is what we expect from the club. Why can we never do anything the easy way? Expect Exeter City to announce the signing of Abbey before the week is out. Cynical, moi?

MORE TRIALISTS

Playing in the reserve match will be three trialists, including Bristol Rovers right back, Stéphane Leoni, who has been on trial at Oxford for the last week. Fellow Rovers player, 30 year old Frankie Bennett, will feature, along with Portuguese trialist, Fua. In addition, Mark Watson will play his first full 90 minutres since his injury, and Jon Shepheard will make his comeback after glandular fever.

Leoni, 23, is a right back who can also play in midfield. He joined Bristol Rovers from French club Metz, and has made 30 league appearances for Rovers before falling out of favour with manager Ian Holloway this season. He has played for the French U21 side. Read his profile here.

Rovers manager, Ian Holloway, said of Leoni last week, "Stephane is one of the players on the fringe who would be better playing first-team games somewhere. He’s a right-back, not a right wing-back, but he needs to be playing."

Bennett, 30, is a winger-cum-striker who has formerly played for Southampton in the top flight. He has made 38 league apperances for Rovers (15 starts), appearing a few times as sub this season. He is reportedly very pacy, but also injury-plagued. Read his profile here.

Bennett has said the following about his trial: "Oxford I’m told are looking for a right-sided player and if I do well, there’s a chance we might talk something permanent. At the moment I’m signing month to month with Rovers and getting a minute here, a minute there in games and that can be unsettling for my family, although I’d love to stay here if I had some security. Certainly if a second or third division club came in offering a month’s loan I’d have to consider it.”

Fua is described by Shotton as "very quick", but further information is not obtainable - at least using my web search techniques!

LAMBERT PLEADS FOR READING RETURN

Jamie Lambert, currently on a week-to-week contract with Oxford, has pleaded with new Reading caretaker manager, Alan Pardew, to give him another chance at Reading. Lambert fell out with former manager Tommy Burns, and his contract was paid up. But now Lambert senses the chance of a return to his beloved Reading.

Lambert said of the situation, "I think things will pick up at Reading now that Burns has gone and I think Alan Pardew should be given a fair chance because he is definitely capable of doing an excellent job. Reading is my hometown club and I loved my time there. I always had an excellent rapport with the fans and with the chairman, who always stuck by me. The only person I had a problem with was Tommy Burns. I was absolutely gutted by what happened last season. I am still a free agent and as a result I am still open to offers."

ABBEY'S MEDICAL TOMORROW

Ben Abbey has completed his signature, but it is still subject to a medical, which will now take place tomorrow. He will then play in the reserve match tomorrow evening, assuming all goes well.

ELECTION SPECIAL

I meant to mention this last week, but it kept slipping my mind. Last Thursday, Hamilton Accies fielded a candidate in the Hamilton South by-election. The candidate, Stephen Mungall, was standing in order to attract attention to the campaign by Accies' fans to return their football club to Hamilton. Impressively Stephen Mungall won enough votes - 1075 - to both keep his deposit and beat the Lib Dem candidate by more than 500 votes. These votes could also have had quite an effect on the result for a seat which was won by a margin of less than 600. Hopefully this will help the Accies in their quest for a new ground in the town. It is thought that the local Council will now take an interest in an issue it had previously been ignoring. Positive news!

See this Hamilton Accies site for more details.

BACK TO MERSEYSIDE

Oxford got the cup draw that many fans had been fearing, away to Tranmere. Neither a big payday, nor likely progress in the competition. And if the stewards haven't changed their attitude since last season, they'll be throwing fans out from the start. Great.

If Oxford do manage to squeeze past Tranmere, they'll face either Bradford or Barnsley. Looking further, the following round could feature Arsenal or Middlesbrough. But we're unlikely to get that far. (Note that home advantage for future rounds will be drawn at a later stage.)

ABBEY ADVISED TO CHOOSE OXFORD

Apparently Exeter City offered Ben Abbey a better deal than Oxford did, but a combination of the Crawley administrators and Abbey's agent persuaded the young striker to sign for Oxford. Exeter City director, Malcolm Shelbourne, described it as follows on the ExeWeb message board:

The deal we offered was better than the Oxford one, but the administrator, in his wisdom, decided that Oxford should get him. If anyone is interested I will go into more detail as the role played by Ben Abbey's agent in this episode was not all together helpful from ECFC point of view. The other problem was Ben's preference to continue living in London which is possible with Oxford but not so easy for Exeter.

According to Crawley, the fee is around £20,000 plus increments for appearances and goals.

LUTON 4 OXFORD 2

Three league defeats in a row now for Oxford, and 19th place in the division. The relegation zone beckons. Today's match was a cracker between two passing teams, but woeful defending left Oxford three down at the break, despite an equal share of attacking possession. A switch to four at the back after the break improved the defence, and Powell and Lilley had Luton rocking before their late breakaway goal setlled matters.

WORST GROUND IN THE LEAGUE

Another one of those pointless "studies" has resulted in the Manor being rated as the worst ground in the league. I suppose it can't be too great for away fans, but I still like the place. Just bring your own food. Rochdale came top of the pile - a spit in the eye of some of the more monied clubs.

PENTITH CONFIRMS APPLICATION FOR JUDICIAL REVIEW

Thames Valley FM has announced that the multiplex deal is to be challenged in court. Apparently Nick Pentith has confirmed to them that Pentith Devlopments and Rail Properties will be continuing their application for a Judicial Review on the Minchery Farm multiplex decision. They apparently served Judicial Review papers on Monday, and Pentith phoned up TVFM in response to FOUL's press release this morning. How nice of him to keep us informed. Pah!

I have dug up a web page which explains the Judicial Review process and what its function is.

LUTON PREVIEW

Oxford's injury problems have all but cleared up as they prepare for tomorrow's trip to Kenilworth Road. Only Phil Whelan and long-term victim Kevin Francis did not train, although Mark Watson might not be rushed back, in order to prevent any recurrence of his injury. If Watson is rested, Mickey :Lewis will continue his renaissance in defence.

LATEST - ABBEY SIGNS

Oxford have finally confirmed the signing of Crawley Town striker, Ben Abbey, subject to a medical on Monday. Abbey will thus naturally not be in the squad for tomorrow's game at Luton. I'm still waiting for confirmation of the price, which seemed to vary in every report on the matter.

Abbey (left - picture from Crawley site) is a 21 year old striker with plenty of pace, no little skill, and an impressive non-league goalscoring record. He joined Crawley Town from Maidenhead United in October 1997, and went on to score 33 goals in 57 games for Crawley last season. He has started this season impressively for the struggling club, with 5 goals in 7 matches.
 

COUNCIL S&R COMMITTEE TO MEET

Oxford City Council's Strategy & Resources (S&R) committee will meet in a special session next Tuesday (28 September) at 2pm to discuss and hopefully approve the final financial aspects of the land deal with FK. Once the land has been valued at this meeting, the full Council meeting on 4 October can ratify the deal. Also any agreement can then be reached with Thames Water over their covenant on the land.

It would seem that now the only other possible stumbling block is a Judicial Review application from Pentith Developments. FOUL this morning issued a press release on this subject, as follows:

FOUL PRESS RELEASE

FOUL tells Pentith to “come clean” over Judicial Review

Oxford United supporters group FOUL (Fighting for Oxford United’s Life) has issued a plea to developer Nick Pentith to come clean over his plans to seek a Judicial Review on the decision to grant planning permission for a nine screen multiplex cinema at Minchery Farm.

The cinema is required to fund Oxford United’s new stadium on an adjacent plot of land, without which it is likely that the club will fold.  Pentith is challenging the decision because his planning application for a multiplex at Oxpens wasn’t allowed to proceed following a public enquiry.

However, FOUL believes that the uncertainty around Pentith’s actions is having a detrimental effect on United’s fortunes on the field.  FOUL Chairman Steve Hanks said: “FOUL believes that the squad situation at the club is being affected by the threat of Nick Pentith’s Judicial Review.  We think that the uncertainty around the future of the stadium development is the reason why funds aren’t being released by Firoz Kassam to allow Malcolm Shotton to strengthen the playing squad.  We therefore urge Pentith to come clean about his intentions ? is he going to proceed with his actions or not?  If so, what is the delay, if not let us know so that we can look forward to the future.”

Still no confirmation of Ben Abbey's signature. Thames Valley FM have announced that the decision has been put back to today. So TeamTalk have jumped the gun. Exeter City, Slough Town and Aldershot Town all still seem hopeful of signing Abbey.

Here is a rather worrying article from yesterday's edition of the Exeter-based Express & Echo :

Exeter City are locked in a tug-of-war with Oxford United over strike target Ben Abbey after the Grecians tabled an undisclosed transfer bid for the Crawley Town starlet. And the Division Three high-fliers hope to complete a deal after a meeting of debt-ridden Crawley's creditors on Thursday. But Oxford have rekindled their interest in the 21-year-old marksman. And Manor Ground boss Malcolm Shotton has claimed that Abbey could join his Worthington Cup giantkillers by the weekend. City counterpart Peter Fox believes he is leading the race for Abbey's signature after agreeing personal terms with the Dr. Martens' League sensation last week. "We're just waiting to see if our offer is accepted by Crawley," he said. Meanwhile, Shotton and Oxford chairman Firoz Kassam have insisted Abbey would prefer a switch to the Division Two club. But the cash-strapped U's have failed to meet the asking price for the London-based business studies student.

Roger Faulkner, from Crawley administrators The Peters Paul Partnership, confirmed: "We have yet to agree terms with them. Whether Oxford now wish to pursue the matter is up to them. We do have a proposal from Exeter which we are comfortable with. At this moment in time there are no done deals," he added. Abbey has blasted more than 60 goals since joining Crawley in 1997. And the DML Premier Division club - with estimated debts of around £380,000 - are anxious to cash in on their biggest asset. Oxford took Abbey on trial last month. And he appeared in pre-season friendlies against Walsall and Banbury. "He is quick and lively," said Shotton. "Obviously it's a gamble, but we think he has promise."

LATEST NEWS - ABBEY SIGNS?

According to the not-so-reliable TeamTalk, Oxford "appear" to have signed Ben Abbey for £30,000. I'll need further confirmation of this before I believe it though.

JOEY INTERVIEW

There's an interesting interview with Joey available from Sporting Life.

MATCH REACTION

The commonly held view on last night's performance was that Oxford outplayed Everton from beginning to end, even when Everton brought on their big guns (Campbell and Jeffers) in the second half. The three Oxford centre backs (including an inspired Mickey Lewis) were all in superb form, and Oxford could have won by more, with Joey hitting the bar even before he had scored the winner.

Shotton commented, "I want a money-spinner now in the next round; that's what we deserve and need after that. We were magnificent and I was delighted with the performance. I was convinced we would win and told the players that before the game. We worked hard and got this result by sheer determination. The game was won in the first 30 minutes and it's a brilliant result for us. I just hope we can continue this form in the league. For a Second Division club to come to a Premiership side and force them into changes in their system is a real triumph. We defended so well and barely gave them a chance."

Shotts said of Beauchamp's superb performance, "Joey Beauchamp scored a great goal and he was excellent throughout. He has all the attributes to play at the top level. I'm just happy he wanted to stay with us and didn't go to a bigger club."

Everton manager Walter Smith commented, "I was bitterly disappointed with the result. We never recovered from a dreadful first-half performance. Oxford had something to hold onto after Joey Beauchamp's goal and they did it well. Nobody likes losing, but I had my reasons for what I did and I have no regrets, I wanted to avoid injuries." This last statement refers to the fact that Smith had rested key players to avoid adding them to a lengthening Goodison Park injury list.

So Oxford go into the new-style third round draw (on Sunday?). For the first time, the draws for all further rounds of the Cup will be made in one session, meaning that each club's potential path to the final can be mapped out. Everton and Coventry are the only Premiership sides not to feature in the draw.

EXETER FAVOURITES TO SIGN ABBEY?

Exeter City are "frontrunners" to sign Ben Abbey. Well that's the view of the Crawley Town striker himself. Abbey commented, "Exeter are one of several clubs showing an interest in me. But, in my mind, they are probably the frontrunners.

"I think there is still some way to go before a deal is done. I'm waiting for Crawley to make a decision. I'm excited by Exeter's interest. I just want a chance to play in the Football League. Exeter impressed me. Peter Fox came across as a nice guy."

"I know I can do a good job in Division 3," he added. "Scoring goals is scoring goals. I've got a good record and I know if I get chances I'll get goals at whatever level I play."

Oxford and Barnet are also in the running for his signature. A decision from the Crawley administrators is expected today. Estimates on Oxford's offer range from £10,000 to £45,000 - the latest opinion (from the FootballNews site) is that Oxford have offered £35,000 for Abbey. It is likely that part of the transfer fee (whatever it is) would be dependent on appearances and goals.

WOW! - EVERTON 0 OXFORD 1

Oxford beat Everton 1-0 on the night, and 2-1 on aggregate, to advance to the third round of the Worthington Cup. All my nervous pacing up and down in front of Ceefax paid off in the end. Joey got the goal as early as the 12th minute. I hope the team weren't as tense as I was from that point onwards...

EVERTON v OXFORD PREVIEW

Oxford will continue with a back five tonight, hoping that Steve Davis will be fit enough to replace Neil McGowan in the central three. Joey Beauchamp will need a late decision on his fitness - his likely replacement were he not to pass the test would be either Jamie Cook or Jamie Lambert.

Everton seem more concerned about the forthcoming Merseyside derby than about tonight's match, and signs are they will once again rest strikers Francis Jeffers and Kevin Campbell. With Don Hutchison now injured, youngster Phil Jevons will partner Danny Cadamarteri up front. Also out injured for the Toffeemen are Mark Pembridge, Dave Watson, David Unsworth and Terry Phelan. Others likely to be rested are Nick Barmby, Richard Gough and Paul Gerrard.

So they're taking us seriously then...

RIVALS FOR ABBEY

Oxford's rivals for the signature of Ben Abbey are Exeter City, Aldershot Town and Barnet, all of whom have submitted bids for the player. Crawley Town administrators will meet on Thursday to decide on Abbey's future. According to an Exeter website, they have made a bid of just £10,000 for Abbey, well below Crawley's evaluation, but a message on an Exeter messageboard indicates that the bid is £45,000, as reported yesterday.

YET MORE INJURIES

More injury problems for tomorrow evening's match at Everton. Steve Anthrobus has swelling on his knee after the match at Wrexham, and Joey Beauchamp is 50-50 with back problems. Mark Watson may be rushed back for the match, but Steve Davis will possibly be fit enough to start.

DEFENDER RUMOURS

Rumours that we are interested in signing Dave Waterman (Portsmouth's 23 year old central defender) on loan have resurfaced. Think back about ten days or so, to when we were being linked with everyone from Trevor Peake to Gary Rowett. Waterman was suggested then, and he is being suggested again now. Only problem is that some reports have him poised to join Bournemouth in a permanent move. We shall have to wait and see...

FEAR CALLS FOR REINFORCEMENTS

Peter Fear has (according to the Oxford Mail) called for Firoz Kassam to put his hand in his pocket and shell out for new players. "If the club can go out and invest in a couple more players it might help. If the chairman's here today he's got to see it as well and maybe dig into his pocket and get us a couple of centre backs," said Fear.

Well there's still quite a bit of Gilchrist money to spend, so FK won't even have to shell out his own money!

OFFER IN FOR ABBEY

Oxford put in a bid for Crawley Town striker Ben Abbey on Friday, according to the official Crawley Town website. Abbey was on trial at Oxford in the pre-season, playing as substitute against Walsall. Abbey was left out of Crawley's FA Cup defeat at the weekend in order not to become cup-tied. Exeter City had already made a bid for the player last week. Bids are thought to be in the region of £45,000.

Malcolm Shotton has apparently confirmed that a bid has been put in for Abbey. We now wait for the Crawley administrators to decide whether to accept the offer. Unlike Oxford, they will apparently NOT let their financial situation cloud any judgment over the valuation of their players.

WREXHAM DEBRIS

Judging by reports filtering back from North Wales, Oxford played suicidally at the back in the first half, but improved as the game went on, and in the end only poor finishing and good goalkeeping denied us a draw. Mind you, it sounds like only poor finishing prevented Wrexham from compiling a healthy score before the break.

Steve Davis dropped out just before the start, meaning Neil McGowan had to slot in as the third centre back. This meant our entire back line was playing out of position. The first half defensive frailty was only to be expected. We could only name four of the five substitutes for the second time this season. Maybe it's only me, but I tend to agree with Shotton when he makes comments (aimed at Kassam) that we need urgently to increase the size of our squad.

Worryingly Joey Beauchamp, who apparently played well, was suffering from sciatica, which might keep him out of Wednesday's match at Everton. Shotton commented, "The problem could be cleared up over the next day or so, or might last two weeks - I just don't know."

FRENCH TRIALIST

According to the ever-believable TeamTalk, we are giving a trial to a French striker, "who comes highly recommended".

BOLTON GOING BUST?

It is rumoured that Bolton are close to declaring themselves bankrupt. An emergency meeting to discuss the situation takes place today. Bolton have desperately been trying to sell star players in recent weeks, but with no offers coming in, they are thougt to be close to calling in the receivers.

WREXHAM 1 OXFORD 0

Oxford went down to a fourth minute goal from Ian Stevens as they slipped closer to the relegation zone (now 16th). This could be a long, hard season...

WREXHAM TEAM NEWS

Striker Steve Anthrobus will return after his three match suspension for the match at Wrexham. It will be interesting to see whom he replaces, as Shotton is likely to stick to his 5-4-1 formation after its success against Everton. Certainly Matt Murphy is unlikely to be dropped, so Derek Lilley could be the man to miss out. Oxford's aged trio of centre backs will continue together, with Mark Watson still a week away from fitness. Pål Lundin will resume in goal, as Andre Arendse is away on international duty with South Africa.

OFFERS IN FOR ABBEY

Oxford are set to miss out on Crawley Town's star striker, Ben Abbey, who was on trial at the Manor in the pre-season. Clubs interested in Abbey range from Premiership Aston Villa to non-league Nuneaton. Financially troubled Crawley, in administration, are thought likely to cash in on their most saleable asset in the near future, and the first to submit bids have been Exeter City and Slough Town, both with bids of £10,000. Aldershot Town are rumoured to have offered £11,000, but this is not confirmed. Other clubs who have monitored Abbey in recent weeks include Birmingham and Blackburn.

BURNS OUT AT READING

Jamie Lambert's bete noire, Tommy Burns, has been sacked by Reading after their poor start to the season. The worrying part of this development is that Lambert might now return to his beloved Reading, as Oxford have not yet offered him a contract. Rumours that Mark McGhee (now hated by Reading fans) will return to manage the Royals would enhance this prospect, as Lambert was introduced into the Reading first team by McGhee.

SHOTTON TARGETS SHAIL

Malcolm Shotton is rumoured to be keen on bringing in Bristol City central defender, Mark Shail, on loan. Shail, 33 in October, has fallen out of favour at City under new boss Tony Pulis, but they are keen to sell him rather than loan him out. What is more they may well want a fee for him, which would put him out of Oxford's reach. Shail has made over a hundred league appearances for City since joining them from Yeovil in 1993. Here's another Mark Shail profile.

Interestingly, Bristol City are being linked with former Oxford keeper, Phil Whitehead, who is now (bizarrely for such a good player) out of favour at West Brom. Albion want £300,000 for "God".

JEMMO FINDS A CLUB

Former Oxford striker, Nigel Jemson, has finally found a club after a summer-long search. He played his first match for Scottish first division side Ayr United on Saturday, and scored both goals (one a penalty) in their 2-0 win over Airdrieonians. Jemson was released by Bury last season after an unhappy spell in which he scored just one goal for the Shakers in 29 appearances (17 starts).

OXFORD IMPRESS AGAINST EVERTON
(OXFORD 1 EVERTON 1)

Oxford yesterday gained a creditable draw at home to Everton. The Merseyside team included just five of the team that played in their previous Premiership match, but considering that replacements included Scottish international John Collins and Portuguese international Abel Xavier, the draw can still be considered a very good result. In truth, some of the Everton players looked only half interested, when you would have been forgiven for thinking that they would be pushing hard for first team places.

Both goals came in the first half, with Matt Murphy putting Oxford ahead with a header from a Joey Beauchamp free kick, and the impressive Danny Cadamarteri equalising for Everton with some involuntary help from Rob Folland.

The ancient back three of Lewis, Robinson and Davis coped well, with the half-fit Davis outstanding in negating the fractious Don Hutchison. Given space, our midfield proved it can play football. Sadly, Lilley still looked clueless up front.

WATSON DIAGNOSIS GOOD

Mark Watson's MRI scan produced the best possible result yesterday - he has neither cartilage nor ligament damage. He has a tiny fracture in his fibula, but this is not at all serious, and he could be playing again as soon as Saturday. Here at Oxford, we need all the half-fit players we can muster!

KASSAM : "WE'VE GOT A GOOD SQUAD"

Firoz Kassam criticised Saturday's performance (didn't everyone?) and stated, "The team has got to play a lot better than they have been doing. I saw them on Saturday and that was not acceptable." Most observers will agree. However his next statement was slightly more controversial : "We've got a good squad - they just need to start playing better." Certainly we have some talented players who are not playing to their full ability. But can Kassam really claim that we have a good squad? He neglected to mention that we have just 19 professionals on proper contracts, and that the injury situation is testing the small size of the squad almost beyond its limits. Spoken like a true moneyman, FK.

On the subject of the signing of Jamie Lambert, Kassam all but confirmed that Shotton's hands are tied until after the Council meeting on October 4th (when the land deals and planning permission will hopefully be officially ratified). "Until the future of the new stadium is sorted out - and that is still by no means certain at the moment - we can't really do anything," said Kassam.

RUMOUR

A very vague rumour (friend of a friend of a ...) about Andy Townsend and Mark Wright being lined up by FK to take over at the Manor seems to have been discredited by reports that Townsend is set to sign for West Brom. I never did believe it anyway!

OXFORD V EVERTON

What should be regarded as one of the most exciting matches of the season is now being regarded with dread by many Us fans. If neither Mark Watson (10% chance of being fit, if it's not ligament damage) nor Steve Davis (not yet match fit) is able to start, then our centre back pairing will be Les Robinson and Mickey Lewis. Together with full backs Folland and Powell,  this will mean that Oxford line up against Premiership opposition with a back four containing a winger, a striker, a right back in the centre, plus a retired defensive midifelder. Looks good doesn't it?

The rest of the team should be the same as played against Gillingham, except that Peter Fear is rated as doubtful. He was evidently rushed back too fast for Saturday's match.

As for Everton, their injury problem is Mark Pembridge. They will have to choose between internationals Abel Xavier, John Collins and Don Hutchison to replace Pembridge. Such problems. Paul Gerrard should make his return to the Manor in goal.

Read this Sporting Life preview of the match.

VOTE ON SHOTTON

Rage Online is running a poll on whether Shotton should stay or go. Vote here.

JUST WHAT WE DIDN'T NEED

Mark Watson is definitely ruled out of tomorrow's home leg of the League Cup match against Everton. This leaves Oxford with zero (count 'em) fit centre halves to play against the Premiership side. Watson went off inured near the end of Saturday's match, and has suspected ligament damage. He will have a scan tomorrow to check the diagnosis. Steve Davis, back in training after injury, may be rushed into tomorrow's line-up despite not being 100% fit.

Added injury news is that Peter Fear is still feeling the effects of the ankle injury that had kept him out of the side until Saturday. But he is still likely to play tomorrow.

Meanwhile Paul Powell is to see a doctor to determine the cause of his lack of energy which has meant his failure to last 90 minutes in recent matches. He will be available for the Everton clash (but presumably not for the complete duration!)

MORE CENTRE BACK RUMOURS

According to the Oxford Mail, Darren Wassall was offered to the club at a cut-price £30,000, but the move was vetoed by Firoz Kassam, who is apparently reluctant to splash out on transfers. Wassall, 31, is out of favour at Birmingham, but has previously had Premiership experience at Nottingham Forest. This is probably the source of the Rowett rumour - Wassall is far more likely to have been the player offered to us by Birmingham.

MORE PLAYER LINKS?

Shotton indicated that he had looked at two centre backs last week, Ian Brightwell (released by Coventry in the summer) and Trevor Peake. There was no mntion of either Gary Rowett or Dave Waterman. Thames Valley indicated that we could sign Gary Rowett for no more than £25,000, which for a player who is in Birmingham's first team seems to be complete fantasy.

Did he really say Trevor Peake? Surely not. The guy is 42 years old. He hasn't played league football for two years. He is currently reserve team coach at Coventry. Surely shome mishtake?

CROWD STARTS TO TURN ON SHOTTON
(OXFORD 1 GILLINGHAM 2)

Another terrible performance by the Us finished with the crowd chanting, "What a load of rubbish". Some supporters have already had enough and called for Shotton's head. Certainly looking at the match today, these feelings are understandable. Credit must go to Paul Powell and especially to Rob Folland. Two of the younger players, both playing out of position, they each turned in an excellent performance. The rest of the team can learn from their examples.

A mention has to be given to an exquisite goal by Gillingham's Manny Omoyimni (on loan from West Ham). He received the ball just over the halfway line, went past Robinson as if he wasn't there, and cutting in from the left, planted a breathtaking chip over Lundin. Oxford supporters could not help but applaud that goal. Excellent.

SHOTTON FAILS IN DEFENDER BID

Malcolm Shotton failed in his bid to bring in a central defender before today's match, meaning Mark Watson had to play despite a groin injury. Both Dave Waterman of Portsmouth and Gary Rowett of Birmingham have been linked with a loan move to Oxford.

OXFORD v GILLINGHAM PREVIEW

Former Oxford striker Andy Thomson will make his first return to the Manor since his move to Gillingham just before the start of the season. If his form is anything like what it was for Oxford, it will be a disappointment that he is likely only to be on the bench. I'm tempting fate there, I know...

Peter Fear might finally be fit to make his competitive debut for the Us, although we've heard that before, so don't believe it until you see it. Otherwise the side is likely to be unchanged, with Jamie Lambert continuing in the side, despite his signing for Oxford still being in the balance.

The match is Oxford's first against Gillingham in the league since the 1983/84 season.

FOUL MEETING NEWS

The meeting of FOUL last night was surprisingly badly attended. Maybe supporters think we are now out of the woods. I'd wait until the stadium is actually built if I were you. The meeting did not reveal any startling news - its purpose was to update the FOUL membership on all the recent decisions and happenings.

FOUL MEETING TONIGHT
Oxford United Social Club
7.30pm
All FOUL members welcome

Some interesting points to note from the Council S&R committee decision on the Minchery Farm land deal:

1. Work cannot commence on the Multiplex before the Stadium has been completed;
2. Work can commence on the Hotel whilst the Stadium is being built;
3. The "completion" of the Stadium does not include building the fourth side (so we'll get a three sided beastie for now).

SHOTTON COMPLAINS ABOUT CASH

It is beginning to look increasingly likely that Shotton is not on particularly good terms with Kassam any more. Following his pronouncements after Saturday's match (along the lines of "We're so badly off I had to play the youth team coach."), Shotton complained this morning on Thames Valley FM that Firoz's promised cash has not yet been forthcoming. Whether this will have an effect on the proposed signing of Jamie Lambert is unknown.

Shotton was still hopeful of signing Lambert, but made it evident that he felt Kassam was not being quick to release money for the deal. "I am hopeful. Obviously we would like to take the lad. He wants to come here desperately and Firoz has got to work out some way so it can happen. If we don't take him then someone else will. He has great ability and he would be a great asset to the club. If we don't sign him it will be a big blow to us." Over to you, FK...

TeamTalk has suggested that Shotts might be looking at bringing in 20 year old Wolves striker, Mark Jones, on loan. As Wolves have been knocked out of the Worthington Cup, they would not worry about Jones becoming cup-tied. Of course, knowing TeamTalk, this is simply idle speculation.

WATSON MISSES LIONS

Mark Watson has been called up to the Canada squad for three matches, meaning he will miss Oxford's home match against Millwall on October 9.

UNIPART SPONSOR GLOUCESTER RFC

Oxford United's club sponsors, Unipart International, have announced a sponsorship deal worth £200,000 with Gloucester rugby club, a deal which is worth around double their Oxford sponsorship. More details from the Kingsholm Chronicle. Good to see an Oxford based company putting more money into a Gloucestershire concern than into their financially struggling local football team. The MD of Unipart International justifies it as follows, "Though the Unipart Group is not actually based in Gloucester there are a number of independent garages which operate in the Gloucestershire area and belong to the 2000-strong Unipart Car Care Centre nationwide network." Nice try, but I'm not convinced.

NO TO TRIALISTS?

Mark Harrison has indicated that Oxford are unlikely to pursue their interest in the two trialists from France, Johan Gouttefangeas and Cedric Chabert. "The two French lads found it difficult and I think they lacked a bit of fitness. One's 26 and the other's 21, but it's a different kind of game over here and I don't think either is what we're looking for," said Harrison.

Malcolm Shotton is in the process of trying to tie up a deal with Jamie Lambert, and has made centre half and striker his priority positions for team strengthening thereafter.

S&R COMMITTEE APPROVE LAND DEAL

The City Council Strategy and Resources Committee meeting today unanimously approved the land deal between Firoz Kassam and the Council. Subject to the land valuation and agreement with Thames Water (see yesterday's summary below), the deal will now be ratified at the full Council meeting on October 4.

TRIALIST NEWS

The two trialists from France played in last night's reserve match, which was a 2-2 draw against Northampton. One of the trialists (right back Johan Gouttefangeas) struggled a bit, but the other (central midfielder Cedric Chabert) impressed. The goals in the match were scored by YTS players, Adam Hamp and the highly-rated Chris Hackett.

Paul "PJ" Roberts was released for the usual reason that he would not add anything to the side that we don't already have.

CORRECTION

I have a correction to make to the Minchery Farm details posted yesterday. It is not in fact Railtrack who have got together with Pentith to apply for a Judicial Review. Rather it is Rail Properties, which forms part of what is left of the nationalised British Rail.

VERY AVERAGE

I have just received a mail from a bloke at Football Review. They have reviewed my site and given it 5/10. Apparently it is not interactive enough. I shall be adding new interactive features such as Shave Shotton's Moustache and Drown Robert Maxwell in the next months in a bid to counter this evaluation. Actually, I won't because I don't care. You can read the review here if you like.

FOUL MEETING ON THURSDAY

There is a meeting for all FOUL members this Thursday (9th) at 7.30pm in the Oxford United Social Club. The committee will all be present, and will update the membership on the latest activities and developments in the fight for Oxford United's survival. Members will be given the opportunity to ask questions, contribute ideas, and get more closely involved in FOUL's activities.

LATEST MINCHERY NEWS

(Thanks to Mark Mallinson's posting on the forum, which I shall extensively paraphrase in the following!)

A few points to note about the current situation in regard to the new ground, multiplex, etc.

• Pentith Developments (together with Railtrack) are threatening to apply for a Judicial Review, but they have not yet actually submitted this application. It is unlikely they would succeed in the application, since Judicial Reviews are normally granted only in cases where there has been an obviously extraordinary decision.
• The City Council still needs to ratify officially the Minchery Farm land deal. There is a meeting of the Council's Strategy and Resources (S&R) committee tomorrow, followed by a full meeting of the Council on October 4.
• The S&R meeting tomorrow can only ratify the deal subject to two valuations, one of the land, the other of the stadium company. Essentially the Council deal relies on their 20% share of the stadium company plus the million from the original stadium deal together being worth at least the value of the land sold.
• The October 4 meeting would rubber stamp the deal, all being well.
• Thames Water still need to reach agreement with the Council over the matter of their previous covenant on the land. They have been offered 35% of what the Council receive for the land (£350,000 plus 7% of the stadium company).
• Taylor Woodrow need to paid £10 million to complete the ground. This is when Kassam has to put his money where his mouth is!

I'm glad to note that Shotton was as impressed with Jamie Lambert as the rest of us after his excellent performance on Saturday. Shotton indicated he is aiming to sign Lambert on a permanent contract, and will discuss terms with him this week. Lambert is evidently keen to sign, judging by this statement : "I'd like to sign if they want me. I've been impressed with the way Oxford play and I'm very local, so it would suit me." The final decision will rest with Firoz Kassam, who holds the purse-strings, but given that we sold Phil Gilchrist, we are surely entitled to a bit of extra money for the wage bill. If Lambert were to sign, it might well end Nicky Banger's hopes of a permanent contract - a good enough reason in itself to sign Lambert!

Shotton also took time to criticise the crowd for booing his decision to substitute the tiring Lambert near the end. "For people in the crowd to have a go at me for taking him off near the end - when he could hardly run any more in that heat - was unbelievable. They should have seen him in the dressing room . . he could hardly move." I think the booing had more to do with the fact that the completely ineffectual Weatherstone had not yet been replaced.

A story in today's Sun newspaper reports that Wycombe are ready to step in for Lambert if he does not agree terms with Oxford. Wycombe and Oxford were the two clubs who replied most quickly after Lambert's father, a solicitor, faxed every Nationwide club asking them to give his son a trial. Lambert said: "I hope [Wycombe boss] Lawrie [Sanchez] doesn't take offence. But Oxford replied to dad's fax within 12 hours and I'm so desperate to get back, I jumped at their offer."

There is a lot of bitterness between Lambert and Reading boss Tommy Burns, as can be illustrated by the following statement from the player: "Fabulous days - then along came Burns. He slaughtered five of us for his own mistakes. Four of the lads went, I stayed. I was on good money - but it was also my hometown club and I loved it. I still do."

BARNET MEETING REPORT

I went yesterday to the KBA (Keep Barnet Alive)-organised meeting at Underhill, where representatives of many league clubs (over 50 apparently) met to discuss their various problems and to unite with the aim of saving lower league and non-league football. Representatives of various clubs (Luton, Palace, Crawley, Enfield, Barrow, Portsmouth (now saved) and - of course - Barnet) spoke about the way fans were tackling problems at their respective clubs. I spoke in a rather rambling fashion (no great public speaker, me) about Oxford's situation. A conclusion seemed to be that one of the best bets for any club in trouble is to get the local council on its side. Richard Scudamore of the Football League also sounds like a decent chap and a useful ally to have.

The KBA ("that well-known terrorist organisation" as they introduced themselves) are organising a march in London under the COFS banner for October 31. (This is a provisional date.) It is hoped that thousands of football fans will march from Marble Arch to Trafalgar Square, and cause the government to realise that there is football beyond the flesh-pots of the Premiership and the World Cup. The target for each club is to have 100 fans there. Hopefully we at Oxford can mobilise the requisite number for this event.

Another interesting part of this type of event is to talk to various fans about their clubs, particularly in realtion to one's own. Amongst other things, I learned:

• Rotherham really rate Phil Whelan, but are unsure about Brian Wilsterman
• Jamie Lambert is a high-class player who is tempestuous off the pitch
• Everybody admires Joey Beauchamp for his loyalty
• West Brom fans hated Denis (surprise surprise)

VIEW FROM THE OTHER END

Having chatted to Adam Wellings, the Lincoln City fan responsible for Impnet, I discovered that for some time their "View From The Other End" section has included an entry for Oxford. (At one point I agreed to write one, but never got around to it, so thanks to whoever did.) You can read it here. Impnet itself is well worth a perusal as well.

BEN ABBEY UPDATE

Ben Abbey scored yet another goal for struggling Crawley yesterday, with six league clubs reportedly watching him. These included Blackburn, Birmingham and Millwall. Crawley are currently in administration, and most of their players left over the summer. Abbey, however, remains, and to have scored 5 goals in 6 games for such a struggling team is an impressive feat at any level. But of course, Oxford feel £25,000 is too much for a player hotly tipped for a bright future. We rejected Matt Le Tissier too...

RESERVE MATCH TONIGHT

The reserves take on Northampton Town (away) at 7pm tonight. Paul Roberts, the Australian trialist, will play tonight, as will the two French trialists. They are :

• Cedric Chabert, 25, formerly of Valence (French division 2);
• Johan Gouttefangeas, 22, formerly of Anger (French division 3).

OXFORD 0 WYCOMBE 0

Two draws in a row now as Oxford failed to score against a Wycombe side who started brightly (could have scored after about ten seconds) and then faded. Both Murphy and Lilley had good chances, the impressive Lambert stayed on his feet when tripped in the box, and Wycombe's excellent keeper, Taylor, saved well from Joey late on. These were two points lost in a game more enjoyable than the scoreline might suggest.

TRIALISTS GALORE

Not content with just having the one trialist (Australian Paul Roberts, who played for the reserves in midweek), Shotton is planning to take a further three players on trial in the coming weeks. And that doesn't include Lambert or Allen. First up are two players from France. Shotton takes up the story - "One's a central midfielder and the other a right-sided player. I believe one has played at St Etienne and one is from Vallences." Hmm. Shotts evidently knows a lot about these players. Watched them in person has he? Or has he just been sent a few dodgy videos? Time will tell.

The fourth prospective trialist is "a defender from Scotland", whose trial will be delayed a week as Shotts quite reasonably feels he doesn't want too many players on trial at once. Paul "PJ" Roberts will also be given a full game for the reserves.

Nice quote from Shotton about aforementioned Mr Roberts. How's this? "He [Roberts] had problems with his passport last week and was only able to join us for the second half [of the reserve match]." There are three possible explanations for this statement :

1) The new work permit regulations for players with "problem" passports allow them only to play 45 minutes of football in any match;
2) The passport office queues delayed Roberts well into the early evening, and he thus arrived late for the match;
3) The statement consists of a non-sequitur.

REMINDER

The kick-off time for the home match against Wycombe tomorrow is 1pm. You can then troop home or to the pub and watch the fascinating sight of England actually winning a match. Probably.

Steve Anthrobus serves the first match of his three match suspension, whilst Peter Fear and Steve Davis are still injured. Jamie Lambert may make his full debut.

BARNET INFO

The meeting of football supporters at Underhill on Sunday kicks off at 11.30am. I shall try my best to be there, but there is one further ticket reserved for an Oxford supporter, so if anyone else would like to go, please contact me. See yesterday's news for details.

MORE INFO ON PJ ROBERTS

I've found some more information on Aussie trialist, Paul "PJ" Roberts. He left Camberra Cosmos to have a trial with Hibernian in the summer. After a four week trial with Hibernian, Roberts headed for England to find a club. He was offered a squad place at Hibernian, but turned it down because he wanted regular first team football.

Described as a feisty defensive midfielder, Roberts was reportedly a key member of the Cosmos side last season. This article from the Canberra Times has an interview with him shortly before his trial in Scotland. A line from another article in this paper is as follows : "Aggression is Roberts' trademark and he is comfortable wearing the hard-man's tag, but naturally enough seeks a reputation as more than someone who simply stands tall in the tackle and leaves opponents on the grass clutching their ankles."

POWELL SIGNS NEW CONTRACT

Paul Powell is the new Joey Beauchamp. Or at least he evidently feels some loyalty towards the Us. Last season he turned down a move to West Brom, saying he was happy at Oxford. Now he has further demonstrated that fact by signing an extension to his contract to take it through to 2003. Powelly said, "I have made no secret of the fact that I want to stay here and by signing this contract, my future is now more secure."

DOUBLE JAMIE

Oxford reserves beat Cambridge reserves 2-1 last night, with goals from Jamie Lambert and Jamie Cook. According to reports, Lambert had an impressive game. Neil McGowan played and went off injured, and Chrissy Allen also featured. There was also apparently an Australian trialist who played for 45 minutes. Cambridge got a consolation goal from Tom Youngs shortly before the end.

More info on the Australian trialist is that he is a midfielder named Paul Roberts. I've done a web search for the man, and there is a Paul Roberts (22) who made 17 appearances (without scoring) for Canberra Cosmos in the Australian NSL last season. Cosmos finished bottom. (Of course this might not be the Paul Roberts, but it probably is.)

ARENDSE GETS CALL-UP

Andre Arendse will not be available for the match at Wrexham as he has been called into the South Africa squad for two games against Saudi Arabia.

BARNET MEETING ON SUNDAY

Keep Barnet Alive, along with the COFS, have organised a meeting on Sunday (5th September) at which clubs can get together to discuss past and present troubles, and to unite with the aim of finding a solution to the problems facing lower division and non-league clubs. Here is the text of the mail that KBA spokesperson, Mike Edwards, sent me:

On Sunday 5th Sept at Underhill, we are hosting a meeting for all
league  and non-league clubs. This meeting is to be co-hosted by COFS.
We are to explain our plight to everyone and then all clubs will have
the chance to address the crowd with regard to their clubs problems. We
want us all to unite in a fight back. I know you guys are well off at
the moment but we really need you guys to come down.
We can accomodate two or three of you from website/fanzine editors or
ISA/SA members.
Each attendee will get a free buffet lunch with a pay bar and a free
ticket to the game which is Barnet V Macclesfield. There is a photo
shoot at 2.30 just before the match which should see its way into the
papers.

You can also visit the KBA website.

It seems a certain Mr Les Wells, owner of a plot of land near Minchery Farm, is trying to convince Oxford City Council's Planning Dept against the idea of allowing the multiplex to be built near the new football stadium. His main argument seems to run along the lines of "football fans are hooligans". In a letter to the Department, he has even cited the incident where two Swindon fans were convicted for assault on Oxford fans as evidence that the multiplex would not be safe from marauding thugs in replica shirts. Apparently Les Wells owns a plot of land near the site, and is hoping to build a hotel of his own. Does he not realise his land would probably be more rather than less valuable if the stadium and multiplex were to be built there?

The only other news today is from TeamTalk. Under the headline "Lambert deal imminent", they then proceed to say that in fact Lambert is just on trial and hoping to impress. Have they borrowed a sub-editor from the tabloid press?

This page is maintained by James Beard.