Oxford Forum

[Mossfinn]

What position in the table are United in at the moment....or will they be after todays game Moss?

As of today they are three points off the relegation zone, Burton have the same points as the play off guys, so an important win today, 1-2 if you didn't know.

They seem to do better against better opposition, but with more players on loan and short term contracts, I sometimes wonder where the loyalty is?

Good luck

Moss

[Mossfinn]

Report

If only they can transfer their Home form to away games.

Good luck

Moss

[Mossfinn]

Oxford v Hayes

2-0

Into the next round on Monday

Good luck

Moss

[Mossfinn]

It is 20 years since a famous manager got sacked by the infamous Cap't Bob M.C.

Anyone know who?

Good Luck

Moss

[ThaiPauly]

Mark Lawrenson...really over the Dean Saunders transfer to Liverpool, Captain Bob wanted the million quid. Lawrenson wanted to build a winning team after relegation fro the then First Divison

I was in the Hand and Shears in Church Hanborough a few days before he went.

All the United players poured in.....the meeting was instigated by Jeremy Charles, although he was then in Insurance, 2 years after his Milk Cup Goal, he still seemed to exert influence, he lived opposite me in Long Hanbourgh and I new him to say hello to.

How's that for an answer Moss?

Whats my prize ?????

[Mossfinn]

Spot on TP, but then I never doubted you would know

I have a great link to upload that I think you will enjoy, when I can find it.

Now lets see for your prize, I will buy you a pint next time I am in Changers, but then I would do that anyway.

Probably wont make it there in December, you don't ever get to BKK do you??

Good Luck

Moss

[Mossfinn]

As more and more Slavic billionaires look to add Premier League football clubs to their business portfolios, it seems worth remembering that the first man to exercise Eastern European muscle over English football was not Roman Abramovich, but Jan Ludvik Hoch from Slatinske Doly in the Carpathian mountains. Admittedly, Hoch called himself Robert Maxwell by then, and had a Military Cross for wartime bravery in the British Army as well as a parliamentary career behind him, but it was the survival instincts he learnt in Slatinske Doly that informed his swaggering approach to business, which in turn informed the decidedly feudal way he ran Oxford United and Derby County. Corporate tyranny in football didn't just start with the Premier League.

Anyway, the reason Maxwell is on my mind is that 20 years ago today he abruptly sacked Mark Lawrenson, appointed manager of Oxford only seven months earlier. This I know thanks to an excellent little book by Scott Murray and Rowan Walker, to be published next week.

It is called Day of the Match: A History of Football in 365 Days, and has a page for every day of the year recalling a significant event on that date. My first instinct on receiving it was to look up my birthday, which happens to be today (cards and presents c/o The Independent). That's how I know that this is the anniversary of Lawrenson's sacking.

Coincidentally, I hosted a Q&A session with Lawrenson at a social club in Herefordshire just a few weeks ago and he talked then about the bizarre experience of working for Maxwell. This week I phoned him to tell him that it is 20 years since he got the old heave-ho – no tasteless pun about the manner of Cap'*Bob's death intended – and after first registering amazement that two whole decades have passed, he explained the circumstances that led to his dismissal.

On the morning of Saturday 22 October 1988, with Oxford due to play Blackburn Rovers that afternoon in a Second Division match, Lawrenson got a call from the club secretary Jim Hunt, relaying a message from the chairman Kevin Maxwell that he was not to field his star striker Dean Saunders against Blackburn, because Saunders (entirely against Lawrenson's wishes) was about to join Derby. Kevin had succeeded his father as chairman of Oxford only because the old man had subsequently bought Derby, and could not serve as chairman of two clubs. There was no doubt where the edict had come from. Yet Lawrenson refused, and played Saunders, who duly scored in a 1-1 draw.

All hel_l then broke loose in Maxwell's palatial office at the top of the Mirror Group Newspapers building at Holborn Circus, and Lawrenson was summoned for a dressing-down. This was administered by Maxwell from an antique Chinese inlaid table, on which he sat, and which soon began to buckle under his enormous weight. "All I could think while he was bollocking me was 'Break ... please, please break'," Lawrenson told me.

He was sacked the following day – "Nobody threatens to resign on the Maxwells," was the reason given, even though he hadn't, exactly – and the contentious transfer was completed in time for Saunders to play for First Division Derby against Wimbledon the following Saturday. He scored twice.

Fingering his P45, meanwhile, Lawrenson could at least reflect that he had stood up to the might of Robert Maxwell. He wishes to this day that the Chinese table hadn't.

Link from Brian Viner IoS

Moss

[ThaiPauly]

Very interesting insight Moss.

I was wrong, I thought Saunders was going to Liverpool not Derby.

More of the same kinda insights would always be welcome.

I know that Mark brought a pub near Faringdon, but I dont think he has it any more does he ?

I don't get down to BK much any more, just really use it as a transit stop for foreighn trips, so I will await your eventual arrival in a our wonderful city !!

[Mossfinn]

Oxford United v Dorchester Town

FA Cup 1st round proper.

Good Luck

Moss

[Mossfinn]

Oxford v York

Moss

[Mossfinn]

Late Odubade pen 87min 1-0

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Our next two fixtures are away to teams in the bottom four. A chance to improve our woeful away form and move up the table. This season the league seems to be wide open - a lot of teams are clustered together looking for the top spot or a play off place. A good run will put us right in the mix.

[Mossfinn]

Oxford v Dorchester

Good Luck

Moss

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Grays 2 0 Oxford

More woeful away form. Depressing stuff indeed.

[Mossfinn]

Grays 2 0 Oxford

More woeful away form. Depressing stuff indeed.

Woeful indeed, it is Rugby season but Ireland were even more woeful, I don't know which sport to follow at all, maybe tiddlywinks

Moss

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Dorchester 1 - 3 Oxford (aet) FA Cup

Finally, an away win. But only after going one down. The win was finally secured in the second half of extra time after Dorchester had a man sent off.

Torquay next.

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Histon 5 - 2 Oxford

Histon go top. We go three places and three points off the relegation zone. Pressure's back on Patterson. Home to Kidderminster on Tuesday evening.

[ThaiPauly]

Histon 5 - 2 Oxford

Histon go top. We go three places and three points off the relegation zone. Pressure's back on Patterson. Home to Kidderminster on Tuesday evening.

Histon seem a decent side, they have already mugged Swindon in the Cup, given the U's a hiding....I just hope we don't get them in the cup so they can say they have mugged all the thames valley teams !!!

BTW Good luck against Kiddy

[Mossfinn]

I am just glad it is the Rugby Union autumn Internationals

Moss

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Oxford 1 - 0 Kidderminster

Kidderminster's six game unbeaten run brought to an end. Significant numbers of people were calling for Patterson to go after we produced an unconvincing win against the fourth place team. It was only Kidderminster's lack of a decent final ball that kept us in it in the second half. We continually gave possession away cheaply and other teams would have thumped us.

Worthy of note was the fact that it was the first team there's been a female ref. on duty at an Oxford game. And she was awful, failing to take the big decisions.

[Mossfinn]

Worthy of note was the fact that it was the first team there's been a female ref. on duty at an Oxford game. And she was awful, failing to take the big decisions.

Can we blame her for the early season as well and how about last year and the year before that

Moss

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Actually I don't blame her for all that. It was Thaksin, Somchai and the PAD. Lord Lucan and Shergar were said to be involved; Nixon denies everything as do MI5 and the CIA.

Mossad did their best to help but it was too late.

Away to Talkie in the FA Cup today. Fingers crossed for at least a draw.

[Mossfinn]

Mossad did their best to help but it was too late.

I wonder how many, apart from TP, will understand that.

Moss

[Mossfinn]

Patterson sacked

Shame but inevitable

Moss

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The new appointment will reveal a lot about the ambitions of the new chairman and also the state of our finances, which have been subject to speculation over the last few months. Maybe Jim Smith will make a good fist of it - I wouldn't bet against it.

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Mansfield 1 - 3 Oxford

Jim Smith leads us to only our second away win in thew league this season.

Our next home fixture is on 20th December. That's seven weeks without a home match on a Saturday (we had one on a Tuesday evening). Madness!

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Weymouth 2 - 2 Oxford

Oxford come from behind twice against a Weymouth team who played for 80 minutes with ten men.

[ThaiPauly]

Happy Chrstmas to all you U's fans.

How come you have twice as may viewings on your thread as Reading?

OK.... never mind its still 100 times more than the Swindon thread gets

Reason for edit...Smelling Pisstakes

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Thanks TP. And the best of Christmases to you and your family. I'll be at the Reading match on Boxing day and expecting goals. I hope your boys won't let me down.

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Oxford 1 - 1 Stevenage

Despite dominating the game and having the best chances...