| Oxford United F.C. are an
English
football team who are playing in the
Conference National for the
2006-07 season. The club is owned by chairman Nick
Merry and managed by
Jim Smith. Its home ground is the
Kassam Stadium in
Oxford with a capacity of 12,500.
Its history is quite unlike that of any other club in
English football. In the space of less than half a century,
it has joined the
Football League, climbed from the
Fourth Division to the
First in 20 years, won the
League Cup, and endured an 18-year decline which saw it
relegated to the Conference—making it the first team to have
won a major trophy to endure this disappointment.
Current manager Jim Smith (also a director) has recently
returned to the club some 20 years after his first spell in
charge. He was the man who took Oxford into the top flight,
and he is now the man who will be expected to restore Oxford
to the Football League.
Other well-known men to have managed Oxford United
include
Brian Horton,
Mark Lawrenson,
Maurice Evans,
Denis Smith,
Ian Atkins and
Brian Talbot. Well-known players to have worn an Oxford
shirt include
Ron Atkinson,
Ray Houghton,
Dean Saunders and
John Aldridge.
History of the
Club
Headington United
Oxford United was formed as amateur club Headington in
1893, adding the suffix United the following year, and
competed in local leagues until being elected to the
Southern League and becoming professional in 1949. In
1960, Headington United was renamed Oxford United in order
to give it a higher profile.
Promotion to the League
Two years later, in 1962, the club won the
Southern League title for the second successive season
and was elected to the
Football League Fourth Division, occupying the vacant
place left by bankrupt
Accrington Stanley. Two successive 18th place finishes
followed, before promotion to the
Third Division was achieved in 1965. In 1964, they had
become the first Fourth Division club to reach the Quarter
Final of the
FA Cup, and have not progressed that far in the
competition since then. Oxford won the Third Division title
in 1967–68, their sixth season as a league club, but after
eight years of relative stability the club was relegated
from the
Second Division in 1975/76.
The Robert Maxwell takeover
In 1982, while a Third Division side, Oxford United was
taken over by controversial business tycoon
Robert Maxwell (1923–1991). Maxwell proposed to merge
United with neighbours
Reading to form a single club called the Thames Valley
Royals, to play at
Didcot. The merger was called off after fans of both
clubs protested against the decision.
Oxford won the Third Division title in 1984 under the
management of
Jim Smith, who also guided them to the Second Division
title the following year. This meant that Oxford United
would be playing
First Division football in the 1985–86 season, 23 years
after joining the Football League. Smith moved to
Queens Park Rangers shortly after the promotion success,
and made way for chief scout
Maurice Evans, who several seasons earlier had won the
Fourth Division title with Reading.
Oxford at the top
Oxford United finished 18th in the 1985–86 First Division
campaign, avoiding relegation on the last day of the season,
but most impressively winning the
Milk Cup with a 3–0 win over
Queens Park Rangers at
Wembley. They would have qualified for the
UEFA Cup the following season had it not been for the
ban on English teams that had arisen from the previous
year's
Heysel Stadium disaster. It was an excellent way for
Oxford to begin life as a top-division side, although they
never really competed with the best.
1986-87 saw another relegation battle which was narrowly
won. Robert Maxwell resigned as Chairman in May 1987 to take
over at
Derby, handing the club to his son Kevin. Maurice Evans
was sacked in March 1988 with Oxford bottom of the First
Division and destined for relegation after three years in
the top flight.
Life in the second tier
Before relegation was confirmed, former
Liverpool defender
Mark Lawrenson was named as Oxford's new manager, but he
was sacked three months into the 1988–89 Second Division
campaign after a dispute with the chairman over the £1
million sale of striker
Dean Saunders to
Derby County, owned by Kevin Maxwell's father Robert
Maxwell.
Brian Horton was named as Oxford's new manager, and
remained in charge until September 1993 when he was lured
away to
Manchester City in the recently-formed
FA Premier League. Oxford, now a side in the new
Football League Division One, briefly restored Maurice Evans
to the manager's seat before turning to
Bristol City manager
Denis Smith. By now, Oxford were deep in relegation
trouble. Despite Smith's efforts, Oxford slid into Division
Two at the end of the 1993–94 season.
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The Manor in 1964, packed with Oxford's record
attendance
of 22,750 for the FA Cup match v Preston North End |
The London Road End |
Promotion success in Division
Two
Denis Smith set about restoring Oxford United to the
upper tier of the English league, and brought in two
strikers who were experienced in the top division —
Southampton's
Paul Moody and
Nottingham Forest's
Nigel Jemson. Oxford finished mid-table in 1994–95,
after heading the table at Christmas, but finished
runners-up to near neighbours
Swindon Town in 1995–96 and regained their place in
Division One. A good start to the 1996–97 season saw Oxford
looking hopeful of gaining promotion to the Premiership, but
the squad lacked the strength to make this form consistent
and they wallowed away to finish 17th, following the sale of
star defender
Matt Elliott. Despite Smith's departure to
West Bromwich Albion in December 1997, United finished a
reasonable 11th in the 1997–98 final table of Division One
under his successor
Malcolm Shotton — who had been assistant manager of the
Barnsley side which had recently gained promotion to the
Premiership. Shotton had also been Oxford's captain during
the glory years of the mid-1980s.
Shotton was unable to motivate his team successfully in
1998–99, and they were relegated in last-but-one place.
Financial crisis
In June 1995, Oxford United's board of directors had
unveiled plans for a new 16,000-seat stadium at Minchery
Farm to replace the dilapidated
Manor Ground. The club had hoped to move into the new
stadium near the Blackbird Leys housing estate by the start
of the 1998–99 season, but construction was suspended during
the 1997–98 season because of £13 million debts, which
almost bankrupted the club.
During October and November 1998 the backroom staff at
the club went unpaid, due to United's financial situation,
and supporters rallied round, delivering food parcels to the
ground. Supporters set up a pressure group called
FOUL (Fighting for Oxford United's Life), which began to
publicise the club's plight through a series of meetings and
events. Chairman Robin Herd had effectively given up on the
club, and in April 1999
Firoz Kassam bought Herd's 89.9% controlling interest in
Oxford United for £1, with which he also inherited the
club's estimated £15 million debt. Kassam reduced £9 million
of the debt to £900,000 by virtue of a CVA, by which
unsecured creditors who were owed over £1,000 were
reimbursed with 10p for every pound they were owed. Secured
creditors were paid off when Kassam sold the Manor to
another of his Firoka companies for £6,000,000. Kassam set
about completing the unfinished stadium, gaining planning
permission for a bowling alley, a multiplex cinema, and a
hotel, among other things, following a series of legal
battles which were eventually all settled.
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The Manor - in the late 90s |
The Kassam Stadium - not long after completion
(well almost!) |
Another relegation
Oxford's poor form continued into the 1999–2000 season,
forcing Shotton to resign in late October with the club deep
in relegation trouble.
Mickey Lewis was appointed player-manager, but didn't
manage a significant improvement during his four months in
charge. Finally,
Denis Smith returned to the club and under his
management Oxford rallied and finished 20th in the Division
Two final table — one place clear of relegation. Smith was
sacked after a terrible start to the 2000–01 campaign, and
his successor David Kemp was unable to stop the club's
fortunes from declining even further. Kemp was sacked at the
end of the season, when Oxford were relegated back to the
basement division of the league after a 35-year absence,
with 100 goals conceded. They suffered 33 league defeats —
the second highest number of league defeats ever endured by
a league club.
Life in the basement division
Oxford began the 2001–02 season with a new stadium and a
new manager. They finally completed their relocation to the
Kassam Stadium, named after new owner
Firoz Kassam, after six years of speculation. Former
Liverpool and
England defender
Mark Wright was given the manager's job, but resigned in
late November after being accused of making racist remarks
to referee
Joe Ross. Wright's successor
Ian Atkins was unable to make much of a difference and
Oxford finished the Division Three campaign in 21st place —
their lowest-ever league position, although there was never
any real threat of them losing their league status.
Oxford did better in 2002–03, spending most of the season
in either the automatic promotion or playoff places. But
defeat in their final game of the season meant an
eighth-place finish, not even enough for a playoff place.
An excellent start to the 2003–04 season suggested that
Oxford's three-year spell in Division Three might soon be
over. But manager Ian Atkins was sacked in March after
agreeing to take charge at rivals
Bristol Rovers, and under his successor
Graham Rix the club plummeted to ninth place in the
final table. Rix was sacked the following November, with
Oxford in the bottom half of Coca-Cola League Two. Oxford
replaced him with the
Argentine
Ramón Díaz, who was unable to secure anything higher
than a mid-table finish. Diaz and his team of assistants
left the club at the beginning of May 2005 and ex-England
midfielder and former West Bromwich Albion,
Rushden and
Oldham manager
Brian Talbot was immediately signed on a two-year
contract as replacement. Apart from a brief winning streak
in September which saw United reach 8th in the table, Talbot
found little success and was sacked in March 2006 with the
club in 22nd place. He was replaced by youth team coach
Darren Patterson.
On
21 March 2006, Firoz Kassam sold the club for
approximately £2 million (including the club's debts) to
Florida-based businessman
Nick Merry, who had played for United's youth team in
the mid-1970s. Merry immediately initiated changes to the
upper hierarchy of the club.
Jim Smith, the club's most successful ever manager,
returned to the helm bringing in five new players on his
first day in charge.
Relegation from the Football
League
Smith was unable to prevent relegation. After 44
successive years in English league football, a 2–3 home
defeat to
Leyton Orient on 6th May 2006 saw Oxford relegated from
League Two in 23rd place (with
Rushden, who finished bottom). The same result earned
Leyton Orient promotion to League One. By coincidence, one
of the sides to be promoted to the League at the same time
were
Accrington Stanley, the side Oxford replaced when they
were elected to the League in 1962.
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The East & South Stands, taken from the North
Stand - 16 Feb 2008 (photo © of Carl Flaherty
www.bloods.fotopic.net/ ) |
2006-08: Conference National
Jim Smith was retained as manager for 2006–07. The season
started brightly for Oxford, with 14 wins and 8 draws from
their opening 25 games—including a run of 18 games before
their first defeat, a Conference record for an unbeaten run
at the start of a season—giving the club a 9-point lead at
the top of the table at one stage in early October. However,
this was followed by a run of eleven league games without a
win from November, which saw them drop into second place
just after Christmas, in which position they remained until
the end of the season. On Boxing Day 2006 a crowd of 11,065
watched United draw 0–0 with Woking at the Kassam Stadium,
the largest-ever attendance for a Football Conference match
(excluding playoffs). Their automatic promotion hopes were
finished on 7 April 2007 when Dagenham and Redbridge
clinched the Conference National title, though they
qualified for the playoffs by coming second, facing Exeter
in the playoff semi-finals. After winning 1-0 in the first
leg at Exeter, Oxford lost the second leg 2-1 and after
extra time lost 4-3 on penalties, thus failing in their
attempt to return to the Football League at the first
attempt. Therefore Oxford will be playing in the re-named
Blue Square Premier League (formerly Conference National)
for the 2007-08 Season.
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