Lenagan's blast at boo boys (From Bicester Advertiser)

Richard Wickson says...
9:46am Tue 12 Mar 13

Sounds like the feeble cry of an embattled man. Time to put your money where your mouth is Ian and back the club, we do every time we walk through the turnstiles so therefore we earn the right to criticise and praise, whichever is deserved. Yes it's right to say we have got a few big wins lately but that's because the manager and team have put themselves under pressure to deliver by losing games that looked winnable. Consistency is urgently needed if the season is to be considered a decent one for the club.

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martico1 says...
10:04am Tue 12 Mar 13

Let's remember that IL's money JUST since last summer is more than most of us will pay for a lifetime's support. Of course we can criticise fairly but there is a consistent negativity to some of the postings here that IL has an equal right to react to.

IL's performances at his first few Fans Forums were fantastic and inspirational, sharing information that he had no need to.Things have not all gone right since and the loss of Kelvin and Jim R, for whatever reasons, were not well explained. I find that, and some of what happens on the field, baffling, apparently easy to put right, and most of all deeply dispiriting - but in the end we have to leave it to those paid to manage and those who do the paying (who are only partly the fans).

Now let's all turn up and freeze tonight and COYYs!

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AylesburyOx says...
10:08am Tue 12 Mar 13

Does he not get the constant s**t and excuses we have to put up with??!
It takes the absolute mickey to demand our support - I'm sorry Mr Lenagan and Mr Wilder but you work for us and if we want to justifiably complain about the state of the club, the management the coaches and the playing staff then we will. There are problems at this club that nobody wants to address -

Why are we nowhere with buying the ground?

Why is it always a 'surprise' when we lose money?

Why does Wilder keep his job when his League 2 results, at best have been average? Considering we're aiming for the Championship - better Managers have gone for less!

If we are looking to build for the future why do we get rid of our hardworking and talented young players and sign journeymen?

What do the coaches actually do as the players show no sign of developing and in many cases lose their talents?

I'm not a boo boy, I'm a loyal OUFC supporter with over 25 years under my belt; you've all (Lenegan, Wilder etc) have been here for 5 minutes as far as I'm concerned and for many of you that's 4 minutes too long.

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GRB says...
10:42am Tue 12 Mar 13

I know most of us have been bitterly disappointed with the way this season has gone so far and with many of the performances but there is certainly some 'fans' who do nothing but moan about every single aspect of the club.

One point I often find amusing is people demanding IL put more money in. Why should he!?!? He's got no duty to do so and he already does put a lot of money into the club. You can certainly question the sense of sticking by Wilder, who is now unpopular with a majority of fans but that decision will be judged at the end of the season. For some reason, I think some people think there's someone better just around the corner waiting to buy the club but in reality who is going to want to invest in us? IL is trying to make the club self sufficient and I think that's the only way clubs outside the Premiership can survive and succeed in the long run.

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Open your eyes says...
10:52am Tue 12 Mar 13

What an unfortunate set of comments to make, very disappointing.

Good luck Mr Lenagan, you've probably made a few more enemies today.

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CHINNOR YELLOWS says...
11:03am Tue 12 Mar 13

Reading two of these comments posted all ready makes you ask who some of the fans think they are. Having supported the club for 49 years does not give me any right in the way the club is run, I support the Football Club because it is there providing us with professional football. There is no way I could imagine being able to put my hand in my pocket to bail the club out.
Let the likes of Mr Lenagan run the club and keep it there for years to come. What we do not want is foreign investment, your team looses it`s identity.

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Beau champ mummy says...
11:24am Tue 12 Mar 13

Get this parasite out of our club

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Merekat1 says...
11:30am Tue 12 Mar 13

Oh dear Mr Lenagan, oh dear, oh dear, oh dear.

Such a pity, for a man who has ploughed so much cash into the club, I believe these comments may well come back to bite him on the bum.

Naive perhaps?

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Bigmanmo says...
11:33am Tue 12 Mar 13

Chinnor Yellows - I've got 45 years under my belt and rarely do I criticise the club outloud but the massive degree of incosistency especially at home is of great concern and it should be to Mr Lenagan. A poor run-in now and season ticket sales for next season will drop significantly causing major financial problems for the club. There are always a few boo boys which I disagree with but what happened at the Rotherham match was unacceptable and deserved to be booed. I note he says nothing about the fact that virtually the whole of the Ox Mail stand sang throughout the second half to stir the team into action but they just wimped out I'm afraid. The manager cannot go on expecting the fans to lift the players week in week out, he should be lifting the players that's what he's paid for and for once the players should lift the fans with an exhilerating home performance which has rarely been the case in the last two seasons. I sometimes think Chris Wilder is watching a different match to me and I'm afraid he too often settles for what I believe to be sub-standard performances. His tactics and team selection are at times bewildering not just to me but to many, many others. I hope that just for once we play like the home team tonight and don't wait until we go behind or something happens to stir us into action. Sadly I think Mr Lenagan's comments are ill-judged on this ocassion whereas previously he has seemed pretty sound. Criticising the fans publicly this way is only going to make matters worse and is in fact a contradiction of his own words about causing division instead of unity.

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onthebench says...
12:08pm Tue 12 Mar 13

Unfortunately many of the negative comments on "so called" forums are from supporters of another club approx 30 miles down the road who take great joy in posing as true OUFC fans. If any true OUFC fan is questioning why I.Lenagan is not putting more funds into the club I am afraid you need a sanity check! He is already putting too much funding into the club in my opinion. The club has to stand on it's own two feet financially and at this moment it simply does not. "Simple" everyone says, "buy the stadium". How? "Simple", I.Lenagan stump up more money! Forget it, he isn't an oil baron. He is wealthy, but he is neither filthy rich or stupid. Loans to any club have to be repaid at some stage - that is basic finance which the fans constantly wanting more spending simply fail to recognise. I bet Plymouth, Rangers, Swinedon, Coventry, Portsmouth (plus many others) fans all regret the stupid overspending their owners sanctioned in the past. They too were probably put under pressure from fans who think paying £20 a game means they have the right to ask the owners to put the entire teams future viability in doubt. All fans can question tactics, players, the Manager etc, but to ask the owner to commit financial suicide is simply daft. Many fans need a reality check - or a course in simple financial management to understand that what you are asking for is simply wrong in the longer term!

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karatavuk says...
12:09pm Tue 12 Mar 13

Blame the injuries.
Blame the pitch.
Blame the fans.

There is a culture of blame at the club but never blame the management.

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bigchet says...
1:41pm Tue 12 Mar 13

got to agree with on the bench, all fans are entitled to their views but need to take a reality check about the financial aspects. do they really forget so easily and want another owner like firoz kassam at the club.

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Bigmanmo says...
1:44pm Tue 12 Mar 13

karatavuk has it spot on -

Blame the injuries (even without some key players we've still been able to put outwhat looks on paper at least as a god starting eleven. The teams we have fielded should and can do much better)

Blame the pitch - as the old saying goes it's the same for both teams so how is it that the away team seems to be able to play football on it but we can't?

Blame the fans - every club has dissenting fans, as per my last post, aren't the player supposed to inspire the fans just as much as we're supposed to inspire them?

One thing Wilder has been right about is the lack of mental toughness in the players, one small setback and the team as a whole caves in, the Rotherham match illustrated it in neon lights. No resilience during the match. Bouncebackability afterwards yes, but not during. That's why we're so inconsistent and to me that's about leadership, on and off the pitch.

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jimbomcmucka says...
1:52pm Tue 12 Mar 13

BBC had reported on the same story.
http://www.bbc.co.uk
/sport/0/football/21
754905

I have to say that they have taken a much less negative spin, including the positive comments made by the chairman, mentioning the great travelling support and the positive attitude of the fans during the 2nd half of the rotherham game.

I think the OM are trying to spur a few posts on their comments board.. it worked.

Why doesn't everyone buy the program and read the all of our chairman's comments before jumping in at the deep end. He's not a complete idiot, and wouldn't **** himself by being too negative toward the fans.

This story could be potentially damaging all round, I wish the OM would report with a bit more accuracy sometimes!

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jack smart says...
1:56pm Tue 12 Mar 13

we lose 4-0 at home and he is suprised the loyal fans complain . I think we have wonderful patience , apart from the york game , we have won nothing for decades i feel sorry for the young supporters. wilder is lucky , the reading boss was the 42d manager to get the sack this season

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train passenger says...
2:01pm Tue 12 Mar 13

Just look at thumbs up and thumbs down and you will know what a majority of fans think.....

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oldun says...
2:03pm Tue 12 Mar 13

Come on yellows - win today - and win those playoffs!. Yes this is my usual view – and so are the following (I am sure that you won’t want to read them ) “(A) in my opinion , CW must go if we are not in the third div in August 2013 (B) in my opinion, from those who apply to be our next manager, each one of us will be able to select many, many who should do much better than CW (C) in my opinion, coming up with a managerial wish list is a waste of time (D) in my opinion we can still go up in 2013 but if we do then we will need to vastly improve our squad (E) if the new manager struggles in the 4th div after he has had a decent length of time as our manager then I will want him to go - even if I had thought him to be a great appointment !!(F) for certain, abuse from internet bullies doesn't bother me - I enjoy their wit" I sincerely hope that the lives of those ‘bullies’ are half as good as mine is (and has been) - if so, then they are lucky I suggested that you didn’t read on . Violins play for weedy little me .

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oldun says...
2:16pm Tue 12 Mar 13

Oxford United chairman Ian Lenagan calls for supporter unity

Oxford United chairman Ian Lenagan has called for unity among the League Two club's supporters.
Ahead of Tuesday's home match against Barnet, Lenagan has used his programme notes to call for positivity at the Kassam Stadium.
Lenagan says he is "surprised at the consistent vocal negativity of a minority of Oxford United supporters".
He added: "They risk dragging down the spirit of the players, fans, managers, staff and owners alike."
“
We are all disappointed not currently to be "winners" but booing the team, continually calling for the sacking of the manager and persistently trying to find "things wrong at the club" is not the way to achieve togetherness
”
Oxford chairman Ian Lenagan
The U's chairman continued: "We are 10th in the league - not a club in danger of relegation - and still with an outside chance of the play-offs even after a highly disrupted 12 months of significant injuries.
"Our core squad is strong and contracted for next year with the opportunity and finance to improve it even further in summer."
Lenagan says that while he would like United to be consistent winners, booing the team or calling for the sacking of manager Chris Wilder is not the way to achieve success and he urges supporters to get together behind the team through what he describes as a "crucial period".
"Of course we are all disappointed not currently to be 'winners'," he said. "But booing the team, continually calling for the sacking of the manager and persistently trying to find 'things wrong at the club' is not the way to achieve togetherness, consistency and medium-term success.
"Far more positive and well-worthy of praise is the continuous, excellent vocal support for the team and the manager of the truly committed travelling army of away Oxford United fans.
"Whether winning at Wimbledon, Exeter, Bradford, Gillingham, Torquay or losing at York, Burton or Rotherham, the travelling fans' support for the team is exceptional and always positive.
"It is no surprise to see the team play so well away from home where they are certain of positive support.
"Conversely, one of the best, clear messages of support to the team and manager was the loud continuous chanting for 'Oxford United' throughout the difficult second-half against Rotherham last week when the game was lost. I am sure that that demonstration of support carried forward in the players' minds into Saturday at Torquay.
"I would like to ask that the whole of Oxford United's fans and supporters be seen to get together behind the team and the manager through the crucial next 9 games, win or lose, without the booing, rude shouts at the manager or other non-supportive behaviour from what is a small minority."

Oxford United chairman Ian Lenagan calls for supporter unity Oxford United chairman Ian Lenagan has called for unity among the League Two club's supporters. Ahead of Tuesday's home match against Barnet, Lenagan has used his programme notes to call for positivity at the Kassam Stadium. Lenagan says he is "surprised at the consistent vocal negativity of a minority of Oxford United supporters". He added: "They risk dragging down the spirit of the players, fans, managers, staff and owners alike." “ We are all disappointed not currently to be "winners" but booing the team, continually calling for the sacking of the manager and persistently trying to find "things wrong at the club" is not the way to achieve togetherness ” Oxford chairman Ian Lenagan The U's chairman continued: "We are 10th in the league - not a club in danger of relegation - and still with an outside chance of the play-offs even after a highly disrupted 12 months of significant injuries. "Our core squad is strong and contracted for next year with the opportunity and finance to improve it even further in summer." Lenagan says that while he would like United to be consistent winners, booing the team or calling for the sacking of manager Chris Wilder is not the way to achieve success and he urges supporters to get together behind the team through what he describes as a "crucial period". "Of course we are all disappointed not currently to be 'winners'," he said. "But booing the team, continually calling for the sacking of the manager and persistently trying to find 'things wrong at the club' is not the way to achieve togetherness, consistency and medium-term success. "Far more positive and well-worthy of praise is the continuous, excellent vocal support for the team and the manager of the truly committed travelling army of away Oxford United fans. "Whether winning at Wimbledon, Exeter, Bradford, Gillingham, Torquay or losing at York, Burton or Rotherham, the travelling fans' support for the team is exceptional and always positive. "It is no surprise to see the team play so well away from home where they are certain of positive support. "Conversely, one of the best, clear messages of support to the team and manager was the loud continuous chanting for 'Oxford United' throughout the difficult second-half against Rotherham last week when the game was lost. I am sure that that demonstration of support carried forward in the players' minds into Saturday at Torquay. "I would like to ask that the whole of Oxford United's fans and supporters be seen to get together behind the team and the manager through the crucial next 9 games, win or lose, without the booing, rude shouts at the manager or other non-supportive behaviour from what is a small minority." oldun

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BigAlBiker says...
3:11pm Tue 12 Mar 13

For my 2p worth i want to see the mighty yellows win every game easy peasy, only thing is its never going to happen with any team let alone us, but i do always hope we try to perform to the best of our ability, and that ability is as good if not better than teams who visit our home ground. BUT and its a big BUT, our ability to compete against others has been diminished this year by players who are slow, uncompetitive and lack (sometimes) basic skills like trapping a ball. This is the responsibility of the Manager who authorises the contracts for them and this year we have had many games where we were out run, out thought and out performed, just think what could happen if we could fight???

IL is the man at the top and thanks for your money and support, but even him as a businessman surely can't be blind as to what he sees on the pitch, unfit and useless sometimes, others awesome.

The link between the performances on the pitch and IL is simply CW, he is not good enough at this level, lets players go who should stay and brings others who are no better.

So in conclusion (i do rant a little) its time for a change of Management and lets see what happens.

COYY

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Marina Morris says...
4:57pm Tue 12 Mar 13

Why have the Ox Fail put such a negative spin on what IL has said? Why have they missed out all the good stuff he said about the travelling fans?
It just encourages all the usual negative planks to come on here (and Yellows forum) with their usual vitriol. There's only relatively few of them but empty vessels make the most noise and the majority can't be bothered to argue any more. I agree with IL, too many just want to dig at OUFC at any opportunity (inc the usual scummers above)

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oldun says...
5:57pm Tue 12 Mar 13

Negative planks? Relatively few of us - maybe!. Relative to that of the BBC , the spin of OM could have been better but I think that Mr L (even as quoted on BBC) was misguided if he thought that his criticism of the 'minority' was a good idea. Only a 'minority' went to Torquay - more than that number are far from happy with this season - just an opinion. We can win the playoffs this season. I await a look in the prog at the full piece by Mr L . Reserving judgment on that but any CW style pop at the critics is an own goal

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35 year fan says...
9:50pm Tue 12 Mar 13

the unfortunate truth people need to remember is that if IL walks away we are in administration. the business is losing quite a bit of cash which he is funding (and never going to get back). no-one is standing by to replace him, so keep that in mind if you are tempted to abuse him.

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BenkiuGuasu says...
9:53pm Tue 12 Mar 13

Sadly Oxford United fans are on average a very negative bunch. It is very rare for a manager to be popular at the club. My memory starts at Brian Horton - who was hated. Denis Smith succeeded him and was also hated, and since then the only popular manager I can remember there being is Malcolm Shotton (amongst the worst we've had in that time). Even Jim Smith racked up a lot of critics which is pretty incredible really bearing in mind his record in the 80's makes him one of the most successful managers at any club ever (probably).

Wilder was loved by at least 95% of fans (quite some stat, 99% unofficial) until we beat Ebbsfleet 4-2 a couple of years ago, and he launched a bizarre tirade against the fans for moaning a little bit when the lads kept the ball in the corner at the end of the game.

He's been probably not much than 50% popular ever since (50% official stat), and my fear is that Lenegan may affect the same result.

Hard as it may be to swallow toads (to use a Spanish phrase meaning not answering back to critics), I think that's the best thing for players, staff, and board members to do.

I really like Wilder and I really rate him as a manager. I admire his honesty, but think that his sensitivity to criticism has dug himself into a bit of a hole with regards to having the support of the fans.

I never once heard Jim Smith criticise the fans, despite the endless crap that inevitably comes out of the mouths of so many Us fans.... Nor did Kelvin Thomas....

Today's win, and (hopefully) play-off push may yet save Lenagan's bacon (I hope it does) - or else it will more than likely backfire and create more negativity at the club.

Having said that, I agree with him 100% (official), even if I'm not sure how wise it was to say....

As a fan, I have nothing to lose in saying...STOP THE NEGATIVITY....GET BEHIND THE LADS.....LET'S PUSH FOR PROMOTION!!!

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Richard Wickson says...
10:40pm Tue 12 Mar 13

martico1 wrote:
Let's remember that IL's money JUST since last summer is more than most of us will pay for a lifetime's support. Of course we can criticise fairly but there is a consistent negativity to some of the postings here that IL has an equal right to react to.

IL's performances at his first few Fans Forums were fantastic and inspirational, sharing information that he had no need to.Things have not all gone right since and the loss of Kelvin and Jim R, for whatever reasons, were not well explained. I find that, and some of what happens on the field, baffling, apparently easy to put right, and most of all deeply dispiriting - but in the end we have to leave it to those paid to manage and those who do the paying (who are only partly the fans).

Now let's all turn up and freeze tonight and COYYs!

I can't afford to buy the club, Martico so I won't. The point I make is that if Ian Lenaghan can't afford to own the club he needs to sell it. I have often said we should be grateful even to Firoz, I am old enough to have once been grateful to Captain Bob Maxwell but we need financiers who can bring benefit to our club not just save us from Going out of business or we won't make progress. Well done on a late late show to the team tonight, proves its not over till the referee blows for the last time.

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Richard Wickson says...
10:47pm Tue 12 Mar 13

AylesburyOx wrote:
Does he not get the constant s**t and excuses we have to put up with??!
It takes the absolute mickey to demand our support - I'm sorry Mr Lenagan and Mr Wilder but you work for us and if we want to justifiably complain about the state of the club, the management the coaches and the playing staff then we will. There are problems at this club that nobody wants to address -

Why are we nowhere with buying the ground?

Why is it always a 'surprise' when we lose money?

Why does Wilder keep his job when his League 2 results, at best have been average? Considering we're aiming for the Championship - better Managers have gone for less!

If we are looking to build for the future why do we get rid of our hardworking and talented young players and sign journeymen?

What do the coaches actually do as the players show no sign of developing and in many cases lose their talents?

I'm not a boo boy, I'm a loyal OUFC supporter with over 25 years under my belt; you've all (Lenegan, Wilder etc) have been here for 5 minutes as far as I'm concerned and for many of you that's 4 minutes too long.

Like you Aylesbury Ox I have been around for a long time, actually we were called Headington United and were in the Southern League under a guy called Arthur Turner when I first went and went regularly. Like you I also don't Boo, it's not productive and doesn't help anyone. I totally agree with all you say and when people say we are being negative I know we are not, we see what's going on, have seen it for a long time and don't want to see it anymore, we want the club to make progress, that's all I ask, progress and a bit of consistency, is it too much to ask?

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Richard Wickson says...
10:57pm Tue 12 Mar 13

bigchet wrote:
got to agree with on the bench, all fans are entitled to their views but need to take a reality check about the financial aspects. do they really forget so easily and want another owner like firoz kassam at the club.

The ghost of Firoz is still a major problem at this club, teams like Fleetwood are self sufficient because the owner of the club owns the stadium, runs his business from it, rents out rooms in it virtually every day and evening and it's used for community functions all of which bring in money to the club. While we don't own our ground how can we ever be self sufficient ? Certainly not by under investment in young players and without reasonable investment in the team and its ground.

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Richard Wickson says...
11:20pm Tue 12 Mar 13

Thank you Oldun for what I presume is the full article. He has a right to say what he feels just as we do. And like him I will continue to say what I feel, he owns the club so he has a right to, I pay money to support the club so I too have a right to. I know he pays out a lot more than we do as fans individually but what we pay collectively the club cannot afford to be without. He, I am sure knows this. I just feel a lot of the investment in players wages is misguided, our players are amongst the best paid in Division 4 but consistently poorer than a lot of their lesser paid fellow professionals in the same division and to sign players without medical s is sheer madness. How can the club get insurance for players without a medical. Surely if they can't get insurance it means the club have to pay their wages when they are long term unfit to play as opposed to the insurers paying out. This must cause financial problems surely.

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Sid Snakey says...
1:53pm Wed 13 Mar 13

Well I can't say I'm surprised at the negative reaction that Ian Lenagan has received to his comments. I think he's got a right to voice his own opinion, since he owns the club, but he's appealing to people who simply cannot be reasoned with. Ian, you're wasting your time, and you're just giving them ammunition to shoot you with.

We've been here so many times I could weep for my club - new manager comes in, eventually falls out of favour with the fans, fans become obsessed with getting rid of manager, nothing manager can say or do will appease fans, home wins become fewer and fewer as the atmosphere at home games becomes poisonous, manager is sacked, in comes new manager and return to start.

But, I hear you demented souls cry, there is something the manager could do, he could get us promoted and then we would love him! Yes, you would love him until a few mid-season finishes in the next division, and then you will hate him again. Which is where we are now.

To address Ian's specific point, I think he's being completely rational and logical - all he is asking for is the extreme negativity to be taken out of the situation. The booing and the calling for the manager to be sacked is simply counter-productive. Sure, you are entitled to your opinion, but does it have to be so nasty, personal and vocal during matches?

Personally, I hate it when we get like this, fighting among ourselves. I really, really hate it. I have seen enough really good performances this season to suggest that we could push for promotion, and we've had some very unlucky results against the run of play, and you simply cannot blame every single bad thing that happens during a game on the manager.

Whatever we as individual fans think, the one person who has the best handle on it is Ian Lenagan, and it is he who will decide whether Wilder stays or goes. Lenagan I am sure has a feeling for how Wilder is performing (regardless of the points on the table) against the budget he has been given, the injuries, the competition, the players at his disposal etc.

If you as a fan genuinely believe that this club would be best served by a change in manager, then can I suggest that you write a letter stating your opinions to Ian Lenagan. For fans like me, who wish to support their team, your constant moaning is like listening to a child who can't get its way.

Yes, I know I'm wasting my time trying to appeal to reason, but I just wanted to state an alternative point of view to the abuse which Wilder and Lenagan get on these comments pages, and to say to Chris Wilder that most fans are behind you and let's keep this run going. Come On You Yellows!

Well I can't say I'm surprised at the negative reaction that Ian Lenagan has received to his comments. I think he's got a right to voice his own opinion, since he owns the club, but he's appealing to people who simply cannot be reasoned with. Ian, you're wasting your time, and you're just giving them ammunition to shoot you with. We've been here so many times I could weep for my club - new manager comes in, eventually falls out of favour with the fans, fans become obsessed with getting rid of manager, nothing manager can say or do will appease fans, home wins become fewer and fewer as the atmosphere at home games becomes poisonous, manager is sacked, in comes new manager and return to start. But, I hear you demented souls cry, there is something the manager could do, he could get us promoted and then we would love him! Yes, you would love him until a few mid-season finishes in the next division, and then you will hate him again. Which is where we are now. To address Ian's specific point, I think he's being completely rational and logical - all he is asking for is the extreme negativity to be taken out of the situation. The booing and the calling for the manager to be sacked is simply counter-productive. Sure, you are entitled to your opinion, but does it have to be so nasty, personal and vocal during matches? Personally, I hate it when we get like this, fighting among ourselves. I really, really hate it. I have seen enough really good performances this season to suggest that we could push for promotion, and we've had some very unlucky results against the run of play, and you simply cannot blame every single bad thing that happens during a game on the manager. Whatever we as individual fans think, the one person who has the best handle on it is Ian Lenagan, and it is he who will decide whether Wilder stays or goes. Lenagan I am sure has a feeling for how Wilder is performing (regardless of the points on the table) against the budget he has been given, the injuries, the competition, the players at his disposal etc. If you as a fan genuinely believe that this club would be best served by a change in manager, then can I suggest that you write a letter stating your opinions to Ian Lenagan. For fans like me, who wish to support their team, your constant moaning is like listening to a child who can't get its way. Yes, I know I'm wasting my time trying to appeal to reason, but I just wanted to state an alternative point of view to the abuse which Wilder and Lenagan get on these comments pages, and to say to Chris Wilder that most fans are behind you and let's keep this run going. Come On You Yellows! Sid Snakey

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oldun says...
4:07pm Wed 13 Mar 13

Sid Snakey wrote:
Well I can't say I'm surprised at the negative reaction that Ian Lenagan has received to his comments. I think he's got a right to voice his own opinion, since he owns the club, but he's appealing to people who simply cannot be reasoned with. Ian, you're wasting your time, and you're just giving them ammunition to shoot you with.

We've been here so many times I could weep for my club - new manager comes in, eventually falls out of favour with the fans, fans become obsessed with getting rid of manager, nothing manager can say or do will appease fans, home wins become fewer and fewer as the atmosphere at home games becomes poisonous, manager is sacked, in comes new manager and return to start.

But, I hear you demented souls cry, there is something the manager could do, he could get us promoted and then we would love him! Yes, you would love him until a few mid-season finishes in the next division, and then you will hate him again. Which is where we are now.

To address Ian's specific point, I think he's being completely rational and logical - all he is asking for is the extreme negativity to be taken out of the situation. The booing and the calling for the manager to be sacked is simply counter-productive. Sure, you are entitled to your opinion, but does it have to be so nasty, personal and vocal during matches?

Personally, I hate it when we get like this, fighting among ourselves. I really, really hate it. I have seen enough really good performances this season to suggest that we could push for promotion, and we've had some very unlucky results against the run of play, and you simply cannot blame every single bad thing that happens during a game on the manager.

Whatever we as individual fans think, the one person who has the best handle on it is Ian Lenagan, and it is he who will decide whether Wilder stays or goes. Lenagan I am sure has a feeling for how Wilder is performing (regardless of the points on the table) against the budget he has been given, the injuries, the competition, the players at his disposal etc.

If you as a fan genuinely believe that this club would be best served by a change in manager, then can I suggest that you write a letter stating your opinions to Ian Lenagan. For fans like me, who wish to support their team, your constant moaning is like listening to a child who can't get its way.

Yes, I know I'm wasting my time trying to appeal to reason, but I just wanted to state an alternative point of view to the abuse which Wilder and Lenagan get on these comments pages, and to say to Chris Wilder that most fans are behind you and let's keep this run going. Come On You Yellows!

Of course IL has a right to voice his opinions (has anyone suggested that he hasn't?) - nonetheless it is an own goal to criticise even a 'minority of fans'
.CW has had a long enough spell at the club - when he took the job he must have known that a high proportion of managers are sacked within 4 years. I will see if he takes us up this season - if not then he must go . Just like yourself and IL , I exercise the right to airing my opinion . COYY - we are behind you and will be so long after CW and IL have left

[quote][p][bold]Sid Snakey[/bold] wrote: Well I can't say I'm surprised at the negative reaction that Ian Lenagan has received to his comments. I think he's got a right to voice his own opinion, since he owns the club, but he's appealing to people who simply cannot be reasoned with. Ian, you're wasting your time, and you're just giving them ammunition to shoot you with. We've been here so many times I could weep for my club - new manager comes in, eventually falls out of favour with the fans, fans become obsessed with getting rid of manager, nothing manager can say or do will appease fans, home wins become fewer and fewer as the atmosphere at home games becomes poisonous, manager is sacked, in comes new manager and return to start. But, I hear you demented souls cry, there is something the manager could do, he could get us promoted and then we would love him! Yes, you would love him until a few mid-season finishes in the next division, and then you will hate him again. Which is where we are now. To address Ian's specific point, I think he's being completely rational and logical - all he is asking for is the extreme negativity to be taken out of the situation. The booing and the calling for the manager to be sacked is simply counter-productive. Sure, you are entitled to your opinion, but does it have to be so nasty, personal and vocal during matches? Personally, I hate it when we get like this, fighting among ourselves. I really, really hate it. I have seen enough really good performances this season to suggest that we could push for promotion, and we've had some very unlucky results against the run of play, and you simply cannot blame every single bad thing that happens during a game on the manager. Whatever we as individual fans think, the one person who has the best handle on it is Ian Lenagan, and it is he who will decide whether Wilder stays or goes. Lenagan I am sure has a feeling for how Wilder is performing (regardless of the points on the table) against the budget he has been given, the injuries, the competition, the players at his disposal etc. If you as a fan genuinely believe that this club would be best served by a change in manager, then can I suggest that you write a letter stating your opinions to Ian Lenagan. For fans like me, who wish to support their team, your constant moaning is like listening to a child who can't get its way. Yes, I know I'm wasting my time trying to appeal to reason, but I just wanted to state an alternative point of view to the abuse which Wilder and Lenagan get on these comments pages, and to say to Chris Wilder that most fans are behind you and let's keep this run going. Come On You Yellows![/p][/quote]Of course IL has a right to voice his opinions (has anyone suggested that he hasn't?) - nonetheless it is an own goal to criticise even a 'minority of fans' .CW has had a long enough spell at the club - when he took the job he must have known that a high proportion of managers are sacked within 4 years. I will see if he takes us up this season - if not then he must go . Just like yourself and IL , I exercise the right to airing my opinion . COYY - we are behind you and will be so long after CW and IL have left oldun

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davecuddoufc says...
4:32pm Wed 13 Mar 13

The thing that irks me more than anything, is when you read that the chairman says he want Championship football here in the not-too-distant-futu
re. He hasn't denied this, so should we assume these comments were true? If they are, then why are we only ever getting loanees? You surely can't look to the future with players who aren't going to be around for long - can you?
Admittedly, we've been finishing near the top of the table each year. But we haven't gone up. Does that mean that IL isn't ready to go up yet.................
..? (Hmmmm)

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Bathyellow says...
5:33pm Wed 13 Mar 13

I have supported the club for 63 years in all that time as a club OUFC have always promised so much without really getting there,even in the heady days of the eighties we had the Maxwell saga hanging over our heads and because of him the club nearly went bust, he wanted everything, did put some money in Jim Smith got us up to the old 1st Div for a couple of seasons and a great Milk Cup win under that wonderful Maurice Evans. Since those days the club has been very much in decline which has made it difficult to recover from. I know IL and family are keeping us afloat even with gates down 2000 most clubs in the division would love them, as CW says we have some of the most loyal fans around as the 2nd half v Rotherham showed. My thoughts are that we need if possible to get away from the Kassam. Please don't ask me how. Until then I can't see FK selling to us or theRugby lot as he must be making a mint from both, big fear as someone said IL will not be able to keep putting money in then we have a Portsmouth situation on our hands . A difficult situation to answer for IL to get out off

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Bathyellow says...
6:08pm Wed 13 Mar 13

At the Rotherham game a Rotherham supporter gave me a programme Oxford Utd v Southport Division 4 1964 reading the notes we were stating that the gates had dropped from 10000 to around 8500 and that was at the Manor. Goes to show that if we can produce decent performances on the pitch the support is there. 33000 at Wembley we should fill the Kassam every game

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AylesburyOx says...
8:31pm Wed 13 Mar 13

I'm a hugely loyal Oxford fan, always have been and always will be and come rain and shine I'll support the club. But that's just It I support the CLUB I think a few people on here get confused and think that because I have strong anti-Wilder feelings I must not be a 'true' OUFC fan.
I think Wilder has the potential but he lets himself down and I think Lenagan has potential and he also lets himself down. I cannot see why these two men always feel the need to point fingers at the supporters and we're expected to respond by putting our hands deeper in our pockets and raise our already excellent vocal support even louder?
For me Wilder needs to ditch Lewis and Melville, accept that he can't do everything at the club and actually hire some better coaches - for god sake get someone to teach the strikers how to find the back of the net! He also needs to have faith in the youngsters, as under his stewardship the progress from youth team to first team has been appalling. If the youth team are that bad then ditch them all together and reinvest the money in the first team?
Lenagan should be a bit more forthcoming with how he plans to move the club forward; as other posters have pointed out, if we are aiming for the Championship then how are we going to achieve this and in what timescale do we plan on meeting it?

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Bathyellow says...
10:37pm Wed 13 Mar 13

The youth team under Chris Allen are doing fine it's just a big step up to the 1st team squad with no reserve team in-between. I believe letting Tyrone Marsh go to Staines on loan is a good idea. The goalkeeping situation could be settled by signing Luke McCormick with a question mark on Clarkies fitness and letting Max Crocombe go on a season loan to a Confrence Club, at least he will be playing every week and getting much needed experience instead of warming the bench

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Doctor69 says...
1:40pm Thu 14 Mar 13

Mr Lenegan, us fans pay every week and want to be entertained. If we are not satisfied, we will complain.

I for one dont call for more personal investment. Its his money, and up to him how he spends / invests it. I wouldnt pump loads of my personal cash into a league 2 team!

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Richard Wickson says...
9:05pm Thu 14 Mar 13

AylesburyOx wrote:
I'm a hugely loyal Oxford fan, always have been and always will be and come rain and shine I'll support the club. But that's just It I support the CLUB I think a few people on here get confused and think that because I have strong anti-Wilder feelings I must not be a 'true' OUFC fan.
I think Wilder has the potential but he lets himself down and I think Lenagan has potential and he also lets himself down. I cannot see why these two men always feel the need to point fingers at the supporters and we're expected to respond by putting our hands deeper in our pockets and raise our already excellent vocal support even louder?
For me Wilder needs to ditch Lewis and Melville, accept that he can't do everything at the club and actually hire some better coaches - for god sake get someone to teach the strikers how to find the back of the net! He also needs to have faith in the youngsters, as under his stewardship the progress from youth team to first team has been appalling. If the youth team are that bad then ditch them all together and reinvest the money in the first team?
Lenagan should be a bit more forthcoming with how he plans to move the club forward; as other posters have pointed out, if we are aiming for the Championship then how are we going to achieve this and in what timescale do we plan on meeting it?

An excellent post if I may say so. People think that fans that complain are being negative and don't care, that's a totally wrong assumption. Like you I too are loyal tho some on here tell me I am not, I have lived in Ellesmere Port, Cheshire since August 1979 and am a regular at the Kassam and many away grounds too, it's a round trip of 320 miles but I do it because I grew up in Oxford and stay loyal to the club and team. Managers come and go, players come and go and so to do Chaimen but most fans stay with their club. We voice our opinions because we care and that doesn't mean I think the Chairman and Manager don't, IL has put a lot of money in so too over the years have we, collectively as fans the club can't do without us, some fall by the wayside and some don't come back. It would have been so easy for me to have turned to Liverpool, Everton or Tranmere, quite a lot from here go to the 2Manchester clubs. I am not asking for praise by staying with OU, purely pointing out I stay with them cos I want to, no other reason. It's a fact the team have been very inconsistent this season, magnificent and downright awful in fairly equal measure, the manager tinkers and sometimes sends out inexplicable formations, we have a dozen shots, a dozen corners and don't score once, the opponents have a dodgy free kick and win the game because we didn't mark up, that I know is football but its happened too frequently this season. I personally think CW is unsure what his best team and or formation are, I am totally aware the injury list would tax even Sir Alex or the Special One but CW doesn't appear to care about medical s so has to shoulder a large part of the blame. Some of his loanees have come here only to get fit and go back to where they came, appearing not to care about OU or show even a hint of gratitude to Wilder for giving them the opportunity. My last comments are that I wouldn't be a manager for all the world, I just wish I could drop the Euromillions big time and put my money where my mouth is, Kassam could then stick his awful concrete monstrosity wherever he wanted.

[quote][p][bold]AylesburyOx[/bold] wrote: I'm a hugely loyal Oxford fan, always have been and always will be and come rain and shine I'll support the club. But that's just It I support the CLUB I think a few people on here get confused and think that because I have strong anti-Wilder feelings I must not be a 'true' OUFC fan. I think Wilder has the potential but he lets himself down and I think Lenagan has potential and he also lets himself down. I cannot see why these two men always feel the need to point fingers at the supporters and we're expected to respond by putting our hands deeper in our pockets and raise our already excellent vocal support even louder? For me Wilder needs to ditch Lewis and Melville, accept that he can't do everything at the club and actually hire some better coaches - for god sake get someone to teach the strikers how to find the back of the net! He also needs to have faith in the youngsters, as under his stewardship the progress from youth team to first team has been appalling. If the youth team are that bad then ditch them all together and reinvest the money in the first team? Lenagan should be a bit more forthcoming with how he plans to move the club forward; as other posters have pointed out, if we are aiming for the Championship then how are we going to achieve this and in what timescale do we plan on meeting it?[/p][/quote]An excellent post if I may say so. People think that fans that complain are being negative and don't care, that's a totally wrong assumption. Like you I too are loyal tho some on here tell me I am not, I have lived in Ellesmere Port, Cheshire since August 1979 and am a regular at the Kassam and many away grounds too, it's a round trip of 320 miles but I do it because I grew up in Oxford and stay loyal to the club and team. Managers come and go, players come and go and so to do Chaimen but most fans stay with their club. We voice our opinions because we care and that doesn't mean I think the Chairman and Manager don't, IL has put a lot of money in so too over the years have we, collectively as fans the club can't do without us, some fall by the wayside and some don't come back. It would have been so easy for me to have turned to Liverpool, Everton or Tranmere, quite a lot from here go to the 2Manchester clubs. I am not asking for praise by staying with OU, purely pointing out I stay with them cos I want to, no other reason. It's a fact the team have been very inconsistent this season, magnificent and downright awful in fairly equal measure, the manager tinkers and sometimes sends out inexplicable formations, we have a dozen shots, a dozen corners and don't score once, the opponents have a dodgy free kick and win the game because we didn't mark up, that I know is football but its happened too frequently this season. I personally think CW is unsure what his best team and or formation are, I am totally aware the injury list would tax even Sir Alex or the Special One but CW doesn't appear to care about medical s so has to shoulder a large part of the blame. Some of his loanees have come here only to get fit and go back to where they came, appearing not to care about OU or show even a hint of gratitude to Wilder for giving them the opportunity. My last comments are that I wouldn't be a manager for all the world, I just wish I could drop the Euromillions big time and put my money where my mouth is, Kassam could then stick his awful concrete monstrosity wherever he wanted. Richard Wickson

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