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Oxford United F.C.

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Oxford United
Oxford United badge
Full nameOxford United Football Club
Nickname(s)The U's
Founded1893
GroundKassam Stadium, Oxford
Capacity12,500
ChairmanFiroz Kassam
ManagerBrian Talbot
LeagueLeague Two
2004-05League Two, 15th

Oxford United F.C. is an English football team currently playing in Football League Two.

The club is owned by chairman Firoz Kassam and managed by Brian Talbot. Its home ground is the Kassam Stadium in Oxford with a capacity of 12,500.

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 17th 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. 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, and 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 chairman Kevin Maxwell, son of former chairman Robert Maxwell, over the £1 million sale of striker Dean Saunders to Derby County, now owned by Kevin's father, Robert. 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 Dennis 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.

Promotion success in Division Two

Dennis 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 successfuly 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 pound 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.

Declining fortunes

Dennis Smith returned to Oxford for the 1999–2000 season after being sacked by West Bromwich Albion, and was hopeful of reproducing the promotion success he had enjoyed four seasons earlier. But the club's mounting debts sabotaged his chances of success, and Oxford 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.

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 Ramon Diaz, 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.

Honours

  • League Titles – Div. 2: Champions 1984–5, Runners Up 1995–6; Div. 3: Champions 1967–8, 1983–4; Div. 4: Promoted (4th) 1964–5
  • FA Cup – Best season: 6th round, 1964 (a shared record for a 4th Division club).
  • League Cup – Winners 1986.

Template:English Division Three

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