05/Mar/2005 (Exeter) - Richard Skilbeck

As an Oxfordshire based City fan, I would like to take this opportunity to highlight some very strange events at Oxford United Football Club. Graham Rix was fired as their Manager in December 2004 after a string of poor results. Nothing unusual there you may think. What is highly unusual is his replacement. Ramon Diaz, the Argentinian who guided giants River Plate to five league titles, was announced by the club as his replacement. This is quite remarkable in an industry where the same Managers appear to be on a merry go round of jobs up and down the country. Continental Managers have become common place in the higher echelons of the league, but not so in the lower divisions. The intrigue does not stop there. Diaz, dragged away from his home town of Monte Carlo, also brought with him Head Coach Horacio Rodriguez, a Doctor, a Physio and two translators. To add a further twist, non of them appear to be on the pay roll.

There is a great deal of scepticism amongst the Oxford United fanbase, and those who I work with suggest there may be some kind of ulterior motive. Firoz Kasam, the Chairman has stated that Diaz will receive a stake in the Football Club if he is successful. Quite what his measure of success is, I am not sure, and a percentage of what?

The Chairman has built up a reputation as an unambitious figurehead of the club, although many fans have to be careful about how they display their feelings as Oxford United would almost certainly have gone out of business had he not come along. Perhaps he feels that appointing one of the top rated coaches in the world will help to shake off this reputation. So far, results are suggesting that the radical change is working with Diaz winning the Football League Two Manager of the Month award for January in his first full month of English football. The local press are urging fans not to get carried away stating that Oxford United have taken on the tag of barmiest football club in the land. Previous owners of that tag have to be Carlisle, Exeter and our very own club, and look at which league these Team's are now playing their football in! Watch this space.

NEXT MEETING - NEW DATE - MONDAY 14 MARCH 2005

Come and join us at our March meeting to watch our match on SKY TV. Everyone welcome to come along on MONDAY 14 MARCH from 7.00 pm to cheer on the team at THE OLD DOCTOR BUTLER'S HEAD, 2 Masons Avenue, London EC2 5BT. We are likely to be in main bar [ground floor]. Lots of real ales on offer! Pub telephone number 020 7606 3504. Nearest tube stations are BANK [suggest use exit one] and ST PAULS [both on the Central Line]; or MOORGATE [on the Northern, Circle, Metropolitan and Hammersmith and City lines]. Come and join us at our March meeting to watch our match on SKY TV. Everyone welcome to come along on MONDAY 14 MARCH from 7.00 pm to cheer on the team at THE OLD DOCTOR BUTLER'S HEAD, 2 Masons Avenue, London EC2 5BT. We are likely to be in main bar [ground floor]. Lots of real ales on offer! Pub telephone number 020 7606 3504. Nearest tube stations are BANK [suggest use exit one] and ST PAULS [both on the Central Line]; or MOORGATE [on the Northern, Circle, Metropolitan and Hammersmith and City lines].For more information, please contact Alastair Smith on 01903 813557.