From: Keith Henley

I have been an Oxford United fan since the Southern League days and after
supported the club through thick and thin. I am not, by any stretch of the
imagination, a Man Utd fan but I find your bigotted attitude towards their
progress in Europe particularly distasteful. Whilst I agree with your
sentiments regarding the big clubs taking an ever increasing slice of the
professional football cake, I fail to see how losing a European Cup Final
would have any impact on the situation. As an Englishman I support all of
our teams in Europe, particularly those with an above average ratio of
English players.
FOUL as an organisation is doing a sterling job, whilst every individual is
entitled to their opinion I do not believe FOUL's interests are best served
by using its Web page to promote an extremist view based on nothing other
than envy of the success of another club. The effect will be turn off many
potential supporters of a very worthy cause.

Hi James,
I'm just mailing to register my support for your cause. Luckily at York City we've never been in too badder financial situation but we have an arrogant owner with minimal respect for the fans who told the fans that if they didn't like what they were seeing they could stay away.
It's really sad to see a club like Oxford in the dire straights they currently face. I seem to be reading all too often that another take-over bid has just fallen through.  I've seen Oxford a few times this season on Sky (v Portsmouth and Norwich I think) and I was very impressed with the team itself on both occasions, despite your grim position in the league. Surely, if Oxford can stay afloat they will survive in the first division. Players like Dean Windass, Joey Beauchamp and Brian Wilsterman must be too good for division two. And Malcolm Shotton is a good manager.
Anyway I see big Kev is on his way back so that might give you a boost.
Good luck for the rest of the season,

Will Thornton
E-Mail: will_thornton_15@yahoo.com
Red and Blue NET: http://yorkcity.tsx.org
==

James

I feel your comments today (5/1/99) were a bit harsh. Firstly, I'm surprised
that you are begrudging OUFC the right to make the most of a desperately
needed boost. Secondly it is only a one-off game. It compares with bands
playing gigs. For example, you would expect to pay more to see Radiohead
playing the Zodiac than to watch The Unbelievable Truth there.

I don't think such a knee-jerk reaction is very helpful at this time. Premier
League clubs, Chelsea in particular, are unjustifiably 'ripping off the fans'
every week, so we should be grateful that OUFC is still communiating with the
ordinary supporter and is still a community club.

Peter Hart
FOUL member

James;

Just a quick note to wish you, everyone involved with FOUL and Oxford United FC the best of luck with your current struggle.

Keep on keeping on. It matters so much.

Jeremy Richens
(Portsmouth FC supporter.)

A brief note to wish you all well. As a supporter of Cambridge Utd we have two things in common: A famous university and no money. Two seasons ago it could easily have been us, so I feel for you, as I also do for Chester fans and all other clubs struggling in the lower divisions. Before long the Premiership will either collapse under the weight of share-holder pressure for higher dividends, disperse into Europe or become totally inaccessible to the average fan. I have 2 suggestions:
1. Get every OUFC fan who has ever boosted the bulging coffers of the Prems by buying their kids a replica premiership shirt to pledge the same amount to your fund. Shame on them! Also fine anyone turning up at your ground wearing one!

2. Contact Bournemouth who "got out of jail" by forming a community trust to purchase and run the club.

Best of luck in your fight. Don't give up!

Andy Marsh

I am a Brighton and Hove Albion fan through and through . I wish Oxford
United all the best for the future as it is the roughest thing that could
ever happen to a club .

Good Luck

Yosef Salameh

James, I wasn't there, and don't get there often - I live in York.
However it was worthwhile - people in this area are now much more aware
of what is happening to our club. IMHO though these things must be done
(as they were on Sunday) peacefully. I disagree with the boycott idea -
the teams need support but the halftime invasion - limited so it does
not interrupt the match and post match protests are, I feel essential.

Good luck to you and Oxford - let's hope we are both around for many
years to come! and thanks for your support!
--
John Michaels
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Hi James

I am one of the pompey fans on the Portsmouth Mailing List and I have read
both your contributions to our list.

I am an Oxford based pompey fan so I am well aware of the problems at Oxford
United as are many pompey fans. I took part in the post match pitch invasion
and all game demonstrations on Sunday so thought I would give you my views
on what is going on at pomepy and how the demonstrations went.

It is far too soon to tell if it has been effective. I suspect that in terms
of the Chairman it will have little or no effect, however, since the game
was broadcast on sky it gave us some good publicity. The Sky team were
contacted before the game and given details of the protest, as were all
national newspapers, local newspapers, local Grimsby newspapers, internet
news providers, local and national radio channels. Many of the media
channels contacted covered the story at least in part. So far as I have
heard, there was coverage in the Guardian, Times and Mirror (the Guardian
carried an advertisement of the demonstration on Sunday) Radio 5 gave it a
lot of coverage during the game and Sky really went for it. There was a lot
of coverage before the game, and full coverage of the half time pitch
invasion. Unfortunately the sit-in after the game was not covered, although
it appeared on local and national news later in the evening.

Nearly all the coverage (with the exception of the Mirror reports - but what
can you expect) was sympathetic to the fans, no doubt helped by the fact
that everything went off peacefully. I think that good publicity is probably
important, violent behaviour could potentially put off investors or buyers.

The reasoning behind it was simply that we have got to get rid of our
chairman before he kills the club. There really isnt much the fans can do so
making our feelings heard at the game was a good first step. We also wanted
the outside world to know what was happening as many people (even football
fans) seem to be unaware how close Pompey is to no longer being a club!

Everything happened very fast, only two weeks ago there were still people
backing Gregory but there are rumours that we will be going into
receivership sometime this week (how true they are remains to be seen).

I, and many of the others on the mailing list, think active protest in the
only way forward. Times have got desperate (Ray Wilkins described the
situation as desperately serious on Sky) and I think everyone feels they
have got to do something to save the club. All the supporters clubs seem to
have gone political. The Portsmouth Supporter Club, with closest links to
the club organised the demonstration and invited all the other supporters
clubs to join in. Which they did.

The demonstration was organised within a week and everyone mobilised pretty
quickly. Most people seem interested in doing something to help. Our next
step is to start boycotting games. We will be starting with the Oxford game
(28 December) and Oxford fans will be asked to join us in the boycott and
demonstrations outside the ground. We hope to be able to cheer on our team
from outside without giving another penny to Gregory. I think the idea at
the moment is to bankrupt the club as he obviously isnt going to sell it.

Obviously we feel great sympathy for you and your situation. I think it
would be helpful to join forces and help each other out. I dont know what
your feelings on the matter are but I know that the Portsmouth Supporters
Clubs will be contacting Oxford Supporters Clubs as well as Brighton,
Bournemouth and anyone else who is in or has been in a similar situation to
give each other advice, ideas and support.

If you are interested in discussing this further please feel free to e-mail
me and perhaps we could meet up. I know the Internet Supporters Committee
very well and the Social Secretary of the Portsmouth Supporters Club and
would be happy to put you in contact with anyone you feel might be able to
help you.

I wish you every luck with your campaign

Sarah Shannon
Portsmouth Til I Die
We Want Gregory OUT

Up the U”s
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

James,

Thanks for the messages of support, and the interest in our mutual plight.
The views as far as the pitch invasion are concerned seem to be that
initially the half time one was bad. Afterwards though, many people say they
changed their minds and realised it was necessary. The key point obviously
is to remain peaceful, as well as to take active action. Like at Palace a
few weeks ago, we made our point, but remained peaceful while everyone
expected it to kick off. You get brownie points for being good!

It will be interesting to see what happens at the Pompey-Oxford game in a
couple of weeks. You may have seen talk of mutual boycotts, a march through
Pompey before the game, and Oxford fans in our end/Pompey fans in the away
end. It is to a certain extent bad timing, as a month or so later and we
could perhaps tried to arrange a Fans United III day. Have Oxford had much
contact with Bournemouth/Doncaster/Brighton BTW?

Best Wishes,

Nigel Bailey (Secretary, Internet Supporters Club)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hello James.

What a shame we have such a nasty thing in common.  I have a little bit of a
soft spot for the Us as years ago I used to come up there and watch you.  I am
a John Dreyer fan and still follow him but it all started at Oxford!

Our supporters club will be contacting your supporters club to arrange a
boycott at the game on the 28th December at Fratton Park.  We want to come
together with your fans that day as a Crisis Club Day.  I hope you will be able
to join us.

The main thing is to fight for your right James.  Don't give up!

Good luck.

Emma Mitchell

James,

My interest in Oxford and your current plight stems purely from my wife
who is an Oxford fan and as a result totally despondant at the moment.

My lot isn't a great deal better as I'm a Lincoln fan !!! As you are
probably aware we too have dire financial difficulties but that's really
where our similarity ends. Our Chairman is a top bloke (even if he has
now become manager) and loves the club to bits. He's not wealthy by
Football League standards but there is no way he'll ever see the club
disappear. However, a couple of months back you may have read that we
were about to go under (clever publicity stunt) when the truth was that
we were losing money and were too poor to compete in Div 2. Not an
enticing prospect !!! As I've said the Chairman will keep the club going
but a supporters initiative has been organised in order to help wipe out
our debts, provide funding for players and hopefully assist in the
running of the club which is fairly unique.

You can find details of the scheme here
http://www.redimps.com/impetus.htm

I know your predicament is far more serious and manifests itself in a
completely different way but I'd hate to see Oxford Utd go under and I
guess any ideas are welcome.

Good luck all the same.

Dean

To Whom It May Concern
    I am Barnsley fan through and through but a supporter of football
in general. It saddens me that a club like oxford are in danger of
going bankrupt. I also feel guilty as my club will get 3million
pounds over the next 2 years to help pay the players wages. Money we
are entitled to as we spent just 1 year in the premiership. I would
like to comment that this seems a little unfair given that the money
could be better spent supporting league clubs as a whole, especially
those who can't afford their own wage bill.
    I think that it would be a good idea to carry donation buckets
around away grounds, this would raise both money and awareness for
your campaign. I wish you all the best off luck in your campaign. You
have one of the most dedicated bosses in football as your manager.
And hopefully we will share another great day like the last day of
the season during our promotion campaign.
       Best Wishes
         Leigh Parry

I read your message on the soccer board about Oxford. It's a nightmare
position to be in and like you say there are a hell of a lot of clubs in a
similar position. My club - Hull City - have been through a dreadful time
with chairmen ex-chairmen etc so we know how bad things can be. We've been
in danger of being wound up in the High Court a few times too. Anyway none
of that is relevant to you - my main reason for writing is that we got
loads of letters/emails of support from fellow supporters, and it really
gave our mailing list a boost. It was so nice to feel that, despite on
pitch rivalries, basically we can all support each other in the end.

So good luck in your plight - and just remember who discovered your best
player - Deano - he was a big big favourite - and if our chairman gets his
act together maybe we can help you out by buying him back!

Sue.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

As a loyal and proud Scarborough fan of the last ten years, it has
saddened me to see the seadogs in such a state.  Like oxford, but
obviously in a smaller scale, we are in debt; £650,000 to be precise.
We at scarborough football club aim to fight this to the very end even
though it looks like we won't have a club this time next year.

This is what you at Oxford United must do, rally around and get as much
support as is possible and together you will fight off this terrible
situation.

JOHNSON OUT!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Good luck to Oxford United from a Scarborough fan.

With Oxford, Scarborough, Chester... and who else, I wonder?... in
financial straits we must make a noise to prevent the demise of any clubs.

FANS UNITED! Oh, yeah, and stuff the Premiership!

PAUL
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

I hope that you sort out your financial difficulties, and can survive for a
few more seasons yet!!

Scarborough FC are in  a similar position, so if we all get together,
hopefully we can change football (it's worth a go)

Good Luck!
Steven Smith
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

good luck with your atempt to survive!

i am a scarborough fan and we r in the same situation.

James,

It really does seem like we're both up the proverbial creek and we
don't even have a boat let alone a paddle. However, my dad can
remember a time about 20 years ago when we were in the same position
and we pulled through it then, so we'll both pull through it now.
Something will step in and save us both, God willing!

You have my support as well - good luck!

Em Steward

Hi James,

You're dead right about the 'Big Boys'. If you're not in the Premiership you
don't exist.

On a slightly different note, I watched your great victory against Norwich
on Sky and they were talking about a takeover.  Do you know whose behind
this?  The guy who was trying to buy Pompey, name Wolanin (American Tycoon),
said at the time that if he didn't get PFC he might look elsewhere for a
club.  Is he connected with Oxford now?
Rumour on our list is that he's still looking at Pompey.

Cheers

Mark
(from Portsmouth mailing list)

In reply to my posting on the Pompey mailing list as follows:
Hi there,

I'm an Oxford supporter, and I noticed that like Oxford, Portsmouth have
been forced to borrow money from the PFA to pay player wages. I just wanted
to say I wish you all the best to come through these troubled times. We
beleagured clubs should stick together.

It seems crazy that clubs such as Oxford and Portsmouth, both in the top
flight in the last fifteen years, should now be in such a mess. Most of the
"big boys" seem not to care about any club outside the Premiership, so the
Nationwide League clubs really do have to form an alliance.

Good luck!

James Beard.

Good luck to you to James. Is your Chairman as useless as ours or are there
other factors surrounding your problems? I know your stadium development got
into a right old mess is this the root of your problems?

Tony H
(from Portsmouth mailing list)

Hope you pull through. It's sad when teams like Man Utd spend 12 million
on crap like Jaap Stam, and yet these teams can't even afford a few
thousand to help a club like Oxford.
Teams like Oxford are the teams that real supporters support and it
would be an absolute tragedy if you went to the wall.
Millwall, Bournemouth, Halifax, Doncaster, etc have all had these
problems and survived, so let's hope you can too.

Thanks for Denis Smith (not)

Hugh (a West Brom fan)

Posted by: Dan
On: November 27, 1998 at 13:21:10:

I know we want them dead and buried on Sunday, which is of primary importance,
but Oxford United are in serious danger of going under for good. As you may
have seen from the Guestbook, FOUL (Fighting for Oxford United's Life), is a
campaign set up to try and raise awareness about their plight.

I've lived near Oxford for nearly ten years and been to the Manor on several
occasions, it's a ground which can produce a magic atmosphere, like most of
these old grounds. However the London Road is a lot better than most and
seeing any club go under, whatever their size is not a nice sight.

I think that FOUL should receive the support of all supporters everywhere,
along with any other clubs that are fighting for their lives. Our debts are
under nothing compared to Oxford, who can't pay their staff and are having to
off-load their best players for seriously under valued prices.

Check out the Guestbook for the message from Neil @ OUFC who explains it in
more detail and give it your support.

Good luck to Norwich on Sunday, there is no question of who I'll be supporting
on Sunday, but I think Oxford need every fans support to keep them alive.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lewisham Canary 27/11
Totally agree (except I've never been to the Manor ground so I don't know what
it's like). The media always talk about how it's a "bad day for English
football" when Liverpool/Man U/whoever lose in Europe, but for me it would be
a worse day if any professional club went bust, and what's really bad is when
stories like this get less attention in certain parts of the media than the
latest thing Hoddle/Shearer/Gazza has said. Good luck to Oxford (after Sunday)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Neil,
Even though in the 70's Oxford was one of my favorite "annual outings" (when
we would occupy your end from the minute the gates opened and then fight to
stay there for the rest of the game) I have always watched your clubs
"progress" with interest. All genuine football fans will send their support to
your club in the hope that you survive. I am as dedicated to NCFC as you
obviously are with OUFC so wish you every success with your campaign to turn
the club around.
Most supporters will remember your famous cup wins at the Manor Ground over
the old First Division clubs in the 80's. I hope those days return in the not
too distant future.
Any idea how many tickets have been sold by Oxford for the game on Sunday? We
are hoping for a Sell-Out.
We had a Chairman (you may remember our own "Chase Out" campaign) who put our
club heavily in debt (£7M) while telling prospective managers such as Martin
O'Neill that the club was in the black....b*****d! So good luck, but after
Sunday please!
When you look at the game last season when Brighton played Doncaster it really
brought home the "povety" at the bottom end of the leages. The despair in the
faces of both sets of supporters knowing they had no control over the destiny
of either club makes me feel very humble to be supporting a team like Norwich.
I agree with Karlos in that Man Utd, Chelsea, Arsenal etc are so far removed
from the likes of say, Lincoln, that to say they are only two leages away is
like saying Norwich is walking distance from the moon! There used to be HOPE
that teams could put together a run and get promoted from the third to the
Premiership as Watford, Carlisle, Swansea, and Northampton have done in the
past, but those days are now gone.
If only the "big" clubs had some sort of slush fund (perhaps £250K each to
play in the Premier Leage) to help bail out clubs that are in the real risk of
going into receivership. Oh well, we can all dream.
I am getting on my soapbox, so I'll jump down and just wish you the very best
in your struggle for survival.
TP
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

I read further down the bulletin board that Oxford are £13 million in debt!!
Is this true? And if so how on earth did they get as bad as that?

Its frightening that any club can lose that amount of money!

There are several teams in financial problems just now and could fold at any
point. As well as Oxford you have teams like Partick Thistle and Raith in
Scotland.

Raiths future is being counted in days!

The amazing thing about some of the clubs which could go to the wall is the
amount of money they owe. For example Partick only owed something like 100,000
it certainly wasn't millions.

In a time when teams are spending ludicrous amounts of money (Man Utd for
Yorke, Newcastle for Duncan Ferguson) its ironic that teams could finish just
owing 100s of thousands!!!

Surely its time some sort of fund was started by all the clubs to bail out
clubs in danger or provide some assistance.

Or alternatively is it not about time transfer fees were restricted to a
maximum amount. We have had Bosman but it still isn't enough. If transfer fees
were capped it might help the smaller teams. They wouldn't have to spend as
much to compete! Players would move depending on team they preferred,
financial terms - not transfer fee!

Today we are fortunate at Peterborough United to have a millionaire
Chairman who looks set to keep on picking up the tab for the foreseeable
future.  He knows sod all about football so we can only stand and watch as
Barry Fry drags us down - but at least its our team and we can stand and
watch them!

I used to live in Headington in the mid eighties so well remember the games
v Reading and your loving relationship with Millwall !  At that time Jason
Secole (probably spelt wrong!) was the golden boy and Mick Tait was banging
in the goals.

Football is really all about clubs like Peterborough and Oxford.

All the best for the future - I'm sure you will find a answer.
Regards
Mark
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Regardless of loyalties to ones own club, etc., when the chips are down and
the very heart of our great national game is threatened, football supporters
should stick together.

Oxford, like Colchester United, is a provincial side that will always live
from hand to mouth. Supporters at clubs like ours are probably more
dedicated to their club than the higher teams, particularly those in the
Premiership.

Yes, we can all support Manchester United, as many millions do world wide (a
club whose supporters who have never seen them play live out-number those
that have!!!!), but the essence is supporting the mainstay of football
particularly in the lower leagues. Unfortunately, many clubs have
experienced those spoilt, rich bastards who decide they want to "play" the
football entrepreneur with disastrous results - I was at Doncaster Rovers
last league game, their downfall basically orchestrated by those that had
very little interest in football!!!

During my errant youth I spent a lot of time in the Oxford area
(particularly around Wolvercote) and saw Oxford on some occasions. Yes, I
fully offer my support in you plight. Unfortunately support is all I can
offer - I'm just a poor, honest working chap who enjoys football.

Best of luck in your endeavours.

Bob H
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sorry to hear of your plight.

Cobblers' problems resulted in a council takeover; we've just finished paying
off the debt, but the club is still owned by the local authority. I imagine
details of the process we went through have been passed on to your board
through the Football League forum.

Good Luck

Richard
Crowborough Cobbler
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

hi there,
i am on both the northampton town and colchester united lists, so ive passed the
messages on from them :) Let me know if you need help at all, i really would like
to help. i am chairman of the f.s.a at birmingham university, so if you need any
assistance im willing to get involved

matt (mch629@novell4.bham.ac.uk)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

As supporters of a non premiership side, Colchester United, we have always
found it some what sad that despite the abundance of cash available in the
Premiership,  these clubs never have the willingness to support the grass-
roots.

Our local MP, Bob Russell, recently suggested some form of taxation on the
richer clubs to aid clubs such as Oxford United.  Unfortunately the idea was
dismissed as trivial by Dawn Primarolo, the financial secretary to the
treasury.  The Liberal Democrat want a regulatory body set up to stop the ever
widening monetary gap between top and bottom clubs.  Perhaps the local MP for
Oxford could join ranks with Mr Russell ??????

Good Luck !!!!!

Chris Howlett and Suzanne Goody
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Good Luck with your campaign which I saw on the P'boro Unt site.

Gerald

I am a Belgian Chelsea fan and read your story on our forum. It's very
sad, but I see you fans are doing all you can. And that is the way. Fans
are not unimportant. Keep showing your loyalty to Oxford United and keep
turning up at the matches in large numbers.
The story I have is a similar one from Belgium. My favourite team in
Belgium has always been Beerschot (located in the city of Antwerp). They
played in our Premier division for years and it has a large number of
'potential' fans (as soon as the results come, everyone turns up, you
know). At a certain time the club was in deep financial trouble. The
management was absolute crap and players' wages remained unpaid for
months. At a certain point they received even cheques that weren't
covered. All decent players left the club and they started the season in
our second division (your 1st) with a team of youngsters. They were
wiped out week after week, with a 3-0 loss being called a success. So
they relegated to third. But fans kept showing up. Home matches, away
matches, we kept following the team, being the lauging stock of the
whole country.
Now things are brightening up. The team goes into a merger with another
team, that plays in the Premier league but has very little support. We
know that next year the merged team will play in our stadium, in mainly
our colours, and with Beerschot being the main part of the name.
Suddenly money comes flowing in. The city council invests milions in the
renovation of the stadium. European giants Ajax want to participe in the
new team, and private investors show their interest.
A merger may not be a true solution, but it illustrates that your role
as fans is to keep faith and hope. When I see what you guys are doing, I
can only approve of it. I am sure that your actions will also be
successful at last. Good luck to you.

MV
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dear F.O.U.L.
 Oxford do indeed have my whole hearted sympathy. What a mess. As
a football fan (Colchester Utd infact) I think it's a great shame that
any club is in such financial straights, but a club of Oxford's size and
stature, it's an awful state of affairs.
 My sympathy is only expanded by the facts that a) my girlfriend's
from Oxford and always has one eye on their results and b) I know what
it's like. Colchester had a really lean time not so long ago. Which
culminated in us being threatened with being refused our promotion from
the Gm Vauxhall conference (circa Stevenage etc.) as our ground wasn't
upto scratch. In desperation our fans banded together to raise cash and
eventually a fistfull of us ended up at Layer Road with paint brushes and
ladders etc. in hand to help maintain and brush up the stadium in time
for us to make promotion.
 However it would seem that this kind of action wouldn't do much
for Oxford, unless you happen to have several hundred qualified builders
who're prepared to work for free! And as for the £14m you require the
only thing I can think of that would leave you with any players left and
is legal is buying several lottery tickets and praying for a mega
roll-over. Sorry.
 Anyway, good luck Oxford. We share a common nickname so.....

UP THE U'S!!!!

Andy C

A meesage from a Brentford supporter on behalf I am sure of all Brentford
fans, to say good luck in your efforts to save Oxford United FC. As a club
Brentford have recently been saved from individuals ruining the club for
personal gain, so you have my every sympathy in your fight. If the fans
pull together and the situation is given enough media support then I am
sure you will survive. Good Luck Oxford United FC.

Thomas Bathurst (Brentford FC)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sorry to read your message on the Fulham board this morning. I'm sure every
Fulham supporter understands how you feel and wishes you people the very
best of luck.

Chas.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Never give up. Never accept that Oxford will die. Stand with pride for your
club. Sell fairy cakes at 5p each at a school fair if you have to. Whatever it
takes, a club like Oxford is filled with true football supporters - and that
alone is good enough reason to fight for your existance.

There are thousands of people who, like me, have absolutely no affiliation
with Oxford United Football Club other than we know what it's like to love our
football club and to stare extinction of the very thing you hold so dear in
your hearts in the face. It is for this reason that people like me will give
you all the support possible to prevent the unthinkable - extinction of OUFC.

Keep the faith. Always.
Garry.
Fulham supporter of 25 years.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

I saw your e-mail on the Fulham Independent this morning, so thought I'd
write in support of F.O.U.L.

As you know, Fulham were in a similar sort of predicament a few years
ago, and we (the fans) mounted a highly successful publicity and fund
raising campaign, eventually called Fulham 2000. Having written to every
supporters group and fanzine in the country, we received generous
support (including money) from supporters nationwide, and I particularly
remember an Arsenal flag at Wembley stating: "Arsenal fans say Save
Fulham". This, of course, was seen on prime time TV, was picked up on by
the commentator, and this helped enormously.

It was a difficult time, and at one stage I really did think that we
would go to the wall, but the publicity generated by the campaign
eventually paid off, and Jimmy Hill and his backers arrived in the nick
of time. There are obvious similarities with Oxford United's position
now: we were heavily in debt; well-remembered as a top division club;
had a number of good players identified as coming from the club; the
ground was falling apart; and we were reliant on a shrinking fan base.

My message to F.O.U.L. would be: don't give up, because football fans do
care about the precarious existance "enjoyed" by numerous Nationwide
clubs, and will rally round in times of need. But also bear in mind that
successful campaign's need to be well organised and high pressure.

Best of luck to all OUFC supporters.
ROB DICKMAN
FULHAM SUPPORTER
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

I am sorry to hear of your teams plight & wish you every success in
your search for extra cash. It,s a pity a bit more can,t be filtered down
from the very top.
 good luck
  gazers.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

To all members of FOUL best of luck and respect from a Fulham fan. I have
many  memories of matches at your place and the city of Oxford would be a
poorer place without OUFC ,- how about tapping some of the colleges for
support they`re     rolling in it and some of them must like football as
opposed to Rugby and rowing.
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I am a Fulham supporter, but nevertheless am dismayed at the thought of
Oxford Utd being forced out of business. They have always had a
reputation for entertaining football, produced some great players and
would be sadly missed. I can well remember a visit to the Manor Ground
in 1968 when Oxford deservedly won 1-0 against Fulham and was impressed
witht the passionate support for Oxford, which I am sure is still in
evidence today.

Good luck with your campaign.
Regards,
Mark Stimpson
mstimpson@adaytum.co.uk
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Hi, I am a Fulham fan.  Until we were lucky enough to have Mohammed Al
Fayed pump his money into our club, we had been threatened with extinction
for over 10 years, and it was a miserable time.  Life would have been
incomplete without our team playing on Saturday.  I know the heartache this
threat created, and I can only hope that Oxford United are also saved from
the brink.  Football teams form a strong community in all areas of the UK,
and it is not something that should be lost.

Good luck Oxford United, long may you continue as a football club.

Christian Riches.
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Very sorry to hear of your troubles. I know that Oxford are a big club
and have been around for ever. 13.5 big ones is a huge problem to
overcome. How on earth did you get in that sort of trouble without
someone spotting it/shutting you down/selling up?

Now that it has happened, it doesn't mean then end, however. We (Leyton
Orient) were in a similar position (albeit not quite on the same scale)
only a few years ago. The same story of players not getting paid,
whiprounds with a bucket amongst the fans during the match, etc. Our
situation was due to Chairman Tony Wood's African coffee business being
hit with the early-90's recession, so it was more a case of sadness than
bitterness. Then Barry Hearn showed up, bought the club for a fiver
(including taking on it's debts), and so far we are trading in the black
apparently.

All of this rambling is just to illustrate that a desparate position can
be turned round, and hopefully there are still people out there prepared
to do it. I sincerely hope you don't lose your club - I know what it
means to support a club, and face losing it.

I'll keep a look out for you lot in future. Up the O's.
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Sincere best wishes for your campaign to keep Oxford United in business,
from a Fulham fan.

Albert Bullen
EMail:- Albert.Bullen@Fina.be
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 All the very best to you and don't give up.Football needs supporters like
you.

Keep your chin up

Geoff Jackson (Fulham supporter)
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Good luck from a Halifax Town fan. Keep the faith.

Regards
Paul H

E-Mail: pjh@ephtl.demon.co.uk
Website: http://www.ephtl.demon.co.uk/ephtl/index.htm
ICQ num: 16569347
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sorry to hear about your problems at OXford. Here at Rochdale we are very
lucky to have a great chairman who loves the team. He does not have a lot of
money, but know how to run a team and in fact despite being one of the
smallest teams in England, we were the 2nd most profitable team in the North
West lasy year (behind some club from Salford, you may have heard from them)
Hope everything goes well. Contact Brighton fans for protest tips. You must be
original. If not, it won't make the news. Any publicity will do
Up The Dale (and good luck)
Col
The Alternative Dale Website
http://members.aol.com/upthedale/index.html
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Got your message on the Fulham TFI  message board.
Good luck in your struggle.

Paul Hill

Oxford till I die with yellow blood in my veins,
Richard Coppock

A short note to thank you for putting a news page together which pulls everything into one place.  Have been getting different stories from different places all week, at least we now know how far up shit creek without a paddle we really are.

Do you think the time is coming to think about doing a Bournemouth?  Our worry is not enough people in Oxford care.

Depressing.  But thanks again for the news page.

Karen & Alan Sheldon.

My first thought is if, as I presume, Oxford United is a limited company with shares owned by more than just a couple of people, then maybe Herd could be sued under some of the Companies Acts for maladministration or whatever. Certainly misuse of shareholders funds. Trouble with that approach is it takes time, effort and money. But still, if you don't start now then the time will only get less - and what other alternatives are there?

The obvious answer is white knight: but who would take on 13M to 15M quids worth of debt? Another alternative would be for the club to declare itself bankrupt (I don't know the precise terminology but the idea is good) and then reform under the name of Oxford Utd (1998) Ltd. That way the new company wouldn't have the debts of the old. Wouldn't have a grond either I suppose, but that's not insuperable. Much as it might hurt you, you could play at Swindon or somewhere for a while. Another idea is some sort of fund raising: but that's really hard work. The Brighton lot have been raising money for ages - and they're good at it too - for their 'Buy a Player Fund'. They raised about 70K in the best part of a year. That ain't going to help you much is it? Another Fans Utd day would raise more cash, but it's hard work to organise and maybe it's getting a bit passe as an idea? I'm struggling for more ideas to be honest. However, the secret of all this is to keep talking to
people. Mail the ISA mailing list, mail all the supporters mailing lists, keep plugging away and you'll be surprised what comes back. People DO care: they just need prodding into action. That's where it starts to hurt though. I have a full time job and all the usual time stealers and I found myself on average spending 5 hours a day, seven days a week for 8 months on the Rovers. I have lost my life - and I still haven't got it back. No partner, no fun, no nothing to be perfectly bloody honest.  If you want to do something serious, then you have to be prepared to pay the price.

How abput all supporters volunteering to pay an extra pound at the gate for a month or something? Mind you, you might want to think about what concessions you might like off the board for that one! How about sponsoring everything in sight? (goals, underwear, girlfriends, the
centre spot (the 'Bob Gilbert Centre Spot'!!), all letter X's, I could go on all night!). Talk to the FA and PFA about what usually happens in
these circumstances and ask them how supporters can help.

I will always be here if you need any advice or support. I owe too many people too much to ever be otherwise. So please, I don't care how often you mail, ask me!! OK?? Good luck. I'll stick my name down for something if it gets going. I shall always remember Robinson when he was a good player before he went to the Manor!

BobG