The End is Nigh

Strong rumours have it that Oxford United will go into administration today, probably just before or during the club's televised game versus Cambridge United tonight. Ian Lennegan apparently wants to draw a line under the business so he can concentrate on his new Wigan rugby league venture.

The situation is inevitable, and if the club doesn't go bust today, it will happen sooner rather than later. I had thought the end of the season, but it's clearly going to be before Christmas. The business model is unsustainable. Merry and Lennegan's business plan assumption that we would bounce back up at the first (or at worse second) attempt has been undermined. Things cannot continue as they are and the credit crunch has killed off any hope of new investment or buying the Kassam Stadium.

Fingers will be pointed at Kassam, but Merry & Lennegan have to be held responsible for striking poor acquistion and stadium rental deals with Kassam, and Jim Smith is ultimately the manager who failed to keep us up, drank away our chance of bouncing straight back and then frittered the transfer money away on poor signings and big wages.

I'm upset and gutted to the pit of my stomach.