Oxford Utd travel to ER to Receive a Footballing Education (hopefully).

[Monaco_Totty]

Owners.
Erick Thohir, globally known as former owner & chairman of Italian football giants Inter Milan & US club D.C.United, Thohir is currently co-owner at Oxford & also Liga 1 team Persis Solo (an Indonesian football club) based in the Central Java city of Surakarta.

Anindya Novyan Bakrie is an Indonesian business magnate, global investor & prominent philanthropist. Through his business community leadership roles over the years, he represents Indonesia & Indo-Pacific business community voices in global fora & summits.
The Bakrie Group is one of the largest business groups in Indonesia.

Oxford Utd fans.
Well, they sold out their 2,018 allocation quickly for their 3 hour, 174 miles trip up North to ER, so they must be keen to follow the U's. 👏

Tactics.
Oxford play 4-4-3 currently bit are on a rotten run of form now extended to just 1 win in 15 games after a 3-1 defeat at home to Sheffield Wednesday last time out in which Coach Des Buckingham had changed his entire front 3 in the aftermath of their previous QPR defeat- so not sure hes gonna turn up with anything new to offer against us.



Oxford Utd ground dilema ?
The club must move from the 12,500 seater Kassam Stadium (in the south of Oxford) when its lease runs out in summer 2026 after playing there since it opened in 2001. It is owned by Firoka, a company operated by the clubs former owner Firoz Kassam. Its way out of the city centre & not great facility wise & public transport to it is none existent. A new stadia for 16,000 spectators will feature a hotel, restaurant, conference center, health & wellbeing space, gym & community plaza. 👍

Oxford local history in brief.
The Saxons first settled in Oxford around AD 900 as a crossing point for oxen on the River Thames. The town was named after this & was strategically important because of its location.

Oxford University.
The University of Oxford was established in the late 12th century, making it the second-oldest university in the world.

City status by decree.
Oxford became a city in 1542 & was granted the right to control markets & theatrical performances.

Religious changes.
During the English Reformation, Oxford was affected by religious changes. Henry VIII dissolved the monasteries, but respected the University & established 5 Regius, aka Kings Professorships.

Civil War.
The English Civil Wars comprised of three wars which were fought between Charles I & Parliament between 1642 &1651.
The wars were part of a wider conflict involving Wales, Scotland & Ireland (Wars of the Three Kingdoms).

Oxford was the base of Charles I's court. He actually melted down the colleges silver plate to buy his weapons.

Industrialization.
Oxford grew industrially in the 19th century, with major printing & car-manufacturing industries. These declined in the 1970s & 1980s.

Alumni of Oxford.
Oxford has produced many notable alumni from its colleges, including:
58 Nobel prize winners.
31 British Prime Ministers.

Famous writers, including Lewis Carroll, JRR Tolkien & Philip Larkin.

Famous Actors, including Michael Palin, Hugh Grant & Kate Beckinsale.

Today St John's College maintains the largest endowment of the Oxford colleges, for example owning the Oxford Playhouse building & the Millwall F.C. training ground. 😲

[Monaco_Totty]

Facts about Oxford to ponder on.

1,The University of Oxford is the oldest university in the English speaking world, founded around 1096. It's also the second-oldest known university in the world, after the University of Bologna in Italy.

2.The famous Ashmolean Museum in Oxford was the first museum to open to the public, in 1683.

3.Every college in Oxford owns a tortoise & in May each year the colleges race their tortoises in a Tortoise event. A circle of lettuce is placed on the ground, 8 metres wide & spectators wait for the tortoises to come out of the middle of the circle to reach the lettuce line to win.
Balliol College currently holds the record for the fastest tortoise winning in 4 hours back in 2004.

4.Victorian poet Matthew Arnold called Oxford "the city of dreaming spires" in his poem Thyrsis because of the striking architecture of the university buildings.

5.Oxford's name comes from the old term "Oxanforda", which means a shallow crossing in the river where oxen could cross safely.

6.The city was founded in the 8th century & granted city status in 1542.
It's located where the river Thames & river Cherwell meet.

7. Oxford is a literary haven, boasting the highest concentration of published authors per square mile globally. Renowned figures such as J.R.R. Tolkien (The Lord of the Rings), Lewis Carroll (Alice in Wonderland), C.S. Lewis (The Chronicles of Narnia) & Mark Haddon (The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time) are all tied to this illustrious city.

8. One of the most incredible athletic achievements to occur in Oxford belongs to former middle-distance runner Roger Bannister. It was on the grounds of the Iffley Road track in the city where Bannister etched his name into world history, breaking the elusive 4 minute mile barrier on May 6, 1954.

9.As you might have already worked out, Oxford is renowned as being the home of the Oxford Dictionary. The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) is a comprehensive record of the English language?s usage & development over time. Unlike prescriptive dictionaries the OED is descriptive, which documents how words are used rather than dictate their correct usage. It continues to be used around the world as a historical record of the English language.

10. The rivalry between the Universities of Oxford & Cambridge has deep historical roots dating back to their establishment over 800 years ago as the only universities in England & Wales for many centuries. This exclusivity intensified their competition which persists today in many forms, including the famous annual Boat Race & varsity Rugby match.
Punting on the River Thames (referred to as the River Isis in Oxford) is a popular pastime for locals and visitors alike, offering a serene way to explore the city?s picturesque waterways.

The historical institution of Oxford (& Cambridge) have been pivotal in shaping the UK?s educational & cultural landscape producing many of the nation?s prominent figures in science, literature, politics & beyond.
As of July 2024, of the 58 Prime Ministers to date, 31 were educated at the University of Oxford (including 13 at Christ Church) & 14 at the University of Cambridge (including 6 at Trinity College).

Oxford is often used for movie locations on the big screen, here is a list many might know. https://www.dailyinfo.co.uk/oxford/g...the-big-screen

SEASONS GREETINGS TO ALL OUR GLOBAL
LOYAL FANS xxxx

[Ozwhites]

Nearly fell out of my chair with the mention of the Bakrie Group being involved with them! They have been the owners of the Brisbane Roar in the A League over here for quite a few years now, and have invested next to nothing into the club to progress it further! Take every shortcut with costs where possible....and it shows with their last placing on the ladder at present. 🤐 I wish Oxford well with that....

[cherrypie7]

Facts about Oxford to ponder on.

1,The University of Oxford is the oldest university in the English speaking world, founded around 1096. It's also the second-oldest known university in the world, after the University of Bologna in Italy.

2.The famous Ashmolean Museum in Oxford was the first museum to open to the public, in 1683.

3.Every college in Oxford owns a tortoise & in May each year the colleges race their tortoises in a Tortoise event. A circle of lettuce is placed on the ground, 8 metres wide & spectators wait for the tortoises to come out of the middle of the circle to reach the lettuce line to win.
Balliol College currently holds the record for the fastest tortoise winning in 4 hours back in 2004.

4.Victorian poet Matthew Arnold called Oxford "the city of dreaming spires" in his poem Thyrsis because of the striking architecture of the university buildings.

5.Oxford's name comes from the old term "Oxanforda", which means a shallow crossing in the river where oxen could cross safely.

6.The city was founded in the 8th century & granted city status in 1542.
It's located where the river Thames & river Cherwell meet.

7. Oxford is a literary haven, boasting the highest concentration of published authors per square mile globally. Renowned figures such as J.R.R. Tolkien (The Lord of the Rings), Lewis Carroll (Alice in Wonderland), C.S. Lewis (The Chronicles of Narnia) & Mark Haddon (The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time) are all tied to this illustrious city.

8. One of the most incredible athletic achievements to occur in Oxford belongs to former middle-distance runner Roger Bannister. It was on the grounds of the Iffley Road track in the city where Bannister etched his name into world history, breaking the elusive 4 minute mile barrier on May 6, 1954.

9.As you might have already worked out, Oxford is renowned as being the home of the Oxford Dictionary. The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) is a comprehensive record of the English language?s usage & development over time. Unlike prescriptive dictionaries the OED is descriptive, which documents how words are used rather than dictate their correct usage. It continues to be used around the world as a historical record of the English language.

10. The rivalry between the Universities of Oxford & Cambridge has deep historical roots dating back to their establishment over 800 years ago as the only universities in England & Wales for many centuries. This exclusivity intensified their competition which persists today in many forms, including the famous annual Boat Race & varsity Rugby match.
Punting on the River Thames (referred to as the River Isis in Oxford) is a popular pastime for locals and visitors alike, offering a serene way to explore the city?s picturesque waterways.

The historical institution of Oxford (& Cambridge) have been pivotal in shaping the UK?s educational & cultural landscape producing many of the nation?s prominent figures in science, literature, politics & beyond.
As of July 2024, of the 58 Prime Ministers to date, 31 were educated at the University of Oxford (including 13 at Christ Church) & 14 at the University of Cambridge (including 6 at Trinity College).

Oxford is often used for movie locations on the big screen, here is a list many might know. https://www.dailyinfo.co.uk/oxford/g...the-big-screen

SEASONS GREETINGS TO ALL OUR GLOBAL
LOYAL FANS xxxx

Thanks Monaco. I enjoyed reading both your posts immensely. Fantastic and fascinating history.

[Billyni]

Overlooked is the car industry’s importance to Oxford with the manufacture of the Morris Oxford.
Before my time, but I’m sure Andy, Rev and Cal boy would be more familiar.

[Billyni]

May I also add.
They beat Preston.

[norfolk white]

Never count your chickens……remember Wigan.

[Monaco_Totty]

Well, well. 😲
Oxford United say that Head coach Des Buckingham has left his role as head coach. After an encouraging start to the campaign the U's have struggled in recent weeks and have dropped to within a point of the Championship relegation zone.

[whitestomper45]

Great work Totty if all that wasn't enough - Frank Cooper Marmalade Oxford Sauce Oxford Sausages and Stephen Hawkins

[hopelesslyoptimistic]

Some of the colleges are amongst the biggest landowners in the country too