The final countdown?

In a shock statement reported by today's Oxford Mail United owner Firoz Kassam has claimed that United will not be bringing in a reserve goalkeeper prior to the transfer deadline today. Kassam said “There won't be any signings because there might not be a football club this time next week.” The report then goes on to claim that the problems Kassam has been facing with Les Wells and Oxford City Council could be forcing United's chairman to walk away, although there are also other unresolved issues that are doubtless affecting Kassam's decisions. The statement itself is insensitive, whether or not its purpose is to pressurise the Council into resolving these issues, and does nothing to reassure the fans that Kassam has the club's best interests at heart. If the Council calls Kassam's bluff then there could be dire consequences as he has not shown himself to be the sort of person to back down on a posture.

Of course it is possible that he was misquoted or his statement taken out of context, and only the Oxford Mail could fail to see the bigger picture and concentrate on what it would mean to United not to have a back-up goalkeeper. “United could become the laughing stock of football” claimed Jon Murray, failing to see that it would be better by far to be the laughing stock of football than not to have a football club at all.

Moving around

United might not have been involved in today's transfer dealings, but some former U's have changed clubs today. The most prominent move was that of Phil Gilchrist, who finally moved to the Hawthorns three minutes before the transfer deadline, initially on loan although West Brom are hopeful of completing a permanent move for £500,000 for the centre-half tomorrow. Former United striker Andy Thomson, who claimed that he wasn't good enough for First Division football, will soon be getting his taste of Division Two fare as he completed a free transfer to Queens Park Rangers. One-game wonder Guy Whittingham, who scored United's goal at swindon in his only appearance for the U's, has signed on loan for Wycombe Wanderers until the end of the season.