FAN’S VIEW  2025/26 – MILLWALL AWAY (WELL THAT’S WHAT I’VE CALLED IT)

This FV may be entitled “Millwall Away” but that fixture itself is only a small part of this piece as I’ve recorded my thoughts with the spectre of relegation hanging over us until it became a reality and beyond. Hence the longest FV ever probably by some distance. Got a lot to get off my chest.

22 April – after Wrexham at home

We’re going down with a whimper. It’s not that the players are not trying it’s just that they have not got it in them. “Not good enough” has been said by many time and time again throughout the season. Of course we have had one or two excellent results and performances too. Briefly after Bristol City away back in September I thought we were a “proper” Championship club playing tier 2 level football to win the game by a couple of goals. None of this only looking likely to score from corners, free-kicks and long throws. Unfortunately that performance was something of a one-off.

Other than that I’ve not truly believed in us and our ability to stay up. Months back there were odds of evens for Oxford to be relegated. It would have been morally wrong to touch that but I was thinking as a neutral punter that those odds were rather generous.

Last night Leicester had that great big R placed against their name. Ten years ago, Premier League Champions. Next season they’ll be playing League One football in receipt of Premier League parachute payments. That will be 45% of the equal share of broadcasting revenue. (Luton will have had that this season and will be getting 20% next  whatever division they are in.)

Clubs relegated from the Championship receive 11.1% of the basic award payment to Championship clubs but only for one season. My understanding is that Leicester will be getting that too. However don’t for one minute think they’ll be minted in tier 3. They’ve borrowed from Macquarie Group Limited. Basically taking 80% (or whatever) from them of future income they know will be arriving at specific times. A pay day loan of sorts. That’s described it in an overly simplistic way but little doubt that the Foxes are in a financial mess. They still have players on huge salaries even after a clause reducing them should relegation occur, which it has now twice. Cash flow pressures are mounting.

Anyway, we don’t quite yet have that dreaded R attached to us. I could have sworn I’d heard the fat lady but there is a miniscule straw still out there.

First, we need to win our two remaining games. Given that we can’t score goals that’s very unlikely. So it stops there. It’s Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday. If we’re not dead and gone by then I think our patience might be tested anger wise if we cock that one up. Then onto the New Den with Ipswich hopefully having killed off the Lions’ chance of going up automatically.

Two wins equals a total of 50 points

Blackburn are on 49 but if they get no more than one point and we make it to 50 our goal difference would be superior. They play Sheffield United at Bramall Lane tonight then last day are at home to Leicester. Rovers have only lost one of their last seven games. I can’t see them failing.

Then there’s Charlton, a team I’d not considered until a few people said they’re on terrible form. They’re already on 50 points and their next two games are at home but they’re against Ipswich, who are third with games in hand and Hull who are only outside the play-off places on goal difference. Their final match is away at Swansea. I can’t see them failing.

Oh, mustn’t forget the Baggies. For the sake of argument take three points off them to bring their total down to 49. Their next game is at the Hawthorns against Ipswich. Last day they visit Hillsborough. I can’t see them failing.

It’s the hope that kills you and trying to cling on to anything here is ridiculous in the extreme. It could all be over tonight

23 April – after the mid-week set of fixtures has been completed

Just seconds on the clock and Charlton take the lead. Bugger.

12 minutes in Blackburn take the lead. Bugger. 20 minutes later they’re two up. Bugger. By half time it is three. Bugger. That was a done deal. Irrelevant that Sheffield United pulled a goal back.

As things stood, we were doomed but the Tractor boys had equalised against Charlton. Still not enough though. The thread by which we hung was getting thinner and thinner. But it didn’t snap. Ipswich got the winner with a penalty just before the hour. No more scoring. We survived. For now.

Many other Yellows will have followed these events with similar feelings. The expletives they thought or said out loud will have varied but all with the same sentiment.

There’s nothing clever about swearing but it is an outlet which helps. Better than “kicking the cat”.

24 April – Kick off times

Hadn’t realised until someone pointed it out to me that Charlton v Hull is a 12:30 kick off. So it could be all over before we commence against Wednesday.

But wait West Brom have had a two-point deduction, announced today. Brings them back down to 50 points. Doesn’t really help though does it as their goal difference is six better than ours? Cop out from the EFL – should have been three points. Discuss.

But wait again, could we fill our boots against Wednesday?

What’s that I hear? The Baggies also start at 12:30. They are playing Ipswich though, albeit at home.

Football, bloody ‘ell. And the games have not even started yet.

Leicester v Millwall was 1-1 tonight. Could be good for us if a myriad of other results fall into place. Ipswich could be uncatchable in second place when we venture into the Lions (new) Den.

28 April: Wednesday at home

Relegation hurts. Of course it does. But this feels nowhere near as painful as the last time we suffered that fate. Dropping out of the Football League in 2006 was so ignominious. But now we are in a much better place. Erick Thohir has done nothing thus far to suggest he’s anything other than a pretty good guy. We need to sincerely thank him (and others up to now) for getting us to where we are. In 2006 we could only dream of League One. And then there’s that little matter of the Triangle. The club have been working towards this for years. They were shamefully allowed to lose £xm looking at Stratfield Brake. They have painstakingly proceeded in order to jump through every hoop. The Secretary of State decided not to call in the planning application. But FOSB still think the decision is “flawed” and that the impact on adjacent woodland and some aspects of planned road closures have not been properly considered. Seriously?  There is something clearly wrong with our planning system when such a tiny hidden minority can disrupt and delay a project, which has followed all correct procedures as far as we can tell and which brings so many positives to the county. (Didn’t mean to go off on this tangent, but it burns deep).

There’s a need to try and be philosophical in all of this. Not experiencing a relegation in 20 years is something of a feat to be proud of. It’s something just about all of the current 92 have gone through in that period. The big Premier league clubs are of course immune from such embarrassment with all their wealth which they build up season after season making them untouchable. We’re talking Liverpool, Manchester United, Manchester City, Arsenal, Chelsea and Spurs. Oh, hang on a minute. And Everton who last went down in 1950-51 and have only been relegated twice in their entire history.  

Of those in the EFL there’s just three who have not dropped down a level since we have. Bromley, who we’ll be playing next season, suffered their last relegation in 1998/99. Harrogate have not gone down since 1978. With one game to go they sit second bottom of League Two. The last time Salford dropped down a division was in 1990/91.

Needless to say the higher a club climbs the more likely they are to get relegated as the standard of opposition is better on each rung of the ladder which leads to the illusory land of milk and honey.

1 May and beyond

I have to mention our wonderful city before I get onto anything football. Alarm set for 5:30. Caught the S5 very early doors (for me) and arrived at the Bear at 7:10. Absolutely packed for Otway. Would never have got near the bar but my mate spotted me and passed me a pint. Marvellous.

May Day might be a student thing but they are transient. Us locals turn out year after year, decade after decade as long as we can keep going. Plenty of United fans present for another rocking gig including one from Japan. Kotaro wearing an Otway t-shirt and with his Oxford United flag. What a fella he is.  

Now on to football matters.

Why did we get relegated? Yes, I know it was because we got fewer points than all but 21 of the other Championship contenders but why was that?

Never simplistic, never just one reason and they’re linked to some extent but I’ve got my opinions which I’ve already put out there in previous FVs. Some of the reasons are as plain as day but which ones?

• That Indonesian tour. Cocked the pre-season preparation up. Put us a few weeks behind and fractured the relationship between owners and Gary Rowett. (GR, the supposed man for the job of keeping teams up has now managed two teams this season who have fallen out of the Championship. Basket cases? At present I think one is and one isn’t). I need to repeat though that I see what the owner(s) are trying to do regarding the South East Asian market. (The population of Indonesia is nearly 300m).
• Poor recruitment. Yes, I know we’ve got a tiny budget compared with many clubs at this level. In the past when debating OUFC I’ve argued in our defence when we’ve lost to a bigger club with a much bigger budget and at times, I think that is still valid. However I’m now going to jump over the fence and put the counter case.

After we’d been outplayed by Wrexham, I heard more than one fan point out that the Welsh club had spent £30m – £35m on transfers. That may be true but I’ve got sick of hearing it. Instead I think we need to focus on how well our budget has been spent bearing in mind that £1m – £2m is big money for us. Did we spend wisely? Did we ****.

As fans we don’t know for sure what the club have paid for players or what salaries they are on but we do have some idea and the two will go hand in hand.

Siriki Dembele. £1m-£1.5m. Wages, let’s have a wild guess. £15k a week? VFM, nowhere near. Not a team player. Not played since 3 Feb. I don’t think he is injured. Disciplinary issues? Contracted for another year at least.

Ole Romeny. His grandmother was born in the Dutch East Indies (now called North Sumatra) giving him the right to play for Indonesia. He’s played for them eight times and has scored four goals. It’s been reported we paid a then club record of £1.6m for him when he joined in January last year. He’s only made nine starts in the league and has come on 21 times, scoring just one goal. It seems obvious neither manager he’s played under at the club fancy him.

Jeon Jin-Woo, Korean international. Transfer fee undisclosed as they often are. He signed in late January. A goal scorer from the K League. For us, two starts and five substitute appearances. Goals scored, none.

I have often thought that the recruitment team needs to up their game and I have heard many a comment that Ed Waldron, Head of Recruitment, should be replaced. But given a free rein would they be looking towards Asia? I suspect if our owner(s) were from a different part of the world the make-up of our squad wouldn’t be quite the same.

• The “IF” moments and matches. On greater reflection I’m not that convinced by this. This will almost certainly apply to all clubs that just miss out on survival, the play-offs or promotion. They’ll all have their arguments.

The Ciaron Brown moment of madness against Charlton needlessly conceding that penalty in added time. Our inability to hold on to a lead against 10-man Pompey at Fratton Park. Wins turned into draws. Those four extra points would have put us on 51 and with two fewer goals conceded put us on a goal difference of -12. West Brom though in 21^st place with their 51 points would still have finished above us as their GD was -10. Missed easy chances in other games? I doubt there’s a club in the 92 that have not done so.

• And connected to that, the blatantly obvious. We didn’t score enough goals. Just two, three or four more might have done the trick.

We scored one fewer goals, 45, than games played. Sheffield Wed were obviously worse than us in this regard with just 29. There were surprisingly two other teams that found the back of the net less frequently than us. Blackburn, 42 and Charlton 44. They finished 20^th and 19^th respectively with 52 and 53 points.

Last season we hit the back of the net on 49 occasions when all seven teams that scored fewer than us finished below us. No-one made double figures then when the goals were shared around. This campaign Will Lankshear bagged 25% of our total. We all know he won’t be leading the line for us again.

Only fair to mention here the other end of the pitch. Our defence was good enough defensively. Only 11 sides conceded fewer than we did. Three the same amount and nine more.  

We only let in 59. Hull who are in the play-offs conceded 66. Mid-table QPR were breached 70 times.

It is of course the combination of goals scored and conceded taken together that ultimately counts. The three teams immediately above us in the table, West Brom, Blackburn and Charlton all had better defensive records than we did. 

I’m of the view that it would be sensible to have an objective, possibly independent, review covering the entirety of the football club. Where we’re at. Where we want, realistically, to get to. What we need to do to get there. And, I’ll not be negative here and say they need to look at “what went wrong this season” but be positive and focus on “what could have gone better”. Putting it more bluntly what must improve if we are to get back into the Championship and stay there.

I’ve still got that feeling that we’ve blown it. After finishing 17^th in 24/25 we were in a position to push on and improve. We didn’t, we went backwards.   

One area that needs really looking at imho is the Academy. Tyler Goodrham joined as an U14 having left Reading. He made his league debut at the beginning of the 22/23 season and has so far made 73 league starts for us scoring 15 times. He’ll be 23 years old in three months’ time. No one else has come through since. It’s about time they did. Winning youth trophies is laudable but that should just be a stepping stone for a player or two to tread onto and into the first team every year or so, shouldn’t it? Running an Academy isn’t cheap. Am I correct in thinking that our Academy manager lives in Scotland and is only on site a couple of days a week?

Millwall 2 Oxford United 0

At last onto the trip to the capital and the game of football.

It doesn’t take long to get there so the12:30 kick off was not an issue with plenty of trains to choose from although these start times do restrict pre-match pints. Doesn’t bother me to be honest.

The new Wetherspoon pub, the Sun Wharf, immediately outside London Bridge station opens at 9:30, so there was time for a quick beer. Loads of Oxford in. And some Millwall. All very civilised. The door staff kept out two or three local wannabe youths. The beer was good and well, Spoons prices. £4.64 a pint and that was before any discount vouchers came into play.

The train journey to South Bermondsey only takes 4 minutes. Then the short walk to the ground. Huge police presence everywhere. They really have got it sussed. The difference between coming here and going to the old Den could not be greater. Relaxed one was not back in the day.

Getting searched is part and parcel of entering a football ground in this day and age. I occasionally get waved through as I’m an old git. Not here. The stewards carrying out this task all seem so young. The one who beckoned me forward had got a bit arsey because we weren’t forming clear single file straight lines in front of the three or four searchers. There was no indication that we should do so. Very needless on a bright sunny day. I was patted down. He asked me to empty my pockets. I have lots of pockets so it could have taken some time. Pocket one, handkerchief (yes, I still carry one) and wallet. What’s that he said. “Wallet” I said, because that’s what it was. I opened it so he could see I wasn’t fibbing. “Okay” he said, “Have you got anything else”. Clearly I had, so I thought I’d better list the contents. I’d lost a baseball cap in some Oxford pub during the May Day celebrations so erring on the side of caution today I’d decided to ram the one I set out with in a pocket as soon as I took it off. I’d not put it back on when leaving the Sun Wharf.

“Hat” I said. The steward’s response was “You can’t go in”. Forcing myself to keep calm I re-iterated it was a hat, got it out of my pocket showed it to him and shrugged my shoulders. His come back was, “I thought you said ….” His next word was incomprehensible. I just went on my way. A misunderstanding, a wind-up merchant or just incompetence?

Anyway every other steward around was fine.

Not one of the outlets selling food and beers displayed a price but a Pukka chicken balti cost £5.50 that ain’t bad for London. Given what we had to pay for tickets I was expecting it to be more.

We’d sold out the away allocation but given that our fate had already been sealed a few decided not to make the trip. Nevertheless our turnout in the circumstances was very impressive. The fans got behind the team noisily throughout with some humorous self-deprecation thrown in. “Que sera sera, whatever will be will be, we’re going to Bromley.” And even better “We’re all going to Bromley, you’re all going to Spurs”. The home fans liked that one.

At the end, after what I thought was a terrible performance just about everyone stayed put and applauded the players when they came over slightly entangled with a very few Millwall fans who had decided the thing to do was come on the pitch, get as close to us as possible even though it would always be at distance and give the customary abusive gestures. Stewards and police handled it in a professional and effective manner. A few videos were quietly taken.

The applause seemed to go on and on. That’s a great sign for the future but I’m a bit concerned that some have the feeling that we will come straight back up and are overlooking our shortcomings, which were as evident as ever here.

1988 May 7, Forest 5 Oxford United 3. I remember walking out of the City Ground that day with Mrs FV thinking, well that’s it then. That was our last ever game in the top tier, then called Division 1. I recall some fans wearing “On loan to Division Two” t-shirts the following season. Um!

After this game I sent a text to Mrs FV saying “We are poor. Again”. She replied “Yes. All the usual mistakes – can’t keep the ball”. I’m getting sick of listing those mistakes.

There is so much that is sub-standard that we do when it comes to Championship level football. Little things that taken together become a big thing holding us back. This might seem like I am picking on Mark Harris who came on in the 59^th minute but it is probably indicative about a lot of our play. Millwall had the ball at the back. Keeper had played it out. Harris showed no awareness as a home player just strode behind him a few paces into space. He was then able to receive the ball with utmost ease and the Lions were able to retain possession without having to work one little bit to do so. A 100% switched on footballer would have either cut the defender out of the game or at least made him have to demonstrate some skill before his team carried on their merry way.

Afterwards I commented how bad I thought we’d been. A fellow yellow responded that we had “nothing to play for”. I get that argument but not 100%. The big prize of staying up had gone but there’s always the issue of “pride.”  And 50 points sounds so much better than 47. And what about with the pressure now off being relaxed and able to play good football? Plus I’ll also throw in the fact that Millwall had nothing to play for other than ensuring that Hull (or Wrexham or Derby) were their opponents in the play-offs. “One nil to the Tractor Boys” our lot sang. Then soon after “Two nil to the Tractor Boys”. I thought they were just pissing about. They weren’t. 

We didn’t concede until the 34^th minute. Millwall had come at us from the start. No tippy tappy slow possession football. Loads of high ball played quickly into our box. Their corner count was 10 at the break. They’re the club with the most crosses delivered in the Championship. We’re good at countering such an approach.

Femi Azeez got both their goals. The first was from one end of the pitch to the other with them coming at us at pace with ball on the ground. They gained possession with the ball nearly going over the by-line after Stan Mills had reasonable grounds to claim he’d been fouled. Neat play got the ball to Thierno Ballo who found Barry Bannon. The Scotsman’s first time pass down the line reached Camiel Neghli on the halfway line. Now we were stretched. What a string puller 36-year-old Bannon is. Would it be reasonable to say that if he’d become our player when he left Wednesday we would have stayed up?  

Neghli played another first-time pass. We had more men back than Millwall had forward but that pass accurately found Mihailo Ivanovic and our guys were all on the same side of the pitch. Azeez wasn’t; he was over to the right completely unmarked. Good centre-forward play got the ball to Azeez. By now Cameron Brannagan had almost got back but the Millwall no.11 beat him quite easily and thrashed his shot home.

We don’t score goals like that.

The second arrived with the second period only just begun. Bannan did a bit of dancing around with the ball under his spell after he received it from a throw.  Then a Bannan pass to Ballo who cut it back from the by-line. We couldn’t cut it out despite having lots of bodies on the scene. The finish was from very close range.

We don’t score goals like that either.

Still with me anyone after such a long gruelling Fan’s View? But that’s how this season has felt to me.

I don’t get this it’s been a bit of a blast being in the Championship and we’ve had a great time, nice while it lasted sort of thing. Last season was fine; it was all very new.

Have I enjoyed the football this season? Mostly NO. Do I think season ticket holders have got value for money? NO.

If I’d known what was coming would I still have purchased a season ticket and attended every game home and away? 100% YES. Because I consider myself to be a true supporter.

I’m not one of those fans – and there are a fair few around the country – that would rather their team be at a lower level where they’ll win many more games of football and be one of the bigger fish in that smaller pond. I’m all for a club playing at the highest level they can achieve even if it means having a season like we have just had or much worse. (Derby in the Premier League in 2007/08, 11 points.)

Right now I’m glad of a few months break from the stress of following Oxford United but in a way want the new season to begin right away. Get back on that horse as the saying goes and put this season behind us.

Getting to know so many people

I’m nearly done, honest but I can’t let this go unsaid.

Over my numerous decades of watching Oxford United I’ve got to know so many people and have become friends with many.

I first saw Alan Hine on the London Road coaches back in the early ‘80s. I got to know him much better over 20 years ago when we were both working in Reading and regularly were on the same train from and to Oxford. That is a relatively short journey but they went so much quicker chatting about OUFC. I regularly parked at Botley park and ride. Alan would park at the station and would insist on giving me a lift back to save me walking. Good lad. I thought he was as fit as a fiddle being a member of a running club and posting good times. There’s a piece on him in the Sheffield Wednesday programme. Alan sadly passed away on 31st March 2026 aged just 64. I can’t believe it. Once more I’ll say live your life to the full.

Mick Brown is someone else I would never have known if it wasn’t for our football club. I first came across Mick in the very early days of the London Road Club. How many years at the club Mick? 44. What the ****. That’s an incredible number of years. That’s dedication to a cause. Retirement Mick, enjoy it. Although I have to say after retiring myself, I seem to have ended up as busy as I ever was.

Finally

Yes, really finally.

We’ve got a new Chairman in Dusan Bogdanovic and Rudi Laksmana is a new member of the board. What does this mean? No I’m not even going to think about it.

Have a great summer everybody and see you all in League One in August.