Powell and Joey rumours start to fly

As soon as a club, any club but in this case Oxford United, appears to be in financial difficulties there follows inevitably rumours about the best players being targets for sundry other clubs. This time round it's United's best current player, Paul Powell, and perennial transfer target, Joey Beauchamp. We already know that West Brom submitted a written transfer bid for Powell, apparently for £300,000, and that Powell has allegedly turned down a possible move to West Ham (who you'd have thought would have learned their lesson following their purchase of Beauchamp). Now we are led to believe that scouts from Newcastle United and Fulham are watching his every move and that he is possibly going to be the target for a large bid.
The same cannot be said of Joey who, it has transpired, was the target of a derisory £100,000 offer from local rivals Reading. Needless to say this offer was treated with the contempt it deserved by the club, despite the fact that Joey is out of contract in the Summer and could, conceivably, move for nothing.

Gang of Four star in Oxford Mail non-story

In typical tabloid style the Oxford Mail today took a non-news item and turned it into a piece substantial in its implications but totally lacking in substance. The piece (here) essentially claimed that the Gang of Four is once more ready to step into the breach to rescue the club from its current crisis, based on a statement from Jim Rosenthal that “We're watching the situation with interest” as, no doubt, is every other United fan. Rosenthal also apparently spoke to David Bower within the last couple of days, although the article doesn't actually specify what they spoke about. Congratulations Oxford Mail on another piece of insightful reporting! As if U's fans didn't have enough to worry about without this sort of rumour-mongering.

Big Wheel has a little Wheel

Phil Whelan's wife Dawn gave birth to a girl early on Saturday morning, so at least one United player had an excuse for being crap! Their daughter is named Abbey, presumably after the U's diminutive striker?