Oxford United Chairman Sumrith 'Tiger' Thanakarnjanasuth brings us the latest news from the U's.
It has been a few weeks since I updated supporters online so I thought it was the right time to try and update you on a few things happening behind the scenes.
But first a word about what is happening on the pitch. I think most fans are enjoying the progress that is being made and the team are on a very good run of form at the moment. Saturday’s win over Gillingham lifted us out of the relegation places and we have become a very difficult side to beat recently. I want to praise Karl and his staff for the way they stuck together through some pretty tough times in the opening weeks of the season, and also praise the fans for their patience and the way they have rallied round and helped drive the team forward.
There are some big games coming up starting with the FA Cup replay at Forest Green on Tuesday night and the long trip to Bradford on Saturday, but nobody is getting carried away by recent results and we will continue to work night and day to improve the team and keep moving in the right direction.
That is true off the pitch as well and I am pleased to report that there was a recent meeting in Monaco between Firoz Kassam and Zaki Nuseibeh which was very productive and encouraging.
One thing to come out of the meeting was that we are already working with the stadium company, Firoka, to resolve a number of outstanding issues as well as exploring a number of commercial opportunities, which would be of benefit to both of us; advertising around the pitch for example with the idea of utilising the ‘fence end’ just one of the ideas discussed. I very much hope that we are entering a new era of partnership between Firoka and the club and am confident that with the right attitude we will quickly see results on the ground and this will enable us to successfully deliver on our overall strategy for the club.
As I said recently, the appointment of Erick Thohir to the Board is another positive step and to go full circle and finish on a footballing note it has been so encouraging to see the young players at the club step up.
Harvey Bradbury made a first league appearance at the weekend after playing for our successful under 23 side, while the under 18s will travel to Burnley in the next round of the FA Youth Cup. With our age group sides now playing regularly at the new training ground we are putting in plenty of work to continue to ensure that the future of Oxford United is very bright indeed.
Finally, may I once again remind you that Boxing Day is fast approaching and will be a massive game for us- it is always one of the highlights and we want fans to fill the stands and bring friends and family along to get behind us.