SHAREHOLDERS at last night's annual meeting welcomed the departure of Malcolm Shotton - and then stressed the importance of finding the right replacement.

"It's definitely needed," said Neil Carter, from Abingdon. "Most of the problems were of his making.

"He had problems with tactics, motivational skills and general organisation. Unfortunately, that's all the basics of being a football manager."

He added: "It's so vital to get the next one right, especially with us being in the relegation zone. We're not mid-table - there's no room for mistakes."

Jim Higman, from Headington, said he hoped Shotton's leaving would come to be seen as a step forward. "It looks like the right move. But without having a clearer understanding of the board's intentions over a replacement... well, we'll just have to wait and see.

"I'm concerned that they will try and get someone inexperienced on the cheap - a player/manager type - but we need someone who is used to working with a small squad and a small budget.

"Without thinking too hard, Jim Smith's name jumps to mind."

Many shareholders believed owner Firoz Kassam played a part in Shotton's decision to go.

"There was push and shove from both directions I would expect," said Higman. "The manager will have been saying, 'I can't go on working under these conditions' and the chairman will have said, 'You had better live with it'. In those situations there is usually only one winner and that's the chairman."

Story date: Tuesday 26 October

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.