COMMENT IT'S been nine months since London hotelier Firoz Kassam became owner of Oxford United Football Club.

And in that time, the team have depressingly slipped 25 places down the league.

Tonight, at the Oxford United Supporters Club (6pm), Kassam is expected to attend the football club's annual meeting, to address shareholders and outline his plans for the future.

Progress has unquestionably been made in trying to get building work at the Minchery Farm stadium restarted, but the apparent lack of money for manager Malcolm Shotton to spend on new players since the season began is worrying.

It threatens to leave United with a third division team, playing in front of 4,000 gates, at their 15,000-seater new ground, with all the overheads that entails.

Kassam pledged £2m to spend on new players and on running costs, and an additional £350,000 came into the club with the sale of defender Phil Gilchrist to Leicester City. Where is that money?

And why, when the squad has clearly needed strengthening following the sale of Gilchrist, has none, or very little, of that money been made available to Shotton?

Fans are questioning whether Shotton is the right man for the job but in many ways, that is a separate issue.

A greater fear among those United supporters who are looking at the bigger picture is that Kassam is just using the club as a vehicle to make millions of pounds out of the stadium's neighbouring development, which includes a multiplex cinema.

After all the struggle to get the stadium built, what cannot be allowed to happen is for it to become a millstone around the club's neck when it is the only real means of generating the income necessary to prevent Oxford United running at a loss. Kassam paid just £1 to acquire the majority shareholding in Oxford United, has brought in his own directors and is asking shareholders tonight to approve his resolution to do away with the special director, the fans' link with the board and a role previously held by Geoff Coppock.

At the time of the interest in the club from the so-called 'Gang of Four', Kassam said: "The financial affairs are for me and me alone. I know what I am doing is in the best interests of Oxford United Football Club."

But until cash is made available for new players - and good new players at that - the jury remains out.

Story date: Monday 25 October

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