It
seems it's time for another Oxford United panic with the news that
Jim Rosenthal has resigned from the board with immediate effect.
This, of course, follows the recent departure
of Kelvin Thomas from his role as chairman. The Oxford Mail has
described Rosenthal's resignation as 'a
significant blow', while Yellows
Forum is one step away from declaring a state of emergency
following the news. But what does it really mean for the club?
This
development would seem to be the latest in Ian Lenagan's reshaping of
the club since he started taking a greater involvement during the
summer and leaves Ian, Simon and Adrian
Lenagan as the only remaining members of the Board. Lenagan, it seems, has
chosen to implement changes at the club from top to bottom following
last season's setback. With Lenagan now shaping the club as he wants
it, are we now seeing an exodus of the Old Guard? If so, why? Is it
at Lenagan's instigation, or do Kelvin Thomas and Jim Rosenthal
disagree with the direction the club is being taken?
With
so many questions unanswered, and in the absence
of any official statement from the club, there is only very little
information available to us ignorant fans to speculate on, so perhaps
it is inevitable that baseless rumours will gain traction amongst the
fanbase. However, I think we can infer a few things from the little
information we have available. The timing and nature of the
announcement, coupled with the wording of Rosenthal's statement,
suggest that there has been a falling out of some sort.
While
a tweet
from Rosenthal's son Tom suggests a personal disagreement, the
official statement sent out to local media suggests that perhaps the
reasons are more serious, saying “I don't believe it is in the
interest of the club to air my reasons at this time”. This suggests
that his reasons for quitting may be directly related to the welfare
of the club. Nevertheless, the idea that something serious enough to
make a director quit the club altogether is better off not being
shared with the fans is disconcerting. Another interesting point from
Rosenthal's statement (and this may just be me nitpicking) was that
he expressed continued support for “Chris Wilder and the team”
but not to Lenagan or the club's management. A parting shot, perhaps?
Whatever
the reasons for Rosenthal's departure, it now seems clear that this
club is changing. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, if the result
is that the club benefits from it, but there is no doubt that this is
an unsettled time for the club. Further changes are likely in the
future – for example, Chris Wilder continues to be linked with
other jobs – but something needed to change after last season,
because the club was beginning to stagnate. For now we just have to
sit tight, keep watching closely and hope that Lenagan's revolution
brings positive results for the club.
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