Wants to buy the Kassam Stadium for Oxford United and London Welsh to share.

If only.............

I didn't actually know he owned Oxford.

it has been mentioned on here many times, I believe its actually his son that has his name on the papers of ownership, but i may be wrong and sure someone will correct me
And whats so special about Kassam?

The brentford option to me sounds the better way ahead, if that is a realistic venture.

The story was run again yesterday on the BBC website, so it remains topical.

Does an Oxford base increase the footprint of the exiles?

Another slant to the story is that it casts doubt on the exiles going to the new Brentford and if that is the case can Brentford afford to run a new stadium without a tennant?

Would be happy to be proved wrong but LW may only need the Kassam for the one season.

they'll be lucky to win a game...

Would that be because they'll be straight back down or are a previously semi-professional outfit better at getting things sorted out than we are?

Ian Lenegan bought OUFC in Mar 2006 shortly befoire Oxford were relegated from the football league. He was one of two joint owners with Nick Merry but took sole control aboutn 2 years later. He has just taken oiver as Chairman (last week) and with his two sons already on the board its a real family affair. The other board member is ITV presenter Jim Rosental.

The ground purchase was something he said would happen within 18 months of purchasing the club and 18 months ago he again said he thouight it was an 18 month project. He has said last week noithing will happen in the next 12 months

We so now have an interesting tie up with Wigna Warriors with our injured players now going up to Wigan for treatment

It will interesting to see how London Welsh get on, Firoz Kassam has long wanted Rugby at his stadium and a few years ago Bristol were migrating to Oxford but got relegated, he also tried to buy Mosely so there is a will to have rugby at the Kassam. Be interesting to see how this pans out

Good news is that Lenegan has increased the playing budget now he is Chairman

Harlequins RL, what might have been, well on the money side, not sure I'd want to travel to Oxford every other weekend.

I just wonder if Ian Lenegan had stayed at Quins with DH, whether we would have had the clout to compete, Wigan have certainly kicked on since they snatched him, whereas we........

I think we've all been thinking that since the day he walked out on us.

It would have been a far greater achievement and had more impact on the game in general, if IL had brought success to London. For me, the game is fast becoming a turn-off when you see the same teams getting to finals year after year and you suspect it is never going to change.

All about Dave Whelan falling out of love with RL I guess

The lure of Wigan was too much for Lenagan at the tie and the rest is history as they say

Whelan falling out of love with RL co-incided with Wigan being on a downward spiral.

The final straw was Lindsay standing down after the Pies got their s kicked by Catalans in the CC (oh how we all enjoyed that game...to think that was the moment that sealed our fate).

Lenagan would have got far more plaudits had he completed the task he embarked on with DH, imo.

Ian Lenagan would have never stood by and let what has happened to the club happen......he saw 2006 as an opportunity to build something.....he had a plan and he knew how he wanted to achieve his goals....he appreciated hard graft and didn't stand on ceremony or let "reputations" get in the way of employing the right person.
I believe that if the RFL had let him stay at Quins RL rather than cast us adrift, we wouldn't be sat at the foot of the table with no shirt sponsor and less fans than a Blue Square soccer club.

As it is, Oxford United and London Welsh's gain is another example of the RFL ruling on something the wrong way....

In other news, Sarries stadium is coming along nicely apparently....[urlhttp://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/rugby-union/18858387[/url...I believe this site was inspected by our CEO earlier this year.....

From that report


Probably playing at The Stoop when we take our games on the road cos the pitch is being relaid

Getting back to Ian, he says that he will only spend two days at Oxford in his new position so he will not take his eye off Wigan as he has plenty of time since selling one of his major companies and will be at Wigan two days!

All these hands on chairmen, MacManus at St Helens has his own office and he does the job of Chief Executive since the guy from Gillette left.

Unlike DH......he lets Gus make all the important decisions

Gutters - you don't know if DH lets Gus make "all the important decisions". He certainly doesn't get involved with the rugby side of things and those are pretty important from a fan's point of view.

Re IL, agree we would have been better off with him, but I doubt that he wanted to stay with Quins long term after he bought Wigan. He would have wanted to make the break at some point, imo.

That's a tough one. As a Wire supporter I'm happy to being having some success and getting to finals after 19 years without a Wembley visit ( and never a Grand Final ). I'd like to think that we're still a 'new name' to a degree in the finals business. However, it is vitally important that honours are shared around so I sincerely hope that the likes of Hull, Huddersfield and others ( including Broncos ) get their acts together sufficiently to make it happen.

If and its a big if, due to London Welsh's presence in RU this year, that Ian Lenagan wanted Rugby League at Oxford, he (or in his sons names) would probably take up a similar venture to the one Northampton Town FC have done by getting a RL 'franchise' and having them in bed with the Football team.

Wasn't it his choice to buy Wigan when DW was in the market to sell?

Didn't he leave £500k as a "farewell" gift?

Didn't DH have to rattle the doors of the RFL to get IL to dispose of his majority shareholding in Quins RL, which he hadn't done under the due ownership deal that the RFL had allowed him to be able to purchase the pies?????

Maybe if as many beleive the exiles return to the championship after next season then in 2013-14 season a move could be possible?

Is remaining in "London" a condition of our SL licence???

Yes
750k for 2 years IIRC
Yes.....but that's not what I said. I said he should have been let keep his interest in the Harlequins RL...in 17 years of the clubs SL existance, he would seem to be the only "owner" who understood that you have to work at all areas of a club to make it successful. The RFL, in their wisdom, thought that he would have had a conflict oif interests.........kind of Like News being the majority owner of Brisbane, Melbourne as well as bailing out NQLND Cowboys.