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      League One club unveil plans for £100m new stadium and face race against time or risk being HOMELESS in three years

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      OXFORD UNITED have unveiled plans for a state-of-the-art new £100million 16,000-seater stadium.The O’s are contracted to play at their current Kassam home until 2026.
      Oxford United have unveiled their new stadium plansCredit: Oxford United
      The O’s want to move into their new home by 2026Credit: Oxford United
      The new stadium will seat 16,000 fansCredit: Oxford United
      Rather than extend their agreement, however, they are instead looking to move.
      Oxford have revealed plans to build a new stadium at The Triangle in Kidlington.
      In addition to their playing facilities, the Os’ plan to incorporate a 180-bed hotel, restaurant, conference centre and health and wellbeing space.
      They also aim to build a community plaza, featuring a new club shop as well as further retail, restaurant, bar and cafe facilities.
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      While Oxford’s current Kassam Stadium home infamously only has three stands, with a car park behind one of the goals, their new home would feature an enclosed bowl.
      The modern design includes a tight bowl that will take fans closer to the action.
      Oxford want both their men’s and women’s teams to use the their proposed new ground.
      While they believe that the new stadium site is better connected by public transport than the Kassam.
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      Oxford want to turn their new ground into a community hubCredit: Oxford United
      The project would cost around £100millionCredit: Oxford United
      Speaking about the project, Oxford chief executive Tim Williams said: “With our right to use the Kassam Stadium coming to an end in 2026 and no option to renew the lease, we must find a new home.
      “The club is committed to developing a proposal which is highly sustainable and community focused whilst providing a state-of-the-art destination for all.
      “The further detail we have released today shows how seriously we take these principles, and I am delighted to share the first glimpse of our stadium with the whole of Oxfordshire.
      “I hope everyone from Kidlington, the surrounding areas and across the county will come to the exhibition and take a look at the plans.
      “We want to hear all your feedback.”
      Oxford chiefs will be meeting fans to discuss the project and answer questions in the coming weeks.
      Oxford’s current Kassam Stadium home only has three standsCredit: Rex More

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      Joey Barton branded a ‘disgrace’ by furious fans after ‘throwing his OWN player under the bus’ in brutal rant

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      BRISTOL ROVERS boss Joey Barton has been slammed by his own fans after a brutal rant at player Luke Thomas.The League One side lost 2-0 to Peterborough on Saturday and the outspoken manager’s frustrations boiled over in a post-match interview.
      Joey Barton publicly slammed Luke Thomas after Bristol Rovers’ loss to PeterboroughCredit: Alamy
      Luke Thomas played on when injuredCredit: Getty
      Barton initially lamented bad luck over missed chances in the first-half before turning on Thomas to blame him for the defeat.
      The former Manchester City and Newcastle midfielder ranted and threatened to fine him.
      Barton told to the BBC: “We had a mountain to climb due to Luke Thomas’ decision to play on in the second-half. I’ve never known anything like it.
      “He reported he was a bit stiff one minute before we are going back out, having had 13 minutes to speak to the physios.
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      “He was told to go out and test it. But two minutes into the second-half his side is compromised because he can’t run, he feels the hamstring.
      “In his infinite wisdom, I don’t know why he presses the ball and doesn’t sit on the pitch so the ref can stop the game and we can get the sub on.
      “In the midst of that chaotic spell of two minutes, we are compromised from within and they score the second goal.
      “I wish I could fine him and I’ll be speaking to the CEO about that because it’s a ludicrous decision, he shouldn’t get paid this week for what he’s done because he has put us 2-0 down.
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      “It’s frustrating, we have got to be better than that. You come to a good place like Peterborough, you can’t play with ten men, especially in wide areas because they will punish you.”
      Asked if it was a mistake caused by the 24-year-old’s inexperience, Barton snapped back, continuing: “When does young man stop?
      “How many times can we put his lethargy in moments down to being young? At some point the penny has got to drop.
      “If you are injured, fine, come off the pitch, nobody has got a problem with that.
      “Going back out and making stupid decisions just compromises your team-mates and all our hard work is undone because of a decision by one of our players.
      “I’m so frustrated with him, we have given him enormous backing at this club and he lets himself down with stupidity.”
      In another interview he called Thomas “one idiotic young boy – I can’t even call him a man.”
      Bristol Rovers fans felt sorry for the midfielder as they slammed Barton for throwing him under the bus.
      One said: “This is horrible. Thomas had been amazing this season and I’m sure Rovers fans won’t be holding this against him.”
      Another added: “Very poor, been one of if not the best player for us these season. Not a fan of that.”
      A third commented: “Joey Barton throwing arguably our best player this season under the bus is a disgrace. Guy has worked hard every game this season and deserves credit, not criticism.”
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      More raged: “You can be the best manager in the world, but if you throw your players under the bus like this the dressing room very quickly turns on you. A manager throwing excuses instead of looking at himself.”
      Barton has previously caused controversy over remarks made post-match, once using the term “holocaust” to describe a performance and he also revealed he regretted extending one player’s contract. More

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      Justin Allen: Guardiola’s comments show everything that’s wrong with the Prem… I’d love to see him try to boss Exeter

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      PEP GUARDIOLA made two ridiculous comments during the last week that illustrate everything that is wrong with Premier League elites.Don’t get me wrong, Guardiola deserves our respect and adulation for what he has achieved at Manchester City, Barcelona and Bayern Munich. We all marvel at the exhibition of football his teams produce.
      Pep Guardiola made two ridiculous comments last week
      Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola was not happy with taking a two-hour bus journey home after their Carabao Cup loss at Newcastle
      But I’d love to see him try managing an EFL club to see how he’d get on.
      When he whinged about his precious City lambs forced to make a two-hour 123-mile coach journey home from Newcastle after Wednesday’s Carabao Cup tie rather than fly, I wondered how he might cope if he was in charge of clubs like Exeter and Carlisle?
      Neither team have the luxury of jetting to matches — like the majority of clubs outside the top flight.
      When the Grecians, managed by Gary Caldwell, travel to deepest Cumbria — and vice versa — both teams face a SIXTEEN-HOUR journey … on a coach! That would have surely sent Pep into meltdown.
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      In August for that Saturday game, Exeter broke up their epic trip by taking their team on a five-hour bus ride on Thursday to Mottram Hall in Cheshire where they stayed overnight.
      They then did another three hours to Penrith on Friday to train with another overnight stay before playing the Cumbrians 3pm the next day.
      Exeter boss Gary Caldwell has a far harder job than Pep Guardiola
      Pep Guardiola should try swapping places with Carlisle boss Paul Simpson
      But as soon as the players were showered and changed after the game, they were herded onto a coach to take them directly back to Devon. They arrived into Exeter at almost 2am.
      At least their journey was a happy one after a 2-0 win.
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      Only Bristol Rovers sit within a two-hour radius for the Grecians in League One.
      Pep would also be sent into a spin if he swapped places with Paul Simpson at Carlisle. They are a geographical outpost in the third tier.
      Championship side Plymouth, another team out on a limb, coach to most games. 
      They did fly to Hull on Friday ahead of their clash on Humberside — although had to take a six-hour bus ride home afterwards, getting back around midnight.
      You didn’t hear Pilgrims boss Steven Schumacher whinging.
      It’s good Guardiola’s chairman isn’t Forest Green’s Just Stop Oil campaigner Dale Vince. He’d never endorse flying.
      And I dread to think how many times the likes of Erling Haaland would have to hang around doing keepie-uppies while waiting for them to charge their soon-to-be-unveiled electric bus!
      But when Pep went on to later say he was “not going to waste one per cent of energy for the Carabao Cup” before complaining about how tired his first-team stars are, I had to laugh.
      Pep backed up his reasoning by saying he couldn’t play stars such as Kyle Walker and Ruben Dias because they were “exhausted”.
      City skipper Walker, who has played most, had clocked 11 matches for club and country this season ahead of being left out at Newcastle — only being substituted once, in the 89th-minute of the Premier League opener against Burnley. 
      Yet Exeter captain Will Aimson has not missed a single minute of THIRTEEN matches — while team-mate Alex Hartridge has also started 13 and played more minutes than the Man City star.
      Kyle Walker has played 12 matches for club and country this tem and is “exhausted”
      But Exeter City captain Will Aimson has played 13 and is not “exhausted”
      I decided to give Aimson a call because I was intrigued to know if he was “exhausted” having played more matches than Walker, who is now up to 12, over the same time period.
      “No, I’m feeling great,” Aimson told me as he was excitedly preparing for game No13 against Northampton on Saturday.
      And how is he finding riding on buses before and after games — especially the huge schlep for Carlisle?
      He laughed: “I had a couple of seasons previously at Plymouth so am used to it!“But we pass the time well — playing a few games, catching the late Premier League kick-offs if they’re on and building a rapport.”
      There are countless lower league footballers like Aimson who play 90 minutes twice a week and must endure long coach journeys to and from games.
      You also must remember clubs in the six divisions immediately below the Premier League play eight extra league games a season.
      And it’s even more difficult when you get into non-league. Imagine being a semi-pro at Dover Athletic and having a job on a building site but having to endure a 10-hour round coach trip to Truro City in the National League South.
      I wonder how “exhausted” some of those players are.
      But, thankfully, not everyone in the golden corridors of the Premier League have such a blinkered view of competitions like the Carabao Cup.
      Take West Ham’s Tomas Soucek for example.
      I had a chat with the Czech midfielder after the Hammers survived a huge scare at League One club Lincoln to win 1-0 on Wednesday thanks to his winning goal.
      Tomas Soucek loves playing lower-league teams and scored the winner at Lincoln
      And he told me: “I love these cup matches against lower league opponents because you can see how excited their players are to face a Premier League club.
      “The atmosphere at EFL grounds like this are sometimes better than it is in the Premier League.
      “It’s not a big stadium but the atmosphere is perfect. I love it because we all know where we came from. It’s great to play in this competition.”
      The atmosphere at EFL grounds like Lincoln are sometimes better than it is in the Premier League.Tomas Soucek, West Ham
      Soucek has hit the nail on the head. These matches are huge for clubs like Lincoln. 
      The Carabao Cup is worth an estimated £50MILLION a season to the EFL — which is a lifeline to clubs in the three divisions below the Prem.
      Yes, I know — it’s small change to Guardiola when you consider he spent £210m on four signings this summer. 
      Let’s hope £78m Josko Gvardiol didn’t get too exhausted playing 90 minutes at Newcastle and having to hop on a coach for that damn two-hour ride home.
      Wednesday are a huge turn off
      I MUST have witnessed the shortest fan attendance of the season at Hillsborough on Friday night.
      A Sheffield Wednesday supporter, looking flustered and out of breath, arrived 10 minutes late for their game against Sunderland. 
      He took to his seat, then looked up at the scoreboard to see his team were already 2-0 down, promptly stood up again and walked out!
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      What a sad indictment of how bad things have become for the Owls that fans cannot bear to watch another minute of the shower of rubbish being served up in front of them.
      He would have been better off staying at home to watch Dragons’ Den. Who knows maybe some boffin could invent something new on the show — like a winning Sheffield Wednesday football team! More

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      Match SUSPENDED as furious fans launch tennis balls onto the pitch in bitter protest

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      READING’S match with Burton had to be suspended after fans launched tennis balls onto the pitch.The home supporters’ latest protest saw hundreds of balls fly onto the pitch at the Select Car Leasing Stadium.
      Reading’s match against Burton was suspended on SaturdayCredit: REX
      Reading fans threw tennis balls onto the pitch in protestCredit: REX
      It is the second time in as many home matches that fans have protested against owner Dai Yongge.
      Stewards were forced to come onto the pitch to clear the balls, prompting referee Sam Purkiss to suspend the match.
      Players from both sides headed down the tunnel whilst the protest was handled, with play only paused for a matter of minutes.
      The two sides had been level at 0-0 at the time, with neither side able to find a breakthrough before the interval once the action resumed.
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      Reading were plunged into further turmoil this week with the EFL placing them under yet another transfer embargo.
      The Royals were also threatened with a further points deduction if they failed to pay their players on time.
      Ruben Selles’ side have already been docked four points this season, leaving the club in the League One relegation Zone.
      Yongge is open to selling the club, though, in a potential boost to supporters.
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      Stewards and ground staff cleared the balls from the pitchCredit: REX
      A club statement announced: “The club continues to suffer significant cashflow issues.
      “In striving to establish external investment, we can confirm there has been significant interest.
      “Discussions and due diligence processes with a number of these potential investors continue apace.
      “Our owner, Mr Dai, is openly inviting further credible offers of interest and declarations of intent from parties eager to pursue a potential sale of the club.”
      Supporters stepped up their protests against owner Dai YonggeCredit: REX More

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      Forgotten Premier League star joins eleventh club of his career as he links up with Joey Barton at League One side

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      FORGOTTEN ex-Premier League star Chris Martin has signed for Bristol Rovers.It is the 34-year-old striker’s eleventh club of his career.
      Chris Martin has signed for Bristol RoversCredit: Getty
      Joey Barton is in charge of the RoversCredit: Alamy
      Martin has penned a short-term deal that runs until January with the League One side after being without a club since leaving QPR in the summer.
      Bristol Rovers are currently managed by another former Prem player in Joey Barton.
      Martin was with Norwich in the top-flight from in the 2012 to 2014 and he made four league appearances before being loaned out in both seasons to Crystal Palace and Swindon respectively.
      He spent a total of seven years at Carrow Road before making a name for himself at Derby.
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      Martin scored 76 goals in 225 games for the club, once finding the back of the net 20 times in the 2013/14 Championship season.
      The Scottish international then went on to play for Fulham, Reading, Hull and QPR.
      Now controversially, he also spent three seasons on the red side of the town with Bristol City.
      On Martin joining the Rovers, Barton said: “We are delighted to get Chris in with us and add another striker to our group.
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      He joins us at a good time and his presence will further add experience and quality to our squad.
      “We are looking forward to seeing him have an impact in the coming months.” More

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      EFL hit with major broadcasting issue leaving fans fuming as several clubs forced to release statements

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      EFL clubs have been forced to release statements after a major broadcasting issue with streams.A statement from a number of clubs revealed the third-party supplier of the streams, StreamAMG, reported internal issues with all of their broadcasts across the EFL.
      A number of clubs have released statements after an EFL broadcasting issueCredit: Getty
      Only overseas fans were affected as there is no broadcasting option for UK-based supporters to watch 3pm matches.
      Watford, Bristol City, Southampton and Blackpool were among the clubs to release statements addressing the problem.
      The issue left fans fuming online.
      One furious fan replied to Watford’s statement by saying: “REFUND! DISGRACE!”
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      Under another club post a second fan replied: “Refund please! 🤷‍♂️.”
      A third asked: “Can we get a refund then?”
      “So frustrating 🤬,” commented a fourth.
      A fifth fumed: “So I pay $320 AUD to not watch the stream per year? What are you going to do to rectify? Not good enough!”
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      Another added: “Not good enough, not the first time it’s happened. Full refund or not paying for each game in the future.”
      StreamAMG’s Twitter bio says: “We build exceptional streaming experiences and deliver to audiences worldwide.”
      The company was founded in 2001 and acquired by the PA Media Group in 2017.
      They are based in London but have their operated software and systems development house based in Malta. More

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      Amazed fans say ‘I’ve never seen this before’ as EFL club score two goals in the SAME MINUTE

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      AMAZED fans were left gasping “I’ve never seen this before!”That’s after EFL club Portsmouth scored two goals in the same MINUTE.
      Fans were left stunned as Portsmouth scored two goals in the same minute against BarnsleyCredit: Rex
      Supporters couldn’t believe what they were seeing with the quickfire blitzCredit: Twitter @ACrawford1987
      League One side Pompey travelled to rivals Barnsley on Tuesday night looking to keep their unbeaten record intact.
      And the visitors made no mistakes as they raced into an eighth-minute lead through Colby Bishop.
      The striker was brought down in the box by Barnsley goalie Liam Roberts.
      And Bishop slotted home the resulting penalty to hand Portsmouth the lead.
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      However, what happened next left fans amazed.
      As soon as Barnsley kicked-off, they were immediately dispossessed by Bishop.
      He then teed up team-mate Paddy Lane.
      And the winger fired home to give his side a 2-0 lead – with the match clock still in minute eight.
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      Fans were left gobsmacked by the incident, with many never seeing two goals scored in such quick succession.
      One said: “Genuinely never seen two goals in the same minute before.”
      Another declared: “I don’t think I’ve ever seen two goals in the SAME minute before.”
      One noted: “I feel like I’m dreaming.”
      Another added: “I can’t keep up.”
      Things got even better for Portsmouth eight minutes later when they went 3-0 up through Connor Ogilvie.
      But Barnsley came battling back in the second half, getting a goal through Barry Cotter.
      They then netted a second in the 77th minute through Callum Styles.
      But Pompey held firm to claim all three points. More

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      Dai Yongge led his other two clubs to bankruptcy, he needs to be forced out of football before it’s too late for Reading

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      DAI YONGGE is dangerous and must be run out of English football before it’s too late for Reading.The Chinese owner carries an Armageddon threat to the future of this proud and historic 152-year-old club.
      Reading owner Dai Yongge has been a complete disaster in football
      Almost everything he and his sister Dai Xiu Li have touched in football has been catastrophic.
      You only need to look at what happened at the other two clubs these siblings owned to get a terrifying snapshot into what the future could hold for the Royals.
      Former top-flight Belgian side KSV Roeselare were relegated to their third tier and the 99-year-old club went bankrupt three years ago.
      While Beijing Chengfeng tumbled from the Chinese Super League to their third tier before they were dissolved two years ago.
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      And, true to this pair’s form, Reading are now in the third tier after crashing out of the Championship — because of their complete incompetence.
      Their latest three-point sanction for Yongge’s financial mismanagement means they have now racked up 16 docked points in less than two years.
      It grates on me when the EFL dock points in situations like this because it always punishes the wrong people. Let’s not forget it was the League themselves who waved through Yongge’s takeover six years ago in the first place.
      The four points taken from Reading already this season means, despite Saturday’s brilliant 2-1 comeback win over Bolton, they are fourth bottom and in the relegation zone.
      It grates on me when the EFL dock points in situations like this because it always punishes the wrong people.
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      Let’s not forget it was the League themselves who waved through Yongge’s takeover six years ago in the first place.
      They then sanction the Royals because the Chinese owner they welcomed into English football with open arms isn’t what he cracked up to be. He hoodwinked them as much as he fooled the good people of Reading.
      These points sanctions are barely landing blows on Yongge personally — but they’re hurting everyone else connected with the Royals.
      The ones that are suffering are manager Ruben Selles, his players, the staff who diligently run the club and, most importantly, the fans.
      Of course, the EFL are simply applying the current rules that all 72 of its clubs are signed up to … but the law is an ass.
      But how can the EFL punish these rogue owners without hurting the clubs and communities they represent?
      There needs to be a huge change to this country’s whole football ownership model.
      At present, an owner can takeover an historic club and run it into the ground. We have seen what has happened in recent years.
      Bury were expelled from the EFL in 2019, Southend relegated from the League after 101 years in 2021, Macclesfield were sent into oblivion after a points deduction three years ago and Scunthorpe have tumbled from League One play-offs to National League North football in five years.
      And, let’s not forget, Premier League founder members Oldham crashing into non-league.
      Reading boss Ruben Selles is working under difficult circumstances
      Bury FC were expelled from the EFL IN 2019
      There are plenty of other examples.
      In every one it has been down to the owners wrecking these teams.
      Football clubs are community assets so my idea is we should protect them by introducing an “ownership under license” policy.
      This would mean that owners have to be granted a license to run an English club, subject to fit-and-proper criteria being met.
      But, here is the caveat: if certain criteria isn’t met, the license can be revoked at any moment.
      And in those instances the assets will be frozen and the club will be taken over temporarily by FA-appointed administrators before the license is put back up for tender.
      The real threat of having the asset taken away like this might just focus the mind of an owner to run the ship more sensibly — and also deter bad apples from entering English football in the first place.
      Included in all this clubs could be given an annual financial health check to head off any potential problems. Why is it usually the case that teams are allowed to get into serious peril before anything is done?
      Also, as I have previously mentioned, we should also follow a 51 per cent fan-owned model like they do in Germany.
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      All this would require government legislation with the finer details worked out by politicians and the football authorities.
      But a licensing system would surely bring more stability to the game — especially outside the golden bowl that is the Premier League. More