Crime & Safety
Oxford United’s Championship losses compared against rivals
The U’s announced their finances last week, publishing an underlying loss – a company’s loss from core operations – of £16m, an increase of 33 per cent from the previous year.
This number is big, but one that is not too bad for Championship standards and for a recently promoted club.
The Yellows are one of a number of club who have published their accounts for the previous year at the time of writing.
Oxford United away support at Carrow Road (Image: Mike Allen)
Of the 16 Championship-competing clubs who have done so, United’s underlying losses (16 million) are the fourth lowest.
Oxford United publish 24/25 accounts, when the club finished 17th in the Championship.
The bonkers nature of football finance is that the club is being evicted from the current stadium, and the £10m spent to date on finding/building a new one is not allowed for PSR purposes.… pic.twitter.com/7ib1qxdh9R— Kieran Maguire (@KieranMaguire) March 20, 2026
Below them sit Preston North End (14.7), Plymouth Argyle (8.7) who were relegated from the second tier that year, and Portsmouth (4.6) who were promoted in the same season as the U’s.
The five clubs with the highest all have accumulated at least double the underlying losses of Oxford’s.
Top sit Hull City (41.7) who saw a big increases in losses, mainly due to a 25 per cent rise in their wage bill.
The seven Championship clubs who have reported their financial results to date for 2024/25 have underlying losses of £169m between them, up from up from £114m the previous season. #sustainable pic.twitter.com/hXd6BM2e4F
— Kieran Maguire (@KieranMaguire) February 18, 2026
The Tigers are under an EFL-sanctioned transfer embargo until January 2027 after late payments for the loan move of Louie Barry from Aston Villa.
Norwich City have the second-highest losses (39.6) with Middlesbrough (36.7) and Cardiff City (34.2), who were relegated from the Championship, close behind.
Oxford United’s game against Sheffield United has been rearranged. (Image: Bradley Collyer / PA)
With double the losses of Oxford, West Bromwich Albion (32) have the fifth-highest.
Between sixth-highest Watford (28.5) and 12th-highest Millwall (20.2) lie Stoke City, current league leader Coventry City, Bristol City, Derby County, and Queens Park Rangers.
Football is a sport which more often than not produces losses amongst clubs due to the extravagant costs to compete, particularly at the heights of the Championship.
Dependence and trust is placed in owners helping to fund clubs through their own pocket.
In terms of the EFL’s Profit and Sustainability Rules, which exclude infrastructure costs, the Yellows are fairly comfortably within the limit, with clubs allowed to lose a maximum of £39 million.
Crime & Safety
Michael Caine’s £9m riverside manor unsold after a year
The Grade II listed mansion near Wallingford was first listed in early June last year and since then a buyer has not been found.
Initially it was priced at £10m by agent Savills but in February the classic 17th-century English country home was pulled from the market and then relaunched in March at £1m less than its original listing.
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It is now priced at £9m.
Mr Caine lived there with his family from 1984 to 1999, with the legendary actor, who played Alfred in Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy and Scrooge in The Muppet Christmas Carol, selling the property in 2020.
At that time it was listed on the market for £6.95m.
Sir Michael Caine’s former mansion in Church Lane, North Stoke (Image: Savills)
Michael Caine
Sir Michael Caine’s former mansion in Church Lane, North Stoke (Image: Savills)
Its listing states: “Architecturally interesting, this Grade II listed 17th century, quintessentially English country house affords its future custodian a true Swallows and Amazons lifestyle.
“Marrying period charm with the convenience of 21st century living, Rectory Farm House provides the opportunity to entertain on a grand scale.
“It is a perfect country retreat for those seeking a private edge of village estate, hidden from view.”
Sir Michael Caine’s former mansion in Church Lane, North Stoke (Image: Savills)
With 600 feet of River Thames frontage, the six-bedroom mansion comes with a Moroccan-style jacuzzi, a sauna and a 100,000-litre swimming pool.
In addition, it has two kitchens, five bathrooms, a music room, a drawing room and sitting rooms.
It also has on the ground floor a utility room, gym, plant room, boot room and two lavatories.
Outside Sir Michael added extensively to the 17,000 sq ft property and planted many specimen trees in the grounds.
Sir Michael Caine’s former mansion in Church Lane, North Stoke (Image: Savills)
Property agent Victoria Knight, head of office at Savills in Henley, said: “Situated on the longest stretch of the Thames between locks, Rectory Farm House offers hours of hassle-free boating.
“Despite its 600 feet of frontage, the house cannot be seen from the river and is surrounded by beautiful gardens and grounds.
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“Beneath the formal lawns, waterside meadows are also a haven for all manner of wildlife, including otters, swans, kingfishers, hedgehogs, sparrowhawks, buzzards, rooks and deer.”
Outside, and included in the purchase, is a cottage equipped with a sitting room, kitchen, downstairs bedroom suite and mezzanine bedroom suite.
A three bay, timber clad garage provides an additional three car ports, a large machinery store, a log store and a first floor storage room.
In addition, there is a lodge that is presently used as staff accommodation.
Crime & Safety
Ducati Monster found by Thames Valley Police in Oxfordshire
The rural crime police found and recovered a red Ducati Monster in the Cane End area of south Oxfordshire, close to Reading.
According to officers, the bike was involved in an incident last month where it failed to stop for blue lights and made off in a “dangerous” manner having crashed into a police van.
It was found on Wednesday evening, May 13.
The Ducati Monster is a popular motorbike made by the Italian manufacturer since the early 1990s.
Some 350,000 Ducati Monsters have been produced since the model’s introduction in 1993, making it the best-selling and longest-running motorcycle in Ducati’s history.
Its often credited in the motorbike world as being the one that ‘saved Ducati’ due to its popularity and cheap development costs
Crime & Safety
Cotswolds pub to reopen under new owners after shock closure
The Rose & Crown in Ratley, a village new Banbury on the northern tip of the Cotswolds AONB (Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty), shut down unexpectedly ahead of the festive period in December 2024, due to personal circumstances, according to the owners.
The village pub and restaurant, 10 miles north of Banbury, is now set to be reopened under new owners after more than a year on the market.
The quintessential Cotswolds village pub is under new ownership (Image: Christie & Co)
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In a statement released to introduce themselves, new owners Dee and Norm Knight-Barrett said: “We wanted to reassure everyone that we intend to reopen The Rose & Crown as a traditional British ‘pie and pint’ pub.
“There is quite a bit of work to do internally in particular the cellar and kitchen.
The Rose & Crown closed unexpectedly in December 2024 (Image: Christie & Co)
“We want to offer the best beers and pies that we can so we need to carry out some upgrades. We will keep you posted with regard to progress so please bear with us.
“We are looking forward to meeting you all and making lots of new friends.”
READ MORE: TV legend’s daughter selling £3.95m Oxfordshire mansion
New owners said they intend to reopen The Rose & Crown as a ‘traditional pie and pint pub’ (Image: Christie & Co)
The new owners revealed the plans include theme nights, pizza, curry and barbecues, live music, a pool table and sports games, and has invited further suggestions from the village.
The property is a grade II listed, detached building which is believed to have operated as a pub for more than 250 years.
No opening date has yet been announced and works to renovate and refresh the venue are ongoing.
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