Robert Maxwell's plans for Oxford United and Reading FC are still hard to believe | OneFootball

The former Oxford chairman' vision to combine Oxford and Reading was met with mixed reactions

Many years before we had rumours of the European Super League, former Oxford United chairman and owner Robert Maxwell had visions of combining his club with local rivals Reading to form a super club called the Thames Valley Royals.

To say Maxwell was an eccentric character would be putting it mildly. The former chairman was an extremely successful businessman in the media industry, known for his loud and disrespectful temperament.

He was not afraid to upset the apple cart if it meant he got what he wanted so it would come as no surprise that he attempted to pull off a plan like this. And it very nearly worked, if it wasn't for one former Reading player who spotted something everyone else had missed.

The Thames Valley Royals proposal

A month before the end of the 1982/3 season, Robert Maxwell revealed that he was close to gaining a controlling interest in Reading, and was planning to merge with Oxford to create the Thames Valley Royals.

Maxwell already had a 19% stake in the club and would buy an extra £220,500 worth of shares from Reading’s chairman, Frank Waller, and two fellow board members, thus gaining the controlling interest at the club.

His plan was to build a new stadium somewhere between the two cities, with home games alternating between Oxford and Reading's current grounds whilst the stadium was being built.

The meaning of the name comes from the area in which both clubs are in (Thames Valley) and the nickname of Reading (Royals). Ironically, one of the only issues flagged by Oxford board members was that they wanted it to be called Thames Valey United instead. Not exactly the biggest issue to be dealing with at the time.

The proposed kit would incorporate the horizontal striped pattern of Reading and the yellow and blue colours of Oxford. The side would be managed by United boss Jim Smith, with Reading's Maurice Evans as his assistant.

All current player contracts would be honoured, which was little comfort to all but two Reading players who were coming to the end of their contracts that season. The lack of knowledge about whether players and staff would still have a job come the end of the season meant a lot of people were not too happy by the proposal, and that's before we even get to the fans.

Maxwell's explanation for the proposal was that both clubs were struggling financially, and in his own words, via the Guardian, he said: "If we in Thames Valley are to retain a League club, we've got to unite Reading and Oxford. Everything in the world that cannot pay its way must go the way of merger to combine into stronger units."

In traditional Maxwell fashion, the announcement came out of nowhere on a Saturday morning, hours before the entire of English football, including both Oxford and Reading, were set to kick off. Oxford manager Jim Smith was made aware of the news shortly before his side kicked off away at Doncaster Rovers.

The reaction to Oxford, Reading FC merger

As you can imagine, there was a large pushback from most supporters from both clubs.

Part of the issue was that Oxford and Reading were big rivals at the time. The hatred between the clubs has died down to a degree to this day, partly due to the fact that the two clubs have only found themselves in the same division as each other once since the 2000/01 season, and that was last season.

Fans of a certain age will still maintain that the rivalry is as big as the Swindon derby, however. So to suggest merging the two sides was completely asinine from a fan perspective.

Mike Habbits, chairman of the Reading Supporters Club, said: "Our fans can't stand Oxford fans and I can't see them travelling to Oxford to watch the new team."

One angry fan wrote to tell the Oxford Mail (via STAR) that "I will not follow Thames Valley Royals or whatever their name is if they played at the end of my street."

Weeks after the announcement, around 2,000 Oxford fans took part in a 'sit-in' before their home game against Wigan Athletic. The protest delayed kick-off by over 30 minutes. Maxwell, who was in attendance that day, was met with jeers, boos, and fans who spat in his direction.

The owner was not happy with the reactions of fans at all. A few days after the game, Maxwell was on BBC Radio Oxford and said: "If they want to become supporters of someone else, they're entirely welcome. If the deal does not go through, both Reading and Oxford will be dead before the beginning of next season. Nothing short of the end of the Earth will prevent this from going through."

Fan marches were held by both clubs, with Reading fans marching from the town centre to their stadium with a coffin covered in their famous blue and white stripes, signifying what they felt was the death of their football club. During this time, the two clubs ironically faced each other, in what many believe was to be the last Thames Valley derby. Another march was planned for this game by Oxford fans, from the City centre to the ground.

The downfall

Oxford and Reading fans have Roger Smee to thank for still having their clubs to this day. Smee was a former Reading player who was born and grew up in the area and ended up making millions in the construction industry once he retired.

Smee had been taking a look at the Reading FC accounts a year before the proposal from Maxwell, and noticed that numerous shares were listed as 'unissued'. He noted that Reading Chairman Frank Waller and his fellow members on the board did not have a controlling share in the club.

So when the news broke the following year that Maxwell and Oxford's buyout of Reading was a done deal, it intrigued the former Reading player.

"A year ago they didn't have a majority," Smee later said, via the BBC. "So how on earth have they issued these shares to themselves while Reading was a public company? That would be against the law."

Smee then contacted Roy Tranter, a Director at Reading, who opposed the merger. Tranter immediately contacted his solicitor, realising the information he had just come to learn. His legal team then filed a complaint with the High Court, objecting to the sale of the unissued shares.

When Maxwell and Waller held a press conference to officially announce the merger, they were met with paperwork from Tranter's legal team forbidding the sale of the club.

In a last-gasp attempt, Maxwell pitched a bid to all the shareholders at Reading, which was denied. And Waller and his fellow board members who tried to action this merger were forced to quit.

A meeting was held at the end of the season to decide between Maxwell's takeover bid and an offer submitted by Smee, which narrowly won. Smee officially took over as Owner of Reading FC, finally putting the saga to bed. Although Maxwell held on to his 19% stake in the club.

And that was that. As mysteriously as it started, it ended. A truly terrifying few months for both Oxford and Reading fans alike.

The Royals were relegated that season, but shortly after returned with two promotions in three years. Whilst Oxford won back-to-back promotions in the 1983/84 and 1984/85 seasons under Maxwell, which saw them play in the First Division for the first time.

United won the Milk Cup the following season, before ending his Chairmanship with Oxford the year after. Maxwell continued to own Oxford until his death in 1991.