Oxford have already bloodied several Championship noses but like Rotherham, Plymouth and others before them coping with injuries and winning away from home is hampering their survival bid - U's regular Adam England gave us his first impressions.
How’s the season gone so far for Oxford?
Oxford United belong in the Championship and I have been enjoying every game. (...perhaps not conceding 6 (six) at home to Middlesbrough, but that aside...) The season started strongly with three impressive home wins and a few draws versus the expected promotion-challengers, however it has been much more difficult for us Yellows over the past ten games as the novelty of playing in a higher league has worn off and the grind of the football season sets in. We know that every team we play this year has already pencilled-in three points before kick-off, players have had to play over and above just to stay in games for as long as possible. An okay in the short-term but the longer-term cost of this has been injuries, fatigue and fewer impressive results recently. Hopefully, with a few sets of fresh-legs returning from injury in December and some shrewd recruitment in January, this will lead to more energetic performances and stronger results in the weeks to come. Oxford United aren't done surprising a few people just yet.
Oxford in the league so far…
Oxford 2-0 Norwich Harris 28, Brannagan 58
Coventry 3-2 Oxford Wright 15, 90, van Ewijk 31 – Brown 22, Harris 55
Blackburn 2-1 Oxford Rankin-Costello 45, Sigurdsson 83 – Harris 44
Oxford 3-1 Preston Harris 20, Goodrham 53, Leigh 71 – Riis 3
Oxford 1-0 Stoke El Mizouni 48
Bristol City 2-1 Oxford Armstrong 57, Wells pen 76 – Rodrigues 28
Oxford 0-0 Burnley
Luton 2-2 Oxford Clark 10, Krauss 37 – Goodrham 45, Rodrigues 54
Pompey 1-1 Oxford O’Mahony 58 – Sibley 72
Oxford 1-1 West Brom Scarlett 90 – Grant 29
Oxford 1-1 Derby Scarlett 12 – Mendez-Laing 55
Sunderland 2-0 Oxford Bellingham 16, Isidor 63
Oxford 1-2 Swansea Scarlett 88 – Vipotnik 38, Bianchini 80
Oxford 1-0 Hull Avest 55
Watford 1-0 Oxford Bayo 54
Oxford 2-6 Boro leigh 24, Scarlett 72 – Latte Lath pen 37, 45, 49, Azaz 42, 83, Conway 80
Sheff Utd 3-0 Oxford O’Hare 10, Campbell 26, Rak-Sakyi 58
Oxford 1-1 Millwall Goodrham 85 – Tanganga 45
Been away from this level a while, is the standard better or worse than you expected?
No Oxford fan was under any illusion the quality of opposition was going to be anything other than many orders of magnitude higher than anything we'd seen for 25 years, and so it has proved. Whilst the squad, especially in the first few months of the season, have admirably found some success trying to make up for the deficit by "wanting it more", it's clear that even against lower-mid table sides, we are up against 11 better footballers than the 11 we have on the pitch. Staying up this year, by any and all means, feels crucial to addressing this deficit in quality. A second year with a Championship budget and another summer to further the depth in quality of the squad would give the club half a chance of becoming an established Championship club for the long-term.
Thoughts on the manager?
"Des" has been with the club for over a year now and as a "local boy done good" has built a personal relationship with the fans. Not only has he won us unexpected promotion to the Championship, he has also been a champion for the off-the-pitch initiatives promoting men's mental health and community projects, winning over the respect of many, regardless of on field results. Des is still the right man for the job, he's the best chance we have of staying in the division this year and, longer-term the best man to establish us as a Championship club.
Transfer window, how do you assess the business you did?
The U's had the busiest summer of all the Championship clubs in the end, for the simple reason that we had to. Whilst we have recruited quality players and strengthened in most positions, injuries to recruits have made the majority of them unavailable over the past month, leaving the core of the team from last year and looking a bit "league 1" in some games. Scarlett on loan from spurs has looked sharp upfront and Dembele signing for a record fee from Birmingham has been a talisman on the wing buy has missed more games than he's played.
Ins >>> Peter Kioso, 24, RB, Rotherham, £750k >>> Jack Currie, 22, LB, Wimbledon, £450k >>> Idris El Mizouni, 23, CM, Ipswich, £400k >>> Louie Sibley, 22, CM, Derby, Free >>> Hidde ter Avest, 27, RB, Utrecht, Free >>> Przemyslaw Placheta, 26, LW, Swansea, Free >>> Jamie Cumming, 24, GK, Chelsea, Free >>> Will Vaulks, 30, CM, Sheff Wed, Free >>> Matt Phillips, 33, RW, West Brom, Free >>> Jacob Knightbridge, 20, GK, West Ham, Free >>> Marselino Ferdinan, 19, AM, KMSK Deinze, Free >>> Siriki Dembele, 27, LW, Birmingham, Undisclosed >>> Matt Ingram, 30, GK, Hull, Undisclosed >>> Malcolm Ebiowei, 20, RW, Palace, Loan >>> Dane Scarlett, 20, CF, Spurs, Loan >>> Ben Nelson, 20, CB, Leicester, Loan
Outs >>> Josh Murphy, 29, LW, Pompey, Free >>> Billy Bodin, 32, AM, Burton, Free >>> James Henry, 35, RW, Aldershot, Free >>> Oisin Smith, 24, AM, St Mirren, Undisclosed >>> Stephan Negru, 21, CB, Salford, Loan >>> Jacob Knightbridge, 20, GK, Braintree, Loan >>> Steve Seddon, 26, LB, Motherwell Free >>> Marcus Browne, 26, LB, Released >>> Marcus McGuane, 25, DM, Bristol City, Undisclosed >>> Jack Currie, 22, LB, Orient, Loan >>> Gatlin O’Donkor, 19, CF, Bristol Rovers, Loan >>> Stephan Negru, 21, CB, Salford, Loan >>> James Golding, 20, CB, Maindenhead, Loan >>> James Golding, 20, CB, Southend, Loan >>> Josh Johnson, 19, CM, Maidenhead, Loan >>> Jacob Knightbridge, 20, GK, Braintree, Loan
Stand out players in your team?
Cameron Brannagan always was a Championship-quality player even in League One. I'm incredibly happy that his patience with the club has been rewarded this year with playing at the level he deserves to be at. He got injured earlier in the season and missed around eight games- We looked a different team without his leadership and level-head in the side.
Tyler Goodrham. A precocious young academy graduate that has made his way into the first team and is holding his own in the Championship- to nobody's surprise. We know that he's good enough to attract the attention of bigger clubs and (let's face it) bigger pay-cheques in the future. Although I hope he stays with Oxford forever, he's already made his mark and repayed his dues to the club and no Oxford fan will wish him anything other than the very best of luck when the time comes. In the meantime I hope he has another six-months ahead playing his heart out, winning back the ball, drifting inside and scoring some important goals for Oxford United.
Weak links?
Will Vaulks. A defensive midfield summer signing from Sheff Wed, has played most league games (around 14) this season out of necessity due to injuries and a desire to unleash Brannagan in a more attacking position- not necessarily because of form. For a player that was signed because of his extensive experience in the Championship he looks uncomfortable in possession of the ball a weakness that oppositions have learned to exploit. Too often either getting caught in possession or stifling a counter attack by putting his foot on the ball or passing backwards, when we are clearly on the break. Hopefully patience will be a virtue and he will have a better second half to the season.
Revised expectations for the season?
Not at all. This season's one and only goal is to stay up and give the club a platform to build for the long-term. As such, I'm refusing to look at the league table or the results of any of the clubs around us until the Spring. I see it simply as a challenge to get to 50 points- if we get there we should be rewarded with a second season playing in the Championship - regardless of what any other team does.
Win, lose or draw Wednesday evening's game, wishing QPR fans all the best for the rest of the season.
Links >>> Oxford official website >>> Oxford Mail — Local Press >>> Last Word on Sport —Blog >>> Vital Oxford — Blog >>> Yellows Forum — Message Board >>> The Fence End — Podcast >>> T’Manor — Podcast
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