Oxford United survived their first season in the second tier for 25 years despite several pundits and publications writing them off.
However, there was a tricky patch before the winter as the U’s under Des Buckingham were struggling to pick up wins so the board made the decision to replace him with Gary Rowett.
Oxford stayed up on the penultimate weekend of the campaign and we’ll take a look how, and why, the board deserve credit for the change in management.
Oxford United Board Deserve Credit for Managerial Change
Bright Start for Buckingham
Last season, Oxford-born Des Buckingham made a sensational return to his hometown club after spending several years with the City Football Group.
The move was well documented, with the former U’s coach returning to England following spells in Australia, New Zealand and India before guiding his local side to the League One playoffs.
And it didn’t end there with Buckingham masterminding a 2-0 victory over Bolton at Wembley to return to the second tier for the first time in 25 years.
That momentum continued into the new season. New signings came in, some with plenty of Championship experience, and they got off to the perfect start with a comfortable 2-0 win over Norwich at Grenoble Road.
Despite narrow defeats at Coventry and Blackburn, performances were still decent but it was at home that Oxford looked deadly, winning their next two against Preston and Stoke respectively.
Results and Performances Start to Dwindle
However, then came the downfall. Defeat at Bristol City may have been followed with credible draws against Burnley and Luton but performances in the following three draws against Portsmouth, West Brom and Derby were below par.
Buckingham’s side lost at Sunderland and suffered a first home defeat against Swansea before what would be the only win in 16 against Hull, despite being on the back foot for much of the game.
Three successive defeats, including a 6-2 loss at home against Middlesbrough and 3-0 defeat at Sheffield United were followed by another two draws.
Unfortunately for the head coach, defeat at QPR and at home against Sheffield Wednesday would prove to be the final straw and Buckingham was relieved of his duties.
Fan Reaction to Change of Oxford United Manager
Despite poor performances and a run of form which tried just one win in 16, Oxford fans weren’t calling for a change of head coach. In fact, the majority were still just enjoying the ride of playing football at this level.
The 80-word statement from the board was uninspiring and almost disrespectful to the man who had given the supporters some of the best moments of their lives.
Championship Experience in Gary Rowett
Despite the sentiments of the fans towards Buckingham, football moves quickly, and the board knew that staying in the division was the ultimate goal for the club.
They appointed Gary Rowett, a man with plenty of years of experience in the division with spells at Birmingham, Derby, Stoke and Millwall. He oversaw Oxford’s heavy defeat at Leeds from the stands – a result which, despite the lack of resources at the club, was the first time they found themselves in the bottom three all season.
With Rowett at the helm, results and performances quickly changed. The U’s went eight games unbeaten, with wins in the opening three and five in total.
However, things quickly turned as Rowett’s side found themselves nine games without a win. Despite the slide, they weren’t losing 6-2 and 3-0 like they were under Buckingham, in fact every defeat was by a single goal, meaning the U’s were very much still in the games – slight caveat with that; Oxford did lose 2-0 against Portsmouth and West Brom but were one goal down in stoppage time with the U’s pushing for a late leveller.
But the final nine games brought a mix of results; four wins, two draws and three defeats. Victory over Watford and a surprise win over Sheffield United either side of defeat at Middlesbrough was followed by just a third away victory of the season at Sheffield Wednesday either side of losses against QPR and Leeds.
With three games remaining, Oxford headed to relegation rivals Cardiff and rescued a point before securing a 2-0 victory over Sunderland to secure their Championship status for another season with a game to spare.
The final game epitomised the campaign – an entertaining 3-3 draw on the road at Swansea with the U’s coming from behind on three separate occasions.
The Main Talking Points
While both managers had poor runs over the course of the campaign, there was a significant difference for both during those periods.
In 20 games, Buckingham’s side conceded 33 while Rowett saw just 25 go in from 24 games. In attack, the U’s scored 20 from 20 under Buckingham but netted 24 from 25 under Rowett.
Clearly, Rowett came in and made his side harder to beat, as was the case in those narrow losses, unlike under Buckingham where the defeats were at a higher goal difference.
Finally, you take a look at the home and away form. Both managers saw Grenoble Road as a fortress, with just seven losses at home over the course of the campaign.
But under Buckingham, Oxford failed to secure a win in their travels and picked up just two points from nine games. As for Rowett, not only did he deliver a first away win in his first away game at Millwall, but he picked up two wins and seven draws on their travels, including credible points at Preston, Norwich and Cardiff.
