Oxford United have been relegated back to League One after spending just two seasons in the second tier.
It’s been a struggle for the U’s for much of the campaign and we’ll take a look at where and why it went wrong under Gary Rowett and Matt Bloomfield.
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Where Did it Go Wrong for Oxford United?
Pre-Season Tour
Oxford United announced a pre-season tour of Indonesia but this was the first nail in the coffin for Gary Rowett’s side.
The U’s lost players to injury, the organisation of the event was poor and it put the squad a couple of weeks behind in terms of preparation ahead of the new campaign.
As a result, the Rowett’s side lost their opening three league games and were facing an uphill battle in the division from the off.
The squad were undercooked, unprepared and found themselves playing catch up from day one.
Oxford United Summer Recruitment
Some might argue the summer recruitment was good but on reflection, there have been some flaws. Only Brian De Keersmaecker and Brodie Spencer came in on permanent deals while Will Lankshear, Filip Krastev, Ben Davies, Nik Prelec and Luke Harris arrived on loan.
The two permanent additions both offer something now and for the future in terms of potential saleable assets, but the loans have been a disaster bar one.
Lankshear has been a superb addition at the top of the pitch, hitting 11 Championship goals and one in the FA Cup.
Prelec has shown glimpses of promise, particularly with his goal at Bristol City and his movement off the ball, but his loan spell has been hampered by injuries. Despite that, the club opted to turn his loan into a permanent deal.
The other three offered little. Krastev; an exciting winger, was wasteful in and out of possession, Harris often looked far too lightweight on and off the ball while Davies, who is reportedly the club’s top scorer on loan from Rangers, has barely featured in the heart of defence.
Oxford probably needed another centre back, holding midfielder, one or two wingers and a striker but they failed to get these through the door, in part to an already inflated squad.
Too Long for Managerial Change
Rowett was sacked two days before Christmas, having won just one from his previous ten games.
Despite keeping Oxford United in the division after replacing fan favourite Des Buckingham a year earlier, Rowett couldn’t keep that momentum going and the performances were both lacklustre and uneventful.
Scoring was hard to come by, as has been the case for much of the season, with Oxford finding the net just 22 times, which was the fourth-worst in the division at the time of his dismissal.
He managed just four wins in 22 Championship games before Matt Bloomfield was eventually opted to replace him as head coach, three games later.
Bloomfield’s record has been slightly better, but not without its problems. He had five wins from 18, but struggles in front of goal remain with just 15 scored.
He has made them more secure defensively, keeping six clean sheets compared to Rowett’s two.
Clearly, Bloomfield’s record is slightly better and giving him extra games could have helped secure their Championship status.
Charlton, Hull and Portsmouth
But results haven’t always gone for Bloomfield, either, with three recent results in particular being less than ideal.
Oxford were finally awarded their first spot kick since the League One playoff semi final second leg at Peterborough but gave one away in the final minute of the same game against Charlton.
The U’s didn’t concede a late goal against Hull but missed the opportunity to score a last gasp winner when Mark Harris slid in but was inches away from the ball.
Then there was Portsmouth. The relegation rivals scored early before being reduced to ten men and the U’s managed to come from behind to take the lead with just under ten minutes remaining. However, despite the one man advantage, Bloomfield’s side conceded a frustrating late equaliser at Fratton Park.
Derby and Wrexham
Then there are two of the most recent results. When Oxford fans needed a performance from their side, they gave the worst first half of the season in each game.
The players looked lethargic and had a real lack of urgency in two of the season’s most important fixtures.
While both games ended in narrow defeats, it wasn’t until the second half when already behind in both fixtures that Bloomfield’s side started to throw the kitchen sink and put their opponents under significant pressure.
Oxford United Home Form Struggles
Last season, Grenoble Road was somewhat of a fortress for Oxford under both Buckingham and Rowett, with the U’s winning 48 per cent of their fixtures at Grenoble Road.
However, this season Oxford’s home form has dramatically dropped to just 27 per cent.
The away form has been better than last season, but not enough to plug the significant gap in drop from their home form.
Featured image courtesy of SmartFrame/Pro Sports Images
