Things haven't quite gone to plan at the Kassam so far this season and yet Oxford are still very much in the hunt.
The step up to League Two has proved too much for some players in Chris Wilder's view and he has already started changing things and brought in some experienced faces to bolster his squad. Ben Futcher, Paul Wotton and Steve MacLean have arrived on loan and looked to have settled in with the Us winning their last two league games.
I can see Wilder dipping in to the loan market again before too long as he strikes me as someone who won't settle for consolidating in League Two.
Despite only gaining promotion last May at Wembley, Oxford are still one of the biggest clubs in the division and the fans know it. With Swindon one division ahead of them, they will be demanding more of the success they tasted last term.
They are in a good position going into the new year though and only five points off the play off places and so there is still everything to play for. I tipped them for a promotion spot at the beginning of the season and see no reason to change my mind. Expect them to come good.
I've set up this blog (Monday-Friday) to give extra coverage to teams I cover for the national press. Any views and opinions are all my own. Best wishes, Jeff. Follow me on Twitter and I'll update you each time I blog. http://twitter.com/JeffTaplin P.S. During the summer break I reserve the right to ramble on about anything and everything!
Song artist: Ladi6
ReplyDeletehi Jeff,
ReplyDeleteAgree about Oxford being in the running for promotion!
I think they've been a bit naïve though, losing to teams with less technical skill, losing games at home...in several games opposing players have been sent off but we'v still not managed to win--those are important points lost.
Hopefully as you point out the new players will add stability. Last year when the weather caused postponements, we lost our momentum...hopefully Wilder has learned from that.
COYY!
-Stephane (@HotDogFrog)
Hi Stephane,
ReplyDeleteSorry about the late reply, but there was too much beer to sink during the Xmas break and too little time to sink it in. I had to prioritise and something (the blog) had to give.
Didn’t see Oxford over Xmas, but I think it will be interesting to see whether Wilder gets his tinkering sorted out for that final push. If not, they’ll have the core of a decent squad for next season I’m sure.
I was at Wycombe yesterday to watch them play Gillingham and suspect that both of these sides will be there or thereabouts come May, but I’d love to see Oxford go up. The games against Swindon are really worth going to!
Best wishes, Jeff