@TimWalkerOUFCFollow @TimWalkerOUFC
“You
all thought we’d chucked it.” Wilder’s words were going
through my mind at half time vs Port Vale on Saturday. Could we be
hearing them again? For the first time in weeks I felt that due to
Aldershot winning at Crewe, our first real piece of luck all season,
that we might actually make the play-offs, and who knows, maybe a
trip to Wembley and another open top bus?
The
team could not raise their game, our dismal form in the run-in stayed
true to form and our season was over. We HAD “chucked it” and
the question is, was Wilder to blame?
I
have already alluded to luck. This season the fickle finger of fate
has been a middle digit, and it’s been squarely in Wilder’s face
from the off. Promising players brought in sustained season long
injuries. Key players picked up injuries at the worst times.
Whether anything can be done to minimise the injuries we pick up is
not something I’m not qualified to comment on. Wilder’s
hand was therefore forced on loan players, some successful (Robbie
Hall, who again in circumstances beyond Wilder’s control was
recalled just before our November collapse), others less so (the
controversial Dean Morgan).
However,
Wilder DID get us in a position where it was “ours to lose”. The
part of the year where I think we see the best of him is coming right
up. He works hard and fast about now. I remember being impressed
with the team he assembled at the start of the season and the time
they had to get to know each other.
On
paper we have ‘improved’ over last season, but have we
under-delivered? I would say yes. The attendances we have and
resources available mean we should not be satisfied with finishing
outside the play-offs. A couple more wins from the many draws we had
would have seen us through, and I believe at least two or three of
these can be attributed to the circumstances of our bad luck.
So,
my verdict? I think Wilder deserves longer, he got us out of the
Conference and two memorable wins against Sw*ndon, he’s about to go
into the time of the season that he really excels at. Let’s see
how we start next season and take it from there. In the stadium I
will be squarely behind him, but in my mind the jury’s out - we
don’t deserve it to be ‘chucked’ again.
@oufc_turkishFollow @oufc_turkish
As
the 2011/12 season whimpered to the frustrating and disappointing end
the noise from the terraces got louder and louder, and the Wilder out
campaign has begun in earnest. Many will jump on the bandwagon in a
sadistic effort to liven up a season in which we ended up with little
to cheer about. I certainly will not be.
The
reasons I will not be are as follows. I started supporting Oxford
United after THAT Chelsea game. The whole thing just grabbed me, how
could a ref give a decision to the highfliers when little Oxford
United didn’t even know where the next pair of pants were coming
from? We will never know the answer to that, but it was enough for me
to think Oxford United is the team for me. The Premiership could do
what they want and I will support my local side through thick and
thin. Actually change that to thin. Nobody needs a history lesson but
suffice it to say after 4 relegations and 14 managers I was ready to
have some sort of success and stability.
Chris
Wilder brought that. We were stuck in a rut, yet Wilder picked us up
and got us moving very quickly in the right direction, just missing
out on playoffs in his first season. By the second we were there at
Wembley with Wilder sliding down the touchline as we celebrated our
first promotion since 1996. The following season back in the league
we acquitted ourselves very well, finishing a very respectable tenth.
Swindon Town joined us in League Two for the 11/12 season and the
opinion was very much if we only get two results this season let's
beat that lot home and away. Thanks there Chris, not only those two
wins but also 15 other wins along the way to a ninth position finish.
In
short that is where we are at. We have not been fighting relegation,
we have not sold our best players, we have not stopped progressing
for four years now. And not always under the easiest circumstances.
The
arguments for the Wilder out people seem to be his failure to take us
to the next step. Is two years in a division long enough to work that
out? Chris Wilder is a man of 44 and still very much learning his
trade, and make no mistake he has pulled up trees to get us to where
we are. He and Kelvin Thomas have a working relationship rarely
found at our level, both have their own roles but both care
passionately about all aspects of the club.
One
opinion I hear regularly about Wilder's failings is his ability in
the transfer market, especially the loans. Now, admittedly many
haven’t worked out for one reason or another, but which football
club loans out good players on good form? We need loan players to
cover injuries and suspensions and unfortunately we have needed quite
a few this year, and we found out why the likes of Kerrouche and
Morgan are being made available. But if we are to criticise him for
those then surely we must congratulate him on finding Rob Hall and
Lee Holmes – albeit only briefly – they both improved us while
they were here.
The
goals for column is not easy to ignore and we have not scored enough
goals for sure. But by the same token we have not leaked a whole lot
either, barring the last month or so. With so many draws in tight
games, if we scored five more goals in those games we could have
conceivably been talking automatic promotion. That is the margin we
are dealing with in a season like ours. That’s not to say we can
just put it down to luck. The club have identified a problem area and
as such can do something to put it right. Is getting rid of a
managerial set up the best way of sorting out a scoring deficit of a
handful of goals? Is taking a sledgehammer to a nut the best way of
cracking it?
Wilder
has not only brought in players but also a coaching staff of the
highest calibre. Would they stick around if he left? This is a
question no one seems bothered to answer. You can’t underestimate
the work they do just because it goes unseen. I think it would be a
huge step backwards if we were to suddenly break up something that
has taken four years to build up. From the boardroom, the manager,
coaches, players, youth team and beyond, there are signs that this
club is on an upward curve. We may not get there as quickly as a
Dagenham or a Rushden but let's just think where they are now? No one
at the football club now has ever promised overnight success so why
should we as fans expect anything different?
Of
course everyone is disappointed not to have made the play-offs having
been there for so long, six games without a win is hard to take at
any stage but it’s heartbreaking when it happens the way it did.
Wilder and his team have struggled in the last six weeks, but is it
not time we showed the man some loyalty and support, instead of
highlighting his minor failings which may or may not have contributed
to us missing out on a crack at promotion? I say he has earned a bit
of breathing space and he will come back stronger and wiser and ready
to take us to the next level.
Thanks
Chris, see you next season.
@OXONAssassinFollow @OXONAssassin
After
the final game against Port Vale, many fans on the radio and on
Twitter were adamant that Oxford United should dispense with Wilder.
Whilst I also feel the frustration, getting rid of Wilder after he
improved on our position yet again would be completely irrational.
Fans want success and they want it now; there is nothing wrong with
ambitious fans, but ambition often clouds all rational judgement.
If
Wilder were let go, that won't solve all our problems, because then
we will need another manager, and who is to say we can get a better
manager? Will a better manager want to come to us? And even then, a
new manager will want his own players, and we could say goodbye to
the fan favourites, the likes of Chapman, Dubes, maybe even Whing,
which I am sure will go down well.
Fans
seem to have short term memories. It was only four years ago we had
finished in our lowest league position in a long, long time and not
long before Wilder came along we had been beaten 5-2 by Histon.
Managers
often get most (if not all) of the blame when things go wrong, but
barely any of the credit when things go right. When we beat Swindon
both times, it was the players and the performance of the team that
got the credit. If things go wrong, the manager and the players
should take responsibility and not just one individual. Is it
Wilder's fault we conceded late on against Torquay and Shrewsbury? Is
it his fault Chapman missed his penalty against Northampton? You have
to be fair when criticising the manager. We have also been plagued
with injuries and untimely ones at that, which doesn't help.
Surely
the smart thing to do, is to let Wilder continue to build on what he
has got, rather tear it all up, bring in a new manager, who'll bring
his players and staff, and risk going down the road we went down
before being relegated last time. Just look at the bottom three of
League Two, look what constantly changing managers did for them? Is
it worth that risk again?
@GeorgeDugdaleFollow @GeorgeDugdale
I
support Chris Wilder. There, I said it. Can I no longer be
considered a true fan of Oxford United? I haven't littered my vitriol
over internet forums and I haven't once questioned Chris Wilder's
parentage. I simply think that he is a very good football manager who
has delivered his first disappointing season in four years. I don't
think I fit in around here.
The
facts speak for themselves:
Year
One – rapid improvement.
Year
Two – promotion.
Year
Three – consolidation.
Year
Four – missed out on the play-offs.
I
make that one disappointing season in four at a club that was on its
knees when Wilder arrived. The improvement hasn't been as
considerable as it should have been this season. There is no denying
that. From Kelvin Thomas and Chris Wilder down to the man who sits in
the East Stand who can't stand the sight of Damian Batt, we all know
that we should have been in the play-offs, at the very least. We
capitulated and it hurts.
However,
I do not want to be a club that ditches a manager after the first
setback. Chris Wilder has made mistakes, but football is not a game
of perfection. Moreover, we do not have a divine right to win
promotion from League Two because we once played at the top level.
That was then and we are very different now. We have a talented young
manager who is hurting every bit as much as we are at the moment. I
have faith, however, that Wilder can learn from his mistakes.
I
believe he has already shown an ability to do this. We were poor at
the back last season. Our record in defence this year is very good.
Disappointingly, we were robbed of the opportunity to see whether we
had improved up front by a number of factors. The near-total absence
of Tom Craddock could cost a team fifteen goals. The mid-season loss
of Alfie Potter severely blunted our potency going forward. However
frustrating he may be, Potter causes all sorts of problems for
opposition shape.
What
about the measures taken to cover these injuries? Rob Hall was
superb. Lee Holmes? An exceptionally effective old-fashioned winger.
These are two players who made a huge difference to our team. These
are two players that were removed due to circumstances totally out of
our control. It is odd to overlook the fact that we have had more
than a little bad luck this season. Without injury or unobtainable
long-term deals for loanees, would we have ever seen Dean Morgan? I
doubt it.
Deane
Smalley is the name that hangs over Wilder and causes concern for
this summer. If Wilder is to prove his doubters wrong (and I do not
believe they are a majority), the summer acquisitions need to be of
the same class as Hall and Holmes.
We
are in a new era where the internet provides an immediate emotional
response platform and the opportunity to connect with like-minded
individuals. There will always be Facebook groups and 'hashtags', but
I also hope that there will be a Chairman who doesn't give a stuff
about either.
Chris
Wilder has had one season that has fallen below expectations. We have
seen the effects of chopping and changing managers before. It didn't
end well. Why are we so certain that this would make a difference? I
haven't seen one internet criticism offer an explanation as to what
qualities a new manager would bring to the role that Wilder lacks. It
would help me to take their argument more seriously.
I
like to make a bold statement so here is another for the collection.
Chris Wilder knows what Oxford United need better than any other
manager out there. He will get it right.
@acherrie1
Follow @acherrie1
@acherrie1Follow @acherrie1
Time
- our greatest commodity. We constantly berate our lack of it, yet we
always strive to kill it. Utilise time effectively and reap the
benefits; mess with time at your peril.
Nowhere more so than in
the realm of professional football is time more precious. In a
reflection of the society we live in where instant, ready-to-go
gratification is desired, if success does not come in football within
a certain timeframe then we get all itchy and throw ourselves on the
floor in a tantrum like a toddler denied their Haribo. More often
than not if a toddler in a tantrum is given what they want, they grow
up to be spoilt little brats. If they learn the virtues of patience
and composure, they’ll harvest the rewards later in life.
Every football club has
its spoilt brats, and at Oxford United in recent months they have
been throwing their toys out of their proverbial prams with just one
target in mind - Chris Wilder.
We haven’t made the
play-offs, and quite frankly given our position around three months
ago, that is unacceptable. We’ve been horribly fragile in the
latter stages of games, shockingly impotent in front of goal and
adversely affected by squad disruption when we needed unity most.
Lady luck has thrust a taunting fist in our faces at times. Suspect
substitutions, unfortunate injuries, losses of form have all
conspired against us. Yet this is football. Chris Wilder’s hands
have been tied by the loss of key players at key moments, and whilst
his loan signings have been predominately ineffective, they were the
best available given the circumstances. We have a right to be unhappy
with the way our season has ended, yet to insist on the axe of a man
who has overseen our highest league finish in ten years would be
highly impetuous.
Wilder has indeed got
things wrong at times, but that’s all enhancing the learning
process for next season. There is no value in dwelling on these
negatives. We have inherited from the past season a solid spine of a
squad which, injury and poaching dependent, will be strong enough to
challenge for 3rd place at the very least. The coming season shall be
the one which Chris Wilder is ultimately judged; if he is unable to
make progression on this season’s total, then perhaps it is right
to concede that he is unable to take us further. The fact that he has
taken us further this season suggests another season is warranted.
Ultimately, by
extolling the virtues of time and patience I believe Oxford United
Football Club will be rewarded. No gain can be made by throwing
yourself on the floor in a frenzied heap every time you don’t get
what you want, whilst using four-letter expletives to justify your
claims isn’t going to help either. Chris Wilder has one more season
to get Oxford United into League One; he must use this time wisely.
Many
thanks to these five for sharing their opinions with us. Disagree with what they have to say? Why not write a response? If you'd like to tell us why Chris Wilder should go in 300-400 words, simply email your piece to us at tbfuth@hotmail.co.uk and watch it magically appear on this site in the next couple of days!
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