An Open Letter to the BBC Trust and the Football League Show

By Andy Roberts,

I am writing in an optimistic attempt to right a baffling wrong. Four and a bit years ago, BBC One manfully took on the apparently thankless burden of broadcasting highlights of all those difficult fiddly bits of football beneath Her Majesty's Glorious Premier League.

ITV once had a go at it; with a stark honesty they named their show The Championship after the FA and Coca Cola's brave rebranding of The Best Second Tier Division In the World (tm). Their show contained extensive highlights from the Championship while giving just a cursory nod to the Football League's embarrassing undercarriage; briefly debuting the goal clips from Leagues One and Two.

In 2009, when Aunty took on the responsibility of the less glamorous divisions, encumbered as she is by a heavy public service remit, supporters of lower league clubs were buoyed by the notion that they might be afforded a less thrifty share of the airtime. This notion was reinforced by the exciting news that the BBC were giving the new programme the collective and inclusive title of The Football League Show.

This optimism was short-lived, as it became clear that 80 - 90 per cent of each programme would be given over to the Championship, with (most of) the goals from Leagues One and Two unceremoniously shoved to the back end.

So BBC Trust, we don't want you to worry too much about our usual share on the Football League Show, we got used to that pretty quickly. League Two footballers on Twitter can often be found joking about falling asleep before the goals they scored are broadcast. We also look forward to the rare appearance of the unfailing enthusiastic (or unapologetically patronising) Mark Clemmit at our grounds, as it guarantees a larger share of the Football League Show for our beloved side. It's part of the fun.

What we REALLY struggle with though, is the apparent total disregard we're shown in an international week when the Championship is not in play. We're not expecting an hour of extended highlights each... We're more aware of our standing in the world than that. But we do find it enormously difficult to understand why, just because the Championship isn't happening, the BBC thinks that the other two thirds of the Football League have suddenly become disinterested in seeing the goals from their teams' games on the Football League Show.

A simple 30 minute show, with straight-forward goal highlights from most games and a little snippet from Clem or somebody similar (or entirely different)... There must be room for that?

Thank you for listening.

Andy
A retired football commentator, aged 33 and a half.

http://oxpodunited.podomatic.com/ 

Follow @jonnybiscuits Follow @bigbananaboys

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Why Are Oxford So Poor at Home?

By Michael Roberson,

This season, and for many previous, our home form has been our downfall. Where we’ve thrived on the road, the Kassam hasn’t been the fortress every manager wants their home ground to be. No opposition looks intimidated by the prospect of playing here, no away fans quietened by the roaring atmosphere here, no consistent form here. So, why? Why can I never enjoy the journey up to Grenoble Road, calm and assured of an excellent performance and three points? Why won’t the starting XI run the game like a home side should?

Firstly, there’s the atmosphere. Now, the introduction of the ‘Yellow Army’ to liven up match days is beginning to improve the vibe. But for a majority of the game the atmosphere often falls flat. The role of the fan to cheer his team on fails at points – granted because often there isn’t much to cheer. And this tense, unimpressed feeling from the fans will trickle down to the players who are receptive to the anxiety felt in the stands, increasing pressure on them to perform. The fans that make the long journeys away however are going to be in louder voice, cheering on the team through the lows, because they’ve made the long journey to a League Two ground. Perhaps it’s the lift the players experience only away from the Kassam that provokes a more effective style of football.

Talking of anxiety, maybe it’s the expectation of a win that can add to the pressure of the players, making them more nervous on the pitch. Three points are almost always what the fans expect from a home performance, maybe the players know this. And if they do, the expectation level rises, whereas on the road if we drop a point or three the players won’t be as disappointed because there isn’t that element of expectancy. 

Picture by @Daniel21Leggett

Another problem at home is that we’re not positive enough. Many times if we do go a goal up we tend to sit back and commit fewer men forward. Not to the same extent as in the Atkins days, but we need to kill teams off and we very rarely do. When was the last time we really dominated any side at home? If we want the opposition to be afraid of playing here, this aspect’s got to improve.

One thing’s for sure though, right now we can’t blame the pitch. The summer investment of £50,000 means United have (at least for now) a pitch of high quality. Last season, the turf played its part in leading to some very poor passing and controlling the ball, but right now that can’t be considered a problem. Let’s moan about that later in the year when London Welsh have torn it to shreds! 

And with the £50,000 we have available to invest on a pitch, it’s clear we’re a big club in this league. Like what we see at Old Trafford, maybe it’s a case of teams upping their game at a bigger club? I know we’re no Man Utd but you get what I’m saying.

Whatever it is that’s wrong at the moment though needs sorting. If we were to combine our solid away form with consistent performances and three points back in Oxford, we’d be looking like promotion favourites. At this rate though, it’s League Two for us again next season. 

Follow @MichaelOnToast

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Oxford's Split Personality

The League Two season is now ten games old – a point which is widely recognised as the time to review the start we have made to the season. By this point in the season the table has begun to take some shape, promotion contenders and relegation candidates materialise and patterns have begun emerge.

At the ten-match mark we find ourselves fourth in the table, outside the automatic promotion places by two points. It's a decent position to be in and puts us in a good position to push on and challenge this season but a concerning trend has emerged, albeit a not-unexpected one. Of course, the issue on everyone's lips at the moment is the team's home form.

It's something which has been debated extensively on Yellows Forum and on the excellent Oxpod United podcast and a veritable cavalcade of explanations have been posited, from negative fans to away teams raising their game at the Kassam. It's an issue that's come to dominate all talk of the club but one I've been reluctant to wade into, mainly due to the fact that I've already written about it last season. However, at the risk of repeating myself, it would be impossible to review the season so far without reference to this unusual phenomenon.

In the simplest of terms, Oxford appear to be a completely different side away from home than we are at home. On the road, we are clinical, free-scoring and relatively solid at the back (only Fleetwood and Mansfield have conceded fewer goals than us away). At home, it's a completely different story: only struggling Hartlepool and Accrington have scored fewer goals than we have on their own ground and matches at the Kassam frequently descend into dreary morale-sapping experiences as United struggle to find any rhythm to break down the opposition.

Away

Home

The level of support or the expectations of the fans shouldn't be a factor. Look at small, moneyed clubs like Crawley - expectations are high but supporters are low and it seems to have no effect on their performances. This season has put paid to the popular myth from last season that the state of the pitch was responsible for our poor home form - London Welsh have only played once at the Kassam so far this season. Having a 'nice' stadium isn't the problem either; Rotherham had a brand-new stadium last year which was a lot better than ours and they won promotion and Chesterfield's stadium is much newer and shinier than the Kassam and they have no problems at home.

In my opinion, the reason for our inability to perform at home is not due to the atmosphere or the pressure the players are under, it's something far simpler. The team are set up to be a very good counter-attacking outfit, but when it comes to taking the initiative and breaking opposing sides down we frequently struggle.

This is borne out by the stats. According to the (admittedly not-too-reliable) possession statistics listed on the club's official website, we have enjoyed the majority of possession on just two occasions this season. Clearly that's not because we're being outplayed by our opponents, it's because the team is set up allow our opponents to see a large amount of the ball and then hit them when the openings appear. This is a tactic which will naturally lend itself better to away matches but it's not going to work so well against other teams who are looking to do similar to us at our place – Southend on Saturday being a prime example (for the record, the Shrimpers had just 38% possession in that match).

Oxford are probably the best team in League Two without the ball, but clearly we need to be better with it. Despite losing, I saw some positive signs against Portsmouth that we are still capable of imposing ourselves on sides when they come to the Kassam but we clearly lacked that cutting edge that has made us so clinical on our travels. Nevertheless it gives me some hope that we can change our style of play at home and we'll have to if we want our form to improve.

We don't need to be fantastic at home to win promotion from this league, as the current table demonstrates, just a slight improvement will be enough to get us over the line. Gillingham won the league last season despite losing six and drawing five of their home matches last season – including a 1-0 defeat to us. That said, if home crowds are to improve from their average of 6,180 we are going to have to start getting results and entertaining fans. That's not so easily solved...

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The Importance of Width in League Two

Sean Rigg
Picture by Jon Whiles Photography

At the top level of the game the debate continues to rage about whether the traditional winger as we know it is dead. The success of Spain at international level with their unorthodox and much-vaunted 4-6-0 approach and the increasing popularity of the narrow 4-2-3-1 among Europe's top clubs have combined to push the old tried-and-true 4-4-2 well and truly out of favour – and with it everyone's favourite player: the winger.

But Oxford don't play at the top level of the game and they aren't one of Europe's top clubs (yet!), so emulating Barcelona isn't necessarily likely to bring results in League Two. Having won promotion from the Conference by utilising a direct approach that involved getting the ball up to the front three of James Constable, Jack Midson and Matt Green as quickly as possible, Chris Wilder jettisoned this approach upon the club's return to the Football League. Overhauling the squad in the summer of 2010, Oxford were set up with a continental narrow 4-3-3 formation and an emphasis on passing football and ball retention. The result was a side which played some beautiful football and finished 12^th. Clearly a rethink was needed.

The sad fact is that at our level of football the players are too limited to make such a fluid approach work successfully. Instead the 4-4-2, for all its faults, is a system which all the players are used to and comfortable with and as a result they perform better. The intervening years between those early League Two lessons and now have seen a lot of tinkering and experimenting as Wilder has tried to hit upon the magic formula for success, and although there probably is no single approach that guarantees promotion one thing that has stood out in recent seasons is that good wing play can be a major factor in a side's success at League Two level.

Take Port Vale last season as a notable example. Lots of people pinpointed the impressive goalscoring form of Tom Pope as the reason for Vale's unexpectedly successful season, but he was only able to find the net so often because there was a steady supply of chances landing at his feet (or on his head or anywhere else really), most of which came from the wingers. Ashley Vincent and Jennison Myrie-Williams were a devastating force last season, as demonstrated when they were allowed to roam free during the 3-0 demolition they inflicted on us at Vale Park.

The importance of quality wide players was emphasised again on Saturday when Chesterfield ended our unbeaten start to the season. Of course, when you've assembled a squad like theirs it's easy to look good but as we're discussing style of play rather than personnel I think they still serve as a very strong example of how to play at this level. Chesterfield constantly look to stretch the play and get their wide players on the ball and as a result Gary Roberts and Tendayi Darikwa gave our full-backs trouble all afternoon. Most Oxford fans agreed that Chesterfield were the best side we're likely to come up against this season and part of the reason for that success is the way they use the flanks. Their goal on Saturday, for example, came from a ball in from the left.

Alfie Potter
Picture by Jon Whiles Photography

And then, of course, there's us. With Alfie Potter and Sean Rigg we have two of the best wingers in League Two within our ranks. When both are fit and we really utilise the width they offer they can be unstoppable – as they were at Portsmouth on the opening day of the season. Rigg's injury perhaps highlighted how fundamental the wingers are to our chances this season, with just one win from the four matches he missed (not including Torquay and Chesterfield, both of which he played some part in). We've already touched on this point when discussing Oxford's younger players, but by replacing Rigg with the naturally central Asa Hall our attacking potential was considerably reduced.

This lack of cover out wide – particularly if O'Dowda isn't considered ready for first-team football yet – is possibly my biggest concern about the team at the moment. Rigg and Potter won't play every match this season, and being wingers they won't necessarily play brilliantly in every match either, so we need more options that can come on and deputise to ensure that we maintain a wide threat. That could be the difference between the flashes of brilliance we've seen so far and a consistently strong season.

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We'll Win Nothing With Kids?

Picture from @AlasdairLane

If there's one thing you can count on Oxford United for, it's that they will inevitably, at some point in the season, suffer some sort of injury crisis. Injury problems have struck once again at the Kassam, with the announcement at the weekend that both JamesConstable and Jake Wright will be out for four to six weeks, joining Jon Meades and Sean Rigg in the treatment room, and also that Deane Smalley has a recurring hamstring problem which has kept him from training.

All of which has left the squad looking rather thin. Saturday's starting XI against Cheltenham featured central midfielders Asa Hall and Scott Davies out wide, with winger Alfie Potter moving into a central position to partner Dave Kitson up front. Meanwhile, five of the Oxford bench were under-21 (loanee goalkeeper Shwan Jalal and the barely-fit Deane Smalley being the other two) with just 22 first-team appearances between them.

Not that the presence of so many young players around the matchday squad should come as much of a surprise. The decision was made during the summer to have a relatively small but talented crop of first-team players, backed up a new squad of development players who can provide cover while hopefully continuing their development in order to become gradually integrated into the first team. The risk with this approach – one which could possibly have dire consequences if things go wrong for us this season – is that a few injuries to important players can leave the team severely depleted, as we're now seeing. When injuries have occurred in previous seasons we've turned to the loan market to fill those gaps, with mixed results. That won't be happening this season, due to the existence of the aforementioned development squad.

Callum O'Dowda

The problem right now, though, is that even with injuries hitting hard the youngsters still aren't being given a chance. For example, having had great success playing wide men in the opening matches, the obvious choice to replace Sean Rigg would have been 18-year-old Callum O'Dowda, who impressed many during pre-season. Instead Asa Hall, already suffering a dubious reputation with sections of the Oxford support, was shoehorned into a wide position which has never suited him, placing him unfairly in the firing line as a scapegoat when things don't go exactly according to plan. Meanwhile, O'Dowda has watched on from the bench with just a solitary senior appearance to his name – when he and some of the other younger players were hung out to dry against Charlton in the League Cup.

The news about Constable and Smalley also leaves United looking very light up top, with Dave Kitson the only recognised striker to start on Saturday and after picking up his fourth booking of the season from just six appearances it seems likely that he'll be facing a suspension soon. That could present an opportunity to Tyrone Marsh, who has played about 25 minutes of first-team football this season in two substitute appearances, though again on Saturday an out-of-position Alfie Potter was favoured ahead of the 19-year-old striker.

What seems clear at the moment is that Chris Wilder is still a bit reluctant to use the younger players (with the notable exception of Ryan Williams, who of course isn't our player). That's not a situation I would expect to change on Saturday when league leaders Chesterfield come to town for what is looking like a potentially huge match, especially with the development team having already played on Wednesday against Luton.

But before we criticise Wilder for his apparent lack of faith in the younger players perhaps we should look at the reasons why the youngsters aren't currently seeing first-team action. Though pre-season performances should obviously be taken with a pinch of salt they do demonstrate the dangers of carrying too many inexperienced players. The embarrassing 5-1 defeat to Oxford City back in July was a demonstration of defensive frailties and non-threatening attack as we were outplayed by an experienced City side. Play too many of the younger lads and we risk adding to our burden if too many players have to be carried through the match by the more experienced pros.

Josh Shama v Gillingham

Development team results haven't exactly been fantastic either, with defeats to Birmingham, Bournemouth, Gillingham and Luton and a draw against Southend. That's not to say that our development squad players don't have talent, but obviously you can't expect a group of players who were just thrown together during the summer to be pulling off big results against sides who have been playing together for some time and some of whom boast some experienced first-team campaigners.*

Essentially we're still playing catch-up and presumably Wilder, whether rightly or wrongly, wants to give our players the chance to catch up and become integrated into the first team gradually, rather than being thrown in at the deep end in the first months of the season. There's also no urgent need to give these players game time now, because they are playing regularly in the development squad (unlike last season, when Tyrone Marsh and Max Crocombe were sat on the bench most of the time).

Of course, if we keep picking up injuries as we currently are we may not have a choice in the matter. The likes of Marsh and O'Dowda may just get their chance, whether they're ready for it or not.

*And besides, the results aren't what is important at that level of football, it's all about giving these players some game time and a chance to develop.

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Wake Up Oxford!

I'm a bit concerned about Oxford United. And yes, if you've read any of my previous articles for this site you'll realise that's basically the norm for me. But why should I be concerned right now? The team are still unbeaten, we're in the top three and we've scored more goals than any other side in the division. So why then do the fans still seem so apathetic?

Home attendances so far this season seem to have picked up where they left off last season. In fact, they seem to be even worse, despite the club's impressive start to the season. The 5,290 who watched last Saturday's 1-1 draw with Rochdale would have been our sixth lowest crowd last season (and is more than 700 down on the same fixture last term). A crowd of more than 7,000 for the Wycombe game might seem impressive but when you consider that we were top of the league going into that match and that when the two sides met at the Kassam in 2011 (with United 11^th) it was watched by 9,309 it looks every bit as poor as our other home attendances so far.

As our campaign fizzled out last season it was easy to understand why disgruntled fans lost interest and started to drift away. We were more likely to witness a spineless collapse to a bottom half team of cloggers than we were to actually be entertained and the frankly pathetic atmosphere around the ground offered no respite from the mind-numbing fare on the pitch. But that was then, this is now. The club has undergone something of a revolution during the summer, with an overhaul of the playing squad and a change of approach from temporary loan signings to young hopefuls backing up a side of strong, 'robust' first teamers. And so far those changes have yielded results – 11 points from a possible 15 and a position towards the top of the early League Two table.

But some might say it's a case of closing the stable door after the horse has bolted. That 'lost 1,000' who were packing out the stands not long ago are now out of the habit and may have lost touch with goings-on at the club. Or worse, maybe they've lost faith in Oxford United after years of false dawns. We've had similarly impressive starts to previous seasons before now and yet throughout the last decade we've been incapable of getting promoted from League Two. Why should it be any different this time?

Realistically, the club will still need to be in and around the top three in January before the crowds come back and despite the suggestions of some on Yellows Forum, I'm not sure that ticket offers or other campaigns will have a huge effect, except to drain more money from the coffers. There's not a lot we fans can do about that – other than to coax as many people as we know to start coming to games, of course.

What we can help is the atmosphere we create at matches we do bother to show up to. It's not just the general apathy that has carried over from last season, but many who are coming still seem desperate to find fault the team. It's like we've become incapable of mustering enthusiasm for the club, even when things are going well. Having stretched our unbeaten run to five games following last weekend's draw I find it astounding that there were some who decided to boo at the final whistle. I accept it may have been a small number, but it's not an acceptable response, given the result and the position the club is currently in.

Comments after the game declaring it 'more of the same' possibly offer more of an insight into the seemingly inexhaustible negativity of Oxford fans. We've been here before and been let down, so now we're just looking for the evidence that we're going to screw up yet again. That inevitable disappointment hurts less when you've been expecting it all along.

All of which creates a pretty unpleasant atmosphere around the club and certainly not one which is conducive to long-term success. Fans now expect failure and are reluctant to acknowledge or celebrate success. We're only five games into the season and so it's right that we shouldn't get too carried away at such an early stage, but instead of waiting for the 'inevitable' failure to follow we should be encouraging the team to build on what has been a positive start and trying to build up a head of steam – both on and off the pitch. At the moment we seem to be undermining it.

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Why I Choose Oxford Over the Premier League

The Premier League has lost the plot!  Every season and every transfer window the money thrown around is staggering. In one transfer alone Tottenham would receive £105m for Gareth Bale if he decided to leave for La Liga top boys Real Madrid. In another potential transfer Barcelona would receive £35m from Manchester United for midfielder Cesc Fabregas and in the last that sticks out is the Suarez debacle where Liverpool could be set to receive a minimum of £40m and £1 if the transfer goes ahead. Thats £180m for three human beings who, let's face it, kick a ball around for a minimum of 90 minutes - albeit with a lot of skill! It's also more than the market value combined of the goods produced by the UN's 10 poorest countries in a year!

The point I'm trying to get at is that the Premier League has not only become obsessed by money and making the biggest signings possible, but it has also lost touch with in my mind the most important thing in the game: the fans. I have been to quite a few Premier League grounds in my time; St James' Park, the Stadium of Light, the Riverside Stadium, Old Trafford,  White Hart Lane to name a few. The thing that strikes me the most when you are at these grounds is the fact that you don't feel like a fan but more of a customer.

I don't get that feeling when I go to the Kassam Stadium. Yes, we don't own it and yes we resent spending money on a beer or a cup of tea or coffee because it lines the pocket of our once self-centred chairman, but to me whenever I go I still feel like part of the club and that I am appreciated by the club and the players for taking the time to be there. We are quite fortunate to have a dedicated area of the club which deals with working with the community and we have a good supporters trust in OxVox.

After doing an admittedly quick bit of research on the internet I could find just a handful of Premier League clubs that have a supporters trust (Manchester United, Swansea, Tottenham and Arsenal ). I'm sure a more detailed search would find that most have one and so they should! With the average ticket price for a Premier League game last season being nearly £30, fans of these Premier League clubs need these supporters trusts like our own to fight their cases when it comes to such matters as this. Only recently in May a number of members from their respective club supporters trusts met to discuss the ongoing issues of Premier League clubs distance from the fans. This culminated in a letter written to the Premier League expressing their dissatisfaction at the price of tickets within the league. 

The situation lower down the leagues provides a total contrast. For example, Brentford FC were one of a number of lower league clubs last year who offered fans a pay-what-you-like initiative for one their League One matches. This says to me the club cares about the fans. They were giving them a chance to come to a game even if they only had 10p to their name. I couldn't ever imagine Arsenal doing that at the Emirates! 

Closer to home at Oxford United there has always been a sense of togetherness. There are often hash tags such as #OUFCfamily flying around on Twitter and I've always felt the  fans are important to the club. In recent seasons initiatives such as Ultimate Support Saturday and Ultimate Support away days have been introduced hoping to attract more fans to come along and create the best atmosphere possible. We have the 12th Man scheme which is a fan-run project to help the  club raise much needed funds to help sign players on a permanent and loan basis. The club has supported this by retiring the number 12 shirt from the squad and giving any help it can. Other recent ways of involving the fans have come in the form of the club's recent "United We Stand" season ticket campaign providing fans the chance to renew season tickets at reduced prices and offering other fan incentives such as savings on the club's Yellow Player media service and the chance to attend an open first team training session to see what goes on. 

But perhaps most important is the formation of the Yellow Army which is the coming together of OxVox, The 12th Man group, the team behind the Ultimate Support days and the Ultras to enhance the matchday experience and the overall atmosphere around the club. These schemes are without doubt a good way to help improve the day-to-day fan feel part of the club and help us feel needed by the people we sometimes might not. Right now, the sense of togetherness around the place is palpable.

The fans will always pay money to go and see their football team play no matter how much it is, but that doesn't mean the clubs should charge what they want, with the price of some Premier League tickets being as much as £126 those teams run a real risk of losing the most important people at the club, the fans!

Follow @andywilmer

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Twin Goals for Oxford this Season

“Failure to win promotion this season will be a disaster.”

We've all heard that phrase, or some form of equivalent, before. Inevitably it gets an airing at some stage every season and yet, after several seasons of failing to win promotion the club is still standing and, most importantly, still able to raise a competitive side in League Two. But by forcing ourselves to believe that every season is a potentially pivotal one in the history of the club are we piling unnecessary pressure on ourselves? It seems this kind of attitude remains something of a hangover from the Conference days, when the future of the club really was at stake - but is it any more? If the club remains at this level for too long with little sign of being promoted then, yes, its potential to grow will be stunted, but this is a gradual process over a number of years, not dependent on the result of one season.

Which is all a rather roundabout way of saying that the season ahead is important (as they all are) but not necessarily a pivotal one as far as the club's future is concerned. Promotion is again expected, and rightly so, but if we fail to achieve it the club will still be here next year. However, for one person in particular this season really is pivotal. If it turns out to be similar to the last one it seems difficult to believe that Chris Wilder will still be in the hotseat and preparing for another shot at promotion in 2014-15.

For a large section of the Oxford support, patience with Wilder dried up at some point during the last campaign. It was indeed a dreary, morale-sapping season with very few highlights and it's unsurprising that some of the supporters got a little tetchy. This summer's transfer dealings have certainly restored the faith among quite a few of those fans, but make no mistake that patience is most definitely not a virtue the United 'faithful' possess in droves at the moment and a poor start to the season could result in the atmosphere around the ground becoming poisonous very early into the season. The 'Wilder out campaign' has been noticeably quiet during the summer months, but it won't take much for those rumblings to stir once again. Fortunately, Ian Lenagan seems like a steady type and unless the club is in danger of relegation it seems likely that he will allow Wilder to see the season out no matter how loud the protests.

But there can certainly be no mistaking Wilder's intentions this year. He doesn't simply want to cling to his job for another year and see the season out; he knows that this season really is pivotal for his career and has gone about assembling a side that he believes will be lifting the League Two trophy at the end of the season. For all the noises last year about challenging for promotion, I suspect he knew very early on that it wouldn't happen and that for many of those players (most of whom had been signed on two-year deals the previous summer) it was simply a case of seeing out the remainder of their contract. That's given Wilder plenty of time to think about how he's going to build his side and to correct some of the problems that have dogged recent cohorts.

Gone are the injury-prone stars who missed much of last season. Gone are the mercurial wing-backs and forward three of previous Wilder sides. Gone is the 4-3-3 formation which often looked nice, but failed to deliver in the hustle and bustle of League Two. The buzzword for this year's vintage is 'robust'; unlike in previous years, this time we've made it a priority that new signings are physically capable of surviving the campaign, with a more stringent medical weeding out those potential recruits who would be likely to spend more time on the treatment table than the pitch.

Wilder has also built this side to fit into the more standard 4-4-2 formation favoured during the latter half of last season. Some might think that an unimaginative system but it proved last season to be more effective and with Wilder experimenting with 4-3-3/4-5-1 at times during pre-season as well, the side should hopefully be more tactically flexible this season than in previous years. With Alfie Potter and Sean Rigg on the wings (with Callum O'Dowda another realistic option if he continues his good form) the name of the game this season is getting the ball into the channels and then into the mixer for Kitson, Smalley, Beano et al to finish.

The side is packed with quality at either end of the pitch, with the marquee signings of Dave Kitson and Johnny Mullins meaning that we undoubtedly have among the most impressive defensive and attacking units in the league. Question marks remain, however, over our midfield and players like Asa Hall, Danny Rose and Jonathan Meades all have a point to prove this season for a variety of reasons. Should they fail to step up, we could be left with the same problems we've faced in recent seasons. You can have the best attackers in the world, but if they get no service we will again struggle to score goals. Likewise, even the most solid of back fours will leak goals if it's not protected adequately.

One other stated change in approach is the decision to recruit promising young hopefuls who have been discarded by other clubs' academies to fill out the development squad. With Josh Shama (Reading), Kenzer Lee (West Ham) and Matt Bevans (Watford) joining the recent youth team graduates – and with Josh Ruffels (Coventry) and Ryan Williams (Fulham) also looking likely to sign – the makeup of the squad this season is markedly different to what we're used to seeing. The majority of the budget is concentrated on a relatively small pool of first team players, with a large group of young and inexperienced players ready to step up and provide cover if needed.

This should reduce the need for so many loanees this term, which should avoid the problem of having to repeatedly stretch the budget to pay for them, but the result is that it is imperative that we don't suffer a similar injury crisis to recent seasons. The 5-1 demolition job at Oxford City demonstrated that, no matter how talented this crop of youngsters may be, we can't afford to carry more than one or two of them at a time in senior football.

That result may have set a few alarm bells ringing, but actually shouldn't have been such a surprise when viewed sensibly. City are a highly disciplined side with a good number of experienced former pros in their ranks and look strong this year (they destroyed Didcot Town the weekend before we played them and held a strong Wycombe side to a draw just days after). For many of these young players, this was the first time they had really played together in a proper match and they were to a certain extent thrown in at the deep end.

We should gain a better understanding as the season draws on which of those players will be able to step up to League Two, but there are some positive signs already that some could become future stars. Of course the priority for these players this season is progression, not a starring role. The real responsibility for the first team falls squarely on the shoulders of Messrs Kitson, Mullins et al, but that should distract from the fact that there is definitely a dual aim this season; immediate promotion for the first team, while producing the next generation of Oxford players with the new development squad. Not an easy balancing act to get right, but at this stage, with the season stretched ahead of us, the signs are good that we just might achieve both of those aims.

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Where Did It All Go Right?

As usual at this time of year, with no football to watch and comment on, our footballing attentions tend to be divided between two activities: transfer gossip and deconstructing the season just gone. It's popularly agreed that our season was undone by a quite ridiculous injury list which ruled out key players for much of the season, leaving us woefully undermanned for the rigours of a 46-game season.

That's probably quite a decent starting place to begin analysing where things went wrong for Oxford last season, but what about those sides who are now preparing for life in League One? Where did it all go right for them? Each of the four promoted sides last season – Gillingham, Rotherham, Port Vale and Bradford – are clubs of a similar size to Oxford and all had been in League Two at least as long as us but none seemed to be able to find that winning formula until striking gold this last term. In this post we'll take a quick look at what made each of these sides successful last term in the hope it will reveal some of the secrets to League Two success.

Champions Gillingham are an interesting place to start our analysis, because they finished the 2011-12 season a very similar position to ourselves. Like us, they finished the 2011-12 season in poor shape, dropping out of the play-off race late in the season and finishing just two points and one place above us in eighth. Unlike us, Gillingham then took the decision to change manager with the incoming Martin Allen pinpointing Gillingham's defence as the area to strengthen. In 11-12 the Gills conceded 62 goals; this year they reduced that to a miserly 39 – easily to best record in League Two. In addition, Gillingham kept an impressive 18 clean sheets this season.

The sale of Paulo Gazzaniga and sell-on clauses for Matt Jarvis and Ryan Bertrand provided Allen with some cash to play with prior to the start of the season and he spent it well, bringing in Stuart Nelson, Adam Bartlett and Leon Legge to shore up the defence. Between them the Gills defence were able to reduce their opponents' goalscoring opportunities, leaving them to face hopeful potshots – the Gills conceded just once for every 12 shots they faced last season, an impressive figure (by way of comparison, our defence needed an average of just seven shots to be breached).

By contrast, Port Vale's approach focused on improving their attack. Again, Vale finished the 2011-12 season in a similar position to us and would have finished one point ahead of us if not for a points deduction. With the prolific Marc Richards leaving before the start of the season there was some concern about whether Vale would be able to replace his goals, but Tom Pope unexpectedly discovered where the net is and scored a quite incredible 31 goals as part of the 'best strikeforce in the league' as Vale finished the season as the league's top scorers, with 87.

This was due in large part to the impressive wingers Ashley Vincent and Jennison Myrie-Williams who supplied a steady stream of balls across the face of goal for Vale's strikers to latch onto. Vale's attack was by far the most clinical in the division, requiring less than five shots to find the net on average (by comparison, Oxford averaged more than seven shots per goal scored).

Rotherham, with 74 goals scored, appeared to take a similar approach to Vale, though their situation is probably the least relatable for Oxford. The positive momentum created by their move to the New York Stadium and the piles of cash handed to manager Steve Evans to assemble an abnormally strong squad are unlikely to be recreated here at any point in the foreseeable future. Nevertheless, they do provide an important example of the importance of building a head of steam and finishing the season with momentum behind them.

At one point the Millers appeared to be out of the automatic promotion race after a poor run of form, but as the season neared its end they found the form they had been threatening (effectively beginning with their 4-0 demolition job at the Kassam at the start of March). Rotherham finished the season with six wins from their last eight games to pip Port Vale for second place. But who knows, if they hadn't had that confidence-boosting win over us at just the right time, they might well have found themselves in League Two next season as well. There is definitely a lesson to learn there about using the momentum gained from those kind of results to build up a head of steam – something Oxford notably failed to do last season.

Like Rotherham, Bradford also spent money this season – money which hadn't been made available in previous seasons – but it was a gamble which ultimately paid off with two Wembley appearances helping to pay off any shortfall they may otherwise have had. However, that is a gamble that Oxford seem unlikely to make this season after posting some big losses in previous years, but there are still lessons to be learned about reversing a team's fortunes and building a winning mentality.

Bradford had been trapped in League Two for six years without really looking like getting out of it and after an 18th-place finish in 2012 it needed something drastic for them to turn it around this time out. Manager Phil Parkinson cleared out a lot of deadwood, building the side around important senior pros such as Gary Jones and supplementing them with young, hungry players. Like Port Vale, Bradford uncovered a goalscoring gem in Nahki Wells this season, whose goals have been indispensable to the Bantams' promotion campaign. To what extent is it luck that these players performed this season and what are Oxford's chances of replicating that?

So have we learned anything from this exercise? Clearly each of the sides who promotion this season have done so in their own way and there is not one simple formula for winning promotion from League Two. But as the club seeks to move away from its previous policy of making big-name injury-prone signings like Michael Duberry and Peter Leven, the above examples do at least show how it can be done. The question now is can Oxford emulate that success?

Many thanks to the excellent statistical website Experimental 3-6-1 for their League Two attack and defence stats, which proved invaluable for this article.

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The Retained List Debate

It's always one of the most interesting parts of the close-season: the announcement of the retained list. Some years there are relatively few changes, with big players secured on longer contracts and little work to be done; other years we see wholesale change as the club seeks to rebuild. This year is one of the latter. And with the announcement that twelve players are to leave the club this summer, including big names such as Peter Leven and Michael Duberry, this move was always going to spark vigorous debate among United fans. Here are a selection of differing opinions on this year's retained list:

@mattp2490

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I am always one for going with first gut reactions and in the case of Oxford’s retained and released list the first reaction was one of mild shock and surprise. However, having mulled over the names released and retained it actually makes a great deal of sense, with a couple of names that I perhaps disagree with. The list is however the biggest indication yet, in my opinion, that Lenegan and Wilder are desperate to change the state of play at Oxford United FC.

The retained list is promising; including the likes of Crocombe and Marsh shows Oxford’s desire to bring youth through the ranks and this will sit well with many fans I’m sure. Young players who have learnt the trade with Oxford, live in Oxford and have the club at heart can only be a good thing. Giving Alfie Potter and Andrew Whing new contracts was almost a given, certainly with the former. The only concern is with Whing and the potential injury threat he carries. The one shock is the much maligned Deane Smalley. I’ve never been a massive fan of his, and the times I have seen him play this season have not filled me with confidence. The performance against Dagenham and Redbridge earlier this month showed me he should probably have been on the other list.

Those who have been told their futures lie away from Yellow and Blue, I wish to say thank you and all the best to every single one of them. The names that stand out most of all, for me, are Batt and Davis. They were a solid pair and with Wright and Duberry they made one of the strongest back fours in the league. Oxford’s problem was getting all four on the pitch at once!

The club was right to not renew contracts with Leven and Duberry. Both were fantastic for Oxford and were firm favourites with the fans and were promising signings for Oxford in what was our second season in the league, but injury stopped any progress they made with the club, and with the new breed of youth coming into the squad it was perhaps inevitable they would not get new contracts. Leven will find a new club, either in League Two or One. Duberry may call it time on his fantastic career, but I wouldn’t be surprised for “Dubes” to feature in the Oxford set up in a coaching role in the future.

The other names on the list are also not that surprising. Pittman and Richards are just too injury prone, Worley was not rated by Wilder for whatever reason; this was obvious in his picking of Raynes over him even when the latter was woefully out of form. Parker and McCormick were promising but were only ever signed as a stop gap to the end of the season, with the latter’s signing incredibly controversial. And as for Craddock, his name appearing on the released list was perhaps the worst kept secret of the second half of the season.

@ABrown31

Follow @ABrown31

We knew this was coming. An impending doom or relief for a number of Oxford United players and supporters, as they await confirmation on their future. We’ve had the furore over Chris Wilder, with the ‘Grenoble Road’ civil war of “Wilderites” and “Wilder Outers” finally taking a backseat. Now we can divert our attention elsewhere momentarily as we decipher, analyse then praise/criticise the look of next year's playing squad.

A dozen players were released, sparking quite the debate in the ‘twitter-verse’ amongst United fans. Stemming from who we should’ve kept, who should’ve left, and how good so and so was anyway. You start to really understand why the summer of transfers and negotiations is often referred to as ‘silly season’.

The Goalkeepers for next year looks to be an immediate strong suit, with the first alliterative goalkeeping battle since Turley/Tardif of the mid 00’s. With youngster Max Crocombe finishing the season in splendid form, easing the fears of any fans who had reservations over his potential to be a future number 1. I envisage Ryan Clarke will resume duties in goal however after recovering from injury; after all he is “England’s Number One”. With two solid goalkeepers, the release of Luke McCormick seemed inevitable. McCormick provided good cover, and will no doubt be well received if he ever returns to the Kassam.

Full backs are where the first controversy arises. Damian Batt, a stalwart in the United back four for a number of years now, has been released. For all the faults aimed at Batt, whether it is his inability at crossing or his tendency for erroneous positioning, this disappointed me. Batt, voted the best right back in the division in our first season back in the league, has always offered an outlet bombarding down the right flank. He’s been a solid player for a number of years, he has held his place from challenges from the likes of Ben Purkiss, and from his goodbye tweet today, seemed to thoroughly enjoy his stay here. If forced to select an Oxford United XI in my time watching the team, I think Batt ousts Scott McNiven as the starting right back. I, as well as I would imagine most other fans, wish him nothing but the best in his future.

On the opposite side, we saw Liam Davis and Tony Capaldi both released, but a contract offer extended to Luke O’Brien. I have no qualms about any of this. Davis hasn’t lived up to his first few months of his spell at the club, and this season has been below-par on numerous occasions. Capaldi enjoyed some of his best displays in yellow in the heart of midfield, whether that’s testament to his versatility, or an indictment of his inadequate performances in his natural position, I’ll leave up for debate. O’Brien has deputised admirably when called upon, whether or not he’ll be the first choice next year is questionable. I’d anticipate a couple of new full backs come August.

In the middle we saw the departure of Harry Worley and Michael Duberry. The former has been obvious for months. Once ‘young player of the year’, Worley has been resorted to being an emergency striker, turned fourth-choice centre back. His exit is understandable. Duberry, again a release with a sense of inevitability about it, led to a more nostalgic feel. Despite his advancing age, and the scepticism his signing came with, Duberry immediately became a firm favourite. His performance and subsequent post-match celebration at Swindon last season placing him in the history books of the club.

With Jake Wright contracted, although undoubtedly peaking the interest of clubs in higher divisions, and the much-maligned Michael Raynes the only remaining centre backs from this past season, I would expect another arrival, and maybe a bigger role for youth-teamer Sam Long. If we’re to believe that the squad is to be “25% Youth teamers” next season, this seems a logical scenario.

Onto the midfield, the season’s scapegoat Simon Heslop has been let go. Despite often being played out of position and sporadically, Heslop has had a thoroughly underwhelming season, looking a shadow of the player we signed in 2010. This, alongside the release of Peter Leven, the oft-injured but ever-influential Scotsman pave the way for another addition to go along with Scott Davies and Andy Whing, who have been offered new deals.

Josh Parker, who impressed at the turn of the year, but then found himself on the fringes of the squad has moved on. This comes as no surprise to many, and again seems a pretty obvious decision to make. With the release of injury-prone Jon-Paul Pittman as well, much to the chagrin of a few, leaves Alfie Potter (who had his option activated) and Sean Rigg as our two wingers for next season. I would think that there’s potentially another acquisition for next season, probably to cover Rigg and Potter, who were two of the standout performers over the season.

In the striking department, the release of Tom Craddock was met with relief by many. Craddock, often seen as “lazy” certainly mixes opinion with supporters. I personally believe we haven’t utilised him to the best of his ability. In his first season, playing on the left in the infamous 4-3-3 (or 4-5-1 depending on your philosophical bend) he scored 15 goals and instantly made his signing from Luton look like shrewd business.

I believe Craddock is an intelligent footballer, maybe sometimes a bit too intelligent, putting him on a different wavelength to others. His effort (or lack thereof) isn’t helped when compared to James Constable, who chases and harries every loose ball like a puppy in the park. If Craddock was scoring goals in the league above next season, I wouldn’t be overly surprised. Justin Richards was also unsurprisingly released.

Next season, the striking options looks to be James Constable, Tyrone Marsh, who was offered a new deal and Deane Smalley, who to the surprise of many, if not all supporters, was offered a new deal. Not necessarily saying I disagree, I thought I’d be vehemently against this. However I cast my mind back to early on this season, prior to an injury, when arguably Smalley was our best striker turning some high calibre performances. If fit, this could be a wise decision on the part of the manager.

As for who we will sign to replace those released, I’m seeing names appear that seem wholly unrealistic. Jacques Magohma and Calvin Zola will not be signing here. Burton potentially will be promoted, and Magohma is attracting interest from higher divisions. Could we see Jake Wright going to Bradford or Plymouth? I would expect to see some , shall we say, “budgeted” moves. With high earners like Leven, Duberry and Craddock off the books, there’s a genuine opportunity to bolster the squad and make it deeper than seasons past.

Robbie Hall proved the idea behind the loan market. I wouldn’t be averse to seeing more youngsters from Premier League development squads plying their trade here. Younger players are often hungrier for success (a theory Dubes makes hard to justify), and are more than likely highly skilled players.

Next season will see a lot of different faces, hopefully a revitalised attitude in the stands, and dare I say a promotion push.

@OXONAssassin

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With a dozen players released from the club (a dozen? that's nearly a squad full), and with a handful being kept, or offered new deals, have the club made the right decisions?

In terms of the retained players, I believe the club were right to keep Whing and Potter, and I also think Davies did enough to earn himself a new deal too. But what about Smalley? Last year he had poor form, this year he was injured for most of it, maybe the 3^rd year is the charm?

As for the players who were released, a lot of good players like Leven, Duberry and Jon Paul Pittman were let go, but they have barely been fit this season, and it's hard to have a consistent season when you don't have a consistent starting line up. Hopefully any new signings won't have the same injury troubles. I was personally shocked at the departures of Batt and Davis, Davis especially.

As for the others, they just aren't part of the future plans. We may see players like Worley and Craddock thrive at other clubs, but it's just not happening here for one reason or another. And with 3 youth players given pro contracts, it's possible we may see more chances given to youth players in the coming seasons. 

Thanks a lot to those three for sharing their opinions on this year's retained list. Here's what a few more of you had to say on Twitter:

@tbfuth Not sure why we'e kept Smalley, and Scott Davies. Both ones that should've gone. Should've kept McCormick and Leven as a gamble.
— Lewis Hallam (@LewisHallam37) May 2, 2013

@ollyhowells @tbfuth You could say that about ANYONE.....'if'. There is no logic in persisting with the same shit
— Tom (@Tom95M) May 2, 2013

@yelbarhdadi @tom95m @tbfuth he probably wasn't good enough this year, but he finished it well and I reckon he'll be a useful player next yr
— Olly Howells (@ollyhowells) May 2, 2013

Buzzing that @hovis1988 is staying at Oxford. Quality little player. #oufc
— Cameron. (@Cameronyeahhh) May 2, 2013

Really? J.P.Pittman and Davis been released. Wilder I hope you have some bloody good players in mind then to replace them #oufc
— Nathan Wallington (@NatWally2711) May 2, 2013

I have stood by our manager for a long time but after reading the released list today, I am very undecided about his abilities now #oufc
— Mitch East (@Mitcheast1) May 2, 2013

Mohsni, Jombati, Schumacher, Howe and a young combative midfielder. That's what's needed #oufc
— Jack Knight (@JDK_) May 2, 2013

Injury prone, high earners gone. Good decisions made so far. Now lets see what we can bring in! #oufc #wilderin
— Ben Symonds (@Benson_3) May 2, 2013

Pretty much 100% agree with the retained list, some big wage savings in there, lets just hope we sign some less injury-prone players! #oufc
— Laura Sanders (@MissSanders9) May 2, 2013

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