Mehdi Kerrouche - From Red to Yellow

With no actual football to keep us occupied, the big news recently has been the loan signing of Mehdi Kerrouche from rivals Swindon Town. With the current strikeforce letting us down so far this season, manager Chris Wilder has moved to address the problem by signing several attack-minded players. With this in mind, Youcef El Barhdadi runs the rule over our new signing and assesses what new-boy Kerrouche can bring to our attacking options.

My First Oxford Match: Youcef El Barhdadi

Next in our ever-popular 'My First Oxford Match' series is Youcef El Barhdadi, recalling an era when Ian Atkins seemed destined to lead Oxford to promotion. What could possibly go wrong? If, like Youcef, you'd like to write about your first Oxford match, please don't hesitate to email it to tbfuth@hotmail.co.uk.

My First Oxford Match: Adam Brown

Our My First Oxford Match series returns with these fantastic reminiscences of the Beech Road benches from Adam Brown. We're still looking for contributions to this series, and would really appreciate your memories of your first match, no matter how hazy they may be. If you're interested just email your recollections to tbfuth@hotmail.co.uk and they will be gratefully received!

Important Decisions

Picture from @OUFClive

With the transfer window shut and a steady stream of games from now until the end of the season, we appear to be reaching a critical point in the season. Currently clinging onto the final playoff place and with a sizeable 7-point gap separating us from Torquay in sixth, there is a lot of work to be done in the coming weeks, firstly to pull ourselves away from the chasing pack and secondly to catch up with the sides ahead of us. And with our somewhat ordinary recent form showing six points from our last five matches, our season is – if not completely stuttering – currently lacking the momentum required to mount a serious challenge. The decisions made now will be key to deciding the trajectory of this season: getting it right will see the side begin to push forward and cement our place in the playoffs, while getting it wrong will see us fall away from the promotion chase altogether.

In Profile: January Signings

In truth, the Januray transfer window has been more about shifting players on than bringing new ones in for Oxford United. However, four fresh faces have arrived at Grenoble Road during this period, so here is a (not so) brief introduction to them.