Generation Ox

After such a successful first stint at the club, it is perhaps not a surprise that Gavin Whyte has struggled to hit the same heights the second time round.  His raw pace is less threatening in a division who have seen much more of him than when he first transferred from Crusaders FC in Northern Ireland's top division back in 2018.  Whyte has failed to score in any of his 20 appearances this year, having netted seven in his debut 2018-19 season. His confidence in front of goal is down, and it's difficult to see where the first goal is going to come from. With only two assists to his name, it has been an underwhelming start for Whyte, but perhaps his performances have justified more praise than he has got from the Oxford faithful.  Whyte has been a key part of United's squad this year, playing 90 minutes in 11 of Oxford's 22 League matches, and appearing in 17. The games he has missed have been through injury, international duty or COVID.  The Northern Ireland internation

Mark Sykes is an enigma - whenever he seems to have played himself into the team, he disappears again.  But that all seems a distant memory in light of his performances this term, which has finally earnt him a permanent spot in the side.  His game has massively improved over the last few months, both on and off the ball, and its leading to greater faith being placed in from Robinson.  The Irishmen seems to be delighting in that faith, and is showing the perfect balance between party tricks and efficiency to be a successful League One player.  The first improvement to Sykes' game has simply been his game time.  He is playing significantly more this season than any other year, and is on track to beat his club best 23 starts, which came last term.  Part of this has been down to Sykes' versatility, having started in five different positions already this season.  Predominantly featuring on the wing, Sykes has often played the role of dropping into midfield to allow others to run in

 The arrival of Ralf Rangnick has sparked renewed conversation surrounding the so called ‘German Revolution’ in football, and the father of gegenpressing has captivated the imagination of the English public. Never before have so many eagerly tuned in to witness an early December clash between Crystal Palace and Manchester United. In the end, both the score line and performance were somewhat underwhelming; a 1-0 victory got United off to a successful if not entirely convincing start, whilst fans hoping for a display of all out pressing intensity were left disappointed to find that even the most exhilarating of football coaches still values a semblance of order and structure. Perhaps gegenpressing fans would have had more joy tuning to a less likely source, one two divisions down the football period, and on a much gloomier Tuesday evening in Doncaster. That’s because Oxford’s first half display against Donny was an exhibition of well-coordinated, organised pressing, as United utt

A match between the 9 th and 6 th placed sides in League One won’t be making the front pages this weekend. This clash of Oxford United and Ipswich Town, though, does hold considerable significance for United’s season, and could be a good benchmark for what level they are at. Ipswich, a side whose huge squad turnover saw them pick up just seven points in their first eight league games, have been rising up the table in recent months, and now hover ominously above the playoff places having claimed 13 points in their last six games. Only two sides have accumulated more points in the same period: Rotherham (14) and Oxford (15). The test for Oxford, though, is very much still to come. No side in League One this season have faced teams with a lower Points Per Game than Oxford (1.18), which essentially means no team have had an easier fixture list than Oxford this year. This number is also reflective of whether they play a team at home or away, and suggests that Oxford’s season can o

Here's your weekly roundup of all the stories, numbers and results from this week's set of League One fixtures in case you missed them.  Old Problems Trouble Sunderland  Sunderland threw away a 2-0 lead at Fleetwood after a controversial refereeing decision handed the hosts a 97th minute penalty.  After a bright start last year, Lee Johnson's tenure at Sunderland some what slid away at the back end of the season, conceding cheap goals and finding ways to lose points which they should have wrapped up.  No team in League One took the lead more times (37) than Sunderland last year, and no team conceded more equalizing goals (17) than the Black Cats either, meaning they lost their lead 45.9% of the times they got it.  Its been a different story this time round, with Johnson's men conceding only two equalizing goals so far, meaning just 28.6% of the times they have taken the lead this season have resulted in them conceding equalizers.  Worryingly for Johnson, old issues seem

Oxford dominate the match possession, create better chances, and consistently pose the threat of running away with the match. And then conceded at a set piece. Sound familiar?  It was United's undoing yet again at AFC Wimbledon, first letting Jack Rudoni header home from Anthony Hartigan's free kick to cancel out Sykes' first half opener, before allowing Nightingale to complete the turnaround from a corner.  Rudoni's second of the game three minutes later following a smart cutback and finish capped the game and exposed another worrying Oxford capitulation, but the bottom line is: this match was won and lost on set pieces, and until Oxford are able to defend them, they are not going anywhere.  It is only emphasized by the seeming strength of Oxford's set piece work last year.  There seemed a period last season when Oxford were not just able to consistently defend them, but could also use their own corners and freekicks as prolific attacking weapons. Oxford were excel

Oxford's victory over Charlton was a momentous day for all the 8 thousand plus fans who attended an unlimited capacity game at the Kassam for the first time since February 2020.   Regardless of the result, it would have been an occasion to remember, but the Us put in a performance worthy of the wait, and in doing so Robinson may have stumbled upon the blueprint for success against the top sides in this division.  United's struggles against the top teams in League One last term was well documented.   They picked up a meagre two victories over top ten sides last term, both within the final quarter of the season, and their return of 13 points from a possible 54 was too steep a hurdle to overcome for promotion. With Oxford looking to go one further than the playoff finish they achieved last season, improving on these results is going to be crucial, and it is a point which is amplified by the strength of the division this time round.  Freshly relegated Sheffield Wednesday, Rotherham