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 internat...

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 ...

 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...