Oxford's coach about to be named as the new Bristol City manager, could help their wheels fall off.....I'll clutch at any straw available.
Similar thing happened to Plymouth last season, they just carried on no bother at all, time will tell
Correct, but my point still stands, they finished just outside the playoffs that season, so their upward trajectory wasn't affected with the managerial change, they kicked on, got even better & won the league the following season. But then it might mess up Oxford's season, who knows. Time will tell.
Weren't they top of the league when Lowe left though? So they suffered a bit of a backwards step. They recruited well last summer though.
Can’t remember to be honest, either way they still won the league last season. Oxford on paper with the squad they have flattered to deceive massively last season, then had a good start this season so they’ll be hoping whoever they get to replace Manning won’t make much changes.
They finished 19th last season. He’s lucky they kept him - they got brushed aside easily at Oakwell last season. I would think it’s 50/50 at best if the new appointment keeps them going or not.
Just checked, they were 4th when he left, but we're top about 4 weeks before and went on a poor run just before he left. Even so, I wouldn't say that him leaving didn't have an effect on them. They still missed out on the play-offs albeit with a very high points tally. I think it took Schumacher time to get them going too, so it's more down to who they recruit to replace him whether they go from strength to strength. I mean, look at MK Dons. They finished 3rd that season, and were then relegated last after a managerial change that didn't work out.
Their underlying numbers were good last season even though they finished so low. They pointed to a side who were tight defensively but wasteful in attack, and lost a lot of games by the odd goal. I can't remember the stats exactly, but they were something like 3rd in the league for shots on target for and against, with only a couple of the promoted teams fairing better. I had them as dark horses this season for that reason, it felt as though it would eventually click for them.
It's certainly not an exact science. Birmingham are floundering under Rooney, similarly to how they did when they bizarrely moved Gary Rowett on. On the flip side, we improved after Johnson went to Bristol and Hecky took over. I guess it depends on the players and the replacement.
Totally agree. There's the tired old adage of the manager losing the dressing room...some never find it.
