A Slightly Unconventional Rowett Revolution
Oxford United's new boss is no stranger to whipping a struggling side into shape, but hasn't yet had to sacrifice entertainment on the alter of results
When Des Buckingham was sacked by Oxford United on 15th December, few even knew his job had been at risk. Back in May, the Yellows fan had led his boyhood club back to the Championship for the first time in a quarter of a century and many assumed he would to be trusted with the task of leading the team through the second tier relegation battle. When he was instead dismissed, the overwhelming response was a mix of shock and disappointment.
This unpopular call dealt his successor a tough hand too. Most managerial stints end in failure, meaning that newly appointed bosses tend to get buy-in from supporters largely by virtue of not being the man who came before him. When Gary Rowett was announced as Buckingham’s replacement five days later, he knew he would not enjoy the luxury of his record being contrasted with a previous failure, so a fast start was imperative.
In his first nine games, Rowett has amassed 19 points; surpassing the total accrued by Buckingham in less than half the time and propelling Oxford from 23rd to a comfortable 16th.
In some ways, this success should come as little surprise because Rowett has always thrived in adversity. His time at big-spending Derby County was nothing to write home about and next, he failed to deliver promotion at Stoke City with a £50m transfer budget. Yet either side of these disappointments, the 50-year-old recorded five consecutive top half finishes with Birmingham and Millwall, two of the division’s less monied outfits, deploying a more pragmatic playing style.
Both on and off the pitch, Oxford fans have witnessed traits of a classic Rowett mid-season revival, the first being the January arrivals of seasoned Championship performers. Ex- Millwall forward Tom Bradshaw, 32, has been reunited with his old boss, meanwhile 29-year-old Michal Helik, who netted nine times from centre-back for Huddersfield last season, has already improved Yellows’ set piece record.
Away from home, Rowett has followed his usual blueprint. Inheriting a side that had collected just two points on their travels under Buckingham, the new boss immediately set about making this charges tough to beat. Victory came at the first attempt with a 1-0 win over Millwall, despite the hosts enjoying the bulk of the chances. Three successive away stalemates followed; 1-1s at Preston and Plymouth and a goalless draw with Stoke. These performances didn’t produce dramatic highlight reels but crucially, they stopped the rot.
Games at the Kassam Stadium have been a different story, with Oxford collecting 13 points from a possible 15. They have scored 10 times across these five matches, winning the shot count in all of them and dominating possession in four. Highlights have included a dominant first-half display against Cardiff and a pulsating contest with Luton, both matches that ended in 3-2 victories. The tireless pressing of Mark Harris has allowed Rowett to set his team up to be more aggressive out of possession than his former sides, adding an extra element of chaos.
The new head coach’s transformative impact has been most visible in the improvement of two of the squad’s biggest underperformers; Przemyslaw Placheta and Will Vaulks.
Throughout his year in charge, Des Buckingham gave his wingers lots of creative responsibility and it paid off, with Josh Murphy’s dazzling displays firing Yellows to promotion. Murphy’s departure and a string of injuries in wide areas were signficant factors in the form that led to Buckingham’s dismissal and Rowett has had more options to choose from following Siriki Dembele’s return to fitness. However, Placheta, who hadn’t mustered a single contribution until the change in the dugout, picked up two goals and two assists in Rowett’s first three games. The Polish international is now full of confidence and his sensational strike against Cardiff will surely feature in the goal of the season debate.
It isn’t unusual for Rowett to unlock the creative potential of wide players; first Jed Wallace and then Zian Flemming established themselves among the division’s best under his tutelage at Millwall. Still, the complete rejuvenation of Placheta, whose performances just two months ago would have struggled to cement him a place in some League One teams, is an even finer achievement.
Vaulks’ summer arrival was hailed as a coup for Oxford, a canny addition to a squad lacking in both Championship experience and conventional defensive midfield options. Yet he looked badly exposed as the sole holding player under Buckingham, with Cameron Brannagan and Ruben Rodrigues roaming in front of him. Rowett’s decision to move club captain Brannagan into a deep-lying playmaker role alongside Vaulks has allowed the ex-Sheffield Wednesday man to focus on breaking up play, while still being able utilise his impressive range of long passing with less potential risk. The recent loan signing of the tenacious Alex Matos has further bolstered the ranks of an engine room which now appears well-stocked.
There have been other beneficiaries of these tactical tweaks too. The Brannagan-Vaulks tandem has facilitated Rodrigues’ re-invention as a pressing number ten. This combination of aggressive positioning and cool finishing proved devastatingly effective in the draw at Preston, when he opened the scoring after Yellows’ press had stifled North End’s attempts to play out from the back.
The extra protection in midfield has also released Greg Leigh from the positional shackles that Buckingham placed on Oxford’s full-backs. The Jamaican international, who possesses a knack for goalscoring that is rarely found in other left-backs, has netted in the last two matches at the Kassam Stadium.
Despite the barnstorming run, Rowett’s men are not yet the finished article. On deadline day, Yellows’ recruitment team may be scouring the market for more reinforcements in the central attacking areas, with Harris shining more brightly out of possession than in front of goal and no obvious deputy for Rodrigues in the squad.
The fixtures since Boxing Day have been kind too, with Oxford having catapulted themselves up the table by beating the teams around them, rather than claiming any major scalps. Tougher tests lie ahead once the fixtures turn in March and match-ups against the Championship’s best will provide a true barometer of how good this Oxford team can be.
If the uptick in results can be sustained until May, Rowett and Oxford could have an exciting future together. Of course, there is every change that being competitive in the long-term will require further pragmatism; if this is the case, the next challenge to overcome will be avoiding the staleness that eventually set in at Millwall. Rowett’s exit from the Den and the toxicity that preceded Ryan Lowe’s departure from Preston in August provided proof that overperforming your budgetary rank has a shelf life if entertainment isn’t forthcoming and a top six finish remains out of reach.
In theory though, Oxford should be a perfect platform for Rowett to finally finish the job and break into the play-offs with one of the division’s less wealthy clubs in time. At a club back in the Championship for the first time in 25 years, where memories of challenging for promotion to the top flight are very distant in the rear view mirror, he should be afforded the time and space to achieve without mid-table finishes being taken for granted and supporters demanding something more.
Whatever happens in the future, for now Oxford United fans are simply delighted that Gary Rowett is in charge and almost certainly steering them to another season of Championship football.