Oxford United boss determined to succeed (From Herald Series)
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Oxford United boss determined to succeed
9:30am Friday 21st September 2012 in United News
By David Pritchard, Chief Sports Reporter covering Oxford United. Follow us on twitter: @oxfordmailoufc. Call me on 01865 425458
CHRIS Wilder understands there are some Oxford United supporters who want a change of management.
But after a “constructive” chat with chairman Ian Lenagan, he is more determined than ever to succeed.
The U’s have plummeted down the npower League Two table following four successive defeats – matching the worst run since Wilder took charge in 2008.
A small section of supporters called for his resignation during the 4-0 defeat at Burton last weekend – a rarity during his tenure.
Wilder, who met Lenagan after the midweek 2-1 defeat at Cheltenham, is aware of his critics, but thinks they are in the minority.
“I’ve got a good relationship with the supporters,” he said. “There are always people who want change.
“I was speaking to the chairman and under the previous owner’s reign, managers were getting sacked left, right and centre.
“I think if you ask any football club stability is key, but I understand the industry as well.
“I had a constructive chat with the chairman on Wednesday morning, like we always do in the week.
“He’s been in sport long enough –I don’t have to spin anything round because he sees where it’s at. There are small dividing lines (between winning and losing) at the moment and we have to turn it around.”
The losing streak has hit United’s confidence and they will need all the support they can get tomorrow when Bradford City visit the Kassam Stadium .
Wilder felt supporters acknowledged the improvement in performance at Cheltenham and emphasised the vital role they play.
He said: “From what I saw and heard at Cheltenham, they were getting right behind the players.
“That’s all I’ve ever asked for – anything else aimed at me at half-time and full-time then fair enough, but let’s make sure the players have the opportunity to produce their best performance.
“I go back to the Swindon game (a 1-0 win earlier this month) and you cannot under-estimate what that push does to the players.”
Wilder was the subject of intense speculation linking him to the Coventry City job earlier this month following United’s excellent start to the season.
The Sky Blues appointed Mark Robins earlier this week, but the United boss feels his commitment to the club cannot be doubted.
He said: “I was running down the touchline against Swindon (to celebrate the winning goal), so I don’t need to prove my loyalty or passion for the football club.
“You’ll always get people who are critical of what you’re doing, but the most important people are the ones I work for.
“If they believe what I’m doing is the right thing that’s good enough for me.”
Comments(49)
Brenda Jackson
says...
11:33am Fri 21 Sep 12
-and unless he (CW) can halt the slide and start winning matches the supporters will vote with their feet.
Bobby.Lashley
says...
12:08pm Fri 21 Sep 12
jbowling
says...
1:03pm Fri 21 Sep 12
This is going from bad to worse - particularly with more injuries-and before too long we could be in deep mire.
Stick or Twist Mr Lenegan it's your call
jbowling
says...
1:05pm Fri 21 Sep 12
BigYellowScarf
says...
1:10pm Fri 21 Sep 12
bigchet
says...
1:44pm Fri 21 Sep 12
jbowling
says...
2:34pm Fri 21 Sep 12
He has had more time than alll other managers in this division to get things right and hasn't. He can only be measured by his results.
If you think he has done well then thats your opinion but where we are now is not down to chance.
Micky Hazard
says...
3:31pm Fri 21 Sep 12
You lot look up to us in more ways than one - fact.
Really enjoyable night at Fratton Park on Tuesday.
You'll be back to crowds of less than 5000 again this season. Back to the norm, ie before you spent FOUR YEARS in NON-LEAGUE obscurity. You've still got a few fans from that bandwagon, & they'll desert you before too long.
Thank you Poxford - I'm loving this. Please keep the entertainment coming.
Simple man
says...
3:53pm Fri 21 Sep 12
jasperwasp
says...
4:29pm Fri 21 Sep 12
Beau champ mummy
says...
4:36pm Fri 21 Sep 12
Beau champ mummy
says...
4:38pm Fri 21 Sep 12
oldun
says...
5:24pm Fri 21 Sep 12
swalker260
says...
5:37pm Fri 21 Sep 12
It seems to me that our Supporters!! thought that once we were back in the 2nd division we were going to trot up the leagues, one thing I am concerned about is the number of long term injuries as we have not been able to put out our best team for some time,and as our squad size is limited that has a big bearing on our results.
Come Xmas if we are in the bottom half then I think supporters can voice concern but so early in the season I don't think is fair, on the players,manager or chairman.
oldun
says...
5:44pm Fri 21 Sep 12
BigYellowScarf
says...
5:46pm Fri 21 Sep 12
oldun wrote:You're missing my point: far too much is assumed to be down to the manager. The manager - any manager - can do only so much in any given circumstances. Many people simplistically imagine that a change of manager's the answer every time a team hits a problem. If it were, why would there be the endless, farcical merry-go-round? When was the last time a change of manager helped this club? Er - I think you'll find it was the appointment of CW. Oh, and when did we last have a promotion within the Football League? 1996, under Denis Smith, who in the October of that season was on the brink of being sacked after a shocking run of performances and results. Two and a half months later, we start a run of 13 wins and 1 defeat in 17 games. All down to the manager? Really?
B.Y.S. - I suspect that few of CWs critics are suggesting that managing a football team is easy or that they could do better themselves. He is paid very well to manage one of the biggest 92 clubs in England and Wales and we expect a much higher standard from him than he has 'delivered' since around February time .Yes, Us have suffered many bad managers for far too long - we have had much worse . He took us to 3rd place in the Conference (thankfully there are play offs and we got up). As League managers, most United managers since the late 90s deserve about 3 out of 10 - I give wilder 5 - nowhere near good enough. He has had a long spell at the club - too long PS . I would have given myself about 1 out of 10 as a manager (at a much lower level) - I don't judge CW by the standards of the what paying public could do - and nor do many, I suspect
Ians view
says...
5:50pm Fri 21 Sep 12
Some people would like Oxford to be another Leeds, Portsmouth or Rangers...
karatavuk
says...
5:51pm Fri 21 Sep 12
We do well in big games, like play-off matches and games against Swindon but we can't produce good football in regular games.
Change now or it will be too late.
bigchet
says...
6:04pm Fri 21 Sep 12
oldun
says...
6:08pm Fri 21 Sep 12
oldun
says...
6:12pm Fri 21 Sep 12
karatavuk
says...
7:08pm Fri 21 Sep 12
Just go Chris. You'll have more time to fil in your CV.
hawkeye1
says...
7:18pm Fri 21 Sep 12
oldun wrote:Hey olden, don't you miss those days in the 60's and early 70's up at the Manor, when you could go to a game with confidence that Oxford were going to win, I used to stand down at cookoo lane end in all weathers, wish we could find another Colin Clark and Dave Roberts, not much got past those two, and with the Tank as captain, we should never have left the Manor.
Yes , of course, Oxford is not at the moment anywhere near being in the biggest 44 of the 92 - but it ain't anywhere near being one of the smallest 24 - but many smaller clubs will come above us this season (and there are about ten RELATIVE minnows in League one, too)
lozkel
says...
7:23pm Fri 21 Sep 12
oldun
says...
7:29pm Fri 21 Sep 12
kckidlington
says...
8:10pm Fri 21 Sep 12
BigYellowScarf wrote:Well said
How comforting it must be to live in a fantasyland in which all the problems with a team or a club can be reduced to a simple formula: “it’s the manager’s fault – get him out”. Anyone who’s ever managed or coached or taught anybody anything (especially a team) knows that it’s SO MUCH more complicated. And in the case of football, have you really not being playing / managing / coaching / watching long enough to realise how huge an element CHANCE plays? Carry on slagging off CW if it makes you feel better, and makes you feel like you’re shrewd analysts of the game. But unlike the hysterical over-reaction in most posts in the last fortnight (“We’ve won the first three! We’re going up!” / “We’ve lost four in a row – everybody panic!”), most of what CW says is spot on and bears some relation to the real world. The obsessive references by some posters to CW’s “excuses” are baffling – he’s notable for not making any. And by the way, IL’s recent comment that CW has “changed the landscape of the club” in the time he’s been here is dead right. Some people have very short memories. Get behind him. Get behind the team. Win the next game. Come on you yellows.
oldun
says...
8:16pm Fri 21 Sep 12
Brenda Jackson
says...
8:49pm Fri 21 Sep 12
oldun wrote:''Enjoy your season with CW, then - I won't . Fans are voting with their feet ''
OK - look forward to 2013-14 in Div 4 - that seems to be the aspiration of some of you. Depressing mediocrity - not much better than when we played the likes of Histon and Hayes (and Yeading!). Enjoy your season with CW, then - I won't . Fans are voting with their feet
Voting with their feet- but not just because of the last four defeats imho- The 'Football' on offer under the current manager is just not vfm tbh.
Even in days gone by when we've actually won a match or two, i have not felt i got my moneys worth or been entertained, and as a Yorkshire man Chairman Ian Lenegan will appreciate my wanting something for my hard earnt cash.
village lad
says...
8:52pm Fri 21 Sep 12
Pretty inept in terms of tactics.
A good club, a sucsessful club can adapt comfortably to playing in 2-3 different formations. Oxford can't, which means that the opposition more or less know before a bal;l is kicked exactly how you're going to play giving them an advantage.
Since January Oxford have only scored more than 2 goals in 9 games. That is a shocking stat, and is part fo your downfall.
oldun
says...
9:10pm Fri 21 Sep 12
village lad wrote:You must mean more than one goal in a match. The last time we scored more than two goals in a competitive match was January 7th . Mind you for more than one goal my guess would have been much less than 9 times
4-3-3 isn't working, and never has. problem with CW (along with the injuries) is that he dont seem to have a plan B.
Pretty inept in terms of tactics.
A good club, a sucsessful club can adapt comfortably to playing in 2-3 different formations. Oxford can't, which means that the opposition more or less know before a bal;l is kicked exactly how you're going to play giving them an advantage.
Since January Oxford have only scored more than 2 goals in 9 games. That is a shocking stat, and is part fo your downfall.
Simon84
says...
10:07pm Fri 21 Sep 12
BigYellowScarf wrote:Ok if a manager isnt that important why don't we sack him and be managerless.
oldun wrote:You're missing my point: far too much is assumed to be down to the manager. The manager - any manager - can do only so much in any given circumstances. Many people simplistically imagine that a change of manager's the answer every time a team hits a problem. If it were, why would there be the endless, farcical merry-go-round? When was the last time a change of manager helped this club? Er - I think you'll find it was the appointment of CW. Oh, and when did we last have a promotion within the Football League? 1996, under Denis Smith, who in the October of that season was on the brink of being sacked after a shocking run of performances and results. Two and a half months later, we start a run of 13 wins and 1 defeat in 17 games. All down to the manager? Really?
B.Y.S. - I suspect that few of CWs critics are suggesting that managing a football team is easy or that they could do better themselves. He is paid very well to manage one of the biggest 92 clubs in England and Wales and we expect a much higher standard from him than he has 'delivered' since around February time .Yes, Us have suffered many bad managers for far too long - we have had much worse . He took us to 3rd place in the Conference (thankfully there are play offs and we got up). As League managers, most United managers since the late 90s deserve about 3 out of 10 - I give wilder 5 - nowhere near good enough. He has had a long spell at the club - too long PS . I would have given myself about 1 out of 10 as a manager (at a much lower level) - I don't judge CW by the standards of the what paying public could do - and nor do many, I suspect
Your a clown bigYellowScarf is your surname Wilder by any chance?
support your local team
says...
10:31pm Fri 21 Sep 12
CW's post-match comments from the last two games have called it right - he is seeing the same game as me and has an eminently reasonable/sensible perspective.
I know 'you make your own luck' but we've been struck by worldy goals and injuries and until we have a full squad to choose from its going to be a challenge. In the meantime I will keep supporting the team and the management because to do otherwise seems totally counter productive.
Tom Cranmer
says...
10:52pm Fri 21 Sep 12
hawkeye1
says...
12:18am Sat 22 Sep 12
oldun wrote:mentioning the names makes it feel like yesterday, Harrington used to run like a greyhound up the wing but then take the ball out of play, Evenson took a lot of stick, Burton had hands like shovels for his size, Dave Jones worked on the same line as me at Cowley, ah !! the good old days.
Good un! - yes, I do miss those days - promotions in 62, 65 and 68 . Divisional Champs 61, 62 and 68 . FA Cup Quarter Finalists in 64, League Cup Quarter Final replay in 70 - so my little book tells me. In what is now called the 'championship' for 8 consec seasons. Reaching1976 before our first relegation (DOWN to 'League One') . Jim Barron, Davey Sloan, Hugh Curran , Graham Atkinson, Roy B, Clarke and Roberts - so much better days - and you know it. 76 - 81 was grim but we weren't playing in the 4th Div as we are now .
oldun
says...
5:28am Sat 22 Sep 12
Tom Cranmer wrote:Many of those wins came over the likes of Hayes, Forest Green. and other 'village clubs' = no big deal - came 3rd the year we went up. .Board changes can help businesses. Our play has been largely poor since January. Surely, we must win today - five League matches without a win (possibly 5 defeats) is totally unacceptable and rare at this club - except for during the Kemp season. Excuses must stop. COYY - come on CW - a win is what we expect (nay, demand)
I think the U's are in safe hands - . CW has been good for the team in general for almost four years, or 190 games. With a win ratio of 46%, you shouldn't be demanding his scalp six weeks into a season. There have been a lot of changes in the boardroom over summer, and that is bound to have had a trickle down effect to the dressing room in what is effectively a small business.
oldun
says...
5:28am Sat 22 Sep 12
Tom Cranmer wrote:Many of those wins came over the likes of Hayes, Forest Green. and other 'village clubs' = no big deal - came 3rd the year we went up. .Board changes can help businesses. Our play has been largely poor since January. Surely, we must win today - five League matches without a win (possibly 5 defeats) is totally unacceptable and rare at this club - except for during the Kemp season. Excuses must stop. COYY - come on CW - a win is what we expect (nay, demand)
I think the U's are in safe hands - . CW has been good for the team in general for almost four years, or 190 games. With a win ratio of 46%, you shouldn't be demanding his scalp six weeks into a season. There have been a lot of changes in the boardroom over summer, and that is bound to have had a trickle down effect to the dressing room in what is effectively a small business.
martico1
says...
10:13am Sat 22 Sep 12
I do wish our srikers coud be helped/made to perform better, and I don't understand why e.g.Tommy Craddock can look class vs Plymouth and so inept at Cheltenham. Who's coaching HIM when we have two defenders and a midfield stopper on our bench?
I'll be there this afternoon, full of renewed hope.....!
oldun
says...
10:21am Sat 22 Sep 12
oldun
says...
6:44pm Sat 22 Sep 12
oldun
says...
7:59pm Sat 22 Sep 12
Chish and Fips
says...
9:30pm Sat 22 Sep 12
oldun wrote:Your goalie only let in two of the six on target ones .....
One shot on target (out of 5!!) - Bradford 14 shots (6 on target) - be fair Bradford were the away team and had struggled away from home . Come up with the positives on that one
OxRoxBox
says...
9:23am Sun 23 Sep 12
For those of you who say that is pathetic fair enough but I would rather go shopping with the Mrs and that says something after over 30 years of hope ! I am still Yellow til I die but at this rate that will be sooner rather than later watching this Dross!
I feel very depressed and hope IL does something to arrest this now
karatavuk
says...
10:05pm Sun 23 Sep 12
Chish and Fips wrote:At least you can count the number of shots on the fingers of one hand.
oldun wrote:Your goalie only let in two of the six on target ones .....
One shot on target (out of 5!!) - Bradford 14 shots (6 on target) - be fair Bradford were the away team and had struggled away from home . Come up with the positives on that one
CamView
says...
12:23pm Mon 24 Sep 12
If the manager cannot motivate his team to play with heart and ethusiasm its time for him to go.
oldun
says...
12:34pm Mon 24 Sep 12
The Manager
says...
6:54pm Mon 24 Sep 12
The Manager
says...
6:54pm Mon 24 Sep 12
The Manager
says...
6:54pm Mon 24 Sep 12

adlibber says...
10:56am Fri 21 Sep 12