Oxford are in disarray. The confidence of the players has been shattered by the four recent defeats and manager Chris Wilder’s decision to completely reshape the spine of the team, after this showing, looks highly dubious.
Despite dropping points at the start of the season, Oxford had been extremely unlucky, namely at home to Bury and away at Wycombe. Here we had played fast flowing football in a team that oozed confidence, having won promotion from a notoriously tough league. The spirit and togetherness was clear for all to see.
That confidence has disappeared and worryingly, so too has that promotion winning team spirit. Dannie Bulman was shipped out to Crawley Town on loan; Jack Midson to Southend and in the last week, the popular figure of Mark ‘Beast’ Creighton to Wrexham and tricky local boy Sam Deering to Newport. These were players that toiled hard for the yellow shirt and more importantly, cared greatly for the club. The three players brought in this week by Wilder all looked drastically unfit, uninterested and in the case of the appalling Ben Futcher, incapable. Every single person who left the Kassam this afternoon had the words ‘Futcher’ and ‘awful’ at their lips. Standing at 6 foot 7, one would have hoped he would have won his fair share of headers. Unfortunately not. I now understand why Bury had let this bumbling fool leave. He made 16 stone Adebayo Akinfenwa look unplayable (and at times even quick). The decision to play Steve Maclean in place of the clinical James ‘Beano’ Constable was baffling.
It was bitterly disappointing to watch. Oxford looked clueless, the team spineless and completely lacking any imagination. My friend, who last accompanied me to the Wycombe away game asked in bewilderment where it had all gone wrong. I could not blame him. It was a painful spectacle.
Oxford could not keep the ball and lacked any width. Our own tactic was to hope that Alfie Potter could produce some magic, yet he was a lone ranger. Josh Payne, who arrived at the club full of confidence, has been depressingly dragged down to the level of League 2 midfield dogfighters. Playing next to the hapless loan signing Paul Wootton, he was unable to influence the game. Chris Wilder’s favourite, the infuriating Tom Craddock once again hugged the left touchline barely noticeable in the game.
Gillingham’s goal came through a mistake from our starlet centre back Jake Wright, who had an afternoon to forget. At half time one of my mates, a Gillingham fan in the away end texting me saying, ‘don’t worry, we’re sure to capitulate.’ Yet Gillingham did not.
Oxford United have sunk back to the dark depths that I thought after that joyous day at Wembley we had put behind us. Hold tight folks, this is going to be a long, hard season.
