Why Rowett used 'effective' football to keep Oxford up
Oxford United boss Gary Rowett always thought it would be a "massive task" to keep the club in the second tier this season. He admitted there were times when he wondered if they would avoid the drop-zone. But after beating Sunderland 2-0 on Saturday at Kassam Stadium, the U's status as a Championship side was confirmed for another season."When I got here I thought keeping the club up would be a massive task to be honest," Rowett told BBC Radio Oxford."I thought it would be the hardest one I'd had in terms of trying to do it. I'm super proud of the effort everyone has made."In this division sometimes you have to roll your sleeves up and dig in. To beat a lot of the teams we beat at home is an amazing achievement this season."
Despite an encouraging start to the campaign, the U's hit a rough patch around Christmas that ended with previous boss Des Buckingham losing his job. Buckingham's sacking was met with a fair bit of criticism by some Oxford fans. He was a popular figure at the Kassam, having led them to promotion the summer before. But in his place came former Millwall boss Rowett, a man with plenty of experience in the Championship."When we first came in, there was a clear defined system of trying to play, build and play in a certain way," Rowett said. "We then reached a point where we lost a few players and it became apparent to me very quickly that we had to find a different way."That way didn't need to look super pretty and didn't need to be perfect, it needed to be effective and efficient."Long term we want a lot more than that. Given the opportunity, we'd be able to build something a lot different."Oxford go into their final game against Swansea on Saturday, 3 May, safe in the knowledge they can start preparing for another season in the second tier. "If I'm being really honest, I didn't have a plan for us in League One," Rowett laughed. "I'm pleased for everyone that we'll have a chance to build something more sustainable in the Championship."We want to improve every aspect of the team, we need to strengthen certain areas. Those conversations now become real because we achieved safety."
'Staying up is why we need a new stadium'
Oxford United chief executive Tim Williams has doubled down on his stance that the club need a new ground after retaining their Championship status. The lease on the Kassam Stadium, where the U's currently play, expires in June 2026 and the club is still awaiting a decision from planners about a proposed new 16,000-seater venue, which is expected this summer.Back in April Williams said that without a new stadium, there would be no Oxford United, and that there is "nothing more important"."Staying up is why we need a new stadium," he told BBC Radio Oxford. "If people had any doubts, then Saturday showed why it is needed."Up or down it doesn't matter, Oxfordshire needs a football club with its own stadium in the heart of the county and that is the most important thing. We're a Championship club for the second season and we deserve a Championship stadium."We've been through some tough times this season and we made some very difficult decisions on the way."But we've done it for the right reasons and they are that we stay in the league for another year. It's an extraordinary and brilliant achievement."
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Sun
18 minutes ago
- The Sun
‘Time has moved on' – Man Utd wild child Ravel Morrison, 32, targeting Championship transfer as he puts past behind him
RAVEL MORRISON has pleaded for clubs to ignore his wild child past. The former Manchester United wonderkid is targeting a move back to the Championship - but wants to put the past behind him. Morrison was hailed as a whizz-kid of the Old Trafford youth system when Sir Alex Ferguson was in charge but he quickly earned the reputation of an unreliable 'bad boy'. He made what turned out to be disappointing move to West Ham and then Lazio, where he only managed eight appearances in 2015. Loan spells at Birmingham City, QPR, Cardiff City, Sheffield United, Derby County and Mexican side at Atlas also didn't work out. But Morrison is wiser than the kid who got into trouble, ended up in court and left Old Trafford on a sour note. Back in September, the 32-year-old signed for the 14th club of his rollercoaster career - Precision FC in Dubai in the UAE second division. He told The Athletic: 'Even now, I can guarantee that if I signed for a club in England, the headline in all the newspapers would be something negative. 'If another player at United gets into trouble, he's always 'the next Ravel'. Anything that anyone does wrong gets linked to my name. 'It pops up on my Instagram and I'm thinking, 'Oh, not again… how many years is this now?'. At West Ham, there were occasions when he missed training because he had been up all night on his PlayStation. And he was accused of attitude issues, timing problems and appeared in court for witness intimidation and criminal damage while at Man Utd in 2011. Ravel Morrison reveals he used to steal boots from Man Utd dressing room to sell and feed his family Morrison was also once fined £7000 by the FA for alleged homophobic comments made on Twitter. But homesick Morrison has set his mind on moving back to England and having one last crack at the second-tier again, where he has already played for six different sides. He said: 'I do believe I can play in the Championship — easy. The frustrating thing is I'm not getting the opportunity. 'My agent has spoken to a lot of sporting directors, chief scouts and heads of recruitment, and we've got really close to an agreement. 'Then they get the manager's opinion and it becomes, 'Ah, but he's done this, he's done that', and they are speaking about things that happened when I was a kid. 'Time has moved on, it's over a decade ago. But it's crazy sometimes how people don't move on.' 'So many people have formed an opinion about me, but those opinions are based on things that happened 10 to 15 years ago. 'I'm 32 now. I've played football around the world and had a good career. I'm not a kid of 16 or 17 anymore. 'But then again, I have to look at myself because it all stems from my own mistakes. I did some things that were wrong and I can't blame anyone but myself.' He has won 20 caps for Jamaica since switching allegiances in 2020. Morrison, who shares the same hometown as Marcus Rashford in Wythenshawe, has his eyes set on returning to where it all began at Carrington. Speaking on the Undr the Cosh podcast last month, Morrison said: "I've got my B licence now - I did it in the summer. '"I want to get into some type of coaching after I retire. That'd be good. I'd like to go back to United!" 2
Scottish Sun
18 minutes ago
- Scottish Sun
‘Time has moved on' – Man Utd wild child Ravel Morrison, 32, targeting Championship transfer as he puts past behind him
He eventually wants to end up back at United MORR TO COME 'Time has moved on' – Man Utd wild child Ravel Morrison, 32, targeting Championship transfer as he puts past behind him Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) RAVEL MORRISON has pleaded for clubs to ignore his wild child past. The former Manchester United wonderkid is targeting a move back to the Championship - but wants to put the past behind him. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 2 Ravel Morrison has pleaded for clubs to ignore his wild past Credit: Getty Morrison was hailed as a whizz-kid of the Old Trafford youth system when Sir Alex Ferguson was in charge but he quickly earned the reputation of an unreliable 'bad boy'. He made what turned out to be disappointing move to West Ham and then Lazio, where he only managed eight appearances in 2015. Loan spells at Birmingham City, QPR, Cardiff City, Sheffield United, Derby County and Mexican side at Atlas also didn't work out. But Morrison is wiser than the kid who got into trouble, ended up in court and left Old Trafford on a sour note. READ MORE FOOTBALL NEWS 'MISSED BY ALL' Heartbreak for England legend as wife dies after months battling illness Back in September, the 32-year-old signed for the 14th club of his rollercoaster career - Precision FC in Dubai in the UAE second division. He told The Athletic: 'Even now, I can guarantee that if I signed for a club in England, the headline in all the newspapers would be something negative. 'If another player at United gets into trouble, he's always 'the next Ravel'. Anything that anyone does wrong gets linked to my name. 'It pops up on my Instagram and I'm thinking, 'Oh, not again… how many years is this now?'. CASINO SPECIAL - BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS At West Ham, there were occasions when he missed training because he had been up all night on his PlayStation. And he was accused of attitude issues, timing problems and appeared in court for witness intimidation and criminal damage while at Man Utd in 2011. Ravel Morrison reveals he used to steal boots from Man Utd dressing room to sell and feed his family Morrison was also once fined £7000 by the FA for alleged homophobic comments made on Twitter. But homesick Morrison has set his mind on moving back to England and having one last crack at the second-tier again, where he has already played for six different sides. He said: 'I do believe I can play in the Championship — easy. The frustrating thing is I'm not getting the opportunity. It all stems from my own mistakes Morrison 'My agent has spoken to a lot of sporting directors, chief scouts and heads of recruitment, and we've got really close to an agreement. 'Then they get the manager's opinion and it becomes, 'Ah, but he's done this, he's done that', and they are speaking about things that happened when I was a kid. 'Time has moved on, it's over a decade ago. But it's crazy sometimes how people don't move on.' 'So many people have formed an opinion about me, but those opinions are based on things that happened 10 to 15 years ago. 'I'm 32 now. I've played football around the world and had a good career. I'm not a kid of 16 or 17 anymore. 'But then again, I have to look at myself because it all stems from my own mistakes. I did some things that were wrong and I can't blame anyone but myself.' He has won 20 caps for Jamaica since switching allegiances in 2020. Morrison, who shares the same hometown as Marcus Rashford in Wythenshawe, has his eyes set on returning to where it all began at Carrington. Speaking on the Undr the Cosh podcast last month, Morrison said: "I've got my B licence now - I did it in the summer. '"I want to get into some type of coaching after I retire. That'd be good. I'd like to go back to United!"
Scotsman
20 minutes ago
- Scotsman
Here are the top 15 football clubs in Scotland ranked by attendance across season 2024-25
Celtic fans celebrate winning the Scottish Premiership title in the final match of the league season against St Mirren at Celtic Park, on May 17, 2025. (Photo by Craig Foy / SNS Group) | SNS Group The best supported clubs in the country ranked in order Sign up to our Football newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... The Scottish football season is over and the prizes have been handed out. Celtic are Premiership champions once again, while Falkirk, Arbroath and Peterhead also ended the campaign as title winners in the Championship, League One and League Two respectively. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Aberdeen also claimed silverware for the first time in 11 years after their Scottish Cup final win over Celtic at Hampden, with the Hoops claiming the League Cup back in December. While no trophies are handed out for attendances, there is no doubt that some supporters like to brag about the size of crowd their club can attract to their matches. Attendances are, in fact, a source of pride across Scotland with the country ranking top of the UEFA rankings when it comes to match attendance per capita across the whole of Europe.
