A clear identity

Leading Oxford United out at Wembley – the team I grew up supporting, as a local boy – was a very special moment for me and my family.

What an incredible experience it was to sing the national anthem on that pitch, on what is a sacred place for English football. I hope it’s not a once-in-a-lifetime thing, but I will never forget it. 

It was a long way from another special Oxford memory: my first matchday, when my nan took me to the old Manor Ground as a five-year-old. That started a journey that took me from being a fan to a youth player – and then, from 2003 on, a wonderful 10-year coaching journey at the club.

When I left Oxford in 2013, my coaching path took me to New Zealand, Australia and India, as well as a spell at Stoke City. In that time, I became the youngest head coach in the Australian A-League, took New Zealand further than they’d ever been at an Under-20 World Cup, qualified for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games and guided Mumbai City to a record-breaking Indian Super League title.

The support I got from the City Football Group in my last two jobs, at Mumbai and Melbourne, had put me in a position where I was in the frame when the Oxford job came up. It was November 2023 when I got the call; Bristol City had agreed a package to appoint Oxford’s outgoing manager, Liam Manning. Would I be interested in taking over?

At that time, Mumbai City were unbeaten in the Indian Super League and we had just come back from a Champions League game in Uzbekistan. My thoughts turned to where Oxford had been when I left in 2013, and where the club had got to since then. There had been so much progression.

"There comes a time when you need to take ownership yourself, but it's a fine balance"

Then there was the ambition of where the club wanted to be: the Championship. Even more so, how they wanted to get there and what that would look like, which really aligned with where I felt I was at. 

I had worked for two and a half years in India, and done what I had set out to do. It felt like managing Oxford was an opportunity that was too good to pass up. The fact that it was my local club, where I grew up, hadn’t played a part in my decision. Rather, to come back was a nice cherry on top.

The club were in a good position in League One when I arrived, having narrowly avoided relegation the season before. Liam had been in charge since March, and with only one transfer window he had set the team up very well. So it was about trying to continue some of the good work that he had been doing.

Liam had worked for the City Football Group too, so we followed similar principles. But the way his Oxford played and the way I wanted to play were very different. I wanted us to continue playing good football while picking up results and transitioning to a style of play different to what Liam had set the team up to be.

During the early stages, we were missing a lot of players with injuries, and that transition period took a bit longer as I tried to embed a different way of playing. That included going from being a team that wanted to sit back in a deeper block and breaking, to a team that wanted to press high. Then there was a slight formation change that tasked players with different roles and responsibilities.

In my first home game, against Bolton, the team showed that they had a very clear understanding in the defensive block, and were very good in transition. I was trying to assess how the team had been set up and what was working well. You want to take that good stuff with you, but if you don’t understand what it is, you can miss a lot and throw it away needlessly. There comes a time when you need to take ownership yourself, but it’s a fine balance when you come in midway through a season, trying to work out when that moment is.

"There were a couple of dark days after that game, and it was a true test"

A month after I came in, we had a home game against Burton Albion. We won 3-0, and it was the first time we changed to the system that we used later on in the season. Up until that point, I’d used videos I had from my time in Melbourne and Mumbai to show the team. That doesn’t have the same impact as when you show players examples of themselves actually doing it.

The biggest turning point, though, was a heavy defeat at the start of March. We were in and around the playoff places when we went to Bolton and lost 5-0. There were a couple of dark days after that game – and it was a true test, if I’m being honest. That was the moment where I said: “This is it.”  

I had spoken about giving it time, but now I needed to do things the way I wanted to do them. If it didn’t work out, okay. At least I would have given it a go, doing my best. As it was, we all stuck together, drawing on what was a very tough time for everybody.

By that point, I had managed to bring in some support staff who I’d worked with before, after initially arriving into the role by myself. Luke Taylor came in as head of performance, and Joe Moore as first-team analyst. They knew how I worked and wanted to play. That helped me to make the changes I wanted, because they were already clear on what those changes would look like. That came in conjunction with the relationships I had been able to build over four months with the staff and players.

So I reverted to what I wanted to do and how I wanted to do it, which was how I’d set teams up previously, with success. We made a couple of changes to personnel, and changed the formation and style. Now it would be very clear: this is what we’re doing, and this is how we’re doing it. 

As much as the Bolton defeat was painful, it gave us a springboard. When we played Port Vale in our next game, on a very difficult pitch, it was back to what we’d seen at Burton. The players showed a clear understanding of what we had put across, and we won 2-0. It was a solid foundation for what was to come over the next two months, which included some wonderful performances and results.

"It was becoming a lot clearer what we were trying to do"

After beating Port Vale, we drew with Shrewsbury, then won 4-0 against Fleetwood, and 4-0 at Burton. They were good results, but against teams at the bottom end of the table. The true test of how far we’d come in a very short space of time was our next, at home to Peterborough. 

They came to the Kassam in the hunt for an automatic promotion place. Meanwhile, we were without our captain, Elliott Moore, and Cam Brannagan, who was arguably one of the best midfield players, if not the best, in League One. Nonetheless, we put in a wonderful performance, winning 5-0. 

In terms of reinforcing the foundations of who we are and the style of play, we were in a place where we could now show our players what it looked like by using our own team as an example, rather than other teams. We could also then delve into the detail of what those positions look like, to make it a lot more specific to them. It was becoming a lot clearer what we were trying to do. Momentum was building, and the fans really got behind us. 

We then had two home games against fellow playoff contenders, Lincoln and Stevenage. They did not go the way we wanted them to. Lincoln won a penalty and took three points, while Stevenage came away with a draw thanks to an own goal, without having had a shot on target. 

Despite the results, the internal measures we have for performance were as high in those two games as they had been all season – including the games we had won by four or five. Everyone wants to win, but it was about trusting what we do and staying true to who we are. It was really tested after those games, but that’s the identity that set us up for the final league game of the season at Exeter – and then for the playoffs. 

We travelled to Exeter in seventh. To get into the playoffs, we needed a result but also for results around us to go our way. There weren’t any nerves, though, because we were very clear on what we needed to do for how we wanted to play. If we lost, we would know how and we would have done our best, playing our way. Win, and we would also know how we did it. 

"we had to be calmer, quicker and smarter about where we played and how we tried to play"

Watching that Exeter game, the players were so clear on what they were doing, in and out of possession. We came away with a 2-1 win and not only made the playoffs, but jumped up to fifth. It further emphasised the need to stay true to who we are, and that that would get us through.

The first leg of the semi final against Peterborough was at home. We were aware that having beaten them 5-0 last time, they might change certain things. They had been very aggressive in their press when we last met. We had been able to play through them and exploit the space in front, beyond and in transition.

In the first leg – certainly for the first 60 minutes, before we scored – they were a little bit more respectful in terms of not wanting to overcommit defensively, to not give us that space. That meant we had to be calmer, quicker and smarter about where we played and how we tried to play. 

We got a goal from a well-worked set-piece, which illustrated the importance of the work our staff do in that space; goalkeeping coach Lewis Price, first-team performance analyst Isaac Alder, and first-team coach analyst, Joe. It was a set-piece routine that they spotted we could potentially take advantage of, where Cam Brannagan got through at the back post to head back for Elliott Moore to give us the all-important first goal. Then it was about testing our resolve in terms of defensive set-up. We stood strong to finish the game 1-0 up.

Going into the second leg, it was about making sure we spent enough time focusing on us. When I took the New Zealand job many years ago, I was fortunate to meet Paul Simpson, who was working with England’s Under-20s at the time. He spoke about working 80 per cent to 20 per cent in favour of the controllables. It means you spend the majority of your time on what you know you have control of, which is your team and how you want to play. You also pay respect – the 20 per cent – to what the opposition might do, but don’t overemphasise it. Focus on you and how you do it. That message stuck with me, and it was the approach we took for the second leg at Peterborough. 

"Could we stay in the present, not starting to think about the full-time whistle and what that might bring?"

We knew they would come at us very aggressively, and we weren’t disappointed. They threw everything at us, but we stood up to it, and were again clear on what we wanted to do. We had to sit a little deeper – probably too deep for our liking – and they scored the first goal on 41 minutes, from a set-piece. We equalised on the night from another set-piece, but it wasn’t until the 91st and 97th minutes that they had two big opportunities. Up until that point, we had been able to contain the threats they posed, of which there were lots. We saw the game out, though, and Wembley beckoned.

We went into the final against Bolton off the back of a really good 10-game streak. Bolton were an excellent team, we knew that. They had very good players and a manager who had really progressed their club in recent seasons. Internally, though, we were very confident that we’d be able to give them a game. 

We had 10 days between the semi final and the final. For eight of those days, the focus was very much on what we wanted to do and how we were going to do it. When a game kicks off, it doesn’t always set up the way you expect it to, but on this occasion the players were in a position where they were able to perform. They looked calm, like they enjoyed the experience and the moment. 

At half-time we were 2-0 up, having executed what we said we wanted to do very well. Then came the test. Could we stay true to who we are, knowing that we had another half to play and Bolton would surely come back at us? Could we stay in the present, not starting to think about the full-time whistle and what that might bring? We certainly didn’t want to let the past influence us, drop off and let Bolton dictate.

"everything that was said to me when I joined has happened. They weren’t just words"

We’d spoken a lot about remaining in the present and enjoying it, playing the way that we set up to play. That is what we did in the second half, ultimately preventing Bolton from having a shot on target. When I watched the game back, I felt immense pride in how we went about doing what we did, against a wonderful side who I’m sure many had tipped to beat us. 

The club wanted to be a Championship club. For the first time in 25 years, that is what we were. Now we want to become a sustainable Championship club. We’ve got owners and people behind the scenes who are very supportive. Everything that was said to me when I joined has happened. They weren’t just words.

There is a lot of work to do. I shortened my holiday to make sure we’re as prepared as we can be for the new season, to compete and win. We don’t want to be a team that tries not to lose games in the Championship. I’ve spoken a lot about identity, who we are and what we are. I want to take that into the Championship, and see where we can take it. 

I’m not naive enough to think we can go and do that in every game. But if Wembley showed anything, it was the need to be clear on what we do, how we do it, and be smart in how we set up. Then it becomes about recruitment, and giving the players what we can in terms of the set-up of our club. We’ll position ourselves as well as we can to try and make the people, in and around Oxfordshire, proud of what we do and how we do it.

Author: Craig Bloomfield

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