Player News Best Team of the Kassam Era

[Tomox]

Some interesting teams. I’ve done mine based on talent alone and not necessarily what they achieved with us. This is what I’ve got Rothwell and Jeannin in my team

 

[Jster]

He was not too bad. Dwight Tiendalli though.

Yeah, I liked Liam Davis.

 

[TobyDavis34]

Players who played at the Kassam, for OUFC, and otherwise had good careers;

Martinez (our only ever WC winner)

Baldock
Nelson (he's going to play for England one day)
Dickie
Brown

Brannagan
Lundstram

Henry
Whitehead
Beauchamp

Brooks (01-03 version), if not, Roofe

 

[Mintyshoe]

Players who played at the Kassam, for OUFC, and otherwise had good careers;

Martinez (our only ever WC winner)

Baldock
Nelson (he's going to play for England one day)
Dickie
Brown

Brannagan
Lundstram

Henry
Whitehead
Beauchamp

Brooks (01-03 version), if not, Roofe

I hadn’t quite appreciated how many consistent years in the Premier League Dean Whitehead had, should go down as one of the best of the Kassam era really.

I think memories of him are tarnished by how bad the rest of the club was at that time!

Also, if you’re going down the best route, surely have to consider Toni Martinez upfront…90 games for Porto and now playing in La Liga.

 

[MarkG]

Tricky one to assess given that we've been up and down the divisions and the quality of the players is going to be better in the Championship than the Conference.
Nonetheless some of Appleton's players in L2 went on to play at a higher level and are/were arguably better than some of our current Championship squad.

 

[TobyDavis34]

I hadn’t quite appreciated how many consistent years in the Premier League Dean Whitehead had, should go down as one of the best of the Kassam era really.

I think memories of him are tarnished by how bad the rest of the club was at that time!

Also, if you’re going down the best route, surely have to consider Toni Martinez upfront…90 games for Porto and now playing in La Liga.

I do, but I can't usurp Roofe or Brooks.

 

[tonyw]

Tricky one to assess given that we've been up and down the divisions and the quality of the players is going to be better in the Championship than the Conference.
Nonetheless some of Appleton's players in L2 went on to play at a higher level and are/were arguably better than some of our current Championship squad.

I think if you picked a joint side between the 2015/16 promotion team and this year's squad, you'd have more of Appleton's boys in it than today's!

I'd take the 15/16 versions of Baldock at RB, O'Dowda at LB or LW, Lundstram over Vaulks, Hylton over Harris, and Roofe over any of our wingers without a shadow of a doubt, and then I think you'd probably seriously consider Maguire at CAM as well......

Some interesting teams. I’ve done mine based on talent alone and not necessarily what they achieved with us. This is what I’ve got Rothwell and Jeannin in my team

You're starting to worry me now that this is not a whooosh......Alex Jeannin....talent....?!?

 

[Jster]

I think I might go:

Eastwood
Baldock Dickie Brown Leigh
Brannagan Lundstram
Henry Maguire Murphy
Roofe

But a few decisions are very tight (and arguable).

 

[Berliner]

Who'd be the manager of that era? Des? Despite Rowett's amazing achievements

Wilder, without a doubt. We would have been in the sh*t if we didn't go up that season. He made the club get up and walk so that MAPP and Des could make it run.

 

[battman]

For me:

GK - Cumming

RB - Baldock
CB - Helik
CB - Brown
LB - Leigh

CM - Whitehead
CM - Lundstram
CM - Brannagan

RW - Hackett
ST - Taylor
LW - Roofe

 

[Tomox]

I think if you picked a joint side between the 2015/16 promotion team and this year's squad, you'd have more of Appleton's boys in it than today's!

I'd take the 15/16 versions of Baldock at RB, O'Dowda at LB or LW, Lundstram over Vaulks, Hylton over Harris, and Roofe over any of our wingers without a shadow of a doubt, and then I think you'd probably seriously consider Maguire at CAM as well......




You're starting to worry me now that this is not a whooosh......Alex Jeannin....talent....?!?

it’s a whooosh don’t worry

 

[Tomox]

Wouldn’t have minded Ricardinho in his prime …still remember that run and shot away to Scunthorpe (I think)

 

[Mad Dog]

SUBS: Constable, Rothwell, Hylton, Ruffels, Maguire, Whitehead, Mousinho, Long, Cumming

MANAGER: Michael Appleton.

 

[werthersoriginal]

View attachment 27074
SUBS: Constable, Rothwell, Hylton, Ruffels, Maguire, Whitehead, Mousinho, Long, Cumming

I like that thought I’d want Leigh in. Good plan to introduce subs! Hylton gets on first.

 

[battman]

Wilder, without a doubt. We would have been in the sh*t if we didn't go up that season. He made the club get up and walk so that MAPP and Des could make it run.

Also he kept us up too - despite the repeated frustrations of missing out of the play-offs, we were never really in any threat of going back down

 

[Didcotox]

Wilder, without a doubt. We would have been in the sh*t if we didn't go up that season. He made the club get up and walk so that MAPP and Des could make it run.

That was his high point though, and he never really took us to the next level. He signed some absolute garbage, to the detriment of players like Bulman. MAPP stabilised us as a L1 side. L2 was a weak league when we came up. That’s why he isn’t the best manager in this era for us. He went on to have a good career elsewhere, but not with us.

 

[m]

Some interesting teams. I’ve done mine based on talent alone and not necessarily what they achieved with us. This is what I’ve got Rothwell and Jeannin in my team

Jeanin's positional sense was a thing of wonder.

 

[Stranger]

I think if you picked a joint side between the 2015/16 promotion team and this year's squad, you'd have more of Appleton's boys in it than today's!

I'd take the 15/16 versions of Baldock at RB, O'Dowda at LB or LW, Lundstram over Vaulks, Hylton over Harris, and Roofe over any of our wingers without a shadow of a doubt, and then I think you'd probably seriously consider Maguire at CAM as well......

Although from memory, didn't O'Dowda play mainly on the right during that season?

 

[Carpy]

No mentions of Eddie "Faxgate" Hutchinson, what a player, once we remembered to register him.

 

[Marked Ox]

No mentions of Eddie "Faxgate" Hutchinson, what a player, once we remembered to register him.

I'm more disappointed Abdou Sall isn't mentioned. Never was a player kicking a ball more anticipated.

 

[Mintyshoe]

The below seems to be the way the forum is going, with any player in caps a consensus inclusion. There’s some debate on positions (eg Roofe RW, Maguire CAM). Lots of debate on the CBs and LB a weak area (to an extent we’re ‘shoehorning’ in a player who didn’t play there for us).

There’s also not a standout player at RW, whereas Murphy’s promotion winning half-a-season has secured him in fan folklore.



I would fully expect this to change before all is said and done at the Kassam, with another full season in the Championship to come. Hopefully the summer window throws up another World Cup winner for the record…

Interestingly, with Helik dropping out it’s only 3 players from the current Championship squad and much more from various L2 squads that went on to great success.

 

[Steve Gilbert]

Having thought about it a bit longer then I have changed my mind on a couple of players so will go with:

Cumming
Baldock, Dickie, McNally, Ruffels
Lundstrum, Whitehead, Brannagan
Henry, Roofe, Johnson

Manager: Wilder with Appleton as assistant.​

 

[werthersoriginal]

Having thought about it a bit longer then I have changed my mind on a couple of players so will go with:

Cumming
Baldock, Dickie, McNally, Ruffels
Lundstrum, Whitehead, Brannagan
Henry, Roofe, Johnson

Manager: Wilder with Appleton as assistant.​

Wilder with Appleton as assistant? Yeah that would go well.

 

[Steve Gilbert]

Wilder with Appleton as assistant? Yeah that would go well.

We also know that MApp likes an assistant role…

 

[Carpy]

We also know that MApp likes an assistant role…

Karl as ladies head coach, on second thoughts, maybe not.

 

[holdsteady]

Karl as ladies head coach, on second thoughts, maybe not.

Clubs lawyer would never let it happen.

 

[DanC]

We have a lovely long chat with Matty Taylor here. He talks Wembley woes, lots of goals, his special telepathy with two players, and (nearly) opens up about the events and his regrets about the deadline day departure.

Apologies for the lack of match action in the YouTube edit... we got a copyright strike.

Also in audio wherever you get your pods ... links here. https://youaremyoxford.podbean.com/

 

[DanC]

We did a pod in which we discussed not the best ever XI, but the best ever team in one season. What was the best team: '86, '96, or '16? You decide.