Current Staff Matt Bloomfield

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Matt Bloomfield

Position: Head Coach
Nationality: England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿
Signed: 9th Jan 2026
Departed: DATE
Previous Clubs: Colchester United, Wycombe Wanderers & Luton
 
If MB can recreate a similar approach with the mighty U's in the Championship, and with it steer us to a lower mid table finish come the end of the season, that'll do for me.

I think I will just except finishing outside the bottom 3, that’s a big enough ask given the situation.
 
Just listened to the radox discussion on his appointment.

I think we need to call out the contributor using ageist language in calling out an employee of the club especially when Bloomfield said in his interview that employee really impressed him during the recruitment process.

I've worked under plenty of really impressive people who were younger than me.
 
Welcome Matt! Keep us up please 🙏




he certainly talks a good job- heres hoping MB delivers
 
Just listened to the radox discussion on his appointment.

I think we need to call out the contributor using ageist language in calling out an employee of the club especially when Bloomfield said in his interview that employee really impressed him during the recruitment process.

I've worked under plenty of really impressive people who were younger than me.

That was Mark Sennett. You could probably do that directly to him on here. 👀
 
Just listened to the radox discussion on his appointment.

I think we need to call out the contributor using ageist language in calling out an employee of the club especially when Bloomfield said in his interview that employee really impressed him during the recruitment process.

I've worked under plenty of really impressive people who were younger than me.
I agree with you, Ed
 
Who was sat to the right of MB last night?
 
I do too. They have done so much for the club and I like to think Oxford would show them some loyalty at least for now.
Sentiment never solves anything.
We all want our team to stay up, if that means dumping the stale old fashioned coaching set up then so be it.
Time to stop looking back with rose tinted glasses, the club has to move forward with a positive attitude or face certain relegation!
 
Sentiment never solves anything.
We all want our team to stay up, if that means dumping the stale old fashioned coaching set up then so be it.
Time to stop looking back with rose tinted glasses, the club has to move forward with a positive attitude or face certain relegation!

I'm not defending our coaching set up and agree that it needs fresh blood. But that doesn't mean that those already here can't still play a valuable role. Shorty is both liked and respected by the players and is fantastic with the younger players. He's the type of person who gives far more than just coaching.

Chris Hackett was also well regarded within the youth set up, and there's no reason why he wouldn't be able to return to oversee the transition into the first team, something we need to get much better at.

Developing and improving doesn't have to mean dumping good people.
 
Sentiment never solves anything.
We all want our team to stay up, if that means dumping the stale old fashioned coaching set up then so be it.
Time to stop looking back with rose tinted glasses, the club has to move forward with a positive attitude or face certain relegation!

Tripe imo.

Let Bloomfield make the decision after a careful appraisal.
 
I just hope that he is given a chance in what I believe is a huge job, keeping Oxford up is only one part of it, the massive turnover in players that is needed is the other part. Some people tend to turn quite quickly if there is a run of bad results.
 
I just hope that he is given a chance in what I believe is a huge job, keeping Oxford up is only one part of it, the massive turnover in players that is needed is the other part. Some people tend to turn quite quickly if there is a run of bad results.
You would really hope that being as he got on so well with our recruitment guy at Wycombe, should help a lot on the players turnover.

Very interesting on The Dub about how he has a lot more in his favour than at Luton.
He likes playing with 4 at the back, whereas Luton were wedded ( and recruited for), 3 at the back.
 
You would really hope that being as he got on so well with our recruitment guy at Wycombe, should help a lot on the players turnover.

Very interesting on The Dub about how he has a lot more in his favour than at Luton.
He likes playing with 4 at the back, whereas Luton were wedded ( and recruited for), 3 at the back.
Thank god for that, we’re rubbish with five at the back
 
I'm not defending our coaching set up and agree that it needs fresh blood. But that doesn't mean that those already here can't still play a valuable role. Shorty is both liked and respected by the players and is fantastic with the younger players. He's the type of person who gives far more than just coaching.

Chris Hackett was also well regarded within the youth set up, and there's no reason why he wouldn't be able to return to oversee the transition into the first team, something we need to get much better at.

Developing and improving doesn't have to mean dumping good people.

It does if you’re replacing them with better - that’s just good, basic, business practice. It happens with players and managers without a second thought so why should backroom staff be any different ? I like Short but I’ll like the next person even more if he’s an upgrade on what Short can offer.
 
It does if you’re replacing them with better - that’s just good, basic, business practice. It happens with players and managers without a second thought so why should backroom staff be any different ? I like Short but I’ll like the next person even more if he’s an upgrade on what Short can offer.

As usual, you've missed the point. You can bring in new people AND find roles for good people. Sweeping changes rarely work and maintain some continuity is equally as important.
 
I haven’t missed any point. You said development and improvement doesn’t mean dumping people and I answered. You can’t find roles for everyone just because they’re good people, that’s unworkable. And to be fair, why should you, it’s a business not a charity. An employee would think nothing of leaving a company to improve themselves, why shouldn’t it work the other way ?
 
Short and Hackett both came into their roles when we were a league one club. As a Championship club, with ambition to become more sustainable, we need to review our entire backroom function. We need to develop much better links between the youth set up and the first team, which could include the introduction of a u21's side. And Shorty and Hackett would be hugely valuable assets at overseeing this project to help create genuine pathways into the first team. This isn't charitable, it makes good business sense and could pay for itself with just one asset coming through the ranks.
 
As usual, you've missed the point. You can bring in new people AND find roles for good people. Sweeping changes rarely work and maintain some continuity is equally as important.

It is how Brentford have built what they have. They build on what they have rather than have wholesale change every time a manager changes.
 
Short and Hackett both came into their roles when we were a league one club. As a Championship club, with ambition to become more sustainable, we need to review our entire backroom function. We need to develop much better links between the youth set up and the first team, which could include the introduction of a u21's side. And Shorty and Hackett would be hugely valuable assets at overseeing this project to help create genuine pathways into the first team. This isn't charitable, it makes good business sense and could pay for itself with just one asset coming through the ranks.
I suspect we're quite lightly staffed in backroom functions as compared to other clubs in our league. There should be room for the current staff plus a couple of Bloomfield's choice.
 
Short and Hackett both came into their roles when we were a league one club. As a Championship club, with ambition to become more sustainable, we need to review our entire backroom function. We need to develop much better links between the youth set up and the first team, which could include the introduction of a u21's side. And Shorty and Hackett would be hugely valuable assets at overseeing this project to help create genuine pathways into the first team. This isn't charitable, it makes good business sense and could pay for itself with just one asset coming through the ranks.
We have introduced an U21 side, managed very well by Pablo Heysham, with Niall Keown stepping up to work wonders with the 18s.

I love both Craig Short and Chris Hackett and am happy to have them around our club, although I also accept that if we can bring in better (whatever that means - how do you measure it?) then it would be foolish not to. Both Shorts and Hacks would understand that's how the game works, however sad it would be from the outside
 
Strange, considering our defence has worsened since Moore left.

Our defence did not look good in the games Moore played at the beginning of the season, mainly because Moore couldn’t run or turn.
 
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