General Oxford United Squad 2023/24

[YellowSubmarine]

Players listed - (Contract expiry date)

Goalkeepers - McGinty (2025), Stevens (2025), Eastwood (2024)

Defenders - Findlay (2026), Moore (2025), Long (2024), Seddon (2024), Brown (2024), Negru (2024)

Midfielders - Brannagan (2025), Smyth (2025), McGuane (2024), Henry (2024)

Wingers - Browne (2024), Murphy (2024), Bodin (2024), Wildschut (2024), Goodrham (2024)

Strikers - Baldock (2024), O’Donkor (2024)

Players leaving (OOC or Loans) - Taylor, Joseph, Smith, Jones, Konate, Bate, Gorrin, Anderson, Fleming

 

[YellowSubmarine]

Personally what I’d do.

Goalkeepers
Keep - McGinty
Sell - Eastwood, Stevens

Defenders
Keep - Moore, Long, Brown, Negru
Sell - Findlay, Seddon

Midfielders
Keep - Brannagan, McGuane
Sell - Henry, Smyth

Wingers
Keep - Browne, Goodrham, Bodin
Sell - Wildschut, Murphy

Strikers
Keep - O’Donkor
Sell - Baldock

 

[YellowSubmarine]

Major rebuilding job.

New GK

New RB / Moore / New CB / New LB

McGuane / New DM / Brannagan

Goodrham / New ST / Browne

Subs: McGinty, Long, Brown, Negru, Bodin, O’Donkor​

 

[RyanioBirdio]

Stevens is 2025 as we optioned an extra year on his contract before the Vale loan, but otherwise a bleak picture.

I’ve mentioned numerous times this season that the squad has almost no players with contracts beyond the end of Robinson’s own, in summer 2024. Of those who do, Brannagan will be sold at that point if not sooner, two can’t get a game and nearly left last month in Findlay and Smyth, and two are goalkeepers. Neither of which may be good enough to push us on.

This summer is enormous. Which is why the current situation and complete lack of planning and foresight is so horrifying.

 

[tonyw]

Personally what I’d do.

Goalkeepers
Keep - McGinty
Sell - Eastwood, Stevens

Defenders
Keep - Moore, Long, Brown, Negru
Sell - Findlay, Seddon

Midfielders
Keep - Brannagan, McGuane
Sell - Henry, Smyth

Wingers
Keep - Browne, Goodrham, Bodin
Sell - Wildschut, Murphy

Strikers
Keep - O’Donkor
Sell - Baldock

If you could sell Murphy at this point, you'd be an absolute miracle worker.

Massive wage, but contributed one decent half this entire season to a poor League One side; that's one year after being forced to train with the Preston kids due to attitude problems; and the two years prior to that, he didn't manager 20 league starts either.

The best scenario I can imagine for him is that we find some desperate club in the summer that's willing to take the risk, bring him in on loan for the season and pay us half his wage.

 

[gingerox]

Coming up to his 5yr anniversary and whilst he's taken us to the play offs twice, if he were to leave now, I'd say we're in a worse position than Clotet left us.

 

[Symp59]

The squad needs a total change to get it anywhere near ,we really have t got many players you could sell.Bran could be the only one .We've could a few that the walking football teams might be after.

 

[Yellowmania]

Personally what I’d do.

Goalkeepers
Keep - McGinty
Sell - Eastwood, Stevens

Defenders
Keep - Moore, Long, Brown, Negru
Sell - Findlay, Seddon

Midfielders
Keep - Brannagan, McGuane
Sell - Henry, Smyth

Wingers
Keep - Browne, Goodrham, Bodin
Sell - Wildschut, Murphy

Strikers
Keep - O’Donkor
Sell - Baldock

I admire your optimism with “sell” some of those you listed!

 

[Sheik djibouti]

We are in an absolute mess and no mistake.

The threadbare, hopelessly imbalanced squad and the lack of any meaningful structure to rectify the serious shortfalls should be reason enough to illustrate precisely why a change of management team and recruitment policy is needed right now.

Wait till the end of the season and you may as well write of next season too as anyone incoming will not have time to do the serious remedial work required and put those structures in place to hit the ground running when the next window opens. And yet again, we'll be playing catch-up or living off scraps and riding our luck on gambles.

 

[Carpy]

Personally what I’d do.

Goalkeepers
Keep - McGinty
Sell - Eastwood, Stevens

Defenders
Keep - Moore, Long, Brown, Negru
Sell - Findlay, Seddon

Midfielders
Keep - Brannagan, McGuane
Sell - Henry, Smyth

Wingers
Keep - Browne, Goodrham, Bodin
Sell - Wildschut, Murphy

Strikers
Keep - O’Donkor
Sell - Baldock

Bodin is no from me, turns up too infrequently and not exactly young, if we can get him off our books, I'd jump at that chance.

 

[theWizard]

Remember when Sam Long wasn't good enough for our side.

Think to yourself, if we're keeping Long is that because he improved that much or our side just got worse.

I know he's one of our own but I think it's uncomfortable that he's gone from a certain leaver to certain to start.

It's a reflection of our current side, not a reflection on him

 

[Carpy]

Remember when Sam Long wasn't good enough for our side.

Think to yourself, if we're keeping Long is that because he improved that much or our side just got worse.

I know he's one of our own but I think it's uncomfortable that he's gone from a certain leaver to certain to start.

It's a reflection of our current side, not a reflection on him

The case for him staying is two fold, firstly he's pretty robust and secondly he plays anywhere across the back, he should not be starting in any of those positions, but to say he should out the door I think is harsh.

 

[WRox]

Assuming we survive the current mess of a season, next year ironically will be a ‘transition’. For me it’s something like…

Keep and start (3): Moore, Brannagan, McGuane.

Keep for the squad (12): two GKs, Brown, Long, Negru, Browne, Wildschut, Murphy (we’re stuck with him for a year), Baldock (him too), Bodin, Goodrham, O’Donkor.

Sell (5): Findlay, Seddon, 1 GK, Henry, Smyth.

Sign (9): Goalkeeper, Right Back, Left Back, 2 defensive midfielders, 1 creative midfielder, winger, 2 forwards.

That’s a serious turnover and not one we’re likely to nail in one or two windows.

 

[Shosho]

Lol. What a shambles

 

[captainox]

Absolute sh!t show isn't it.

 

[oufc1991]

Ge

Assuming we survive the current mess of a season, next year ironically will be a ‘transition’. For me it’s something like…

Keep and start (3): Moore, Brannagan, McGuane.

Keep for the squad (12): two GKs, Brown, Long, Negru, Browne, Wildschut, Murphy (we’re stuck with him for a year), Baldock (him too), Bodin, Goodrham, O’Donkor.

Sell (5): Findlay, Seddon, 1 GK, Henry, Smyth.

Sign (9): Goalkeeper, Right Back, Left Back, 2 defensive midfielders, 1 creative midfielder, winger, 2 forwards.

That’s a serious turnover and not one we’re likely to nail in one or two windows.

Get a decent manager who knows what he's doing and that isn't to much of an issue 9 players you could sign 5 permanently and 4 loans

 

[Sheik djibouti]

Ge
Get a decent manager who knows what he's doing and that isn't to much of an issue 9 players you could sign 5 permanently and 4 loans

Yes, but we need the new management team now to identify those targets and be in the best position possible to bring them in when the season is over

In honesty, the process for next season in Lg 1 should've begun in earnest once it was clear we weren't going to challenge for promotion.....which would've been about November this season.

As it is, contingency for Lg2 may well now be required.

 

[ZeroTheHero]

Assuming we survive the current mess of a season, next year ironically will be a ‘transition’. For me it’s something like…

Keep and start (3): Moore, Brannagan, McGuane.

Keep for the squad (12): two GKs, Brown, Long, Negru, Browne, Wildschut, Murphy (we’re stuck with him for a year), Baldock (him too), Bodin, Goodrham, O’Donkor.

Sell (5): Findlay, Seddon, 1 GK, Henry, Smyth.

Sign (9): Goalkeeper, Right Back, Left Back, 2 defensive midfielders, 1 creative midfielder, winger, 2 forwards.

That’s a serious turnover and not one we’re likely to nail in one or two windows.

I was just going through your list with my thoughts. And then I just got depressed, because even if I agreed with your 'keep and start' list and I am not sure I do (Moore not very effective, Brannagan will go, McGuane OK if higher up the pitch) - that still means 8 new first team starters. An almost total lack of continuity, with some baggage from KRs reign still there (expensive, probably still repeatedly unavailable and probably un-sellable). God help us if KR is still here in the summer, overseeing the recruitment.

 

[theWizard]

If we survive....

and if we rebuild effectively.... and under a new manger

...we're probably two to three years away from another crack at promotion

 

[RyanioBirdio]

If we survive....

and if we rebuild effectively.... and under a new manger

...we're probably two to three years away from another crack at promotion

Absolutely.

This all stems from not removing the current manager in October. The board gambled; we all lost.