List of Oxford United F.C. managers

Former manager Chris Wilder

The following is a list of Oxford United F.C. managers from 1949, when the club turned professional, to the present day. During this time the club has had 23 full-time managers, of whom three (Jim Smith, Denis Smith and Darren Patterson) have had more than one spell in the post, and nine periods of caretaker-management. The first manager appointed was Harry Thompson in July 1949.[1] Thompson was in charge for nine years, during which he led the team to the Southern League title in 1953, as well as the Southern League Cup in 1953 and 1954. He was dismissed in November 1958 and replaced by Arthur Turner. Turner, the longest-serving manager in the club's history with more than a decade in charge, led United to back-to-back Southern League titles, of which the second, in 1962, resulted in their election to the Football League.[2] Promotion followed from the Fourth Division in 1965, and the club were crowned Third Division champions three years later.[1] Turner left the club nine months after this success. Over the next 13 years, five managers took charge: Ron Saunders, Gerry Summers, Mick Brown, Bill Asprey and Ian Greaves. During Brown's four-year run, United were relegated back to the Third Division after eight years in the Second.[3]

Jim Smith started his first spell as manager in 1981, and led Oxford into the top tier of English football after consecutive promotions as champions in 1984 and 1985. However, he moved to Queens Park Rangers before the 1985–86 season, so never managed Oxford in the First Division.[4] New manager, former chief scout Maurice Evans, had immediate success winning the 1986 League Cup, beating his predecessor's new club in the final.[5] For the next 24 years, the only manager to guide the club to promotion or silverware was Denis Smith, who won promotion from the Second Division in 1996. Ramón Díaz, the club's first non-British manager, took charge for five months between December 2004 and May 2005. Jim Smith returned as manager in 2006, the year that Oxford United were relegated to the Football Conference after 44 years in the Football League. Having missed out on promotion in the 2006–07 season, Smith resigned and manager Darren Patterson was hired on 9 November 2007.[6] Patterson was sacked over a year later and was replaced by Chris Wilder,[7] who won promotion back to the Football League by winning the 2010 Conference play-off Final.[8] On 26 January 2014 it was confirmed that Wilder had resigned; he was announced as the new manager of Northampton Town the following day.[9]

Managers

Manager dates and statistics are sourced from Howland, Complete Record up to and including Lawrenson,[10] and from Soccerbase thereafter.[11] Results in competitions not recorded by Soccerbase are sourced from The English Football Archive.[12] Only professional, competitive matches are counted. Statistics are complete up to and including 17 December 2014.

NameFromToAchievementsGamesWonDrawnLostWin %Notes
England Thompson, HarryHarry Thompson 1 July 1949 6 November 1958 Southern League champions (1953)
Southern League runners up (1954)
Southern League Cup winners (1953, 1954)		 466 210 87 169 45.06 [1][13]
Committee of board members 6 November 1958 1 January 1959 11 6 0 5 54.55 [14]
England Turner, ArthurArthur Turner 1 January 1959 28 February 1969 Southern League runners up (1960)
Southern League champions (1961, 1962)
Fourth Division promotion (1965)
Third Division champions (1968) 		504 218 119 167 43.25 [1][15]
England Saunders, RonRon Saunders 1 March 1969 30 June 1969 12 6 3 3 50.00 [16]
England Summers, GerryGerry Summers 1 July 1969 1 October 1975 293 93 89 111 31.74 [17]
England Brown, MickMick Brown 1 October 1975 22 July 1979 187 53 61 73 28.34 [18]
England Asprey, BillBill Asprey 22 July 1979 26 December 1980 82 23 20 39 28.05 [19]
England Greaves, IanIan Greaves 26 December 1980 30 January 1982 50 23 16 11 46.00 [20]
Scotland Barry, RoyRoy Barry (caretaker) 3 February 1982 28 February 1982 6 2 3 1 33.33 [21][22]
England Smith, JimJim Smith 1 March 1982 11 June 1985 Third Division champions (1984)
Second Division champions (1985)		 167 89 42 36 53.29 [23][24]
England Evans, MauriceMaurice Evans 11 June 1985 26 March 1988 League Cup winners (1986) 140 41 41 58 29.29 [5][25]
England Lawrenson, MarkMark Lawrenson 26 March 1988 25 October 1988 23 4 8 11 17.39 [26]
England Horton, BrianBrian Horton 25 October 1988 27 August 1993 251 79 65 107 31.47 [27][28][29]
England Evans, MauriceMaurice Evans (caretaker) 27 August 1993 10 September 1993 3 0 0 3 0.00 [30][31]
England Smith, DenisDenis Smith 10 September 1993 24 December 1997 Second Division runners up (1996) 248 99 61 88 39.92 [31][32][33]
England Crosby, MalcolmMalcolm Crosby (caretaker) 24 December 1997 24 January 1998 5 0 1 4 0.00 [34][35]
England Shotton, MalcolmMalcolm Shotton 24 January 1998 25 October 1999 88 26 22 40 29.55 [36]
England Lewis, MickeyMickey Lewis (caretaker) 25 October 1999 2 February 2000 22 6 8 8 27.27 [37][38]
England Smith, DenisDenis Smith 3 February 2000 2 October 2000 30 8 3 19 26.67 [32]
England Ford, MikeMike Ford (caretaker) 3 October 2000 31 October 2000 6 0 1 5 0.00 [39]
England Kemp, DavidDavid Kemp 31 October 2000 30 April 2001 31 7 3 21 22.58 [40]
England Ford, MikeMike Ford (caretaker) 1 May 2001 8 May 2001 1 0 0 1 0.00 [39]
England Wright, MarkMark Wright 8 May 2001 22 November 2001 22 4 7 11 18.18 [41]
England Atkins, IanIan Atkins 23 November 2001 21 March 2004 122 47 35 40 38.52 [42]
England Rix, GrahamGraham Rix 22 March 2004 14 November 2004 29 6 8 15 20.69 [43]
Northern Ireland Patterson, DarrenDarren Patterson (caretaker) 14 November 2004 9 December 2004 3 1 0 2 33.33 [44]
Argentina Díaz, RamónRamón Díaz 9 December 2004 4 May 2005 25 10 7 8 40.00 [45]
England Talbot, BrianBrian Talbot 6 May 2005 14 March 2006 44 10 16 18 22.73 [46]
Northern Ireland Patterson, DarrenDarren Patterson 14 March 2006 22 March 2006 3 1 2 0 33.33 [44]
England Smith, JimJim Smith 22 March 2006 9 November 2007 82 34 26 22 41.46 [23]
Northern Ireland Patterson, DarrenDarren Patterson 9 November 2007 30 November 2008 59 24 11 24 40.68 [44]
England Smith, JimJim Smith (caretaker) 30 November 2008 21 December 2008 4 2 2 0 50.00 [23]
England Wilder, ChrisChris Wilder 21 December 2008 26 January 2014 Conference National Play-off winners (2010) 319 141 100 78 44.20 [47][48]
England Lewis, MickeyMickey Lewis (caretaker) 27 January 2014 22 March 2014 12 3 5 4 25.00
Republic of Ireland Waddock, GaryGary Waddock 22 March 2014 4 July 2014 8 1 0 7 12.50
England Appleton, MichaelMichael Appleton 4 July 2014 present 26 8 8 10 30.77
Total 1 July 1949 Present 3,385 1,286 880 1,219 37.99

Notes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Andy Howland. "Past Managers". Oxford Mail. Retrieved 2010-12-23.
  2. ↑ "Football League 1961-62". Football Club History Database. Richard Rundle. Retrieved 2008-03-29.
  3. ↑ "Football League 1975-76". Football Club History Database. Richard Rundle. Retrieved 2008-05-01.
  4. ↑ "A potted history of QPR (1882-2008)". Queens Park Rangers F.C. 2008-04-15. Retrieved 2008-05-01.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Andy Howland. "Famous Matches - QPR 1986". Oxford Mail. Retrieved 2010-12-22.
  6. ↑ "Smith steps down as Oxford boss". BBC Sport. 2007-11-09. Retrieved 2008-03-29.
  7. ↑ "Wilder is new Oxford United boss". BBC Sport. 2008-12-21. Retrieved 2008-12-21.
  8. ↑ Marshall, Steve (2010-05-16). "Oxford United 3–1 York City". BBC Sport. Retrieved 2012-08-03.
  9. ↑ "Chris Wilder Leaves Oxford".
  10. ↑ Howland, Andy and Roger (1989). Oxford United: A Complete Record (1893-1989). Breedon Books. ISBN 0-907969-52-6.
  11. ↑ "Manager history for Oxford United". Soccerbase. Racing Post. Retrieved 2008-04-29.
  12. ↑ "Archive contents". The English Football Archive. Archived from the original on 2008-01-18. Retrieved 2008-04-29.
  13. ↑ "A Complete Record", p.276–294.
  14. ↑ "A Complete Record", p.294.
  15. ↑ "A Complete Record", p.294–314.
  16. ↑ "A Complete Record", p.314.
  17. ↑ "A Complete Record", p.316–328.
  18. ↑ "A Complete Record", p.328–335.
  19. ↑ "A Complete Record", p.336–338.
  20. ↑ "A Complete Record", p.338–340.
  21. ↑ "Brief Look Back - Last 20 Years". Oxford Mail. Retrieved 2010-12-23.
  22. ↑ "A Complete Record", p.101.
  23. ↑ 23.0 23.1 23.2 "Jim Smith managerial career". Soccerbase. Retrieved 2008-03-29.
  24. ↑ "A Complete Record", p.340–349.
  25. ↑ "A Complete Record", p.350–354.
  26. ↑ "A Complete Record", p.354–356.
  27. ↑ "Brian Horton". Soccerbase. Retrieved 2008-04-28.
  28. ↑ "Full Members Cup". English Football Archive. Archived from the original on 2007-12-19. Retrieved 2008-04-28.
  29. ↑ "The Anglo-Italian Cup Results 1993". English Football Archive. Archived from the original on 2006-11-20. Retrieved 2008-04-30.
  30. ↑ "Maurice Evans managerial career". Soccerbase. Retrieved 2008-03-29.
  31. ↑ 31.0 31.1 "The Anglo-Italian Cup Results 1994". English Football Archive. Archived from the original on 2006-11-20. Retrieved 2008-04-30.
  32. ↑ 32.0 32.1 "Denis Smith managerial career". Soccerbase. Retrieved 2008-03-29.
  33. ↑ "Associated Members Cup". English Football Archive. Archived from the original on 2007-12-19. Retrieved 2008-04-28.
  34. ↑ "Crosby: I should have stayed". Oxford Mail. 2000-02-19. Retrieved 2008-04-27.
  35. ↑ "1997/1998 Results". Soccerbase. Retrieved 2008-04-27.
  36. ↑ "Malcolm Shotton managerial career". Soccerbase. Retrieved 2008-03-29.
  37. ↑ David Crabtree, Heather Jan Brunt and Chris Williams (2007-06-15). "A history of Oxford United Football Club". Oxford United F.C. Retrieved 2008-05-01.
  38. ↑ "1999/2000 results". Soccerbase. Retrieved 2008-04-28.
  39. ↑ 39.0 39.1 "Mike Ford managerial career". Soccerbase. Retrieved 2008-03-29.
  40. ↑ "David Kemp managerial career". Soccerbase. Retrieved 2008-03-29.
  41. ↑ "Mark Wright managerial career". Soccerbase. Retrieved 2008-03-29.
  42. ↑ "Ian Atkins managerial career". Soccerbase. Retrieved 2008-03-29.
  43. ↑ "Graham Rix managerial career". Soccerbase. Retrieved 2008-03-29.
  44. ↑ 44.0 44.1 44.2 "Darren Patterson managerial career". Soccerbase. Retrieved 2008-03-29.
  45. ↑ "Ramon Diaz managerial career". Soccerbase. Retrieved 2008-03-29.
  46. ↑ "Brian Talbot managerial career". Soccerbase. Retrieved 2008-03-29.
  47. ↑ "The Complete Record", p.225.
  48. ↑ "Chris Wilder managerial career". Soccerbase. Retrieved 2010-12-17.

References