Oxford united FC
Oxford United boss wary of Blackburn Northern Ireland link
The two clubs face off tomorrow in an important game around the Championship relegation zone as the 23rd-placed U’s take on 20th-placed Blackburn with just four points splitting them.
Rovers boss O’Neill is also manager of the Northern Ireland national team of who Oxford have four current Green and White Army players in their ranks.
“It’s a fairly unique situation I would suggest,” Bloomfield pondered in his pre-match press conference.
“It’s not very often a manager has a club and an international job and comes up against a team with so many players from the nation.
“Michael will have a big know-how about a lot of our players and I’m sure he’ll be using that to the best advantage that he can.
“We’re going to have a tough game.
“Michael’s an extremely experienced manager who sets his team up.
“They look really well-organised, really diligent in their defensive shape.
“It’s not going to be easy for us to break them down at all.”
The Northern Irish contingent in OX4 consists of Ciaron Brown, Brodie Spencer, Jamie McDonnell, and Jamie Donley, with all but McDonnell having played for the senior national team under O’Neill.
The Rovers manager has overseen five game so far after taking charge in February, winning his first two and losing the following two before drawing 1-1 with fellow relegation-threatened side Portsmouth last time out.
Meanwhile, the Yellows have won their last two games with a victory over West Bromwich Albion preceding Friday’s impressive 3-1 win away at Preston North End.
The club and city now has a restored sense of belief going into the last couple of months of the season.
“If you hear what was going on in the changing room after the game on Friday, with our supporters around, speaking to people around Oxford and bumping into people, it’s been lovely to do,” U’s boss Bloomfield continued.
“And I feel like there’s a confidence and a belief coming back to our football club which is what we’ve been searching for.
“There’s been an increase in performance level. We’ve looked like we’ve had a good consistency about us.
“I think there’s been a repetition about our in-possession and out-of-possession shapes and what we’re going after and that’s starting to come through.
“I really want to give our supporters something to cheer about tomorrow night but it’s going to be a tough game against really stern opposition, so we have to make sure that we perform properly.”
The U’s remain under a temporary transfer embargo which sees them banned from registering any new players until they prove their compliance with the EFL’s Squad Cost Management Protocol (SCMP) regulations.
Oxford brought in one new player prior to the embargo being confirmed, with former Heart of Midlothian centre back joining on a free transfer.
He, however, has suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury which will keep the 30-year-old side-lined for a number of months.
Meanwhile, United’s league rivals are making sure to strengthen ahead of the 2026/27 campaign.
The headline transfer news in the third-tier this week has been the loan transfer of Tommy Watson to Leicester City from Premier League club Brighton & Hove Albion.
Watson joins on a season-long loan deal after just a year at Brighton having arrived from Sunderland last summer.
The 20-year-old scored the winning goal which saw the Black Cats beat Sheffield United in the 2024/25 Championship play-off final at Wembley despite already agreeing a £10 million move to the south coast.
He played just 10 times for the Seagulls and spent the second half of last season at Millwall.
Watson now drops down to the third tier in an attempt to help Leicester bounce back to the Championship after relegation alongside the U’s last term.
Elsewhere, MK Dons have continued to make waves in the window by bringing in former Middlesbrough winger Sam Silvera.
The newly-promoted Dons have brought in the winger on a free transfer after he was released by Boro at the end of last season.
It is another statement signing for Paul Warne’s side, with the Australian a first-choice name for the Teessiders last season until injury curtailed his season.
READ MORE: Oxford United boss Aaron Ramsey credits Arsene Wenger
READ MORE: Will Vaulks leaves Oxford United to join Tranmere Rovers
The 25-year-old scored eight goals in 65 appearances for Boro.
Most recently, Oxford have seen Will Vaulks leave for League Two club Tranmere Rovers from whose academy he graduated.
The 32-year-old departs after two years at the club, playing 88 times.
Oxford’s first opponents of the season, Leyton Orient who they face in the Carabao Cup on Saturday, are in the midst of a fight to keep hold of star striker Dom Ballard.
The 21-year-old, who scored 23 goals and managed five assists in League One last year, is the target of Championship club Bristol City who are reportedly making a final push to sign the striker.
The Robins have offered £5 million for Ballard’s services, according to reporter Alan Nixon, with the O’s having held firm but are resigned to losing the prolific goal scorer.
Other moves in the division see Ollie Cooper join Notts County on loan from Swansea City and Stockport County sign Luca Ashby-Hammond after leaving Plymouth Argyle.
The 35-year-old was appointed into his first head coach role in June, taking over at United from Matt Bloomfield after retiring from professional football in April.
Ramsey has enjoyed a successful start to his tenure in OX4 so far, securing four wins from four pre-season fixtures, including a 2-0 victory over Premier League side Ipswich Town.
The former Gunners midfielder has also had to manage the squad amidst a temporary transfer ban which sees Oxford unable to register any new player until they prove compliance with the EFL’s Squad Cost Management Protocol (SCMP) regulations.
The ex-Wales international played under some world-renowned managers during his successful playing career in the likes of Wenger, Aston Villa boss Unai Emery and former Juventus manager Massimiliano Allegri.
“Arsene was a huge part of the success that I had as a player,” the Yellows head coach detailed after the pre-season win over Ipswich.
“And obviously, I took so much from him as well, from the manager side of things.
“But I’ve been very lucky and blessed to have played for some really good managers over the years, which I’ve taken little bits from as well.
“So, yes, I wouldn’t just say it’s all him, but definitely he’s formed part of that.”
Similarly to Wenger, Ramsey possesses a calm demeanour on the touchline, more often than not on the edge of his technical area with the occasional instruction directed at a player or the team as a whole.
READ MORE: Will Vaulks leaves Oxford United to join Tranmere Rovers
READ MORE: Aaron Ramsey emphasises importance of Oxford United’s Stan Mills
He is visibly calm and contemplative, something which he himself acknowledges.
“I think that’s me as a player, though. I’ve always been quite calm and comfortable in situations. So for me, that’s the way that I am.
“And I want my players to feel that and to feel like they can go out there and express themselves.
“So, yes, when they play like that [against Ipswich], it does make it a lot easier for me on the side lines.
“I think we need to be confident in what we’re trying to do for us to be able to really showcase exactly what we can do.
“It’s that confidence which is important without stepping over the line, but we need to embrace that.”
The U’s begin their campaign this Saturday with a Carabao Cup clash with League One rivals Leyton Orient.
Ramsey will be hoping his side can take the confidence and impressive performances from pre-season into the competitive campaign.
League action begins a week later, with the Yellows hosting newly-promoted MK Dons at the Kassam on the opening day.
The U’s return to the third tier after a two-year stay in the Championship, suffering relegation last term with a 22nd-placed finish under Matt Bloomfield.
The club revealed their new home strip last month and have worn it twice during pre-season when they beat Crawley Town 3-1 and Ipswich Town 2-0 at the Kassam Stadium.
Oxford’s away kit was released with a video on social media titled ‘Performance Inspires’, the shirt being inspired by Oxford’s performing arts, with a ballet performance filmed at Oxford New Theatre.
The video is soundtracked by a reimagined take on Oxford band Foals’ song ‘What Went Down’.
The shirt is available to buy online and in-store.
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