Rookie boss Aaron Ramsey has banished Oxford United ‘fears’

The U’s are inside the League One play-off places and unbeaten at home, losing just once across their opening six games.

As football fans, we can often feel uneasy and unsure about what to expect heading into a new season, but when it came to Oxford’s return to England’s third tier this term, I don’t think that feeling will ever be matched.

And although there are arguably still more questions than answers at this stage, in my opinion, I wouldn’t describe us as an empty questionnaire anymore.

Ramsey never hid the fact he wanted his team to have control of games.

Oxford are currently averaging the fourth-highest possession figure in the league at 57.7 per cent, and only managed fewer than the opposition against Leicester, who sit top of the table for ball retention.

Oxford United midfielder Tyler Goodrham (Image: Darrell Fisher)

But simply having the majority of possession does not win you matches; you only have to hear the views of most Leicester fans towards their manager Russell Martin right now – or watch that fantastic win we had over them – to reinforce that point.

Even in the Premier League, a recent data chart showed that the average amount of possession teams have has significantly decreased over the last few seasons.

Successful teams are desperate for variety.

They want different ways to hurt opponents and add unpredictability wherever possible.

Which leads on nicely to one of the most pleasing ‘ticks’ on our questionnaire, if we’re going to continue with that analogy: Oxford under Ramsey have shown variety.

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We’ve seen slick build-up through the thirds, countless cut-backs, lightning counter-attacks and crosses into the box.

And that fills me with great encouragement.

When I heard Ramsey repeatedly talk about his desire to control games before the season, as much as I was relieved we might not have to endure watching Mark Harris try to win flick-ons against 6ft 8in centre-backs every week, I did question whether the inexperience of Ramsey – and, more broadly, the pattern of younger managers arriving to play in one particular way to suit their future jobs further up the pyramid – could come at the expense of winning as many games as possible.

But we just haven’t seen that thus far.

Oxford United winger Mo Missanga (Image: Darrell Fisher)

Ramsey and his coaching staff have shown they have the skillset and flexibility to field an Oxford side capable of hurting opponents in different ways.

Of course, as our most recent draw with Cambridge United showed us, we are by no means the finished article.

But the general consensus among Oxford fans heading into our first season away from the Championship for the first time in two years was a fear over our direction.

We can take losing games if we feel we know where we are heading and, certainly on the pitch, it seems there is light at the end of the tunnel at last.