LATEST - HATSWELL SIGNS

Wayne Hatswell has signed for Oxford today after impressing the management during the reserve match last night. The fee for the 25 year old central defender is believed to be £35k. He has been watched by several other league clubs this season, and had a short trial with Northampton earlier this month.

Judging by the results of doing a web search on Hatswell, he seems to be both very good at scoring goals from set pieces, and also very good at fouling players and getting on the wrong side of referees. Should be action-packed anyway...

[source = Official Site]

FOREST GREEN - HATSWELL WILL LEAVE US

The management at Forest Green Rovers expect Wayne Hatswell to leave the club in the near future. Joint manager, David Norton, said, "Wayne has been our best player this season and it's a case of when, not if, he will leave. There are one or two clubs interested in him, and much as we're reluctant to keep sending him on trials it's his dream to be a professional footballer and we don't want to block this opportunity.

"Wherever he goes it won't take him long to make up the difference and he will pick up his standard to suit the division he's in. Wayne has been phenomenal for us - he's a very good player; he's enthusiastic and he's determined."

[source = Zoo Football]

RESERVES WIN AGAIN; YOUTHS OUT OF CUP

Goals from Paul Powell and Dean Whitehead (time both were back in the first team?) handed the reserves a 2-1 victory over Northampton at the Manor last night. Trialist Wayne Hatswell reportedly impressed in defence.

Meanwhile the youth team's FA Cup adventure is over. They lost 3-1 at Coventry.

[source = Rage Online]

HATSWELL TO PLAY FOR RESERVES

Wayne Hatswell, the Forest Green Rovers defender who had a one day trial at the Manor last week, is to return to give Dave Kemp another chance to assess his qualities. He will play in the reserve match against Northampton at the Manor tonight. The reserve team will be a fairly experienced line-up as the youth team is also in action tonight, away to Coventry City in the FA Youth Cup.   [source = Oxford Mail]

KEMP - JOEY NO GO

Dave Kemp has personally stated that there is no truth in the rumours that Joey is on his way to QPR. ("Well if he is [leaving], it's news to me.")

From where these rumours originated, I do not know. What made them include Ross Weare? Anyway, I hope I didn't worry anyone overmuch with this story yesterday - I did, I hope, make it clear that the story was completely unconfirmed!

[source = Oxford Mail]

IT'S CHESTER

Oxford's second round FA Cup tie will be away to Conference side, Chester City, on 9 December. Chester upset third division Plymouth 2-1 in a first round  replay last night.   [source = Ceefax]

GOOD QUOTE

Jim Magilton, when asked about jokers in the game, mentioned Paul Kee - "Former Northern Ireland goalkeeper Paul Kee provided the funniest moment. We were playing Yugoslavia and getting slaughtered. When the fourth goal went in he went to his gloves' bag, pulled out a white handkerchief and waved it."

PK did this on a regular basis for Oxford too, as I remember...

[source = Sky Sports (with thanks to Neil Harding)]

JOEY RUMOUR - NOW PRESUMED UNTRUE

A disturbing story in circulation is that Joey Beauchamp has joined QPR for £125,000 (rising to £150,000 after 25 first team appearances) plus 23 year old striker Ross Weare. Weare is both tall (6'2") and - reportedly - speedy. Good for the long ball game then.

Just to note that I haven't seen any official confirmation of this story yet, but it's possible. Joey has been linked with QPR for the past week or so. Sad if so - I had hoped Joey would finish his career at Oxford.

Just heard that nothing has been said about this story on the 12.30 or 1.30 news on Radio Oxford. Maybe it's not true after all. Fingers crossed.

[source = OUFC forum / QPR official site]

JARMAN AND GLASS GET CONTRACTS

Both Lee Jarman and Jimmy Glass, currently on 'rolling' monthly contracts, have now been offered contracts until the end of the season. Jarman has been a regular in the team as either starter or substitute in recent matches, whilst Glass has been mainly bench-bound in his role as back-up to Richard Knight.   [source = Oxford Mail]

MICKEY JOINS CITY

Mickey Lewis has joined Oxford City as assistant to manager, Paul Lee. Lewis has also been registered as a player at Court Place Farm.  [source = Rage Online]

KEMP WASN'T FOOLED

Dave Kemp wasn't taken in by the half-time scoreline on Saturday, and admitted that even at 2-0 he could see Oxford ending up on the losing side. "I was never confident in us getting the three points even when we were two-up at half time. We invited trouble on ourselves for far too long. There were too many people in our team who thought they had cracked it when we went two up. We've taken two steps forward and now two steps backwards," said Kemp. I think there were a fair few people in the crowd who felt the same way.   [source = TeamTalk]

FOUL TURNS DOWN SHAREHOLDING

Oxford City Council gave FOUL an opportunity to buy a 13% share in Firoz Kassam's stadium company. Unsurprisingly, given that it meant raising the sum of £494,000 in just a week, FOUL turned down the offer. The 13% share had been offered to the Council as part of the deal that saw Kassam granted planning permission. When the Council decided to take £494,000 in cash in lieu of the shares, they were offered instead to FOUL.

FK commented, "I am not against fans taking up shares in the club. It could be a good idea, but the timing has to be right." I'm not quite sure what he means there actually...

[source = Oxford Mail]

WEATHERSTONE "ACCOMPLICES" ACQUITTED

The two men found guilty, along with Ross Weatherstone, of racially aggravated disorderly conduct, have been acquitted of the charge on appeal. Weatherstone himself did not appeal, but this presumably sheds doubt on his conviction as well. It certainly makes the whole issue decidedly more complex.   [source = Rage Online]

HAMMERBORG DEPARTS?

Norwegian trialist, Tom Hammerborg, has reportedly returned to Norway after just a few days on trial at Oxford. No reason has been given. Meanwhile, Jamican striker, Onandi Lowe, should arrive to start his Oxford trial today. [source = Rage Online]

STILL NO TACTICS
(OXFORD 2 NOTTS COUNTY 3)

I hope it's just the fact that Denis Smith is still at the club. I'd hate to think that we've got ourselves another manager who doesn't have a tactical clue. Or maybe it's just too early to judge yet. Whatever - this display was inept. Long balls over the top at every opportunity, leaving our two strikers desperately haring after the ball without much prospect of success. No midfield creativity. Full backs who drop back into the box giving the opposition wide men free crosses every time. The crowd on the terraces can see this and identify the problems. It's time a manager rectified them.

Amazingly, Oxford led 2-0 at half-time. It was a dire first half from both sides in dreadful conditions. Matt Murphy coolly finished two chances, one from a goalkeeping error, the other from a ballooned deflection off a defender. Can anyone think of any other threats on the County goal in that half? I can't. In the second half, the management team made the bright decision to bring on a defender (Jarman) in midfield and move a midfielder (Murphy) onto the wing. Clever stuff, Mr Kemp? The crowd knew it was crap, and that was backed up by the second half performance. Notts County by now began to realise that we are weak both in midfield and in the full-back positions. They also recognised that our defence panics under pressure. 3-2. Goodnight.

KINNEAR LINKED WITH HEARTS

Joe Kinnear is being linked with the vacant managerial post at Hearts. That is if you can call the statement from Hearts a 'link'. What they said is, "It would be amiss of us to discount anyone of Joe Kinnear's qualifications because we are well aware of what he did at Wimbledon." Remember too that Kinnear gets linked with virtually every job going. I'd be surprised if he ended up at Hearts.

Thank you to all the news reports, including the BBC, for failing to mention that Kinnear is actually in a job at the moment!

[source = BBC Online]

HATSWELL TRIAL

It seems that despite earlier denials of any Oxford interest in the player, Forest Green Rovers defender, Wayne Hatswell, spent a day last week on trial at the Manor. Hatswell achieved minor notoriety last weekend when the BBC cameras caught his embarrassing FA Cup own goal. Today, however, he scored twice for the Gloucestershire side.

An unofficial Forest Green website describes Hatswell as follows -

Big strong central defender for whom the word 'uncompromising' was invented. Signed from Cinderford during last season but loaned back to them. Swindon based, not the most cultured player, but very strong. Born in Swindon (08.02.1975).

NOTTS COUNTY PREVIEW

Loan midfielder, Keith Andrews, is available again after being ineligible for the FA Cup tie last weekend. He is likely to step straight back into the team, replacing Peter Fear, who is suspended. Otherwise the Oxford line-up is likely to be very similar to the side who were victorious at Moss Rose.

Notts County have signed two loan players in time for the match - evidently they are worried about our improved form! They have signed former Oxford target, striker Danny Allsopp, from Man City, and also right back/midfielder, Adam Newton, from West Ham.

[source = Oxford Mail]

ROBINSON INTEREST

Oxford have made a reported £100,000 bid for Birmingham midfielder, Steve Robinson. The bid has been turned down, and it is thought that Blues want around £200,000 for the transfer-listed 25 year old. He has been at Birmingham for his entire career, coming up through their youth system, but has failed to hold down anything approaching a regular first-team place. He has made just 53 starts in his seven years as a squad member at St Andrews.  [source = Oxford Mail]

UPDATE

A few pieces of news from the last couple of days -

• Joe Kinnear has brought Norwegian midfielder, Tom Hammerborg, for a week's trial at the Manor. He is available on a Bosman free transfer. hammerborg is 28 years old and tends to play on the right side of midfield. He once had a trial at Wimbledon, and they were very keen to sign him from his then club, Moss, but the transfer fee required by the Norwegian club was too large. Hammerborg trained with the team for the first time yesterday.
• Onandi Lowe has not yet arrived on trial as he has had flu. He will now arrive on Sunday, if well enough.
• Peter Fear and Matt Murphy are both still officially on the transfer list, but both have said that the situation has changed since Dave Kemp was appointed manager. Fear says he will be remaining on the list for the time being, despite saying, "There's obviously been a big difference in things over the last few weeks," but Murphy seems hopeful of signing a new contract shortly.
• The FA are still waiting for full details on the net-ripping incidents at Macclesfield before deciding on what action to take. Both clubs are to make submissions to the FA.

OPEN MEETING NEXT MONTH

There will be an Open Meeting for Oxford United fans on December 6. Both FOUL and Firoz Kassam will be present to answer questions, and Dave Kemp and Joe Kinnear are also possible attendees. The meeting will be at the Oxford Unied Social Club.   [source = Rage Online]

SCALES RUMOUR

Joe Kinnear was present at the reserve match between Tottenham and Ipswich last week, and it is believed that he was watching veteran Ipswich defender, John Scales. The 34 year old (that's young compared to Andy Linighan!) has not featured very often in Ipswich's first team recently, and is believed to be keen to get regular football at this stage in his career. Kinnear managed Scales at Wimbledon and is believed to be keen on a loan deal. (I think there is a maximum of two loan players allowed at a club at any one time, so we may have to wait until one of Brown and Andrews either signs for Oxford permanently or ends his loan deal.)   [source = Planet Football]

VICKERS AT CITY

Canadian striker, Simon Vickers, who was on (very brief) trial with the U's last week, has signed a temporary contract with non-leaguers Oxford City. This move may be very temporary indeed, as Vickers is heading to the Deva Stadium for a trial with Chester this week.   [source = Planet Football]

FA CHARGE?

Oxford may face a Football Association charge as a result of the fans who twice pulled the netting from the goalframe at Moss Rose. During the second half of Saturday's match, the game had to be paused for repairs to the goal. It is thought that about 30 Oxford fans stretched forward on the terraces to rip at the netting. There is certainly no excuse for this kind of behaviour from fans. Oxford have already been cautioned twice this season for crowd misbehaviour at the Manor - bith these charges were for coin throwing at opposition players.   [source = Oxford Mail]

ANOTHER AWAY DRAW AFTER MACC WIN
(MACCLESFIELD TOWN 0 OXFORD 1)
A late penalty save by Richard Knight from Lee Glover ensured that Oxford could forget thoughts of an annoying replay, and look forward to a second consecutive FA Cup match away to lower opposition. It will be either Plymouth Argyle or Chester City - the two sides replay after having drawn today.

Phil Gray got his first Oxford goal to settle today's affair, which by all accounts was scrappy in the extreme. There were, though, bizarre scenes at Moss Rose as some Oxford fans stretched forward on the terraces to pull the goal net away from the frame. This occurred when the Silk Men had just been awarded a late penalty for a foul by Andy Linighan. It seemed that Macclesfield had earned themselves a replay, but Richard Knight's save quashed their raised hopes.

BRENTFORD AWAY IN TROPHY

Oxford have been drawn away to Brentford, where the U's were knocked out last season, in the first round of the Football League Trophy, which, it has just been announced, will be sponsored by a company named LDV Vans this season.   [source = Rage Online]

LEWIS DEPARTS

As reported on Radio Oxford, Mickey Lewis has been told his "services are no longer required" (or whatever the euphemism is this year) at Oxford United. I'm not quite sure how this fits in with Kassam's words earlier this month ("Despite what people say or might be assuming, Denis, Mickey and Mike will still be on board..."), but it has to be sensible to prune what was becoming a ridiculously large backroom staff for a club of this size. Now what of Denis?   [source = OUFC forum]

MACCLESFIELD PREVIEW

I can find no team news of any nature ahead of Oxford's first ever meeting with Macclesfield Town. I presume the side will be much the same as that which won at Swansea last week - the one enforced change is to replace the ineligible Keith Andrews in midfield. It is to be hoped that his position is filled by Dean Whitehead.

Macc Town are without keeper, Tony Bullock, who is suspended, and also defender, Rae Ingram, who is injured. Lee martin will replace Bullock in goal, with Paul O'Neill replacing Ingram in central defence.

[source = The Silk Web]

JAMAICAN INTERNATIONAL LINKED

Oxford are interested in Jamaican international striker, Onandi Lowe (now 26), who will be arriving for a trial at the Manor on Sunday. Lowe is 6'4" and has a good striking record for his country, having scored six goals in their last four World Cup qualifying matches (it has to be said that this includes two matches against St Vincent, presumably not the strongest defence in world football...)

Kinnear had the following to say about Lowe - "He was winning his 27th cap [this week], and in his previous 26 international games, he's scored 24 goals. Of course, you don't know what the standard of the opposition is like, but I've heard good reports about him from my contacts. He's with a club over there and has never played in Europe, so he's basically untried, but we could get him because he has played 75 per cent of his country's internationals. We'll be flying him in on Sunday."

I yesterday printed a comment about no signings in the 'immediate future'. This apparently means no signings 'this week'. Joe Kinnear now claims to have four "irons in the fire", although no moves will be completed before the weekend. Kinnear already claims to have two further loan players in mind for when Brown's and Andrews' spells expire next month!

Said Kinnear, "Firoz has given me carte-blanche to strengthen the team."

With a bit of luck we'll offload some of the current squad too, otherwise it may start to resemble the Birmingham squad under Barry Fry. I hate to think what the wage bill will be if we don't!

[source = Oxford Mail]

Web searches have revealed that Lowe is revered in Jamaica for his scoring ability, and is now considered Jamaica's top striker. He was once sent off against Wales for elbowing a player after just five minutes on the pitch.

OXFORD WIN TROPHY

Oxford won the Sky 'Performance of the Week' trophy for their 2-1 win at Swansea. I guess it wasn't only U's fans that were amazed that we actually managed to win a match.   [source = Oxford Mail]

KEMP - "WE'RE GETTING THERE"

Dave Kemp has been pleased with the improvements showed by the first team since he took over two weeks ago. "It's been a great week for the club, and it's nice to know I'm having an impact on things," he said. (My goodness, he's sounding like Denis already.) "It's all about setting standards and I believe I'm doing that. You saw for yourself on Saturday that there was an improvement, and so we're obviously getting there."

He also said that there would be no further signings in the immediate future.

[source = Oxford Mail]

VICKERS LEAVES

As quickly as he arrived, triallist Simon Vickers has left the club. It seems that the 17 minutes the young Canadian striker played in the reserve match on Tuesday night was enough to convince the Oxford management that he was not for them.   [source = Oxford Mail]

BARBADOS LOSE EVEN WITHOUT ANTHROBUS

Barbados lost their latest World Cup qualifier 4-0 to the USA, and there was no sign of Steve Anthrobus at all. Since the word from the Manor is that he is injured, this is not really a surprise, yet many news sources seemed to indicate that Anthrobus was a valued member of the Barbados squad for this game. Anyway he didn't play, and yet they still didn't score.

FIVE IN A ROW FOR RESERVES
This time last year the reserves had just embarked on a run that saw them winless for over ten months. Now they have won their last five games. Last night they beat Peterborough's second string team 1-0, with a goal from winger Chris Hackett. The win was reportedly undeserved, as Peterborough dominated the match. Canadian triallist, Simon Vickers, played the last 17 minutes of the match.

Simon Vickers is a Canadian forward, who had a brief spell at Scottish side Clyde last season, making four appearances as sub. He was released by Clyde in the summer, and - despite a trial at Bournemouth - has yet to find another club. Before he moved to Clyde (in March this year), Vickers had been playing up front for the Vancouver 86ers.

[source = Oxford Mail / Soccerbase]

LOAN PLAYERS v MACCLESFIELD

Keith Brown has cleared by Barnsley to play against Macclesfield in the FA Cup tie on Saturday, further indicating that they see no future for the player at Oakwell. Barnsley are reported to want around £100,000 for Brown, if Oxford wish to convert the loan spell into a full transfer.

Wolves, who have already indicated that they see Keith Andrews' loan spell at the Manor as a necessary stage in the advancement of the player - and not as a prelude to selling him - have refused Oxford permission to field Andrews on Saturday.

Dave Kemp has indicated that it is as yet too early for him to have decided whether he wants to sign Brown on a permanent basis. He said, "It's far too early to talk about that. He's only on a month's loan."

[source = Rage Online / Oxford Mail / Ananova]

NEWS IN BRIEF

• Oxford have apparently 'signed' former Olympic 200m runner (and UK record holder), John Regis, to help with training.
• Work has been verified as having started on Minchery Farm. Sighted there - men in hard hats and a couple of JCBs...

KEMP IMPRESSED

Dave Kemp was very pleased with the performance at Swansea, and especially impressed with the three new signings. "All three played their part. We saw the team last week and knew what we needed to add to it and make it better, and it made the players who perhaps didn't look so good last week look good players today. The three new players all added something and everybody did well."

He also expressed the hope that Joey Beauchamp would show Saturday's form more often. "Joey Beauchamp is a very talented player. I obviously haven't been watching him that much, but I'm sure the Oxford fans will say what a talent he is. Sometimes he hasn't showed what he showed today. We need to get him playing regularly like that."

[source = Oxford Mail]

CAN WE PLAY YOU EVERY WEEK?
(SWANSEA 1 OXFORD 2)

Oxford notched up just their third victory in all competitions this season with a well-deserved 2-1 win at Swansea. Three wins, and I've missed all of them, but I'm told all the new signings were suitably impressive, with Keith Andrews getting a goal on his debut, and that Joey Beuachamp had flipped back into his now all-too-rare scintillating mode. He made some vintage runs and got a glorious solo goal, struck from between 25 and 30 yards out. Swansea finished the match with just ten men, Matthew Bound being sent off for hitting (elbowing?) Phil Gray with twenty minutes to go.

As far as the team was concerned, all three new signings started the match. Powell and Weatherstone were dropped to the bench (where they stayed), and Steve Anthrobus is injured, although reports suggest he may yet play for Barbados against the USA in midweek. Peter Fear played the full match, despite his supposedly being injured last weekend.

SWANSEA PREVIEW

Oxford's three new signings are all expected to start against Swansea tomorrow. Keith Andrews will replace the injured Peter Fear and Keith Brown is likely to start at left back instead of the not-quite-match-fit Paul Powell. Phil Gray will partner Derek Lilley up front, replacing Steve Anthrobus, who was also injured last weekend.

Swansea are boosted by the return from injury of Damien Lacey and Steve Jones, meaning that the only squad member unavailable to them is Jon Coates, who is out with a long-term knee injury.

[source = Zoo Football]

THREE SIGNINGS CONFIRMED

Oxford have completed the permanent signing of Northern Ireland international striker, Phil Gray, and the loan signings of Wolves midfielder, Keith Andrews, (as detailed yesterday) and Barnsley left back, Keith Harris.

Phil Gray, 32, joins from Burnley on a free transfer (described as 'undisclosed' by Burnley sources) after a goalscoring career that his seen him play for the likes of Sunderland, Luton, Fortuna Sittard and Nancy. Gray hardly featured for Burnley after joining them from Luton, scoring one goal in just eight appearances for the first team. Worryingly, he was criticised by Burnley fans for being overweight. Let's hope not. The last thing we need is another Marco Gabbiadini. He has still been appearing (mainly as substitute) for Northern Ireland.

My last memory of Phil Gray was when he played against us for Luton in a League Cup tie a couple of seasons back. He got so angry at being constantly caught offside by our notoriously effective defence that he kicked the ball into the advertising hoardings. In fact he kicked it so hard that it rebounded all the way across the pitch and hit the hoardings on the other side too. The look on Phil Whitehead's face was priceless.

Gray has been given an Oxford contract until the end of next season. He said he moved to Oxford to get "regular first team football". Hopefully this will be at the expense of Steve Anthrobus.

Keith Brown, 20, is a 6'0 left back who has not featured much in the Barnsley first team, but is considered by them to be a player of much promise. A former Scottish U18 international, he played in last season's losing play-off final side.

Keith Andrews, 20, is a battling midfielder who Wolves has said is very much in their future plans - they will not sell him to Oxford, and consider the loan spell to be a necessary step in his development at Wolves.

Management comments -

Joe Kinnear on Gray - "I've known Phil for many years. I contacted Stan Ternent at Burnley to see if he could help us out, and he has. There were one or two complications with the economics of the deal, but I'm glad to say he's now signed, and I believe he can add a lot to us."

Dave Kemp on Gray - "Phil is a current international who scored in Northern Ireland's last match. He had started this season in the team at Burnley but, unfortunately for him, it was through being away on international duty that he lost his place and he hadn't managed to get it back. He has loads of experience and is a proven goalscorer, which is just what we want."

Dave Kemp on Brown - "Brown played in the play-off final at Wembley last season and in the two play-off semi-finals against Birmingham. That sort of experience is something we badly need at the moment."

Dave Kemp on Andrews - "He's a good prospect. He hasn't started any league game for Wolves, though he's been on the bench. But I've seen him play, he can do it all, pass, dig in."

Dave Kemp on the signings in general - "It's not easy bringing players in because of where we are in the league, and at this time of year, but we're really going to give it a go to try and avoid relegation. The statement we've made is that we mean business."

[source = Rage Online / The London Clarets / claretflag.com / Barnsley Official Site / Soccerbase / Oxford Mail]

THREE PLAYERS EXPECTED TO SIGN

Dave Kemp has announced that he expects up to three new players in the squad in time for Saturday's match at Swansea. One of these players would be a permanent signing, with the other two being brought in on loan. If the latter two impress, they would be signed permanently too.  Kemp said, "Just some fresh faces around would give everybody at the club a lift, the other players, all the staff, and ? the main thing ? the supporters."

One might suggest that the supporters would be cheered more by good results than by new signings, but that would be churlish. With a bit of luck, one will lead to the other...

One of the loan players is rumoured to be young Wolves midfielder, Keith Andrews. Andrews is 20 years old and made two appearances as substitute for Wolves late last season. Andrews will initially join Oxford for two days of training, but this will be increased to a month's loan if he impresses Dave Kemp.

Wolves' reserve team coach, Terry Connor, said there was no chance of Andrews being allowed to leave Molineux for good. "The move is designed to help Keith further his footballing education and there will be no permanent move at the end of it," he said.

[source = Oxford Mail / Wolves official site]

ANOTHER DUD RUMOUR

A couple of days ago TeamTalk had it that Robbie Earle was to be lined up as a player coach at Oxford. Yesterday Earle announced that he was retiring from playing because of injury. I suspect this means TeamTalk's rumour was manufactured - there's surely no way that Oxford would want to add yet another non-playing-coach to their staff...   [source = TeamTalk]

RESERVES WIN AGAIN

Why does a reserve side go almost a year without a win, and then suddenly start winning as if there's no tomorrow? Oxford beat Southend 3-0, with two goals from Simon Weatherstone and one from Jamie Cook. Both would appear to have found their level, judging by recent first team outings. Paul Powell played the full ninety minutes, suggesting that he will probably not be given the full match at Swansea. Ben Abbey played for Southend, and made little impression. It was always said that he did very little in reserve team football.   [source = Official Site]

NEW PLAYERS THIS WEEK?

Joe Kinnear reportedly has "numerous irons in the fire" (let's hope 'Irons' isn't a reference to Nicky Banger, currently on loan at Scunthorpe) as far as new players are concerned, and he hopes to have one or two signed in time for the weekend match at Swansea. Kinnear said, "There's every chance we'll have new players in by the end of the week. We've spoken to numerous players, not in any specific positions, and hopefully will have someone in before Saturday."

Kinnear admitted that after Saturday's performance he realised that new players are a must for Oxford. "I was pleased with the effort and application on Saturday, but not with the quality. But we've been on the phone all day to try and put this right. The purpose of the game was to learn some things about my squad, and I did that."

[source = Oxford Mail]

RESERVE MATCH TODAY

The reserves play in Southend today, with Paul Powell bidding to gain further fitness, after it was evident that he was some way off full fitness on Saturday. Ben Abbey may play for Southend.   [source = Oxford Mail]

NOW HE KNOWS THE SIZE OF THE TASK...

The reality of the task facing him must have hit David Kemp smack in the face on Saturday. Here are some of his thoughts after the defeat:

• "We're in a difficult position and we need help, but it's not easy at this time of year getting in new players."
• "I was pleased with the effort the lads put in, it was very good, but you could obviously see a lack of confidence when we had the ball."
• "Some of the players surprised me, some didn't do as well as I had hoped. It's back to work on Monday to try and improve them."
• "We know there's problems,the record tells you that. I'd obviously like to have a bit more quality on the ball and more composure, but if we had those things we'd be at top of the league, not at the bottom."
• "Our general play was OK, but we need a cutting edge up front, though that's not just down to the strikers."

[source = Oxford Mail]

SHOTTON SACKED

Malcolm Shotton was today sacked as assistant manager of Bradford City along with the man he was assisting, Chris Hutchings. Poor Shotts - he's not exactly had a good year...

ANOTHER CRAP DEFEAT
(OXFORD 0 BRISTOL ROVERS 1)

Dave Kemp was right - we didn't turn into Real Madrid overnight. In fact we stayed the same. Three players had what might be termed reasonable matches - Jon Richardson, Andy Linighan and Richard Knight. Derek Lilley ran his heart out again, desperately trying to convert bad balls into good, but to little avail. The rest were worse than dire.

Paul Powell has either lost all his pace or was nowhere near fit - Marcus Bignot beat him every time he tried. Powell was limping - worryingly - at the end. Peter Fear sprayed balls around from midfield - if he'd looked to see where our players were, it might have helped his accuracy. He also picked up an injury, and didn't appear after the break. As for Simon Weatherstone (our "most technically gifted player" according to Fordy, evidently on acid at the time) and the immobile Bus, Kemp will be judged on how quickly he confines both to the scrapheap.

Bristol Rovers beat us 5-0 at the Manor last season. This time they were without both of last season's deadly duo strikeforce, so don't be fooled into thinking this season's result represents any improvement for the U's. Today's Independent on Sunday describes us as "so far behind in the Second Division as to seem half-way down the Third". They're about right.

ABBEY HERO

As a long-term advocate of giving Ben Abbey more of a chance to prove himself at the Manor, I wasn't surprised to see that he got two goals on his debut for Southend yesterday. In fact he only played half an hour as a subsitute, but still managed to beat the Macclesfield keeper twice. We play Macclesfield in two weeks time. Will any of our strikers manage two goals? I strongly doubt it.

NEW REGIME PREPARES FOR FIRST MATCH

The new management trio prepares for its first match in charge of Oxford tomorrow, an all-ticket home game against Bristol Rovers. Dave Kemp apparently favours a 4-4-2 playing formation - that's one thing in his favour already! - but will apparently resist making wholesale changes to the team, as he has not yet had the chance to judge the relative merits of the squad members.

Kemp watched the defeat to Reading last weekend, and the midweek reserve match, but said, "Those not in the team are at a disadvantage because we haven't really seen what they can do. We'll have a clearer picture of the whole squad next week after the youths' game on Monday and the reserves next Tuesday."

Kemp and McLeary also cautioned against supporters' expecting immediate noticeable improvement. Said McLeary, "We've got our ideas of how the team should play, the shape and formation, and a lot in training was based around the shape of the side and performing together as a team, not as individuals. We can't do everything at once. It may take a couple of weeks for everything to bed down."

"We're not going to turn into Real Madrid overnight," added Kemp. You don't say.

Meanwhile it is expected that Denis Smith will be given a glorified scouting role, looking both for players and a new training ground.

[source = Oxford Mail]

AIRDRIE DESPERATION

Airdrie supporters yesterday came to their club's rescue, with fans' pressure group Airdrie Direct Action raising £15,000 that had been demanded by creditors KPMG. Steve Archibald, who recently took over the club, had earlier been locked out of the stadium for wont of the money.

Now it looks as though the troubled club can fulfill its fixture on Saturday, although apparently the Diamonds now have just 4 players under contract. Steve Archibald has thanked the fans for raising the money, but reportedly believes it will be in vain. Best wishes to all concerned at Airdrie.

[source = The Stomp / 2 lions on my shirt]

OLD GUARD REMAINS

No, people, we still haven't rid ourselves of Denis Smith. Firoz Kassam has announced that Smith will still have a role at the club, possibly in youth development, as will Mickey Lewis and Mike Ford. Kassam's words on the matter were, "Despite what people say or might be assuming, Denis, Mickey and Mike will still be on board, and hopefully they can continue to have some impact in bringing on the talented kids we have here." [source = Oxford Mail]

KINNEAR, KEMP AND McLEARY TAKE OVER

Firoz Kassam has given the new management trio just one instruction for the season - "Keep us up." FK said he had worked long and hard to convince Kinnear to come to Oxford - "Joe is a big name and he wouldn't have taken job on if he didn't think he could do it. The fact he's come here and put his reputation on the line gives me a lot of confidence. I've done my bit, and it's now down to Joe and his team to bring some exciting football back to Oxford."

Kinnear commented, "I've had lot of success in my time both as player and as a manager, and I want that to continue here. We know it's imperative we stay up."

Kemp met the squad yesterday and took a realistic attitude - "This is a big challenge because the team is in a hole."

[source = Oxford Mail]

KINNEAR MAY "LOOK TO SCANDINAVIA"

Joe Kinnear has announced that Oxford will be looking to sign some new players in the near future, and that he may look for some new blood in Scandinavia, where he apparently has some contacts. Kinnear's role is basically to handle player contracts, including the buying and selling of players. As this was previously Denis Smith's role, expect to see the back of the great Denis fairly shortly.   [source = Official Site]

VAGUE PLAYER RUMOURS

Radio Oxford has apparently mentioned Danny Boxall (23 year old right back at Brentford) and Michael Gilkes (35 year old ex-Reading winger at Millwall) as possible player interests.   [source = OUFC forum]

NEW MANAGER - DAVID KEMP

The new Oxford manager has been announced as Dave Kemp, assisted by former Millwall joint-boss, Alan McLeary. Meanwhile, Joe Kinnear has been named as Director of Football.

Kemp's only previous league managerial experience is an unsuccessful two year spell at Plymouth in the early 90s. He has also managed at Slough Town, plus been assistant at Wycombe, Millwall, Palace and - most significantly - Wimbledon under Joe Kinnear. Kemp has recently been in a coaching role at Portsmouth, but there was to be no place for him under the new regime of Steve Claridge. Ironically it was to replace Kemp that Ray Harford left Oxford to become coach at Millwall last season, when Kemp left the Lions for Portsmouth.

McLeary, 36, has only just retired as a player - central defender - playing mainly for Millwall (for fifteen years in two spells), but also for Charlton and Bristol City. He and Keith Stevens were joint managers of Millwall for just over a year, before they were sacked earlier this season.

Most fans will be very disappointed that it is not Kinnear himself that is to take over as manager. Kemp is best known for being an unreconstructed long ball merchant, whilst at least Kinnear brought some semblance of imagination and style to the Wimbledon team. Mind you, it may well be that Kinnear actually pulls the strings. As long as Denis Smith finally takes his leave...

It is suggested that Mike Ford will revert back to being youth team coach, while Mickey Lewis' future at the club is described as "uncertain".

COMMENTS...

Here are some comments from a Wimbledon fan on Kinnear and Kemp -

"Dave Kemp? He was one half of the management team that took over after Kinnear's heart attack. Spectacularly awful that was too. But maybe he works well with Kinnear.

"When Kinnear had his heart attack, we were sixth. A false position, true, and we had already started a run of bad form. But we were sixth. With Kemp and Harford in charge, we managed to finish 16th. Nice. Obviously no respect from the players, who just took the piss for the second half of the season.

"Personally I can't see Kinnear 'directing' anything, except a pint of Guinness into his gob. His strength seems to be in shouting and swearing at players at 2:45 on a Saturday. Many people put his success at Wimbledon down to Terry Burton anyway. When Tezza was booted sideways, the rot set in. But he does also seem to have an eye for a decent cheap player, which could be useful for you."

EARLIER NEWS - COTTEE FOR BARNET?

It would seem that reports from Sky of Tony Cottee taking over at Oxford were premature. Today's Guardian reports that Cottee is in fact Barnet-bound. The current manager at Underhill, John Still, has "moved upstairs" as they say in the trade. This move for Cottee would tie in with the fact that he cited travel time as one of the major factors in his discontinuing his coaching role at Norwich. Whilst Oxford is closer to Cottee's London home than is Norwich, Barnet is on London's doorstep.

So who is to be Oxford's new manager? - there is a press conference scheduled for 1pm today to announce the new boss. The Guardian seems to think Joe Kinnear will accept the role of manager, while Rage Online speculates about former Barnet boss, Ray Clemence. Hopefully, it won't be the latter, as he was hardly great shakes in his two seasons at Barnet.

Meanwhile, Radio Oxford have supposedly announced that it is to be a combination of Kinnear and another former Dons man, David Kemp.

[source = Rage Online / The Guardian / OUFC forum]

FEAR WILLING TO STAY

"If I could get a run in the team and things start coming together at Oxford, I'd definitely consider withdrawing my transfer request," quoth Peter. Isn't that kind of him?   [source = Oxford Mail]

RESERVES RUN CONTINUES

The reserves continued their improved form with a 2-0 win over Colchester. Paul Powell continued his rehabilitation by playing the full match, as did Rob Folland. Omoyinmi and Brookes got the Oxford goals. Someone named Obi Okwuadigbo came on as a substitute.   [source = Rage Online]

SMITH STILL AT OXFORD

Sadly, rumours linking Denis Smith with the managerial vacancy at Plymouth proved unfounded, as they appointed Paul Sturrock as their manager yesterday. So Smith remains at Oxford, possibly pulling the managerial strings from the comfort of a seat in the stand.