Des Buckingham Departs as Oxford United Head Coach

Oxford United has announced the departure of head coach Des Buckingham from his position. Buckingham’s tenure lasted 13 months. Following an initial strong performance this season, the U’s have experienced difficulties recently, placing them just one point above the Championship relegation zone. Buckingham took on the role in November 2023 and guided the club to promotion from League One last season, securing victory in a play-off final. A statement released by the club conveyed: “The club would like to place on record its thanks to Des for everything he has done during his time with us and wish him well for the future.” It also indicated that “The appointment of a new head coach will be confirmed in due course.” Oxford United suffered a 3-1 home defeat against Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday, despite Greg Leigh scoring in the 17th minute to give them an early lead. Their next fixture will be an away game against Leeds United, who are contending for promotion. Before joining Oxford, Buckingham’s coaching career included stints in New Zealand, Australia, and India, where he managed Mumbai City. Buckingham succeeded Liam Manning at the Kassam Stadium when the team was positioned second in the league standings. While they did not achieve automatic promotion, the club’s return to the Championship was confirmed with a 2-0 victory over Bolton at Wembley. The current league season began with three wins and three losses, followed by a sequence of five draws. However, in their subsequent eight matches, the team has accumulated only four points. After Saturday’s loss, Buckingham commented to BBC Radio Oxford: “I am who I am and we will always be as honest as we can with the media, fans or the players and they know that. We’ve shown the success of that together.” He continued, stating, “We will find ways to make sure we continue to challenge ourselves at this level and also make sure we put things in place to get back to getting the results we all want.” He also mentioned, “Our aim this year was to stay in this league, that is the reality of it.” When asked for a message to the supporters, he responded: “The key thing for me is they’ve stuck with us through thick and thin, it’s been a rollercoaster since I arrived. “There’s been lots of highs, we haven’t had many lows – at the moment, people will look it as a low, but these are the moments we are tested as a playing group and tested as a club.”