Gary Rowett Appointed Head Coach at Oxford United

Oxford United has named Gary Rowett as its new head coach. Rowett’s most recent position was as interim manager for Birmingham last season. The former manager of Millwall and Birmingham City takes charge of the Championship team, which is currently struggling, following Des Buckingham’s departure over the weekend. Oxford chairman Grant Ferguson stated: “Following a thorough and diligent recruitment process, I am delighted that Gary Rowett has agreed to join us as head coach.” Ferguson added: “It was immediately clear from the discussions we had with him that Gary perfectly matched the vision and long-term objectives that we have for the club.” He continued: “Every decision taken is with the best interests of Oxford United in mind and we are confident that Gary will be instrumental in fulfilling our ambitions this season and beyond.” Ferguson concluded: “We look forward to working alongside and supporting Gary to help us achieve our goals.” The U’s are positioned one point and two places above the relegation zone, having failed to secure a victory in their last six matches. Although Buckingham guided Oxford to the second tier through the League One play-offs last spring, the team now faces a battle for league survival as Christmas approaches, having collected only four points from their previous eight games. Oxford is scheduled to play Leeds on Saturday (15:00 GMT), a match Rowett will observe from the stands. This game marks the first of their four fixtures during the festive period. Rowett has previously managed various clubs in both the Championship and League One. His most recent role involved a second interim spell at Birmingham City in March, which came after Tony Mowbray’s illness. However, his seven-week tenure concluded with the Blues’ relegation to League One this summer, despite the team securing three wins and two draws out of eight games under his leadership. The 50-year-old commenced his managerial career at Burton Albion in 2012 before his initial move to St Andrew’s. He managed the Blues for over 100 games before his dismissal just over two years later. Subsequently, he took charge of Derby County, guiding them to the Championship play-offs in 2018. An eight-month period at Stoke City followed, after which Rowett became manager of Millwall, remaining in that role for four years until October of last year. During his 19-year playing career as a right-back, Rowett made 444 appearances across the English Football League (EFL) before retiring in 2007. He began his playing days at Cambridge and also played for Everton, Blackpool, Derby, Birmingham, Leicester, Charlton Athletic, and Burton. According to Jerome Sale, BBC Radio Oxford’s Oxford United commentator, Gary Rowett is fundamentally a Championship manager. Sale notes that Rowett possesses experience from hundreds of games in the second tier, joining a club that has participated in only 20 matches at that level over the past quarter-century. Sale further commented that while the owners, executives, and most players may lack Championship expertise, Rowett brings it. He highlighted that Rowett’s teams, across all his managerial games, have maintained a points-per-game record of at least 1.3. Sale suggested that even if Rowett replicates his least successful performance at any Championship club, he would still guide Oxford to safety, which is the purpose of his recruitment. Sale observed that Gary Rowett is not Des Buckingham, and this is not a failing on Rowett’s part. He noted that United encountered a more severe backlash than anticipated after dismissing Buckingham, who was a local success story credited with achieving promotion and a “fairytale” narrative. Sale added that at least with this appointment, the club did not opt for a high-profile name or someone with no more experience at this level than Buckingham had, implying such a choice might not have been forgiven. Many will perceive this appointment as Oxford bringing in a “firefighter,” Sale remarked. He noted that the club views it as a long-term strategy, though “long-term” in the Championship is often brief. Regardless, he concluded that the “fairytale” has ended, and the focus is now on “hard reality.” Sale emphasized the need for five months of consistently achieving results to ensure that Buckingham’s accomplishment from last May is not undone by the spring of 2025.