List of Oxford United F.C. managers

The following is a list of Oxford United F.C. managers from 1949, when the club turned professional, to the present day. During this time the club has had 20 full-time managers, of whom three (Jim Smith, Denis Smith and Darren Patterson) have had more than one spell in the post, and eight periods of caretaker-management. The first manager appointed was Harry Thompson in July 1949.cite web|title = Harry Thompson| url =http://www.heraldseries.net/oxfordunited/clubhistory/harrythompson/| author=Andy Howland |publisher = Abingdon Herald| accessdate = 2008-03-29] Thompson was in charge for nine years, during which he led the team to the Southern League title in 1953, as well as the Southern League Cup in 1953 and 1954. He was dismissed in November 1958 and replaced by Arthur Turner. Turner, the longest-serving manager in the club's history with more than a decade in charge, led United to back-to-back Southern League titles, of which the second, in 1962, resulted in their election to the Football League. [cite web|title = Football League 1961-62| url =http://www.fchd.btinternet.co.uk/lghist/fl/fl1962.htm| publisher =Richard Rundle |work=Football Club History Database| accessdate = 2008-03-29] Promotion followed from the Fourth Division in 1965, before being crowned Third Division champions three years later.cite web|title = Arthur Turner| url =http://www.heraldseries.net/oxfordunited/clubhistory/arthurturner/| author=Andy Howland| publisher = Abingdon Herald| accessdate = 2008-03-29] Turner left the club nine months after the victory. Over the next 13 years, five managers took charge, Ron Saunders, Gerry Summers, Bill Asprey, Ian Greaves and Mick Brown. During Brown's six-year run, United were relegated back to the Third Division after eight years in the Second. [cite web | url=http://www.fchd.btinternet.co.uk/lghist/fl/fl1976.htm| title=Football League 1975-76 | publisher =Richard Rundle |work=Football Club History Database| accessdate=2008-05-01]

Jim Smith started his first spell as manager in 1981, and led Oxford into the top tier of English football after consecutive promotions as champions in 1984 and 1985. However, he moved to Queens Park Rangers during before the 1985–86 season, so never managed Oxford in the First Division. [cite web | url=http://www.qpr.premiumtv.co.uk/page/History/0,,10373,00.html| title=A potted history of QPR (1882-2008) | publisher=Queens Park Rangers F.C.| date=2008-04-15| accessdate=2008-05-01] New manager, former chief scout Maurice Evans, had immediate success winning the 1986 League Cup, beating his predecessor's new club in the final. [cite web | url=http://www.football-league.premiumtv.co.uk/page/CarlingCupDetail/0,,10794~475424,00.html| title=League Cup History | publisher=The Football League | accessdate=2008-03-29] Since then, the only manager to guide the club to promotion or silverware was Denis Smith, who won promotion from the Second Division in 1996. Ramón Díaz, the club's first non-British manager, took charge for five months between December 2004 and May 2005. Jim Smith returned as manager in 2006, the year that Oxford United were relegated to the Football Conference after 44 years in the Football League. Having missed out on promotion in the 2006–07 season, Smith resigned and current manager Darren Patterson was hired on 9 November 2007. [cite news | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/o/oxford_utd/7087129.stm | title=Smith steps down as Oxford boss| publisher=BBC Sport | date=2007-11-09 | accessdate=2008-03-29]

Managers

Manager dates and statistics are sourced from Howland, "Complete Record" up to and including Lawrenson, [cite book | last = Howland | first = Andy and Roger | title = Oxford United: A Complete Record (1893-1989) | publisher = Breedon Books | date = 1989 | isbn = 0-907969-52-6 ] and from Soccerbase thereafter. [cite web |url=http://www.soccerbase.com/manager_history.sd?teamid=1964 |title=Manager history for Oxford United |work=Soccerbase | publisher=Racing Post |accessdate=2008-04-29] Results in competitions not recorded by Soccerbase are sourced from The English Football Archive. [cite web |url=http://www.the-english-football-archive.com/contents.htm |title=Archive contents |publisher=The English Football Archive |accessdate=2008-04-29] Only professional, competitive matches are counted. Statistics are complete up to and including 8 May 2008.

Notes

References

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