Oxford United: Can Gary Rowett turn things around for U’s?

I’ve heard it said that the Championship has two or even three mini-leagues and as we approach the halfway mark of the season, that is evident in the league table.

Under any circumstances it was going to be hard for Oxford to get points at Leeds on Saturday; on current form it required a Christmas miracle.

Oxford United’s record signing last summer, Siriki Dembele, cost under £1m yet he remains in the treatment room.

Dan James, scorer of Leeds’ first goal, commanded a fee of £25m when he joined the Whites in 2021.

The majority of the players in Oxford’s squad for this match came up from League One last season.

Oxford cannot compete financially with clubs such as Leeds, so we must produce performances that are more than the sum of their parts.

There were glimmers of this against Leeds, and gritty persistence won points earlier in the campaign, including against Burnley – newly relegated from the Premier league.

This was always going to be a tough season, but we have earned the right to play in this league and have to show that we have what it takes to remain here.

Gary Rowett comes in with the squad looking low on confidence and disjointed on the pitch.

We have two sold-out home fixtures against teams alongside us in the bottom-of-the table mini-league.

What better opportunity to begin to turn things around and get some points on the board?