Matt Bloomfield news sparks 'concerning' Oxford United fan reaction | OneFootball

Oxford United have announced the departure of Matt Bloomfield

Oxford United were unable to avoid the drop to League One last season under Matt Bloomfield.

The former Luton Town boss took over from Gary Rowett in January, and oversaw six wins from 22 games as head coach.

But it wasn’t enough to keep the U’s in the division, as they ultimately fell to 22nd in the table, four points adrift of safety.

The club will be keen to ensure they strengthen over the summer in order to contend for promotion from League One in 2027.

However, there will no doubt be stiff competition in the battle for the top two spots, particularly with clubs like Leicester City and Sheffield Wednesday joining them in going down this year.

So it promises to be a busy summer at the Kassam Stadium, with the player likely to arrive back for pre-season in the next week or so.

Oxford United confirm Matt Bloomfield decision

Action Images

Oxford have released a statement confirming their decision to part ways with Bloomfield following their relegation.

No official confirmation has been given regarding his replacement, with the process now underway to find a successor.

Bloomfield was only appointed six months ago, but will now depart before pre-season gets underway.

League One 12 months ago.

Given the end of the campaign came over six weeks ago, the timing will come as a surprise for many.

Work has likely already begun on building a strategy for their upcoming transfer plans, which will now be forced to change due to the decision to dismiss the head coach.

How Oxford fans feel about Matt Bloomfield’s exit

Oxford fans have expressed their surprise at the timing of the decision to part ways with Bloomfield, claiming the move is concerning.

Some supporters are expecting a replacement to be lined up quite quickly, given how strange of a decision it is, although no names have yet emerged as likely to take the vacancy.

The hierarchy have been criticised for the timing, particularly with players due back for pre-season so soon.

The sentiment among supporters is quite critical of the board, who are once again searching for a new head coach.

Bloomfield’s dismissal is the fifth managerial change in three years at the Kassam Stadium.

Action Images

Timing of the Matt Bloomfield exit is quite strange

If Oxford were willing to change manager over the summer, then surely it would’ve made more sense for them to do so much sooner than this.

Their last game was on 2 May, and their relegation was confirmed even sooner than that, so they’ve had effectively two months to conclude this decision.

There may have been some disagreements over their recruitment strategy for the summer, which could’ve triggered this move, but that wouldn’t ease the fans’ concerns if that is the case.

Supporters will be hoping a replacement is lined up quite quickly, as otherwise this will put the club on the backfoot if the players return for pre-season without a head coach to oversee any training.