"Smart" - Oxford United seal of approval given for Cardiff City, Des Buckingham appointment | OneFootball

FLW's Oxford United fan pundit has given his verdict on Cardiff potentially appointing Des Buckingham as manager

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Ex-Oxford United manager Des Buckingham has emerged as a candidate to take over at Cardiff City this summer.

It has been exclusively revealed by FLW that the Bluebirds are continuing their search with further interviews.

The 40-year-old is currently out of work after his departure from the U’s back in December, with the team suffering a dip in form in their bid to remain in the Championship.

But he has experience in League One, guiding Oxford to promotion from the division through the play-offs in 2024.

Des Buckingham appointment verdict

When asked would Buckingham be a good fit for Cardiff, FLW’s Oxford fan pundit Luke Nigel claimed he would be a really smart appointment.

He believes that the 40-year-old is still young and has the potential to grow as a coach with a project like the one he’d have with the Welsh outfit.

“I think Des Buckingham would be a really smart appointment for Cardiff City,” Nigel told Football League World.

“Not only is he a young manager that can grow with this huge Cardiff City project that’s going to be going on, he’s also got a proven track record at League One level already.

“He was a huge fan favourite at Oxford United because he was a local lad managing the team he grew up supporting.

“But everywhere he’s been, whether that’s been in Australia, in India, he’s been a huge fan favourite, and that has been down to his honesty and his absolute passion for managing football.”

Des Buckingham concern raised

However, Nigel has raised some concerns over his lack of a plan b, but suggested that Buckingham has been travelling around the world since leaving Oxford in a bid to learn more about management.

“When it comes to fit and Cardiff City, I think if you give him a side that’s a strong side for League One he will get them playing some really attractive stuff,” he added.

“It took him a while to get bed in and get started with the Oxford United players, but when he did it was getting fans out of their seats, it was on the front foot and it was attractive football.

“When he got sacked from Oxford United, some fans still feel it was a little bit soon to sack him, but I think what did catch up with him was his lack of plan b.

“How he’d come into games where his team wasn’t expected to win or wasn’t expected to be on the front foot, he struggled to stay competitive in games where the opposition were a lot stronger on paper.

“However, I know since leaving Oxford United he has spent a lot of time over in America and other countries, learning his trade and improving his management style.

“And I have absolutely no doubt in my mind that Des Buckingham will come back into management soon, whether with Cardiff City or with someone else, and be a good success.

“He’s also had previous links to the Wales national manager job, which came up a couple of times in his stint at Oxford United, so there’s definitely links there between Des and the Wales FA.

“He might not be the most exciting name on paper for Cardiff City fans to look at, but I think long-term this could be a really shrewd appointment.”

Cardiff suffered relegation with a 24th place finish under Omer Riza in the Championship last season, so will be aiming to earn promotion straight back from League One in the next campaign.

Buckingham appointment could be a smart move for Cardiff

Buckingham did great work to get promoted with Oxford, bringing them to the second division for the first time since 1999.

While he ultimately lost his job last season, he also showed himself as capable of managing in the Championship, as the U’s were competitive at that level and never quite in danger of relegation.

His attractive brand of attacking football will also be welcomed by supporters, and could give the club a vision for how to play that’s been sorely needed in recent years.