Oxford United have moved to part company with Gary Rowett, pulling the trigger with the club sitting inside the Championship relegation zone after a miserable run of form.
One win in 10 left little room for manoeuvre, and with confidence drained and goals scarce, the board have opted for change in the hope of halting the slide before it becomes terminal. Craig Short will oversee matters on an interim basis while the search for a permanent replacement begins.
“Following a disappointing run of results, we have had to take this difficult decision in the best interests of the club.”
As that process gets underway, early conversations have included Liam Manning, but it is the mention of Steve Bruce that has raised eyebrows.
Steve Bruce Linked
Bruce’s managerial history is vast, but also deeply instructive. He has moved through Birmingham City, Wigan Athletic, Sunderland, Hull City, Aston Villa, Sheffield Wednesday, Newcastle United, West Bromwich Albion and most recently Blackpool.
Across those roles, the pattern is familiar. Short bursts of stability followed by stagnation, reactive football, heavy squad turnover and diminishing returns. His Blackpool spell ended with relegation form in League One, and his West Brom tenure collapsed from play-off contention into the bottom three in eight months.
By contrast, Dave Challinor at Stockport County represents the opposite approach. His work is modern, progressive and sustainable, exactly the direction Oxford should be looking if they are serious about survival and growth.
Would a Successful League One Boss Move?
Would Challinor move? Why would any League One boss move? Oxford are in the bottom three of the Championship table, and with the greatest of respect, one of the sides you expect to struggle. They were fortunate to bag promotion when they did, and battle admirably in the Championship last season, but any team with aspirations of second-tier football will likely swap places with them at the end of the season.
The one benefit is being given a transfer window, but you must remember that any manager going in now and having an idea of what he wants is straying from the modern principles of preparation and long-term planning. Would Challinor, at the sharp end of a Stockport spell that has seen growth and constant evolution, really jump ship for a team willing to risk Championship survival on a manager change seven days before a window?
Oxford do not need a firefighter with an outdated toolkit. They need structure, development and coherence. Appointing Bruce would signal panic, not plan.
The wise choice here is not Bruce, or Dave Challinor, or, as some will doubtless suggest, our own saviour, Michael Skubala. The sensible choice is a man who already knows the club, comes for free and has experience of Championship football, and what it takes to keep a modest side competitive at that level.
That man is Liam Manning.