OFFICIAL| Oxford United to sack Des Buckingham, set to bring in Darren Ferguson of Peterborough on a four year contract.

With an unrelenting sense of pride, Des Buckingham rattles off some of his all-time favorite Oxford United players,

similar to a youngster displaying their cherished collection of football stickers.

Buckingham refers to them as “proper Oxford players”.

They are actually much more than that to the man who is currently the head coach of Oxford United.

The 39-year-old Buckingham was initially drawn to The Manor Ground about 25 years ago,

when his late grandmother introduced him to the U’s.

Since that awful day back in 1990, neither time nor distance has been able to weaken that link.

After going on a pilgrimage to refine his coaching abilities in 2015,

Buckingham has spent the previous ten years worshipping from a distance,

while his family has continued to bathe in the wave of yellow that washes over the Kassam every two weeks.

Buckingham acknowledges, “You feel a little bit removed,”

while talking about the challenging reality of receiving support from a distant continent.

“You don’t feel quite the same but there’s still that connection.”

From his early days at Oxford, Buckingham has enjoyed success in Australia, New Zealand, and India in a range of capacities.

After making an impression in the New Zealand setup,

he was brought into the City Football Group stable and went on to establish records in the Indian Super League with Mumbai City,

whom he led to the league title the previous year.

When Buckingham was announced as Mumbai’s new head coach, no one knew him.

On the other hand, he surmises that half of the individuals who greeted him upon his return to

Oxford in November were present in the building when he departed all those years ago.

“I know a lot of places want to be that family-type club, but it’s more than just words here,” Buckingham says.

“There are individuals like as Peter Rhoades-Brown, who recently marked 40 years at Oxford;

he served as a player, coach, and community leader before that. He gives this club so much.

“However, a lot of people have comparable tales. That kind of association cannot be valued.

That, in my opinion, is what makes this location so unique.”

When Buckingham starts thinking back on Messrs. Beauchamp, Elliott, and Moody, he is in his element.

As he tells stories from his childhood, including last-minute goals against Chelsea in the FA Cup,

excursions to Highbury and Stamford Bridge, and innumerable journeys to The Manor Ground,

his voice becomes incredibly enthusiastic.

The reason for Buckingham’s return to Oxford has romantic overtones.

Buckingham had already had his chance to go back to England after his innovative,

exciting style of football took Mumbai to new heights. There were attempts by other members of the division to remove him.

He could never say no to Oxford when it called.

It’s not all been straightforward since he unwrapped that golden ticket, though.

Buckingham’s honeymoon period was fleeting: a qualified pilot, he quickly encountered turbulence largely due to factors beyond his control.

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