Oxford United reveal new Head Coach
Oxford United Football Club is pleased to announce the appointment of Gary Waddock as its new Head Coach.
Waddock – who joins the club on a two and a quarter year deal from the MK Dons, where he was Head of Coaching – formally accepted the job on Saturday morning, and his first match in charge of the U’s will be the live televised fixture away to Southend on Monday March 24.
Announcing the news, Oxford United chairman Ian Lenagan said: “After an extensive selection process, I am delighted that Gary is to become our new Head Coach. He impressed enormously during the interview process, and his references from within the game were excellent. Moreover, his CV brings the exact mix of attributes we stated we were looking for: success as a manager in the lower leagues, top-class coaching experience, understanding of sports science and a track record of playing attacking football and developing young players through into the first team.”
Former Republic of Ireland international Waddock, who played in the top flight for QPR in the 1980s before briefly serving as manager at Loftus Road, has since managed Aldershot to promotion from the Conference to League 2, and Wycombe Wanderers to promotion from League 2 to League 1.
He said: “I am grateful to Oxford United for having given me this great opportunity, and cannot wait to get started. The club is in a good position, and the immediate priority is to turn that position into promotion at the end of the season.
“In the medium term, the Board’s vision is to build on the solid platform that has been put together to take Oxford back up the leagues, where a club of this size belongs. I believe that I can be a part of achieving that ambition, and because I fully buy into the Board’s philosophy of how a football club should be run.”