Chairman Sumrith “Tiger” Thanakarnjanasuth is confident that the search for the next permanent Manager of Oxford United is close to its conclusion.
United’s new Chairman has been working around the clock to find the right person to replace Pep Clotet and told us that he now believes he has found his man. Tiger told us:
“I like to keep fans informed as much as possible and having talked to them at Wimbledon on Saturday I appreciate they have a lot of questions and anxieties right now so let me try and answer a few questions.
“Finding the right Manager is not easy and was happening at the same time as I took over as Chairman, which I accept added time to a process that had already taken too long. There is a lot to take in when you become Chairman, a lot of decisions to be made on and off the pitch, but I am strong minded and good at focussing my energy, and finding the next Manager has always been the top of the list. With that in mind I spent time last week talking to an extremely strong shortlist and then met with our preferred final candidate over the weekend.
“He has indicated that he wants to come here and I think that provided we can sort out the finer points of the contract then he would have a real ‘wow ‘ factor for the fans and send very strong signals out that we mean business and are serious about moving this club into a higher division.
“The only issue right now is the timing once again. Hopefully it will become clear after the appointment why it has taken so long because it is not an easy situation. I do not want to ask fans for their patience again because they have already shown plenty and I thank them for that. We believe we will be able to announce an appointment next week and therefore think it right to let Derek Fazackerley and the players know this, so they can prepare for a big game against Peterborough on Saturday with no distractions.
“Whoever is in charge, it is a very important afternoon and everyone at the club is very aware of the need to start getting positive results. I urge as many fans as possible to come along and support the team on Saturday and try to play a part in getting all three points.”