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The Glory Years is out now, thanks to everyone who has bought it, read the blog and generally encouraged me to keep going.

You can buy it from all the usual places, but this is a good one:

uk.bookshop.org/p/books/the-...

I made a little video to celebrate:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=X54g...

#oufc
Glory Years - Oxford United's rise through the 1980s - Out now
YouTube video by Oxblogger
www.youtube.com
Glory Years Advent | Day 8

The last game of 1985/86, Oxford need to win against Arsenal to stay up. The magic of the Manor strikes with a sweeping 3-0 victory. Billy Hamilton's final Oxford goal tops it off with the third.

The Glory Years available now: uk.bookshop.org/p/books/the-...
December 8, 2025 at 7:08 AM
Match wrap | Swansea City 2 Oxford United 0

'A win or loss contributes little to the overall picture. Defeats to poor sides aren't catastrophic, wins against good teams aren't signs of potential. The truth won’t reveal itself until May.'

oxblogger.co.uk/2025/12/07/m...

#oufc
Match wrap | Swansea City 2 Oxford United 0
When I was young, I watched and played so much football, I couldn’t really countenance other sports. Sport, in my formative mind, was fast, athletic and explosive, the idea of tactics and strategy …
oxblogger.co.uk
December 7, 2025 at 8:44 AM
Glory Years Advent | Day 6

Littlewoods Cup quarter-final in 1988 and Oxford United are up to their hijinks again. Already a goal up to Manchester United, Gray Briggs launches himself at John Dreyer's cross for 2-0.

The Glory Years, available now: amazon.co.uk/Glory-Years-...

#oufc
December 6, 2025 at 7:29 AM
Glory Years Advent | Day 5

In 1986, the League title and relegation is on a knife edge. With two games left, Les Phillips' last-minute winner keeps Oxford's survival hopes alive and destroys Everton's title ambitions.

The Glory Years - available now: www.oufcshop.co.uk/souvenirs/so...
December 5, 2025 at 7:15 AM
Glory Years Advent | Day 4

After back-to-back promotions and the Milk Cup, Oxford top it all by reaching National Six-a-Side Championship Final. Teenager, Paul Swannock scores a last second winner to win the cup.

The Glory Years is available from here - amazon.co.uk/Glory-Years-...

#oufc
December 4, 2025 at 7:11 AM
Oxblogger Newsletter - call for copy - December issue

It's time to share your hot Oxford United opinion or story. More details are here:

open.substack.com/pub/oxblogge...

#oufc
Oxblogger Newsletter - call for copy
Write for the Oxblogger Newsletter December issue and get yourself heard.
open.substack.com
December 3, 2025 at 8:05 PM
Glory Years Advent | Day 3

Third Division Oxford are nine minutes from beating Everton to secure a Milk Cup semi-final place. Kevin Brock passes back to Steve Hardwick and Adrian Heath nips in to change history.

The Glory Years is available from here: uk.bookshop.org/p/books/the-...

#oufc
December 3, 2025 at 7:08 AM
Glory Years Advent | Day 2

John Trewick takes the ball cleanly against Liverpool's Ronnie Whelan. Sportingly, Steve McMahon runs over to congratulate him.

Perfect for Xmas, The Glory Years signed copies by me, Alan Judge and Peter Foley here: coles-books.co.uk/the-glory-ye...

#oufc
December 2, 2025 at 7:03 AM
Glory Years Advent | Day 1

Another giant killed, Dave Langan lets fly to score from 35 yards and make it 3-2 to Oxford, knocking Division One leaders Arsenal out of the Milk Cup.

Buy The Glory Years - The Rise of Oxford United in the 1980s: shorturl.at/H0myu
December 1, 2025 at 7:52 PM
Match wrap | Oxford United 2 Ipswich Town 1

'The swiftness and fluidity channels through Placheta. Everything is incidental, he instructing the ball, as if he's telepathically connected, it’s all instinct, it's in the net before he knows it.'

oxblogger.co.uk/2025/11/29/m...

#oufc
Match wrap | Oxford United 2 Ipswich Town 1
There was a lot of debate about the Baxi Light Show before last night’s game. We’re not at an Coldplay concert, there’s a tacit agreement about the behavioural norms games when you go to a ga…
oxblogger.co.uk
November 29, 2025 at 8:45 AM
Unwrapped | Oxford United v Ipswich Town

Us | Highway to the relegation zone.
Them | Cash rich, points poor
Football Friend | The decisions of Jim Magilton
From the Archive | Aldridge's great comeback

It's the preview...

oxblogger.co.uk/2025/11/28/u...
Unwrapped | Oxford United v Ipswich Town
The week unwrapped Highway to the relegation zone! That’s it, we’re all in. Ironically, our drop into the bottom three happened after an unbeaten week. Saturday saw a very encouraging 1-1 draw with…
oxblogger.co.uk
November 28, 2025 at 6:48 AM
Match wrap | Norwich City 1 Oxford United 1

‘What a game!’ claimed the commentators at the whistle as they tried to find a narrative like they were scraping the last peanut butter from the jar. It was one the least ‘what a game’ games you’ll ever see'

oxblogger.co.uk/2025/11/26/m...

#oufc
Match wrap | Norwich City 1 Oxford United 1
First, let’s do science. By the time we faced them last night, a run as extraordinarily long and bad as the one Norwich were on was always much closer to ending than it was to starting. After seven…
oxblogger.co.uk
November 26, 2025 at 7:48 PM
Unwrapped | Norwich City v Oxford United

Us | Starboy's back
Them | Messy
Football friends | Loyalty Liam Manning
From the archive | Five goals, two red cards and a whole lot of fun from 1996

oxblogger.co.uk/2025/11/25/u...

#oufc
Unwrapped | Norwich City v Oxford United
The week unwrapped Well, that brightened the mood a bit, Luke Harris’ excellent goal gave us an encouragingly resolute 1-1 draw with second placed Middlesbrough on Saturday which helped avoid…
oxblogger.co.uk
November 25, 2025 at 6:56 AM
Match wrap | Oxford United 1 Middlesbrough 1

'It would be wrong to change or to panic. There were times when Boro whispered around us like a mysterious dark spirit from a horror film, their threat on goal was limited by our discipline and commitment.'

oxblogger.co.uk/2025/11/23/m...
Match wrap | Oxford United 1 Middlesbrough 1
The international break isn’t an opportunity to clear the calendar to focus on the thrill of international football. This last one was better than most with the Republic of Ireland’s last second ma…
oxblogger.co.uk
November 23, 2025 at 8:45 AM
Unwrapped | Oxford United v Middlesbrough

Us | International breaking
Them | Surging
Football friend | Dean Windass
From the archive | The kiss that never was

It's the preview:

oxblogger.co.uk/2025/11/21/u...

#oufc
Unwrapped | Oxford United v Middlesbrough
The week unwrapped The last thing we need right now is a sad Greggles Leigh. The international break brought the last round of World Cup qualifiers and our bounding bouncing hero was all set to tak…
oxblogger.co.uk
November 21, 2025 at 7:00 PM
One reason for writing The Glory Years, was to put the #oufc story of the 1980s back in its rightful place.

Nobody chronicles it with as much precision as
@nessundormapodcast.bsky.social , so it was great to tell the story here:

podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/s...

open.spotify.com/episode/15Xy...
Season 1985/86 Episode 4 - Milk and Maxwell
Podcast Episode · Nessun Dorma Retro Football Podcast · 14/11/2025 · 1h 23m
podcasts.apple.com
November 17, 2025 at 7:34 AM
Oxblogger Newsletter - Issue 7 - out now

The hunt for Dean Saunders' autograph
An essential guide to clapping
The ultimate Oxford United team of the 1990s
And, from the Premier League to the Baller League, what every ex-Oxford United is doing now.

substack.com/home/post/p-...

#oufc
Oxblogger Newsletter - Issue 7
Signings, clappings, 1990s ratings and too much time on your hands-ings.
substack.com
November 10, 2025 at 7:58 PM
Match wrap | West Bromwich Albion 2 Oxford United 1

'Football is one of the great releases from the working week and away days maybe its greatest articulation. You can worry about relegation and tactical decisions, but that misses the point.'

oxblogger.co.uk/2025/11/09/m...

#oufc
Match wrap | West Bromwich Albion 2 Oxford United 1
A few years ago, I was standing in a bookshop idly flicking through a copy of something I was never going to buy. Through the shop window, I saw a familiar face walking past. A worryingly overweigh…
oxblogger.co.uk
November 9, 2025 at 8:38 AM
Unwrapped | West Bromwich Albion v Oxford United

Us | Unpredictable
Them | Grumpy
Football Friend | John Trewick
From the archive | A six goal Hawthorns classic from the 90s

It's the preview:

oxblogger.co.uk/2025/11/07/u...

#oufc
Unwrapped | West Bromwich Albion v Oxford United
The week unwrapped A week of contrast after a Rowett Double Demolition Derby bonanza which didn’t involve playing Derby. Shemmy Placheta’s last minute equaliser against Millwall buoyed the mood con…
oxblogger.co.uk
November 7, 2025 at 6:21 PM
Match wrap | Oxford United 0 Stoke City 3

'We trudged home, in silence, not out of frustration, but acceptance, there was little to say. Stoke were the best team we’ve played this season, even at our best we wouldn’t have beaten them.'

oxblogger.co.uk/2025/11/05/m...

#oufc
Match wrap | Oxford United 0 Stoke City 3
I used to watch a lot of professional cycling. I’d watched the Tour de France since the 1980s, but in the 2010s the increasing prominence of British riders and accessible races on TV made it a comp…
oxblogger.co.uk
November 5, 2025 at 8:01 PM
Unwrapped | Oxford United v Stoke City

But can we do it on a wet Tuesday against Stoke?

Us | Perky
Them | Streaky
Football Friend | Dean Whitehead
From the archive | Gray's anatomy

It's only another flippin' preview:

oxblogger.co.uk/2025/11/03/u...

#oufc
Unwrapped | Oxford United v Stoke City
The week unwrapped Saturday’s draw with Millwall was full of drama and excitement. There was Cameron Brannagan’s physics defining first goal, Shemmy Placheta’s 94th minute inch perfect carpet burne…
oxblogger.co.uk
November 3, 2025 at 7:59 PM
Match wrap | Oxford United 2 Millwall 2

'There are many ways to beat a goalkeeper; with accuracy, pace, over the top, bending away, Brannagan somehow combined each one to beat Max Crocombe in every conceivable way.'

oxblogger.co.uk/2025/11/02/m...

#oufc
November 2, 2025 at 8:46 AM
Unwrapped | Oxford United v Millwall

Nobody like them, they don't care. Right up to the point when you tell them you don't like them, then they really care. Cockney contrarians Millwall are the visitors tomorrow.

Here's the preview.

oxblogger.co.uk/2025/10/31/u...

#oufc
Unwrapped | Oxford United v Millwall
The week unwrapped Ever the innovators, Oxford fans invented a new kind of result after the 2-1 win over Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday. After securing our fourth away win in the Championship in o…
oxblogger.co.uk
October 31, 2025 at 7:43 PM
Unwrapped | Oxford United v Millwall

Us | Winning wrongly
Them | Surging, but vulnerable?
Football Friend | James Henry
From the archive | A six goal epic at The New Den

It's the preview:

oxblogger.co.uk/2025/10/31/u...

#oufc
Unwrapped | Oxford United v Millwall
The week unwrapped Ever the innovators, Oxford fans invented a new kind of result after the 2-1 win over Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday. After securing our fourth away win in the Championship in o…
oxblogger.co.uk
October 31, 2025 at 7:34 AM
Match wrap | Sheffield Wednesday 1 Oxford United 2

'Many Oxford fans were negative; despite equalling our away win tally, despite doing the only thing we could do, the performance was pulled apart; it wasn’t a win, it was a bad win.'

oxblogger.co.uk/2025/10/26/m...

#oufc
Match wrap | Sheffield Wednesday 1 Oxford United 2
Saturday saw the running of the 12th Appleton Cup. Admittedly, not a trophy high on Gary Rowett’s agenda because it exists entirely as a figment of my imagination.  Many years ago, like b…
oxblogger.co.uk
October 26, 2025 at 8:06 AM