Kemar Roofe - the glorious misfit

The truth is, most people were mentally prepared for Kemar Roofe’s departure long before it was announced he was heading for Leeds. Nobody in their right mind expected him to last the summer at the club, it was just a question of when, where and how much, not if he was going to leave.

The reality is that Michael Appleton managed to pull off that rarest of coups in Roofe’s capture; a player whose actual ability considerably out-performed his perceived ability. He wasn’t considered good enough for West Brom, but there were more than 60 clubs above Oxford who also failed to see his potential. Lots of players fail to live up to their potential, many simply meet it, few exceed it and fewer still by the distance Roofe did.

Increasingly in the modern game, the good players are identified quickly and early, they find their level and that is broadly where they stay. People point to Jamie Vardy’s career trajectory as proof that the game is full of hidden gems, but in truth there are 4,000 other professional footballers in the UK who broadly prove that this isn’t the case. The market always wins, but if you can beat it for just a short while, then you win big; in our case it’s been worth £3 million, a promotion and a bundle of memories.

Because of this Roofe held an odd place in a much loved squad. He scored Playstation goals, 30 yard drives, direct free-kicks, he was the magician in a tight game. He transcended the club; a media darling for the period immediately after his match winning brace against Swansea. He collected armfuls of awards. He even had a branded goal celebration.

I once read about the differences in goal celebrations now and in the past. Players nowadays are aware of TV cameras and adjust their celebrations to suit, whereas in the past celebrations were more spontaneous and visceral. Roofe was a player made to feature on TV, not in lower-league backwaters with nobody watching.

Songs were sung in his name, but he never had the bond Danny Hylton enjoyed with the fans and there wasn’t the same sense of proud ownership of someone like Callum O’Dowda.

He was almost too good, like Ronaldo with Portugal, Gareth Bale with Wales or, closer to home, Dean Windass with us in the mid-90s. Not really an Oxford player, more a transient, otherworldly character, whose stay with us was brief and fortuitous.

So, almost as soon as he signed permanently, it seemed almost inevitable that he was going to leave. Leeds is a perfect destination from our perspective because you sense money is plentiful and rationality less so. Commercially, that’s just the kind of people you want to do deals with. At £3 million, Roofe’s fee would be a big risk for most clubs, but if you have more money than sense, then who cares?

Whether it’s good for Roofe is open to debate, Leeds are a fly-or-die type club, you either succeed or you’re out. You only have to look at Roofe’s performances towards the end of last season where fatigue and fitness affected him to see that he is not yet the complete package. The fact his manager will be Garry Monk is some comfort in that his onus is on developing players, but how long will Monk survive with Leeds’ owner Massimo Cellino pulling the strings?

History will ultimately judge Roofe’s contribution to Oxford, but I suspect that he’ll never join the pantheon of greats in the way Matt Elliot or John Aldridge have. In return, I guess we’ll probably get less than a chapter in his autobiography. It was more a one-night-stand than a full blown marriage made in heaven. His time with us was just too brief to cement his legend and it will be a memory of the feelings rather than the actual moments themselves which will ultimately be Roofe’s lasting legacy. 

Any other business - Six transfer window flight risks

The transfer window is opens and we’re in the unusual position of actually having players other clubs might want. For a club like us, that fills you with dread because there’s a sneaking suspicion that you won’t be able to replace them. It's not as if we can just plough into the market and pick sign another Kemar Roofe. January is going to be an anxious month. So, who may be of interest to other teams, and what are the prospects of them going?

Kemar Roofe

There’s a lot of hype around Roofe; he scores goals, spectacular ones, and he has two songs about him, apparently Newcastle United are interested. Roofe himself hasn’t been as prominent in recent weeks; partly because he’s playing on the wing rather than down the middle. Plus, while he’s quick and skilful, I’m not sure he’s that different to others out there; I’m no expert, but there’s a reason why West Brom put up so little fight to keep him. I don’t think Premier League clubs are going to take an interest, but I can see Championship clubs sniffing around. There was a suggestion that Hull might be interested, which I think sounds very credible as to the type of team that might try to sign him.

Liam Sercombe

Sercombe’s surging runs through midfield give us a dimension we’ve not had in years, he also scores goals. One of those anonymous Twitter accounts said there were a few Championship clubs taking an interest. I can see why scouts may turn up to the Kassam to get a better look at Sercombe, but they’re watching players all the time. Again, I’m not sure; Sercombe has been on the scene for quite a while with 8 years at Exeter before coming to us. Are clubs going to take a punt based on half a season in a successful team? Plus, he’s on a contract and will cost a fee.

John Lundstram

Lundstram was a bit of a surprise signing for us; he’s played at a good level for England and although he was injured, it wasn’t as if it was career threatening. An Everton fan friend of mine says he was well regarded at the Toffees and earmarked as another to roll off their talent conveyor belt into the first team like John Stones and Ross Barclay. I do think that in a sense we got lucky and he’s playing at a level below which he’s really capable. He’s still young and well schooled. I can’t quite see a clamour for his services, but I judicious financial bid may see him leave.

Callum O’Dowda

He’s one of our own; and he’s got the temperament and skill to forge a very successful career at the top of the game. Is he ready? We don’t play him regularly and Michael Appleton has mentioned a couple of times that he’s been left out of games because he’s exhausted. Clubs will certainly be interested in O’Dowda, I’ve no doubt about that. I don’t know about January, there’s an outside chance of someone buying and loaning back just to secure his services at a later date, but I don’t think he’s going to fill a gap in anyone’s first team at a higher level yet.

George Baldock

He’s not one of our own. Baldock is perhaps the best player in his position in League 2, perhaps in the bottom two divisions. Plus, while the club might be prepared to put up a fight to keep their names, they have no such option with Baldock. I can see a bid coming in for him from a team at League 1 or maybe even the Championship, and I can see MK Dons cashing in on him, because for reasons I can’t quite fathom, they don’t seem to want him. The question is, I suppose, if a bid does come in, will we take on the fight to keep him?

Michael Appleton

Nobody has talked about Appleton leaving, but a couple of managerial movements recently has got me thinking whether he might, eventually, fall into the frame somewhere. There’s no transfer window with a manager so there’s much more opportunity for him to move. He’s well schooled, of course, and well regarded. Has he shaken off any bad reputation gained from him time as Blackpool, Blackburn and Portsmouth… and even us last year? Also, will a team in trouble want an Appleton-type of coach to get them out of the crap? He’s proving a very good analytical coach, but sometimes failing clubs need more of a crisis manager to shake things up a bit. If you’re threatened with relegation, I would choose a Chris Wilder type over Appleton. However, it might be that a successful club with a good infrastructure further up the chain find themselves with a vacancy, I can see Appleton being approached in that situation.        

Close season round up - part 1 - on the field

I don't really like the summer. I don't relish the prospect of having to expose flesh. I don't like the way the world slows down and cricket becomes the epicentre of excitement. I like the safety of layers of clothes, I like the tetchy-ness of the cold; the quickened pace to get everything done before the dark. Summer, for me, is really just preparation for winter. It is the close season.

The first month of the summer has been more exciting than the season itself. The euphemistically termed ‘retained list’ was released, which could just as easily be the redundancy list. That’s what it is. No major shocks there, I don’t think. There rarely are with these things as it simply acts as a method to discard the shrapnel of the squad. Those who are getting game-time are usually quite happy to get another couple of years. There’s always one or two that hang in the balance, in this case it appears to be Andy Whing.

I remember once telling someone that Barry Quinn wouldn’t be offered a contract in the summer and he started treating me like Ewoks treat C3P0. But it stood to reason; Quinn had been out for the season and it was fairly obvious the club wasn’t going to risk the guarantee of a couple more years. Same with Whing, he knows, we know, the club knows that he probably hasn’t got much left in the tank. I hope the club can find him something.

Wright, I’m pleased about, I think he gets a bad rap. He broods, but commands the respect of the squad. Just don’t ask him to play like Johan Cruyff as Appleton tried to do earlier in the season. Rose's retention I’m less convinced about; his late season form was essential for our surge to safety, but it was out of character with the rest of his time at the club.

Then, unexpectedly, Kemar Roofe signs on a three year deal. I say unexpectedly, because I was expecting one of those long fruitless slogs, excuses about him being on holiday, or in the toilet, or on his way to sign before appearing in a Chesterfield shirt or some such. Mark Watson did it, Matt Green did it, surely Kemar Roofe was going to do it. But no, Michael Appleton wanted his business done early and that’s exactly what he’s done.

Roofe’s signature means we already have an interesting mix of strikers for next year; Roofe himself is the creative type, Hoban a battering ram who, I hope, will benefit from a proper pre-season. Hylton will let no-one down with his effort (although, as much as he was obviously the only choice as player of the season, it will be interesting to see whether he replicates his goalscoring next season. Goals haven’t been his strong point previously, last season's total was a quarter of his entire decade long career haul). Finally we’ve got a goal poacher in James Roberts. As a mix of strikers, that’s as good as you can get in this division. Men for all seasons.

The signing of Ryan Taylor, then, was a bit of a surprise. In some ways, he is reminder of the risk of getting carried away with all of this. On one hand, he scored 10 goals last year, which is a respectable return at this level and would have proved handy had they been for us. He’s also a strong target man, which is often useful at this level.

However, on the other hand, I know about him because he looks like Dave Kitson. And he used to play for Portsmouth, who look like a Premier League team, when in reality, they are still wrestling the failures of their past, like everyone languishing in these pits of hell.

In other words, it’s a signing that looks like Dave Kitson from the Premier League, but is, in fact Ryan Taylor from League 2. A rough facsimile of something far better. That’s not to say that Taylor isn’t welcome or can be a success, but it’s easy to get carried away with how things immediately appear.

Of course, one of the challenges is getting the ball to these players in the first place, so the signing of Liam Sercombe seems like a solid choice. I don't know much about him, but as a product of Paul Tisdale, he's been well schooled and he's knows how to get out of this league; which is, let's face it, what it's all about.