DES Buckingham sees Swansea City as a good model when it comes to building an identity at Oxford United.
The Swans have become synonymous with a brand of possession-based football over the last 15 years or so, with promotion and then seven seasons in the Premier League a highlight.
Roberto Martinez took charge as manager in February 2007 and oversaw a change in playing style which yielded immediate results.
After finishing seventh in the third tier at the end of the 2006/07 season, Martinez led the Swans to the League One title the following campaign.
Brendan Rodgers was the man who guided the Swans to the Premier League, doing so via the play-offs in the 2010/11 campaign.
Rodgers’ successor Michael Laudrup lifted the League Cup while in charge of the Swans, who retained their Premier League status up until May 2018.
Current Leicester City manager Steve Cooper guided the Swans to the Sky Bet Championship play-offs in 2020 and 2021, but were beaten by Brentford in the semi-finals and then the final respectively.
Luke Williams is the latest Swans boss to maintain the possession-based football, and the team’s average share of possession (61 per cent) is the highest in the Championship this season.
U’s head coach Buckingham said: “I like the club because even when I was a youth coach here or a reserve team coach, whenever you went to Swansea, whether you played their Under-9s, their Under-12s, their Under-15s, their Under-18s, or their first team, they were really clear.
“When I talk about us having an identity, they really have one. I think that really helps in terms of recruitment for their players, but also helps them recruit for a manager, and in Luke’s case, a manager which suits the club rather than a manager coming in and changing everything.
“They’ve got that identity, which is drip-fed throughout their club, and it’s something we’re trying to establish here.
“We feel we’ve got it to a space in the first team, and it’s now trying to replicate that through the club.”
The Swans though are struggling for goals at the moment, going the whole of October without finding the net.
Buckingham said: “Let’s hope that extends for another 95 or 96 minutes, whatever it may be. That won’t stay the same for much longer, things change very quickly, so we’ll be aware of that.
“They’ve got some real threats across not just their front line, but certainly in midfield.”
Although scoring goals has proven difficult recently, only Burnley, Sheffield United and West Bromwich Albion have a tighter defence in the Championship.
Buckingham said: “We’ve got different ways that we’ll try and break teams down, and whatever players take to the field, we’re confident that we can hopefully find the back of the net and take a lot more of the chances that we’re creating.”
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