Des Buckingham appeared to be a victim of his own success when the Oxford United board shocked everyone and sacked him at the weekend after 13 months in charge.

The 39-year-old, who was appointed in November 2023, led the team to promotion to the Championship via the play-offs in May.

They won their opening game of the season, a 2-0 home win over Norwich City and went on to win three of their opening six games as they adapted to life in the second tier for the first time since the 1998/99 season.

But just one win from their last 15 games has seen them slip to 20th in the table and just one point above the relegation zone.

The club are keen to have a new manager in place before they take on Leeds United, at Elland Road on Saturday, but whoever does come in will have a tough act to follow as Buckingham, who admitted managing his boyhood club was a dream, was a popular figure among the fans.

Surprise name in the hat

All indications were that Gary Rowett was expected to take charge of Oxford, sooner rather than later but in a flurry of action former England and Chelsea captain John Terry has emerged as the shock contender with betting sites at 10/11.

The 44-year-old has made no secret of his desire to move into management and has been looking for his first managerial role after working at both Aston Villa and Leicester on the coaching staff with Dean Smith.

He is currently working at his former club Chelsea as an academy coach but this role could be the perfect starting point for the former defender, who won 15 major honours in 19 years with the Blues.

Oxford have shown they are willing to give people a chance, the managerial role for Buckingham was his first manager’s job in England.

Rowett ready for a return

Football betting sites still mark Rowett the favourite to take over at the Kassam Stadium at 4/5 and being out of work, since leaving Birmingham at the end of the season, means he could be in place for the weekend.

Rowett, 50, returned to St Andrew’s in March, as interim manager but couldn’t save them from relegation to League One despite winning three of his eight games in charge.

He has plenty of experience at this level as well as the two spells at Birmingham he has also managed Derby County, Stoke and Millwall all in the Championship.

He has managed at both ends of the table and this would seem a safe pair of hands to give the club a chance of staying up in May.

Others in the frame

Betting apps show former Coventry City boss Mark Robins as third favourite for the role at 12/1, just weeks after he left his job at Coventry City after more than seven years at the Ricoh Arena.

His record at this level is exceptional, overachieving at Coventry to guide them to the play-off final before taking them to an FA Cup semi-final with Manchester United last season, which the Red Devils won on penalties.

Crystal Palace coach Paddy McCarthy is another name in the frame, and whether he would leave Palace depends on how keen he is to make a name for himself as a manager.

The former Republic of Ireland defender, who has been linked to the Oxford job in the past, has spent eight years on the coaching staff at Selhurst Park; after retiring as a player and he’s taken charge of the club on a caretaker basis twice.

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