Monday 9 July 2012

Malcolm Crosby

Maclom Crosby signed a new three year deal at Northampton in May 2010
He had initially joined the club in September 2009 as assistant manager to Ian Sampson.  In March 2011, Crosby was appointed caretaker manager, following the sacking of Sampson.  Gary Johnson was appinted as manager, and it appears Crosby was allowed to leave Northampton at the end of the season.

From there, he was appointed as head of football development at Oxford United on 31 May 2011.  
The club site reported his role as 
"His main responsibilities will be for the scouting and recruitment of all areas of the Football Club. He will work closely with Chris Wilder evaluating upcoming opposition, and assisting with the first team squad recruitment.

Malcolm will also work closely with the Youth Development department and will oversee the scouting and recruitment pathway for U9s through to the U18s. Additionally Malcolm will work with Chris Allen and the youth team squad to aid both coaching and player development.

Chairman Kelvin Thomas said: "Bringing in Malcolm shows the club's intent to improve and develop our scouting and recruitment. We have already made some improvements to the process, but bringing Malcolm in to oversee this process is a major step forward."

"It is going to possibly take a few years to see the fruits of this appointment, but we want to get back to finding, developing and bringing players through that impact both our first team and beyond."
"It is an area of the club we have wanted to develop for a while, but we had to focus on the first team and ensure we got back and stayed in the Football League, and now we feel it is the right time especially with Malcolm becoming available to take on this role."

Manager Chris Wilder said: "Malcolm brings a tremendous amount of football experience to the set up and I think it is very important that we have a focus in this area.It has been very tough coming through the non-league years, being able to attract and keep players, but hopefully this is a step in the right direction.

"Malcolm will also be able to assist me in watching our opponents to ensure that our preparation is spot on.To have someone with Malcolm's experience and knowledge can only be beneficial." 

However, just one year later,on  19 June 2012, Crosby was to leave United, the report saying .
"Oxford United can confirm that Malcolm Crosby will be leaving his role as head of recruitment at the end of his contract period.

Malcolm returned to the club in a scouting capacity in May 2011 after previously working as first team coach and then caretaker manager in the 1990's. he leaves with the club's thanks and blessing as Chairman Kelvin Thomas said:
"We thank Malcolm for his hard work over the past year. He has a wealth of experience in the game and we know that he will be pursuing other options. We wish him every success in that.
"Malcolm has been a good servant to the club during his time here and will always be welcome at Oxford United."

Crosby was subsequently appointed as head scout at Birmingham City.  

Physios and coaches

The role of physios, coaches, and strength and conditioning seems to change fairly regularly at Oxford United in recent years.

Physios
Neil Sullivan left his role as physio in August 2008 to join Derby County, after seven years at Oxford.  
Charlie Grieg replaced him in a caretaker capacity, with Jon Brown taking charge in December 2008.
Jon Brown left in August 2011, with youth team physio Max Martini taking temporary charge. 
Andy Lord joined in September 2011 from Derby, where he had been working with Neil Sullivan. 

Strenth and conditioning 
Jordan Milsom had this role in 2006/07, left for Swindon for a year, and then rejoined in June 2008 under manager Darren Patterson, with Lindsay Davis (sports massage and kitman), John Williams (nutrition)
Milsom left in December 2008 for Leicester City.  At the time, it was decided not to replace him, a BBC interview in January 2009 reporting "Boss Chris Wilder wants to use every available penny for team building and it is a decision backed by chairman Kelvin Thomas.  I think we are going to do things differently.  We are lucky to have some great universities and sport science departments to lean on.  Wilder has said he would rather have the money towards a player and Thomas agrees that in non-league football they cannot justify the expense.  Chris feels, and I agree, that a fitness coach at this level is probably an extravagance and Chris is very confident that the medical staff and Mickey Lewis can deal with the fitness."
 
Andrew Dubowski joined in November 2010 with ten years experiece in the navy.  He left in December 2011.   
Dan Bond arrived in Jan 2012.

United finished 2011/12 outside of the play-offs, having been comfortably in seventh place before the last seven games saw them pick up just two points.

On 10 May 2012, just five days after the end of the season saw United it was announced to BBC Radio Oxford that the club would be taking advice from Wigan Warriors.  The rugby league side are also owned by Ian Lenagan, and it appears that the owner has decided to take more decisive action on the backroom staff, and reasons for failure in the past season.  Wilder said "We have fantastic connections with Wigan who place a massive importance on fitness.   It's part of the club that we need to study and improve because obviously from my point of view as manager I need players on the training ground and available for selection."

In a 14 May 2012 Oxford Mail interview , chairman Kelvin Thomas said:- “We have to look at the reasons why we didn’t get into the play-offs, I’ve said I think overall our strength and conditioning was decent, but not at a level that was going to push us into the play-offs.  We have to look at the whole area and I think it’s potentially one area we need to invest in and get more quality in there in terms of personnel on the sports science side.  I think we’re going to look to get a bit more experience in that department to help (manager) Chris (Wilder) on that side of things to help really kick it on and hopefully change the structure so we’re doing things the right way. Hopefully that will improve the injury situation, but we have to look at it over a four-year period as well – in the time Chris has been in we haven’t had that many injuries and then one year when it’s really hit us.  Some of that’s luck, some is conditioning. We’re going to improve the conditioning and hopefully the luck will turn around.”

Alasdair Lane is set to be unveiled in July 2012 as head of this department, after a year at Rotherham and a number of years at Brentford, following time in the army.  
In August 2012, Ian Lenagan wrote "Additions to staff include Strength & Conditioning Manager, Sports Psychologist, Nutritionist Consultant and Video Analyst with Oxford United now using the same software technology as announced recently by Premier League Champions, Manchester City. "
At the end of 2009/10, the club had
Manager - Chris Wilder
First team coach - Mickey Lewis
Goalkeeping coach - Alan Hodgkinson
Physios - Jon Brown, Charlie Grieg
Sports massage therapist - Lindsay Davis
Youth development - Les Taylor
At the end of 2010/11,
Manager - Chris Wilder
Assistant Manager - Mickey Lewis
First team coach - Andy Melville
Goalkeeping coach - Alan Hodgkinson
Youth team manager - Chris Allen (appointed July 2010)
Physios - Jon Brown, Charlie Grieg
Strength & Conditioning - Andrew Dubowski
Sports massage therapist -
Youth development - Les Taylor
At end of 2011/12
Manager - Chris Wilder
Assistant manager - Mickey Lewis
First team coach - Andy Melville
Goalkeeping coach - Alan Hodgkinson
Youth team manager - Chris Allen
(appointed July 2010) 
Physio - Andy Lord
Sports massage therapist -
Strength & Conditioning - Dan Bond (appointed Jan 2012)
Head of football development - Malcolm Crosby
Youth development - Les Taylor

(not listed in the programme
Sports Therapist - John 'Spike' Elliott 
2012/13 
Manager - Chris Wilder
Assistant manager - Mickey Lewis
First team coach - Andy Melville
Goalkeeping coach - Alan Hodgkinson MBE
[not mentioned - Wayne Brown]
Youth team manager - Chris Allen
(appointed July 2010) 
Physio - Andy Lord
Head of sports science - Alasdair Lane
Sports Therapist - John 'Spike' Elliott
Strength & Conditioning - Dan Bond
Head of football development - 
Youth development - Les Taylor
Nutrition - Ed Tooley
2013/14
Manager - Chris Wilder / (temp Mickey Lewis) / Neil Waddock
Assistant manager - Mickey Lewis
First team coach - Andy Melville (resigned end of season)
Goalkeeping coach - Wayne Brown

Youth team manager - Chris Allen
Head physio - Andy Lord (resigned end of season)
Head of sports science - Alasdair Lane
Sports Therapist - John 'Spike' Elliott?
Strength & Conditioning -
Video Analyst - Dan Bond
Head of football development - 
Youth development - Les Taylor?
Nutrition - Ed Tooley?
2014/15 

Manager - Neil Waddock
Assistant manager - Mickey Lewis
First team coach Goalkeeping coach - Wayne Brown

Youth team manager - Chris Allen
Head physio - Andy Lord
Head of sports science - Alasdair Lane
Sports Therapist - John 'Spike' Elliott?
Strength & Conditioning -
Video Analyst - Dan Bond
Head of football development - 
Youth development - Les Taylor?
Women's team manager - Les Taylor?
Nutrition - Ed Tooley?