Generally the close-season is a time for renewed, if unrealistic, optimism. The despair of the previous season is over and all that is left is hope, even if it’s the somewhat negative ambition of having a less bad season than the one that’s just ended.

At Oxford this Summer there really are grounds for expecting an improvement on the last two or three seasons we’ve had to endure. Firstly, and most importantly, there’s the new stadium at Minchery Farm. This should inspire both the players and the fans to aim for football at a level which the surroundings should service, which certainly isn’t the basement division (or the Conference for those for whom the aforementioned hope isn’t a factor).

Secondly United has a new manager. In Mark Wright we have someone who has never before managed a League club, although his success at Southport and the reputation his methods have earned him, mean that he should be able to come up with the goods one division higher. He also carries with him the distinct advantage that he is neither Denis Smith nor David Kemp and, whilst this is a claim that can be made by the whole population bar two people, this should be enough to persuade most people to give him the benefit of the doubt.

A third factor is that almost all of the players who have underperformed in United’s colours over the past couple of seasons have now departed the club. Steve Anthrobus managed just four goals in two seasons; a somewhat unsatisfactory strike rate for a centre forward. Lee Jarman’s ability never matched his girth, which was substantial, nor that of Jamie Cook’s, which wasn’t. Peter Fear failed to live up to his Premiership potential, despite one or two decent performances his inconsistency certainly couldn’t justify his huge wages. Matt Murphy, if he doesn’t rejoin the club, has been voted the Weakest Link in just about every Rage Online poll in which he has featured and his sub-standard play has irritated almost everyone at the club. With these four players off the payroll there should be enough space to bring in half a dozen or so decent replacements.

A fourth, and final, reason for Rage Online’s blind optimism this Summer is that we had too much wine on our close-season tour of the South of France…

We are looking forward to being able to drink beer in the concourse of the new ground up to fifteen minutes before kick-off, even if it is just the draught-flow rubbish served in the Priory & ?. At least that should take our minds off the on-field endeavours of Wrighty’s boys as they struggle to overcome the likes of Torquay, Kidderminster and Carlisle. Yes, these teams are amongst our opponents next season and the reality of our situation will hit when the fixtures are released this Thursday and we start planning our trips to Darlington and Exeter and look up the routes to Irthlingborough and Lincoln. We really have sunk this low and optimism dictates that it just can’t get any lower than this… Can it?