Appleton here to get the job done

He was the nth player managed by Alex Ferguson at Manchester United to move into a management career. He cut his teeth coaching at Academy level, and also as assistant to Roy Hodgson. He got a Premier League managing experience under his belt, although it lasted just for one game: it was in 2011, when WBA had just sacked Roberto Di Matteo but kept him as caretaker manager for the match against West Ham, before Hodgson’s arrival. By the way, the 38-year old Mike Appleton already manager three clubs in Portsmouth, Blackpool, Blackburn Rovers in a three seasons span. With Oxford, the highly touted Appleton has a chance to prove he’s any good. Surely, he showed character bouncing back from the injury that ended his playing career when he had just 27. He started to build his own name in the coaching circles when he joined  West Bromwich Albion Academy, contributing to development of some of the current England youth internationals as Saido Berahino. His coaching stint includes also position as Under-18s coach, reserves coach and first-team coach. Appleton is experienced and extremely motivated. He’s hungry to make his coaching career moving up, now that his days as footballer, grown playing alongside David Beckham, Paul Scholes, Nicky Butt, and the Nevilles, are over. Now, he has to prove himself taking this opportunity. Ex-Marussia Formula 1 chairman Darryl Eales, who invested in the club taking it over as chairman, replaced Gary Waddock with the idea to have Appleton not as a short-term arrangement. Appleton inherits a team capable of stay away from the bottom of the League One, and will work in a a club looking to built foundations for the future.