Oxford United sign Arsenal goalkeeper on loan

12:37pm Friday 4th May 2012 in Sport Photograph of the Author By David Pritchard, Chief Sports Reporter covering Oxford United. Follow us on twitter: @oxfordmailoufc. Call me on 01865 425458

Oxford United have signed Damian Martinez from Arsenal on an emergency loan for tomorrow’s trip to Port Vale.

The 19-year-old has not played for the Gunners’ first-team but was included in Argentina’s squad for friendly internationals last summer.

Martinez will start for the U’s, who must win their final game of the season to stand any chance of reaching the play-offs, following injuries to Ryan Clarke and Wayne Brown.

He replaces Connor Ripley, who was recruited at short notice from Middlesbrough for last weekend’s game against Southend United.

The teenager was released this week after making a mistake for the opening goal in United’s 2-0 defeat.

Comments(32)

Major Oxford says...
12:57pm Fri 4 May 12

too late - Wilder OUT

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BigAlBiker says...
1:01pm Fri 4 May 12

Well well CW you have done it again, release an untried 19 year old goalkeeper to get one with more experience and what do you do, sign another 19 year old untested one.

Definatly time for you to go.

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brocky152 says...
1:08pm Fri 4 May 12

Major Oxford and BigAlBiker: Wilder IN and YOU TWO OUT!!
Either get behind the Club and its decisions or don't go. Simple!!!

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BigYellowScarf says...
1:44pm Fri 4 May 12

brocky152 wrote:
Major Oxford and BigAlBiker: Wilder IN and YOU TWO OUT!!
Either get behind the Club and its decisions or don't go. Simple!!!
Well said, brocky152. How easy (and safe) it is to be relentlessly negative. And how soul-sappingly pointless. With a week to work on it rather than a couple of hours as was the case last Friday, CW, confronted by our God-awful, uncannily endless bad luck with injuries, has been working his backside off to find a replacement keeper, and watched this member of Premiership and Argentine international squads playing for Arsenal Reserves on Wednesday night. I think there's a good chance he's in a better position to pass judgement than the compulsive whingers who are probably actually hoping that Martinez screws up like Ripley last week.

By the way, has anyone ever given CW credit for signing not just one but two goalkeepers, Clarke and Brown, who are of very high quality for this division?

Come on you yellows.

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Oxford Male says...
1:55pm Fri 4 May 12

Well said Brocky & BYS. What chance did we have last week of getting someone decent in with just a few hours notice. Typical how some many of our negative moaners were blaming Wilder for this. And typical how some have judged the new keeper already just cos he's 19 and just cos the other 19 year old wasn't great.

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BigAlBiker says...
2:09pm Fri 4 May 12

brocky152 wrote:
Major Oxford and BigAlBiker: Wilder IN and YOU TWO OUT!!
Either get behind the Club and its decisions or don't go. Simple!!!
As a season ticket holder of may years, and a supported of the mighty yellows for many more like others i am entitled to an opinion, during this season you can count on two fingers which loan players have been any good (go on have a guess) the rest were completely out of ther depth, worse than we had here in the reserves (oh and i watch those as well) and seeing the mighty yellows struggle like this when i know we have talent there annoys me intensly.

Therefore with my hand on my heart we should say thanks to CW and give him his P45, he is and i will say this again a tactical numpty, he is unable to read this division and how teams play against us. His selections and substitutions are aweful and many people around us in the expensive seats feel the same way.

A good conferance manager no doubt but one to take us up into League 2, not a chance.

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Oxford Male says...
3:06pm Fri 4 May 12

Obviously Robbie Hall & Lee Holmes were great successes. Rendell, Johnson, Morgan, Montano - "completely out of their depth". You are talking nonsense - just like ".... one to take us up into League 2, not a chance." Wake up man - have you not noticed we have been playing in League 2 for two seasons now.

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Oxford Male says...
3:08pm Fri 4 May 12

I do agree though that we have signed some duffers on loan - Philliskirk was a stand out.

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BigAlBiker says...
4:41pm Fri 4 May 12

Lewis Guy, another donkey, that scumdon Kerrouche was another plant.

CW has to go,the plot has been lost.

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AylesburyOx says...
5:06pm Fri 4 May 12

Good - Hall, Holmes

Indifferent - Montano, Rendell

Poor - Kerrouche, Guy, Morgan, Johnson, Philliskirk

The point is, too many loan signings not enough consistency

Not sure about Wilder out as he's got the right ability but suffers from those around him. Perhaps an Assistant Manager or a Director of Football with a sound footballing brain wouldn't go a miss

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LeGod says...
5:14pm Fri 4 May 12

What are you Oxford fans like we have a 20 year old keeper at Swindon and he has let 1 goal in at home since October last year.

You lot want ot get real the guy is in the full Argentina squad you are talking your team into losing tomorrow and the way you go about supposedly supporting your team is a joke.

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YellowRose says...
5:22pm Fri 4 May 12

Chris noted your concern about the 19-year old and Alan Hodgkinson is now stepping in!!

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LeGod says...
5:30pm Fri 4 May 12

How can you judge Kerrouche on starting 1 game -deluded and his other appearences were a few minutes as sub.
If i remember his first game was at Rovers and created a few chances for your team.

So how do you conclude he is poor - oh i know like you always do because he plays for us.

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AylesburyOx says...
5:51pm Fri 4 May 12

LeGod wrote:
How can you judge Kerrouche on starting 1 game -deluded and his other appearences were a few minutes as sub.
If i remember his first game was at Rovers and created a few chances for your team.

So how do you conclude he is poor - oh i know like you always do because he plays for us.
Nope, looked unfit and disinterested. Still better than Lewis Guy mind!

Also a poor decision given the amount of strikers we'd already brought it.
Injuries aside, we need to have a better plan than keep on replacing loanees with loanees

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Chish and Fips says...
6:06pm Fri 4 May 12

I'll probably get shot down in flames here - but what went wrong with JC then - thought he was the be and end all, can't do without player. Is he or was he injured, you loaned so many players it must be confusing who actually is on the books or who is loaned.
The only one of any note was Hall I believe from West Ham then he disappeared for some reason - why ??

Not the time really for you lot to squabbling amongst yourselves but can understand your frustration.

Have a good week you lot

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Chish and Fips says...
6:14pm Fri 4 May 12

BigAlBiker wrote:
Lewis Guy, another donkey, that scumdon Kerrouche was another plant.

CW has to go,the plot has been lost.
Yes Agent Kerrouche was debriefed in 10 secs when he came back and reported on your star player(s) high points... :o)

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northampton yellow says...
7:47pm Fri 4 May 12

come on folks i know we are all peed-off about this season but yes somethings got to give i am not a big fan of cw (but they will not get rid of him ,they will give him one more season at the helm), i think we need to freshen up the coaching dept ,and get someone in who knows football inside out. Lewis and melville clueless give cw new staff then see what happens also he needs a few quid aswell,but we do need to stop all these loan signings all the money we have paid out on these loan deals could have brought a couple of decent players. "lets see what happens at port -vale tomorrow coz you never know as they say football is a funny old game "come on you yellows and come on the shots.

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AylesburyOx says...
8:09pm Fri 4 May 12

Chish and Fips wrote:
I'll probably get shot down in flames here - but what went wrong with JC then - thought he was the be and end all, can't do without player. Is he or was he injured, you loaned so many players it must be confusing who actually is on the books or who is loaned.
The only one of any note was Hall I believe from West Ham then he disappeared for some reason - why ??

Not the time really for you lot to squabbling amongst yourselves but can understand your frustration.

Have a good week you lot
JC - picked up a few knocks and started to drift in and out of games. Correct with the assumption that the loan signings were confusing; both for fans and players. Especially when we were starting with 3 loan players up front!

Hall was great and a natural finisher. He'll play at the top level.

To be honest the season was over 2 weeks ago when we failed to beat Plymouth so all we've got left is who to point fingers at - must be quite refreshing for you Swindon fans not to be at fault for anything!

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Brenda Jackson says...
8:32pm Fri 4 May 12

Desperation, that's the only conclusion to yet another loan player- and the one position you need experience in, goalie, we sign another rookie!!

What happened to all of Jim Smiths contacts at other Clubs -
he's still involved with Oxford isn't he? Surely he could have influenced a better stand in than a teenager?
What if we lose at Vale to a mistake by the keeper, and Crewe also lose- how gutting would that be, and how costly aa mistake, down to the manager, or Chairman for not coming up with the cash to sign a much more experienced keeper?

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Oxford Male says...
9:11pm Fri 4 May 12

LeGod wrote:
What are you Oxford fans like we have a 20 year old keeper at Swindon and he has let 1 goal in at home since October last year.

You lot want ot get real the guy is in the full Argentina squad you are talking your team into losing tomorrow and the way you go about supposedly supporting your team is a joke.
A Swindon fan talking a lot more sense than many of our own negative bunch.

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Oxford Male says...
9:14pm Fri 4 May 12

Morgan and Johnson are not bad footballers but we've got so many morons who refuse to give players a chance or praise them at all even when they do something very good. We had some idiots at the start of the season who gave Andy Whing terrible abuse. We have some great supporters and others who do not deserve any success whatsoever.

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Oxford Male says...
9:16pm Fri 4 May 12

BigAlBiker wrote:
Lewis Guy, another donkey, that scumdon Kerrouche was another plant.

CW has to go,the plot has been lost.
Agree about Lewis Guy. Terrible for us.

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BigAlBiker says...
10:08pm Fri 4 May 12

I admit I thought Whing was a liability in the first friendly of the season at Didcot (looked like desperate dan) but by around October you could see he was committed to the cause, he eventually got my vote as supporters player of the year, excellent performances all over the park where ever he played.

Isle Mcloud from Barnet must be a signing we attempt to make this summer period.

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foxvox says...
11:00pm Fri 4 May 12

Izale McLeod has stopped scoring, he could join all the other strikers who can't score for us but manage to when they play against us at the first opportunity. I think Stuart Fleetwood would have been a good signing when he went to Luton, perhaps he still could be if they don't win the Conference play-offs.

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New Manor rename says...
9:10am Sat 5 May 12

Forget which player can do this that or the other. Until we get rid of Wilder it is irrelevant who comes because they will play in a misfiring system. Strikers playing as wingers? Maybe JC can start in goal today and we can play 1 2 7 formation.... now there's an idea.

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northampton yellow says...
11:38am Sat 5 May 12

play jc right back(right back in the changing rooms he mite score then, or maybe "
not) "GET RID USELESS"

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Inkpot says...
11:39am Sat 5 May 12

The club needs a forward coach.

CW & Co are all too defensively minded.

It is soooooo obvious that there is a need for a decent coach for the forwards, and while we're at it how about replacing Hodgkinson with Brown and save a salary.

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Wilesy says...
11:55am Sat 5 May 12

Good luck with the reserve Arsenal keeper. We had their reserve team captain Daniel Boateng on loan at Swindon he was possibly the worst central defender I have ever seen although very pacy. Unable to pass a ball straight, and jumping for headers a foot behind the forward. Lasted 60 mins.

Incidentally Di Canio has said that Kerrouche currently has the fitness of a 55 year old woman. Using his running fitness test by increasing speeds from 10km/hr by 1 km/hr per minute til you drop, a pro footballer should register 18km/hr, Di Canio registered 21km/hr age 38 at Lazio (3rd best at club), Kerrouche registered 13.5km/hr.....

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AylesburyOx says...
12:30pm Sat 5 May 12

Inkpot wrote:
The club needs a forward coach.

CW & Co are all too defensively minded.

It is soooooo obvious that there is a need for a decent coach for the forwards, and while we're at it how about replacing Hodgkinson with Brown and save a salary.
Well said. I've been banging on about this very issue for the past two seasons so it's nice to see someone else bring it up! Good point to on Brown replacing Hodgkinson.

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AylesburyOx says...
12:34pm Sat 5 May 12

Wilesy wrote:
Good luck with the reserve Arsenal keeper. We had their reserve team captain Daniel Boateng on loan at Swindon he was possibly the worst central defender I have ever seen although very pacy. Unable to pass a ball straight, and jumping for headers a foot behind the forward. Lasted 60 mins.

Incidentally Di Canio has said that Kerrouche currently has the fitness of a 55 year old woman. Using his running fitness test by increasing speeds from 10km/hr by 1 km/hr per minute til you drop, a pro footballer should register 18km/hr, Di Canio registered 21km/hr age 38 at Lazio (3rd best at club), Kerrouche registered 13.5km/hr.....
To be honest he's just a kid to stick between the sticks for a match of little significance...given our season went belly up weeks ago. So long as he puts a shift in and doesn't do anything stupid I'll be happy.

Kerrouche had little idea or determination from what I saw of his few brief moments with us. So that info comes as little surprise.
Di Canio should pull on a shirt today for the last few minutes...he'd still run rings around most players in this league!

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yellowhoods says...
5:39pm Sat 5 May 12

Kelvin Thomas out!!!!! Your not as clever as you think, oxford hates you Thomas!!!!!

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LORD PETER MACVEY 0X2 6EG says...
5:25pm Mon 7 May 12

Look at the teams that won their divisions, did they do it by spending money on players, or by getting in a load of loanees?

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