Chris Wilder says that he feels too many Oxford United players are earning too much money and simply not performing.

And the new U’s boss says that he will be wheeling and dealing in January to shake the squad up and move out any players who are not producing the goods.

Wilder, who took charge of training with United on Monday for the first time, knows a fair bit about the majority of the Oxford squad, but says the flood of games over the next week will be crucial for players to impress.

The U’s visit Salisbury on Boxing Day, before entertaining Ebbsfleet on Sunday, Salisbury next Thursday and then travelling to Eastbourne two days later.

And with the transfer window then open, Wilder will start to shape his squad.

“I will try my very hardest to get value for money at this football club,” he said. “Too many players here have been given too much money and have not performed. That simply has to change.

"It's a good time for me to come in. There's four or five games for the players to show what they can do and for me to assess them, and in January if we need to have a shuffle, we will do so.

"I've done my prep on the team, watched a couple of games, watched a couple of DVDs, I know a lot about the players.

"It's a fresh start for a lot of them, they've got to show me what they're about, in terms of their ability, and their attitude in how they go about things.

"I'll sit back and have a little peek at it to start with, but I've obviously got to be pro-active with it because January's coming up, and if changes need to be made, I'll do this."

Wilder says that he will be calling on Jim Smith’s contacts and extensive football knowledge in a bid to get the right people at the club.

"The club is, as 99 per cent of people in football know, not where it should be and it's up to me to address that and take it forward, and into a position to try and get out of this league,” he said.

"Obviously, I'll bring my own ideas and my own philosophy, and I'll look to shuffle things about.

"I've got very good contacts, in both areas of the game, the Conference and the League.

"After Nigel Clough, I think in the summer I was second in the Conference in terms of number of games I've managed in, so I've got a lot of contacts there, and I've got my contacts in the Football League, at clubs with the loan system, long and short. So we'll be asking favours.

"One of the big pulls of coming here was obviously the ex-manager and the stature and standing he has in the game. I'll be my own man, but I'll certainly be drawing on Jim for certain bits and pieces and we'll possibly be using Jim a bit more for advice and contacts.

“There's only two or three people more recognisable in football, and it would be a little bit naive of me not to use his quality and his contacts in bringing players to this club.

"Anybody who knows my sides will say, I would like to think, that I play the game in the right way. we want to be on the front foot in home matches and go at teams here, and be solid away.

"If we do that, and manage to win most of our home games, and remain solid when we travel away, we will be successful."