Caretaker manager Mike Ford believes Oxford United need five or six new players to get out of trouble at the bottom of Division 2.

The U's caretaker manager, never afraid to speak his mind, said after Saturday's defeat at Reading: "We need half a team to compete in this league and get out of trouble. What positions they are, I'll leave to myself.

"In the last three games, we've played three of the top six and I think we've played well. I thought that was a magnificent performance here at Reading and we've conceded four goals.

"I'm not going to say we're unlucky. I've told the lads, we've got five points from 15 games and if we don't start cutting the mistakes out now, we're going to get relegated.

"People can say it's only October, but facts are facts. I'm a realist. We're in a position where, if we keep on doing the things we are doing, we are going to get relegated very, very quickly."

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