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Why did critics believe the Oxford movement undervalued the Protestant Reformation?

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St. John Henry Newman English prelate, theologian, and poet John Henry Newman converted to Roman Catholicism in 1845. He was made a cardinal in 1879.

Critics believed the Oxford movement undervalued the Protestant Reformation because the movement sought to emphasize the "catholic" identity of the Church of England by looking to the ancient, undivided church of the Fathers rather than the Protestant tradition.12

This perception was fueled by several key developments:

Denunciation of the Reformation: In 1838–39, John Henry Newman and John Keble published the Remains of Richard Hurrell Froude, which contained violent denunciations of the Reformation, causing moderate observers to suspect the movement's leaders.2
Tract 90: In 1841, Newman’s Tract 90 attempted to reconcile the Thirty-nine Articles with the teachings of the early church. Critics argued this suggested the articles were compatible with the Council of Trent, effectively undermining the distinctively Protestant character of Anglican doctrine.2

By positioning the Church of England as a "middle way" between Rome and popular Protestantism, the movement’s leaders were increasingly viewed as distancing themselves from the foundational principles of the Reformation.2