Ex Player Alex Rodriguez Gorrin

Ricey said:
Still a good keeper but well out of form. Realistically could have saved both goals tonight if in form. 1st goal hit with pace, low went through him, 2nd goal he should save all day.
Big decisions for Robbo, arm around him and tell him he is his number 1, or drop him and try get a reaction!!?
Click to expand...
Time for Jack Stevens to have a run in the first team
 
The Charlton goal error was really bizarre, it seemed to almost go through his hands without even touching a finger which much take some special skill to achieve. It was almost as if his hand eye coordination has gone completely, which may explain some of the previous errors too particularly punching the Accrington player in the head. An error leading to a goal every league match this season as listed earlier by Mystery Yellow but I thought he was at fault for one at Lincoln too. This must be the worst run of form an Oxford goalkeeper has ever had. We've had some bad keepers in the past but I don't remember them making such horrific errors over such an extended continuous period of games. It's very sad to see because 2 years ago he was quite simply brilliant.
 
Eastwood needs to be dropped he’s costing us so many goals his defence in front aren’t much better but some of the goals he’s conceding you’d expect in park football
Give Stevens a few games and hopefully that will wake up the fire in Eastwoods belly to be successful again
 
AbsoluteZero said:
The Charlton goal error was really bizarre, it seemed to almost go through his hands without even touching a finger which much take some special skill to achieve. It was almost as if his hand eye coordination has gone completely, which may explain some of the previous errors too particularly punching the Accrington player in the head. An error leading to a goal every league match this season as listed earlier by Mystery Yellow but I thought he was at fault for one at Lincoln too. This must be the worst run of form an Oxford goalkeeper has ever had. We've had some bad keepers in the past but I don't remember them making such horrific errors over such an extended continuous period of games. It's very sad to see because 2 years ago he was quite simply brilliant.
Click to expand...
its the basics that have been letting Easty down/ Easty has been letting the team down (literally) with of late

A drop to the bench may be the kick up the a**e he needs ?
 
Look at it the other way - if you’re Stevens, how do you feel? Told you’re not good enough to start yet Eastwood can seemingly make an almost unlimited amount of mistakes and still get picked
 
FFS I've had enough of Eastwood. Both goals he should have saved. An average sunday league keeper would surely have saved both chances. Yes Eastwood makes some good saves every game but these errors are costing us big time.
 
We should keep a log of every mistake that he's made.

Portsmouth (a) - gets beaten front post
Portsmouth (h) - gets beaten far too easily. Although he did save in the shootout.
Wembley - Flapped the corner. Too many men around him. Should have stayed on his line. Gave away a penalty.
Lincoln (a) - should be saving both goals
Sunderland (h) - almost goes through his hands
Accrington (a) - he quite literally punches someone in the face
Gillingham (a) - gets beaten at the front post for the first goal.
Peterborough (a) - gets caught in no mans land. Although it's 50/50 whether that's his fault or not. CBs should be doing more there. Goes through his legs for the third goal.
MK Dons (h) - although a couple of players should have brought down their attacker before he had the chance to shoot, Eastwood really should be saving that.
Charlton (a) - through his legs again. Their second goal was quite literally straight at him and it goes through his hands.
Rochdale (h) - fumbled the save and put it on a plate for their striker. Luckily the striker completely mishit and scuffed it.
Wigan (a) - Comes and collects the delivery from the free kick, drops the ball and wigan miss an open goal.
Swindon (h) - calamity for the second goal.

This is just from the Play Offs onwards and doesn't include mistakes from previous seasons (because there has been many from the last season or two!). Near enough every game he's played in since the play offs he has cost us a goal. Feel free to check out the highlights on YouTube if you want to disagree. Easty was great in the first couple of seasons we had him but has been a liability since. How long can Karl keep picking him if he costs us goals?
 
Last edited:
I'm not sure KR completely trusts Jack Stevens. In any case, playing devil's advocate, I can see why you wouldn't want to throw a young rooky keeper into the current situation. Our defence has been poor as well as Easty. A couple of mistakes from JS in the current situation and his confidence would be shot. It's a difficult one really.
 
JS is 23 years old and would probably want to be playing first team football by now. However you do make a good point. If we drop Easty, put JS in for a couple games and he makes mistakes then we're basically back to the Buchel - Slocombe situation.
 
Followtheox1 said:
I'm not sure KR completely trusts Jack Stevens. In any case, playing devil's advocate, I can see why you wouldn't want to throw a young rooky keeper into the current situation. Our defence has been poor as well as Easty. A couple of mistakes from JS in the current situation and his confidence would be shot. It's a difficult one really.
Click to expand...

If the reserve goalie can’t get in when the first team one is making clangers, and we bring in an out of contract one when he is injured like we did with Archer then it does tend to point at a lack of confidence in the lad.

He might not have loads of experience but that is because we have never really played him apart from the odd cup game, at 23 his age shouldn’t keep being used against him, that’s old enough to play first team football, he is about 6 years away from us worrying he is getting to old.
 
He’s never been the same since the injury to his finger. Still has a fantastic save or two in him (as long as it’s not hit low down), but isn’t near what he was. He’s also been particularly quiet for a good while now. I understand the argument for Stevens being too inexperienced to play behind an already inexperienced defence, but I would also say that Eastwood’s apparent experience doesn’t appear to be showing. He doesn’t bark and organise the defence or play in a way that makes you think he’s been around the block a bit, so I’m not sure in which way he’s apparently showing he’s a veteran, beyond simply being the other side of 30 biologically.

I don’t like that he’s making so many mistakes nowadays not just because it’s affecting the outcome of games (the most obvious reason), but because for the first couple of years after he came back he was arguably our best player. He looked to be our best and most consistent goalkeeper since Whitehead - I would put him above Clarke based on those two seasons - but he looks a shadow of his former self now. It’s sad to see. He can’t be feeling great either. He will know better than anybody that he’s not performing, and unlike some players we’ve had at various times I do think it will bother him. He won’t just shrug it off without a care.
 
Kamal said:
JS is 23 years old and would probably want to be playing first team football by now. However you do make a good point. If we drop Easty, put JS in for a couple games and he makes mistakes then we're basically back to the Buchel - Slocombe situation.
Click to expand...


Can’t recall JS ever letting anyone down in the few games he has played, in his youth team period he was considered to be one of the clubs brightest prospects. Don’t think he has been on losing side in 90 minutes in any first team competitive game he has played. Have it from a good source that in training he excels everyday.

It’s a position that every club’s manager has different views on and some like KR it would seem put all their eggs in the ‘experience’ basket which is probably why he is where he is now.

Same source told me that he is good enough and will play championship level at some point and could be a hidden gem not as yet noticed in league one. I recently watched the Bristol Rovers game on the stream and without doubt his voice was the loudest and most constant throughout game.

Fact is the above is irrelevant if he does not have chance to prove it with a run of games as a starter and it would seem to me that the time now is for that to happen.
 
I posted this on another thread before I saw this one.

"There is a great call for Eastwood to be dropped on here. Probably rightly so right now. But a big part in Eastwood's drop in form is the the inept defense in front of him. The goalkeeper and the back four have to operate as a unit. Right now it's collection of individuals so Eastwood has no idea what the four are going to do next. Bringing in Stevens might help a bit, but he will have exactly the same problem as Eastwood so I am not expecting a miraculous improvement."
 
From the OM article this morning, it sounds as though Robinson is equally frustrated with defensive errors and failure to put chances away up top.

On Easty, he reiterates his position that he is a great keeper, but indicates that he is being affected by a 'particular' incident (playoff final?). From his comments, I do wonder if a spell away from the spotlight might now be considered - and whether that might do him good. Being dropped for a spell might snap him out of this lull, and have him come back fighting.

Stevens deserves a go based on showings in pre-season and cup games he's played - though I do think we'd be treating the symptoms rather than the cause... any keeper behind that defence is going to concede goals; though maybe not goals like that free kick.

If possible on Saturday, I'd have Mous at CB with Moore and Long back to RB. Failing that, Forde to RB where he did well last season and Long at CB. One of those arrangements in front of Stevens for a few games is worth a shot.
 
I think Eastwood has been holding his place because of the occasional good save. However, preventing a 3-0 defeat when the the two previous goals have been in part down to you is no real reason to keep justify him as a first choice.

Whilst I would sign up in light of the Charlton second goal error to the ‘Stevens should get the nod’ fan club, what I will say in Eastwood’s defence is that he is culpable as part of the whole defensive unit. At times he’s been put into positions to pull off saves due to the mess in front of him. We criticise him for the Sunderland and Peterborough goals and yet two easy dribbles through our defence put him in a position to have to attempt a save. Sort out the defence and a ‘keeper should have half the work to do.

I would exercise some caution with Stevens too. There’s no doubt to his shot stopping but any decent ‘keeper can do that and to most of us he’s unexposed. What sort of goalkeeper is he? Would he bollock our defence (and do they need that at the minute!)? Does he stay on his line or claim at crosses? Let’s be wary of creating a hero out of the unknown.

As a poster sagely puts it above, we don’t want another Slocombe-Buchel situation where both look wobbly.
 
holdsteady said:
If the reserve goalie can’t get in when the first team one is making clangers, and we bring in an out of contract one when he is injured like we did with Archer then it does tend to point at a lack of confidence in the lad.

He might not have loads of experience but that is because we have never really played him apart from the odd cup game, at 23 his age shouldn’t keep being used against him, that’s old enough to play first team football, he is about 6 years away from us worrying he is getting to old.
Click to expand...
I think the issue with reserve keepers as this level is about the cost of having an experienced decent keeper sitting on the bench when they won't play much plus actually getting a decent keeper to want to be back up at this level. It's not like other positions, say a striker who signs but knows they will get opportunities to prove themselves on the pitch etc.
 
Followtheox1 said:
I think the issue with reserve keepers as this level is about the cost of having an experienced decent keeper sitting on the bench when they won't play much plus actually getting a decent keeper to want to be back up at this level. It's not like other positions, say a striker who signs but knows they will get opportunities to prove themselves on the pitch etc.
Click to expand...
Afraid Eastwood's not been the same since he returned from injury earlier in the year. Could be partly confidence, but he's also been caught on his heels (set in the wrong position) quite a few times. He also seems to be reacting a fraction too late. He's still got a few years left, so it could be the injury that has slowed him down? Haven't seen enough of Stevens, but I'd be concerned that he's now 22 and has never been given a run when Eastwood has been injured. I thought Jordan Archer looks a class above when we had him on loan, and would have him back tomorrow. Eastwood will know himself that his form hasn't been good enough. At the very least, he needs a break
 
It wasn't too long back that I was telling friends that Eastwood was one of the best, if not the best, keepers in the division, so the decline in form is particularly noticeable. i'm not sure I'd attribute all of the mistakes listed above to him but let's face it, he's not instilling any confidence in an admittedly poor defence and errors are being made. Last night was one of the most embarrassing. At the beginning of the season he seemed to have learnt a lesson and was sweeping up behind the defence. He's now retreated and his distribution is increasingly slow and poor. Stephens may well step-up, or he might crumble under pressure - we need to find out either way. He's looked pretty good on the limited performances we've seen but if he's not up to the job then plans need to be made.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Northstandboy
Ex Player Alex Dyer - leaves Kilmarnock
Replies
2
Views
1K
Marked Ox
M
Osei Yaw
  • Locked
Ex Player Alex Fisher
Replies
1
Views
2K
Northstandboy
Northstandboy
Sarge
Ex Player Alex Fisher - Yeovil
Replies
3
Views
3K
werthersoriginal
W
Back
Top Bottom