Away Match Day Thread 5/8/23 L1: Cambridge United v OUFC

[Northstandboy]

First game of the season. COYY!

 

[bazzer9461]

Yesterday will not define our season. Obviously there are things that need to be worked on, and we are light in a few areas, but there is absolutely no need to get carried away after one game. Give the players and manager a chance and let’s see how we progress. By 10 games in, we will have a much better indication on how the season will go. Draw a line under yesterday and let’s move on…

As long as it’s not like last season and he has to have positive results in these 10 games.

 

[bazzer9461]

Everyone’s already stated my thoughts about the match - rubbish fullbacks, dodgy keeping, Rodrigues looking excellent, needing a nasty ?CDM bastard in midfield (maybe Gorrin if he can get fit?)

Did anyone else dislike our new kit colour as much as I did? I don’t think I’ve ever seen us decked out in blue, and I’m not a fan of it. Was hoping to see us in the red away kit.

The kit was fine why would you want to wear the red when the shot down the road have that as their main colour.

 

[christenedinjericho]

I suspect he is, based on what I’ve seen pre-season, looked different gravy to me. Yesterday didn’t back that up with a couple of obvious errors that cost us. Am fairly confident he’ll be the best we’ve had for a while, time will tell!

And it was written in the stars that Jack Stevens would probably save everything he would have let in playing in goal for us!

Whilst on the subject of Stevens didn't mind him getting a muted clap in the second half as he ran to his goal but some went over the top as per usual. He's gone now in my book and he was out there to rip the three points off us...and he achieved this!

Unfortunately, already, it is now time to be gunning as one for our team to become a much more feared side than we presently are. We are much too nice as a collective and in sport we all know too well that you have to have the right mix of all genre's. Hopefully, LM will have something in his locker for Wednesday as an exit in the first week of August in a cup that has some relevance to our club over the years isn't something that I believe our upstairs office will be too pleased about especially with the chance of a televised next round exposure looming before our late September council date. A chance to throw out positives.

COYY'S

 

[Eaststanding]

Not enough mention of Mills so far - thought he was excellent. A rare positive. Very physical and really tried to make things happen for us. Shame he didn’t start but that’s hindsight for you.

Rodrigues was also extremely good towards the end despite a slow start. He’s going to be critical for us, I can see it already.

Mills tried hard, too hard at times.
He had one chance on goal that Stevens saved, he had a couple,of ballooned efforts from the edge of the area and his control was well, erratic. Excellent? no, but there’s pace and quality there which is promising for the season ahead.

 

[Yellow and blue]

Superb first halfsecond half just toyed with them to be honest.
On paper Burton are probably a better side than Cambridge.
3or4 more signings before the window closes as well according to the club so we’ll be much stronger than we are now.
I see Cam is leading by example again what a leader.
Norburn was immense throughout today and showed just how a captain should lead my example.
Early days so keep your chins up.

F*ck off you dick wad.

 

[Swaby39]

Mills tried hard, too hard at times.
He had one chance on goal that Stevens saved, he had a couple,of ballooned efforts from the edge of the area and his control was well, erratic. Excellent? no, but there’s pace and quality there which is promising for the season ahead.

Excellent in the sense that we could’ve been there for 2 weeks trying to score before he came on. Rather than rely on Long to make space for him he grabbed the ball and took people on. He made runs that Rodrigues began to find.

I think when you look at Browne on the other side who is similar in style but has infinitely more games under his belt at higher levels than this, there was a stark difference in attitude & output.

I was really just looking for a positive and I was reaching in all honesty.

 

[Jaxon]

They are but not where they should be abused because some kids aren’t happy, yes boo if need be but to lambast a single player could have a detrimental affect, the way yesterday should be handled for the next league game is to drop the full backs as they were the ones who cost us yesterday but alas we don’t have a LB cover something you and I and thousands of other OUFC fans have known about since the end of last season.

So it was only the full backs that cost us the game. Have a look at the other 9 players who were also crap

 

[Thomas/Brock/Jones]

Looking at the highlights as I just forced myself too Brown, Thorniley and especially Beadle at fault for the first goal ....cross shot allowed by JT but wide of the box pushed out to the centre of the goal, basics .
Second Long lost it in their half ? Not really his fault the covering player RR let the cross come in nor that Brown didn't jump as got in a poor position while Beadle could have go for a ball in the 6 yard box I think.
Mills missed a sitter of a header although great ball from RR.
I'm sure Beadle will prove a good keeper but if Easty had performed like that he would be getting pelters . Same as if GoD had missed that header.
We will get better but scapegoats are not the answer.
Findlay part of the defence that kept a clear sheet v Rangers yesterday as well.

 

[Scotchegg]

Somethings got to be done about our abusive fans. The verbals Sam Long got was shocking - C words. F OFF etc. Young kids with families submitted to this. If nothing done there will be fighting between our own fans. For me, I don't want to hear it and if it carries on I'll stop going- must be others who feel the same?

We have some idiot fans who think that a couple of beers and a stone island jacket makes them Gangster no.1! Some of their behaviour last season was an embarrassment, and it was better when some of them fucked off to watch Banbury after getting challenged by some of their peers. Sadly it sounds like they managed to worm their way back yesterday, but I don't think it will be long before others have a word with them again.

I never been one to want to see football sanitised, and take my kids along to games in the knowledge that they will hear words at games that we don't repeat at home. But when you have a group of "lads" throwing themselves into other fans with fake bullshit "limbs" and screaming "C***" every few minutes, then don't be surprised when others react.

"Play with feathers, get your a**e tickled flower!!"

 

[Jster]

That's the thing. Brown and Long each lost the ball in the opposition half. We need to be able to recover from such a situation, especially if the call is to play with more attacking full backs. They will give the ball away when attacking, and if we can't deal with that, we are in trouble. So I'm not going to let Brown or Long take full blame for their goals, even if some want to scapegoat them.

 

[Swaby39]

So it was only the full backs that cost us the game. Have a look at the other 9 players who were also crap

The two go completely hand in hand. How can anybody expect a forward to get himself in to a game when the two centre halves are static in possession and the full backs are afraid to cross the half way line. They don’t overlap, they don’t underlap, they don’t play little return passes to create space, they don’t cross from deep, they don’t play balls in behind… Nothing. Backwards passes that suggest ‘here, you do something’. Full backs are so dangerous because they arguably have the most space on the field of anybody. Forwards will be starved unless that space is put to good effect.

We don’t have superstar forwards at Oxford United. They cannot take the ball at pace in a yard of space under pressure and create magic on their own. They might occasionally but not week in, week out. And on the days it doesn’t work, you get what we got yesterday which is forward players searching for space where there is none, taking poor touches under pressure and losing the ball. Eventually they make less runs and become lethargic because nobody can see them. You’ve got to move the ball urgently and use each other to create space. I have no doubt Manning is looking for this but some players are just not wired to do it. His wings backs at MK were everything ours are not. I hope to god he knows how big an issue this is for our chances but watch our build up play closely before criticising the forwards. I felt sorry for them.

As I type this, I invite anybody unsure on this to turn on Cardiff’s game and look at where O’Dowda is playing as a left back and the damage it’s just done.

 

[Jaxon]

The two go completely hand in hand. How can anybody expect a forward to get himself in to a game when the two centre halves are static in possession and the full backs are afraid to cross the half way line. They don’t overlap, they don’t underlap, they don’t play little return passes to create space, they don’t cross from deep, they don’t play balls in behind… Nothing. Backwards passes that suggest ‘here, you do something’. Full backs are so dangerous because they arguably have the most space on the field of anybody. Forwards will be starved unless that space is put to good effect.

We don’t have superstar forwards at Oxford United. They cannot take the ball at pace in a yard of space under pressure and create magic on their own. They might occasionally but not week in, week out. And on the days it doesn’t work, you get what we got yesterday which is forward players searching for space where there is none, taking poor touches under pressure and losing the ball. Eventually they make less runs and become lethargic because nobody can see them. You’ve got to move the ball urgently and use each other to create space. I have no doubt Manning is looking for this but some players are just not wired to do it. His wings backs at MK were everything ours are not. I hope to god he knows how big an issue this is for our chances but watch our build up play closely before criticising the forwards. I felt sorry for them.

As I type this, I invite anybody unsure on this to turn on Cardiff’s game and look at where O’Dowda is playing as a left back and the damage it’s just done.

Please ask Manning what he wants his full backs to do
At a guess it is to defend

 

[Swaby39]

Please ask Manning what he wants his full backs to do
At a guess it is to defend

OK, well they didn’t do that either. So, this is a flawed argument.

Long was embarrassed by Pele Janneh regularly in the 1st half and went diving in to cause chaos for the second goal. Manning even referenced this generally post match, I think?

Brown got folded over at the back post for the same goal - he couldn’t even knock the lad off balance - and largely to blame for the first…

So, when their USP of being great defenders (which is a myth) suddenly washes away in a very average L1 test, you’re left with two shirt hangers that really offer us nothing of note and actually more costly than anything.

 

[bazzer9461]

So it was only the full backs that cost us the game. Have a look at the other 9 players who were also crap

Drop them all play the fringe players then

 

[Oufcrealist]

View attachment 15030

I'm sure pretty patterns were made with all that possession so that's OK.

Stats such as these mean nothing and just gloss over a very poor performance. Most of that possession was tapping the ball about from side to side in our own half with the more forward players not showing for the ball enough. I still think we need more bite in midfield. Cam shouldn't be constantly coming back to get the ball from the defenders, I want to see him higher up. McEachran will do enough of that for the both of them.

 

[TailsWeWin]

Disappointing day after along journey through pelting rain most of the way from Gloucestershire. But not a disaster. Yet.

Positives: the food and beer in The Green Dragon
It stopped raining occasionally
Ruben R is class
Maguane showed what he CAN do
That goalie will come good

Negatives: GoD is way out of his depth- he is NOT a striking option
Goodhram is also ineffective. Sorry; he is.
Cam had a stinker - he’s a very frustrated bunny recently
The full backs were appalling and need replacing asap. Everyone knows it.

We will finish mid table.

No, Scotch, that assessment is NOT based on one performance.

 

[Oufcrealist]

Understand what you’re saying and appreciate you prospective but as you say Lonh was caught up the pitch so who should have dropped back whilst he was up the pitch? But give the Cambridge player on the left wing he had Long in his back pocket, and for the record you boo but never call a player the C word this last sentence isn’t aimed at you @West Oxon U’s

Yes, and Janneh the Winger who was all over Long and made our wingers look ordinary was loaned out to Wimbledon last season as he couldn't get a game at Cambridge!!

 

[Jster]

Something I hadn't realised until now, though it's probably been mentioned before, is that Manning's first game last season was away at Cambridge, and he lost on that occasion too (1-0).

 

[West Oxon U’s]

EXTENDED ‘HIGHLIGHTS’

 

[Yellowoptimist]

EXTENDED ‘HIGHLIGHTS’

No thanks