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All that tells me, is that Des ain’t gonna be the man to take us forward to the next levelOne thing that Des has been very good at since he arrived is getting results against the dross.
Against sides in the bottom third of League One on merit and below (so not including Reading - because they wouldn't be without the points deduction - and ignoring the Tinpot Trophy because it's irrelevant), he's played 8, won 7 and only lost his first game against Cheltenham.
Against every side in the top two thirds of the league and above (again ignoring the Tinpot) it's played 17, won 1, drawn 7, lost 9.
Hopefully that keeps up through the next three games, and then he works out how to beat competent sides!
Exactly this up to now but hopefully solvable.. This has been Des's dilemma from day one. At the start it was all about continuity of Manning's quite narrow, high pressing 4231 but with tons of injuries. It never clicked. So he waited for his wide players to get fit, tinkered with a futile back three experiment before trying a version of his preferred 433 with proper wingers. The players let him down, especially the midfielders and he flapped and compromised.Agreed, that midfield won't work as well against a better quality of opposition...it could even go as wrong as it did against Bolton. So how do we solve that problem? Really not sure, but maybe Leigh at Left mid to give a bit more robustness in front of Bennett with Long/Stevens and Dale on the other. The middle though as you say is the real problem. McEachran was part of the team that was successful at the start of the season ....domyou think he can rediscover that? Not sure as I think any team that employs a press will.overrun him as whilst he's a quality passer, he's just too ponderous for me. Matete ought to be the answer, but we've seen nothing from him to suggest that's the case so far. That was a pretty serious injury he got and he now seems to be in that place where he's picking up knocks and niggles with alarming regularity.
So if not this two as the anchor, is Cambran the only realistic alternative....but then who further forward...Bodin? Goodrham?, Henry?...what about Murphy more centrally in the RR role?
No easy answer I can see at present, more hope than anything!
Great analysis- thank you.Exactly this up to now but hopefully solvable.. This has been Des's dilemma from day one. At the start it was all about continuity of Manning's quite narrow, high pressing 4231 but with tons of injuries. It never clicked. So he waited for his wide players to get fit, tinkered with a futile back three experiment before trying a version of his preferred 433 with proper wingers. The players let him down, especially the midfielders and he flapped and compromised.
We ended up with a weird hybrid with two deep midfielders, no shape or control in the middle, no progressive outball options and some pretty good pacy wingers relying on Brannagan 60 yard diagonals or hanging around while we knocked it safely around the back. Or lumped it forward to a hard working, speedy #9 whose entire game relies on through balls down the middle. A mess. Made worse by some players inexcusably dialling it in (McGuane & Rodriguez) and others overcompensating by trying to play everywhere at once (Cam, Leigh).
The Bolton game was hopefully the nail in the coffin on these kind of compromises and tolerance for egos and laziness. For me Vale was the first time we set up with conviction as a Des Buckingham team and I hope we stick with it. It might not be enough but the alternative is worse. A lot now rests on the players.
Specifically:
Cam as CDM but reigning things in and putting team before self. Keep it simple more often, resist temptation to stray, watch the body language, be the pivot even if you know you have more in the locker than that. Drive forward when the chance arises (none of our defenders can) and trust teammates to cover (even if they've let you down before). McEachran/Matete as back up depending on the opposition if we need to push cam higher.
Midfield. Bodin/Henry/Goodrham/Matete: Work harder, get a foot in, challenge for every high ball even if you're unlikely to win it, make life difficult. Our midfield is skillful but lightweight and aging. No excuse not to have some bite and visible effort. Focus on ball retention in and around the centre circle but take risks further forward - we're now set up for both wingers and our striker to be creative options. Above all work harder.
Wing. Murphy/Dale/Leigh/Browne/Goodrham - it's 433 now, you're going to be hitting big numbers on the GPS. Stay high in possession, run run run, know that if your full back is in the attacking half you need to already be on your way back to cover. Enjoy taking people on and keeping the oppo guessing but do increase the number of first or second touch balls into the danger area. We don't half faff sometimes.
Fullbacks: Be lower league 433 fullbacks and be proud of it. Mainly about keeping position and defending, minimise number of tackles needed, go forward when opportunity presents itself and trust your winger to cover. I prefer Long and Bennett fwiw.
Central Defence: if we can get the gist of the above working then the percentages change dramatically and our CBs can focus on the basics. Both are great in the air and solid in the tackle but see far far too much of the ball in recent months and are often exposed simply because of the numbers game - too many last gasp interventions needed.
A quick word on Rodrigues. He's a brilliant and visionary passer in the final third. The best we have by miles. He's also 27 and was playing national league not long ago and has struggled to be dependable at L1 even against weak opposition. A player with his raw creative talent and attributes should have progressed by now. I worry that the reason he hasn't is nothing to do with form and everything to do with an underlying weakness in his game and mentality. Hope I'm wrong. In the next couple of games he has a chance to shine. Ruben: stop making ridiculous decisions in high risk areas, play the possession ball more than once a game and please, please please remember that in league 1 football there is usually a man on you within 2 seconds not 10. Fingers crossed
Let's do this. We have a gentle run in and a few games now to establish a consistent level of performance and discipline before things get tougher.
It may be too late. The players may continue to let the side down. There may be things behind the scenes that aren't ideal. All true but the least we can do as fans now is stay positive but also intolerant of any player not giving 100%
One thing that Des has been very good at since he arrived is getting results against the dross.
Against sides in the bottom third of League One on merit and below (so not including Reading - because they wouldn't be without the points deduction - and ignoring the Tinpot Trophy because it's irrelevant), he's played 8, won 7 and only lost his first game against Cheltenham.
Against every side in the top two thirds of the league and above (again ignoring the Tinpot) it's played 17, won 1, drawn 7, lost 9.
Hopefully that keeps up through the next three games, and then he works out how to beat competent sides!
In football anything is possibleYep. I feel that whilst DB will be judged on results, there will be some semblance of performance measurement too. Disappointing draws after leading for example may yield a point, but they're the kind of result that have seen us slip down the table. For all the horrors from last Tuesday, two wins and a defeat is better than a win and two draws. Essentially he needs ‘no more Bolton-style’ catastrophes until the end of the season and certainly no double or triple defeats in a row. It is very much knife-edge stuff.
Still, we’re in the mix and have to match or better Lincoln, Stevenage, Blackpool and perhaps Leyton Orient’s results to stay where we are. I can’t see us finishing higher than where we are barring an incredible run of wins with a series of dropped points from one of the three ‘catchable’ teams above us.
Even if we make the playoffs, can anyone see us winning them though? Bolton, Peterborough and Barnsley will likely fill spots 3rd to 5th and all of those sides are better than us.
In football anything is possible
My favourite Sven Goran Erikksen quote. Equal parts optimistic and equal parts banal.
The league isn't just consisting of 'dross' and 'competent' sides though. Yes, we do OK against those teams around the bottom but what about those clubs that fall between dross and competent - Northampton twice, Orient, Wigan, Reading twice, Bristol Rovers, Wycombe, Blackpool etc. It's in a lot of these that we will look back on with regret, we were in some great positions to take the points but just needed more conviction.
Absolutely time to let go ,our record against the top teams is so poor and generally its down to the midfield, it's such a shame we can't get Matete firing and see if we can get Bran slightly further forwards. This break might work out great getting him fit but we do need to improve that area in the summerI don't think there's any great mystery about MM. He's just not that good. Great technique and balance, but he's a very cautious player, who often plays the wrong pass. He doesn't influence games. Dale has done more for us in six appearances than MM has done in 100+ imo. MM is not a dynamic player. You can see why he was so highly rated as a teenager. But you can also see why he's failed. I'd be quite happy to see him go. He might get a low level Championship club, but he won't make any impact at that level.
The league isn't just consisting of 'dross' and 'competent' sides though. Yes, we do OK against those teams around the bottom but what about those clubs that fall between dross and competent - Northampton twice, Orient, Wigan, Reading twice, Bristol Rovers, Wycombe, Blackpool etc. It's in a lot of these that we will look back on with regret, we were in some great positions to take the points but just needed more conviction.
How dare you come on here spouting thoughtful, dispassionate, logical comments?Guest here, but I find the forum a very interesting read, especially juxtaposing the sentiment in Manning leaving ("no loyalty in football any more") with the desire to get Des out the door before his feet are under the table. I agree about lack of loyalty, but I think it is generally from both sides, with football being such a results business. Managers knows their head will be called for as soon as results are bad, so they don't waste any time bolting when an opportunity arises, if they are on a good run that creates job prospects higher up.
From the outside, the problem with Des is that he was unproven in England to begin with, so it is a bit harder to fall back on "he has already shown he is a good manager if given time" like Stoke could do with Schumacher, for example.
There is just so much constant pressure on owners, managers and fans for results to be good - especially in our division with four relegation spots - that it is very unusual to feel the desire to persist with someone if they don't hit the ground running, I suppose.
It will never catch onHow dare you come on here spouting thoughtful, dispassionate, logical comments?
Ha, we won one match! If we win three people will vote him a contract for life.The poll has certainly reversed a bit from 80/20 to 70/30. Maybe we aren't QUITE so but certainly worth registering those feelings.
To be fair we have won 2 out of 3 matches.Ha, we won one match! If we win three people will vote him a contract for life.
Something feels a bit strange about this website. There’s one story on the site, which is about Des Buckingham. The content seems AI generated. The domain was registered yesterday. Full of reasons to back the manager and why he needs more time, shared by the yellow army Twitter account.An interesting read:
Des Buckingham: The Cinderella Story for Oxford United
Explore our insight to why we believe Des Buckingham is the man to pilot Oxford United to the next level.www.behindthedugoutt.co.uk
Ha, we won one match! If we win three people will vote him a contract for life.