Away Match Day Thread +++ 02/04/2018 Shrewsbury T v OUFC Match Day Thread +++

Ricardinho has a clause giving him another year if he starts another league game. So unless KR suddenly decides he wants him around next term then it's going to be a ruffles or ASB from the start until the end of the season.

f**k it then, we’ll have to worry about next season when we know we’re safe. ASB is a defensive liability and offers nothing going forward, and Ruffels’ positioning is poor when he plays there. Ricardinho is our only semi-decent LB that is at least competent defensively and can offer something going forward.
 
Saturday is our biggest game since Wycombe home 23 months ago. It’s not a game for moaning but one to get behind the team noisily. We ain’t that good but that’s a problem that can be solved in the summer, the next 3 home games will probably be horrible, but this side is what we have now so need to get behind them and get on the refs back.

Today was always unlikely, least we showed a bit of fight, we ain’t going to beat or draw against Wigan or Blackburn but the rest of our fixtures ain’t to bad, just need to get 5 or 6 points from the games against Oldham, Fleetwood, Southend, Doncaster and Rochdale, four of those are at home so we deserve to go down if we can’t pick up at least 5 points.

This is spot on - if we cannot get enough points from those 5 games then we will have got 100% what we deserve - having said that, we really are a poor team so who knows what will happen - at least KR has a more positive air and approach than those before him

Staggering that people are having a go at him - blame is pretty evenly placed between DE for his bizarre Clotet experiment and Tiger for p..ing around for 2 months - do many people really buy this shite about him waiting for KR to become free ?
 
I apologise if I'm about to make a tit of myself, but seriously wondering whether a back 3 might be worth looking at.

We have no width, the full backs going forward leave us horrendously exposed, and misplaced passes from centre-backs cause serious issues.

Kane looks good going forward, as did Ricardinho earlier this season. More defensive cover would give freedom to Rothwell to get forward, extra support for the striker, and better transitional play between defence and attack.

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Don't get me wrong, I trust Robbo and I'm aware this is classic armchair manager stuff. But we can't play the system we'd ideally want to until the summer when we can recruit the players capable of pulling it off.
 
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Apart from 10 points out of their last 5 games. I'm not too worried but MK just stuttered against a top draw Blackburn. I really hope they don't save themselves but they are looking the most likely recently.
Bury are gone and I think Northampton are as well - barring a Torquay style revival... Rochdale still have lots to do (fair to say I’d rather be in our position than theirs) so that leaves one position with 6 teams in the hat: MK, Wimbledon, Oldham, Walsall, us and Blackpool. Blackpool probably have enough points on the board and Oldham are suddenly picking up points at just the right time. I think it’s going to be either MK or Wimbledon, but Walsall have some tough matches. We bloody need to pick up points asap..
 
I apologise if I'm about to make a tit of myself, but seriously wondering whether a back 3 might be worth looking at.

We have no width, the full backs going forward leave us horrendously exposed, and misplaced passes from centre-backs cause serious issues.

Kane looks good going forward, as did Ricardinho earlier this season. This would give more freedom to Rothwell to get forward, more support for striker, and better transitional play between defence and attack.

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Don't get me wrong, I trust Robbo and I'm aware this is classic armchair manager stuff. But we can't play the system we'd ideally want to until the summer until we can recruit the players capable of pulling it off.

I’m not sure if playing two s**t central defenders in a 3 makes it better or worse.
 
neither seems to be able to string one decent performance together, a few minutes in a cameo role isn't good enough
There was an interesting albeit tongue in cheek comment about bringing both Wes and Obika on in the second half - but why not - both have shown many times this season that they cannot handle a full 90 minutes but both can make an impact second half - given that situation, wouldn't it be worth a try to start with Napa or Mehmeti up front and bring them on later - desperate times call for desperate measures and all that
 
It’s a bit worrying (also understandable) that we’re looking at leftfield solutions to get the points required. It just illustrates the absolute fecking shambles this squad is in and what KR has to deal with..
 
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Focussing (no I'm not Pep in disguise) on the positives for a second. I do think the players seem very much together in all this and they have shown a real fighting spirit in recent matches from the first minute to the last.
 
Today was always unlikely, least we showed a bit of fight, we ain’t going to beat or draw against Wigan or Blackburn but the rest of our fixtures ain’t to bad, just need to get 5 or 6 points from the games against Oldham, Fleetwood, Southend, Doncaster and Rochdale, four of those are at home so we deserve to go down if we can’t pick up at least 5 points.

Well, first Faz then KR seem to be giving the team a bit of spirit and fight. The problem is Pep's shite, unbalanced squad. Nevertheless I feel more optimistic about staying up than I did before Pep left.

Big week from next Saturday. COYY!
 
Fight is what is needed, but some of these players clearly see themselves as surplus to requirement at the end of the season.
Some want out, and they will get their wish. But how do you motivate players who see themselves as already gone?
Glad that I am not KR in trying to extract the best out of them for the remainder of this season.
But he will need to put an arm around those players who show him the heart and desire for the battle this week and let them do their stuff on the field Saturday.
 
This is spot on - if we cannot get enough points from those 5 games then we will have got 100% what we deserve - having said that, we really are a poor team so who knows what will happen - at least KR has a more positive air and approach than those before him

Staggering that people are having a go at him - blame is pretty evenly placed between DE for his bizarre Clotet experiment and Tiger for p..ing around for 2 months - do many people really buy this shite about him waiting for KR to become free ?

Well, you are right that this is not KR's fault. But I think that it is harsh to give Tiger more than a small share of the blame. Pep was fired at - frankly - an incompetent time. He should have gone in December, and certainly straight after the Wigan debacle or not at all. A new manager at the start of January would have had a chance of bringing in 2 or 3 of 'his ' players and having time to coach in a new system.
But that was just the latest of a litany of bad decisions that stretched back to this time last year (and well before that, actually) but the really harmful ones started in about January 2017.
KR and Tiger deserve and need full support for the next month. They both inherited a shitty situation and we can only hope that they are up to the numerous challenges that face them. The first of which, but no means the last, is avoiding what would be a calamitous relegation.
 
Showing fight is all very well and some of the team really do put themselves about but, the lack of decision making and poor skill is costing us dear.

No point in singling out any players but if the basics aren't right, what chance do we have? The ball has to go into the goal of the opposition and not into ours. Rocket science it ain't.
 
Fight is what is needed, but some of these players clearly see themselves as surplus to requirement at the end of the season.
Some want out, and they will get their wish. But how do you motivate players who see themselves as already gone?
Glad that I am not KR in trying to extract the best out of them for the remainder of this season.
But he will need to put an arm around those players who show him the heart and desire for the battle this week and let them do their stuff on the field Saturday.
Spot on. The scoreline flattered us in the end today. We scored two goals in the second half (the second being a deflection from a nothing shot) from our only real efforts after a dreadful start to the half.
Wes Thomas nicked a poacher's goal, fair play...but his every other touch and slouch was woeful...he looks like he can't wait to hit the National League.
Napa is featherweight in the challenge and his decision making is poor.
I feel sorry for Robinson given that he has at best half a team of fit L1 players (Eastwood, Dickie, Ledson, Rothwell, Brannagan, Henry) but you have to question him starting with Mehmeti (rivalling Xemi as one of the worst ever to wear the shirt).
At least Eastwood looked back to his better form with 3 brilliant saves in the first 25 minutes alone.
And talking of goalkeepers...Dean Henderson needs to be remembered for his disgraceful antics today, no matter who he plays for against us he needs to get a roasting.
 
How was Mehmeti? No good? Was surprised he started
His best contribution was to be anonymous. Whenever he got near the ball he looked out of his depth. Would probably have been out of his depth in the kids half-time kickabout too.
 
Not sure what system Robinson played today, and god only knows why Obika was playing virtually right midfield!

We need to go back to basics and play 4-4-2. We need to start with Ricardinho, maybe rest Ledson or Brannagan and put Ruffels just in front of the back central pairing with with Brannagan playing the more forward central midfield attacker.

We also need to start with Thomas & Obika up top.
 
Poor Karl - he can now see the real depth of the problems he has inherited. Will he bite the bullitt & drop our captain? Mousinho has been absolutely woeful for ages - hearts are in mouths everytime he has the ball. We cannot "magic" new players so I agree we have to get behind what we have - but time for KR to change the central defence.


Mousinho is a liability, takes 10 touches every time he gets the ball and ends up going around in a circle back to where he started. I was really pleased when we signed him but I’d get shot of him in the summer. Never thought I’d prefer Martin to play but at least he would add some much needed height to the side.
 
Spot on. The scoreline flattered us in the end today. We scored two goals in the second half (the second being a deflection from a nothing shot) from our only real efforts after a dreadful start to the half.
Wes Thomas nicked a poacher's goal, fair play...but his every other touch and slouch was woeful...he looks like he can't wait to hit the National League.
Napa is featherweight in the challenge and his decision making is poor.
I feel sorry for Robinson given that he has at best half a team of fit L1 players (Eastwood, Dickie, Ledson, Rothwell, Brannagan, Henry) but you have to question him starting with Mehmeti (rivalling Xemi as one of the worst ever to wear the shirt).
At least Eastwood looked back to his better form with 3 brilliant saves in the first 25 minutes alone.
And talking of goalkeepers...Dean Henderson needs to be remembered for his disgraceful antics today, no matter who he plays for against us he needs to get a roasting.

Why? What did he do?
 
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