Hold on a minute
Last season and this season to date Sam Long may not have been at his best when defending but you have to look at the players in front of him in that situation.When he had Sykes, Whyte or Williams there he had players who would get back track their man and help out defensively.
He hasn’t had that since, it’s frightening how many times there are two players he has to mark.Browne was abysmal at helping out on Saturday.
If we sort that out I feel you will see a better player but even Baldock or Kenny would have their work cut out with the lack of support he gets.
Can we do better than Sam, yes of course but we have to look at other players and their responsibility to defend.
This is absolutely right. The singling out of Sam Long is getting boring now. He is, and has always been, a technically limited player but a solid and disciplined defensive right back. Admittedly he did have one swashbuckling season but that was an outlier for him (and most of the team tbh) and was followed by a nasty injury the following season which seemed to permanently take a yard off his pace.
We've conceded two league goals this season, one from our left after Brown went upfield for no real reason and lost the ball resulting in a bang average cross which we messed up in the centre, the other after Sam Long progressed forward with Browne covering and failing to prevent the cross. That second was a freakishly good goal too - we won't see many like that this season: superb flick and pinpoint cross.
Here's what Sam Long is better than average at imo...
- Preventing balls behind, especially from deep. In his entire Oxford career he's conceded only a handful of these that I can remember and even when they do happen he's typically pretty good at recovery. These make up a pretty high percentage of third tier goals so not to be sniffed at.
- Sending wingers out wide in 1 on 1s. Long is well above average for a L1 right back at playing the percentages and keeping his man away from the danger zone between the edge of the area and the byline.
- Communication and leadership - it's a low bar at Oxford these days but Sam is one of our more vocal and disciplined players who often has an underappreciated role in directing others, especially when we flap and start losing our shape. When heads are down elsewhere Longy stands tall.
- Aerial duels. Wins a good % and never, ever fails to at least compete unlike some wide defenders I can think of.
- Professionalism and seemingly eternal willingness to step up when needed or to take a back seat as a squad player when asked. Imagine trying to sign another RB at our level with his experience and relative solidity, on comparatively modest money who would be happy and willing to do this. Maybe a 35 year old crock on a last pay check?
- Rarely relevant these days but he's also a pretty decent (and early) crosser for a defensive RB
His limitations are well rehearsed: First touch often heavy, below average technique (especially in tight areas), comparatively weak passing, no real attacking threat unless we're totally bossing a game and the midfield is humming.
It's quite reasonable to argue that Sam's weaknesses combined with a lack of creative quality and pace on the left side is holding us back. I'd agree. But to argue that the idea of playing Sam Long might be the 'reason' we lose a game or should strike fear in our hearts is utter nonsense which flies in the face of years of evidence. There's a reason multiple managers playing numerous styles of football have appreciated what he offers in certain circumstances. What I'll be looking out for at Derby tomorrow night is a marked improvement in our midfield discipline and *much* more commitment from our wide attackers to join the fight, press harder and track better to prevent 2 on 1s down the wing. I'd quite like Tyler back on the right of attack for an away game against decent opponents, even if he's marked out of the game he never stops working and 'pestering' out of possession. Or maybe Stevens as a winger to work his ass off up and down the line and hopefully deliver some more crosses like the one against Bristol City? Unless there's something I'm not seeing Stevens is not the answer to our RB question unless we're playing 3/5 at the back.
Rant over. We need at least one more fullback to move forward. Until then scapegoating Sam Long is helping noone.
