Home Match Day Thread 28/11/2023 L1: OUFC v Bolton Wanderers
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Followtheox1
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Why are you sorry you don't hate Harris?
m
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Hanging on in the second? Maybe, but we weathered what was essentially a 15 minute storm rather well.
And we had a couple of excellent chances to score ourselves...
PottersRightBoot
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Thought subs all did well and were introduced at good moments. The biggest improvement this season has been in the back 5. That’s what mainly got us our point tonight against silky opponents.
Much better - all over the pitch - after Saturday’s farrago.
Much better - all over the pitch - after Saturday’s farrago.
derek
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It wasn't a choice. And I suspect you are well aware of that.
Witney yellows
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I dont rate him as a striker decent front player but cant finish consistently enough to lead the line.
Wandering Yellow
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I like Harris' work rate and effort a lot. And I feel he has a lot to offer particularly when we have space on the pitch and teams set up to play football. When we play on the counter he is very valuable.
But, he just isn't a "9". And that's not really his fault. Some fans may have been expecting a Taylor replacement and he's not that. I fooled myself into thinking maybe his goal return record was poor because he came off the bench a lot or the opposition was better, it turns out he's just not a poacher number 9. He has 3 league goals this season, if he adds one more it will be his best ever goals return in a season in the league. That probably tells us everything.
But, he just isn't a "9". And that's not really his fault. Some fans may have been expecting a Taylor replacement and he's not that. I fooled myself into thinking maybe his goal return record was poor because he came off the bench a lot or the opposition was better, it turns out he's just not a poacher number 9. He has 3 league goals this season, if he adds one more it will be his best ever goals return in a season in the league. That probably tells us everything.
East Stand Fan
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Entertaining game and a good point earned. A very positive performance across the pitch especially from Beadle, Mills and Bodin. Thought everyone did well but I wish Harris pressed a bit more because their defence looked a bit iffy with the ball and they were very indecisive in how to move the ball out the back.
We defended well but they had 3 really good chances which should’ve been converted - two excellent saves and a woeful miss at the back post. Aside from that, solid and a clean sheet. Goodrham also looked lively and Murphy was also unlucky. I also think Stevens had his best game for us.
Very encouraged after Saturday but we really need a prolific striker.
We defended well but they had 3 really good chances which should’ve been converted - two excellent saves and a woeful miss at the back post. Aside from that, solid and a clean sheet. Goodrham also looked lively and Murphy was also unlucky. I also think Stevens had his best game for us.
Very encouraged after Saturday but we really need a prolific striker.
I thought Beadle and Moore were outstanding tonight, also impressed with Stevens defensively tonight.
I thought Buckingham made the right call with the subs Bodin clearly was gone after 60 mins and switching to a back 3 massively helped us keep a clean sheet when we were rocking. Very promising that was prepared to change it rather than wait for them to score before changing.
I thought Mills was just on his heels a bit and like Harris doesn’t seem to anticipate - which slows things down at times.
I throughly both Murphy and Goodrham looked lovely but had little opportunity to show it with Bolton more in control second half.
Really good 0-0 could have been 2-2 with different keepers, Bolton are clearly a classy side and any team will do well to finish above them so a point a think is a decent result and fair.
I thought Buckingham made the right call with the subs Bodin clearly was gone after 60 mins and switching to a back 3 massively helped us keep a clean sheet when we were rocking. Very promising that was prepared to change it rather than wait for them to score before changing.
I thought Mills was just on his heels a bit and like Harris doesn’t seem to anticipate - which slows things down at times.
I throughly both Murphy and Goodrham looked lovely but had little opportunity to show it with Bolton more in control second half.
Really good 0-0 could have been 2-2 with different keepers, Bolton are clearly a classy side and any team will do well to finish above them so a point a think is a decent result and fair.
Cass63
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Have you ever thought of going into management, you sound great.
Joey
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That was top quality all around. Really well struck free kick with plenty of movement and a brilliant save, not just to stop it but put it over the bar. Couple of excellent keepers out there tonight.
Upthecowboys
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Bolton have been on a heck of a run, there were contrasting results on Saturday, and we’ve had an uncertain few weeks with a change of manager. So for me, that was a performance and result which settled a few nerves.
Bolton looked an excellent team to me, athletic and played with purpose and we more than matched them. We had the best of the first half chances and they looked stronger in the second.
We’re a different side with Leigh and Rodrigues in, we desperately need them available for the rest of the season.
The 2 cup games have come at a good time, some fringe players can get some game time and by the time the next league game comes around we could have Browne and Leigh available along with the returning Rodrigues.
I certainly feel more positive this evening than I did on Saturday evening. Thought that was a proper game of football played by two very good Div 1 sides.
Bolton looked an excellent team to me, athletic and played with purpose and we more than matched them. We had the best of the first half chances and they looked stronger in the second.
We’re a different side with Leigh and Rodrigues in, we desperately need them available for the rest of the season.
The 2 cup games have come at a good time, some fringe players can get some game time and by the time the next league game comes around we could have Browne and Leigh available along with the returning Rodrigues.
I certainly feel more positive this evening than I did on Saturday evening. Thought that was a proper game of football played by two very good Div 1 sides.
To reiterate what I said at half time, how wonderfully refreshing to see two teams actually trying to play a bit of football and having the quality to do so. A great game to watch, and one played largely in the right spirit, too. Remarkable how much better a referee looks when he isn't having to adjudicate constant wrestling matches, nasty gamesmanship and horrible 'you're better than me so I'm going to snap your ankles' challenges. You can have a slight grumble about when he chose to issue cards, but I thought Purkiss had a largely very good game today - fair play to him.
As others have said, I think Bolton just shaded it, and they'll be ruing not scoring in that 15 minute spell they had when Mills just went missing. But we had our own very good chances and threatening moments too, so I don't think either side can complain. I thought their central midfielders 8 and 19 were just excellent. They were both pushed up a little further in the second half and I think that's where their period of dominance came from, we couldn't get out and it seemed like it took CB and MM right out of the game. Clever tweak from Evatt. DB is rightly getting plaudits for stifling their momentum with the Negru substitution, but I thought they only really lost the last of their attacking impetus when the 19 was substituted at around 75 minutes, he seemed like he was running the game before then.
It's a shame we were missing Leigh and RR. Bodin had a quiet game for me, and I think that bit more impetus and quality RR would have given us could have seen us nick a goal. As for Leigh, I think where we started to get some real joy towards the end of the first half in particular was when Stevens pushed into the space that is always the Achilles' heel of any formation with 3 at the back, in behind the wingbacks. The weird Bodin/Harris fluffed chance came from a ball from there. I thought Brown was really solid defensively, but we just lacked that equivalent bit of threat in that space on the left that Leigh would have offered. Edwards was excellent (what a player) but was being double teamed whenever in a dangerous position as there was no one else for the defenders to track, which did nullify him quite a bit in terms of end product. Again, a similar threat to Stevens down the left may have given us the edge to go on and win the game.
Not too many negatives to take, as I thought everyone had pretty good games (even Harris, despite his toothlessness in front of goal), but there were a couple of managerial decisions I was a little bemused by. While, as I say, DB rightly deserves praise for getting the Negru sub right, I thought it took him a little too long to react. It was pretty clear their number 3 had the run of that left side for about 10 minutes before that change was made, and Bolton were giving us the runaround. Had they scored in that time (which, from where I was sat, it looked like they probably should have done), I think we'd be feeling a lot less charitable towards his in-game management. Additionally, while I thought Tyler played well when he came on, I didn't see the logic in not bringing on a like-for-like replacement in Murphy when Edwards was substituted. I really like TG, but the loss of that threat of beating a man and getting in behind when he was brought on for Edwards I think contributed to Bolton's dominant spell. Murphy seemed the obvious replacement and I think justified this impression with how he performed when he came on, he gave their defenders the right heebie jeebies (in a way TG didn't really). As I say, not big things, but things that on other day could have swung the game in Bolton's favour imo.
Finally, hope everyone involved in the nasty looking crash on Barns Rd on the way away from the stadium is alright. Scary scenes.
As others have said, I think Bolton just shaded it, and they'll be ruing not scoring in that 15 minute spell they had when Mills just went missing. But we had our own very good chances and threatening moments too, so I don't think either side can complain. I thought their central midfielders 8 and 19 were just excellent. They were both pushed up a little further in the second half and I think that's where their period of dominance came from, we couldn't get out and it seemed like it took CB and MM right out of the game. Clever tweak from Evatt. DB is rightly getting plaudits for stifling their momentum with the Negru substitution, but I thought they only really lost the last of their attacking impetus when the 19 was substituted at around 75 minutes, he seemed like he was running the game before then.
It's a shame we were missing Leigh and RR. Bodin had a quiet game for me, and I think that bit more impetus and quality RR would have given us could have seen us nick a goal. As for Leigh, I think where we started to get some real joy towards the end of the first half in particular was when Stevens pushed into the space that is always the Achilles' heel of any formation with 3 at the back, in behind the wingbacks. The weird Bodin/Harris fluffed chance came from a ball from there. I thought Brown was really solid defensively, but we just lacked that equivalent bit of threat in that space on the left that Leigh would have offered. Edwards was excellent (what a player) but was being double teamed whenever in a dangerous position as there was no one else for the defenders to track, which did nullify him quite a bit in terms of end product. Again, a similar threat to Stevens down the left may have given us the edge to go on and win the game.
Not too many negatives to take, as I thought everyone had pretty good games (even Harris, despite his toothlessness in front of goal), but there were a couple of managerial decisions I was a little bemused by. While, as I say, DB rightly deserves praise for getting the Negru sub right, I thought it took him a little too long to react. It was pretty clear their number 3 had the run of that left side for about 10 minutes before that change was made, and Bolton were giving us the runaround. Had they scored in that time (which, from where I was sat, it looked like they probably should have done), I think we'd be feeling a lot less charitable towards his in-game management. Additionally, while I thought Tyler played well when he came on, I didn't see the logic in not bringing on a like-for-like replacement in Murphy when Edwards was substituted. I really like TG, but the loss of that threat of beating a man and getting in behind when he was brought on for Edwards I think contributed to Bolton's dominant spell. Murphy seemed the obvious replacement and I think justified this impression with how he performed when he came on, he gave their defenders the right heebie jeebies (in a way TG didn't really). As I say, not big things, but things that on other day could have swung the game in Bolton's favour imo.
Finally, hope everyone involved in the nasty looking crash on Barns Rd on the way away from the stadium is alright. Scary scenes.
Well that was a good watch and encouraging that we went toe to toe with them. I know they mainly dominated the second half but we also had some good opportunities could have gone either way. Would prefer Murphy over Mills or Bodin or even Harris atm. Harris works very hard but is largely ineffective. Gatlin rattled them more in his ten minutes than he did in the entire match. These two with the mysterious Perkins are all weve got until January so we need to get behind them. Feeling a bit relieved after Saturday!
Really good entertaining game tonight, between 2 decent footballing sides. First 25 mins very even, but we had our best spell of the game in the latter part of the 1st half. Mills should have scored in that period too. Bolton were excellent for the first 30 minutes of the 2nd half, we looked very open on our right side, where it seemed like stevens was isolated. Defensively we were excellent, put our bodies on the line and made at least 2 goal saving blocks and beadle was superb. Very good all round performance against an excellent side. A quick mention to des too, with the excellent tactical change bringing negru on for the last 15, looked alot more solid after that. In the end a very good point!!!!
dickwalton1964
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Enjoyed that, two good teams and a credit to L1. I’ve been a bit sceptical about DB after the Cheltenham game and some of his early media interviews but was won over last night - on the pitch and off it. He got a response, he looked a manager in control on the touchline and a good, measured interview afterwards. Although settling for a point seems a bit negative I think you sometimes have to read the game and react to whats going on out there and he did that. He realised we were hanging on a bit and rather than throw everything at them and risk ending up 6 points adrift we basically settled for honours even and a clean sheet - good management and no problem with that. That’s a very good point for us and obviously deprives Bolton of all three.
Its good that all the Oxford homecoming stuff has died down and we can now see a manager settling in to his role, rather than the new boy being followed around by cameras.
Its good that all the Oxford homecoming stuff has died down and we can now see a manager settling in to his role, rather than the new boy being followed around by cameras.
dickwalton1964
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Moore, Brannagan or Thorniley in terms of over all 90 minute contributions. Beadle did well too but he was only needed for 45 minutes, don’t think he had anything to do in first half. Thought Stevens had a decent game too. Harris, yeah did alright but need to see more threat from him rather than just graft. Think we missed Rodriguez and his ability to get on the ball in that last third.
A draw is the right result I think. Each team has had its period of chances. Our 1st 15 minutes were not good, probably the tactics from Des ? From there to the 50th minute we were really good.
Personally I found the performance of C. Brown very weak.. He seemed tired with not good legs...He was always second on the ball, always running after his opponent.
Harris has a correct game....apart from he's not in the box. He runs a lot, works a lot but never in the box to create something. I'd like to see him with a second striker running around him. So he'd be the pivot. But alone like that, it's hard for him.
For the rest, I don't know if you've the same impression than me but I found we made a lot of back passes (I thought about 2 free kicks in their half ). Probably again tactics.
Moore was good again, Mills also ( was tired at the end ), Mc Guane looks tired but did the job very well.
So a good point vs a good side who was always dangerous on counter attacks or proper attacks !
Now cup ties
Personally I found the performance of C. Brown very weak.. He seemed tired with not good legs...He was always second on the ball, always running after his opponent.
Harris has a correct game....apart from he's not in the box. He runs a lot, works a lot but never in the box to create something. I'd like to see him with a second striker running around him. So he'd be the pivot. But alone like that, it's hard for him.
For the rest, I don't know if you've the same impression than me but I found we made a lot of back passes (I thought about 2 free kicks in their half ). Probably again tactics.
Moore was good again, Mills also ( was tired at the end ), Mc Guane looks tired but did the job very well.
So a good point vs a good side who was always dangerous on counter attacks or proper attacks !
Now cup ties
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