Home Match Day Thread 28/11/2023 L1: OUFC v Bolton Wanderers

[Malc]

COME ON YOU YELLOWS

 

[West Oxon U’s]

 

[Jster]

Let's sign the prolific Marriott. As many goals as Greg Leigh this season...

 

[Foley]

Totally pointless fact, but since we beat Exeter 3-0 they have picked up 2 points in their last 9 games

They and Port Vale are falling very quickly and are in serious danger.
Exterer's previous manager is free now. I wouldn't be amazed if he goes back there

 

[Swaby39]

On the weekly-rolling striker subject, I still think Harris would be unanimously popular with fans if he had 2 or 3 more competent ones around the squad to share the load. He’s missing the most fundamental part of being a striker but also does a lot of what many strikers are unwilling to do.

He frustrates the life out of me in front of goal but I still find myself liking him and glad he’s an Oxford player. I just wish we weren’t reliant on him to find the net but sadly there isn’t a regular goal-getter across the squad so by default you blame the striker who hasn’t scored in 3 months when we fire blanks.

So that still leaves us needing what he can’t give us and looking at Buckingham’s tendency to mix it up more than Manning with the odd longer ball, I wonder whether the profile of that player just changed somewhat.

 

[Bicester Yellow]

21 goals have come from our attacking midfielders/wide men this season so that’s not exactly true.

I meant more from Cam & Mcguane. I know they offer other qualities but need more goals from them. Harris is never going to score the goals required. He links play well sometimes but other times loses it in stupid areas. We need a proper striker who when we put great balls into the box is attacking the near post or the penalty spot, Harris or odonkor ain’t that player, if we had signed Marriott he would have 10 goals this season for us already. If we don’t sign one at least in January it will cost us.

 

[Orkney Islands Yellow]

 

[Joey]

To pretty much echo everyone else that was a good game and a good point last night against a very good team who will likely take one of the automatic spots.

I voted Moore for man of the match, I thought he was fantastic defensively and brings so much more composure and passing ability, I like how he often puts it a year or two ahead of Stevens to encourage him to go forwards and cut out the striker. People rave about that Santos for them but I'd say Moore is his equal. Santos might be a bit quicker but he's nowhere near as good on the ball and they're both excellent in the air.

A few other notable performances last night but we were holding on second half, although the change to a back 3 helped. It did show that the squad is still a little weak as there was very little on the bench while Bolton were able to bring on plenty of senior players. That's a fallout from the last few years under the previous manager, Manning and Waldron did as much as anyone could reasonably expect and did a great job putting this squad together. If we get good business done early in January then we're still a threat this year. Bolton are the best team I've seen this year and we still matched them without a couple of very important players, some more depth and we've got every chance.

 

[Common Villager]

FWIW I thought it was a very good game, played between two good sides. It ebbed and flowed quite a bit, with both teams having spells in the ascendancy.

I agree with other posters that Moore showed we missed on Saturday against Cheltenham. I thought Harris' movement was good and his hold/link up play, on the whole, was much improved on recent performances.

I think we missed Rorigues' ability to pick a pass in transition. There was a few occasions when we had an opportunity to catch them on the break, but the passing and/or movement wasn't good enough. On the Rodrigues front, it was good to see/hear how animated he was watching the game from the top of the SSU - vastly different to the standard disinterested faces you normally see up there!

All in all, a good foundation for Buckingham to build on.

 

[Swaby39]

FWIW I thought it was a very good game, played between two good sides. It ebbed and flowed quite a bit, with both teams having spells in the ascendancy.

I agree with other posters that Moore showed we missed on Saturday against Cheltenham. I thought Harris' movement was good and his hold/link up play, on the whole, was much improved on recent performances.

I think we missed Rorigues' ability to pick a pass in transition. There was a few occasions when we had an opportunity to catch them on the break, but the passing and/or movement wasn't good enough. On the Rodrigues front, it was good to see/hear how animated he was watching the game from the top of the SSU - vastly different to the standard disinterested faces you normally see up there!

All in all, a good foundation for Buckingham to build on.

Well said.

I think one major plus about this side now, going with an old cliche, is that we have an excellent spine to the team. Beadle through Moore, Brannagan, McGuane and Rodrigues is superb and Harris does his bit but that’s obviously the area to focus on. We’ve had spells without one or more of those players and it really hurts our performances.

The squad is still at least 3 or 4 players of that quality short, maybe more if we take Bolton’s as the yard stick. We’ve done incredibly well to be where we are and just need to stay in the mix for another month and see what we can add in January.

 

[BicesterU]

Really enjoyed last night's game. Both sides seemed a bit cagey in the first 40 minutes, but Mills should've scored just before the break. Second half was breath-taking. I felt like we dominated the first ten minutes, but then they had a prolonged spell of threat until Negru came on, and then it could've gone either way in the final 15 minutes. Goodrham and O'Donkor both did well having come on, and Murphy just gives us something a little different with his directness and willingness to run at and commit defenders.

I find Mills constantly frustrating. Found himself in some good positions in the first half thanks to some neat interplay with Bodin and McGuane, but then didn't really seem to know what to do with it once he found himself there. Not sure he beat the first man with any of his crosses. Then second half he was just completely anonymous, almost constantly out of position, and Bolton carried a huge attacking threat down their left because of that. He completely fluffed a left foot shot inside the box when he had better options, and then couldn't connect with a Brannaghan cross before he went off. He seems to make the wrong decision too often for me. Very much looking forward to Browne and Edwards being back fully fit.

 

[ECYellow]

That was a really solid point and clean sheet, against a Bolton side that have top quality league 1 players all over the pitch. If they don’t win the league I’ll be amazed.

Moore has been our best player this season by a distance and he showed again last night just how valuable he is to the team. His ball playing has improved immeasurably and his calming influence is not to be underestimated.

Unlike Nick Harris and a few on here, I didn’t think McGuane was that effective last night. He regularly surrendered possession in that CM area and for me, in the last two games has gone back to taking too many touches and slowing us down. He needs to carry the ball forward or recycle it with less touches, for me.

Edwards had a good half. I like his direct running and is the only one willing to get beyond the full back and get crosses in. It was telling that Bolton got down the sides of us a lot, got to the byline and caused problems. Down our right, it happened time and time again but also happened against Brown in the first half on 3 occasions.

Harris. Well, what can be said? He clearly tries! Unfortunately, you watch the movement of a Dion Charles versus Harris and the difference is stark. I’m not sure that you can coach that ‘instinct’ into a player.

Des did ok last night. From block 9 SSU it was obvious that a change needed to happen down our left about 10-15 mins earlier than it came. Had a goal been conceded during that period, I’m not sure Des would be getting quite the good grace that he is on this thread. I’m pleased he is on the board with a point.

Shame about the crowd, both noise and numbers were underwhelming.

Murphy deserves a start on Saturday.

Oh, and I do hope the recruitment team have begun negotiations with Posh for JCH in January or Al Hamidi at Wombles. We need a striker in early in January and not a last minute dash in the final few days.

 

[Steve Gilbert]

I meant more from Cam & Mcguane. I know they offer other qualities but need more goals from them. Harris is never going to score the goals required. He links play well sometimes but other times loses it in stupid areas. We need a proper striker who when we put great balls into the box is attacking the near post or the penalty spot, Harris or odonkor ain’t that player, if we had signed Marriott he would have 10 goals this season for us already. If we don’t sign one at least in January it will cost us.

Cam is joint 3rd with Ruben for goals scored this season. McGuane is a water carrier in the midfield, he will pick the ball up off the back 4 and pass it on and he is there to break up play. Not every midfielder is in there for attacking reasons, you need to have defensive ones too.
I agree we need a Marriott type of striker for up top. The Matty Taylor from a few years back would have a field day in this team, it’s just unfortunate age and injuries have caught up with him.

 

[Osei Yaw]

When did we start playing Sub Focus after full time? I enjoyed it. A massive improvement on Neil Diamond.

Top 30 club

 

[SirAndyOfCrosby]

Let's sign the prolific Marriott. As many goals as Greg Leigh this season...

You jest (no pun intended) but Marriott's 5 League goals is a decent return in an awful side, especially when you consider he wasn't massively fancied by Scott Brown early on.

I know it's a fun inside joke to mock him, but he'd quite likely already be on double figures in this OUFC side.

 

[Big Ron]

Plenty of Harris chat here but let’s also mention the amount of big chances fluffed by Bodin this season. Once or twice a game he gets a one-on-one or ahead of his defender but invariably makes a weak or no connection. He should be on 10+ goals by now.

 

[MustardYellow]

The main question... why the f**k is no one ever in the box?!?!?!?

The amount of good quality balls we put into the box and no player is even close.

 

[RyanioBirdio]

Unlike Nick Harris and a few on here, I didn’t think McGuane was that effective last night. He regularly surrendered possession in that CM area and for me, in the last two games has gone back to taking too many touches and slowing us down. He needs to carry the ball forward or recycle it with less touches, for me.

Think you’re being generous there. I thought he was garbage.

 

[Orkney Islands Yellow]

Plenty of Harris chat here but let’s also mention the amount of big chances fluffed by Bodin this season. Once or twice a game he gets a one-on-one or ahead of his defender but invariably makes a weak or no connection. He should be on 10+ goals by now.

And there's no excuse for that, a professional footballer should be able to strike the ball cleanly. It's like he gets the yips in those positions.

 

[Orkney Islands Yellow]

Oxford United 0-0 Bolton Wanderers

Highlights of the Sky Bet League One match between Oxford United and Bolton Wanderers.

www.skysports.com

 

[Matt W]

I've jut seen this about Paul Bodin

Ex-Wales defender Bodin reveals cancer diagnosis

Former Wales and Swindon Town defender Paul Bodin reveals prostate cancer diagnosis

www.bbc.co.uk