Home Match Day Thread 7/4/2023 L1: OUFC v Sheffield Wednesday

[mariokempes]

Ciaron Brown really is a top pro and despite his limitations as a footballer he delivers very consistent performances.

The likes of Murphy and Yanic should hold their heads in shame (our so called wingers on very good money) because for the majority of the game we were very dependent on an 'old fashioned centre half' playing left back to burst forward down the flank and make something happen. He endeavour and grit is very admirable and certainly doesn't go unrecognised! For me take Cam's goals and his endeavour away from the side and we'd be down already.

As a few others have said this is such a poor league this year and Wednesday were bang average.

Player of the season IMO

 

[Yellowmania]

The reality is the Sheffield goal was poor by Yanic. He rightly got taken off at half time.

For somebody of his supposed pedigree it was indeed schoolboy type defending. Twas a stunning goal though and sometimes you just have to tip your hat.
I’ve also noticed a few times Saturday he seemed to pause a few times before making a run for the ball. Either a case of not knowing what his team mates are going to do (not sure they know themselves sometimes ) or doubts himself.

 

[Cotswolds Cowboy]

1st game I’ve seen since LM got the job. Have to say I was impressed. Yes we have our limitations but LM can’t address that until the summer. Thanks KR. If we keep playing like that we won’t go down. Brown was my MOTM. I was impressed with Negru when he came on.
Monday is now a massive game for us. Win and I think we go on a run a stay up quite easily. Lose and I feel we will be right up to our necks in it and might struggle to survive.
For the moment though I’m going to have a good weekend because I thought we played really well yesterday.

The whole atmosphere at the club has changed
The players know that if they work hard and do well in training they'll get a chance
In stark contrast to the situation previously when the person making the decisions spent 95% of the time on the phone organising his private life while supposedly watching training
Smyth has been fully involved and surprise, surprise he's a decent player when given an opportunity
Negru too was in despair after being told he would get a chance with the first team when he signed in January only to be ignored once he got through the door
Thankfully he's also been given a chance by the new manager
We now have a sober, calm, sensible guy in charge the players and staff are enjoying coming into work again
Long may it continue

 

[Scotchegg]

The whole atmosphere at the club has changed
The players know that if they work hard and do well in training they'll get a chance
In stark contrast to the situation previously when the person making the decisions spent 95% of the time on the phone organising his private life while supposedly watching training
Smyth has been fully involved and surprise, surprise he's a decent player when given an opportunity
Negru too was in despair after being told he would get a chance with the first team when he signed in January only to be ignored once he got through the door
Thankfully he's also been given a chance by the new manager
We now have a sober, calm, sensible guy in charge the players and staff are enjoying coming into work again
Long may it continue

Wasn't Negru injured for a while after arriving?

 

[Cotswolds Cowboy]

Wasn't Negru injured for a while after arriving?

Nothing serious SE. He just wasn't given an opportunity once fit

 

[Scotchegg]

Nothing serious SE. He just wasn't given an opportunity once fit

His foot was in a boot for a number of weeks after picking up an injury at Oxford City. Don't think you can add him to the list of players Robinson apparently fell out with!

 

[Grumpy Git]

I’ve been extremely critical about Murphy, but god I hope he turns in a performance today.

He’s a lazy, waste of space. No excuses, he can’t be arsed. Robinson was a deluded prick if he thought this tosser was going to be the best player in League one. I used to put in more effort on a Sunday morning, after getting in at 3:00 am after a night of beer, kebabs and chucking up, than this over paid prima Donna does on a Saturday. He might have been good once, he’s now Non-league calibre.

 

[Foley]

Nothing serious SE. He just wasn't given an opportunity once fit

That's hardly surprising. He was signed as 'one for the future' having only played 8 games in Ireland.
It will be interesting to see if he starts tomorrow

 

[Steve Gilbert]

He’s a lazy, waste of space. No excuses, he can’t be arsed. Robinson was a deluded prick if he thought this tosser was going to be the best player in League one. I used to put in more effort on a Sunday morning, after getting in at 3:00 am after a night of beer, kebabs and chucking up, than this over paid prima Donna does on a Saturday. He might have been good once, he’s now Non-league calibre.

What ever we think of Murphy, he has come on against Morecambe and started the last 2 games since Manning came in so he must see something in him.

 

[Scotchegg]

What ever we think of Murphy, he has come on against Morecambe and started the last 2 games since Manning came in so he must see something in him.

And he's given better performances than many are giving him credit for.

 

[Daviddidcotexile]

He's not actually a defender though, and tbh the xG on that chance must have been tiny. To blame him for what was a ridiculous piece of skill is harsh. Yes, he could have closed down better, but it was hardly a glaring error.

Of course it was. Everyone knows keep it off his left foot. Yanic had to show him the outside. I bet that had been drilled and no surprise he was hooked at half time

 

[Steve Gilbert]

Of course it was. Everyone knows keep it off his left foot. Yanic had to show him the outside. I bet that had been drilled and no surprise he was hooked at half time

Barry Bannan is one of, if not the best, midfielder in the league. Yes the closing down could of been better but it is a brilliant bit of skill to create the space and to be able to curl it in from that angle.

Sometimes you have to just accept that another team will score a great goal against you that you can’t do much about.

 

[Jster]

Yeah, some people just want to criticise because they enjoy it, I suspect.

 

[Cotswolds Cowboy]

That's hardly surprising. He was signed as 'one for the future' having only played 8 games in Ireland.
It will be interesting to see if he starts tomorrow

Other clubs, including Plymouth were in for him
Hopefully Chris Williams can interview him soon now that it looks like he'll be involved in the run in

 

[SirAndyOfCrosby]

What ever we think of Murphy, he has come on against Morecambe and started the last 2 games since Manning came in so he must see something in him.

And he's given better performances than many are giving him credit for.

Ignoring the complete lack of either goals or assists (can't expect that sort of thing from a winger) - can either of you provide a list of the top 5 impacts made by Murphy in those 3 games?

Moments of quality - a good run perhaps, or a dangerous cross, or an incisive pass?

Actually, don't worry about 5, I'll take 3. Or 1.

One positive contribution from Josh Murphy from these so-called 'better performances'. Everyone else has offered something at some point - yet with Murphy the bar is now so low that we're supposed to just accept him being on the pitch as an acceptable return?

He continues to contribute nothing. Nothing.
The criticism is fully deserved and should continue - regardless of the continued sanctimonious defence of him.

 

[Steve Gilbert]

Ignoring the complete lack of either goals or assists (can't expect that sort of thing from a winger) - can either of you provide a list of the top 5 impacts made by Murphy in those 3 games?

Moments of quality - a good run perhaps, or a dangerous cross, or an incisive pass?

Actually, don't worry about 5, I'll take 3. Or 1.

One positive contribution from Josh Murphy from these so-called 'better performances'. Everyone else has offered something at some point - yet with Murphy the bar is now so low that we're supposed to just accept him being on the pitch as an acceptable return?

He continues to contribute nothing. Nothing.
The criticism is fully deserved and should continue - regardless of the continued sanctimonious defence of him.

Read what I said again…it doesn’t matter what we think if the Manager thinks he deserves to be starting over someone else.

I would personally have Tyler over Murphy or Yanic.

 

[Scotchegg]

Other clubs, including Plymouth were in for him
Hopefully Chris Williams can interview him soon now that it looks like he'll be involved in the run in

But Plymouth weren't looking at putting him into their first team and saw him as one for the future, exactly as we did.

The idea that he was being frozen out by Robinson is simply wrong. He picked up an injury during a run out at Oxford City and was barely back to full training before Robinson left. Making out that there was some other narrative is disingenuous and undermines the issues that were going on.

Like your comment that Robinson was on his phone 95% of the time in training, sorting out his private life. You know that simply isn't true. He was certainly distracted by everything away from football and that ultimately cost him his job. But let's not make things up for effect. The KR Out thread has been closed, and maybe now we can all move on from mentioning him in every thread?

 

[Scotchegg]

Ignoring the complete lack of either goals or assists (can't expect that sort of thing from a winger) - can either of you provide a list of the top 5 impacts made by Murphy in those 3 games?

Moments of quality - a good run perhaps, or a dangerous cross, or an incisive pass?

Actually, don't worry about 5, I'll take 3. Or 1.

One positive contribution from Josh Murphy from these so-called 'better performances'. Everyone else has offered something at some point - yet with Murphy the bar is now so low that we're supposed to just accept him being on the pitch as an acceptable return?

He continues to contribute nothing. Nothing.
The criticism is fully deserved and should continue - regardless of the continued sanctimonious defence of him.

I'll leave the sanctimonious stuff to you!

 

[IsleofWightYellow]

Player Ratings (watched on Sky):

Eastwood: 6 - Dropped a couple early on and maybe could have moved his feet quicker for the goal, but also made some good, even great, saves.

Brown: 8 - Some marauding runs forwards which was nice to see, and was solid when he needed to be. One of the very few players who can hold their heads high this season.

Findlay: 6 - He was fine, solid enough, but he looks poor on the ball and doesn’t have great control. Not the player we’d hoped, it’s fair to say. I can see why he didn’t play much in the MLS.

Moore: 7 - He worked hard and got his head on a couple of corners well. I can see he’s one who’s trying hard under the new manager, he seems an honest pro.

Long: 4 - I personally though he was very poor for the second game in a row, he made quite a few mistakes, gave the ball away a lot and seemed to lack pace on the half turn when defending. Battled hard as ever - his effort is never, ever in question.

McGuane: 7 - Grew into the game second half and made a couple of good runs forward. No idea why he isn’t pushed up the field more as teams can’t live with him when he’s box to box rather than sitting deep.

Brannagan: 6 - Hit his penalty hard enough to score even though the keeper guessed the right way. Still not quite his usual self but ran his socks off.

Wildschut: 3 - I thought he was frankly dreadful. One moment summed his game up - We had a break on in the midfield, Oxford flooding forwards, he got a good pass to feet with no-one around him and he somehow managed to miscontrol it and be tackled. He wasn’t just a passenger, he actively hindered us at times. Play him as central striker or not at all, because a winger he ain’t any more.

Browne: 8 - Along with the other Brown, he was the standout Oxford player. Worked hard, won fouls, should have got their player sent off for a second yellow, and what really impressed me was how good his deliveries from set pieces were - why hasn’t he been taking them before? Tired towards the end and was fouled out of it a little bit (given very little protection by the ref) but he was very good.

Murphy: 4 - It wasn’t that he was terrible, it was more he was so anonymous. You just barely saw him, I didn’t even realise he was playing at one point. Doesn’t seem to want the ball or to make things happen, just drifts around.

Joseph: 6 - Toiled manfully up front with little service, but I’ve never really seen him play well as a central striker, he doesn’t seem to have it in him. As soon as he was moved out wide he was threatening, pacy, full of direct running. Play him as a winger please.

 

[Joey]

Ignoring the complete lack of either goals or assists (can't expect that sort of thing from a winger) - can either of you provide a list of the top 5 impacts made by Murphy in those 3 games?

Moments of quality - a good run perhaps, or a dangerous cross, or an incisive pass?

Actually, don't worry about 5, I'll take 3. Or 1.

One positive contribution from Josh Murphy from these so-called 'better performances'. Everyone else has offered something at some point - yet with Murphy the bar is now so low that we're supposed to just accept him being on the pitch as an acceptable return?

He continues to contribute nothing. Nothing.
The criticism is fully deserved and should continue - regardless of the continued sanctimonious defence of him.

100% agree with this. There's a narrative qbout fresh starts and being more supportive, I agree that singing "what a waste of money" isn't particularly helpful but neither is pretending someone is doing well when they're contributing absolutely nothing. There shouldn't be much cause for negativity from the stands because he shouldn't be on the pitch, he's done nothing to justify it.

If you brought a fan to games from another country who gets football but knows nothing about any of our players there's no way anyone would be picking him to start and neither should we just because he used to be good, especially as he doesn't give off the attitude of someone you want in the trenches with you.

As ever there's a middle ground that appears to be lost. I won't be calling him a c*nt at matches but I also won't try and twist the narrative that he's doing well for us when he isn't. We don't owe him anything, play someone who might give us something rather than pandering to Murphy.