Away Match Day Thread 9/08/2023 Carabao R1: Bristol City v OUFC

[Northstandboy]

Carabao Cup R1 action tonight

https://twitter.com/x/status/1689332074371547139

 

[Sarge]

Bristol City 5-1 Oxford United | Carabao Cup highlights

Highlights of the Carabao Cup first round match between Bristol City and Oxford United.

www.skysports.com

ouch

 

[West Oxon U’s]

 

[West Oxon U’s]

 

[Eaststanding]

Just got back and even though the scoreline wasn’t great, it was far from the worst I’ve seen us play in Bristol.

We started the game off well, looking like the more threatening team. It looked like our game plan was to have the low block, stop them playing through the thirds and force them to play it over the top. But after playing it over the top they exploited the weakness in Stevens, always being that split second late to the ball and not stopping the crosses.

Conceding 5 minutes after levelling at 1-1 was a blow, and like the first goal it came from the right, the ball across wasn’t stopped and the central defenders didn’t deal with it.

We held on until half time, but then lost ourselves right at the start of the second. Again, the gaps coming down our right. Game was gone well before the fifth goal, and how Harris doesn’t take the chance 1v1 I don’t know.

We were playing against a well-drilled side with a manager who’s been there for a few years and players to match his philosophy.

I see enough green shoots to give me hope in this game, more so than the Rovers 1-0 defeat last season which was a complete shambles. Yes we were carved out too many times and conceded soft goals, but we’re still learning to perfect Plan A and there will always be bumps along the way.

Whilst you might panic at the scoreline today, I don’t think a result like this against a good Championship side will be indicative of our season.

A sensible, balanced review, nice one.

 

[behindthegoal]

The players need to get used to way the manager wants them to play?
Its football, don't make it so complicated....just play the simple game....Luton Plymouth, etc didn't go so in-depth on how to play such a simple game....just get on with it

 

[Northstandboy]

You lost me at “for an away side to have 70% possession suggests we ain’t far off”.

Everyone I know who does not attend oufc games say “you had all that possession”

I’m sure you know my 5 word response…

 

[Northstandboy]

All opinions should be welcomed here whether positive or not.

Cancel culture is a must for some.

 

[TailsWeWin]

A sensible, balanced review, nice one.

Agree
It wasn’t as bad as the scoreline suggests.
Of course, plenty of fuel for the moaners who weren’t actually there.

 

[RgYellows]

Just got back and even though the scoreline wasn’t great, it was far from the worst I’ve seen us play in Bristol.

This is the sort of complacency that earns a relegation battle

 

[NorthernExile]

Feel a bit sorry for Manning and our players. It seems every time we've made a mistake this season, we've been punished. I don't think the 1-7 over the last two games is reflective of where we're at, but there's clearly plenty of work to do. We made pretty sizeable mistakes for four of five goals yesterday. Stevens and Mills are both caught chasing the ball for the first, but even then, Brown is in good position to intercept the cross but is just a little too slow to react. It's a pinpoint cross and good play from City, but we could have defended that better.

Stevens has a horror show for the second, losing the ball and taking himself out of the play with a poor attempted tackle. We actually set up well to defend the cross and Brown has a chance to clear but toe pokes it straight to their striker. Two poor errors in one passage of play.

Moore presses aggressively in the build up to their third and gets punished for the second game in a row. As on Saturday, he gets very square on and the attacker has him on toast. If we're going to ring a defensive change, on the evidence of the first two games, Negru for Moore makes the most sense. I don't think we'll see it yet though, and rightly so, he's usually our most dependable defender.

With all of City's goals that came from out wide, we do put ourselves in good defensive positions. Even after Moore's mistake we set ourselves up well to defend the ball in, but Cam takes a wrong step at the point of delivery which ultimately prevents him getting the inch he needs to defend the cross. If there's a silver lining in the goals we're conceding it's that the margins between a clearance/interception and a goal have been miniscule. It's evident we've done a lot of work on turnover transitions in preseason, which makes sense given the style we're looking to play (high press, one and two touch), as the chance of us making mistakes is going to be pretty high. Unfortunately we're getting punished every time so far.

Their fourth needs little analysis, and the fifth is a great ball behind the defence, similar to Stevens' cross for our goal.

It's a discouraging start, magnified by the scorelines, but it's too early to lose faith. I still think we'll win on Saturday, and hopefully win well.

 

[uptheus]

This.
They were really clinical in front of goal. Sadly we created great chances but couldn’t finish.

Did we create chances like theirs though e.g. getting to the byline, pulling the ball back to a player who has a good sight of goal to shoot?

Yes, Goodrham had a chance, but it was still a way out. Harris had a good chance, but the game was all but over at that point. Mills should have done better when he got in behind their defence, but their defender did enough to put him off, but other than that we had half chances, whereas, theirs were good worked goals/opportunities.

 

[mooro]

It is, but we’re also trying to do it in his plan B system. I think if he does one thing tomorrow, it’s rip up the formation and revert to type. He has the formula.

What he’s doing now isn’t working. It doesn’t even look like working. A back 4 without an ounce of pace in it is going to struggle. A back 3 might cope better and also offset this glaring need for a defensive midfielder - that becomes less important with a 3. It solves a lot of problems without really creating any new ones - we need a striker and a left wing back regardless.

Bold calls needed from him this week because that can’t continue on Saturday and it needs more than minor tweaks.

I think we have to accept that this is his plan A.

Last season, without a window, he realistically had no choice but to stick to the same system with the players he had in the building. All he could do was add clarity to each player's roles and more solidity overall, which is what he did.

This season though, if he'd wanted to change to the forum's chosen system, he had the opportunity to do so from the start of pre season*, but has chosen not to, so I can't imagine we'll be seeing it now happen any time soon.

* - put those he wants from the current squad in the right positions so they get used to the new system/partnerships, then temporarily shoehorn others into the gaps while he recruits for those specific roles. It might have been a bit messy to start with while he got the new people in, but it would have been better than starting with the old system, then switching it all about at the end of the window


In other words, however much some people on here may want it as the answer to all our prayers, he's clearly not thinking five at the back as the way he wants to go this season, so we need to give this system a chance to settle and evolve with his final incomings and see where we are down the line

 

[Symp59]

See where we are by the end of September if we are down the bottom by then we must act quickly this time. We have got to be patient but the next 3 games look tough ,how many points do we expect ?

 

[uptheus]

The players need to get used to way the manager wants them to play?
Its football, don't make it so complicated....just play the simple game....Luton Plymouth, etc didn't go so in-depth on how to play such a simple game....just get on with it

That’s my initial concern with Manning e.g. he thinks too deeply about the game and I’m not sure if players are clever enough to take it all in.

Football’s an easy game, but players (or in this case the manager) can make it difficult!!

 

[Nadi-]

Sounds good, and that the 5-1 was just unlucky?

Just watched the Pearson and Manning interviews, I think both reflected my thoughts on last night.
Finishing was poor early on as was Harris in the 2 nd half.
3 midfielders on the edge of the box, facing goal with tap ins. our midfield on the wrong side.
Roberts and Memheti ran riot down our right. Until long came on.
Thorniley played that standard last year, but was awful last night.
Shame to see Brannagans head literally drop 2nd half.
Frustrating the see forwards point where they want it, and not carry out what they asked.
Pluses thought McGaune and Brown competed, Goodrham going forward,
And Odonkor giving Dickie a difficult 1st half.
Brown keeping Sykes quiet and Negru covering with pace on that one occasion.

 

[Foley]

I thought that the worrying thing was how easy they seemed to cut us apart.
They are clearly a very decent Championship side, but we didn't look solid in any way. And that isn't just the defenders as we should of course be defending as a team.
On Saturday it was noticeable that whenever Marcus Browne had the ball he was doubled up on, whereas Sam Long was often one on one.

We have to start defending far better

The positive from last night, was that we created 4 very good chances as well as the goal. Rodrigues to me looks as if he could be a real star at this level ( but the team need to be on the same wavelength)

Saturday is a huge game so early in the season.

 

[battman]

This is the sort of complacency that earns a relegation battle

Yeah no, this was a cup game against a Championship side and we’re two games in.

Don’t mistake my positivity for blind faith, I don’t think we’re the finished article but I see enough that makes me think we’ll get there.

 

[dabigfella]

Yeah no, this was a cup game against a Championship side and we’re two games in.

Don’t mistake my positivity for blind faith, I don’t think we’re the finished article but I see enough that makes me think we’ll get there.

Unfortunately I see the opposite. The disorganised defense and the lack of goals are all too familiar. As I have said before the next three weeks are going to crucial to Manning's career. Recruit what is really necessary and matters should improve. Fail in this and he will be gone quite soon.

 

[battman]

See where we are by the end of September if we are down the bottom by then we must act quickly this time. We have got to be patient but the next 3 games look tough ,how many points do we expect ?

Unfortunately I see the opposite. The disorganised defense and the lack of goals are all too familiar. As I have said before the next three weeks are going to crucial to Manning's career. Recruit what is really necessary and matters should improve. Fail in this and he will be gone quite soon.

Already murmurs for the manager to go, are people serious? Does no one have any patience?

Surely we knew that we might not be the finished article from the off, but is this really who we are as a fanbase, calling for managers to go before they’ve even got their foot in the door?

Manning was employed on the basis of being a longer-term manager. Two games into the season with the transfer window still open is way way too early to be thinking about sacking a manager, let alone saying it.

 

[Orkney Islands Yellow]

It's been a tough year, it's no wonder we're feeling pessimistic.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1689384286619684864