Ref Watch +++ 13/07/20 L1 Play Off FINAL - OUFC v Wycombe+++

[dickwalton1964]

Some of the comments here are really quite disgraceful, call yourselves supporters ? I can see it all going Pete Tong next season with that sort of attitude being displayed. Learn to accept defeat gracefully. Especially after the season we’ve just had.

Wycombe were extremely fortunate, thought some of our football in second half was excellent. We are not a big team and we got stifled,. Certain players had mares It happens.

One deflected header and a gift penalty. Henry makes a bad decision. That’s football., you have to take it on the chin.

We scraped home in the semis, we got mugged in the final. Fine margins in a very competitive league.

I didn’t see any complacency from our supporters leading up to game either.

Robinson spoke well afterwards , dignified. Unlike Akinfenwa,what a charmless oik. Embarrassing.

Have to say in the second half Wycombe were pure Plough Lane Wimbledon. Just booting it down the pitch. But it was just enough to see us off.

I can see them getting lowest number of points ever in Championship Not sour grapes, just being realistic.

Well done Wycombe. Some story.

COYY

That‘s pretty well summed up and echos my thoughts. We played well in general and certainly didn‘t deserve a defeat but sloppiness in both penalty areas has proved fatal. I said elsewhere that I think Wycombe will win less than five games next season, like you not sour grapes just a realistic opinion. The real gut wrenching feeling and why fans are over reacting to our performance is that

Some of the comments here are really quite disgraceful, call yourselves supporters ? I can see it all going Pete Tong next season with that sort of attitude being displayed. Learn to accept defeat gracefully. Especially after the season we’ve just had.

Wycombe were extremely fortunate, thought some of our football in second half was excellent. We are not a big team and we got stifled,. Certain players had mares It happens.

One deflected header and a gift penalty. Henry makes a bad decision. That’s football., you have to take it on the chin.

We scraped home in the semis, we got mugged in the final. Fine margins in a very competitive league.

I didn’t see any complacency from our supporters leading up to game either.

Robinson spoke well afterwards , dignified. Unlike Akinfenwa,what a charmless oik. Embarrassing.

Have to say in the second half Wycombe were pure Plough Lane Wimbledon. Just booting it down the pitch. But it was just enough to see us off.

I can see them getting lowest number of points ever in Championship Not sour grapes, just being realistic.

Well done Wycombe. Some story.

COYY

I look back at 2 points dropped against Bolton and more importantly our shambolic 1st half against Rotherham at home. If we could have just drawn that game we would have been celebrating automatic promotion. But full of what ifs. Hope the board has the vision we deserve as a club!!

What about games where we got away with an undeserved point or three ? It works both ways.

 

[dickwalton1964]

There will be no such thing as a good away point at Wycombe next season. Every single championship club will see a draw there as two points lost.

 

[spmox]

For what it’s worth my ratings for the players. First rating for the game, second rating for the season over all.

Eastwood
4/10 Really poor with the two situations he had to deal with
6/10 Not been his commanding self this season. I know we dont have a huge budget but he really needs a good experienced No. 2 to push him.

Long
6/10 Ok nothing else to add.
7/10 He's really come On this season and probably deserves his new contract but I think we need better if we mean to push on. Cadden showed us what we really require. This ridiculous situation with the lack of specialist fullbacks in the squad needs to be addressed

Dickie
7/10 For me the stand out player, not only last night but for the whole mediocre play off campaign. For as long as I live I’ll never know how he wasnt celebrating a goal last night
9/10 Has been nothing short of a colossus for us this season. Will be a massive loss when he goes

Moore
6/10. The schoolboy error for the second goal will haunt him for a long time. 9 times out of 10 he clears that ball
7/10 Over all a good season where he’s established himself in the first team. Will be one of the first names on the team sheet from now on

Ruffels
5/10. A disappointing game. He was anonymous and as one of our senior players now needed to be more influential
6.5/10 Overall a decent season but, as with the RB position, surely we need more. Liverpool have shown that in the modern game, FB is one of the most influential positions in an attacking sense.

Goran
4/10. Robinson had no choice but to hoik him after yet another reckless challenge. He needs to learn. Poor before he went off anyway.
7/10. Last night shouldnt cloud what has been, over all a good season, considering its his first in english football. There are things that he needs to improve on though, especially the needless dangerous tackles. Refs will soon be influenced by a bad reputation

Brannagan
4/10 Another player who didnt step up when we needed him to show his undoubted talent. A real disappointment
8/10 Over all a great season. Yet another midfielder that has come from academy football, prepared to roll his sleeves up and graft and will goon to bigger and better things. Forgetting last night, thanks for the memories Cam.

Sykes
7/10 A shining light on an otherwise gloomy evening.
7/10 He’s starting showing glimpses of what we can hopefully look forward to seeing more regularly going forward. Applause again for the recruitment department. Pleas keep finding these gems!

Browne
4/10 A real disappointment, just didnt look up for it. I was really hoping the game would be the perfect stage for him to showcase his talent. Flat as a pancake. The lack of effort that lead to Wycombes second goal cannot be ignored or forgotten
7/10 Has shown on several occasions his undoubted ability and improved on his first spell. Needs to learn that success doesnt come with ablity alone though. I think we've probably blown any chance of seeing him in yellow again.

Taylor
6/10 Worked hard but with no reward. Not his fault that he lacked support
7/10 His goals have been invaluable but there are question marks over his fitness. I’ll be happy if he signs permanently but I think we need a striker thats, fitter, stronger, more robust and more mobile.At least to share the workload

Henry
3/10 Really disappointing, in all three play off games for me. That miss will be etched on my memory for years to come.
8/10 Another who’s contribution to what has been a great season shouldnt be forgotten. How he comes back next season will be interesting - if he’s still with us. We might have to go with more economical (younger) alternatives

Kelly
7/10 Finally got his chance and clearly improved us. His fitness levels still concern me though. He looked knackered within 25 mins of coming on.
6/10 Is there a decent player though or does he flatter to deceive? A possible signing for us now but will need to knuckle down and deliver consistently next season.

Other subs didnt play long enough for me to want to assess but of the subs, Agyei and Atkinson will hopefully come to the fore next season. For Agyei in particular, its a make or break season. Forde leaves me feeling meh.. yes he had a bad injury for some of the season but has he really done enough when given a chance. Mackie should now be consigned to a coaching role only.

Robinson
5/10 Ainsworth out foxed him on all counts last night. He was more pumped and left no stone unturned with all the tricks to get the win, including getting the non-playing staff to create an atmosphere. Yes it could be said it was distasteful but Ainsworth realised this was a one off shot and a massive opportunity. He didnt care who he upset and I doubt hes giving it much thought this morning! Robinson seemed so determined to promote an image of dignity and calmness that his body language almost came across as flat and unmotivated. There was one image that sticks in my mind of him standing on the touchline supping a take-away coffee. In a game of such importance, that struck me as odd
9/10 I wont forget what a great season weve had this year, despite last night. It will live with me for a long time.Thank you Karl for everything and please stay to try again next season.

Excellent, thoughtful and passionate analysis. Thank you!

 

[dickwalton1964]

Excellent, thoughtful and passionate analysis. Thank you!

I don’t think Robinson was out foxed by Ainsworth, in what way ? If defending for your life, having a keeper on his game and seeing dead balls as your only route to success then, yes, he might have been out foxed I suppose but in a pure football and tactical sense Robinson won hands down, no question at all.

 

[yellowbow]

I don’t think Robinson was out foxed by Ainsworth, in what way ? If defending for your life, having a keeper on his game and seeing dead balls as your only route to success then, yes, he might have been out foxed I suppose but in a pure football and tactical sense Robinson won hands down, no question at all.

Maybe in hindsight , after a few hours to calmly re-assess that a bit unfair, but I just felt that Ainsworth was the more pumped up and realised what a massive opportunity this was. While he seemed to be on the front foot and ready to use every trick and opportunity to gain any small margin of an advantage, even before a ball was kicked, Robinson seemed to personify an air of passive calm serenity which hasnt really been his style before the play-offs. I do accept that I might have interpreted it wrong though.

As for tactics on the pitch, Ainsworth’s style Is unquestionably uglier, but it cant be said that he didnt get the maximum out of his resources.

 

[Victor1986]

And telling his subs to shout .."Keepers ball" from the stands explained their winning goal - class act is Gareth!

 

[MC Yellow]

Maybe. I hope thats what he’s saying. To be fair I think Posh do have a right to feel aggrieved. I still havent seen a decent argument as to why WPPG wasnt applied.

Funnily enough, if we had played a team like Posh in the final I would have been more comfortable with us winning it. We always do better in games against teams who play proper football - one thing that hasn't really been mentioned is that 3 of the 4 goals we conceded in the play offs were from route one hoofballs. The game would have been a lot more enjoyable to watch for the neutrals as well.

Totally agree.... as much as we are so disappointed not to win through, I suspect the same frustrations were shared by Posh by simply not having the opportunity.

For the life of me I still fail to see any reasonable argument for not using WPPG.

 

[MC Yellow]

And telling his subs to shout .."Keepers ball" from the stands explained their winning goal - class act is Gareth!

I guess that’s no different to watching players week in week out looking for cheap penalties.

So much for sportsmanship, the game is rife with cheating and corruption.

 

[dickwalton1964]

Maybe in hindsight , after a few hours to calmly re-assess that a bit unfair, but I just felt that Ainsworth was the more pumped up and realised what a massive opportunity this was. While he seemed to be on the front foot and ready to use every trick and opportunity to gain any small margin of an advantage, even before a ball was kicked, Robinson seemed to personify an air of passive calm serenity which hasnt really been his style before the play-offs. I do accept that I might have interpreted it wrong though.

As for tactics on the pitch, Ainsworth’s style Is unquestionably uglier, but it cant be said that he didnt get the maximum out of his resources.

Yes I agree Ainsworth was more demonstrative and 'pumped up' but that's just their individual characters. I do wish Robinson wouldn't be quite as respectful and humble as he is, yes it's a nice personality trait in lots of situations in life but when it's dog eat dog on a football pitch I don't think it matters too much. Before the match he was saying how we respected Wycombe after the league win, what's that about ? It's like he's worried the opposition will take the p*ss out of us if they win but isn't that part and parcel of football ? I noticed Ainsworth said things like we are a 'good', maybe even 'great', team which is showing just about enough respect but he didn't bang on about the importance of humility and respect - not something you generally associate when going in to battle. You're right in this respect that he seemed to perhaps have the edge off the pitch.

By the way I agree with your player analysis, extremely accurate. I'd perhaps have given Henry a bit higher mark on the night though as well as Gorrin a touch higher on the season as a whole and also Moore a tad higher over all.

 

[outsidethebox]

And telling his subs to shout .."Keepers ball" from the stands explained their winning goal - class act is Gareth!

A shout that probably would not have been heard with 50,000 in the stadium. Mind you, I've little confidence in the ref spotting it if their player called to leave it as has been suggested on here.

 

[dickwalton1964]

Just a thought but do you think this defeat gives our future clashes with Wycombe more of a derby feel ? Love them or hate them they are now a championship side which sort of ups their history a bit rather than being seen as a lower league/non league club. I definitely think it will ramp up the feeling a notch when we next meet. It's never going to reach Swindon levels - or even Reading - but probably a fixture we will have a keener eye on when we are next in the same league.

 

[battman]

Just a thought but do you think this defeat gives our future clashes with Wycombe more of a derby feel ? Love them or hate them they are now a championship side which sort of ups their history a bit rather than being seen as a lower league/non league club. I definitely think it will ramp up the feeling a notch when we next meet. It's never going to reach Swindon levels - or even Reading - but probably a fixture we will have a keener eye on when we are next in the same league.

Only in the sense that they'll become another Yeovil where everyone is like 'Do you remember their one season in the Championship?'

 

[spmox]

I don’t think Robinson was out foxed by Ainsworth, in what way ? If defending for your life, having a keeper on his game and seeing dead balls as your only route to success then, yes, he might have been out foxed I suppose but in a pure football and tactical sense Robinson won hands down, no question at all.

One thought on the Robinson v Ainsworth issue ...
(And will start by saying I'm a big Karl fan and always have been)
... and others have mentioned it - I think that perhaps Karl was too much on the "keep calm, be respectful, be humble" message. Maybe privately he was telling the players "you're streets better them, we can play them off the park!" May be a bit more of that confidence, self-belief almost arrogance in public would have helped.
It's not a message of "just turn up and we'll win", but rather "turn up, be our best and we'll win".

 

[spmox]

I know see a few people have already said exactly what I was suggesting!

 

[monsieurgrumpy]

And telling his subs to shout .."Keepers ball" from the stands explained their winning goal - class act is Gareth!

If Moore did fall for that trick, he sounds a bit like Gordon Jackson's character in The Great Escape, succumbing to the dark arts of the Nazis. Surely the players should have been made savvy on how to seek an unfair advantage in an empty stadium? But is there any proof it happened? Has it been clearly picked up on a microphone? Or has anyone at the club confirmed it?

 

[monsieurgrumpy]

The difference between the two managers during the final drinks' break was interesting. Ainsworth, throwing his arms about, pumping up his players. Robinson, much more relaxed. Didn't spot him giving anyone instructions.

 

[Grumpy Git]

Maybe. I hope thats what he’s saying. To be fair I think Posh do have a right to feel aggrieved. I still havent seen a decent argument as to why WPPG wasnt applied.

Funnily enough, if we had played a team like Posh in the final I would have been more comfortable with us winning it. We always do better in games against teams who play proper football - one thing that hasn't really been mentioned is that 3 of the 4 goals we conceded in the play offs were from route one hoofballs. The game would have been a lot more enjoyable to watch for the neutrals as well.

It would have been a game of football.

 

[yellowbow]

Just a thought but do you think this defeat gives our future clashes with Wycombe more of a derby feel ? Love them or hate them they are now a championship side which sort of ups their history a bit rather than being seen as a lower league/non league club. I definitely think it will ramp up the feeling a notch when we next meet. It's never going to reach Swindon levels - or even Reading - but probably a fixture we will have a keener eye on when we are next in the same league.

I have a funny feeling we’ll meet them in one of the cup competitions next season and will probably dick them 4:0 ?

 

[bashamwonderland]

Just a thought but do you think this defeat gives our future clashes with Wycombe more of a derby feel ? Love them or hate them they are now a championship side which sort of ups their history a bit rather than being seen as a lower league/non league club. I definitely think it will ramp up the feeling a notch when we next meet. It's never going to reach Swindon levels - or even Reading - but probably a fixture we will have a keener eye on when we are next in the same league.

I suppose it's a bit like Northampton used to be - a little bit of additional interest for a few fixtures followed by a gradual fading of the memory. I doubt anybody thinks anything about Northampton now.

Leyton Orient are the only ones I'd say we've developed a long lasting rivalry with since the turn of the millennium!

 

[South London]

And telling his subs to shout .."Keepers ball" from the stands explained their winning goal - class act is Gareth!

You have absolutely no evidence of this.

Even if it did happen it would be karma for Mousinho’s antics back in December.