Ex Player Alex Rodriguez Gorrin

[bashamwonderland]

But having been on the club’s radar for much of the summer, head coach Karl Robinson is delighted to fill one of his vacant spots up front.

He said: “When you look at his GPS data and his metres per second, it’s better than anything in the club.

“So right away he’s coming in as the fastest player in the club. That alone gives you an opportunity.

“But he’s got to learn the game because he’s still only young. We’ll work really hard to develop him into the striker we want him to be.

“With buying him it gives us our own striker we can work with and develop and at a good age.

Burnley Striker Agyei Joins The U's

Oxford United are pleased to announce that Burnley striker Dan Agyei has agreed to join the U’s.

www.oufc.co.uk

Oxford United are pleased to announce that Burnley striker Dan Agyei has agreed to join the U’s.

Dan, 22, is originally from Kingston-on Thames and was with AFC Wimbledon as a youngster. Having scored 35 goals for them in one season, 2014/15, he was snapped up by Burnley where he has enjoyed loan spells at Coventry City, Walsall and Blackpool.

He joins the U’s on a three-year deal for an undisclosed fee and Head Coach Karl Robinson told us:

“Everyone will see straight away that he has plenty of pace but there is more to his game than that and he has a terrific attitude, which is important. We’ve seen a lot of him at under 23 level and we know he scores goals as well as stretching the game.

“The fans have been patient and the last week or two have seen plenty of new signings: there are still a couple more to come but Dan gives us something different and will be an exciting player for the fans to watch. It will take a week or two before he is involved because he’s not really had a pre-season, but he is fit, he came through he medicals with glowing reports and we are happy to have the chance to work with him.”

Not bad for a winger with an attitude problem who isn’t psychologically strong enough to handle playing regularly

Okay, okay, sorry. That’s my lot. I’m off to find the confidence train that somebody mentioned the other day. I spent enough time on the London Road coaches as a kid to last me a lifetime, so the idea of the positive bus fills me with dread. I’d probably be thrown off it anyway for pointing out the that film on the telly is shite and complaining that someone’s sandwiches are letting off a right pong. I know who I am.

In a nutshell and to get back on track: go strikers! Score some goals and tally ho, and up the football league we go! Huzzah!

We might want to offer Agyei a new contract, but based on the treatment he's had over the past few years and the fact that he is starting to "get on a bit" (in pace striker terms), there is no guarantee that he will want to remain with us. He's 23 - he needs to be playing most games. I hope KR remembers that now Taylor has bagged a couple of goals.

 

[Foley]

Yes, even in the Prem. Nothing at all wrong with it if you have the right players.

Burnley are the only one in the PL and even in L1 it is very rare?

 

[derek]

On the few occasions that both have been on the pitch (from memory) we've immediately lost the midfield.

 

[Oufcrealist]

Basically no. For example, in the PL only Burnley play anything close to 442.

I do not understand this fascination with returning to 442. Is it because that was what was played in the glory years? When was the last time we started a game playing a standard 442? 15 years ago? 20 years ago?

Wrong. As well as Burnley.
Palace
Southampton
Brighton
West Ham alernate with 3-4-1-2
Plus, there are teams that play 2 strikers regularly.

Burnley are the only one in the PL and even in L1 it is very rare?

 

[Mad Dog]

Does anyone play 442 anymore?

Southampton played 442 against Man Utd recently....

 

[Bigfella72]

If we can still debate 442 there has to be a place for debating playing Dan wide of a three

 

[werthersoriginal]

Last night we saw the strengths of both players

• Taylor the fox in the box player
• Agyei the pace and strength to run defenders and to create his own opening.

So in our current format only 1 can play and so sacrifice one element of the game

So why not play 442

Midfield 4 of Shop Gorin Bran Barker
Front 2 of Taylor and Agyei

Now that is what I call an attacking side

Thoughts

Who would be the manager?

 

[m]

Although that is quite funny, it is also pretty depressing that kids are being "forced" to play one way. It will turn into some carbon copy teams strangling the life out of football in some massive borefest (in my opinion). I kind of get with the youngest kids, why you might want them to learn a bit of discipline and positional sense (rather than the traditional scrum of players following the ball around)....but that will be like trying to herd cats with the youngest. By the time they reach double figures and certainly by the start of senior school, they should be a bit more free thinking and be encouraged into more decision-making for themselves

Teach kids to be adaptable, to be inventive and play with intelligence. Teach them to read the game and adapt as it changes....and better still to make the change and make things happen around them. Otherwise, you end up with robots who can't do much else but follow a pattern!

Microcosm for life there.

 

[uptheus]

Or Barker and Shodipo!

 

[Sheik djibouti]

Microcosm for life there.

Yeah, but we all know football is more important than that

 

[Jason N]

I don't know about any of you but every time I see Rob Atkinson or Elliott Moore go down, I have to draw a breathe as they are both pivotal to the teams success for the remainder of the season. Longy has done well to cover but this should never be for more than the odd game. Longy's injury and the appalling display by Grayson vs Tranmere has left us even more short at Centre half. I do have hope that the Grayson display was a one-off.

However, KR's comments on Luke McNally are extremely encouraging. For me as a pairing Atkinson and Moore have pretty much all attributes covered, although neither of them are quick, they're not sluggish but pace is not one of their strong points. When we signed McNally, the reports were more about his height and that he'd fitted the mould of a ball playing centre half, but I don't recall too much being reported about his pace.

According to KR he is one of the quickest players at the club, which could give us another option in the next 12 months should we require it.

Luke McNally impresses Karl Robinson as he makes step up

OXFORD United are set to welcome Luke McNally to full training for the first time today.

www.oxfordmail.co.uk

Asked if the youngster could be involved before the end of the campaign, Robinson said: “Ideally, no.

“Rob (Atkinson) and Elliott (Moore) are doing wonderfully well, so we’ll see.”

My reading of KR's comments at the foot of the article is that, he won't change the Centre half pairing unless completely necessary. Which is understandable, but should anything happen to either of the pair, then McNally may fill in, possibly ahead of Grayson, who I assumed came in as Centre Back / Left Back cover.

 

[Berliner]

Surely Agyei can play there if needed?

 

[m]

Surely Agyei can play there if needed?

Agyei is a winger, when will people stop trying to shoehorn him into defence?

 

[IsleofWightYellow]

Surely Agyei can play there if needed?

Liverpool play centre midfielders in defence and they're the benchmark for us apparently so it's fine we can just put Cameron Brannigan and Liam Kelly there!

 

[Sheik djibouti]

Liverpool play centre midfielders in defence and they're the benchmark for us apparently so it's fine we can just put Cameron Brannigan and Liam Kelly there!

Liam Kelly...dominating at corners in both boxes

Mind you, he is the same height as Jake Wright, so.......

 

[Foley]

Surely Agyei can play there if needed?

Agyei is not allowed anywhere except the middle of the pitch. Don't forget he most definitely isn't a winger!!

 

[OUFCGav]

So direct last night and that’s when he is at his best. Doesn’t always come off but if he persists and goes at his full back every time he will score and create chances as he did last night.

If there were fans in the ground he’d have had them up off their seats about 3 or 4 times just in the first half last night.

He also seemed to do a lot of hard graft as well, was really impressed by his workrate for a "flighty winger type". Little bit of a shithouse too - not Maguire/Taylor levels, but definitely there.

 

[Canterbury exile]

He was brilliant yesterday. My only qualm was that he didn't shoot more yesterday. He must have set up our midfielders 3 or 4 times for good goalscoring chances when he could have shot himself. With our midfielders scoring records I would rather he shot himself.

I would rather he didn’t kill himself

 

[Followtheox1]

I have to say our defence but in particular our CBs have been outstanding. They took a bit of time to gel but now Atkinson and Moore are excellent and are such a well balanced partnership. Would struggle if we lost one of them. Even when we stopped our winning run, it is not like we have been conceding loads. Even against Hull, how often was Stevens tested?

At some point Atkinson will give the ball away on one of his runs which will lead to a goal but I wouldn't want to stop him doing it.

I think we will get bids for both players at the end of the season.

 

[RyanioBirdio]

Agyei is not allowed anywhere except the middle of the pitch. Don't forget he most definitely isn't a winger!!

First I’ve heard of it, but I trust your judgement.