Away Match Day Thread 15/01/2022 L1: Wycombe Wanderers v OUFC

[horseman]

* August. We knew we had no second left back option of any note at the start and still don’t.

What’s worrying is the lack of rumours. Normally there’s a few whispers but even the Ellis Harrison one has come and gone.

I fear that we need some exits in order to bring players in. No one wants Hanson or Agyei so if we’re stuck with them, we’re stuck on new recruits.

A LB, a DM and a forward. Sort those and we’ve at sorted three decent bits of the puzzle.

Don't be too over confident on that score !

 

[horseman]

You have to ask why the poor performance ls in the last 3 weeks

You have to ask why some fans expect/demand top performances every game.

 

[oufc1991]

Jeez what an idiot on rad ox, Robin I think his name. He’s thinking of not going to next game as “we’re so bad and keep losing”. That’s the spirit Robin!

Well robin can jog on then we need positive fans not coko the clown

 

[westyorkshireexile]

You have to ask why some fans expect/demand top performances every game.

We don't but we expect at least 1 out of 3

 

[battman]

You have to ask why some fans expect/demand top performances every game.

You need them in most games if you want to achieve promotion though, especially against promotion rivals.

 

[bazzer9461]

You have to ask why some fans expect/demand top performances every game.

Err nope! But 1 point out of the last 9 available is a ooor return 4 out of 9 would have been ok but not 1

 

[dickwalton1964]

I said pretty much this three weeks ago, and got shot down by Scotch Egg and his cohorts. And that was when I said we weren't good enough for the top two spots!!!!! Looks like we'll be doing well to stay in the play offs !!!!

We're doing fine for an average league one side, and I'm happy we're not in a relegation fight.

But to not be capable of beating any of the top six sides on a regular basis speaks volumes. And today was another six pointer and we could not do it.

Watch the replies come of: "oh but we'll come good" etc etc...

I’d be amazed if anyone shot you down, as you say, for suggesting we aren’t capable of finishing top two ? You’d have to be a fairly clueless supporter to think we’ve looked top two at any point this season, never mind suddenly becoming a formidable side halfway through the season.

We desperately lack strength and I think a bit of nous. We probably edged today on the ball but they just looked more compact, more organised and physically stronger. Although not as good, they reminded me of Blackpool last season and Rotherham in previous seasons. Wiser and with a winning mentality - you can see why they’re up there in the thick of it whereas we‘re a bit floaty and powder puff, especially down the middle in attack.

 

[ttg17]

Bit torn on pretty much every element of today. Match day experience was quite pleasant, shuttle bus from the station was a nice touch and the supporters bar outside the ground was enjoyable. But not having any pub nearby to go for a pints s**t and getting away after the game was brutal. Atmosphere was really good, but at the same time there was a lot of just embarrassing, unedifying behaviour (from both sets of fans). I came away thinking we’d actually played reasonably well, first half of first half and after the changes in the second in particular, and certainly better than at Lincoln, but equally we were well beaten in truth. Other than Moore, there wasn’t a player on our side I ever backed to win a header - which was unfortunate because the ball was in the air more than I’ve seen since our L2 days.

We’re having our KR blip. It’s not the end of the world, we have a few players out of form and we missed Kane today (I thought we looked a lot better when CB moved to the holding role. Probably should have started there). We haven’t become a bad side overnight. And we weren’t a mile off today - poor finishing and the key moments going against us were the difference (their first goal flying in through a packed penalty box, the freak block from Holland, the blocked shot from Brannagan rebounding straight to their player to set up a counter). Been a disappointing start to 2022 but the calls for KR out are very strange.

 

[oufc1991]

I think the fans giving it large about KR should go need to give there heads a wobble I mean REALLY are you having a laugh we've been in the play offs two seasons in a row we are playing great football yeah he has his faults but if he didn't like most played he wouldn't be at this level all we need is a couple of decent signings get those right and we will.be fine FFS it wasn't that long ago we was in league two/non league things are going in the right direction

 

[OX14]

We probably edged today on the ball but they just looked more compact, more organised and physically stronger.

Sorry but we only edged the first 20 minutes ,as soon as Wycombe woke up they were far superior and looked like they could go up a gear if need be. If the Holland chance went in it might of been a different story but that's saying the same as Taylors penalty against Cheltenham. 1 point out of 3 games isn't play off form and unless we get some bodies through the door to strengthen us I can only see us slipping out the race for promotion.

 

[Sarge]

Lost wifi at the start of 2nd half ....not long had it back ! ..... Wycombe defended as a unit- we didnt.....having most of the play/ possesion is fine, IF theres the end result of goals. Sadly last 3 games weve been lacking with goals (1 in 3 games!) ....l really hope this blip ended today

 

[horseman]

Err nope! But 1 point out of the last 9 available is a ooor return 4 out of 9 would have been ok but not 1

I would suggest that 43 pts and some extremely good football along the way is a pretty good return thus far

 

[battman]

I think the fans giving it large about KR should go need to give there heads a wobble I mean REALLY are you having a laugh we've been in the play offs two seasons in a row we are playing great football yeah he has his faults but if he didn't like most played he wouldn't be at this level all we need is a couple of decent signings get those right and we will.be fine FFS it wasn't that long ago we was in league two/non league things are going in the right direction

I think I've only seen one call for him to go right now, but others are questioning whether he's taken us as far as he can. It's not like he's been here for a short time, this is his 4th full season at the club. For any manager at this level, that's a significant amount of time. Yes he has gotten us to two play-off finishes, but the limitations that stopped us from progressing further are still evident today, including a lack of tactical nouse and a lack of stronger players.

Also, I don't think bringing up where we used to be is relevant when discussing KR's position. He wasn't the one who got us from League Two and the Conference, he inherited some talented MApp signings, some Clotet dross and a couple of Tiger's signings.

 

[AbsoluteZero]

Mistakes made in the preparation to the game. McGuane as your holding midfielder should have been a big no thanks after 1 second of thought. The club have had 1 whole week knowing they were going into this game without a holding midfielder. Lots of L1 teams have already done some business in the transfer market so with this gaping hole in our defensive midfield position we could have tried harder to get someone in. If not then could have thought about playing 3 CBs. But the choice could never be McGuane.

Another goal conceded from distance again. We've probably all seen thousands of games live or on TV and know that the ratio of shots outside the box to goals is actually very small. So proportionately why do so many against us end up in our net. Are we just extremely unlucky that the opposition manage to hit absolute worldies week after week against us? Or do our defenders and defensive midfield players not do enough to stop the shot? But even then if they weren't doing enough the opponent still has to hit it on target and in an area the keeper can't get to, generally a shot from outside the box you would still hope the player doesn't achieve a decent strike or your keeper would save it 95 times out of 100. So is the keeper poorly positioned or doesn't move well enough to get in a position to save giving a higher probability that any shot on target goes in the net when it probably shouldn't. It's happening far too frequently and maybe we are just unlucky with how often it is happening. But some sort of explanation needs to be looked at because the number of times this is happening is statistically not natural.

But to give some balance there can be no shame in losing to Wycombe. It may be frustrating that we still see Wycombe as a little club down the road with no history and someone we are much bigger than but the financial benefit they got from getting promoted even though they immediately got relegated gives them a huge advantage over a team like ours this season and probably next and at this level of football money talks in terms of wages they can offer players. At the moment we are not matching that financial outlay. So on paper there should be no expectation that we should be beating them, our season is defined by gathering enough points to get into 6th place which is where our budgeted expectation should be.

 

[dickwalton1964]

Sorry but we only edged the first 20 minutes ,as soon as Wycombe woke up they were far superior and looked like they could go up a gear if need be. If the Holland chance went in it might of been a different story but that's saying the same as Taylors penalty against Cheltenham. 1 point out of 3 games isn't play off form and unless we get some bodies through the door to strengthen us I can only see us slipping out the race for promotion.

Nearly 60% possession, nearly twice as many shots and more than double the corners suggests we did ‘edge it on the ball’ which was all I was saying. Perhaps re-read my post ?

 

[OX14]

Nearly 60% possession, nearly twice as many shots and more than double the corners suggests we did ‘edge it on the ball’ which was all I was saying. Perhaps re-read my post ?

Well OK we edged the statistics but for the most important one goals scored we didn't. They had more dangerous attacks where they should of scored and played on the counter more which presented us more possession to pass sideways and lump forward.

 

[Yellow There!]

Was writing a post about how Karl needs to stay, then remembered its only really muppets that think he should go

 

[QR]

Was writing a post about how Karl needs to stay, then remembered its only really muppets that think he should go

I'm not sure many (any?) have said he should go, a lot however have said he hasn't yet fully proved himself and the time had come for him to deliver.

 

[greatunclekip]

Today was the culmination of four things that shouldn't surprise anyone and were the same last season.

1) Karl has as much tactical nous as a Jaffa Cake. One dimensional in every sense. When it works it's amazing. When it doesn't ...
2) we do not practice defending set pieces. At all
3) we are lightweight. Both in terms of size and squad depth.
4) we are glacial in the market when we should have been prepped to go hard in Early Jan when we were in decent form. Our reluctance to do this is staggering. Again.

 

[OX14]

I'm not sure many (any?) have said he should go, a lot however have said he hasn't yet fully proved himself and the time had come for him to deliver.

Only one poster said Karl should go now, alot like me are questioning wether Karl has took us the furthest he can with the budget the board can offer. I would say he will be judged at the end of the season not only by fans but the board who's ambition it is to get up within 2 years and a decision will be made if he gets another crack at the whip next term.