30/07/2022 - L1: Derby County v OUFC

[Oufcrealist]

It’s truly amazing. It’s a complete blind spot for the manager.

Puzzling, he dropped Seddon for nigh on half a season and now he's ok!? Doesn't make sense to me.

 

[oufc1991]

It's funny were all gutted about losing to derby who lets face it really shouldn't be a league one team but they are BUT it could be worse just look at that lot down the a420 3-0 3-0 3-0 to the mighty Harrogate

 

[Oufcrealist]

In a league season, all games count equally. I don't like this mentality that we can afford to throw games away at the start of the season because we're not in April, it could be the difference between finishing in the autos and the play-offs.

Exactly, how anyone can say the first games don't count is beyond me. Just makes no sense at all.

 

[IsleofWightYellow]

What has Brown done to not deserve to start at LB?

 

[OX14]

What has Brown done to not deserve to start at LB?

Signed as a left centre back?

 

[Leysboy]

Seddon at left back is the same as when we tried Sean Clare at right back. Not good enough, and Better more advanced.

We need far better if we want to progress.

 

[Yellowoptimist]

Player ratings:

Eastwood: 6 - One good save in the first half, but will be disappointed to have been beaten from so far out from a shot which wasn’t exactly a worldie.

Long: 6.5 - Solid but unspectacular. Ok getting forwards, but only ok.

Moore: 7 - Decent without being amazing.

Findlay: 7.5 - hard to score as he was brilliant until he made the error which lost us the point, and then he fell apart somewhat. On first viewing looks better than Moore but not quite on a Dickie or Atkinson level.

Seddon: 5.5 - He’s decent going forwards without being brilliant. Still poor defensively. Still lacks confidence at times. Still positionally all over the place.

Brannagan: 7 - Not at his best but one great goalline clearance, worked hard as ever. Anonymous when moved further forwards, behind the striker is just not the role for him

McGuane: 8 - Made a few mistakes but overall was immense, strong, defended well - my MOTM

Henry: 6.5 - Pretty quiet, drifted in and out of the game, didn’t do too much, tried his best though

Browne: 7 - Showed flashes of his quality but not given much protection from the ref, I’m worried he will get fouled out of this league. Fitness levels seemed good

Bodin: 8 - Involved, clever, tricky. Should never have come off unless tired/injured

Taylor: 6.5 - Isolated and looked absolutely knackered towards the end yet somehow stayed on

Subs:

Gorrin: 4 - Made mistakes and gave less protection than we had before

Murphy: 5 - Anonymous, one good run and that was about it.

How you can give Long more than Seddon is unbelievable.

 

[ThatSlopesATwelfthMan]

Predictably scrappy first game. McGuane excellent. Both full backs miles off. Findlay was superb (played two positions covering Seddon for most of the game). Derby kept it simple and trusted their outstanding individuals. We were trying numerous variations of smart-ass long diagonals and little triangles then giving ball away.

In the end it was won and lost by the subs. Their fresh-legged 17 was full of clever running just when we were tiring but didn't interfere with their shape. Pretty much won them the game. Ours? The only two composed creators go off to be replaced by a tricksy winger with noone to supply him and a rusty CDM joining the fray at a moment of maximum pressure I love Gorin but chucking him on with the game in that state and after months out was reckless and self defeating for the player and team. Overall we were pretty solid though and some good signs of progress albeit toothless in final third. Very few strikers even in their prime could play 90 mins in Taylor's role for us against a team like Derby - he was spent after 60.

Impressed by Derby's composure even when things not quite flowing and appetite to mix it up when things got physical - think they'll do better than many recent relegated 'big' teams.

We need a minimum of 3 quality starters and at least two solid covering players to push on I think. Onto Cambridge...

 

[uptheus]

Karl over thought the game again. We tried slowing the game down/breaking it up and sitting back inviting Derby onto us. It was clear that we were planning on nicking a goal in the last few minutes or settling for a draw. Derby were there for the taking, but again we worried about them rather than them worrying about us.

Poor 2nd half and felt a bit of same old same old.

Thought we only needed to make the one substitution at the time, Murphy for Henry, so gods knows what the thought process was to put Gorrin on who’s hardly played any football when they were pushing forward was crazy. Also, Karl said they didn’t really hurt us defensively!! Really, they had 3 or 4 good chances before they scored and we all knew it was coming because of the way we set ourselves up 2nd half.

I hate it when we slow the game down, feign injuries etc (Taylor), so Karl can have his 2mins of fame, just get on with it. Yes, can understand this approach if we’re under the cosh, but we weren’t.

And how Karl thinks we don’t need to address the defence is worrying. Seddon was awful, especially that first 25mins or so and a liability most of the time, so for Karl to say we possibly need a RB agsin is beyond me.

We’re still 5 or 6 players shirt, that bench was very weak/inexperienced.

Disappointed that yet again we start the season off losing, we a half cocked team with lack of depth! Easy start, my a**e.

 

[GreenMachine]

We are going to smash Cambridge nest week.. We had fight in us and that is a massive positive going forward. Been a week of upheaval so hopefully we will settle down now. We are going to be right in the mix. Do need sombody to bring on for Taylor. Have a good night all

 

[Oufcrealist]

How you can give Long more than Seddon is unbelievable.

They are both not good enough for a team with promotion ambition, its as simple as that.
We need to get better than those two. Plus a midfielder with a bit of creativity, another winger now that Wildschut is out for months and a robust striker who is a different option to Taylor and Baldock.

 

[uptheus]

Think it was pretty obvious to see Gorrin wasn’t even close to match fit. If he wanted an extra body in there he should’ve put on Smyth.

He wasn’t even on the bench, crazy

 

[Oufcrealist]

He wasn’t even on the bench, crazy

Got a feeling he'll go out on loan.

 

[tonyw]

How you can give Long more than Seddon is unbelievable.

I don't think Long was great.

But how many times did Derby get in down our right hand side? Maybe once all game?
And how many times did Derby get in down our left hand side? Often from just a simple ball over the top? Over and over and over again. If Mendez-Liang had anything resembling an end product, we might have got a hiding today.

Yes Sam Long didn't do much with the ball going forwards, and Seddon maybe played a couple of decent passes.

But the primary job of a full back is to defend - and Sam Long can mostly do that. Unfortunately can't say the same about Seddon at this point, almost 40 games into his Oxford career.

Still, I do agree with everyone saying that we need two more full backs.

 

[ZeroTheHero]

Just back. I thought the first ten minutes from both teams was very frenetic, but it settled down after that. Our left hand side seemed deserted, with attackers given the freedom of Derbyshire. We did tighten that up a bit though and I thought for the last 30 mins of the first half that we were the better team. If only we'd taken one of those chances...

The second half, we were terrible. Panicky in defence, unable to keep the ball in midfield and I don't think we had a shot. Derby weren't brilliant, but they had so much possession and pressure that something was bound to fall their way eventually.

I found bits of it rather depressing though. We had the trademark passing it along the backline bit, the unwillingness to shoot part, the poor passing and the lack of speed in attack. All too familiar as far as I am concerned.

The day was improved by my neighbour in the stands for the day being Rosie - what a lovely friendly feller he is and the noise the Yellow Army made. Apart from that, disappointing.

 

[oufc1991]

I don't think Long was great.

But how many times did Derby get in down our right hand side? Maybe once all game?
And how many times did Derby get in down our left hand side? Often from just a simple ball over the top? Over and over and over again. If Mendez-Liang had anything resembling an end product, we might have got a hiding today.

Yes Sam Long didn't do much with the ball going forwards, and Seddon maybe played a couple of decent passes.

But the primary job of a full back is to defend - and Sam Long can mostly do that. Unfortunately can't say the same about Seddon at this point, almost 40 games into his Oxford career.

Still, I do agree with everyone saying that we need two more full backs.

Sam long is a steady Eddie the problem is can he stay fit imo if you got Seddon bombing forward longy has to stay back otherwise your left exposed I do think we need two new fullbacks but I also think KR needs to decide how he wants his team to play

 

[Swaby39]

Karl over thought the game again. We tried slowing the game down/breaking it up and sitting back inviting Derby onto us. It was clear that we were planning on nicking a goal in the last few minutes or settling for a draw. Derby were there for the taking, but again we worried about them rather than them worrying about us.

Poor 2nd half and felt a bit of same old same old.

Thought we only needed to make the one substitution at the time, Murphy for Henry, so gods knows what the thought process was to put Gorrin on who’s hardly played any football when they were pushing forward was crazy. Also, Karl said they didn’t really hurt defensively!! Really, they had 3 or 4 good chances before they scored and we all knew it was coming because of the way we set ourselves up 2nd half.

I hate it when we slow the game down, feign injuries etc (Taylor), so Karl can have his 2mins of fame, just get on with it.

And how Karl thinks we don’t need to address the defence is worrying. Seddon was awful, especially that first 25mins or so and a liability most of the time, so for Karl to say we possibly need a RB agsin is beyond me.

We’re still 5 or 6 players shirt, that bench was very weak/inexperienced.

Disappointed that yet again we start the season off losing, we a half cocked team with lack of depth! Easy start, my a**e.

I don’t think that’s a fair assessment by any stretch.

 

[Oxford1996]

I don't think Long was great.

But how many times did Derby get in down our right hand side? Maybe once all game?
And how many times did Derby get in down our left hand side? Often from just a simple ball over the top? Over and over and over again. If Mendez-Liang had anything resembling an end product, we might have got a hiding today.

Yes Sam Long didn't do much with the ball going forwards, and Seddon maybe played a couple of decent passes.

But the primary job of a full back is to defend - and Sam Long can mostly do that. Unfortunately can't say the same about Seddon at this point, almost 40 games into his Oxford career.

Still, I do agree with everyone saying that we need two more full backs.

Long was good defensively. Awful going forward.

Seddon was woeful defensively. Great going forward.

 

[Emilio]

Doesn't want to block O'Donkor's development by signing a RB? Errrrr......did he/you mean Golding? And even then, surely Golding is a CB first and foremost?
If Sam Long gets injured tomorrow - and he does have precedent for picking up lingering injuries - then we are screwed. Not signing a RB would be gross derelection of duty.

And hamstring tears run on a scale of 1-3. We'd discussed this earlier, but it has to be a Grade 3 because that's the only way he'd need an operation and be out for longer than six weeks.......

Corrected my original post to Golding soon after posting, but you were fast on the trigger with this reply!

Yes, he said while Golding is primarily a CB, he has been playing more and more on the right and he likes him there. As for the hamstring, he definitely said Grade 4. Karl's words, not mine. I am no medic, and haven't a clue what any of that means.

 

[OX14]

Long was good defensively. Awful going forward.

Seddon was woeful defensively. Great going forward.

Yep, neither of them are a promotion team first choice right back or left back. I find it hard that Karl cannot see the faults in this team and continues with the same attitude towards this.