13/08/22 - L1: Bristol Rovers v OUFC

[Golden Dr Otto]

Everyone needs cheering up. Well Wycombe have lost at home to a last minute penalty!

Not a rival

 

[Mellowyellow]

I’ve seen them all in different ways.

We were the better side for 60 mins at Derby but that was largely discredited here so really whether we played well in any of those games is immaterial on the forum, I find. It’s all about where it went wrong.

The games before today weren’t our best but we had spells where it was good and you could see it working with time or an addition here and there. Today I didn’t really see it. Even early in the game we put in a couple of decent crosses and Taylor’s on his heels - he doesn’t offer a lot else so for him to not be on the end of one of those is annoying. Joseph looked much more what need in this system which I’ve been suggesting for weeks now.

I don’t like the system so far but I can fully appreciate the logic behind trying it because we are a team that naturally scores a lot of goals. So it’s hardly unforgivable to think If we sure things up a bit and concede less, we should still have a goal or two in us to win. We’ve gone too far the other way so far and need to do what we do best now and grab a few goals on Tuesday.

Do you think robinson will take us up this season, his last roll of the dice?

 

[Mellowyellow]

How about we follow the long established principle of judging our league position after ten games rather than having a meltdown after three games shall we?!
It wasn’t great today but take a deep breath…..please..

There's no meltdown, simply a fanbase fed up to the back teeth of failure. Four years plus four poor displays out of four this season.

The best question posed on this forum over the last month has to be, what would a new manager have made of a top budget?
An expanded medical room/lets take a punt on player x, even with his injury record, or the fact he is currently injured?
Four poor performances?
A lack of hindsight? (Everyone knew how Barton would play/set up today, apart from robinson it seems)
A patchwork of players brought into the club who kr thought would be good for the club, without giving a thought to what system they may need to play in?

Laying the blame elsewhere, "Jamo" being the latest to be thrown under the bus.
To this end he has let the fans down, in terms of how he has recruited this window. This said, after we are told that recruitment for this window starts in March.
He "pleads the 5th" last Tuesday regarding a striker coming in that will seemingly change the face of the clubs approach to a promotion challenge. Nearly a week on, nothing.
He cannot see that the defensive line needs a fresh input of quality, to push for promotion.
Then this evening I get a call from a mate who supports Charlton, an I told you so call.

 

[OUFC OX3]

Player rating from watching it on the TV​

Eastwood 6 great save, dodgy deliveries
Long 6.5 solid, good runs & fair crossing
Moore 6 defended ok, weak passing from the back
Findlay 6 defence ok, out of position
Seddon 6.5 much better, positioning good & back peddled
Mcguane 7 pass ratio very good, seems to obtain the pass facing our goal 75plus %
Brannagan 6 maybe mentally weak, didn't really turn up
Henry 5.5 robust, with the attacks. Was like a kids on sweets chasing the ball when they scored.
Browne 6 too many touches, least stayed on his feet
Bodin 6.5 one of the best attacking players
Taylor 6 same as Cam

Wax statues AKA ball boys -10

 

[TailsWeWin]

More than the speed, it's the nature of it - specifically the signing of players seemingly without any clear concept of how they fit into our preferred system (assuming even that has been identified).

Leaving aside the injury risk element, there is not a bad player among them - but I don't believe that KR starts from a basis of knowing his formation and the type of player he wants for each role.
I believe he quite simply likes players he likes - whether he has previous with them, admires them from afar or they just tick his boxes (usually in terms of attacking intent).
What he doesn't appear to do is make a distinction between someone being a good footballer/lad but ultimately not fitting his system (again assuming he has one) and doing so.

A case in point - my biggest frustration today - Marcus Browne. Look at the calibre of player and the money spent on him? Who can honestly say that KR is getting the best out of him? Will it be the same for Murphy, for Jones, for Wildschut?

Is it too much to ask for the manager to know their system and itentify (with all the modern tools/data at their disposal) the best attainable players to make it work?
By the same token, to not sign a load of players (however good individually) and hope you can cobble a cohesive team together.

The thing is, despite all this you'll probably win a fair few matches anyway (the quality will often shine through) but it's not getting the best out of players or the budget. It's the opposite of management.

Great post; absolutely spot on. Add to this that KR gets regularly out-thought and out-manoeuvred by (apparently) poorer coaches in matches we clearly should win, and you have a worrying scenario. He has been given a lot of money and p****d it up the wall with talented but half-fit crocks. Again.

 

[tatabanya]

Bar last season we always start badly under Robinson. Between 18/19, 19/20 and 20/21 the highest we ever were in the table after nine games was 17th, which was the 19/20 campaign. The other two seasons we were in the bottom four at that stage. That’s just how it goes most of the time. That said, two home games coming up in the space of a few days against teams most would expect to finish in the bottom half provides a great opportunity to get some points on the board. Win them both and suddenly it looks like a pretty decent start points wise; get a win and a draw and it looks steady albeit unspectacular. We won’t know whether we’ve had a decent start or a bad start until towards the end of September.

What I’m most confused by currently, having just listened back to the RadOx post-match from today which included calls and texts, is the amount of people questioning where the goals will come from. Sorry? Where’s this suddenly come from? Taylor is one of the league’s top scorers every year - he’s actually scored more goals each season than he did the season before since he arrived three years ago. I’ve seen and heard numerous people call Browne, Bodin and Henry players of Championship quality. Plus the likes of Murphy and Baldock to come back in the next month or so, plus the lad Joseph who chose us over Sheffield Wednesday, plus players like Brannagan and Bate pulling the strings in midfield. And that’s not even including Jones. How is anybody looking at that and going, “Cor, blimey, I don’t know how we’re meant to score goals with such a lack of threat and creativity”? Yes, we need a bit more direct pace, but I’m really struggling to understand how anybody could look at the players that are here on paper and think it looks a bit dry and unadventurous. We have done almost nothing but sign attacking players this window, as per usual. If there isn’t any proper goal threat then most of the window has been a total waste. Which is it?

I think the main problem is that we’ve got a bunch of players in based on individual characteristics and ability, rather than anything being tailored to a specific system or formula. We seem to collect shiny players and then try to fit them all together later, which is never a good way to build a balanced squad. When you’ve had the same manager for nearly half a decade that simply shouldn’t be happening. It’s really poor in that regard.

Let’s see where we are next Saturday at 5pm. Two wins and everything looks a lot better.

Yeah as you allude to at the end, I think the goals comment comes more from just how toothless we have been in all four games so far.

Derby - played some nice stuff created little
Cambridge - creating nothing until two headers from corners, then a moment of magic won us an undeserved 3 points
Swansea - created nothing until 2-0 down, goals were a ricochet and a deflection
Bristol Rovers - header hit bar from corner, one chance one note missed came from a Taylor cross and a Henry header

We clearly have a very talented attacking squad of individuals, which was even evident in flashes yesterday, but there doesn’t seem to be a coherent plan as to how we are going to hurt teams. Mcguane or Cam do something nice in midfield, spread the play wide and the ball is knocked into the box from deep. Easy to defend against and toothless, and not the way to get the best out of Taylor.

If we keep playing as we are, I can’t really see why we will score many from open play.

 

[Swaby39]

Do you think robinson will take us up this season, his last roll of the dice?

This season? No. I think there’s too many teams in the hat this year that’ll have too much and we’re already without 3 of our most dangerous players for a quarter of the season or more. And I do feel the full back situation is a growing concern. But I also don’t think it’ll be his last roll of the dice and I can appreciate that he is attempting to make us harder to play through… But as I said last year, I think we had the right system to go up it just needed some personnel changes in key positions. I was pretty astonished to see someone still felt yesterday was too ‘tippy tappy’!!!

 

[Thomas/Brock/Jones]

We'll never get anywhere playing Compo, Cleggy and Foggy up front.

Could do with Foggy in one of the fullback positions......he could cover both in his day !

 

[Thomas/Brock/Jones]

Player rating from watching it on the TV​

Eastwood 6 great save, dodgy deliveries
Long 6.5 solid, good runs & fair crossing
Moore 6 defended ok, weak passing from the back
Findlay 6 defence ok, out of position
Seddon 6.5 much better, positioning good & back peddled
Mcguane 7 pass ratio very good, seems to obtain the pass facing our goal 75plus %
Brannagan 6 maybe mentally weak, didn't really turn up
Henry 5.5 robust, with the attacks. Was like a kids on sweets chasing the ball when they scored.
Browne 6 too many touches, least stayed on his feet
Bodin 6.5 one of the best attacking players
Taylor 6 same as Cam

Wax statues AKA ball boys -10

I only watched on ifollow as well but thought Bodin a complete passenger , from the classy no 10 at the back end of last season to a totally ineffective winger . Him and Henry can not play as wingers especially with the lack of pace in the side anyway.
Always enjoyed the style we had and tried to play under Robbo but now we just are looking a poor side . Plenty of time to change that but a very disappointing first 3 matches with one of our biggest budgets ever .

 

[The mighty Aldo]

What’s more worrying is Karl thought we played well!!

This is why I don’t listen to him anymore after games, most people know when we have played badly and the majority on here plus Radox pundits and callers thought we were very poor. I watched it ,we were very poor after 20 mins. Reminded me of the game v Wycombe away last year
And you have listened to KR and he says we played well, give me strength

 

[IsleofWightYellow]

Player rating from watching it on the TV​

Eastwood 6 great save, dodgy deliveries
Long 6.5 solid, good runs & fair crossing
Moore 6 defended ok, weak passing from the back
Findlay 6 defence ok, out of position
Seddon 6.5 much better, positioning good & back peddled
Mcguane 7 pass ratio very good, seems to obtain the pass facing our goal 75plus %
Brannagan 6 maybe mentally weak, didn't really turn up
Henry 5.5 robust, with the attacks. Was like a kids on sweets chasing the ball when they scored.
Browne 6 too many touches, least stayed on his feet
Bodin 6.5 one of the best attacking players
Taylor 6 same as Cam

Wax statues AKA ball boys -10

I can’t see any way how McGuane was only half a point better than Long, Seddon or Bodin…

 

[Twiggy85]

I only watched on ifollow as well but thought Bodin a complete passenger , from the classy no 10 at the back end of last season to a totally ineffective winger . Him and Henry can not play as wingers especially with the lack of pace in the side anyway.
Always enjoyed the style we had and tried to play under Robbo but now we just are looking a poor side . Plenty of time to change that but a very disappointing first 3 matches with one of our biggest budgets ever .

I think this was the main issue with the team yesterday - we effectively had 3 ‘no 10’ playing with the quickest player playing down the middle and not on the wing. Bodin and Henry just don’t have the pace to be effective in those wide positions in a game like yesterday. I think Henry and long playing together on the right hand side really exposed both players lack of pace. It seems to me that Long has lost a bit of acceleration pace (not sure of right word) since his injuries which given he wasn’t the quickest to start with is an issue.

 

[beyondthefourth]

Having slept on it, and replayed the nightmare in my head:

I think we need to take a risk and put McGinty in. I know he had a horror show first half on Tuesday, but I have more faith in him getting up to speed in this league than Eastwood suddenly turning into a sweeper keeper. Every time he was in possession, it got hoofed upfield and squandered.

I agree with others that we've looked to tighten up at the back at the expense of our attacking output. Findlay and Moore do look like a great central pairing, but I feel like everyone further forward is playing less creatively to avoid our fullbacks getting exposed if the ball is turned over.

It feels strange to say we've 'only' conceded 4 goals in the first 4 games, but there were spells last season where we'd have let in 8-9 in those sort of periods. But then we'd also bag 8-9 ourselves, rather than the 3 we have currently.

 

[bazzer9461]

This season? No. I think there’s too many teams in the hat this year that’ll have too much and we’re already without 3 of our most dangerous players for a quarter of the season or more. And I do feel the full back situation is a growing concern. But I also don’t think it’ll be his last roll of the dice and I can appreciate that he is attempting to make us harder to play through… But as I said last year, I think we had the right system to go up it just needed some personnel changes in key positions. I was pretty astonished to see someone still felt yesterday was too ‘tippy tappy’!!!

Probably won’t go up this year, as you say there are to many teams in the hat this year.

What worries me is there will still be to many teams in the hat next season and will the board keep finding a top 6 budget?

 

[outsidethebox]

Haven't posted for a while but tried to keep an eye on the forum during a difficult year at home.

First game this season on Tuesday and quite looking forward to it. Sounds like we've not addressed all the key areas in the transfer window, so far, and have failed to hit the ground running a result.

Three 1-0 score lines in the league so are we close to being decent or imploding? If all three matches had ended 0-0 would opinions change?

Anyway, enough rambling and it's time to go back to shoveling the s**t which has plagued the last 12 months or so.

 

[Shaun Rice]

We’ve seen this all before. I’ve no doubt KR will eventually get us playing some nice football and we’ll do OK. That said we are in exactly the same position we have always been.
business done early statement.
business actually done very late.
Too many games lost trying to get us playing.
Football that seems to have no identity Or direction.
shaky at the back.
gutless up front.
lots of possession in between.

I don’t get the recruitment team. Seems to me KR likes to say it’s a group decision so he can’t be personally criticised when it goes wrong. Nobody would run a business this way! Its even more important in a sports team because there are so many additional variables. I just don’t see how it works bringing in players as a team decision. I think that’s one of the reasons we start badly because KR is still working out what to do with the players he has. Having a team to identify targets based on a specific identity for each player would work as long as the manager is in control.
But KR also likes to keep his powder dry so that when it fails, as it clearly is right now, he can recruit players to fill the gaps.

Our problem is clearly creating and finishing chances So Simplistically, What are we trying to do to create chances?
Are we trying to get down the flanks and put crosses in?
Are we trying to thread balls through to players running through?
Are we bombing long balls over the top?
Are we trying to drive through teams with skill and pace and short little one touch passing?
Are we using a big target man to hold the ball up and bring others into play?

Obviously I know we’re not trying to do some of these. The point being if you want to be getting at teams down the channels and putting balls into the box you need those specific elements in players to be able to do so. You might need a couple of big old centre forwards who can get on the end of the crosses, you certainly need players who can deliver a decent cross. Also players driving into the box knowing the cross is coming.
I watch us and I just can’t see what we’re trying to do. We get down the flanks and put poor balls into the box for a lone Matty Taylor. We get into the final 3rd and pass around the box with no real threat of actually creating something. Mostly end up chipping a hopeful ball into the box to be headed away, fielded by the keeper or we lose the ball.

 

[yellowbow]

I think this was the main issue with the team yesterday - we effectively had 3 ‘no 10’ playing with the quickest player playing down the middle and not on the wing. Bodin and Henry just don’t have the pace to be effective in those wide positions in a game like yesterday. I think Henry and long playing together on the right hand side really exposed both players lack of pace. It seems to me that Long has lost a bit of acceleration pace (not sure of right word) since his injuries which given he wasn’t the quickest to start with is an issue.

I just had a quick look and cant find it now but, unless I dreamt it, Im sure KR once said that Sam Long was one of the quickest players in the squad? Possibly before his injury issues though..

 

[The mighty Aldo]

Just to play devils advocate on here for a while

Many posters have said KR gets continually out thought,well it’s not true
Last season we lost 14games? Drew around 10 but won the rest,so 50% of the time he gets it right

Some of those games we lost were against the top teams. Sunderland,Wigan, Rotherham so no disgrace there.
So what are we saying ……….against the likes of Accy, Morecambe, Wycombe,Fleetwood, Wimbledon and Cheltenham we get out though?

I would say they are teams that we find very hard to compete with because we don’t have that calibre of player to call on. We love to pass and move the ball they will do everything to stop that because if they don’t they will get hammered like Gillingham and Burton.
We can’t suddenly change from a good footballing side into an anti football side.
What I would say is that the likes of Wigan last season had a squad of players that could do both and score goals.Rotherham weren’t as attractive but kept plenty of clean sheets but not sure I would want to watch them every week.

But if 1-0 wins like the Cambridge game gets you 3 points and we win 27 -30 games like that we will get promoted and KR will have done his job

 

[Colin B]

After a long, hot, drive back from Bristol I refrained from reading the board last nigh, as I knew it would only depress me further. Having now read through this thread, most of it has been said, so I'll only add one thing.

After a complete shitshow like yesterday's, against a team of shithouses, managed by a complete c**t of a man, the last thing I want to see is my manager walking off with his arms around their players' shoulders and laughing and joking with his "mate" Joey. There's having a bad day, and then there's adding to it by completely failing to read the room.

Not happy. At all.

 

[yellowbow]

Haven't posted for a while but tried to keep an eye on the forum during a difficult year at home.

First game this season on Tuesday and quite looking forward to it. Sounds like we've not addressed all the key areas in the transfer window, so far, and have failed to hit the ground running a result.

Three 1-0 score lines in the league so are we close to being decent or imploding? If all three matches had ended 0-0 would opinions change?

Anyway, enough rambling and it's time to go back to shoveling the s**t which has plagued the last 12 months or so.

I hope your personal situation improves soon outsidethebox. A win on Tuesday will help everyone I think!