Home Match Day Thread 03/02/2024 L1: OUFC v Reading

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Joey said:
I've not read through all of this but one thing that infuriates me is how switched off we are almost constantly. Every single game we get caught out by quick throws and free kicks and very rarely take advantage ourselves. It's another case of us looking disorganised.

We've got players missing who would have made a difference but taking Burey off was an error, the only outlet we have with any pace. Once again the press was really poor, Harris and Rodrigues have a pop closing four players down between them, get played round and no one else has gone too so there's acres of space. If the whole team aren't going to do it then don't bother until your opponents get further forwards or there's a particular player you want to target. It doesn't look like it's worked on at all.

Rodrigues poor again today, often either slows it down or picks the wrong pass. We managed to turn the ball over a few times high up the pitch, mostly through their incompetence, and often it broke down with Ruben. Had a chance to shoot first half but delayed and played it to Burey who was offside, picked the wrong ball when we had a break second half that fortunately made it to Goodrham, played a fairly simple ball into touch and put Dale in the corner when we had space and that's just off the top of my head. The less said about Negru at right back the better, although to be fair I don't know what other options we had bar maybe Dale but that's a hell of an ask.

All very concerning. I've said before that Des has been stitched up in terms of his backroom staff and we've got loads of injuries but I still don't see any plan in possession and we're so soft out of it.
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I understand the injuries but Des has been here nearly 3 months and I have no idea what our game plan is. We no longer keep the ball, we consistently have less than 50% possession against everybody.
It all looks clueless, occasionally we have passion but mostly not. We cannot pass the ball fluently, we defend poorly, there looks no belief in what we are doing.
The absolute committment to the plan of Manning has long since gone. We are currently playing football off scraps.
I realise Buckingham stays we have invested too much for that not to happen but the comparisons with Clotet reign is scary.
Manager talks but says nothing, players not really understanding their roles.
When the injury excuse ends Des will then become under real pressure not from the management but from the fans.
 
ZeroTheHero said:
Looking at that, what on earth was Moore doing for their goal? He just runs as fast back towards his own goal as he can, without actually putting in any sort of challenge or actually blocking off the route to goal. I know Brown puts it in eventually and Negru lost the ball up the pitch, but that goal is mainly Moore's responsibility IMO.
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It is hard, as a defender, when you are one on one like that with a much quicker attacking player. He tried to slow him down and knew if he allowed him to go inside he would have had a pretty easy shot. The gap was to big to start with so diving in would have allowed him to skip pass easily. In my opinion showing him the outside was the best he could do.
 
That second half of constantly punting the ball in the air was woeful. Was it a game plan for the wind? They did it all the time.
 
Thomas/Brock/Jones said:
Unbelievable, what on earth are you on ?
Apart from two excellent runs , tricky play in the box first half and possible two pens the second.
Yep so many other players doing loooaaads more.
Embarrassed for you.
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He was excellent against Pompey. I do think he will be a no 10 type player eventually. I think he has been pretty good lately.
 
dickwalton1964 said:
Yes, he got a goal and obviously that is a contribution but there are players out there who score too and who then don’t go missing for the next 90 odd minutes. What does he do ? What did he do today ? Bar the goal, what did he do on Tuesday ? He can’t beat a man on the outside, he’s not that strong and is easily eased off the ball. He’s a passenger for very large parts of most games.
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FFS… have a day off will ya.
 
The good news, one silver lining. At least the board didn’t decide to experiment with Buckingham at the end of last season or we’d be playing a different derby.
 
Theox07 said:
Everyone’s blaming are defence again when reading literally had one shot on goal all game I thought are defence defended well you have to be scoring more than 1 goal at home to reading
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We do generally defend well, but we just make one or two huge errors every game. All that good work is simply wasted because points are dropped. I totally accept the rest of the team is not functioning properly either.
 
Theox07 said:
Everyone’s blaming are defence again when reading literally had one shot on goal all game I thought are defence defended well you have to be scoring more than 1 goal at home to reading
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I blame the midfield and Rodrigues mostly as they had zero control of the game and Reading kept picking up second balls and finding space in the middle of the pitch second half.

Defence had no one to pass to so just kept hoofing it up the pitch.
 
chromeyellow said:
Agree he - like the rest of the team were better on Tuesday

. I imagine that Portsmouth game took a lot out of the team and playing early on a Saturday it’s a little bit less time to recover as well. (Don’t think Reading played midweek, did they? )

I think the team is coming together Burey looks extremely good- Greg Leigh back makes us stronger. One stupid llgoal given away and we should’ve scored another.

Worth looking at the reasons why that didn’t happen in the actual incidents we created.
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Yes, of course Des.
 
Orkney Islands Yellow said:
www.oxfordmail.co.uk

Boy, 15, among four arrested after disorder following football match

We have arrested four people following the Oxford United Football Club versus Reading Football Club game.
www.oxfordmail.co.uk www.oxfordmail.co.uk

All from Berkshire
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flares still fashionable with Caversham teenagers? Didnt realise that it was an arrestable offence


4 arrests ( all appear to be Reading) - does that really justify that ridiculous amount of police, mounted division and dog handlers post match on Knights Road ( the steel wall behind North Stand was in place at that time)? and does it really justify the need for an early kick off?

I think it was OTT overkill
 
Last edited:
As much as I am coming to accept that the season is slipping away, it’s not over till it’s over.

But as this does now look like yet another season of rebuilding, I’ll continue to root for Des and allow him the time he deserves to work this out so that hopefully we’ll come back stronger.

It’s the hope that kills you, but that guy Shaun calling for his head on RO but yet offered no comeback when asked to give specifics was just embarrassing.

Des has only just come into the building and he’s clearly on a steep learning curve, but he now deserves time, our support, and our understanding of exactly what he is facing just now. Not only has he uprooted his whole life back to the U.K. but he also has much less of a support network than perhaps he was promised.

I am as frustrated as the next man, but for now Des is one of us and he gets my backing. Anyone already calling for his sacking are, imo, just being ridiculous.
 
The mighty Aldo said:
No KR is not an excellent manager.

A good manager treats his staff well and KR had favourites and left others out in the cold.
I have lost count of the players he signed on or gave longer contracts to that were injured or past their best.
He listened to what agents said rather than going after players the club wanted. If you don’t believe that ask yourself why Thomas left and went to Derby.
He didn’t replace our only defensive midfielder for two years and constantly played midfield players out of position.
He was a bully
His after match comments were an absolute joke
Luckily for him we did have a few players around who could play a bit

I could go on but he definitely was NOT a good manager
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Someone that achieves playoffs twice in his 5 year tenure as well as breaking records and generating some serious transfer fees through players development is a decent manager. I'm not a fan of KR but there is no doubt he has some strong credentials and many issues such as contracts and failure to replace players was on the board and recruitment. If he was in the dugout today for us, we would've absolutely annihilated this Reading team even with our current crop of players. Sure his final year was terrible on and off the field and it was time to go but managers like him are technically night and day ahead of the likes of Buckingham and others at this level right now.
 
East Stand Fan said:
Someone that achieves playoffs twice in his 5 year tenure as well as breaking records and generating some serious transfer fees through players development is a decent manager. I'm not a fan of KR but there is no doubt he has some strong credentials and many issues such as contracts and failure to replace players was on the board and recruitment. If he was in the dugout today for us, we would've absolutely annihilated this Reading team even with our current crop of players. Sure his final year was terrible on and off the field and it was time to go but managers like him are technically night and day ahead of the likes of Buckingham and others at this level right now.
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Rose tinted view imo.

Given how he was losing the plot at the end, we would more than likely have lost.
 
East Stand Fan said:
Someone that achieves playoffs twice in his 5 year tenure as well as breaking records and generating some serious transfer fees through players development is a decent manager. I'm not a fan of KR but there is no doubt he has some strong credentials and many issues such as contracts and failure to replace players was on the board and recruitment. If he was in the dugout today for us, we would've absolutely annihilated this Reading team even with our current crop of players. Sure his final year was terrible on and off the field and it was time to go but managers like him are technically night and day ahead of the likes of Buckingham and others at this level right now.
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Agree KR pre going through a mid life crisis would get more out of this squad, come to think of it he isn't doing too badly at Salford currently. That first season when we got in the play offs that was halted due to COVID was some of the most exciting football I've witnessed an Oxford team playing at the Kassam. I remember us spanking AFC Wimbledon 5-0 on a Tuesday night and it could of been a hell of a lot more.

I pray we some day get back to that kind of football.
 
MC Yellow said:
As much as I am coming to accept that the season is slipping away, it’s not over till it’s over.

But as this does now look like yet another season of rebuilding, I’ll continue to root for Des and allow him the time he deserves to work this out so that hopefully we’ll come back stronger.

It’s the hope that kills you, but that guy Shaun calling for his head on RO but yet offered no comeback when asked to give specifics was just embarrassing.

Des has only just come into the building and he’s clearly on a steep learning curve, but he now deserves time, our support, and our understanding of exactly what he is facing just now. Not only has he uprooted his whole life back to the U.K. but he also has much less of a support network than perhaps he was promised.

I am as frustrated as the next man, but for now Des is one of us and he gets my backing. Anyone already calling for his sacking are, imo, just being ridiculous.
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agree

especially re support network/ backroom staff - perhaps bringing in a DoF wouldn't be a bad idea?
 
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