Away Match Day Thread 04/02/25: Championship - Burnley FC v OUFC

[Northstandboy]

 

[Chippy]

It does make me chuckle whenever we lose a game, the doom and gloom that comes with it. It’s like some people actually expect us to win 46/46 and every single loss is deemed as not good enough etc…

Realistically every away game is a challenge in this division from top to bottom, some obviously more so than others. Every home game gives us a better chance but is equally going to be a tough game and we still have to work extremely hard for the 3 points.

As long as the players have given 100% that’s as much as we can ask. Sometimes our performances in terms of quality are going to significantly dip and other times they’ll be exceeded. We have to accept as well that some teams have playing resources way above ours at present, if we can stay in this division then over a period of time we can start to climb up some of those higher levels, but for now we have to realise that we’re going to lose far more than we win. Of course it’s disappointing when we are defeated whoever the opposition is, no one sets out or wants to lose, but the expectation of some is crazy.

Yet again players who have a bad game are written off. Until the next time when if we win they should be getting new contracts etc… Of course it’s what a forum is all about and there are always different opinions.

 

[Eric Blair]

It's natural to see what is happening all around us, but it's more about the irrational expectation that several sides at the bottom will suddenly hit promotion form whilst also thinking that we'll fall off a cliff.

If we look at our pre-Rowett form, we got 18 points from 21 games. Even a repeat of that form would see us hit 49.86 points for the season. For the bottom 4 or 5 clubs to get to 50 points they would have to mirror the form of clubs like West Brom and Middlesbrough have so far.

Anything can happen, and our own form has shown how quickly things can change. But we would need to see three clubs hit playoff form over a third of the season AND for us to simultaneously hit self destruct.

No complacency, but plenty of reasons to be hopeful that we will do more than just survive.

"Irrational expectation" is my middle name.

 

[BicesterU]

It would be very foolish for anyone to publicly state it's job done.

And pretty foolish for anyone to to publicly state that anyone else thinks it's job done, I'd say.

 

[Eric Blair]

It does make me chuckle whenever we lose a game, the doom and gloom that comes with it. It’s like some people actually expect us to win 46/46 and every single loss is deemed as not good enough etc…

Realistically every away game is a challenge in this division from top to bottom, some obviously more so than others. Every home game gives us a better chance but is equally going to be a tough game and we still have to work extremely hard for the 3 points.

As long as the players have given 100% that’s as much as we can ask. Sometimes our performances in terms of quality are going to significantly dip and other times they’ll be exceeded. We have to accept as well that some teams have playing resources way above ours at present, if we can stay in this division then over a period of time we can start to climb up some of those higher levels, but for now we have to realise that we’re going to lose far more than we win. Of course it’s disappointing when we are defeated whoever the opposition is, no one sets out or wants to lose, but the expectation of some is crazy.

Yet again players who have a bad game are written off. Until the next time when if we win they should be getting new contracts etc… Of course it’s what a forum is all about and there are always different opinions.

Spot on. In fact so spot on I'm having it tattooed on my children.

 

[Ewes]

So who is relying on defenders to score or being complacent in feeling home and dry?

I think most of us are relying on our defenders to score because, aside from a rare beauty from CB or WV, the goals aren’t coming from any other sources.

No complacency about our end of season position though. We’re not currently a bottom 3 side but there are some big teams down there who (if we were in Lge1 and just observing) we’d expect one or two of them to put a run together and escape trouble.

 

[90syeIlow]

Sam long has generally been good this season and has stepped up well to the demands of the championship.

So, when he has a poor game against Burnley away no less, why is it all guns blazing against him saying ‘he needs to be sold, not good enough etc’.

The same posters will then be calling him ‘one of our own’ during his next good performance.

 

[werthersoriginal]

Sam long has generally been good this season and has stepped up well to the demands of the championship.

So, when he has a poor game against Burnley away no less, why is it all guns blazing against him saying ‘he needs to be sold, not good enough etc’.

The same posters will then be calling him ‘one of our own’ during his next good performance.

Sadly even when he plays well he doesn't tend to get acclaimed as 'one of our own' - not sure why that is.

 

[AbsoluteZero]

We need 10, could be 11, points from 15 games. In the top 5 divisions only the bottom 3 in the Prem and the bottom 2 in the Conference are averaging less than that per game so far this season. So we are going to have to have a monumental drop off to not reach this target. Saying that it would be nice to beat one of Derby or Portsmouth or draw both games so that they both don't start getting closer to us. Not getting beat 3, 4 or 5 against Burnley might also prove decisive towards the end of the season if things do start getting a bit tight.

Bradshaw does bring something extra because he can head the ball and flick it on, the problem is that our wingers are so used to it not being flicked on they are not gambling and are not running behind. Bradshaw does compete when the ball is played up to him and can lay the ball off. He does look like he is running through treacle though. In terms of his goalscoring ability there is not much to go on yet as chances have been few, he had one chance at Stoke but his lack of pace meant the goalkeeper could smother the shot. Against Burnley his early header was not necessarily a decent chance but given that opposition Championship strikers have scored against us with very similar flick headers into the far corner this season you would hope that our striker would do a bit better than being closer to the corner flag than the goal, that is the standard and fine margins we are up against in the Championship.

Harris on the other hand has qualities with his athletic ability chasing down the ball, actually winning and blocking the ball, and can have a nice touch when in space. But his first touch under pressure is dreadful, he fails to compete whatsoever with his back to goal and always seems to be a yard off where he needs to be, and he has missed a whole host of easy chances this season. But he could then easily click into a rich vein of form like we had March to August, he seems to play well in a team playing well rather than being the drive behind the team to get into form.

I have no idea which one is better out of the two, or possibly a more appropriate description would be the best worst. But whoever is chosen surely they are good enough to contribute enough to get another 10 points over the rest of this season so I'm not panicking and have every confidence we are fine.

 

[Foley]

Tend to agree.

And pretty foolish for anyone to to publicly state that anyone else thinks it's job done, I'd say.

Tend to agree. There seem to have been some outlandish negative comments recently in my view.
There have been some pretty good analysis on why 45/ 46 points will probably be enough.
From.the position we are in and recent form, the bookies are probably right- in 6 times out of 7 we should stay up
Now it is possible that we fall apart and can't win 2 to 3 games in 15.
The suggestion that the club are being complacent, seems pretty unsubstantiated and out of order I reckon

 

[90syeIlow]

Sadly even when he plays well he doesn't tend to get acclaimed as 'one of our own' - not sure why that is.

I’ve heard that reference a few times but maybe not as much as he deserves.

The disrespect to say ‘he has to go’ after a bad game when he’s been an incredible servant to the club is nothing short of moronic.

 

[holdsteady]

Tend to agree.

Tend to agree. There seem to have been some outlandish negative comments recently in my view.
There have been some pretty good analysis on why 45/ 46 points will probably be enough.
From.the position we are in and recent form, the bookies are probably right- in 6 times out of 7 we should stay up
Now it is possible that we fall apart and can't win 2 to 3 games in 15.
The suggestion that the club are being complacent, seems pretty unsubstantiated and out of order I reckon

I think people overestimate the amount of points needed, they see one high season and that brings the figure in their head up. Had to laugh at a Facebook championship group where a pompey fan predicted 55/56 points would be needed to stay up purely because we had won games, apparently no one can come below teams like Oxford.

 

[greatunclekip]

Tend to agree.

Tend to agree. There seem to have been some outlandish negative comments recently in my view.
There have been some pretty good analysis on why 45/ 46 points will probably be enough.
From.the position we are in and recent form, the bookies are probably right- in 6 times out of 7 we should stay up
Now it is possible that we fall apart and can't win 2 to 3 games in 15.
The suggestion that the club are being complacent, seems pretty unsubstantiated and out of order I reckon

I’m not sure they are being complacent as such, I just think that by choosing not to fix such a blatant and obvious issue, they have accepted it’s going to be tougher than it needed to be.

 

[Oufcrealist]

Burnley really are pretty dull to watch, aren’t they? Aside from that 15/20 minute spell in the first half, they didn’t really overwhelm us at all.

I thought we lacked a real desire to be brave and get something from the game. This was highlighted by the desire to pass back to Cumming repeatedly with less than 5 minutes to go.

Matos was outstanding. I’d be talking to Chelsea now, to see if we could have him for a whole year in 25/26. I’ve been a defender of Vaulks, when many have been piling on. However, Matos showed second half what it is to have genuine athleticism in the deep lying role. He covered so much ground and was combative. I liked him further forward, too.

Cumming was very good again. I’d be amazed if he doesn’t have admirers further up the food chain.

For the first time since he arrived, I thought Rowett got it wrong with the Sam Long selection. Having not played for a couple of weeks, it was always going to be difficult for him to come in and be sufficiently effective to nullify Burnley’s attacking threats. Unfortunately, he got the run around rather a lot, especially first half.

Can the fan fare over Goodrham calm down a touch? It’s probably unpopular but I cannot recall the last ‘outstanding’ game he had in this league. You know, the kind of game that screams £10,000,000 player. He is a prospect and has a high ceiling, but I think he’s a fair way off being a star at this level. Last night the game passed him by and it wasn’t for the first (or second) time.

Dembele was disappointing. Too many touches and he seems to slow us down. End product was an issue according to Birmingham fans, wasn’t it? I’d not disagree at this moment in time.

For Bradshaw see Harris #2. Oh to have a 2025 version of Ryan Taylor…or a transfer window to sign an alternative type striker to what we have.

Next week is big. Very BIG!

Yes, we even passed back in time added on when we should have pushed the CB's up and targeted them.
Also the Long selection was wrong.
Tyler has looked 'off it' since he became a Dad, understandable in some ways.
Agree re strikers. Wasn't Goodwin supposed to be our alternative 'type' when signed? But he's not Championship standard.
The recruitment team got that one wrong!!
Losing to Burnley is no disgrace but there are several big tests to come.
I can see us being able to get to 48 points, anything more will be a plus to hopefully keep us up.

 

[werthersoriginal]

I’m not sure they are being complacent as such, I just think that by choosing not to fix such a blatant and obvious issue, they have accepted it’s going to be tougher than it needed to be.

Unless million pound man Romeny is meant to be the fix. Otherwise I tend to agree.

 

[PottersRightBoot]

Sam didn’t look 100% fit last night and was treading water before halftime. Burnley craftily exploited the gap between him and the flying Pole and we were all at sea down the right flank. Matters picked up after the break though.

Burnley have great players all over the pitch and are tactically shrewd. But there’s still something meh about them, maybe it’s a lack of ruthless streak. I could see them cocking up infhe playoffs.

 

[Big Ron]

I’m not sure they are being complacent as such, I just think that by choosing not to fix such a blatant and obvious issue, they have accepted it’s going to be tougher than it needed to be.

But it's not that black and white is it? I'm not sure they haven't 'chosen' to address the 'obvious' issue - I'm sure Rowett and team are in no doubt where we have a lack of quality but finding the man to plug that hole is not an easy or cheap process, or alternatively a complete gamble. There are only a couple of teams in the division with a 15/20 goal striker and yet everybody wants one, so the premium is higher.

Do we gamble on a striker from League One or Two and hope they can step up? For instance, Langstaff scored a bunch of goals for Notts County and had his advocates here but is seemingly completely out of depth in the Championship. It will be interesting to see if Al-Hamadi can get on the scoresheet regularly, a handful of goals for a dominant Ipswich is no real indication. On the other hand, Luton reportedly offered £4m for a striker with exactly 6 months of league experience.

I realise I should ignore your 'told you so' trolling, particularly given your comments regarding other teams in recent years but it really is tiresome.

 

[Brahma]

Tend to agree.

Tend to agree. There seem to have been some outlandish negative comments recently in my view.
There have been some pretty good analysis on why 45/ 46 points will probably be enough.
From.the position we are in and recent form, the bookies are probably right- in 6 times out of 7 we should stay up
Now it is possible that we fall apart and can't win 2 to 3 games in 15.
The suggestion that the club are being complacent, seems pretty unsubstantiated and out of order I reckon

I enjoy reading your posts Foley.

I maybe not looking hard enough but where are the outlandish negative comments? Our performances have been fantastic since Boxing Day, the manager has been exceptional, he is getting a tune out of many players. He's turned the form on it's head.

If by me raising a view I have had reliably relayed to me, in that, 'some' think it's pretty much job done, then I don't apologise for challenging them. I've said it's a tough run in, I've said there's an arrogance about. It's that sort of mentality (some will describe it as confidence/belief) that catches teams out. We cannot afford to go down and the consequences of such, are big.

I don't for one minute think or have seen, that mentality, start spreading through the fanbase. Why? Because our fanbase have a pretty reasonable intelligence and level of expectation.

 

[Symp59]

But it's not that black and white is it? I'm not sure they haven't 'chosen' to address the 'obvious' issue - I'm sure Rowett and team are in no doubt where we have a lack of quality but finding the man to plug that hole is not an easy or cheap process, or alternatively a complete gamble. There are only a couple of teams in the division with a 15/20 goal striker and yet everybody wants one, so the premium is higher.

Do we gamble on a striker from League One or Two and hope they can step up? For instance, Langstaff scored a bunch of goals for Notts County and had his advocates here but is seemingly completely out of depth in the Championship. It will be interesting to see if Al-Hamadi can get on the scoresheet regularly, a handful of goals for a dominant Ipswich is no real indication. On the other hand, Luton reportedly offered £4m for a striker with exactly 6 months of league experience.

I realise I should ignore your 'told you so' trolling, particularly given your comments regarding other teams in recent years but it really is tiresome.

It's not always a 20 goal scoring striker it's someone who can win a battle and hold up the ball and bring others into play. maybe look like scoring or score from a header, let's hope we get over the line .The next two games we know are massive two draws will help or a win and a draw ,but dint lose both or all of a sudden not having a really decent striker could bite us where it hurts .

 

[SirAndyOfCrosby]

For instance, Langstaff scored a bunch of goals for Notts County and had his advocates here but is seemingly completely out of depth in the Championship.

He certainly did

 

[Mad Dog]

Right from the offset this season, I would have split this league into three. The bottom 8 or so that we should be looking to beat (and we are). The middle 10 or so that we should be looking to match, and under Rowett we're doing just that. And then the top few who you just look to be competitive against.

I have done the exact same thing Scotchers, I know where to expect the points to come from, and where to expect them to not come from.

However, regardless of who we're playing, whether they're top, middle or bottom of the table, our strikers aren't scoring, they don't score, and that's a problem. That's not negativity, it's a fact.

Hard work is all well and good, pressing is all well and good, holding the ball up is all well and good. But we need our strikers to start contributing goals, because if our defenders stop scoring so regularly, which they very likely will, where do the equivalent amount of goals come from?

We're all very happy with the way things are currently going, but it is an obvious issue, and it's not being negative to simply express concern about it.

 

[Scotchegg]

I have done the exact same thing Scotchers, I know where to expect the points to come from, and where to expect them to not come from.

However, regardless of who we're playing, whether they're top, middle or bottom of the table, our strikers aren't scoring, they don't score, and that's a problem. That's not negativity, it's a fact.

Hard work is all well and good, pressing is all well and good, holding the ball up is all well and good. But we need our strikers to start contributing goals, because if our defenders stop scoring so regularly, which they very likely will, where do the equivalent amount of goals come from?

We're all very happy with the way things are currently going, but it is an obvious issue, and it's not being negative to simply express concern about it.

I don't disagree that we are not getting enough goals from our strikers. But we're also struggling to create enough, and we do need to look at strengthening across the front of the team.

But it's one thing knowing that and another fixing it. We are still in the very early days of being a Championship team. It's not just working within financial limitations but also convincing those that we're looking to sign that they're not going to be playing in league one 6 months into their Oxford careers. I think we've made some decent signings but it will be the summer where we really take it up a notch.

I don't believe anyone at the club is complacent, despite apparent whispers. But if we have enough to get us through the next 15 games then we're better placed to strengthen again than if we'd panic bought now and needed to offload the same players in a few months.

 

[Yellowarmy]

Matos was excellent last night, very impressive

 

[Eric Blair]

I’ve heard that reference a few times but maybe not as much as he deserves.

The disrespect to say ‘he has to go’ after a bad game when he’s been an incredible servant to the club is nothing short of moronic.

You wont find many better servants of a club anywhere else. Maybe a Sam Long statue in town.

 

[Toe knee]

Lucky Burnley had only 8 players missing

 

[Mad Dog]

I don't disagree that we are not getting enough goals from our strikers. But we're also struggling to create enough, and we do need to look at strengthening across the front of the team.

I agree, it's not just the strikers who are falling short, it's all of our attacking players. No composure, poor decision making, and a worrying lack of quality.

Think maybe it's time to see what Romney can do from the start...

 

[Osei Yaw]

Doesn't it seem a bit obvious that we want Harris to continue to do what he's good at AND to become a clinical finisher? It's a bit like asking Leigh to be as good on the ball as Bennett was, or asking Tyler to be as fast as Dembele, or Matos to inherit Brannagan's passing range.

24 months ago we were a club going backwards under Robinson and looked like we were getting relegated to League 2. Everyone else we play at this level (including Pompey and Derby) have had more time to build a Championship squad. We've obviously spent money, but we've also significantly improved over the last 4 windows and there can't be many other teams in the entire football league that have progressed as much as we have in that time.

So whilst it's understandable and healthy to demand better, I think we can cut the club a little slack. It's a big step up but we're doing better than both the other promoted clubs, from a worse starting point. We're edging closer to safety and I expect the club are drawing up lists of upgrades in every area of the pitch that will help us establish ourselves as a solid Championship side. If we go into next season as a Championship club and with Harris as our first choice striker then I'd be very surprised, but it's also a bit disappointing that the narrative around him is 'not good enough', 'lets us down' rather than someone who has flogged themself to the best of their ability for a season and a half to help get us to this level and hopefully keep us here.

If we stay up then I'd be surprised if Harris was viewed as our first choice striker next season, but if that's the case then it's job done on his part and he's pulled his weight for this club far more than many other players that have been before him.

 

[Mateo Corbo's Tackle]

I think that he is trying to replace like with like, but Stan Mills will of course make that a lot easier.

He will, true. Looking forward to seeing Stan again, more every day. I think him and Bradshaw could work well together.

 

[tonyw]

I'd have considered bringing back Goodwin if we really weren't in the market to bring an additional front man in.

I dunno - Goodwin at Wigan has gone from starting games to the occasional ten minute cameo from the bench.
Meanwhile, GOD has gone from regular substitute to starting most of Rovers' recent games and seemingly being pretty popular with their fans.
And there's only three points between the two clubs in the table.

Which is to say that I'm not sure that Goodwin is even our best physical young striker on loan to League One right now!

(though GOD has apparently done something to his hamstring and is not expected to be fit for their next couple of games.......and of course, this is all academic as we didn't recall anyone!)

 

[Trevor L]

Romeny is I hope gaining fitness and should get more minutes. It's really difficult to assess what he offers based on the few minutes he's been on the pitch so far. Bradshaw was very close to converting that early chance yesterday. I'm still hopeful that either or both will weigh in with some goals if (big if just now) they are presented with genuine chances. I don't want to sound Pollyanna-ish but surely there will be some improvement?

 

[holdsteady]

Sam didn’t look 100% fit last night and was treading water before halftime. Burnley craftily exploited the gap between him and the flying Pole and we were all at sea down the right flank. Matters picked up after the break though.

Burnley have great players all over the pitch and are tactically shrewd. But there’s still something meh about them, maybe it’s a lack of ruthless streak. I could see them cocking up infhe playoffs.

Maybe in a final against Sunderland but not against one of the two also rans who will make up the play offs, big gap between the top four and the rest.