Away Match Day Thread +++ 07/08/2021 L1 Cambridge United v OUFC +++

[forevayella]

How you interpret a draw as a valuable 2 points dropped after the 1st game of the season is beyond me.

Spot on. A draw away from home is never a disaster. Cambridge could end up top half of the table, nobody really knows until we are at least 10 games in.

Some on here going into meltdown is way over the top, can you imagine if we’d lost? Robbo out, signings are crap etc.

We will only get better as the new players settle in and get used to playing with each other. Yes we missed chances but that’s why these players are league 1, if they took every chance they wouldn’t play at this level.

This is the best squad we’ve had in years and I’m pretty certain we will have more ups than downs this season.

 

[ubermeistervonmeat]

Having just watch the highlights on iFollow, I feel Sykes was actually a bit unfortunate for the penalty. Facing his own goal, the ball breaks across him and as it goes past, he endeavours to control it. Behind him arriving at speed is Digby, who simply runs into and over Sykes' leg, who could not have seen him coming to avoid the contact. You could almost make a case that Digby was (a) tackling from behind and (b) reckless in the challenge as he was unable to stop himself from running into Sykes.

Definitely a modern day case of a penalty "won" rather than a poorly timed challenge or deliberate foul play to give one away.

Whatever way you look at it, that was a rash, stupid and costly decision by Sykes - you can dress it up all you like but he f..ked up with a stupid challenge again (just like at Sunderland) and we paid the price - he has form for it - needs to engage his brain

 

[Mellowyellow]

Spot on. A draw away from home is never a disaster. Cambridge could end up top half of the table, nobody really knows until we are at least 10 games in.

Some on here going into meltdown is way over the top, can you imagine if we’d lost? Robbo out, signings are crap etc.

We will only get better as the new players settle in and get used to playing with each other. Yes we missed chances but that’s why these players are league 1, if they took every chance they wouldn’t play at this level.

This is the best squad we’ve had in years and I’m pretty certain we will have more ups than downs this season.

I agree some are over a little over worried, but that's their opinion, but in reality to say Cambridge could finish mid table based on that performance is a little optimistic. We made them look like Argentina at times.
Other teams will do to them what we should have done, take all 3 points off them.

 

[holdsteady]

The last time we got promoted we started the season with a 1-1 draw to Crawley who finished 20th that season, how we recovered from that disaster to come second I will never know, only had 45 games to bounce back.

 

[ttg17]

The last time we got promoted we started the season with a 1-1 draw to Crawley who finished 20th that season, how we recovered from that disaster to come second I will never know, only had 45 games to bounce back.

s**t good point I'd forgotten that. And the last time we started a season 1-1 we got to a playoff final. Our lucky opening day scoreline!

Also, the last two seasons in which we've been promoted (09-10, 15-16), in our league fixtures at Cambridge we drew (1-1, 0-0). The stars are aligning!

 

[Swaby39]

I agree some are over a little over worried, but that's their opinion, but in reality to say Cambridge could finish mid table based on that performance is a little optimistic. We made them look like Argentina at times.
Other teams will do to them what we should have done, take all 3 points off them.

Maybe, but they’ll also have had a run of competitive games behind them by that point and be starting to warm up. You’d imagine Cambridge will also get better as the season goes and they adjust to the step up.

They might turn out to be the whipping boys but then they may also ride their promotion wave in to the top half and beyond - they wouldn’t be the first. The same can be said for Morecambe who very nearly got all 3 points against Ipswich at a sold-out Portman road. It’s football, not science.

Let’s focus on us - it’s a point gained. It’s game one of many. It sounds as though it was a good performance that just lacked a bit of ruthlessness that will come. On another day it may be plenty good enough but it’s key we learn quickly that you do not get Mulligan’s in football and must take the points when they are there for us. On to the next.

 

[OX14]

The last time we got promoted we started the season with a 1-1 draw to Crawley who finished 20th that season, how we recovered from that disaster to come second I will never know, only had 45 games to bounce back.

I'm sure that result got the same backlash from half of the fanbase as the result against Cambridge is getting. While I understand we have been to the darkside of the conference so we shouldn't be too annoyed with results like this in league one but the board/manager say they aspire to act/be a top 30 club. Drawing away to Cambridge after being in front and seemingly in control of the game is hardly a good result for us.

Let's hope for better against Charlton.

 

[Scotchegg]

I'm sure that result got the same backlash from half of the fanbase as the result against Cambridge is getting. While I understand we have been to the darkside of the conference so we shouldn't be too annoyed with results like this in league one but the board/manager say they aspire to act/be a top 30 club. Drawing away to Cambridge after being in front and seemingly in control of the game is hardly a good result for us.

Let's hope for better against Charlton.

Backlash from half the fan base?

A small handful repeating the same message on an Internet forum hardly represents the greater fan base.

 

[werthersoriginal]

Backlash from half the fan base?

A small handful repeating the same message on an Internet forum hardly represents the greater fan base.

That's a good point. When you actually go to the game most people drift off chatting afterwards, generally quite philosophical rather than raving about subs and Robbo.

 

[holdsteady]

Hull won the league last season winning 27 games, Peterborough got automatic winning 26 and Blackpool through the play offs winning 23 in the normal season. My point is that even in the most successful seasons at this level you draw and lose a lot of games.

 

[Scotchegg]

That's a good point. When you actually go to the game most people drift off chatting afterwards, generally quite philosophical rather than raving about subs and Robbo.

I've no doubt that many were moaning about Winnall and Robbo, but I always struggle to accept that anyone speaks for more than a handful of others. Saying "half the fan base" or "the majority" of fans is used to add legitimacy to the point being made.

I speak for no one, but in my view, an away point and decent performance isn't something to be sniffed at, especially when we have Long, Gorrin, McGuane and Holland to return in the next week or so.

 

[MC Yellow]

Hull won the league last season winning 27 games, Peterborough got automatic winning 26 and Blackpool through the play offs winning 23 in the normal season. My point is that even in the most successful seasons at this level you draw and lose a lot of games.

This season will see us lose games we should have won, win games we should have lost, draw games we should have won, draw games we should have lost.

It will involve a whole load of performances that will range somewhere from utter shite to absolutely superb, as indeed will almost every other team in this league experience.

It’s called football, it’s why we love it and it’s why we ride the roller coaster of emotion.

I also expect the sentiment on this forum will also be bouncing around from opinions of relegation fodder to title winners.

Don‘t you just love having football back.

 

[werthersoriginal]

This season will see us lose games we should have won, win games we should have lost, draw games we should have won, draw games we should have lost.

It will involve a whole load of performances that will range somewhere from utter shite to absolutely superb, as indeed will almost every other team in this league experience.

It’s called football, it’s why we love it and it’s why we ride the roller coaster of emotion.

I also expect the sentiment on this forum will also be bouncing around from opinions of relegation fodder to title winners.

Don‘t you just love having football back.

Yes to that. Sounds like some on here need to just enjoy it a bit more, you can't always legislate for everything that happens and sometimes it goes against you. If we hadn't given away that late penalty (always a risk) the reaction here would have been quite different.

 

[Wandering Yellow]

Some good points there.
On the last one, KR said afterwards that the Winnal for Taylor sub was preplanned for 65 minutes no matter what which to me is ludicrous!! Winnall has been good in training was the only reason given, no mention of Agyei at all.
I don't think Agyei has a future here as a striker which let's be honest is what he is.

The concept of a preplanned sub, not in a friendly, sounds ludicrous to me too.

 

[Wandering Yellow]

I've no doubt that many were moaning about Winnall and Robbo, but I always struggle to accept that anyone speaks for more than a handful of others. Saying "half the fan base" or "the majority" of fans is used to add legitimacy to the point being made.

I speak for no one, but in my view, an away point and decent performance isn't something to be sniffed at, especially when we have Long, Gorrin, McGuane and Holland to return in the next week or so.

It all depends on what your expectations are. I expect Cambridge to be relegation-candidates, and us to be hopefully around the play-offs, so in that respect its not a great point.

I can draw some positives from it, but I wish we were more ruthless. Let's hope we can get a winning mentality going early this season, we have started seasons slowly all-too-often.

 

[Teacher]

First of all, would like to add my name to the list of forum members who believe it should’ve been Agyei added to the field before Winnall.

However, I think some of the criticism is a little OTT for SW. I agree that so far he has lots to prove as he hasn’t set the world alight.

Yesterday there were lots of ball that were probably 70/30 in the favour of the defending put up towards him. Quite often these balls are making him have to run to retrieve/challenge for the ball and this can give the impression that he ‘isn’t on his toes.’ We must consider the service as well.

In saying that, we dominated the game so much yesterday, we didn’t need someone to ‘make it stick’ as a sub. Agyei would’ve stretched the play, dragged them deeper and created more room for the other attacking players.

 

[Mellowyellow]

I've no doubt that many were moaning about Winnall and Robbo, but I always struggle to accept that anyone speaks for more than a handful of others. Saying "half the fan base" or "the majority" of fans is used to add legitimacy to the point being made.

I speak for no one, but in my view, an away point and decent performance isn't something to be sniffed at, especially when we have Long, Gorrin, McGuane and Holland to return in the next week or so.

Apart from Kr and Tiger?

 

[Nadi-]

Maybe first 90 minutes for some yesterday. momentum will come as fitness, confidence and rhythm is built up.
I can understand the 2pts lost comments, but first game of the season and a point away from home against any newly promoted side, would normally be a point well gained.

 

[DevilsAvocado]

Despite that being a dissapointing result it was hardly likely to be a walk in the park.

Newly promoted team at home, fans properly back in for the first time in over a year, a difficult pre season with
many of the squad isolating. It did have a whiff of not being as straightforward as some think.

I know we live in a world where instant gratification is the norm but its worth remembering the full sentence
when quoting KR, our aim is to be a top 30 club within the next 5 years, thats years, not minutes...
I believe we have time to get relegated and still achieve that, wheeling out the first half of that statement when we
drop points is poor and makes me feel like i`m reading an article in the Mail or the Express, a half truth designed to
wind people up.

Its difficult to read too much into the 1st game of the season, i like a flutter but hold off until game 5, the time it
takes for teams to settle in, was happy enough with the overall performance, a few more games and this squad
will gel just fine.

 

[Wallop]

The bookies had us at 6/5 against to win the game yesterday, looks like they were right and that either means we aren’t as good as some on here think we are or that Cambridge aren’t as bad as some on here think they are.

10 games in is when you can start to make a real judgement.