09/08/2022 - Carabao Cup: OUFC v Swansea

[TailsWeWin]

We are all getting ahead of ourselves. He might just mean not playing anyone out of position.

Bit of a novel idea for KR , that one!

 

[Osei Yaw]

I find the whole cup vs league thing weird. As a fan, I want my team to play and win as many games as possible.

In our 2015-2016 promotion season we got the the 4th round of the FA Cup and the final of the paint pot trophy (before it got sullied). We must have played 60 games that season and the cup success helped us build and maintain momentum.

The following season we got to the 5th round of the FA Cup (the almost brilliant comeback at Middlesbrough) and the final of the now bastardised paint pot thing. We also finished 8th in the league on our return.

I just don't see why we can't aim for both a good cup run and league success. If you get knocked out the cup fair and square then so be it, but to go into it thinking 'I don't care if we lose this' is a P**s poor mentality for any professional football club.

 

[IsleofWightYellow]

to go into it thinking 'I don't care if we lose this' is a P**s poor mentality for any professional football club.

Is anyone actually officially connected with the club feeling/thinking/suggesting any such thing?

 

[LittlemoreYellow]

It feels like KR is on a hiding to nothing with this fixture. If we play a weakened team and lose people will say we are unambitious and they wanted a cup run. If we play a strong team and lose the match people will say we should have played some reserve players and kept our players fresh for Saturday.

 

[SteMerritt]

I find the whole cup vs league thing weird. As a fan, I want my team to play and win as many games as possible.

In our 2015-2016 promotion season we got the the 4th round of the FA Cup and the final of the paint pot trophy (before it got sullied). We must have played 60 games that season and the cup success helped us build and maintain momentum.

The following season we got to the 5th round of the FA Cup (the almost brilliant comeback at Middlesbrough) and the final of the now bastardised paint pot thing. We also finished 8th in the league on our return.

I just don't see why we can't aim for both a good cup run and league success. If you get knocked out the cup fair and square then so be it, but to go into it thinking 'I don't care if we lose this' is a P**s poor mentality for any professional football club.

Completely agree, but unfortunately the "modern supporter" has just been conditioned into thinking Cup games don't matter. Think it goes back to when Manchester United (isn't it always...) decided the League Cup wasn't important enough for them to bother with and decided to play a weakened team, leading to this hilarious result...

 

[beyondthefourth]

People saying we shouldn't experiment in the cup, have you seen how we've started our league campaign using the current tactics?

Something else needs to be tried at some stage regardless of the competition we're playing in.

 

[ZeroTheHero]

People saying we shouldn't experiment in the cup, have you seen how we've started our league campaign using the current tactics?

Something else needs to be tried at some stage regardless of the competition we're playing in.

I agree that we probably have to use the cup game to try something else out as I don't think anyone has been that impressed so far (a bit more solid at the back seems to be the best we can say?).

The shame of course is that we are having to do this.

 

[Upthecowboys]

I think it’s a no lose for Robinson.

He needs to give the recent non starters and a couple of the youngsters game time , if he does and it doesn’t work then there will not be many complaints.

Until we have a more balanced squad then key players like Taylor, Marcus Browne, Brannagan need protecting. I’d rather have them fresh for Rovers.

 

[Osei Yaw]

Is anyone actually officially connected with the club feeling/thinking/suggesting any such thing?

Hey I dunno. I mean, hopefully not. I just saw an opportunity to stick the boot in over the 'cups aren't important' argument and so I took it. Like a lazy hyena shithousing his way to a fresh gazelle. Now I'm here, up to my waist in my argument and you asked me a reasonable question about if the club said anything about giving up? Obviously they didn't say it, that would be a PR nightmare. But the forum has already concluded “I want to try something on Tuesday which might surprise a few people” can only mean one thing, and that's that. Final. We've given up on the cups, ok?

I suppose I could amend my post to make it more obvious that I meant the attitude in general (inclusive of fans) towards cups vs league but I can't face the U turn. I'll just ride it out until someone makes a joke about how Karl's comment must mean we're going to play a goalie at left back.

But yeah. Us fans shouldn't just give up on the cups so easily. If we do well and win a few games we can get lucky and bag an away trip to somewhere like Salford or Sutton.

 

[Yellow River]

I wouldn’t be at all surprised to see KR start with three at the back, two wingbacks and a front two, or at least a striker with much closer support than the first two games.

If this is a system that KR is thinking of implementing then perhaps the (hopefully) new player additions will be a right wingback and another forward.

 

[oufc1991]

I think Taylor should have the night off tomorrow simply because we need a striker for Saturday and if our main one got injured tomorrow not good
I wouldn't mind seeing a mixture of young players and established players as long as they give there all I will be satisfied obviously I want us to win but I don't think our squad is strong enough to risk certain players in the cup unfortunately

 

[Cotswolds Cowboy]

Completely agree, but unfortunately the "modern supporter" has just been conditioned into thinking Cup games don't matter. Think it goes back to when Manchester United (isn't it always...) decided the League Cup wasn't important enough for them to bother with and decided to play a weakened team, leading to this hilarious result...

It's changing again really
Most of the recent cup finals have been won by one of the richest teams (so called Big 6)
They can afford to have fringe players who would be automatic starters in most other PL teams
You might get the odd game where a team like LIverpool will play a young team in an early round of the League Cup if they also have a big European tie and PL game coming up

 

[West Oxon U’s]

BLAST FROM THE PAST

Manor Ground, August 1978

David Fogg and Peter Foley in Third Division action against Swansea City.

 

[Swaby39]

It's not that I think cups don't matter - far from it. Even if you use them for the benefit of game time for others, it's counter-productive to go out in the first round. The reason I chirped up on this is because there was a hint of criticism of the fact KR wanted to try another system they have worked on in training - i.e. practised as a means of being effective in different ways (our plan B?). So, unless he gives it a go at a decent level, how will he ever know if we would be a better side in that shape or whether it could be deployed in the league? Would we not then criticise KR for having no plan B? Surely it is better to try that in the first half in a cup game where the stakes are lower - bearing in mind we have a run of league games we must capitalise on - with a few weeks left in the window to build around it? That's all. Don't think I won't be cheering us on all the way. But I am fully encouraging this as an opportunity to test our plan B, as long as we still field a competitive XI and give it 100%.

 

[SteMerritt]

BLAST FROM THE PAST

Manor Ground, August 1978

David Fogg and Peter Foley in Third Division action against Swansea City.

First Oxford shirt I ever owned as a six-year-old that Admiral classic.

 

[CCYellow]

Karl does face a conundrum with the keeper. Does he play Stevens as he's second choice or give Ed his chance?
Bit of an interesting one. Maybe he'll sub them at half time?

Or, maybe he views Ed as our back up left back and he'll get a run there? Would fit with his comment.

 

[brassmonkey]

I think Taylor should have the night off tomorrow simply because we need a striker for Saturday and if our main one got injured tomorrow not good
I wouldn't mind seeing a mixture of young players and established players as long as they give there all I will be satisfied obviously I want us to win but I don't think our squad is strong enough to risk certain players in the cup unfortunately

Think taylor and the rest should start. Get some sharpness back.

 

[Big Ron]

I realise that stats don't tell you everything and that was certainly the case for Swansea on Saturday - they had 71% of possession against Blackburn but as reported, the 0-3 scoreline accurately reflected the decent chances created.

They also had 74% of possession against Rotherham and have produced the most passes of any English team over the first two games. So, I would guess we know what is coming tomorrow!

 

[bazzer9461]

First Oxford shirt I ever owned as a six-year-old that Admiral classic.

Bloody youngster

 

[horseman]

The modern day fan certainly has been brainwashed into this cups don't matter nonsense brought by the upper end of the game being awash with money and the chase for the slice of the Golden Rainbow pot.

Where do you draw the line, as a League one club only the Championship matters?. Well you have to get there first and playing cup football will not intefere with that in any shape or form.
So i assume the thought process should a club reach the next level then becomes well it's all about surviving in the Championship?

As a club we have had some very special cup nights (and days) and are cup winners, i find it strange but not surprising i guess that fans initial apathy changes when a bigger club comes calling which in the past led to cries of unfairness re ticket distribution.

Let's remember that it's the powers that be that allowed disrespect from so called elite clubs to cup competitions with their (the clubs) cries of too many games but they they stay silent and don't complain about playing more games in European competitions that now have game after game rather than knockout competition as it used to be.

Which brings us back to the chasing of the pot of gold that the game is awash with at the top end.