Home Match Day Thread +++ 09/09/2018 OUFC v Coventry City match day thread +++

[radicalox]

No stability and togetherness is symtomatic having too many loanees. Half the first team are directly employed by different clubs to our lads. It wouldnt go well in any other working enviroment.
The only benifit I can see is that they can P**s off back where they came from at the earliest opportunity

Half? We started against Coventry with 3 loan players. One of which is just a place holder for our excellent first team keeper while he returns from injury.

 

[uptheus]

As I said he could be gone very soon, if he struggles to answer questions at interviews and apparently can’t command the respect of his players, slating them rather than being a bit more up front with himself regarding how the team
Performs, them yes if we lose the next 2 games and we probably will then he has to go!

He only made a forced bad comment about Mitchell didn’t he?

 

[southupper]

Oh there you are with your positive spin on everything, thought you would be lurking somewhere out there, you look to be in the minority here, lots of realists it would appear.

 

[bazzer9461]

He only made a forced bad comment about Mitchell didn’t he?

He did say players had let him down.

 

[daveoufc]

Nearly every club in league 1 and 2 will have similar numbers of loanees as us. Do you suggest that there are issues in each club? As for not going well in any other working environment, many companies balance directly employed with agency staff or seasonal workers without any issue. So really not sure what you point is, other than just a whinge?!

I think there will be issues for any club who signs 5 or6 loanees as 1st choice players and tries to make a team out of them rather than additions to a squad.
I have been employed and been annoyed that a agency worker is doing my mates job worse and have been a contractor and felt the bad vibes from the employed lads for coming in on more money etc so i dont think it does help togetherness.
Yes your right I did wanna whinge I suppose because its not good enough

 

[guyellow]

Discipline is poor on the pitch and touchline, which is possibly symptomatic of low morale and poor team spirit. Robinson and Derry leading the way on this. We have given away 3 penalties, conceded 2 own goals and we have the highest fouls committed in league 1 - as well as the highest fouls against in the league. We can't blame the referee for all of these stats. What it shows is that our matches are over punctuated by free kicks and that we need to get some discipline back, which will come from having a clearer sense of strategy, purpose and team unity.
http://www.footstats.co.uk/index.cfm?task=leagues

 

[tonto]

So do we know the division of responsibilities between Robinson, Derry, Faz and others??

I get the impression that neither Faz or Derry are particularly popular or respected (not the same things) among the players, so the fact that there are two of them knocking around behind the scenes seemingly covering the same areas cannot help build stability and togetherness.
It was a popular mantra from the Charlton fans when he left that Robbo was full of ...... when it came to interviews etc, but often failed to deliver - and it can be argued that the same is happening here - so again that raises the question of how the relationship is developing between the manager and the players?

So how much togetherness is there at the club right now? Confidence appears fragile, when things go well they can go very well, but when they go badly it can really go downhill quickly, which is symptomatic of unrest behind the scenes, as is perhaps, both manager and asst both being sent to the stands in recent games.

Frustration, finger pointing, inconsistency, talk of the need for new players, while current tried and tested ones kick their heels in the U23s, positive words from players and staff but a tangible sense that there isn't the belief behind them, all while the clock ticks on the new season and the table takes on a increasingly ominous look week by week. The positives are there (call-ups, break-through players, periods of good play, the training ground, etc, etc) but what will it take to tip the balance and create some momentum and togetherness to build on those, rather than have this malaise continue far enough into the season for us to be seriously in trouble?

That is a brilliant post. In spite of all the negativity I thought we were very unlucky to lose. There is enough individual talent in the team to do very well this season but its not gelling yet is it the managers fault? Jurys out....

 

[Gary Baldi]

Discipline is poor on the pitch and touchline, which is possibly symptomatic of low morale and poor team spirit. Robinson and Derry leading the way on this. We have given away 3 penalties, conceded 2 own goals and we have the highest fouls committed in league 1 - as well as the highest fouls against in the league. We can't blame the referee for all of these stats. What it shows is that our matches are over punctuated by free kicks and that we need to get some discipline back, which will come from having a clearer sense of strategy, purpose and team unity.
http://www.footstats.co.uk/index.cfm?task=leagues

To be fair, they need to put some Kettle waiting on those stats. We gave away 16 or 19 (!) fouls in a single half, which has rather skewed our stats.

 

[guyellow]

To be fair, they need to put some Kettle waiting on those stats. We gave away 16 or 19 (!) fouls in a single half, which has rather skewed our stats.

We have committed 11 more fouls than the next highest team (Charlton, interestingly) and 21 more than the 3rd team so even allowing for the Kettle factor we are poor at discipline.

 

[lerekdilley]

I like many others welcomed KR’s enthusiasm when he got the job last year but he’s started to irritate me now (The Charlton fans predicted this) Ask any MK, Charlton or Cambridge fans about KR or SD and it’s akin to our opinions about Kemp and Talbot.
The majority of players bought in are nowhere near good enough. I read somewhere that a lot of the players signed are from the same agency which suggests these are not players targeted by the recruitment team. Mourinho has been criticised for signing players in a similar way at Man Utd too.
I couldn’t make the game on Sunday due to the girls team I coached having a fixture on Sunday morning but made it back midway through the first half to watch on TV. It was awful to watch and I think there’s nothing more to add on the individual performances of some and general team effort, it was shocking and much better at this point last season under Pep. I even rate GvK more than most of the attacking players we’ve seen this season!!! As a previous poster mentioned earlier in this thread I too am getting fed up of getting family/friends interested in watching us on TV and once again I end up embarrassed watching it with them.
As an aside the Stadium looked absolutely filthy and run down on the TV, the atmosphere sounded crap too.

 

[radicalox]

I
The majority of players bought in are nowhere near good enough

Browne, whyte, Hanson, Norman, holmes and carruthers not good enough at l1 level?

 

[lerekdilley]

Browne, whyte, Hanson, Norman, holmes and carruthers not good enough at l1 level?

On paper maybe, even Garbutt, McMahon, Smith, Mitchell and Mackie could be added to that list on reputation. You need to take into account age, injury proneness, match fitness, character.
The experienced players you highlighted have injury/fitness issues. Browne and Whyte in particular have looked promising as has Norman in some games.

 

[radicalox]

On paper maybe, even Garbutt, McMahon, Smith, Mitchell and Mackie could be added to that list on reputation. You need to take into account age, injury proneness, match fitness, character.
The experienced players you highlighted have injury/fitness issues. Browne and Whyte in particular have looked promising as has Norman in some games.

Yes I agree there are issues with some of these players. But I think it is too far to say not near good enough ( in the context of other league 1 clubs as the basis of comparison). Unfortunately unless you are one of the few very fortunate league 1 teams, you have to take gambles to get talented players, be it youth or a loan or a higher risk of injury. My point is if we were to compare our squad in terms of talent, injury risk etc against other league 1 clubs, I think we would be a comparatively much better position than many other clubs. Overall, alot of the player gambles this season have worked well. In particular the youth.

 

[Gary Baldi]

We have committed 11 more fouls than the next highest team (Charlton, interestingly) and 21 more than the 3rd team so even allowing for the Kettle factor we are poor at discipline.

We do give away too many fouls, but that game we gave away 23 fouls and against Accrington, 22 fouls. The above average outlier...

 

[BigCrompy]

I think KR is a poor manager to be honest.

That's an awful shame.

Apparently KR thinks you're a pretty awesome fan, to be honest.