Away Match Day Thread 09/12/2023 L1 : Peterborough United v OUFC

[Northstandboy]

The matches seem to be coming thick and fast now.

At time of writing this post, the weather is set to be a warm 12oC!

 

[Eric Blair]

I'm sorry, but that's absolute nonsense. And it's this attitude that consistently lets successive managers (and wider recruitment) off the hook.

Everyone else around us has managed it. We apparently have ample budget for it. This very forum continues to come up with a plethora of interesting and legitimate options - window after window.

Good use of the word "plethora" there. Always nice to see.

 

[FalmouthOx]

Just don't get it. 3 league games ago we were two goals better than most, winning every week and for the first time in a couple of years every player knew what they were supposed to be doing. So Manning left - what did we need???? A clone..... !!! It's like football manager - why change the way we play? Surely anyone could have come in, worked out that Manning got these players to gel by playing in a certain way and replicate it week in week out. Doing anything else is madness. Grant you we have had to make some changes but suddenly we are blaming players and calling for huge changes in personnel in the January window. We have the quality already. Des needs to put his ego aside and go over some of the early games in training /analysis to remind himself and players how we completely over-ran good sides. His message clearly isn't getting across and we are getting battered. Needs a quick fix if we are going to be competitive and it's not a sign of weakness to copy a winning formula. #ifitsnotbrokendontfixit

 

[MiddleBartonYellow]

Starting a Striker completely out of form doesn’t help. The guy needs a break, we probably should be playing Bodin instead in the short term.

 

[Followtheox1]

Harris's work rate isn't that good, half the time he is offside which for someone with his pace is shocking, he doesn't seem to look across the line.

Half the time when he does make runs then they are alongside the centre back and not into space so he can't actually get involved.

He does a fair few sprints to close down but i want a lot more from a striker

His work rate is excellent sometimes. Unfortunately it's very inconsistent from game to game. Saturday, it wasn't great. The amount he was offside was really poor. Last minute runs from time to time, when playing on the edge can be forgiven but he was even offside from Beadle's kicks yesterday which is unbelievable.

 

[Followtheox1]

21 year old Will Goodwin could barely get a game for Cheltenham under Wade Elliott (a Cheltenham team that literally couldn't find a goal for the first two months of the season).

Darrell Clarke takes over, sticks Goodwin in the side - and this kid with a handful of Football League games to his name now has 5 goals and 2 assists in 8 starts.

So little Cheltenham Town found a goalscorer in the form of a kid knocking about on their bench, and yet big budget Oxford United consistently fail to find one with an impressive recruitment team and cash to spend?

It simply doesn't add up.

Consistently fail to find one? I guess it depends how far back you are defining consistently as, as until Matty Taylor started firing blanks last season we had one!

 

[ECYellow]

Having slept on yesterday’s defeat, I think the most concerning thing for me is the manner of the defeat. Very similar in its nature to the debacle at Cheltenham.

You can get beat by a good Posh side, there is no shame in that but, it’s how you go about it and we simply didn’t lay a glove on them throughout.

We lacked any fight, we didn’t press with any vigour and it felt inevitable as soon as their first went in.
When we have a few players out and our backs are against the wall a touch, the very least supporters should expect is that the players play with some heart and run that bit harder and show some fight. To a man, we didn’t show any of that yesterday. For a team that have made an excellent start to the season, the last couple of weeks have been concerning.

I don’t think it’s all on Des. I think the players need to take a bloody good look at themselves. Brannagan, McGuane, Moore, Brown, Bodin, O’Donkor & Murphy were all apart of that squad from last season that had a remarkably soft under-belly for large parts of the season and it would be a shame if they didn’t stand up and react in a more robust fashion to the first signs of adversity this time around.

Tuesday night feels pivotal for our season. Lose at Reading and I think the players will see a reaction from the supporters that hasn’t been seen since Bristol Rovers at home last season. They need to find their respective backbones again and fight for the shirt, our football club and perhaps most importantly, their manager.

 

[Followtheox1]

I didn’t go yesterday but have just watched the goals from the game
First goal, Beadle should have done better and how could 2 Posh follow up totally unmarked
Second goal I do think Beadle should have been much quicker off his line, been first to the ball, but again where were our defenders
Third where was the marking, someone not tracking back
All that aside my sons watched the game neither impressed with our performance
Why didn’t Murphy start
Why does Harris start, oh yes no real alternative, Perkins is still out of favour, God is great if we are 1 nil up and need to hold the ball up, waste time, get throw ins or corners but as a goal scoring threat …
Perhaps a false number 9 Tyler …… but Murphy must be a starter he’s the only player who causes problems

So..I was right behind the goal yesterday and my first thought for the first goal was could he have done better and the follow up from our defenders was non existent. The second, I haven't watched the highlights but in real time he clearly slipped when he tried to get out (pitch including goal mouths were awful). If he hadn't of slipped he would have got there. However, it says something that even with question marks about the first two goals, he was clearly our MoM.

 

[OX14]

Just don't get it. 3 league games ago we were two goals better than most, winning every week and for the first time in a couple of years every player knew what they were supposed to be doing. So Manning left - what did we need???? A clone..... !!! It's like football manager - why change the way we play? Surely anyone could have come in, worked out that Manning got these players to gel by playing in a certain way and replicate it week in week out. Doing anything else is madness. Grant you we have had to make some changes but suddenly we are blaming players and calling for huge changes in personnel in the January window. We have the quality already. Des needs to put his ego aside and go over some of the early games in training /analysis to remind himself and players how we completely over-ran good sides. His message clearly isn't getting across and we are getting battered. Needs a quick fix if we are going to be competitive and it's not a sign of weakness to copy a winning formula. #ifitsnotbrokendontfixit

The 2 games Craig Short took care of not only did we score 8 goals and win both, there felt like there was a togetherness with the whole team and coaching team.

I thought the new man was going to come in and give the whole place a real lift but it seems to have had the opposite affect.

 

[Scotchegg]

Good use of the word "plethora" there. Always nice to see.

I was talking with a friend recently about some struggles I was having.
He simply replied "plethora"
I said, "thank you, that means a lot!"

 

[tonyw]

Just don't get it. 3 league games ago we were two goals better than most, winning every week and for the first time in a couple of years every player knew what they were supposed to be doing. So Manning left - what did we need???? A clone..... !!! It's like football manager - why change the way we play? Surely anyone could have come in, worked out that Manning got these players to gel by playing in a certain way and replicate it week in week out. Doing anything else is madness. Grant you we have had to make some changes but suddenly we are blaming players and calling for huge changes in personnel in the January window. We have the quality already. Des needs to put his ego aside and go over some of the early games in training /analysis to remind himself and players how we completely over-ran good sides. His message clearly isn't getting across and we are getting battered. Needs a quick fix if we are going to be competitive and it's not a sign of weakness to copy a winning formula. #ifitsnotbrokendontfixit

We won only two out of the last five games in the league before Des took over! And only Lincoln did we beat by two goals.

We were awesome in August & September, but there have been warning signs since then that our squad wasn't as deep as we might have hoped, dependent on a handful of key players (who were coming down from an absolutely purple patch of form) and of course we're desperately lacking up top.

This isn't all Des.

That being said - four bad opponents in a row coming up. He should be able to get a decent haul out of this coming run......I will be much less forgiving if we lose on Tuesday.

 

[Scotchegg]

Des needs to put his ego aside and go over some of the early games in training /analysis to remind himself and players how we completely over-ran good sides.

What does this mean? There's nothing to suggest that there is any issues with Buckingham's ego or that he's looked at making sweeping changes. In fact, pretty much all changes have been as a result of injuries rather than managerial interference.

 

[windmill]

Just don't get it. 3 league games ago we were two goals better than most, winning every week and for the first time in a couple of years every player knew what they were supposed to be doing. So Manning left - what did we need???? A clone..... !!! It's like football manager - why change the way we play? Surely anyone could have come in, worked out that Manning got these players to gel by playing in a certain way and replicate it week in week out. Doing anything else is madness. Grant you we have had to make some changes but suddenly we are blaming players and calling for huge changes in personnel in the January window. We have the quality already. Des needs to put his ego aside and go over some of the early games in training /analysis to remind himself and players how we completely over-ran good sides. His message clearly isn't getting across and we are getting battered. Needs a quick fix if we are going to be competitive and it's not a sign of weakness to copy a winning formula. #ifitsnotbrokendontfixit

I don't know what matches you have been watching this season but we are over-running no one. Blackpool camped in our half the whole of the second 45. Even Exeter, did the same. Two late penalties helped paper over the cracks. It is all too plain to see. Thank goodness we have 36 pts.

 

[Oufccraig45]

Just back.

The first half was absolutely shocking from us. Passive, unadventurous, slow, uncreative CFG football-by-numbers. We didn't have a shot of any description and I am not convinced we got into their penalty area. When we conceded the first I thought it might give us a kick up the a**e, but nothing changed. Nothing. We were lucky to go in only two down.

We started the second half a bit better (with Murphy's introduction being the major reason why), but in truth a couple of wild shots over the bar, a ball to the near post that *almost* turned into something and a few slightly desperate and optimistic penalty shouts were all that resulted. The game then settled back into it's first half pattern (albeit with us trying to move the ball a bit quicker) and it was really no surprise when the third went in.

Anyone watching that farrago would be amazed we started the day third in the table. A complete waste of time and money. Buckingham needs to get hold of this, we haven't really played that well in any game since he arrived. The travelling support deserved a LOT better today.

And if we lose on Tuesday how many of the 3,000 will start to turn on DES expecially if it was s**t like yesterday

 

[Oufccraig45]

Dead leg. It's not too bad apparently.

Always seem to say that then out for months like Browne and Edwards

 

[QR]

And if we lose on Tuesday how many of the 3,000 will start to turn on DES expecially if it was s**t like yesterday

I won't.

 

[greatunclekip]

And if we lose on Tuesday how many of the 3,000 will start to turn on DES expecially if it was s**t like yesterday

I don't think "turn" is right but many will be asking questions, as they are entitled to.

 

[East Stand Fan]

The 2 games Craig Short took care of not only did we score 8 goals and win both, there felt like there was a togetherness with the whole team and coaching team.

I thought the new man was going to come in and give the whole place a real lift but it seems to have had the opposite affect.

Craig Short is a really decent guy who doesn't get the appreciation or recognition. Whilst I wouldn't regard him as coach who could guide a team throughout the season, he's definitely someone who can steady the ship and work closely with the players. I thought Des was walking into a real solid team and coaching system but it just hasn't really gelled so far.

 

[ZeroTheHero]

And if we lose on Tuesday how many of the 3,000 will start to turn on DES expecially if it was s**t like yesterday

I don't know, but there was a lot of (very deserved) booing from the travelling support at half time yesterday. Don't know about full time, I made a dash for the car park when the third went in.

I can't say how much was directed at the manager specifically though. He'd put what looked like a strong enough team out and they simply didn't perform to an acceptable standard, so it was at least as much at the players.

 

[bazzer9461]

And he’s got to want to play and work as a team player

Until he’s given the run in the team which he needs we won’t know

 

[brassmonkey]

We tried to press pboro high and they played through us with relative ease leaving us stretched. Their defence was really good. Think we should have sat back and tried to hit them on the counter.