Home Match Day Thread 1/1/2022 L1: OUFC v Cheltenham Town

[MJB]

Arsenal and Barcelona will have both trained him to win fouls and keep the ball. This is why for much of his time on the pitch last season he had an infuriating tendency to spin around like a bottle top and make nothing five and ten yard passes that didn’t move the ball forward, because he was too concerned with keeping possession. The sort of play that keeps your stats high as your pass percentage and lack of losing possession will look good on a spreadsheet, but in reality it does nothing. This is why he’s got around 100 appearances - across league and cup games at club level, plus a bunch of internationals at various age groups for England and Ireland - and has two goals to his name. He’s got the scoring record of a holding midfield player like Gorrin.

I haven’t seen him much this season, I’ve only been to maybe eight or so games and he’s made the odd cameo off the bench in a couple of those, so perhaps he’s improving this season and evolving his game somewhat. I can only comment on what I’ve seen, but I think he has the potential to do a lot more than he usually does. I’ve seen him have rare moments in the past when he charged past a couple of players at pace and picked a pass, so he’s clearly got the tools, but I’ve always felt he holds back. I’ve been wary of Browne’s temperament and concentration levels when he’s been here on loan previously, but what he does do far more by comparison is drive forward through the middle, and while he gets fouled a lot he also has a desire where possible to stay on his feet and get into the box. If you want to stop Browne you have to really take his legs away. As you rightly said also, Baptiste developed a similar trait and it turned him from a tidy midfield player into a box-to-box dynamo. McGuane has often looked more likely to look to go down at the first touch or play the ball sideways to begin with.

It might sound harsher than I intend it to when it’s written down - I do really think he has all the tools that he needs to be a very good player. He just needs to show more intent, and a desire to impact games in a meaningful way. Sykes is probably the best example of a player doing this of late. Eight goals in his last 19 games after just three goals in 2.5 seasons previously, including zero last season. That is an enormous improvement and is hopefully one that McGuane can use for his own motivation in the future. He’s young and has had a bad injury, so there needs to be a bit of leeway there, but hopefully he can start to kick on. The next 12 months are massive for him.

Sykes is doing an Asa Hall, seemingly.

 

[Oufcrealist]

I actually think McGuane’s best two appearances thus far this season have come when there is less of an onus on him to ‘create’. In the final third of the 0-0 game at Ipswich his pace, drive and ability to push players back with his running made a real difference to us in seeing out that game when Ipswich had spent the first part of that second half bossing us.

I also thought his performance against Wigan - when he was forced to play the deeper midfield role at late notice because of Henry’s warm-up injury - was very good. He received the ball well and smartly distributed it. Not a perfect performance and not at the levels Kane had been at - but I thought it was impressive.

Against Cheltenham he was a step off. I don’t think he had a nightmare performance - and all of our best stuff in the first half went through him. But he was wasteful, as others have said he was quite a way off the levels of physicality required to get the better of Cheltenham’s well-drilled midfield line, and he didn’t work hard enough when out of possession.

I rate him though. I hope if Browne does materialise it’s to play in a more advanced role (ie one of the wide/attacking midfield roles in our 4-3-3 rather than the three CM births) so as not to limit McGuane’s opportunities. I really think he is a player worth investing in/sticking with.

(And FWIW I do think you need to credit Cheltenham’s shape/discipline/work-rate/quality in the press and through their midfield too. Both of Kane’s worst games for us have come against them as well. The way they set up is incredibly challenging for ball-playing central midfield players because there simply isn’t much space or time on the football)

Agree with most of that.
One thing that I've pointed out before is that McGuane is averse to using his left foot, even to take a touch. He will twist and turn continuously just to keep the ball on his right foot. He won't even attempt short passes with his left. It makes it easy for the opposition when you are so one footed .
RE Cheltenham. They did a tactical job on us. Out of possession they squeezed the play into the middle third and held a really tight line at the back, I lost count of the times Taylor got caught. I know it's not our style but we should have used the ball over the top as a counter once Whyte was on and Sykes went wide. It was totally pointless bringing Winnall on, a waste of a sub really. Pace in behind was what could have won us the game!!

 

[RyanioBirdio]

Sykes is doing an Asa Hall, seemingly.

Quite. Although Asa tended to do it because he wanted a new deal where he was.

 

[swolley]

What went on at Cambridge v Pompey - anyone know ? 23 mins injury time

 

[Followtheox1]

What went on at Cambridge v Pompey - anyone know ? 23 mins injury time

No idea but good result that for us.

 

[Wallop]

What went on at Cambridge v Pompey - anyone know ? 23 mins injury time

Sam Smith was sent off for a second booking and 16 minutes later play resumed following a Pompey substitution so looks like a nasty injury.

 

[bazzer9461]

Sam Smith was sent off for a second booking and 16 minutes later play resumed following a Pompey substitution so looks like a nasty injury.

Ogilve was the player who won the free kick but it was Freeman that was subbed 16 mins later, I think that would have been a very nasty challenge for that amount of injury time.

 

[Wallop]

Ogilve was the player who won the free kick but it was Freeman that was subbed 16 mins later, I think that would have been a very nasty challenge for that amount of injury time.

Looks like we were both wrong - it was a medical emergency in the crowd:

Things certainly livened up on the hour mark, however, as Smith caught Ogilvie and left the defender with a nasty cut on his face.

It was enough to earn the midfielder a booking from the referee and, following his earlier transgression, a red card.

The action was then halted while medical teams dealt with an emergency among the home supporters.

Both sides departed down the tunnel while treatment was given and a supporter was stretchered from the pitch to warm applause from the stands.

The game restarted after almost 15 minutes and Cowley made an immediate change, with Michael Jacobs replacing Kieron Freeman.

 

[werthersoriginal]

Agree with most of that.
One thing that I've pointed out before is that McGuane is averse to using his left foot, even to take a touch. He will twist and turn continuously just to keep the ball on his right foot. He won't even attempt short passes with his left. It makes it easy for the opposition when you are so one footed .
RE Cheltenham. They did a tactical job on us. Out of possession they squeezed the play into the middle third and held a really tight line at the back, I lost count of the times Taylor got caught. I know it's not our style but we should have used the ball over the top as a counter once Whyte was on and Sykes went wide. It was totally pointless bringing Winnall on, a waste of a sub really. Pace in behind was what could have won us the game!!

Yes it’s unfortunate that Whyte and Holland couldn’t start. We needed to move the ball more quickly as once their line was in place there was no way through!

 

[ZeroTheHero]

What went on at Cambridge v Pompey - anyone know ? 23 mins injury time

'Medical emergency in the crowd' according to the BBC, someone was stretchered away. Hope it all works out OK for the person affected.

 

[bazzer9461]

Looks like we were both wrong - it was a medical emergency in the crowd:

Things certainly livened up on the hour mark, however, as Smith caught Ogilvie and left the defender with a nasty cut on his face.

It was enough to earn the midfielder a booking from the referee and, following his earlier transgression, a red card.

The action was then halted while medical teams dealt with an emergency among the home supporters.

Both sides departed down the tunnel while treatment was given and a supporter was stretchered from the pitch to warm applause from the stands.

The game restarted after almost 15 minutes and Cowley made an immediate change, with Michael Jacobs replacing Kieron Freeman.

Bloody live text didn’t mention medical emergency just said 60 Sam Smith dismissed for a 2nd yellow next was 76 substitution Jacobs for Freeman…..so 2+2 = 5

 

[spmox]

Arsenal and Barcelona will have both trained him to win fouls and keep the ball. This is why for much of his time on the pitch last season he had an infuriating tendency to spin around like a bottle top and make nothing five and ten yard passes that didn’t move the ball forward, because he was too concerned with keeping possession. The sort of play that keeps your stats high as your pass percentage and lack of losing possession will look good on a spreadsheet, but in reality it does nothing. This is why he’s got around 100 appearances - across league and cup games at club level, plus a bunch of internationals at various age groups for England and Ireland - and has two goals to his name. He’s got the scoring record of a holding midfield player like Gorrin.

I haven’t seen him much this season, I’ve only been to maybe eight or so games and he’s made the odd cameo off the bench in a couple of those, so perhaps he’s improving this season and evolving his game somewhat. I can only comment on what I’ve seen, but I think he has the potential to do a lot more than he usually does. I’ve seen him have rare moments in the past when he charged past a couple of players at pace and picked a pass, so he’s clearly got the tools, but I’ve always felt he holds back. I’ve been wary of Browne’s temperament and concentration levels when he’s been here on loan previously, but what he does do far more by comparison is drive forward through the middle, and while he gets fouled a lot he also has a desire where possible to stay on his feet and get into the box. If you want to stop Browne you have to really take his legs away. As you rightly said also, Baptiste developed a similar trait and it turned him from a tidy midfield player into a box-to-box dynamo. McGuane has often looked more likely to look to go down at the first touch or play the ball sideways to begin with.

It might sound harsher than I intend it to when it’s written down - I do really think he has all the tools that he needs to be a very good player. He just needs to show more intent, and a desire to impact games in a meaningful way. Sykes is probably the best example of a player doing this of late. Eight goals in his last 19 games after just three goals in 2.5 seasons previously, including zero last season. That is an enormous improvement and is hopefully one that McGuane can use for his own motivation in the future. He’s young and has had a bad injury, so there needs to be a bit of leeway there, but hopefully he can start to kick on. The next 12 months are massive for him.

Exactly this .... Great analysis. Too much twirling around in small circles looking for fouls or just falling over . Partly a result of only using one foot.
If you want an example of someone doing successfully what I think he is trying to do see Chris Maguire.

 

[headingtonoldboy]

As Cheltenham were playing such a high line, we needed midfield players to run past Taylor onto through balls to force Cheltenham defenders to go back. I didn't see enough of that.

 

[uptheus]

Exactly this .... Great analysis. Too much twirling around in small circles looking for fouls or just falling over . Partly a result of only using one foot.
If you want an example of someone doing successfully what I think he is trying to do see Chris Maguire.

Just think he needs to get back to match fitness which will take another 5+ games of 70+ mins on the pitch.

We needed to be more patient Saturday and not force the game, but you could see the frustration in some players who were too eager for something to happen meaning the opposite happened.

Just a shame Matty didn’t stick that penalty away as that would have shifted Cheltenham’s match plan of sticking 11 players behind the ball when we had possession. Just felt it wasn’t going to be our day with the poor start and that miss!

Thought the referee’s management of the game was extremely poor too, allowed Cheltenham to get away with their antics. If he had booked them/their keeper for constant time wasting rather than ignoring it for most of the game then they wouldn’t have had the opportunity to waste time as much as they did. And only 4mins injury was a joke and an insult to the paying customers, so with the poor time management we were left very short changed.