Home Match Day Thread 11/04/2026 - MDT: Oxford United v Watford

[SteMerritt]

 

[Yellow Submarine]

Sort of agree but if we hadn’t engaged with the dark arts yesterday then we probably wouldn’t have won.

I also think all the niggle during that spell where we had a lot of set pieces really turned up the atmosphere in the stadium.

 

[Swaby39]

I thought Donley was very poor yesterday. Lost count of the number of times he gave the ball away. And set pieces largely poor too.

He doesn't hide, I'll give him that. But he was way off it yesterday (as he has been for a couple of games now - might be all those Northern Ireland games catching up with him).

I’m caught between opinions on him. For someone so deadly at every other level he’s played at, he doesn’t half dwell on the ball around the box and attacks do seem to end with him too often.

He’s great at getting in the trenches and as you say, he makes himself part of games which is majorly to his credit as he’s feeding off second balls. Just want to see a bit more of the quick-thinking killer instinct that made him stand out at Orient. If he can do that, he’s worth every penny of £4m and the rest if we get a chance.

 

[windmill]

On the whole yes but yesterday before we scored there was a little bit of unrest around me luckily we scored soon after and it calmed them down

Lets be honest. Everyone is on a knife edge.

 

[Littlemore Local]

Shout out to the person who sits close to me who bemoaned Harris “coming on for Lankshear” and then kicked off at Bloomfield because Lankshear “wasn’t subbed early enough”.

It takes all sorts.

UTFO

Probably a 1 in 1,000 chance that I'm the specific person you're talking to here but I'll hold my hands up as guilty of this.

It's become like a pantomime when subs are being made and we see Vaulks and Harris being readied and the feeling that's killing the game off and we'll sit back and invite pressure from that point onwards.

Oh yes he is. Oh no he isn't. Oh yes he is.

The second half yesterday was a lot of fun. I might have leaned into the pantomime too much. We didn't see any subs until 78' and then it was a lone HTA to make a back 5. Lanks was hobbling around on one good leg at one point - no subs. Shemmy teases us with cross field sprints at half time - haven't seen him play for weeks. Players signed in January can't get on the pitch. Players signed last summer can't even get in the squad.

It's all well and good having a solid starting 11 but the rules say you can use 16 players on the day and we're not really doing that effectively. We hear a lot about every player needing to be ready and that everyone has to contribute, but then it's rinse and repeat same old same old. The front four are being run into the ground and fair play to them they're thriving on it, but we're only one or two minor injuries away from disaster if we can't trust the second string for more than ten minutes a match. At some point we'll need to roll the dice because the opposition have done their homework properly and sussed us out. I've got enough faith in MB to do the right thing but it's guesswork if there are any surprises to be had off the bench.

Vaulks and Harris maybe get stick coming on because they're familiar, predictable, we know them well and we're comfortable with them, we know their strengths and we know their weaknesses. Of course we want them to do well. As soon as they put on the shirt we'll cheer them all the way. But there's always a doubt. We know each of them has a game-changing mistake in them. Mark Harris scoring is great for everybody not least himself. A Will Vaulks goal would be spectacular just for the somersault.

Sorry this has turned into a bit of a blog post. Sorry Will and Mark. I never doubted you really. Keep up the good work.

Oh no he isn't. Oh yes he is. Oh no he isn't.
OH YES HE F*ING IS SPARKY YOU F*ING BEAUTY! HE LOOKS GOOD HE LOOKS FINE AND HE'S OXFORD'S NUMBER NINE!

 

[Orkney Islands Yellow]

Great ball in from Brannagan for our first, that really made the goal as it was simply undefendable.

 

[uptheus]

One thing that struck me when we were camped on Watford’s half for 20/25 minutes and how agitated our opponents were getting at corners and long throws was how much bigger in general we were then them as a team.

So often in the Championship in particular it’s felt like we’ve been playing the land of giants at times. Yesterday it was different, we bullied Watford in that second half and they had no answer, and quite frankly didnt fancy the physicality of our team and the game in general.

In fact it seemed to me that Watford’s triple substitution was a deliberate tactic to get 3 of their smaller players off the park who simply couldn’t cope and replace them with more robust players.

Players like Gooodrham, Dembele, LHarris, Krastev not in the squad or no longer at the club, replaced by Donley, MPH, Konak, Makosso, with Spencer getting more game time. Bigger, stronger players in general.

The January window has put right some of the recruitment mistakes of the summer, sadly the shambolic preseason we may yet come to regret come the end of the season. Hopefully not.

I thought the same re; the height of their players compared to ours!

 

[Mateo Corbo's Tackle]

I’m caught between opinions on him. For someone so deadly at every other level he’s played at, he doesn’t half dwell on the ball around the box and attacks do seem to end with him too often.

He’s great at getting in the trenches and as you say, he makes himself part of games which is majorly to his credit as he’s feeding off second balls. Just want to see a bit more of the quick-thinking killer instinct that made him stand out at Orient. If he can do that, he’s worth every penny of £4m and the rest if we get a chance.

Did put in a horribly brilliant delivery that Helik should have scored from.

But, yes, right now he offers less than a fit and on form Goodrham.

 

[Marked Ox]

Great ball in from Brannagan for our first, that really made the goal as it was simply undefendable.

Agreed. Donley's at the end of the 1st half when their keeper flapped and Helik nearly scored.

 

[werthersoriginal]

Probably a 1 in 1,000 chance that I'm the specific person you're talking to here but I'll hold my hands up as guilty of this.

It's become like a pantomime when subs are being made and we see Vaulks and Harris being readied and the feeling that's killing the game off and we'll sit back and invite pressure from that point onwards.

Oh yes he is. Oh no he isn't. Oh yes he is.

The second half yesterday was a lot of fun. I might have leaned into the pantomime too much. We didn't see any subs until 78' and then it was a lone HTA to make a back 5. Lanks was hobbling around on one good leg at one point - no subs. Shemmy teases us with cross field sprints at half time - haven't seen him play for weeks. Players signed in January can't get on the pitch. Players signed last summer can't even get in the squad.

It's all well and good having a solid starting 11 but the rules say you can use 16 players on the day and we're not really doing that effectively. We hear a lot about every player needing to be ready and that everyone has to contribute, but then it's rinse and repeat same old same old. The front four are being run into the ground and fair play to them they're thriving on it, but we're only one or two minor injuries away from disaster if we can't trust the second string for more than ten minutes a match. At some point we'll need to roll the dice because the opposition have done their homework properly and sussed us out. I've got enough faith in MB to do the right thing but it's guesswork if there are any surprises to be had off the bench.

Vaulks and Harris maybe get stick coming on because they're familiar, predictable, we know them well and we're comfortable with them, we know their strengths and we know their weaknesses. Of course we want them to do well. As soon as they put on the shirt we'll cheer them all the way. But there's always a doubt. We know each of them has a game-changing mistake in them. Mark Harris scoring is great for everybody not least himself. A Will Vaulks goal would be spectacular just for the somersault.

Sorry this has turned into a bit of a blog post. Sorry Will and Mark. I never doubted you really. Keep up the good work.

Oh no he isn't. Oh yes he is. Oh no he isn't.
OH YES HE F*ING IS SPARKY YOU F*ING BEAUTY! HE LOOKS GOOD HE LOOKS FINE AND HE'S OXFORD'S NUMBER NINE!

But then we were playing well, I didn’t want MB to disrupt our play by hauling off say Mills and Konak.

 

[Littlemore Local]

But then we were playing well, I didn’t want MB to disrupt our play by hauling off say Mills and Konak.

Agreed regarding yesterday. But there have been times recently where Mills and Lankshear especially have been dead on their feet towards the end and I'd like to think the drop off in ability is balanced against fresh legs to make a difference. I'd like to assume that it's data driven and it's more than just one man's decision to make. And I've got faith and am enjoying the settled team selection compared to the lottery picks of earlier in the season. But yeah in the back of my mind 11 players is less than half the human beings we have registered to play. What do the others have to do to get a look in? Can we confidently say we have cover if we need it? Can we be unpredictable if we need to?

 

[Wallop]

I'm surprised Donley hasn't had a mention, I thought he had a superb game behind Lankshear. Two of the best loanees I can remember in terms of ability and commitment.

We’ve come a long way from the days of Smith-Brown and Buckley-Ricketts!

 

[Swaby39]

Did put in a horribly brilliant delivery that Helik should have scored from.

But, yes, right now he offers less than a fit and on form Goodrham.

It’s a fair point actually, his set plays are normally very good and that ball was particularly brilliant.

 

[BrockBuster]

Games lasting 101 + minutes.. games gone

Well Huddersfield had a player sent off after 103 minutes too!

 

[Jster]

I thought Donley was decent yesterday actually. Our first team just seems to gel at the moment - which is why any sub seems likely to be a negative. I can see why Bloomfield keeps them together as long as he can.

 

[WE Yellow]

I thought Donley was decent yesterday actually. Our first team just seems to gel at the moment - which is why any sub seems likely to be a negative. I can see why Bloomfield keeps them together as long as he can.

Harris and Ter Avest deserve a lot of credit for coming on and not making us look any weaker too

 

[Orkney Islands Yellow]

 

[Orkney Islands Yellow]

I'm surprised Donley hasn't had a mention, I thought he had a superb game behind Lankshear. Two of the best loanees I can remember in terms of ability and commitment.

Donley?! Really?!

It'll be a monumental waste of money of we pay the rumoured £3.5million for him. Yesterday was his best game for us, granted, but he's offered little overall.

 

[Symp59]

The Sheffield game will be a lot harder than some think.

But the 2 before are far more important we want to be in a postion when we play Wednesday that a win gives a chance of staying up ,if it's a win and we are safe that would be unbelievable and the way we are fighting deserved ,Come on Oxford

 

[RgYellows]

Donley?! Really?!

It'll be a monumental waste of money of we pay the rumoured £3.5million for him. Yesterday was his best game for us, granted, but he's offered little overall.

The uptick in form since he’s been available and the fact that our lone striker no longer looks completely isolated are presumably just massive coincidences.

 

[Marked Ox]

Donley?! Really?!

It'll be a monumental waste of money of we pay the rumoured £3.5million for him. Yesterday was his best game for us, granted, but he's offered little overall.

Disagree completely.

If we stay up he will have been an important part of that as he links our attacking play and we now look like we can score, even from open play. His defensive work is pretty good as well.

For the Championship £3.5m is not excessive and he is still young so very likely to get better.

He's had better games than yesterday as well.

 

[uptheus]

I thought Donley was decent yesterday actually. Our first team just seems to gel at the moment - which is why any sub seems likely to be a negative. I can see why Bloomfield keeps them together as long as he can.

Said it a long time ago that we should try and keep a settled side as it allows partnerships to build/players get to know each others moves etc which Bloomfield didn’t do initially.

Having said that, if the odd player here and there are not at/consistently performing then another player gets their chance e.g. Helik replacing Makosso etc, breeds competition.

 

[90syeIlow]

Disagree completely.

If we stay up he will have been an important part of that as he links our attacking play and we now look like we can score, even from open play. His defensive work is pretty good as well.

For the Championship £3.5m is not excessive and he is still young so very likely to get better.

He's had better games than yesterday as well.

Once again there’s a meltdown when one of our players has a couple of ineffective games.

Donley is class and is well worth that price tag.

 

[Eric Blair]

Disagree completely.

If we stay up he will have been an important part of that as he links our attacking play and we now look like we can score, even from open play. His defensive work is pretty good as well.

For the Championship £3.5m is not excessive and he is still young so very likely to get better.

He's had better games than yesterday as well.

Agree with you completely to the extent I would say £3.5m is a steal.

 

[SirAndyOfCrosby]

I’m caught between opinions on him. For someone so deadly at every other level he’s played at, he doesn’t half dwell on the ball around the box and attacks do seem to end with him too often.

He’s great at getting in the trenches and as you say, he makes himself part of games which is majorly to his credit as he’s feeding off second balls. Just want to see a bit more of the quick-thinking killer instinct that made him stand out at Orient.

I certainly don't disagree with this.

Donley is clearly a 'No.10' - something that can't be said for everyone who has played there for us this season. As a result, he occupies really good positions both offensively and defensively and he looks comfortable.

But perhaps too comfortable (in possession, at least) - one too many touches (something Ruben Rodrigues was chastised for). And the free kicks and strikes from open play are frustrating.

One of the things I love about Brannagan is that any free kick or strike from distance is crisp, powerful, and invariably on target. Worst case - hits a wall or defender and we go again. Best case (aside from him scoring) is the Keeper making a save and we score from a rebound (bread and butter for the likes of Helik and Brown).

By contrast, Donley likes a floated effort and all the energy goes into placement without any power. And unless it's inch perfect then it's often a waste. There was one against Hull (or maybe Charlton) where it opened up for him and he tried to curl it in the top corner from 25 yards - just put your laces through it man (just as both Konak and Spencer did so yesterday to decent effect). I think it's a technical thing, perhaps trying to be too clever.

Either way, I get frustrated by wasteful set pieces and weak efforts on goal and if we'd been one down (as opposed to one up) then I suspect Donley is coming in for more criticism for his profligacy. I certainly found his standing ovation suprising (as opposed to Lankshear's - entirely warranted).

All that said (I want to end on a positive) for all my frustrations of both Donley and MPH - they are visible, present, massively involved, and you feel they contribute to any team performance - they are never passengers.

 

[Northstandboy]

Not had a good ol celebratory shin scrape from the seat in front for years!

 

[tonyw]

Agreed regarding yesterday. But there have been times recently where Mills and Lankshear especially have been dead on their feet towards the end and I'd like to think the drop off in ability is balanced against fresh legs to make a difference. I'd like to assume that it's data driven and it's more than just one man's decision to make. And I've got faith and am enjoying the settled team selection compared to the lottery picks of earlier in the season. But yeah in the back of my mind 11 players is less than half the human beings we have registered to play. What do the others have to do to get a look in? Can we confidently say we have cover if we need it? Can we be unpredictable if we need to?

I mean, I don't want to be the negative guy, but surely the answer to these two questions is No and No.

All credit to the recruitment team for finally having a good Championship window, and all credit to Bloomfield for finding his best XI and getting a tune out of them. But with the exception of the right side of defense (where I think HTA and Makosso can come in without us dropping off in quality too much) there is a massive difference between our first XI - which is now Championship quality - and the rest of our squad.......