Home Match Build Up 11/9/2021 L1: OUFC V Wycombe Wanderers

[WuTang]

Could he start McNally right back to help with the Wycombe set pieces and long balls...

 

[Reynolds97]

Whatever you think of Ainsworth, he has done a brilliant job for them and they are always hard to beat. I just cant see anything other than a Wycombe win unfortunately, the delivery of Jacobson and our defending is going to be a real issue.

 

[Trevor L]

McNally though inexperienced has been our best header of a ball so far this season, he would be an asset on Saturday, I reckon.

 

[Tomox]

Whatever you think of Ainsworth, he has done a brilliant job for them and they are always hard to beat. I just cant see anything other than a Wycombe win unfortunately, the delivery of Jacobson and our defending is going to be a real issue.

It's a huge issue. Going to be really tough and they have some top players at this level! We will have around 60% of possession (at least) and need to make it count. I would move Whyte across to the right and try and isolate Obita/Jacobson as they both aren't as quick.

 

[West Oxon U’s]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1435598946479529993

 

[Sarge]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1435598946479529993

their entire home support heading down the M40 on Saturday then?.... it'll be quiet in Wycombe

 

[Scotchegg]

He’ll probably play an unfit Kane and Long from the start, with Winnall up front, and Agyei won’t get a look in…..again.

Surprise me KR!

I'll ignore the Winnall/Agyei debate because it gets done to death every game, but explain how you are assessing Kane and Long as unfit?

Herbie Kane arrived having completed a full preseason despite a couple of niggles. He played against Cambridge in the PJ Trophy and came on late against Wimbledon. Despite an opening 10 minutes against Cambridge where he was finding his feet he looked perfectly good without any concerns over his fitness.

Sam Long was out with covid which disrupted his preseason but his fitness stats remain one of the highest in the club. However in an attempt to push himself to be ready for the opening week of the season he tweaked a calf muscle. That has fully recovered and he has been able to build on his fitness through these last 4 or 5 weeks to make him ready to return. Training these days isn't just a couple of laps of the pitch, stretching and shooting practice. There are various lengths of games between the squad and other visiting teams to enable players to build match fitness. Because of the issues he had last season, Sam has had to go through more rigorous testing than most, and everything suggests that he should be ready to return.

So, two players who add both strength and talent to this side are fit and ready to go. But by throwing in these unsubstantiated comments about fitness you then get the opportunity to have another dig at Robinson and fuel more negativity. It is all a bit too predictable.

 

[Mad Dog]

I'll ignore the Winnall/Agyei debate because it gets done to death every game, but explain how you are assessing Kane and Long as unfit?

Herbie Kane arrived having completed a full preseason despite a couple of niggles. He played against Cambridge in the PJ Trophy and came on late against Wimbledon. Despite an opening 10 minutes against Cambridge where he was finding his feet he looked perfectly good without any concerns over his fitness.

Sam Long was out with covid which disrupted his preseason but his fitness stats remain one of the highest in the club. However in an attempt to push himself to be ready for the opening week of the season he tweaked a calf muscle. That has fully recovered and he has been able to build on his fitness through these last 4 or 5 weeks to make him ready to return. Training these days isn't just a couple of laps of the pitch, stretching and shooting practice. There are various lengths of games between the squad and other visiting teams to enable players to build match fitness. Because of the issues he had last season, Sam has had to go through more rigorous testing than most, and everything suggests that he should be ready to return.

So, two players who add both strength and talent to this side are fit and ready to go. But by throwing in these unsubstantiated comments about fitness you then get the opportunity to have another dig at Robinson and fuel more negativity. It is all a bit too predictable.

Regardless of their “training fitness” neither is fully match fit and sharp and ready to start games just yet.

But that’s never stopped KR before!

And yes, you’re right, it is getting very predictable, that any time anybody says anything negative about KR, Scotchers will get his knickers in a twist!

Do have a poster of KR above your bed?

 

[Northernyellow]

Could he start McNally right back to help with the Wycombe set pieces and long balls...

I would. Early impressions only, but he looks a good athlete, he's quick and great in the air. We all know that PubTeam Wanderers will be very fit and organised, and will be strong on set pieces. I'm not particularly anti- Ainsworth. He's done a really good job on a small budget (when he got them up from L1). But the football is dreadful to watch. For anyone who remembers, they're very like Cambridge United under John Beck in the early 90's.

 

[Scotchegg]

Regardless of their “training fitness” neither is fully match fit and sharp and ready to start games just yet.

I'll ask again. How are you assessing fitness? Because it seems that your made up criteria is very different from the professionals who deal with this stuff every single day.

 

[Mad Dog]

I'll ask again. How are you assessing fitness? Because it seems that your made up criteria is very different from the professionals who deal with this stuff every single day.

You know full well that putting players who have hardly featured or not featured at all this season straight into the starting lineup, in such a physical game, would be very risky, as no matter how much fitness training and preparation is done in training sessions, it’s very different to match conditions.

Who knows, this might end up being a pointless argument, and KR will do the sensible thing, and ease them in.

Your problem here is that I’ve criticised KR, which you hate anybody doing, but you have an extremely unbalanced a**e kissy opinion of him, which means you pipe up whenever anybody questions him.

You often speak a lot of sense Scotchers, and I and others agree with a lot you say, but your refusal to accept that KR is anything but perfect is your Achilles heal, and quite frankly a bit odd!

 

[IsleofWightYellow]

 

[Scotchegg]

You know full well that putting players who have hardly featured or not featured at all this season straight into the starting lineup, in such a physical game, would be very risky, as no matter how much fitness training and preparation is done in training sessions, it’s very different to match conditions.

Who knows, this might end up being a pointless argument, and KR will do the sensible thing, and ease them in.

Your problem here is that I’ve criticised KR, which you hate anybody doing, but you have an extremely unbalanced a**e kissy opinion of him, which means you pipe up whenever anybody questions him.

You often speak a lot of sense Scotchers, and I and others agree with a lot you say, but your refusal to accept that KR is anything but perfect is your Achilles heal, and quite frankly a bit odd!

You're reading a bit too much into this. My point is that Herbie Kane has played in his last two games without any indication of any fitness issues. He has been eased in and, if selected, he will be fit and ready to go.

Sam Long, I understand the concerns. His hamstrings struggled last season and the club have taken a huge amount of care to get him right. It's wasn't his hamstrings that were an issue but a slight calf problem. He has been held back to ensure that he's ready to return. The fitness data and background work at the club is significantly better than it was even a year or two back. So if they assess him ready to return then we can have confidence that he'll be ready.

The team is crying out for more physicality and more leadership. You get both from Kane and Long. Plus you get the genuine ball players that suit Robinson's style and what has made us fairly successful.

Wycombe are a decent side despite all the anti-football rubbish, and we need to put out the best side available, and that includes Kane and Long.

 

[Wandering Yellow]

I read yesterday that Wycombe is the town that gave the world James Corden. I now feel a real disdain for the place.

 

[bazzer9461]

their entire home support heading down the M40 on Saturday then?.... it'll be quiet in Wycombe

They've got that many?

 

[christenedinjericho]

If you asked any ex professional sports-person if were they ever 100% fit in their entire sporting career the answer given would be...never.

However, the difference is in the athletes mindset in how they deal with never being 100% fit. Funny enough a big salary helps.

But in all seriousness by just being consistent in everything they do is probably the main reason to being on the top rung of the ladder.

Premiership players have all the top notch aids (granted) to help aid recovery but by just being a consistent 7, 8, 9 or even the odd 10 even with carrying a knock is what makes the difference between a top player and a league 1 or 2 top player that errs around a high end 6 over the course of a 46 league match season.

If Samuel Long is just 95% fit for this weekend then that will probably do to help beat those chair makers from down the wrong end of the M40.

I'm not saying Samuel is the answer to everything but over the past two seasons this geezer has proved a lot of people wrong myself included and he from this consistency level and strong mindset show that I've harped on about that even with him carrying an obvious knock or two he has the most OUFC fan base begging for him to be back in the starting eleven as of this coming Saturday. Such a turnaround for Sam of a few seasons back. It shows it can be achieved. He probably was this footballer he is now but was overlooked many times by previous managers but his mindset and consistency was key. It now needs several others in the first team squad to tweak their mindset and we'll be alright.

COYY'S.

 

[Big Ronaldo]

I read yesterday that Wycombe is the town that gave the world James Corden. I now feel a real disdain for the place.

I hear, from someone who worked with him that he is a bit of a shithouse so him coming from there would be apt.

 

[Mad Dog]

You're reading a bit too much into this. My point is that Herbie Kane has played in his last two games without any indication of any fitness issues. He has been eased in and, if selected, he will be fit and ready to go.

Sam Long, I understand the concerns. His hamstrings struggled last season and the club have taken a huge amount of care to get him right. It's wasn't his hamstrings that were an issue but a slight calf problem. He has been held back to ensure that he's ready to return. The fitness data and background work at the club is significantly better than it was even a year or two back. So if they assess him ready to return then we can have confidence that he'll be ready.

The team is crying out for more physicality and more leadership. You get both from Kane and Long. Plus you get the genuine ball players that suit Robinson's style and what has made us fairly successful.

Wycombe are a decent side despite all the anti-football rubbish, and we need to put out the best side available, and that includes Kane and Long.

I agree, I probably am being a bit grouchy, and for that I apologise, blame the heat, I f*****g hate it!

I also agree the team needs more physicality and leadership, and while Kane may have featured in the last two games, I can’t imagine he’ll be as match sharp as Gorrin right now.

And while Long may be fully fit, and would add much needed leadership, attacking threat and physicality, there is no way, after so long out, that he can be as match sharp as Forde right now, and I’m just worried throwing him straight into the starting lineup might be a bit much, especially in such a highly charged, physical game as this will be.

But this is all conjecture anyway, he might not even make the bench for all we know!

 

[PottersRightBoot]

Ignore the usual suspects. We’ll beat Wycombe. We’re at home.

As long as we play the right team that is. If Long doesn’t make it, I would play McNally at right back.

Keep Holland off the pitch as well. He’s been a great disappointment so far.

 

[Jolteon]

The Kane/Gorrin debate is easy for me. We'll have the majority of possession and Wycombe will mainly threaten from set pieces. Gorrin is a fantastic CDM at this level, but I don't think the need for one that's not a big bruiser who can win headers is going to be that important against Wycombe. What we need is to make sure we can open them up and get the attackers in on goal as often as possible to hopefully counter their set piece dominance. Kane is a better choice for that role than Gorrin is.

As for Long - he's been a couple weeks away since the start of the season and the reason he's not played is because we've already decided to ease him back in. He's done the easing bit already. Time for the back in. If he doesn't play, great, more recovery time. If he does play, great, the best RB in L1 has returned to grace us with his presence.