Away Match Day Thread 12/03/24 - L1: Bolton Wanderers v OUFC

[Northstandboy]

Post Match Pack

Post Match Discussion

Interview - Des Buckingham

Interview - Owen Dale

Match Lowlights

Match Report

Ref Watch

Fans View

 

[MC Yellow]

The really obvious fact from tonight is that the players are clearly not playing for Des Buckingham and that is a huge problem.

The performances are nowhere near being acceptable - and they have not been since he was appointed - but when the players don’t want to play for the manager or believe in the Manager you have to part company. That’s the harsh reality of the situation.

It is simply not working and it will get worse. Bring in Michael Duff or someone of that ilk and prepare for 2024-2025.

As much as it pains me, and having slept on it, I wouldn’t be too bothered if I woke up to news that he was gone this morning.

I felt he needed time and deserved time, but it just isn’t clicking and it was clear last night that he really has lost the players.

Last night was as acid test and we failed miserably. I can’t see how he can turn this around anymore and I feel that after last night he has blown his chance to earn more time.

Pains me to admit it because he really hasn’t had long, but when it’s completely broken, it needs replacing.

 

[dickwalton1964]

I thought Bolton looked very good too but we made it easier for them. That first goal was really well taken and the build up looked great on TV but we shouldn’t be allowing them the time and space to just play it across our back line like that and then have a man spare on the back post.

Cumming showing signs of being the new Jack Stevens. I think he has to do better with that low cross shot and similarly the Cheltenham goal at the weekend. I’ve been really disappointed in him, he’s nowhere near the quality of Beadle.

 

[MC Yellow]

I thought Bolton looked very good too but we made it easier for them. That first goal was really well taken and the build up looked great on TV but we shouldn’t be allowing them the time and space to just play it across our back line like that and then have a man spare on the back post.

Cumming showing signs of being the new Jack Stevens. I think he has to do better with that low cross shot and similarly the Cheltenham goal at the weekend. I’ve been really disappointed in him, he’s nowhere near the quality of Beadle.

I think losing Beadle in January was a huge blow to our chances.

 

[Andy1505]

It doesn't look or feel any better the next morning. A spineless clueless performance, a manager who doesn't have any answers despite his claims they will look in to it, and too many players who are woefully underperforming and not up for the fight.

We deserve better than the tosh they served up, and respect to Owen Dale for saying the truth, jeez let him manage the team, at least he's real!

Des is losing the support of the team, fans and this forum(!) and it may well be time for him to go.

 

[dickwalton1964]

As much as it pains me, and having slept on it, I wouldn’t be too bothered if I woke up to news that he was gone this morning.

I felt he needed time and deserved time, but it just isn’t clicking and it was clear last night that he really has lost the players.

Last night was as acid test and we failed miserably. I can’t see how he can turn this around anymore and I feel that after last night he has blown his chance to earn more time.

Pains me to admit it because he really hasn’t had long, but when it’s completely broken, it needs replacing.

Des looks a broken man and on a purely humane level you have to feel for the bloke. I just don’t think we are seeing any signs that give us hope, bar this one Pompey performance. I’d be behind the guy if I could see some positives emerging but it’s all so sorry, disjointed and dispiriting.

 

[Sheik djibouti]

I think losing Beadle in January was a huge blow to our chances.

On current evidence, Cumming is a million miles away from Beadle. He doesn't fill me with any confidence at all, and it looks like our mediocre bottom half of league 1 back four agree with me too.

What a clusterfuck we've become.

 

[m]

What a shambles this season has become. Given our recent results I'd say our true position is probably about 18th - anyone above is likely to get somewhere between 1 - 3 points off us.

I think this is a rather large nail in the coffin for the dream of an Oxford born manager.

Been months and you don't see any patterns of play, structure in build up, fluidity, you can't even tell what the actual plan is. Is it just get it wide?
W must be the easiest team to defend against at the moment.
I'd argue we have 3 of the top 10 midfielders in league one. WE DON'T PLAY THROUGH MIDFIELD. They look like they've never been on a pitch together before. Even Robinson's teams, whilst they weren't overall successful, you'd know we'd probably win the battle in the middle of the park.

The frustration is unquantifiable at the moment. Might as well see it out to the end of the season, but I think we need to start planning for managerial replacements now.

I'm not sure we have 1.

 

[dickwalton1964]

On current evidence, Cumming is a million miles away from Beadle. He doesn't fill me with any confidence at all, and it looks like our mediocre bottom half of league 1 back four agree with me too.

What a clusterfuck we've become.

Yes, he was poor, but that save from the offside header was reminiscent of the Banks 1970 World Cup save! Slight difference in that it wasn’t Jarzinho crossing it or Pele heading it!!!! Having said that, there were time last night when we did make Bolton look like Brazil c1970!!

 

[m]

The thing that upsets me the most though is the final whistle, players stood joking with their Bolton counterparts, ambling over and barely looking apologetic. Dale looked royally fucked off but apart from that there didn’t look an ounce of hurt on the faces of the players, that ultimately is what the fans remember. Is it a mentality thing? Do we have leaders in our squad? Moore, Brannagan, Mcguane, Long, Brown, Bodin, Murphy - all part of our abysmal run last year, all part of abysmal runs in previous seasons, why does it keep happening? Why has Brannagan not left to go elsewhere? Does he believe he has it in him? We can see the ability, but would he rather stay where he has it easy? He seems to be the exception to most of the fanbase, but if anything he’s part of the problem. That’s a spine of players who look great with no expectation, but as soon as there’s a bit of pressure they crumble.

This. 100%. Nail on the head.

There's no doubt that Buckingham can and should be getting more from this group, no doubt at all.

But I would ask those who claim the squad is good enough, where is the evidence for that?

 

[Sheik djibouti]

Des looks a broken man and on a purely humane level you have to feel for the bloke. I just don’t think we are seeing any signs that give us hope, bar this one Pompey performance. I’d be behind the guy if I could see some positives emerging but it’s all so sorry, disjointed and dispiriting.

I do agree, but if that is down to the players not trying because he "wasn't their choice", coupled with a pretty mediocre and imbalanced squad of players still bearing the scars of two years of Robinson madness, then what is Des supposed to do?

 

[West Oxon U’s]

Just got back home to Bampton.
Even after last nights whipping, it doesn’t feel anywhere as bad as the 2-2 against Northampton .

Extraordinary remark.

We defended appallingly against Northampton too - who were so poor that night - but last night’s overall performance eclipsed anything
I’ve seen in a long time. Far worse than the depths we plumbed under KR at the start of 2023 and we were diabolical then.

Last night was a new low because the players who were representing the club and the supporters basically chucked the game.

It seemed the players had been tranquilized. Jerome Sale, brutally, at the final whistle remarked that the Oxford players played like Zombies.

He wasn’t wrong.

 

[joshua]

One things for sure Buckingham will bee here next season. But I won’t

 

[Made-in-Jericho]

Fans leaving. Players looking like zombies. Manager absent or incapable. Senior leadership team missing.
It’s all falling apart at the moment.

 

[m]

I'll be shouted down. Elliott.

And yet we look so much better with him in the team.

I don't disagree with your basic point, but our current replacements are worse.

 

[Symp59]

This performance should be taken into context of about 25 plus games .I know Des said he didn't see it coming but I think alot of fans did sadly. I know we had a few bad results under Manning but we had alot of good ones ,with some style and a pattern to our play. If you look at our current form it really is relegation form and that is with most of the players back .If Des stays this team has got to be ripped apart would anyone trust him with that job ?

 

[gingerox]

Most entertaining part of the night was the small subsection of Bolton fans next to the away end who were determined to give out s**t for 90mins instead of watching the game, and ended up getting kicked out - which I thought was a weird approach to take when you're 5-0 up.

 

[Foley]

I dont think Bolton played well at all, that defeat was totally down to us being absolutely pathetic. You did the basics well and worked much harder than us even in first gear.
Its no criticism of Bolton at all, but that was all on us tonight.

Really?
We were awful, but I am amazed that anybody would suggest that Bolton weren't very good .
Sheehan was outstanding ( and a few more were excellent)

 

[Made-in-Jericho]

The players should refund the fans that travelled.

223 fans at, say, £100 each? £22,300…. That’s not even a week’s wages for some of these players.

 

[Coffin dodger]

Brown diving into that tackle towards the end looked like a man trying to get sent off and failing that simple task.

 

[Fat bloke]

On any performance you need pride and fight for the badge etc and fans see it and respond to it.
We have had no real hard men that would stand up and fight if dirty at times if only we can find a Briggsy and Shotton esq players true fans favourites that wore shirt with pride. Yes we did get a beating at times but they tried and put effort in.
More than what can be said of this squad at present yes we can blame refs standards etc nothing changed too much in that. Players today standards like ours and others are too mamby pamby in everything hide behind social media, moan to agents to get more money they seem to think they are top players and have champagne life styles without putting effort in. Look at the younger players wanting more money and out of club etc.
So much wrong with this club and others just look at Reading up the road a and we think we're hard done by?,
Perhaps we should all bring tennis balls and throw them on the pitch at next home game as a protest.?