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

 

[derek]

I don't think I've ever seen over 60 pages on a match day thread before

 

[West Oxon U’s]

Everybody linked to L1 - pundits, supporters, journalists, other managers and coaches knew that Sheehan makes Bolton tick and everything goes through him.
He needed to be properly marked. He wasn’t.

Everybody knew except Des Buckingham, seemingly.

We never had a plan, didn’t look properly prepared, were not organised, not compact, and were unmotivated. Tactically it was a disaster too.

 

[Marston Road yellow]

I don’t know if Buckingham is the type of man to take advice from his team or not but it looks like either he’s ignoring everyone else, that his whole back room haven’t got the spine to tell him he’s wrong and suggest ways to make it right or that they are all s**t at their jobs.

Currently I can’t tell which.

Either way someone needs to do something. Be that a director of football, a decent assistant manager that has got balls to go at Buckingham without fear. It could also be both of those things. Or the more expensive option of replacing the manager.

If players are choosing to down tools stick them training on their own.

No room for niceties, Time for the board to show how serious they are.

 

[MustardYellow]

What sums it up for me is that most of us aren't that surprised by last night. An absolute drumming has been on the cards for weeks.

There are zero redeeming elements to last night.

 

[SteMerritt]

Well I went to bed after the second goal went in (yeah, I know it was early, but heavy day). Just seen the final score - bloody hell. Respect to those of you who stuck with it, and maximum respect to those who went up there.

 

[uptheus]

Whenever you U's have been kind enough to let me visit your site as I have often done, I've always found that for the most part, U's fans have been welcoming, balanced in their opinions and knowledgeable. Tonight it's a bit of a meltdown.

WE Yellow - you and the others who traipsed up to Lancashire to watch your teams' performance have my utmost respect and sympathy - been there myself when the Wanderers have let me down on numerous occasions.

From our perspective, the Wanderers owed us that performance. Twelve games ago we were 2 points behind the leaders with 3 games in hand - prime position to storm the league - but our form inexplicably fell off a cliff. I say inexplicably, but that's not entirely true as we had a swathe of injuries and suspensions and a punishing schedule - but despite Evatt saying we had the strength in depth to cover it, we just couldn't readjust. We squandered our games in hand, Pompey pulled away and Derby overtook us whilst the rest closed the gap and the form guide for the last 10 games put us at 16th in the league. Coming into this game we were bricking it. We'd played well throughout the barren spell but couldn't convert our chances and got mugged week after week, conceding some comedically bad goals - akin to the second tonight but on a weekly basis, so we had plenty of reason to be worried.

Tonight it finally clicked for us. Maybe the players finally got the message that they were about to blow a superb start to the season? Maybe they actually heard the sort of criticisms about individuals players and the manager similar to those levelled at your team that appear on this site tonight? Or maybe they realised they are now in the last chance saloon as far as the automatics are concerned? Whatever the reason, they came out fully focused and for the first time in ages maintained it for the full game.

There is no doubt that you have some quality players - they just have to find a way for everyone to be on the same hymn sheet and that takes time - it certainly did for us.
Moreover, it could happen overnight as it has for us. I hope that the players and manager read the comments on here tonight. I hope they realise how much it means to the fans. I hope they remember that you're still in with a shout for the playoffs. And above all that they take it to heart and find a way to click as a team again to repay guys like you who spend a lot of money and take a lot of time to travel up and down the country to support them.

Sure we played well tonight, but you deserve a better performance than you got and we both know that the quality players you have can do better than they did.
All the best for the rest of the season. Maybe see you in the playoffs if your lads get it together and we don't beat Derby, Posh, Stevenage and Pompey.

Thanks for your kind words, but we have been playing poor for a while now, hence us dropping like a stone/out of the play off places.

I personally feel we’ve got a weak/rudderless team/squad with a lot of players who on paper may appear good, but in reality are weak both physically and mentally which doesn’t bode well for the run in.

We live in hope so we never know it may just click, but the difference between us and what you said is, we don’t look like clicking or creating chances, whereas, in your baron spell you said you were e.g. you didn’t seem to have luck on your side.

Now I said all this we’ll probably meet you in the play offs and beat you!!

 

[Yellow2K22]

What sums it up for me is that most of us aren't that surprised by last night. An absolute drumming has been on the cards for weeks.

There are zero redeeming elements to last night.

Exactly, and this is why the final straw for me and ‘Desnt’ have a ‘Bucking’ clue was when he said last night that he didn’t see this coming?!

I’m sorry he’s either thick as mince or a liar.

 

[behindthegoal]

Whenever you U's have been kind enough to let me visit your site as I have often done, I've always found that for the most part, U's fans have been welcoming, balanced in their opinions and knowledgeable. Tonight it's a bit of a meltdown.

WE Yellow - you and the others who traipsed up to Lancashire to watch your teams' performance have my utmost respect and sympathy - been there myself when the Wanderers have let me down on numerous occasions.

From our perspective, the Wanderers owed us that performance. Twelve games ago we were 2 points behind the leaders with 3 games in hand - prime position to storm the league - but our form inexplicably fell off a cliff. I say inexplicably, but that's not entirely true as we had a swathe of injuries and suspensions and a punishing schedule - but despite Evatt saying we had the strength in depth to cover it, we just couldn't readjust. We squandered our games in hand, Pompey pulled away and Derby overtook us whilst the rest closed the gap and the form guide for the last 10 games put us at 16th in the league. Coming into this game we were bricking it. We'd played well throughout the barren spell but couldn't convert our chances and got mugged week after week, conceding some comedically bad goals - akin to the second tonight but on a weekly basis, so we had plenty of reason to be worried.

Tonight it finally clicked for us. Maybe the players finally got the message that they were about to blow a superb start to the season? Maybe they actually heard the sort of criticisms about individuals players and the manager similar to those levelled at your team that appear on this site tonight? Or maybe they realised they are now in the last chance saloon as far as the automatics are concerned? Whatever the reason, they came out fully focused and for the first time in ages maintained it for the full game.

There is no doubt that you have some quality players - they just have to find a way for everyone to be on the same hymn sheet and that takes time - it certainly did for us.
Moreover, it could happen overnight as it has for us. I hope that the players and manager read the comments on here tonight. I hope they realise how much it means to the fans. I hope they remember that you're still in with a shout for the playoffs. And above all that they take it to heart and find a way to click as a team again to repay guys like you who spend a lot of money and take a lot of time to travel up and down the country to support them.

Sure we played well tonight, but you deserve a better performance than you got and we both know that the quality players you have can do better than they did.
All the best for the rest of the season. Maybe see you in the playoffs if your lads get it together and we don't beat Derby, Posh, Stevenage and Pompey.

I don't give with this post, would you be so nice if the result was reversed
Mellow dramatic waffle

 

[Jakeyboy13]

If Des is still here next season we may well be in league 2 when the new stadium opens.

 

[QR]

Having slept on it I think 5:0 flattered us. It really was that bad.

 

[TailsWeWin]

Having slept on it I think 5:0 flattered us. It really was that bad.

Five down with 15 minutes plus added to go I was seriously worried

 

[Yellowmania]

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.

I’m always amazed that people spend time & money to go to a match just to spend the whole game looking and shouting abuse at the opposition fans.
The worse bit is that we have our share of these morons, the surprising bit is that they’re not all teenagers and I’ve seen blokes in there forties/fifties doing it. Similarly those twats that spend much of the game baiting and abusing stewards constantly.

 

[headingtonoldboy]

I have been in the " let's give Des a chance " camp since he arrived. But after last night's shambles, because that is what is was, Des needs to go. The board need to bite the bullet, admit they got the wrong man, pay Des up and get someone else in. We are not going up, we will not be relegated, so get a new man in , let him assess the squad and give him the summer to sort out the mess. We have gone backwards since Des arrived and I cannot see that trend being reversed any time soon.

 

[Sheik djibouti]

We were lucky nobody got sent off, despite the best efforts of some.
Brown, Brannagan and Rodrigues were all lucky not to get reds.

I'd add McGuane to that, but he have had to get close to an opposition player to foul them and give the ref a decision to make. In reality, he might've well have sat down on the pitch and made mud pies for all the difference he made.

 

[Farmer-Cee]

Look guys, I can understand your feelings after last night and we’ve all been there at times but when Wanderers play like they did last night and for once actually take the chances there’s no team in this league that can live with us. Your players were shell shocked because they just couldn’t handle Wanderers pace and movement and when every player in your team is on it as our were last night results like this are going to happen. As you saw, we have goals right through the team so it’s nigh on impossible to stop us when we play like that. In fairness we have been excellent in games recently but have just missed chances one after the other. Last night we didn’t and you got the brunt of it. I know it’s tough but if you want to make the play offs, which you still can, you need to stick behind your team and manager. Good luck for the rest of the season and you never know, if we don’t make automatic you may still get a chance to get your own back?

 

[Older Shotts]

Look guys, I can understand your feelings after last night and we’ve all been there at times but when Wanderers play like they did last night and for once actually take the chances there’s no team in this league that can live with us. Your players were shell shocked because they just couldn’t handle Wanderers pace and movement and when every player in your team is on it as our were last night results like this are going to happen. As you saw, we have goals right through the team so it’s nigh on impossible to stop us when we play like that. In fairness we have been excellent in games recently but have just missed chances one after the other. Last night we didn’t and you got the brunt of it. I know it’s tough but if you want to make the play offs, which you still can, you need to stick behind your team and manager. Good luck for the rest of the season and you never know, if we don’t make automatic you may still get a chance to get your own back?

We've been crap most of the season mate. Even when we were top 2 we weren't particularly good. And now we are clueless, toothless and rudderless and have been for months.
Last night was the straw ..

 

[LeftSideLarry]

Look guys, I can understand your feelings after last night and we’ve all been there at times but when Wanderers play like they did last night and for once actually take the chances there’s no team in this league that can live with us. Your players were shell shocked because they just couldn’t handle Wanderers pace and movement and when every player in your team is on it as our were last night results like this are going to happen. As you saw, we have goals right through the team so it’s nigh on impossible to stop us when we play like that. In fairness we have been excellent in games recently but have just missed chances one after the other. Last night we didn’t and you got the brunt of it. I know it’s tough but if you want to make the play offs, which you still can, you need to stick behind your team and manager. Good luck for the rest of the season and you never know, if we don’t make automatic you may still get a chance to get your own back?

 

[greatunclekip]

Good shout but he did only last 6 months at Swansea.

Yep, they paid a lot to get him, then realised they’d made a big mistake. It happens.

 

[kingoftheroad]

Needs a new manager, backroom staff and a big turnover of players in the summer for me.

Fans pay good money to attend to be entertained and currently they are being heavily under changed.

'customers' please

 

[RyanioBirdio]

1. Tactically, what was Manning doing with this team that Des isn’t? The formation seems to be the same. The players are more or less the same. There are certain things that I can see as a coach and have picked up from listening to others but I’d love to hear the big tactical differences others see.

There are no similarities between Buckingham and Manning tactically.

Manning played either 3421 or 4231 with one winger tucked in. Both formations created a four man ‘box’ midfield with two at the base and two at the top. It allowed us to control most games and made it rare that we were overrun in the middle of the pitch, as well as creating layers and pockets of space.

Buckingham plays a 433, not a 4231 as many seem to think, with both wingers pushed wide. We’re a man down in the centre of the pitch and have no way of playing through lines as a result. That’s why under Buckingham we seem to play so many long balls, because we can’t actually play through the thirds. It’s the exact same formation and tactics, and is producing the same results and performance levels, as the final year under Robinson did.

We have regressed to the same hopeless side that didn’t win a game for three months last season. We’ve won two games in the last 12, and on Saturday we were bloody lucky to have nicked one against probably the worst team in the division. Our form since late November is every bit as bad as last season’s horror show.

Nothing is the same as under Manning, on any level.