Home Match Day Thread 13/12/2025 - MDT: Oxford United vs Preston North End

[Carpy]

 

[battman]

Incredibly frustrating result today. Feel like Preston have been very lucky to get come away with a point, but that’s what you get when you take your chances. The ref being appalling helped them too.

We had numerous chances to score at important moments, including Brown in the first half, and Prelec, Vaulks and Lankshear in the second. But we were so poor in conceding two soft goals, so it was always going to be an uphill battle.

If we’re going to persist with wing-backs, I think Mills and Currie are the options to go with - HTA just doesn’t have that attacking threat and Leigh just doesn’t offer anything defensively or on the ball. We’re also missing more options in midfield, BDK was good and Vaulks was ok, but we needed more energy to bring off the bench.

It’s another defeat by a single goal, and whilst we’re again competitive, it’s another game where we fall the wrong side of the fine margins due to the lack of quality in both boxes

 

[Last_man]

Be nice if we could try and attack when we arent losing. Honestly pathetic whys bradshaw getting minutes. Missed our wingers sorely

 

[Leysboy]

Preston up to third on that showing. Absolute madness. They were awful!!

We were dire at times, and I mean really bad. We have done it all season, we continue to give the ball away so cheaply all the bloody time. It infuriates me.

We don’t have enough in this squad to stay up. Only 3 or 4 on that pitch today are good enough for championship football. We need serious investment in January, and it’s not an easy window to operate in. We’ve left ourselves short, because of a terrible summer window.

I don’t think Gary Rowett is the problem, it’s the players. Like I said most just simply aren’t good enough.

Great opportunity missed to bag 3 points, because PNE were poor.

 

[Mad Dog]

Right that's it, nothing's changed, same turgid shite, I'm off to get the pitchfork from the shed...

 

[Yello]

Rowett out for me now. Done with his decision making , be it setting up with no attacking intent away from home to double substitutions that killed any momentum we had built. When has a harris / bradshaw combo worked , ever ???

 

[Sarge]

Didn't deserve to lose...s**t defending costs

 

[Score In A Minute]

Poor game, two poor sides. Shame we couldn’t push on after second goal. The swapping of forwards just showed our weakness in depth as they offered nothing. Mills has to start.

 

[Manorlounger]

A very angry and fed up SSU crowd leaving their seats. Watching that game was infuriating. Relegation beckons if we don't make changes and turn this s**t show around.

 

[Sarge]

Abysmal referee

 

[battman]

I’m firmly Rowett in. Following it on RadOx today and hearing what Jerome and Nathan have said, it didn’t seem that bad. They didn’t deserve to lose.

However, football is a results game and those four wins are looking pretty feeble right now. I know it’s tough and I know this is where every pundit expects us to be. We have to find a way to get some more points on the board somehow.

I maintain this is the toughest gig Rowett has ever taken. He has to start finding some way to accrue more than just credible points here and there.

I agree with pretty much all you’ve said, but I can’t say I’m Rowett in anymore. Nor am I Rowett out though - I think we’ve got a chance of turning things around with him in charge and with the January window to come, but some of the decisions he makes are baffling for a coach of his experience. I’m not against him staying, but I don’t think I’d be upset if he leaves

 

[Manorlounger]

Abysmal referee

Inept and biased.

 

[Leysboy]

Rowett out for me now. Done with his decision making , be it setting up with no attacking intent away from home to double substitutions that killed any momentum we had built. When has a harris / bradshaw combo worked , ever ???

Go on then. Who do we realistically bring in to save our season, and someone at this level that is better than Gary Rowett, and used to working on a tight budget……

 

[Canterburyexile]

Is Barry Fry available?

 

[Last_man]

Inept and biased.

He was crap but we should be looking at ourselves here as we couldnt create any clear cut chances in that second half

 

[Nadi-]

Preston up to third on that showing. Absolute madness. They were awful!!

We were dire at times, and I mean really bad. We have done it all season, we continue to give the ball away so cheaply all the bloody time. It infuriates me.

We don’t have enough in this squad to stay up. Only 3 or 4 on that pitch today are good enough for championship football. We need serious investment in January, and it’s not an easy window to operate in. We’ve left ourselves short, because of a terrible summer window.

I don’t think Gary Rowett is the problem, it’s the players. Like I said most just simply aren’t good enough.

Great opportunity missed to bag 3 points, because PNE were poor.

Exactly right,
We’ve wing backs playing as full backs. and Leigh’s so uncomfortable with the ball,
A midfield who look good on the ball, but a battle to win first. Not a chance.
2 goals 2 chances a ruthless and mobile frontline , is something we’ll only wish for. A cull is required up there.

 

[Swinny]

That puts the “the league is much harder this season” stuff to bed for me if they are 3rd! Took their chances though and managed the game pretty much perfectly in the second half.

We did deserve something from that maybe, but the Harris/Bradshaw change just totally wiped out our attacking intent at a time when we were on top and getting into good positions.

Why we persist with the Vaulks long throws I’ve no idea…so ineffective today.

 

[Vancouver Yellow]

Think it’s time to give the relentless long throws a break. They’re really not resulting in anything and haven’t for a while.

 

[battman]

Think it’s time to give the relentless long throws a break. They’re really not resulting in anything and haven’t for a while.

I think they'd work more effectively if the players and coaches realised his throws are going towards the near post and plan accordingly. Pack the front post, win the flick on and have a poacher or two at the back stick

 

[Isle of Wight Yellow]

We miss Brannagan badly. If he was playing today instead of Vaulks I think we get something out of the game.

 

[Chippy]

Think it’s time to give the relentless long throws a break. They’re really not resulting in anything and haven’t for a while.

We set up so badly in the oppositions box. Don’t stand anyone in front of goalie to stop him easily claiming them, don’t have anyone when it goes near post, and never pick up the 2nd ball. It is a useful weapon but we just haven’t got a clue in the way we coach the players to make it a decent attacking threat, completely pathetic.

 

[Northstand Grandad]

The preston player slowly walks off....ref gives yellow.....player carries on slowly....surely a second yellow?

 

[Symp59]

Sadly that felt like a tipping point today ,just listen To Gary I really feel for him he's trying all sort of systems and you can tell he's trying is best with what we have in the squad. Our midfield is lacking with no subs I feel for BDK and Vaulks, we are all frustrated but I can see us getting in the bottom 3 and getting cut off from the rest wr just keep limping towards the trap door. But try and stay strong and hope to get a run put together.

 

[Bretch Hill]

The bringing on of Harris and Bradshaw was the beginning of the end.

 

[Sarge]

that was a s**t away following (despite early KO) from a (poor) side now in 3rd place*

edit* PNE 3rd lasted all of 10-15 mins, now 3pm kos have started they're back to 5th

 

[Osei Yaw]

I think if we replayed the Ipswich game the other week then we could lose or draw it. If we replayed today then we could draw or win it, there wasn't much in it.

Against Ipswich, most things we did came off, including Cumming making saves with his face. Today, most things Preston did came off with the ball defecting through Cummings's legs.

My point being is that there are fine margins in a few of our home games. It's easier to live with it if we've had a go, which we did today even if it wasn't a great spectacle.

I'm absolutely fine with getting the ball in their box at every set piece, especially when we had 5 or 6 players on the pitch capable in the air, but I lost count of the amount of times the ball dropped into an empty space or to their player, we must do better with them.

 

[Sarge]

The bringing on of Harris and Bradshaw was the beginning of the end.

bizarre substitutions- did Marris touch the ball?

 

[Bretch Hill]

bizarre substitutions- did Marris touch the ball?

The only time I saw him touch the ball was to give it to Preston’s goalie when it was out of play.

 

[Coffin Dodger]

Get rid of Waldron and his team as well

And Sale, Short, Hacket et al.

 

[Mateo Corbo's Tackle]

So, are we going to stop assuming that we will get something from our home games and therefore don’t need to bother about attacking the poor sides around us away from home?

And: Preston were crap, and they’re in the play offs. Apparently our players are crap, we’re 21st and we should be in the relegation places with the players we have. I buy it less and less

 

[Steve Gilbert]

You can be Rowett out or Rowett in but at the moment, with this squad, I think if we sack him, we get relegated. If Rowett stays, we get relegated.
This squad is just not got the required amount of talent for a championship team.