Home Match Day Thread 14/02/23 L1: OUFC v Plymouth Argyle

[holdsteady]

???
16th in L1 would be below 12th in L2?
In my view there is a very big gap between L1 and L2.
I would be amazed if the team 16th L1 was not in the top half of L2

I could see us being around 12th, we can't keep a clean sheet and we don't score, have no real organisation under Robinson and are very light in numbers in the squad. Might be different under a better, more tactically aware manager but I can't see why Robinson, who has been found out at league one wouldn't be found out a level below, even with the advantage of players like Brannagan and Bate, still got the problem of an imbalanced squad/team.

 

[Up The U's]

I would argue that Moore hasn’t been good enough to be a starter for a promotion chasing team at this level for at least the last year. Maybe nearer 18 months. For me he’s the sort of player you want as third choice, not first.

We’re going to need to be ruthless moving forward in order to sort this out. Almost nobody is good enough in that squad anymore if the goal is to at least finish in the top six.

I think that is harsh on Moore, he is exposed often by his fullback, CDM, LCB & at times even the keeper. He is good enough to be in competition for a starting place in a championship promotion challenging squad.

As for the other, including those brought in this summer, they are not at the level, even the much loved Branagan (our midfield has looked relatively better going forward since he has been told to play the CDM).

 

[tonyw]

1. The common denominator in the 4 clean sheets is Stuart Findlay. The player who has three and a half years left on his contract. He needs to come back in, starting on Saturday. I know some people don’t rate him but I see a no-nonsense defender and a thou shalt not pass attitude which we so desperately need. I also see someone who will have a point to prove. It is criminal that he has been left on the bench since the Boxing Day pantomime at Ipswich.

2. Play 3-5-2. Playing an additional centre back and 3 in centre midfield makes us harder to beat. It’s no sacrifice to abandon 4-3-3 because our wingers (with the exception of young Tyler) have created next to nothing all season. You also KNOW that if we carry on playing 4 at the back that you are going to concede at least one goal. The stats prove it to be the case 90% of the time!!

Play Joseph and Wildschut up front. Fleming isn’t a left back so stop playing him as one. Ditto Anderson - not a right back so stop playing him as one. Fleming can be LWB and Anderson as RWB. The three in midfield pick themselves. I would play Findlay, Moore and Brown at the back but if you want to play Long ahead of one of them except Findlay, I wouldn’t object. In the absence of any other option, Easty has to stay in goal but some of the blame for the appalling defensive record this season must be laid at his door too unfortunately.

Couldn't agree more with almost all of this.

The only exception I would make - if you're going three at the back with Anderson and Fleming as wingbacks, you don't actually have to play Bate/Cam/MM as the midfield three. If we're playing against someone crap, and you're wanting to be a little more attacking, we have at least a half dozen decent options of players who could play in a #10 role behind a Joseph/Wildschut front two.

It's supposedly where Konate plays best, it's where Bodin plays best when he's fit. Browne can play there. I'd wager Tyler could play there. Murphy can supposedly play there if he could ever be persuaded to put a shift in. It's almost certainly the best position for Henry at this point in his career.

We'd have tons of options - but all of it is predicated on following steps 1&2 that you outline, which will immediately make us more defensively solid and create a platform for these talented forward players to actually go out and do their thing.

 

[Oxford84]

Fleming is a liability at full back. In the first half at MK and again in the first half last night he got done by the winger virtually every time. He might be better as a wing back but a tackle is a tackle wherever you do it on the pitch and he’s not too good at that.
He definitely can’t play alongside Brown, neither seemed to know who was supposed to cover/close down. They looked like 2 players that had never met.

Totally exposed by the fact that Wildschut was either told to stay forward or couldnt actually get back.

 

[holdsteady]

Now that Anderson is injured I would just go back to a back four of Long, Moore, Findlay, Brown, it’s not perfect but its all about staying up now not about looking pretty.

Robinson is useless when it comes to full backs, doesn’t seem to really think they matter and that’s one reason we are in a mess.

 

[Marked Ox]

Now that Anderson is injured I would just go back to a back four of Long, Moore, Findlay, Brown, it’s not perfect but its all about staying up now not about looking pretty.

Robinson is useless when it comes to full backs, doesn’t seem to really think they matter and that’s one reason we are in a mess.

I'd still go with 3 at the back but play Tyler Goodrham as the right wing back. He gets up and down the wing well and is pretty decent defensively on top of the attacking part of his game.

 

[Bicester Yellow]

I would argue that Moore hasn’t been good enough to be a starter for a promotion chasing team at this level for at least the last year. Maybe nearer 18 months. For me he’s the sort of player you want as third choice, not first.

We’re going to need to be ruthless moving forward in order to sort this out. Almost nobody is good enough in that squad anymore if the goal is to at least finish in the top six.

Agreed, I would say Moore is first back up but if I had a choice between say, Elliot Moore or Chey Dunkley. I know which one I’m choosing.

 

[Theox07]

Now that Anderson is injured I would just go back to a back four of Long, Moore, Findlay, Brown, it’s not perfect but its all about staying up now not about looking pretty.

Robinson is useless when it comes to full backs, doesn’t seem to really think they matter and that’s one reason we are in a mess.

Brown plays good left back

 

[m]

I think that is harsh on Moore, he is exposed often by his fullback, CDM, LCB & at times even the keeper. He is good enough to be in competition for a starting place in a championship promotion challenging squad.

I hear this said, but I'm not sure I see much evidence for it.

 

[Bicester Yellow]

Brown plays good left back

But offers nothing going forward & plays lumped balls up to the striker down the line, 1 or 2 in 20 actually go where he wants them to. Was a panic signing and made because our manager f***** up the transfer window. It was a lazy signing. He’s backup standard at best.

 

[Marked Ox]

But offers nothing going forward & plays lumped balls up to the striker down the line, 1 or 2 in 20 actually go where he wants them to. Was a panic signing and made because our manager f***** up the transfer window. It was a lazy signing. He’s backup standard at best.

Hahaha.

 

[holdsteady]

Of all the problems we have Brown isn't really one of them, he is functional and can play a role.

 

[Thomas/Brock/Jones]

But offers nothing going forward & plays lumped balls up to the striker down the line, 1 or 2 in 20 actually go where he wants them to. Was a panic signing and made because our manager f***** up the transfer window. It was a lazy signing. He’s backup standard at best.

let's start off being hard to beat as the attacking threat has not outweighed being in games at 0-0 rather than how we have set up !
Brown has played consistently well this season and a really odd choice to have a pop at.
Long,Moore,Findlay, Brown is where we are at ...not exactly thrilling but thanks to KR

 

[Theox07]

But offers nothing going forward & plays lumped balls up to the striker down the line, 1 or 2 in 20 actually go where he wants them to. Was a panic signing and made because our manager f***** up the transfer window. It was a lazy signing. He’s backup standard at best.

You do know he’s created the most chances than any of are defenders he has played some great balls strikers haven’t finished

 

[Theox07]

But offers nothing going forward & plays lumped balls up to the striker down the line, 1 or 2 in 20 actually go where he wants them to. Was a panic signing and made because our manager f***** up the transfer window. It was a lazy signing. He’s backup standard at best.

Brown ran round the whole team against Plymouth for Joseph to pass the ball from 5 yards out to the goalkeepers hands your deluded if you think defence is our problem

 

[Bicester Yellow]

Brown ran round the whole team against Plymouth for Joseph to pass the ball from 5 yards out to the goalkeepers hands your deluded if you think defence is our problem

I don’t think so. 3 or 4 clean sheets in nearly 50 games tells me otherwise my friend

 

[Bicester Yellow]

Hahaha.

Laugh all you want but proof is in the pudding & he’s been part of a defence that’s been awful this season. Compare him with Plymouth’s CB’s or Dunkley. He gets turned & loses his man numerous times. That left side of him and Fleming is horrific and if you can’t see that I don’t know what to say to you. He’s backup at best for us or he should be if our esteemed manager actually knew how to build an actual squad.

 

[Bicester Yellow]

You do know he’s created the most chances than any of are defenders he has played some great balls strikers haven’t finished

Can’t defend though & that’s his job first and foremost.

 

[Marked Ox]

Laugh all you want but proof is in the pudding & he’s been part of a defence that’s been awful this season. Compare him with Plymouth’s CB’s or Dunkley. He gets turned & loses his man numerous times. That left side of him and Fleming is horrific and if you can’t see that I don’t know what to say to you. He’s backup at best for us or he should be if our esteemed manager actually knew how to build an actual squad.

Hahahaha. Thanks for giving me a good laugh.

 

[Bicester Yellow]

Hahahaha. Thanks for giving me a good laugh.

Expect that you’ll be someone that thinks the sun shines out of Karl’s a**e. Would Ciaron Brown get into any side that’s in the top 6 currently? No he wouldn’t & probably not some outside it either. We are carrying too many of those players in our squad. Whether you want to see it or not is upto you. I’ll come back to this post in 6 months when everyone is slagging him off.