Home Match Day Thread 20/02/2024 L1: OUFC v Northampton Town

[Northstandboy]

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Interview - Des Buckingham

Interview - Will Goodwin

Interview - Jon Brady

Match Highlights

Match Report

Ref Watch

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[ZeroTheHero]

A frustrating night. While there were some plusses - quite a few decent individual performances - the way we managed to chuck 2 points away was extremely annoying. We were decent at the start of the game (for a change) and Northampton were there for the taking. But rather than staying on the front foot, we then reverted to type yet again - seemingly aimlessly retaining the ball as we had little idea what we were trying to do. I get the idea of moving the ball about to find an opening, but it was so slow and ponderous. When was the last time anyone was surprised by a glacier?

I am trying to restrain myself from criticising individuals, because I am not convinced they would be playing like this if it wasn't what they were being told to do.

On the whole, it is all very unexciting and 'meh' at the moment.

 

[RyanioBirdio]

I’m not enjoying anything about the football club at the moment, least of all watching the games.

I need a cuddle from Greg Leigh.

 

[uptheus]

I’m not enjoying anything about the football club at the moment, least of all watching the games.

I need a cuddle from Greg Leigh.

All set-up for promotion then!! I feel the same, and I’m sure many others do too!

Odd when you consider we’re 5th in the table and 6 games unbeaten

 

[Nadi-]

Of all the players you’ve decided to slate the one who only played for 15 minutes?!

As for people blaming Long for the 2nd goal, yes it was a bad/odd decision but the goal wasn’t scored until 26 seconds later after that pass. In that time there were at least 3 changes to get rid of the ball.

That isn’t even taking into account that it should have been offside.

Most looked shocked witnessing Long and Negru’s complete abomination

 

[PottersRightBoot]

Des sounded low after the game. Is he capable of dishing out tea cup smashing bollockings to certain players? You must not dick about 35 yards from your own goal when under pressure. Bad, bad errors.

As for holding onto the ball too long at the back when not under pressure, thought it was a fair tactic. Cobblers simply did not press , we were looking for gaps amd let,s not forget, we did actually score twice tonight.

I actually thought Sam Long was very good tonight, but star man again was Cam Bran. Hope that’s not too serious an injury. Good shows also from Leigh, Goodwin, Dale and the estimable Brown.

Not changing my view from last Tuesday, we’re going to get into the playoffs but have about as much chance of getting promotion as our cockapoo winning the Greyhound Derby. .

Apart from Simpson, Northampton pretty rank; we should have stuffed them.

 

[QuietYeller]

What a difference one goal makes, if we’d hung on, there would be comments about how we’re cementing a place in the play-off positions/ground out a gritty win.

I was encouraged by Murphy, Goodwin and Dale tonight. New options for the team.

Brannagan and Goodrham performed well as usual.

Just a shame about the farcical late goal which changes the whole dynamic of this thread.

Spot on

 

[battman]

Blame whoever decides that once we go 1-0 up that tactically we should just pass the ball around at the back. Bodin made the mistake but Brannigan nearly got caught 5 minutes earlier. Our players are not good enough to do it. Make a mistake in that area the chances are you conceed. I understand that doing it to try and pull your opponents team forward to create space but the pace at which we do it and the lack of control when we do it, makes the tactic niave.
When we attacked at pace we created so many opportunities, but when we play this awfully boring passing at the back the only option appears to be a long diagonal to the winger and hope something happens.

There’s all this talk of ‘passing it around the back’ which ignores the fact that we controlled the game for the first 30 minutes and also created two or three good chances in that time to make it 2-0.

It can go overboard on occasion, but the onus should be on the players to make better decisions when they’re on the ball, instead of passing back 50 yards.

 

[uptheus]

Thought we played better tonight as we played with a higher tempo.

Just poor decision making cost us the game.

 

[Barbadosyellow]

A regulation 2-0 win in every respect except the final score. Frustrating beyond words but, hey ho, on to Saturday.

 

[Leysboy]

We’re the boo’s for the referee again, or for the performance.

I actually thought the ref did well last night. Normally he’s poor, but couldn’t fault him last night.

It was a reasonable performance, and we created a lot of chances, but we didn’t put them away, and got punished for an atrocious error.

I don’t want Long playing anymore. We can’t carry players like him if we aspire to be at the next level.

 

[Sheik djibouti]

Two absolute brain farts from Long and Bodin lead to their two goals (and only real attempts on target). Other than that, they struggled to lay a glove on us.

We were pretty dull and uncourageous at times, especially in the first half and I can't help thinking that with a bit more attacking intent (and obviously a couple less individual brain farts) we should've been comfortably out of sight.

And although the initial selection raised a few eyebrows, I can see what the aim was in the sense we were able to flood both defence and attack and overwhelm the cobblers. We just didn't do the attacking bit nearly enough....we could've had them on toast by half time with a bit more conviction and decisiveness.

Frustrating!

But.....great to see Murphy playing so well. Also thought Negru did well, apart from the absolute hospital pass from Long. And also good to see a quality finish from Goodwin too. Good energy from Dale too and great cross to set up Goodwin too.

And can someone please wrap Brannagan in cotton woo until the end of the season?

 

[mightymozza1984]

Can anyone put their finger on why the atmosphere at the ground has been so flat the last couple of seasons?

 

[LeftSideLarry]

The team selection was more effective than I thought it would be, particularly in the opening 15mins, though no one will convince me that we should have Greg Leigh starting at left wing against an exceptionally poor opponent, when we had fit and available left wingers in the squad.

The thing is, we’re just so predictable, ponderous and painful to watch with a regular dose of self-destruct thrown in. Yes, there were some nice moments, and seeing Goodwin score was delightful, but we aren’t a promotion winning side. We’re miles off one at the moment.

We might get into the playoffs, I suppose. I think our only chance to win them is to bore the opposition to death, for which we appear to have potential.

As a final comment, the atmosphere last night dropped to an all time low. For a team languishing in mid-table and with so little about them, Northampton’s fans were terrific. They embarrassed us, something which is becoming a regular thing for opposition fans at the Kassam Stadium.

I’m afraid watching Oxford United is becoming less and less enjoyable, which is some feat given our league position.

 

[Oufccraig45]

Can anyone put their finger on why the atmosphere at the ground has been so flat the last couple of seasons?

The poor football that we are watching

 

[OX14]

Can anyone put their finger on why the atmosphere at the ground has been so flat the last couple of seasons?

I put it down to the feeling of the whole situation being stale. There is no buzz round the club at the moment but this may change one planning for the new stadium goes in.

 

[Symp59]

Are you serious ? The football we see now does not, in the slightest, resemble what we saw under Robinson. KR lost the plot, professionally and privately, in the end but don’t insult the bloke any further by drawing comparison with this tripe we see from Des.

There was some great football under KR ,better than what we are turning out at the minute, he just lost the plot last season. But we are just limping along ,we need Moore back we would have won that with him at the back.

 

[dickwalton1964]

Thought we played better tonight as we played with a higher tempo.

Just poor decision making cost us the game.

I respect your opinion but really do wonder what you were watching ? We upped it from an hour onwards but the tempo from 7 minutes (basically the second we scored) to about the 40th minute was as low as it could have possibly been. Nothing happened, we played the game in our own half, every pass was backwards - Cumming must have had more touches with his feet than any other Oxford player out there. I was so bored that I thought I’d count the passes at one point - 17 from side to side between Cumming, Long, Negru, Brannagan, Brown and Bennett and it ended with Brown launching it 40 yards forward to a Northampton head. Me and my lad were just sat there laughing at one point because it was getting ridiculous.

 

[Bitter]

Much as I liked the idea of Leigh as a winger, it didn’t work, he looked better when at LWB. Need to stop this passing back to Cumming, he doesn’t look comfortable on the ball and I can only see a goal being conceded soon. Also thought Cumming was at fault for the first goal, he should be catching that cross. What Long was thinking for that back pass, who knows, but it ties in with all the other negative passing back to Cumming that goes on throughout a match, needs to stop, turn with the ball, look to create something. Midfield didn’t work for me, both Bodin and RR really didn’t get into the game. We looked slow at times, when we did get a move on, there was some very good football, just not enough.

 

[Nadi-]

Not fully up with the changes to the rules on offside these days, but with Long being the plank to last touch the ball. Does that not rule out Hoskins from being offside

 

[MC Yellow]

Two absolute brain farts from Long and Bodin lead to their two goals (and only real attempts on target). Other than that, they struggled to lay a glove on us.

We were pretty dull and uncourageous at times, especially in the first half and I can't help thinking that with a bit more attacking intent (and obviously a couple less individual brain farts) we should've been comfortably out of sight.

And although the initial selection raised a few eyebrows, I can see what the aim was in the sense we were able to flood both defence and attack and overwhelm the cobblers. We just didn't do the attacking bit nearly enough....we could've had them on toast by half time with a bit more conviction and decisiveness.

Frustrating!

But.....great to see Murphy playing so well. Also thought Negru did well, apart from the absolute hospital pass from Long. And also good to see a quality finish from Goodwin too. Good energy from Dale too and great cross to set up Goodwin too.

And can someone please wrap Brannagan in cotton woo until the end of the season?

In a nutshell.