20/08/22 - L1: OUFC v Morecambe

[MC Yellow]

Working in Jerome Sinclair’s chicken shop, although I heard he called in sick this morning.

Bird Flu ?

 

[RyanioBirdio]

Bird Flu ?

Think he was just a bit battered tbh.

 

[Mad Dog]

I totally agree with both @RyanioBirdio posts on this thread so we really are living in strange times!!

A win, any win. Just anything to stop this place from being so bloody miserable.

Genuine question scotchers, and no malice intended, but what were your feeling towards management during the era of Clotet and his bunch of misfits?

 

[West Oxon U’s]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1560322579830870017

 

[RgYellows]

If you want to use that match as an example.
Our 2 best ( and pretty much only ) chances came from a corner and a cross, we created diddly squat through the center.

But then you'd have to acknowledge that we spent 89 minutes trying to create chances through crosses rather than playing it through the middle.

How many times did Rovers snuff out the cute little pass-and-moves that led to our best chances at Derby? I can't remember any. We didn't try them because we had crosses to mis-hit.

There's a reason that teams parking the bus defend deep and narrow, conceding space on the flanks. You're far more likely to score with the ball in the middle of the pitch, and you're far more likely to score from a successful through ball than a cross. This is backed up by the stats - there's a great analysis of it if you want to geek out:

Where Goals Come From: Putting Balls into the Box — American Soccer Analysis

This is the fifth article in a series of articles and videos in the Where Goals Come From project from Jamon Moore and Carl Carpenter. Data providers and analysts have long talked about successful passing “into the box” and shots that come from it, however, until now, we are not aware of a f

www.americansocceranalysis.com

 

[RgYellows]

They struggled with Taylors cross to Henry who nodded over from 5 yards out!

Wish some of our struggles resulted in a clean sheet

 

[WEYellow]

Whilst 3-5-2 may be our best formation, imagine the reaction if we were too not win this playing 5 defenders at home…think we will win this by a couple of goals. I’ll go 3-1 Oxford with a crowd of 6,743 (200 away)

Mcginty

Long
Moore
Findlay
Brown

Henry
Mcguane
Brannagan

Goodrham
Taylor
Joseph

 

[androidyellow2]

I've been trying to figure out what team would work at 3-5-2 for the last half hour but there is no one I would trust to play RWB or LWB we miss Willo & Sykes a lot. So the only option in my mind would to just throw Golding and Brown in as we just have to switch it up as it isn't working currently. Also a bit rogue but I think we miss a ball playing centre half so i'd be inclined to try Long at centre back but KR wouldn't drop Moore or Findlay so i'll go with this in a 4-1-2-1-2 formation.

McGinty
Golding Moore Findlay Brown
McGuane
Brannagan Bodin
Goodrham
Joseph Taylor

 

[werthersoriginal]

But then you'd have to acknowledge that we spent 89 minutes trying to create chances through crosses rather than playing it through the middle.

How many times did Rovers snuff out the cute little pass-and-moves that led to our best chances at Derby? I can't remember any. We didn't try them because we had crosses to mis-hit.

There's a reason that teams parking the bus defend deep and narrow, conceding space on the flanks. You're far more likely to score with the ball in the middle of the pitch, and you're far more likely to score from a successful through ball than a cross. This is backed up by the stats - there's a great analysis of it if you want to geek out:

Where Goals Come From: Putting Balls into the Box — American Soccer Analysis

This is the fifth article in a series of articles and videos in the Where Goals Come From project from Jamon Moore and Carl Carpenter. Data providers and analysts have long talked about successful passing “into the box” and shots that come from it, however, until now, we are not aware of a f

www.americansocceranalysis.com

When we play badly we always resort to over hit high crosses- a sign of low confidence I suspect

 

[Orkney Islands Yellow]

The team I'd like to see:

McGinty

Long
Findlay
Brown
Seddon

Gorrin

McGuane
Brannagan

Goodrham
Taylor
Joseph

 

[Foley]

Wish some of our struggles resulted in a clean sheet

We struggled against Cambridge and got a ckesn sheet.
Henry really should have ensured Rovers didn't have one. They lucked out there (assume you agree that it was a very bad miss?)

 

[YellowinBirmingham]

NTT20 podcast pretty scathing about our chances for Saturday (from 16 mins onwards)

https://twitter.com/x/status/1560195816001871872

I was going to share this. It's a very good summary of where we are. I always trust George Elek on Oxford.

However he has a terrible record when betting on Oxford games on the podcast. Hoping it continues.

 

[RgYellows]

We struggled against Cambridge and got a ckesn sheet.

And I enjoyed it.

Henry really should have ensured Rovers didn't have one. They lucked out there (assume you agree that it was a very bad miss?)

Yes. It's not some sort of gotcha to acknowledge it is possible to score from a cross. The numbers show its not the most effective way to go about scoring.

 

[ZeroTheHero]

We have missed a few chances - and so have the teams we were playing against! It's going back to the Wilder days when he used to say 'we might have lost 2-0, but if we'd taken all of our chances we'd have won 3-2' to which the answer was always 'yes and if the opposition had taken all their chances we'd have lost 4-2'! League 1 footballers *are* going to miss chances - which is why you have to create more than one or two decent ones in a game.

 

[West Oxon U’s]

DEREK ADAMS PRE-OXFORD:

 

[Ollieox96]

But then you'd have to acknowledge that we spent 89 minutes trying to create chances through crosses rather than playing it through the middle.

How many times did Rovers snuff out the cute little pass-and-moves that led to our best chances at Derby? I can't remember any. We didn't try them because we had crosses to mis-hit.

There's a reason that teams parking the bus defend deep and narrow, conceding space on the flanks. You're far more likely to score with the ball in the middle of the pitch, and you're far more likely to score from a successful through ball than a cross. This is backed up by the stats - there's a great analysis of it if you want to geek out:

Where Goals Come From: Putting Balls into the Box — American Soccer Analysis

This is the fifth article in a series of articles and videos in the Where Goals Come From project from Jamon Moore and Carl Carpenter. Data providers and analysts have long talked about successful passing “into the box” and shots that come from it, however, until now, we are not aware of a f

www.americansocceranalysis.com

Definitely agree with that, passing wide and going down the wing has become our comfort zone and generally leads to poor crosses, good crosses with nobody on the end of it, corners or misplaced passes that allow instant counter attacks. If we could drive at teams then so many more options open up, and if we do lose the ball our players aren’t necessarily out of position.

 

[DevilsAvocado]

But then you'd have to acknowledge that we spent 89 minutes trying to create chances through crosses rather than playing it through the middle.

How many times did Rovers snuff out the cute little pass-and-moves that led to our best chances at Derby? I can't remember any. We didn't try them because we had crosses to mis-hit.

There's a reason that teams parking the bus defend deep and narrow, conceding space on the flanks. You're far more likely to score with the ball in the middle of the pitch, and you're far more likely to score from a successful through ball than a cross. This is backed up by the stats - there's a great analysis of it if you want to geek out:

Where Goals Come From: Putting Balls into the Box — American Soccer Analysis

This is the fifth article in a series of articles and videos in the Where Goals Come From project from Jamon Moore and Carl Carpenter. Data providers and analysts have long talked about successful passing “into the box” and shots that come from it, however, until now, we are not aware of a f

www.americansocceranalysis.com

Thanks for that, always happy to geek it out with some stats

32% of goals scored come from a through ball in front of goal, through balls are attempted on average 2% of the time in a game.
14% of goals scored come from crosses that are attempted 29% of the time in a game.

Good stats, i guess that there is a reason that through balls are attempted only 2% of the time though, thats because the center is
sewn up and when you are playing a 4-4-2D you dont have many options other than go centrally, its too telegraphed. When we play
it KR has a LWB that tends to get sucked up field and when we lose possesion its all hands to the pump, crosses, cut backs, passes
all coming from our left with a stretched defence, its not good odds, play with a proper left back that stays further back and we
become impotent. The diamond has had its day, with the right players, ie a Herbie Kane or 2 as CM then maybe, but with the players
we have available i wouldnt go there.

 

[tonyw]

Assuming no more signings, I would go:

Eastwood

Long
Moore
Findlay
Brown

Gorrin

McGuane
Brannagan

Joseph
Taylor
Goodrham


Gorrin's fitness is the big question mark, but he made it through 90 minutes against Swansea and actually got better as the game went on. I think we play better when we have three out-and-out central midfielders, but Bate clearly didn't look ready yet and so it's got to be these three.

If we do go for a genuine 4-3-3, I don't think there's any position that Henry & Bodin are well suited for - neither of them are quick or powerful enough to play as wide forwards any more, and they're not central midfielders either. They're each best suited at this point in their careers for the #10 role, but if we go 4-2-3-1, we neuter Cam and MM, who are our best players, and we don't have the wing backs to play 3-4-1-2.

Sigh.....it's a mess.

 

[Joey]

Assuming no more signings, I would go:

Eastwood

Long
Moore
Findlay
Brown

Gorrin

McGuane
Brannagan

Joseph
Taylor
Goodrham


Gorrin's fitness is the big question mark, but he made it through 90 minutes against Swansea and actually got better as the game went on. I think we play better when we have three out-and-out central midfielders, but Bate clearly didn't look ready yet and so it's got to be these three.

If we do go for a genuine 4-3-3, I don't think there's any position that Henry & Bodin are well suited for - neither of them are quick or powerful enough to play as wide forwards any more, and they're not central midfielders either. They're each best suited at this point in their careers for the #10 role, but if we go 4-2-3-1, we neuter Cam and MM, who are our best players, and we don't have the wing backs to play 3-4-1-2.

Sigh.....it's a mess.

If Gorrin is fit then this is probably it for me, assuming Joseph is capable of playing wide. I didn't have as many doubts as others such as yourself about McGuane's ability to play the holding role but I always worried it blunted him as he's so good on the ball, it would be good to get him and Brannagan in their strongest positions and build round that, it would help us no end progressing the ball. The 4-2-3-1 looks good on paper but as you say we don't get those two involved enough and end up with a disjointed mess.

Frustratingly we're a right wing back away from having a team very well suited to the 5-3-2 that was successful last year. It's not Long but I'd be happy to see him in the back three in that formation as he's decent enough on the ball and is capable of carrying it forwards, just not from a wing back role where you don't have the element of surprise. If Forde were still about I'd have been rolling that out this weekend for sure.

 

[Paul Cannell]

Joseph in the Agyei role. Is it infectious, whatever it is?