Away Match Day Thread +++ 20/10/18 Bristol Rovers v OUFC +++

We were pretty much all over them till
Baptiste went off. Carruthers terribly off the pace and got targeted.
Pretty lucky to hang on in the end. Many of our players were blowing out of their arses by the end - we slowed down significantly in last 20.

Have to praise the back 5 - they were excellent and Ruffels is growing into left back nicely. A plus.

Front six pretty non existent after an hour. A worry .

As for Rovers, they never seem to change. Physical, long balls into the channels, Lower league footbal by numbers. I see them struggling - as predictable as Wimbledon.


Wasn’t great today but at least we played with some nous..
 
In the first half it was pretty even, Shandon should've buried his chance - if he did I could've been a different game. In the second half they stepped it up and we didn't, I don't think bringing on Carruthers for Baptiste was the best change - our midfield lost impetus. Is Carruthers a central midfielder or a winger? He seems like another player in the squad who seems versatile rather than a specialist.

It is good to see us keeping another clean sheet, but going forward we just don't have it. For the whole season we've been bemoaning Obika, Smith and Mackie at times, but the fact is they don't get good enough service. Today we didn't have any creativity from the full-backs or the midfield, and apart from a bit of direct running, the wingers never got any shots away or laid it on for the striker.

Also, why Smith only came on for the last couple of minutes when it was clear Mackie's race was run at least ten minutes earlier, I don't know.
 
KR was desperate to get the team in at half time presumably for a rousing team talk. WTF did he say: it obviously didn’t work?

Someone at the game said it does epitomise his lack of man management experience. In the first half we should have been two up, and played the far better football. He gives his half time team talk, and we come out a shadow of the team we were in the first half.
 
I noticed today and previous games when a player was fouled and received treatment, they had to go off the pitch despite the opposition player being booked, have the rules changed
 
Also, why Smith only came on for the last couple of minutes when it was clear Mackie's race was run at least ten minutes earlier, I don't know.
The manager said he had 4 players struggling, and didn't know which one to take off. Hence Smith's brief run around today.
 
More importantly we are looking better at grinding out a point which can be the difference between staying up and going down.

Exactly. It ain't pretty, but where we are now it's what need to drag ourselves out of the mire. I think of Chris Wilder and get that sense of deja vu all over again.
 
Has anyone else seen the highlights? Simon Eastwood won us that point. There is a save in the 2nd half from 2 yards that knocks it onto the bar that is just ridiculous. Thank goodness he is back
 
Robinson spends more time telling Derry what needs to change then actually instructing the players himself.

Eastwood easily best keeper in the league. If that save happens in the premier league it's spoke about for months.
 
Embarrassed by the trouble caused by ox fans on the Gloucester rd after the match - seemed no need for it at all
 
I suspect they got carried away after consuming too much cider !!
 
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All clubs have their thickos
Does anybody know what exactly happened? It seemed to me that some Oxford must have left early and set themselves up in the Tinto Lounge with beers and then waited for the Rovers fans to come past and then started goading them. If that’s what happened it was a little naive of Tinto to let them all in and serve them. Most of the pubs and cafes in the area lock down for an hour or so after the game finishes. Either that or have signs outside saying home fans only. Nobody likes away fans taking a place over ‘on their turf’
 
Does anybody know what exactly happened? It seemed to me that some Oxford must have left early and set themselves up in the Tinto Lounge with beers and then waited for the Rovers fans to come past and then started goading them. If that’s what happened it was a little naive of Tinto to let them all in and serve them. Most of the pubs and cafes in the area lock down for an hour or so after the game finishes. Either that or have signs outside saying home fans only. Nobody likes away fans taking a place over ‘on their turf’
That sort of bloke needs to meet some women and grow the f**k up!
 
Sorry, Baptiste dislocated his shoulder and we played him! Why? He could end out for weeks!

Shoulder laxity is an odd one...he could play all season and not have it dislocate, or he could have it sublux if a butterfly sneeze on him.

Trouble is the more frequently it happens, the more likely it is that it’ll continue to happen, and Shandon might be looking at significant surgery sooner than later.

We must be prepared that if the surgeon finds him lax enough, he might be operated and out a couple of months.
 
Many of our players were blowing out of their arses by the end - we slowed down significantly in last 20.

This, the injuries blighting the squad and the fact that our lead Sports Scientist (appointed by MApp, when we had one of the fittest teams at our level) is leaving. Just what is going on in this area?
 
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Eastwood is the difference. Certain that’d be 0-1 if not for him
 
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