Away Match Day Thread 22/10/2025 - MDT: Wrexham V Oxford United

[Northstandboy]

 

[battman]

Scraping by and merely surviving every season, means watching a huge amount of appalling games like last night, with the most we can hope for being an occasional half decent, solid performance against a team as bad as Derby were on Saturday.

The rest of the time will be spent watching poor performances and being outplayed.

That’s what merely surviving and scraping by every season looks like.

Do you want to be paying £500-600 each season to watch that?

Who says it has to be every season? I'd rather we do that for two/three seasons as we transition into a Championship club with a new Championship stadium, than become a yo-yo club like Rotherham or Peterborough, never having the nous to knuckle down and make a fight of it.

 

[Teacher]

Got back to the south coast at 6am.

Watched that rotten performance and then had my tyre slashed.

Rowett ball needs to end. He’s taking us in one direction and it’s embarrassing to watch.

See you all in Sheffield.

 

[AbsoluteZero]

It doesn't matter if we are playing Real Madrid, Man City, Middlesborough, Wrexham or even Brackley Town away from home, currently we have an automatic set up as if we are the plucky underdog unlikely to win and scared of getting thrashed. The priority is to be solid, stay in the game, and home to nick something in the last 15 minutes. The fact that we are only being beaten by a single goal is testament to our defensive play actually being pretty good and when it does fail our goalkeeper saves the day. But it doesn't escape the fact we are worse than toothless (not sure what that would be - gumless?) going forward. And it only needs the keeper to make a howler (Watford), a lack of concentration at a set piece (Wrexham), or just the law of averages saying eventually we will succumb to the pressure we are inevitably put under and we are right in trouble. It is often small margins but we are always going to be on the wrong end of those margins when we play so defensively and are having to defend so much.

I think Long is very unlucky to not be in the team based on his recent performances. I know Brown is a better player, but we should be finding a place in the side for Sam at the moment at least until his form dips, he tires, or he gets the next injury he always manages to get. Likewise Greg Leigh isn't necessarily a better player than those chosen ahead of him in the first 11 but I feel we always seem a more athletic side and more dangerous in the opposition box with him in the side, so I would find a place in the team for him too and not necessarily in the back 4 or 5.

As for the strikers, Prelec unfortunately has had a decent run of games and looks poor. Lankshear is a shadow of himself from just a few short weeks ago and is so badly off the pace. Harris (M) we all know about. It's a sad state of affairs when rather than bring on a striker from the subs bench we would probably be better off bringing on a defender and asking Helik to go up front and play centre forward as he would bring a greater threat than the current choices who are the real strikers.

We do have to accept that we are going to lose a lot more games than we win for the rest of this season. 35 games left. If we win 12 of those and lose 23 visually that gives terrible numbers in the W D L columns. But it also gets us to 45 points. Which actually won't be far off being safe. Turn 3 or 4 out of the 23 defeats into draws and we will be safe. If only it was that simple.

 

[Steve Gilbert]

Scraping by and merely surviving every season, means watching a huge amount of appalling games like last night, with the most we can hope for being an occasional half decent, solid performance against a team as bad as Derby were on Saturday.

The rest of the time will be spent watching poor performances and being outplayed.

That’s what merely surviving and scraping by every season looks like.

Do you want to be paying £500-600 each season to watch that?

You do realise staying up after the 1 year in the Championship doesn’t suddenly mean we have the ability to start playing free flowing football?
It will be likely 2 or 3 seasons of scrapping to stay in this league. If you bought a ST expecting attractive football every week then that is more down to your misjudgement than the manager of the football club. One that, like I’ve said, is exactly the type we need right now for where the club is. Which is transitioning from a league 1 club into a Championship club.

 

[werthersoriginal]

It doesn't matter if we are playing Real Madrid, Man City, Middlesborough, Wrexham or even Brackley Town away from home, currently we have an automatic set up as if we are the plucky underdog unlikely to win and scared of getting thrashed. The priority is to be solid, stay in the game, and home to nick something in the last 15 minutes. The fact that we are only being beaten by a single goal is testament to our defensive play actually being pretty good and when it does fail our goalkeeper saves the day. But it doesn't escape the fact we are worse than toothless (not sure what that would be - gumless?) going forward. And it only needs the keeper to make a howler (Watford), a lack of concentration at a set piece (Wrexham), or just the law of averages saying eventually we will succumb to the pressure we are inevitably put under and we are right in trouble. It is often small margins but we are always going to be on the wrong end of those margins when we play so defensively and are having to defend so much.

I think Long is very unlucky to not be in the team based on his recent performances. I know Brown is a better player, but we should be finding a place in the side for Sam at the moment at least until his form dips, he tires, or he gets the next injury he always manages to get. Likewise Greg Leigh isn't necessarily a better player than those chosen ahead of him in the first 11 but I feel we always seem a more athletic side and more dangerous in the opposition box with him in the side, so I would find a place in the team for him too and not necessarily in the back 4 or 5.

As for the strikers, Prelec unfortunately has had a decent run of games and looks poor. Lankshear is a shadow of himself from just a few short weeks ago and is so badly off the pace. Harris (M) we all know about. It's a sad state of affairs when rather than bring on a striker from the subs bench we would probably be better off bringing on a defender and asking Helik to go up front and play centre forward as he would bring a greater threat than the current choices who are the real strikers.

We do have to accept that we are going to lose a lot more games than we win for the rest of this season. 35 games left. If we win 12 of those and lose 23 visually that gives terrible numbers in the W D L columns. But it also gets us to 45 points. Which actually won't be far off being safe. Turn 3 or 4 out of the 23 defeats into draws and we will be safe. If only it was that simple.

Prelec looks poor? Check out the comments after Derby.

It's not about individual players or even team selection - it's a collective issue.

 

[SirAndyOfCrosby]

Which is transitioning from a league 1 club into a Championship club.

We completed our 'transition' on May 18th 2024.

 

[ECYellow]

We completed our 'transition' on May 18th 2024.

I agree with a helluva lot of what you say on this forum, accross multiple threads, but i cannot get on board with this opinion.

We got promoted in May 2024, that doesn't for one second translate to largely the same group of players transitioning into championship quality individuals immediately. It's simply untrue.

Our squad has seen an evolvment, but i think we are one or two windows away from truly seeing us transition into a Championship squad of players. This summer will be key, i think you will see quite a churn of players, in particular Ingram, Placheta, Vaulks, Dembele, Ter Avest, Kioso, Thorniley, Negru and Dale etc. I think Mark Harris, Tyler Goodrham and Louis Sibley will go in January.

We just need to do enough to stay in this division this year, so that we can continue to evolve. I trust the manager and believe we will stay up under him.

 

[tomoufc]

No need to be obtuse.

It's not about Charlton, or QPR, or Hull (all 5 wins apiece despite relatively low budgets and/or financial question marks) - or anyone else for that matter.

It's about the patronising insistence that we must all be 'realistic' - which in this context feels like being told to 'suck it up and be grateful, whatever the results or performances'.

Of course, we don't have to be ungrateful - I love being at this level regardless.

But I believe we can still expect more than we are currently enjoying - i.e. going into each game with a specific, tailored approach to try and win the match and displaying tactical flexibility to try and remedy it when it isn't working.

I don't think that's unreasonable.

Scolded by a knight and a duke! Time for a Peasants' Revolt.

 

[Steve Gilbert]

We completed our 'transition' on May 18th 2024.

We became a football club that was going into the Championship. It didn’t mean we suddenly became an established Championship football club.

 

[Coffin Dodger]

Yep, that’s the problem

Might only be a small improvement players being more visible but lots of little improvements all add up.

 

[TobyDavis34]

Last night was poor but it really hasn't been an indication of how we've played this season. We were bad. We haven't been that bad all season.

This is a trigger-happy response that I don't think is anywhere close to a conversation we should be having just yet.

 

[Mateo Corbo's Tackle]

That’s a lot longer than most with his record during that time would’ve got.

At what point do we start questioning his place then? Once we’ve been cut adrift? When we’re going into the final week needing a miracle to stay up? Once we’ve lost for the umpteenth time having created absolutely nothing and looked absolutely pathetic yet again?

Do we just sleep walk through the season with a “we’re lucky to have Gary bloody Rowett as our manager” attitude?

Or do we accept that we’re not progressing at all with him at the helm, and look to make a change, before we end up with too a big a mountain to climb?

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again.

If he was making the right decisions in-game and rotating a decent squad properly so our players are not consistently knackered every second game, I’d be fully behind him.

He’s not, though, is he?

It’s not good enough, and it’s not good enough to accept below-par game management so long as it just about keeps us in the league. This tactic will go wrong sooner rather than later.

 

[Followtheox1]

Not saying he should be starting and of course its all about form .
From being an extremely promising player in the 10 role , having a good first season in the Championship after being very impressive in league one to being an unused sub in 6 consecutive matches , not getting one minutes whether winning, drawing or losing but making him come along to just sit there is unusual I'd say.
Then to play him in the U21 against Wycombe does seem to have a bit more than just a bit of ' game time '.

He is a paid professional football. He is not made to come along, it's literally his job. I just think young players often lose form and focus, plus he has had a life changing event at home and we have no evidence he is being managed badly.

 

[Brahma]

Last night was poor but it really hasn't been an indication of how we've played this season. We were bad. We haven't been that bad all season.

That is debatable.

I am a big fan of Rowett and actually, Rowett-ball. He's overseen some improvement, a change of style and a better calibre of personal. But we've been equally as bad in plenty of other fixtures this season, Birmingham, QPR, Watford and probably Hull believe it or not.

 

[90syeIlow]

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again.

If he was making the right decisions in-game and rotating a decent squad properly so our players are not consistently knackered every second game, I’d be fully behind him.

He’s not, though, is he?

It’s not good enough, and it’s not good enough to accept below-par game management so long as it just about keeps us in the league. This tactic will go wrong sooner rather than later.

Thank God someone said it.

Yes we need better players, more funds etc - but we also need the coaching staff to get the best from this squad and to stop us being so damn negative against teams that are hardly any better than us.

Last night was my first away game this season (7 hour round trip) and I’m angry to have witnessed that catastrophic performance last night which was largely down to the coaching staff.

 

[Essexyellows]

I agree with a helluva lot of what you say on this forum, accross multiple threads, but i cannot get on board with this opinion.

We got promoted in May 2024, that doesn't for one second translate to largely the same group of players transitioning into championship quality individuals immediately. It's simply untrue.

Our squad has seen an evolvment, but i think we are one or two windows away from truly seeing us transition into a Championship squad of players. This summer will be key, i think you will see quite a churn of players, in particular Ingram, Placheta, Vaulks, Dembele, Ter Avest, Kioso, Thorniley, Negru and Dale etc. I think Mark Harris, Tyler Goodrham and Louis Sibley will go in January.

We just need to do enough to stay in this division this year, so that we can continue to evolve. I trust the manager and believe we will stay up under him.

^^^ this.

Its October - nothing is going to be decided yet.

There is undoubted quality in the team, a team that held their own against Leicester and Coventry.

Our eternal problem is being consistently inconsistent. Proper Jekyll & Hyde stuff, we turn up for 45 then go AWOL or vice versa, or not at all.

Its part of the fun.

 

[Thomas/Brock/Jones]

He is a paid professional football. He is not made to come along, it's literally his job. I just think young players often lose form and focus, plus he has had a life changing event at home and we have no evidence he is being managed badly.

He is going along, but as a paid professional footballer he actually wants to , you know , play football not have your confidence crushed by preparing, mentally in the zone and just get overlooked . Six matches in a row , zero minutes .
That's crushing to anyone's confidence let alone a young player .

 

[DenbighYellow]

Apologies if this has already been covered... but what has happened to Ter Avest?

It clearly wasn't the plan to go to a back 5 last night, but once we did he is our best RWB at the club and tbh I am not convinced that Spencer is any better than him full stop.

His last game was Cov at home when he was arguably our Mom and not been seen since. I know he had a knock but I believe he is back fit now and just not being selected.

 

[Steve Gilbert]

Apologies if this has already been covered... but what has happened to Ter Avest?

It clearly wasn't the plan to go to a back 5 last night, but once we did he is our best RWB at the club and tbh I am not convinced that Spencer is any better than him full stop.

His last game was Cov at home when he was arguably our Mom and not been seen since. I know he had a knock but I believe he is back fit now and just not being selected.

Another one that clearly isn’t fancied by Rowett and is being frozen out***



***I have nothing to back this up and it is probably more to do with the fact that the knock was worst than it is and he just isn’t ready to play yet.

 

[billyturleyscurlywurly]

I agree with a helluva lot of what you say on this forum, accross multiple threads, but i cannot get on board with this opinion.

We got promoted in May 2024, that doesn't for one second translate to largely the same group of players transitioning into championship quality individuals immediately. It's simply untrue.

Our squad has seen an evolvment, but i think we are one or two windows away from truly seeing us transition into a Championship squad of players. This summer will be key, i think you will see quite a churn of players, in particular Ingram, Placheta, Vaulks, Dembele, Ter Avest, Kioso, Thorniley, Negru and Dale etc. I think Mark Harris, Tyler Goodrham and Louis Sibley will go in January.

We just need to do enough to stay in this division this year, so that we can continue to evolve. I trust the manager and believe we will stay up under him.

Under a properly functioning football club with a good footballing department, I would agree.

I’m stunned that with all the stick Rowett is currently getting (a lot of it justified) that no-one has pointed the finger at the real cause of our season so far.

The person to blame for the current on field mess is the idiot who slashed the budget mid transfer window.

It all started with so much promise with the signings of Spencer & BDK before the decline..

The squad is short, none of that is Rowetts fault which he made very clear multiple times during the summer after pre season games in his interviews with radio Oxford.

 

[tomoufc]

Under a properly functioning football club with a good footballing department, I would agree.

I’m stunned that with all the stick Rowett is currently getting (a lot of it justified) that no-one has pointed the finger at the real cause of our season so far.

The person to blame for the current on field mess is the idiot who slashed the budget mid transfer window.

It all started with so much promise with the signings of Spencer & BDK before the decline..

The squad is short, none of that is Rowetts fault which he made very clear multiple times during the summer after pre season games in his interviews with radio Oxford.

IDK if the board were waiting for planning permission to come through, including all the stages, before they could seriously test the debt markets for financing the new stadium.

 

[Bigdwoolly]

My 2p worth, if Rowett had changed the starting XI to be a back 3 and we'd performed like that, everyone would be criticising him for changing not only a winning team but also a winning formation after our best 90 minute performance of the season. If you lose, every decision he made is wrong, win and the opposite is true.

However, stringing together consistent performances has been an issue for us in the Championship. Particularly I think when there is a midweek game. I suspect it's the physicality and amount of running required in the Champ that (some of) our players struggle to reproduce regularly. Football is really a mix of physical and technical attributes and I think we still lack the physical ones - not all the time but it explains in the inconsistency. The team in general seemed lethargic particularly in the first 20 odd minutes last night, too passive, once we woke up it was a poor, but even game.

Where I think Rowett can be criticised is that he should recognise this by now - his interview suggests he probably does. He could make changes in midweek matches and point to the previous times he hasn't made changes after a good performance. The issue is, the lack of midfield cover for Vaulks/Brannagan/BDK. No easy answers.

 

[Mad Dog]

You do realise staying up after the 1 year in the Championship doesn’t suddenly mean we have the ability to start playing free flowing football?
It will be likely 2 or 3 seasons of scrapping to stay in this league. If you bought a ST expecting attractive football every week then that is more down to your misjudgement than the manager of the football club. One that, like I’ve said, is exactly the type we need right now for where the club is. Which is transitioning from a league 1 club into a Championship club.

I fully understand it takes time to become a consistent performer at this level, but on the pitch, we haven’t progressed at all, not one bit, we’re still absolutely toothless up front with zero improvement regarding creativity in midfield or danger from out wide.

Only our defence is half decent, scoring a large percentage of our goals last season they’re not doing that this season, although they are a bit better defensively.

So that’s the kind of progress we should be looking at is it? A slightly improved defence, but that has completely dried up in the goals department. Otherwise everything else the same old shite.

That’s a rate of improvement that is not gonna be enough to keep us up each season I’m afraid.

At that rate, we’ll continue circling the plug hole, until we eventually get sucked down.

 

[38yearsofpain]

The key difference between Derby and Wrexham was that Derby didn't or couldn't press. Wrexham did first half, they hounded us all over the pitch. When they got the ball they attacked with width. Spencer and Currie lacked defensive support from Mills and Dembele. Mills was pulled because of it, he was often caught 40 yards out of position. We were literally overrun.
It equally became obvious we have a number of players who cannot play at the intensity required for 2 games in a week. Prelec, Spencer and Brown looked lacking in energy early. But as a team we looked lacking in intensity and belief.
Maybe the key to our woes and maybe a number of other clubs is the inconsistency of performance match to match.
Yesterday in the second half when Wrexham were down to 10 and looking tired. Nobody had anything like the skill or ability to create we reverted to pumping balls in the box and never won a header and simply continued doing it. It reminded me of Einstein's witticism of insanity. Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.
The players on the ball were constantly told to pass forward but there was no ball because we were devoid of any creative options. The fear of making a mistake overrides everything until we eventually make a mistake.
Just another depressing performance at The Stok Cae Ras.

 

[Mad Dog]

Last night was poor but it really hasn't been an indication of how we've played this season. We were bad. We haven't been that bad all season.

This is a trigger-happy response that I don't think is anywhere close to a conversation we should be having just yet.

This is not a trigger happy response, certainly not from me anyway.

I’ve stated for a long time that I don’t rate Rowett as a manager, and would like to see a change.

His whole approach is painfully dull and uninspiring.

For as long as he’s here, he’ll get my support on a match day, I just don’t want him here anymore!

 

[UTM]

That was poor,very poor!
I do feel the team don't appreciate the effort us fans put in to get to away games! The whole thing was just plain rubbish.

 

[UTM]

The key difference between Derby and Wrexham was that Derby didn't or couldn't press. Wrexham did first half, they hounded us all over the pitch. When they got the ball they attacked with width. Spencer and Currie lacked defensive support from Mills and Dembele. Mills was pulled because of it, he was often caught 40 yards out of position. We were literally overrun.
It equally became obvious we have a number of players who cannot play at the intensity required for 2 games in a week. Prelec, Spencer and Brown looked lacking in energy early. But as a team we looked lacking in intensity and belief.
Maybe the key to our woes and maybe a number of other clubs is the inconsistency of performance match to match.
Yesterday in the second half when Wrexham were down to 10 and looking tired. Nobody had anything like the skill or ability to create we reverted to pumping balls in the box and never won a header and simply continued doing it. It reminded me of Einstein's witticism of insanity. Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.
The players on the ball were constantly told to pass forward but there was no ball because we were devoid of any creative options. The fear of making a mistake overrides everything until we eventually make a mistake.
Just another depressing performance at The Stok Cae Ras.

Now this is spot on. Great post!

 

[Ewes]

The person to blame for the current on field mess is the idiot who slashed the budget mid transfer window.

The budget wasn’t slashed or even significantly reduced. It was more to do with no one actually managing the budget efficiently and realising we were precariously close to what we were allowed to spend, almost until it was too late. Loan fees, new/improved contracts, addition of a new permanent coach etc.

 

[Followtheox1]

He is going along, but as a paid professional footballer he actually wants to , you know , play football not have your confidence crushed by preparing, mentally in the zone and just get overlooked . Six matches in a row , zero minutes .
That's crushing to anyone's confidence let alone a young player .

You have absolutely no idea if it's crushing to his confidence, none whatsoever. A lot will depend on how it is managed, communicated and supported behind the scenes. Good managers will be having constructive and supportive conversations behind the scenes. You and I have no idea if that has happened but you are just making assumptions!

 

[Mad Dog]

I don't understand all the people backing Rowett simply because of his "Championship experience"

He's an experienced under performer, experienced at achieving nothing.

If we had a manager here, who had zero Championship experience, who had the record that Rowett has since he's been here, and sets his teams up to play the appalling brand of football we keep being subjected to, you'd all be calling for his head, claiming we need an "experienced championship manager"

Well we've got an experienced championship manager, and he's a bloody awful, cowardly manager, scared to set his teams up to have a go. If we lose, we lose, but let's go down swinging and giving the fans something to cheer about and be proud of. This negative, dull, uninspiring and cowardly approach is embarrassing.

We need a talented, brave manager, who isn't afraid to set his teams up to have a real good go at the opposition, whoever they are, and push his players to see what they can achieve.

If I were a professional player, I'd never sign for Gary Rowett in a million years!