Home Match Day Thread +++ 25/10/2019 L1 OUFC v Rochdale MDT+++

[IsleofWightYellow]

What about the guy in the north stand who walked in holding a pie during the one minutes applause and dropped his fork joining in ?

 

[ZeroTheHero]

It's very odd (after years of experience!) to be watching a game like that. At no point did I think it would ever be anything else other than a win, even before we'd scored. And the second half was like an attack v defence training match! Some of our play was just excellent, much too good for a Rochdale side who (if I didn't know better) I'd have guessed were in the relegation zone. I suppose - on the basis that you shouldn't be complacent - I'd say that we didn't score enough goals based on our dominance, but that's just nit picking really, I'd take a 3-0 win every week! Looking forward to Tuesday - it'll be more of a test than that was, but I can see no reason we shouldn't win handsomely.

 

[werthersoriginal]

Seems like a nice fella. Crazily, if their goal had counted we could have been in trouble. Imagine not winning that with the superiority we had

 

[Marked Ox]

It's very odd (after years of experience!) to be watching a game like that. At no point did I think it would ever be anything else other than a win, even before we'd scored. And the second half was like an attack v defence training match! Some of our play was just excellent, much too good for a Rochdale side who (if I didn't know better) I'd have guessed were in the relegation zone. I suppose - on the basis that you shouldn't be complacent - I'd say that we didn't score enough goals based on our dominance, but that's just nit picking really, I'd take a 3-0 win every week! Looking forward to Tuesday - it'll be more of a test than that was, but I can see no reason we shouldn't win handsomely.

Rochdale will finish lower midtable I reckon, especially if they keep Ian Henderson fit. They tend to beat teams below them and had a spell of no fit regular centre backs.

Some of their passing around the back starting from the keeper in the 2nd half was utterly suicidal at times though as it just invited us to press them high.

As an aside, I did chuckle at the extended highlights showing the shot by the Rochdale centre-half which went high and wide in the 1st half as that was searching desperately for a positive Rochdale highlight.. They also showed their disallowed goal by Henderson which I think the Lino got right.

 

[ZeroTheHero]

Seems like a nice fella. Crazily, if their goal had counted we could have been in trouble. Imagine not winning that with the superiority we had

Not sure about him saying that having the man sent off didn't allow them to develop the game in the way they wanted! As the interviewer rightly points out him a bit later in the interview, they were already 2 down

 

[NottsYellow]

It's very odd (after years of experience!) to be watching a game like that. At no point did I think it would ever be anything else other than a win, even before we'd scored. And the second half was like an attack v defence training match! Some of our play was just excellent, much too good for a Rochdale side who (if I didn't know better) I'd have guessed were in the relegation zone. I suppose - on the basis that you shouldn't be complacent - I'd say that we didn't score enough goals based on our dominance, but that's just nit picking really, I'd take a 3-0 win every week! Looking forward to Tuesday - it'll be more of a test than that was, but I can see no reason we shouldn't win handsomely.

It was quite surreal. It felt like a FA Cup game against a team 5 leagues below.
Nothing like the stress and worries of home games 6 months ago against the likes of Bradford!

 

[Golden Dr Otto]

On that and previous performances, we have an exceptionally capable replacement for Cadden in Sam Long. They are different players and we would slightly adjust our set up accordingly, but I would be very confident in having Long step up and you could see how popular he was after his goal.

Brannagan is obviously the biggest worry. Even if it is only bruising, I'd imagine that he'd not feature against Sunderland or Portsmouth. Anything worse and we could be looking at anything from 6 weeks to 6 months. If at the lower end of the scale, we are fortunate that we have a fairly quiet November and early December. Baptiste could certainly fill in but it does leave us short of cover on the bench. Hall played ok in the middle against West Ham and is getting stronger and fitter so could also be an option but it's all looking a little tight for numbers.

The Hayes and Yeading and Crawley games will hopefully gives us an opportunity to bring in some of the younger players to see who can step up to the first team. We have a fantastic togetherness throughout the squad so hopefully we will find a way to deal with whatever the outcome we get from the scans.

Good post. Nice to see it something more balanced.

on a tangent....why did their defenders keep passing to the keepers weaker foot and putting him in trouble!?!

 

[Oufcrealist]

Another top performance. Reckon Taylor would have bagged a couple. Four 3-0 home wins on the bounce is very impressive. Hope Cam is not out for too long. He is very influential and was buzzing before the injury. I reckon at 2-0 he could have come off earlier. He was clearly struggling. Shandon needs to step up now and take his chance. He looked to have regained his confidence by the end of the match and can do the job if he wants to!

 

[TailsWeWin]

Another top performance. Reckon Taylor would have bagged a couple. Four 3-0 home wins on the bounce is very impressive. Hope Cam is not out for too long. He is very influential and was buzzing before the injury. I reckon at 2-0 he could have come off earlier. He was clearly struggling. Shandon needs to step up now and take his chance. He looked to have regained his confidence by the end of the match and can do the job if he wants to!

If Cam is properly injured it begs the question: why didn’t he come off earlier rather than play on and aggravate the injury?

 

[Davox]

The Chelsea game in 1998 was only the 4th Round of the FA Cup (i.e. Last 32).

The last time we were in the quarters of a major cup competition was the League Cup in 1987-88.
(and we beat Man U 2-0 then as well.....only to lose to Luton in the semis).

So it would be a first for a generation of fans.


We're on one of those runs where everything looks so easy, and we're a class apart from almost everyone we play (n.b. extra credit to Accrington and John Coleman for finding a way to hang with us!).

It has to end some time - it's a long season, at some point we're going to pick up injuries and players are going to run into patches of poor form - but until it does, everything is pretty glorious.......

In fact, I genuinely don't think I've felt this good about an Oxford team since Denis Smith's 95/96 side.
As good as Mapp's League Two promotion side was - it never put a run together that was this impressive.
And whilst Wilder's conference sides did on occasion......that was also the conference, and half of the opponents were tinpot!

Really?! Only the 4th round! Ive obviously remembered that with rose tinted glasses! Although I was fairly young! I remember the joy of beating Leeds in extra time with I think a Jim Magilton winner?! Yes, I agree, I don’t think I’ve been this confident in us winning games since Roofe, Lundstram, Hylton et.al under Appleton however that was a lower level. Beating Donny and Rotherham were the wins that showed me we are tough as well as skilful. The good thing in the league is that all the teams above us have flaws and/or big pressure to do well. I think Wycombe’s bubble has to burst, Posh are bottlers, Coventry are defensively suspect and Fleetwood have a w****r in charge. I think Ipswich will also feel the weight of expectancy from their fans. Good prospects for promotion as long as we keep key players injury free.

 

[Barbadosyellow]

If Cam is properly injured it begs the question: why didn’t he come off earlier rather than play on and aggravate the injury?

To be fair he didn't look too uncomfortable for the 30 odd minutes that he carried on playing and KR said he only took him off as a precaution. Let's hope that's all it turns out to be.

 

[uptheus]

No Cam no problem. We have Shandon Baptiste who’s just as good. Amazing set of midfielders at the club. Lots of depth, and that could prove vital as the season goes on.

Obviously Baptiste is a great player, but not sure he gives us the same level of intensity that Brannagan provides. I think we’ll miss his energy and hunger in the middle.

 

[uptheus]

I thought rob hall looked fired up when he came on and did a job ..... mom for me fosu...and mackie has,he had surgery and gotten usain bolts legs?

Hall was angered by the tackle made on him in their box/by line, hence his fired up stance afterwards. Having said that, I still don’t think he’s a cover for Brannagan at the moment.

 

[RATC]

Rochdale reminded me of us this time last season. Tried to play nice football and move the ball efficiently but ultimately lacked any real quality to pose any real threat and very much like Karl Robinson last season their manager had no plan B. On yesterdays showing they definitely have enough to survive relegation but nothing more then that.

 

[Scotchegg]

I wouldn't necessarily say that Rochdale are a poor side, we've been making some decent teams look pretty ordinary this season. I know they started slowly, but Peterborough have been scoring for fun and we had 2 clean sheets in a week. Lincoln, Rotherham, Rochdale, Doncaster, all looked fairly average but will likely all be mid table finishers.

Maybe we should give ourselves a little more credit for why we're not letting these teams play.

 

[maidenheadox]

The "Fergie Out" game was Fergie's first game as their manager in November '86, Big Ron had been sacked a couple of days before. That was 2 - 0 and - from memory I think Leworthy and Slatter scored. The 2 - 0 Littlewoods Cup game was in January '88 and as you say we also played them in last home game in top flight on May Day bank holiday '88.

My memory of the league cup game is that the talk in the press was that Fergie would be fired if they lost. He'd been there a while at that point and not done much. I'm not sure if there were any shouts of "Fergie out" from the Man U fans but that was the background. I don't remember any "Fergie out" from his first game in charge either though (I was at both games).

 

[Mad Dog]

I’ve just spent/wasted my Sunday afternoon watching 2 premier league games, and I must say, what a bore both games were, such frantic, scrappy and uninspired football, even Liverpool, though they dominated play, were only able to grind out a result against an awful spurs team!

It’s crazy to think that those players are getting paid hundred of thousands of pounds a week, and there’s a team in league one, who’s players are earning peanuts in comparison, but playing a much better and more enjoyable brand of football!

Step aside premiershite, Oxford United are the new kids on the block!!

 

[Canterbury exile]

I watched a bit of Swansea v Cardiff. Cardiff were awful. Long ball stuff and poor quality. Barely passed to Whyte whilst Nelson remained on the bench yet again. I wonder if they listened to agents and the money without delving into style of football and likelihood of playing ( Nelson is 4th choice centre back i think)

 

[NottsYellow]

I watched a bit of Swansea v Cardiff. Cardiff were awful. Long ball stuff and poor quality. Barely passed to Whyte whilst Nelson remained on the bench yet again. I wonder if they listened to agents and the money without delving into style of football and likelihood of playing ( Nelson is 4th choice centre back i think)

I think this, in an odd way, is where Nelson's plan of running down his contract has backfired.
If Cardiff were looking for a back up centre half (3rd or 4th choice) then they are not going to pay big money for anyone, to sit on the bench. So they had to find a top quality player on a free, Nelson ticked that box.
So Nelson found himself signing for a club that didn't necessarily need him because he was free, if he was still in contract and a fee of £5m was required then the team signing him would have had the intention of playing him regularly.

 

[radicalox]

I think this, in an odd way, is where Nelson's plan of running down his contract has backfired.
If Cardiff were looking for a back up centre half (3rd or 4th choice) then they are not going to pay big money for anyone, to sit on the bench. So they had to find a top quality player on a free, Nelson ticked that box.
So Nelson found himself signing for a club that didn't necessarily need him because he was free, if he was still in contract and a fee of £5m was required then the team signing him would have had the intention of playing him regularly.

Although I am sure he is enjoying his pay rise, can't be easy for Nelson. He has effectively been 1st choice centre back for the past 8 season seasons (since he was 17/18 years old!). 3rd or 4th choice must be some adjustment.