Away Match Day Thread 25/10/2022 L1: Portsmouth v OUFC

[Canterbury exile]

Agree with Swaby

 

[WuTang]

9 times out of 10, I agree. However, we are not in a confident enough mood to play ‘The Oxford Way’ at the moment and we have a lot to lose. There’s another way of viewing it in that we were combative, aggressive, brave, nasty, street wise. All the things that have cost us in big games when trying to play a little too much football in the face of a team who would rather play a mind game. But it showed these players can do it. It’s a mindset as much as it is a physical game and we really rattled Pompey.

You can see how their fans moaned afterwards as though we’re the first and only ones to do it - we routinely lose points to this and every team does it. You think they wouldn’t roll around all game if they were 1-0 up? Besides, it’s a 90 minute game and they got a very generous 8 mins added on. So say we wasted 8 mins, they got them back and what’s their excuse for the other 82? We did a bit of a job on them and it’s been done to us many a time - it’s part of the game you have to do.

A new manager would likely come in and make us hard to beat first and foremost and it would look something like this. We were well coached yesterday and that’s hard to admit but equally hard to deny.

I am surprised you are happy playing Wycombe football at the bottom end of the table to salvage a point against a side with a similar, possibly smaller budget than ours this summer. Well coached saw us finish with half the shots in total and 2 shots on target in the entire 90 and 10 men on the pitch (Bodin isn't a centre mid, so no shock to me he makes 2 yellow card fouls whilst playing in a position where that skill is required but he clearly doesn't possess).

The positives taken are the fact we made the game ugly? Okay yes that is something we've lacked in previous seasons, but are now seeing signs of whilst binning off the football?

We'll have to agree to disagree, I want us to have higher standards.

 

[werthersoriginal]

I am surprised you are happy playing Wycombe football at the bottom end of the table to salvage a point against a side with a similar, possibly smaller budget than ours this summer. Well coached saw us finish with half the shots in total and 2 shots on target in the entire 90 and 10 men on the pitch (Bodin isn't a centre mid, so no shock to me he makes 2 yellow card fouls whilst playing in a position where that skill is required but he clearly doesn't possess).

The positives taken are the fact we made the game ugly? Okay yes that is something we've lacked in previous seasons, but are now seeing signs of whilst binning off the football?

We'll have to agree to disagree, I want us to have higher standards.

You're both right. I agree it was very Wycombe and I hate to see that. But sometimes a struggling side has to fight and it was a good backs-against-the-wall performance, albeit with a great goal and some decent attacking play in the first half. The sad thing is that we shouldn't be a struggling side.

 

[bazzer9461]

You're both right. I agree it was very Wycombe and I hate to see that. But sometimes a struggling side has to fight and it was a good backs-against-the-wall performance, albeit with a great goal and some decent attacking play in the first half. The sad thing is that we shouldn't be a struggling side.

In the 2nd half near the end of the game Ciaron Brown was in a challenge by the dugouts and he started holding his back whilst on his haunches Danny Cowley was remonstrating with the red over this. Thought Fatty Evans was bad but he ain’t far off

 

[Swaby39]

I am surprised you are happy playing Wycombe football at the bottom end of the table to salvage a point against a side with a similar, possibly smaller budget than ours this summer. Well coached saw us finish with half the shots in total and 2 shots on target in the entire 90 and 10 men on the pitch (Bodin isn't a centre mid, so no shock to me he makes 2 yellow card fouls whilst playing in a position where that skill is required but he clearly doesn't possess).

The positives taken are the fact we made the game ugly? Okay yes that is something we've lacked in previous seasons, but are now seeing signs of whilst binning off the football?

We'll have to agree to disagree, I want us to have higher standards.

I’m not disagreeing with your want for attractive football - I’m in total agreement with you. I’ve said many times I’d rather be in L1 for another 10 years playing good football than go up playing percentage ‘football’. That hasn’t changed. But now we face a relegation battle so what’s more important? Points or vanity? Points.

You’re being too critical though - we played some good football yesterday. Our goal was excellent. There’s times to play and times not to. Saying we should go toe to toe with Pompey on paper is fair. But as someone else said, the game is played on grass and they are lightyears ahead of us as a football team. We have to accept where we are right now and where we are is a poor side that’s easy to beat. If we refuse to acknowledge that and continue to try and outplay everyone with this squad in the damaged mental state that they are, we’ll go down. We need points and we need them quickly. Start there, restore some pride, confidence and build upwards towards playing our football again. Hard to admit but It’s good management. We’ll see on Saturday whether it was a fluke.

Harsh to criticise Bodin’s selection as a CM because he’s had his best 2 games in that role. Hardly fair to say he doesn’t have the skill set - he was arguably our best player in the first half last night. It might not be the position he was brought in for but if he plays it well, who cares right now? We’ll miss him at Bolton - who’d have said that 2 weeks ago?

 

[holdsteady]

I’m not disagreeing with your want for attractive football - I’m in total agreement with you. I’ve said many times I’d rather be in L1 for another 10 years playing good football than go up playing percentage ‘football’. That hasn’t changed. But now we face a relegation battle so what’s more important? Points or vanity? Points.

You’re being too critical though - we played some good football yesterday. Our goal was excellent. There’s times to play and times not to. Saying we should go toe to toe with Pompey on paper is fair. But as someone else said, the game is played on grass and they are lightyears ahead of us as a football team. We have to accept where we are right now and where we are is a poor side that’s easy to beat. If we refuse to acknowledge that and continue to try and outplay everyone with this squad in the damaged mental state that they are, we’ll go down. We need points and we need them quickly. Start there, restore some pride, confidence and build upwards towards playing our football again. Hard to admit but It’s good management. We’ll see on Saturday whether it was a fluke.

Harsh to criticise Bodin’s selection as a CM because he’s had his best 2 games in that role. Hardly fair to say he doesn’t have the skill set - he was arguably our best player in the first half last night. It might not be the position he was brought in for but if he plays it well, who cares right now? We’ll miss him at Bolton - who’d have said that 2 weeks ago?

Portsmouth, who finished 2 places behind us last season and who don’t have a bigger budget than us, are light years ahead of us as a football team? Summer went well then.

 

[PottersRightBoot]

I am surprised you are happy playing Wycombe football at the bottom end of the table to salvage a point against a side with a similar, possibly smaller budget than ours this summer. Well coached saw us finish with half the shots in total and 2 shots on target in the entire 90 and 10 men on the pitch (Bodin isn't a centre mid, so no shock to me he makes 2 yellow card fouls whilst playing in a position where that skill is required but he clearly doesn't possess).

The positives taken are the fact we made the game ugly? Okay yes that is something we've lacked in previous seasons, but are now seeing signs of whilst binning off the football?

We'll have to agree to disagree, I want us to have higher standards.

I want us to have more points.

 

[Swaby39]

Portsmouth, who finished 2 places behind us last season and who don’t have a bigger budget than us, are light years ahead of us as a football team? Summer went well then.

Yep. That’s them. A league table doesn’t lie. They are 6th with games in hand while we find ourselves in 20th and deservedly so. So on that simplistic evidence the window has driven us 12 places further apart. We all know the window was poor but we do have good players here and yesterday you wouldn’t have thought there we 14 places between us.

 

[WuTang]

I want us to have more points.

Exactly.

 

[BDJ]

Allow the physios on the pitch at any time and let the game go on around them, like they do in rugby. Only stop the game if the injury is right in front of the goal or the physio tells the ref it is serious and needs play to stop, or they are definitely in the way.

For throw ins give the lineswomen and linesmen shaving foam to spray on the ground where the throw in is to be taken from like refs do for free kicks. Gives them something to actually do as well now that VAR has taken away offside from them in the top leagues and will no doubt filter down to our level soon.

Yeh, I like it. Something has to be done for sure. Teams are faking injuries for time-outs these days. It's absolutely rubbish.

 

[BrockBuster]

A question for those who understand xG stats better than I do.

Does this mean we are getting into good scoring positions but failing to score as often as we should?


In which case the focus would be on the strikers.


Or is it a more subtle measure reflecting overall play?


I have read a book on this kind of stuff and I'm not much wiser!

Isn't always the strikers that have the chance, could well have been a defender/midfielder etc.

xG is calculated based on the strength of the chance on a scale of 0-1 with the lower it being, the less likely a goal. I think for instance the average xG of a penalty is something like 0.8. Said chances are then combined for a game or seasonal total depending on how it's being analysed.

This statement sums it up fairly well: "Expected goals (or xG) measures the quality of a chance by calculating the likelihood that it will be scored from a particular position on the pitch during a particular phase of play."

Fact is we've not scored when we should have and we've conceded when we shouldn't. Yes easy to jump straight at the strikers and keeper for those, but lots of other factors and players to take into account.

"xG can be used to get a better idea of underlying team quality beyond current results, highlighting teams who are over or under-performing their expected numbers and whose results may soon begin to change" - however it's also something that has to be used within context. Doesn't account for match situation particularly well or various other factors.

What it normally is a better indicator of is analysis of a team instead of looking at say shots per game or possession stats and saying 'they dominated' when all the shots were from miles out and passes were between the back four.

 

[Swaby39]

Yeh, I like it. Something has to be done for sure. Teams are faking injuries for time-outs these days. It's absolutely rubbish.

I like the idea of 30 minute halves with the clock stopped for the duration of the ball not being in play. Statistically this would provide more football and provides absolutely no advantage to time wasting.

Trouble with this is it’s still at the discretion of some of the world’s worst referees over here in England. They’re not helped by some terrible rules but they need spoon feeding to keep their level of influence to a minimum.

 

[Blox21]

You have no idea. @RyanioBirdio probably does but surely recruitment is an overall club responsibility. However being in Spain for a month at the start of the window can't have helped.

I have made an educated guess , I think I’m on the money

 

[Eaststanding]

So what’s the answer?

Well, exactly. The only person who can answer that is Robinson. Its been done to death on here but if for any reason you sign the wrong / injured /injury prone players, or don’t sign enough to give squad depth, it’s bound to catch up at some point.

 

[Dubai Yellow]

In Thailand so only just caught up watching the game. Great performance, but the whole team let down by stupidity from Bodin, who, let’s face it has been poor all season bar the last couple of games, which makes it all the worse!. (Taylor is no better after his red either).

 

[The mighty Aldo]

I like the idea of 30 minute halves with the clock stopped for the duration of the ball not being in play. Statistically this would provide more football and provides absolutely no advantage to time wasting.

Trouble with this is it’s still at the discretion of some of the world’s worst referees over here in England. They’re not helped by some terrible rules but they need spoon feeding to keep their level of influence to a minimum.

I like the idea of rugby league timekeeping.

Think I’m right in saying it’s the sport where the ball is in play for the highest percentage of time

40 minute halves and independent time keeper
Football could be speeded up if free kicks could be taken anywhere behind where the offence took place,same with throw ins.
Also unless it’s a head injury or obvious serious injury.,the physio go’s on as does the game. As soon as he’s on his feet he continues but no stoppage or rolling subs are allowed.
We saw the other week v Peterborough their players taking ages over throw ins. New rule player nearest the ball takes it

 

[Mellowyellow]

i now skip certain toxic anti KR posts. I watched on laptop as in Spain currently. A very positive performance overall. Better side for an hour and Easty had one weak Curtis effort to save. Pompey are not yet again top6 and unbeaten at home for no reason. We made them look average. Obviously we tired and Bodin’s dismissal took its toll. Certainly KR can be criticised for lack of good recruitment Which meant we had a lack of attacking cover but this criticism of him has been done to death. He may have taken a huge risk with Baldock but at the time almost all fans applauded that risk. The long term injuries to Wildschut and Murphy were probably not anticipated. There is the attacking depth we so lack. Remember last evening after the dismissal both Branners and Browne went offfurther weakening us so a great last 25+8 backs against the wall effort. Clearly in last few league games its evident the squad are still playing their hearts out. Btw on replays a definite upper arm movement to control the high ball. Poor and costly decision.

KR was actually being talked about for manager of the month after last night performance, and point that now takes us a point or so above the relegation zone. A new round of unfortunate injuries has started, but come December when they are back, we will up there. The table is wrong at the moment.

 

[Mellowyellow]

9 times out of 10, I agree. However, we are not in a confident enough mood to play ‘The Oxford Way’ at the moment and we have a lot to lose. There’s another way of viewing it in that we were combative, aggressive, brave, nasty, street wise. All the things that have cost us in big games when trying to play a little too much football in the face of a team who would rather play a mind game. But it showed these players can do it. It’s a mindset as much as it is a physical game and we really rattled Pompey.

You can see how their fans moaned afterwards as though we’re the first and only ones to do it - we routinely lose points to this and every team does it. You think they wouldn’t roll around all game if they were 1-0 up? Of course they would! 10 fold! Besides, it’s a 90 minute game and they got a very generous 8 mins added on. So say we wasted 8 mins, they got them back and what’s their excuse for the other 82? We did a bit of a job on them and it’s been done to us many a time - it’s part of the game you have to do, but you can do it in unison with attractive attacking football.

A new manager would likely come in and make us hard to beat first and foremost and it would look something like this. We were well coached yesterday and that’s hard to admit but equally hard to deny.

Two games out of 14, including Exeter, its still not good enough though. The season is 14 or 15 games old, and that's what a manager will be judged on, not simply a couple of games.

 

[tonyw]

Isn't always the strikers that have the chance, could well have been a defender/midfielder etc.

xG is calculated based on the strength of the chance on a scale of 0-1 with the lower it being, the less likely a goal. I think for instance the average xG of a penalty is something like 0.8. Said chances are then combined for a game or seasonal total depending on how it's being analysed.

This statement sums it up fairly well: "Expected goals (or xG) measures the quality of a chance by calculating the likelihood that it will be scored from a particular position on the pitch during a particular phase of play."

Fact is we've not scored when we should have and we've conceded when we shouldn't. Yes easy to jump straight at the strikers and keeper for those, but lots of other factors and players to take into account.

According to xG, we have the best defense in League One - and it's not particularly close.

Means that teams aren't getting into good positions against us, and aren't creating quality chances. But they are still scoring goals.

Some of that is luck, but some of it is poor keeping and/or bad defending at the wrong time.

I think that bears out what I'm watching - last night, for example, other than the goal, one other effort that Bishop miskicked and one Easty save from Curtis, Pompey really didn't create anything other than wave-after-wave of unthreatening long-range efforts.

 

[Swaby39]

Two games out of 14, including Exeter, its still not good enough though. The season is 14 or 15 games old, and that's what a manager will be judged on, not simply a couple of games.

I haven’t said otherwise. Last night’s point doesn’t erase anything up to now but I felt it was absolutely right and fair to point out that Karl managed the team to a good point yesterday with a clear and almost perfect game plan. Praise where it’s due, that’s all. Hard to knock anything he did yesterday bar his pitch side conduct but I personally don’t care about that in this day and age. You don’t see many managers at the top of the game behaving perfectly every week - referees are terrible, VAR is even worse and the stakes in football get bigger by the year. It’s part of the theatre in an emotional game and if my job was on the line at a place I’d dedicated 5 years of my life to, I’d be exactly the same and would make no apologies. Just needs to remember the officials are also human beings who deserve respect while make his feelings known.