Away Match Day Thread 26/11/2024 - Championship: Sheffield United V OUFC

[Northstandboy]

Rate the OUFC players:

 

[Shosho]

Is Ethan Erhahon that player? Could he make the step up from League 1 to the Championship?

Would be nice!

Would also be looking at a Luongo loan

 

[DannyW]

A big fan of these sentences from your excellent post and something that some of those getting down on the team should consider.

A bit more context, from 2019 to 2024 in League 1 we won far more matches than we lost (with a blip through 2022-23, of course). In fact, our record in all comps during that timeframe was P273 W115 D68 L90. It's a win rate of 42.12%. We are not going to get anywhere close to that this season. I appreciate it is tricky to switch from a mindset and expectation that we should be winning more games than we lose.

Some fans need to get it into their heads that we are more likely to have a season like 2022-23 with the only difference being that we should expect to be near the relegation places this time around. Despite every player giving it their all, DB looking at every tactical trick he can pull and us preparing the best we can, 75-80% of this division will be 'better' than us - transfer spend, academy, revenues, stadiums, facilities etc. We have to play above the levels that our players are at just to get parity.

Ed Waldron said that the 2-0 win against Norwich was more intense for the players than the playoff final. More running, more pressing, more defensive blocks and concentration than a match at Wembley in front of 75,000 people. Maintaining that across a 46 game season is a physical impossibility so the falloff was always going to happen.

I sense most on here are realistic and aren't getting too bogged down in being near the foot of the table. Others just see the results and say that we're 'abysmal' and 'embarrassing'. It's natural to be disappointed when your team lose and especially when we didn't really land a glove on the opponent last night but was not 'abysmal' or 'embarrassing'. We're doing our level best against much better sides that we have to raise our levels for every match and not just for one-off cup games where we can and did catch teams unawares (West Ham in the League Cup, Newcastle away in the FA Cup).

Get out of the 'win games to get promotion' mindset and into one of 'scrap for every point' mindset.

This.

 

[dickwalton1964]

No he’s not! Just playing well above his level of ability.

Brown is a better centre back than he is left back when he’s alongside Moore. When he’s partnered with Long then he suddenly looks a better left back.

 

[SSO]

If you split the league into thirds, we have, so far:

Played 6 of the current top 8 and got 2 points. An average of 0.33 points per game.

Played 8 of the current middle 8 and got 8 points. An average of 1 point per game.

Played 4 of the current bottom 8 and got 7 points. An average of 1.75 points per game.

So on the face of that, the teams at the top have had too much for us. On the other hand, we've done well against those near the bottom and average/poor against those in the middle. I don't think any of this surprising.

I think 5 points from the next 3 would be decent. More than 5 will be good.

I think that's a fair way of splitting it up. Those top 6 will pull away. You might get Norwich, Millwall or Bristol City threatening with a 5 or 6 match run but apart from that the top 5 or 6 will be away and gone by Christmas.
Picking up 4 points or more from games against the other lower placed teams is absolutely key.

 

[SSO]

For me the injuries have been key and very disruptive. Players have been out like Brannagan. He returns and suddenly he is playing with Placheta, Ter Avest, Leigh and Scarlett which is not where he exactly left off.
The wingers missing have stopped us playing Tyler in a central position where he can be so dangerous.

I am not going to call out players but the players we brought in like Phillips, Placheta and Dembele were brought in to be starters.

There are 5 or 6 of what we would call "squad" players at this level who are not good enough to be at this level even as squad players but due to injuries they are starters or they are getting minutes. These players are not short of effort but simply not good enough at Championship level.

We have missed that period of slowly integrating the "better" players due to the injuries and squad players have eventually been found wanting. The injuries also meant playing a different formation. The continuity is broken but certainly not the efforts or the spirit of the players.

I would argue our best line up would see a front 3 of Phillips, Dembele and Scarlett with a midfield trio of Goodrham, Brannagan and Vaulks.

 

[Nadi-]

Souttar and Co
Struggling against pace, sharpness and technique this evening. Something we’ve lost our way with.
We’re now so ponderous going forward again.
Mepham sent off, can’t see the difference between that and the Sunderland penalty, other than the penalty decision

 

[PottersRightBoot]

Wonderful goal, outstanding potential.

Two footed, can play either wing, number 10 or central midfield.

We have to keep him for the rest of the season. Our main bet for staying up.