Home Match Day Thread +++ 26/12/2018 OUFC V Southend United Matchday Thread +++

[TailsWeWin]

I thought today's performance was very (worryingly enough) reminiscent of some of the early season ones. Against a relatively poor team, we spent ages passing the ball about sideways and backwards - putting ourselves under pressure - and refusing to make any forward moves. The passing was truly abysmal - I couldn't believe what I was seeing at times. Balls whacked at a team mate from a few yards away, longer passes tens of yards wide or over hit by a similar amount. A reluctance to get the ball into the middle, even when we were in injury time and one behind. A strange re-emergence of the 'hoof it long to Mackie' tactic that has never worked. Where was our midfield? Did they have today off as well? I took my grown-up son as has become our Boxing Day tradition. After today's 'entertainment', it;s going to be a struggle to get him there next year - tradition or not!

Let's hope it was a bad day at the office rather than a reversion to type.

Oh and trumpeting the LOAN signing of Jordan Graham (who somehow seems to have acquired a status I am not entirely sure is deserved for a chap who played five games for us some years ago and was quite decent but no more) as a 'Christmas present for the supporters' was more than a bit toe-curling. As is playing 'Eye of the effing Tiger'.

Totally agree. Extremely embarrassing: why DOES Graham have superhero status? Were we supposed to swoon with excitement? Yes, he was good, but THAT good?!

 

[holdsteady]

I thought today's performance was very (worryingly enough) reminiscent of some of the early season ones. Against a relatively poor team, we spent ages passing the ball about sideways and backwards - putting ourselves under pressure - and refusing to make any forward moves. The passing was truly abysmal - I couldn't believe what I was seeing at times. Balls whacked at a team mate from a few yards away, longer passes tens of yards wide or over hit by a similar amount. A reluctance to get the ball into the middle, even when we were in injury time and one behind. A strange re-emergence of the 'hoof it long to Mackie' tactic that has never worked. Where was our midfield? Did they have today off as well? I took my grown-up son as has become our Boxing Day tradition. After today's 'entertainment', it;s going to be a struggle to get him there next year - tradition or not!

Let's hope it was a bad day at the office rather than a reversion to type.

Oh and trumpeting the LOAN signing of Jordan Graham (who somehow seems to have acquired a status I am not entirely sure is deserved for a chap who played five games for us some years ago and was quite decent but no more) as a 'Christmas present for the supporters' was more than a bit toe-curling. As is playing 'Eye of the effing Tiger'.

Fair enough he only played 5 games for us, but he was long way over decent, if you watched him play you knew he was a bit good.

 

[yellowbow]

Totally agree. Extremely embarrassing: why DOES Graham have superhero status? Were we supposed to swoon with excitement? Yes, he was good, but THAT good?!

For me it goes against all of KR’s talk about us needing to change our perceptions and think of ourselves as a big club. In short, all a bit tinpot.

This talk of the homecoming hero, happy to be in yellow again, is nice but I don’t think it’s really fooling anyone. Let’s not forget why he’s here. I assume - would hope - he’s still an ambitious young man. He’s had a taste of life at the top and I would think is desperate to get back there. Nobody should be under any illusions, he’ll use the next 4 months as a steppingstone and use us as a shop window. Nothing wrong with that, it’s all well and good if he helps us avoid relegation, but he’s not ours, so the ticker tape welcome is unnecessary.

Edit: I just want to make clear this isn’t a dig at the player, I just think the overhyping by the club is a little disingenuous

 

[Oxford84]

Moan, moan, moan

 

[yellowbow]

Moan, moan, moan

Maybe a fair comment Oxford84, I do feel like I’m being negative. I just have an uneasy feeling about things at the club at the moment. The result today has done nothing to change my mood. Maybe I should just bite my tongue for a bit and see how things unfold.

 

[PottersRightBoot]

Thought Southend played very well and did a number on us. Browne and Mackie and Henry were useless. If 3 of your key players don’t perform you will lose; it’s such a competitive division. Robinson’s post match comments were for once pertinent.

 

[ZeroTheHero]

Fair enough he only played 5 games for us, but he was long way over decent, if you watched him play you knew he was a bit good.

Yes, I watched him play. In L2, he was OK. Since then, the poor bloke has played 7 games due to injury. He has scored one goal in his career of 29 games. And he is a loanee. The whole thing is being overhyped. Not good for us and certainly not good for him. I hope he gives us a good four or five months for both his sake and ours.

 

[greatunclekip]

Thought Southend played very well and did a number on us. Browne and Mackie and Henry were useless. If 3 of your key players don’t perform you will lose; it’s such a competitive division. Robinson’s post match comments were for once pertinent.

Browne has a foot out of the door. Zero interest.

 

[Mellowyellow]

Sign a striker we might just stay up and play Reading next season.
If not it's Swindon

We’ll lose to Bristol. Sorry, but we will.

In some way it feels that the clubs spin machine is trying to make out, with all the pomp and ceremony, that this is the pinnacle of our transfer activity this month, and it’s down hill from here, transfer wise.

 

[Oxford84]

In some way it feels that the clubs spin machine is trying to make out, with all the pomp and ceremony, that this is the pinnacle of our transfer activity this month, and it’s down hill from here, transfer wise.

Only in your deluded mind.Give me 1 bit of evidence this is the pinnacle.
While we are at it lets all tell Graham to f**k off because he got a bit of half time welcome.

 

[uptheus]

Thought Southend played very well and did a number on us. Browne and Mackie and Henry were useless. If 3 of your key players don’t perform you will lose; it’s such a competitive division. Robinson’s post match comments were for once pertinent.

They were a very direct team, and unfortunately we sank to their level rather than continuing to play football.

And why oh why did be not try and load their box in the final few minutes is beyond me.

Markus Browne was carrying an injury following fist half challenge, so not sure he’l. Be going anywhere fast.

Such a poor performance today, shame we didn’t lose Saturday and win today.

 

[Junior_1]

We’ve a youth team flying at the moment. You’ve Spasov and James who are playing with so much confidence and are both in very good form. Add in Lofthouse and Bradbury and that’s 4 players (al on pro deals) who could and imo, should be in and around the first team bench. Robinson built this squad so he’s no right to be moaning about the lack of depth in certain areas.

 

[Deleted member 291]

Yes, I watched him play. In L2, he was OK. Since then, the poor bloke has played 7 games due to injury. He has scored one goal in his career of 29 games. And he is a loanee. The whole thing is being overhyped. Not good for us and certainly not good for him. I hope he gives us a good four or five months for both his sake and ours.

Ok?! Only played 7 games since? Come off it.

 

[yellowbow]

Only in your deluded mind.Give me 1 bit of evidence this is the pinnacle.
While we are at it lets all tell Graham to f**k off because he got a bit of half time welcome.

To be fair, you’re missing the point completely

 

[windmill]

Oxford Mail gives Henry higher rating than Whyte. Ridiculous.

 

[Manorlounger]

Hype or not hype, don't really care however, if that is what Tiger thinks is all that is needed to have the supporters in raptures and totally satisfied with his chairmanship, we are in big trouble.

Moreover, if the club staff are playing along then things have sunk to a silly level of incompetence. Is there no one at the club willing to challenge this nonsense? OxVox were (apparently?) brushed aside with a few notes in the programme, the MD merely ignores all contacts and the rest of the board are invisible.

January will be an interesting time.

 

[Shaun Rice]

Precious little in defence if Nelson is off. We will see what the management are made of in January.

We have two midfielders playing left and right back. (Three allegedly proper full backs on the bench) A centre half in midfield but to be fair that seems to work. One centre half who looks iffy at times and another who is very good but will be gone in January.
Our goal difference has improved massively in the last months but it could just as easily go to pot as well.
Trouble is based on KR signings so far he hasn’t done very well. I hope that we at least get enough quality in the side to keep us up and build for next season.

 

[yellowbow]

We have two midfielders playing left and right back. (Three allegedly proper full backs on the bench) A centre half in midfield but to be fair that seems to work. One centre half who looks iffy at times and another who is very good but will be gone in January.
Our goal difference has improved massively in the last months but it could just as easily go to pot as well.
Trouble is based on KR signings so far he hasn’t done very well. I hope that we at least get enough quality in the side to keep us up and build for next season.

I think it’s pretty obvious to all that at least three GOOD players are required to get us away from the trap door, if Nelson does leave, a good experienced centerback along with a good experienced centre forward are the priorities. Not gambles on young players. I don’t think we’re allowed to have more than a one or two more loans anyway. There’s going to be no hiding place for Tiger over the next few weeks, his ability to run the club is going to be exposed for all to see.

 

[outsidethebox]

Didn't see the point of bringing Smith on. Should have made a sub that enabled Nelson to go up top.

 

[Steve McAvoy]

Not too down-hearted. We have a very thin squad and will have to wait for some of the U23’s to develop some more to begin to address this. Our current loan signings do more to fill the treatment table than the bench, so I’m encouraged by the progress shown by our own younger players, such as Whyte and Hanson. We have been on a good run but a busy fixture list will test us. Overall I would like to have a few more points in the bag so our cup games might give us momentum rather than becoming a trial for our squad that clearly could do with refreshing. With that in mind, welcome back Jordan.

 

[ZeroTheHero]

Ok?! Only played 7 games since? Come off it.

You are right, It is more than that - my mistake, apologies. He played 12 games for Wolves immediately after going back from us 3 years ago. Since then he has played 5 times for Wolves, 3 times for Fulham on loan ( a grand total of 39 minutes on the pitch) and 4 times for Ipswich (2 starts) on loan. He was out for 15 months injured during this time. My point was really (whatever the number of games the played a couple of years ago) that he is short of match time and is actually pretty much an unknown quantity - whatever he did in a month with us three years ago.

 

[Mellowyellow]

Only in your deluded mind.Give me 1 bit of evidence this is the pinnacle.
While we are at it lets all tell Graham to f**k off because he got a bit of half time welcome.

Oh dear, try reading what I wrote. I said it feels like it’s the pinnacle, in the way they introduced Jordan.
You are totally the deluded one,what a rediculous way to treat Graham, telling him to F.O. Totally crazy thing to suggest.

 

[Shosho]

Sothend did a proper away performance on us.

High energy pressing, closing Hanson and Ruffles quickly preventing the ball from reaching Browne/Whyte. They allowed Dickie and Nelson time on the ball, but had little option from the midfield...we were crying out for a ball carrying CM yesterday like Baptiste.

Not sure if Browne was injured/didn't fancy it/Southend did a good job however Whyte looked the more dangerous of the two.

That being said, we didnt create the shot volume we normally do, Nelson missed a good chance, goal disallowed, Henry in the second half...we had some reasonable chances.

The bench was the worry yesterday. We will have to manage the squad with the run of fixtures, however it looks like Whyte, Henry, Browne, Mackie will get run in to the ground in the next couple of weeks as we have no other alternatives.

 

[Oxford84]

Oh dear, try reading what I wrote. I said it feels like it’s the pinnacle, in the way they introduced Jordan.
You are totally the deluded one,what a rediculous way to treat Graham, telling him to F.O. Totally crazy thing to suggest.

Typical post from you,make assumptions and post them as fact.

 

[Oxfordpete]

Whilst I accept we failed to score yesterday and we have had a good run without conceding too many goals, I still feel we are lacking in defence, having watched most games, we have on many occasions been lucky, yes they battle, but I’m not convinced
Nelson is good on the grass but lacks something in the air, Dickie still has a long way to go to convince me he’s good enough, and as just mentioned in another post we are using ‘predominately’ midfielders on the left and right of the defence.

 

[Golden Dr Otto]

Typical post from you,make assumptions and post them as fact.

With all due respect, further up in this thread someone has said they “feel” something and you’ve castigated them for having stated it as if fact, which in itself is a rather clumsy assumption

 

[Oxford84]

With all due respect, further up in this thread someone has said they “feel” something and you’ve castigated them for having stated it as if fact, which in itself is a rather clumsy assumption

Not really when you take in to consideration all of that posters posts.

 

[Mellowyellow]

Whilst I accept we failed to score yesterday and we have had a good run without conceding too many goals, I still feel we are lacking in defence, having watched most games, we have on many occasions been lucky, yes they battle, but I’m not convinced
Nelson is good on the grass but lacks something in the air, Dickie still has a long way to go to convince me he’s good enough, and as just mentioned in another post we are using ‘predominately’ midfielders on the left and right of the defence.

Lacking in attack as well, thinking about the number of chances missed at recent games, especially recently at Doncaster.

 

[LowerSouth]

Whilst I accept we failed to score yesterday and we have had a good run without conceding too many goals, I still feel we are lacking in defence, having watched most games, we have on many occasions been lucky, yes they battle, but I’m not convinced
Nelson is good on the grass but lacks something in the air, Dickie still has a long way to go to convince me he’s good enough, and as just mentioned in another post we are using ‘predominately’ midfielders on the left and right of the defence.

I’ve always thought Nelson was good with his head and also handy on the grass.
Dickie good in the air, but suspect on the grass-he has no speed and is LARGELY indecisive/lacks confidence on the ball.

 

[Oxfordpete]

Nelson is good on the deck, suspect in the air, he’s missed a few chances in last 2 years with his head, abs good chances at that, he’s not commanding in the air, or perhaps I’ve been a supporter too long and compairing him with those centre backs who have been