Home Match Day Thread 28/09/24 - Championship: OUFC v Burnley

[Eric Blair]

The Chequers is a cracking pub! One me and my mates used to go to a lot after a game.

I’m going to go out on a limb and say best city centre pub.

 

[Scotchegg]

This is a strange argument to be having!

Ciaron Brown also recently played left back for Northern Ireland and was player of the season for us whilst playing there. We also have Ben Nelson who is highly rated, and was able to slot into the centre back position seamlessly (after a nervy first 10 mins)

So playing Brown there was hardly a surprise and, in my view, barely worth a mention beyond commenting on how well he did (although I personally thought that Kioso pipped him to the MOTM award).

There is a strange obsession with the positions of some players and I thought the "Is he or isn't he a left back" discussion had been done to death. Strange that we don't have similar discussions about other players, such as Tyler who looked exceptional centrally at the end of last season before moving to the right of a front three this season due to injuries.

However, what we have in Ciaron and Tyler (and several others) are team players who will move and cover positions as required for the benefit of the club. We have an exceptional defender who can play equally well at centre back or left back, and an exciting young midfielder who will play anywhere and still find ways to make an impact. And they both cost us diddly squit!

Isn't that enough to make people happy?!

 

[Foley]

This is a strange argument to be having!

Ciaron Brown also recently played left back for Northern Ireland and was player of the season for us whilst playing there. We also have Ben Nelson who is highly rated, and was able to slot into the centre back position seamlessly (after a nervy first 10 mins)

So playing Brown there was hardly a surprise and, in my view, barely worth a mention beyond commenting on how well he did (although I personally thought that Kioso pipped him to the MOTM award).

There is a strange obsession with the positions of some players and I thought the "Is he or isn't he a left back" discussion had been done to death. Strange that we don't have similar discussions about other players, such as Tyler who looked exceptional centrally at the end of last season before moving to the right of a front three this season due to injuries.

However, what we have in Ciaron and Tyler (and several others) are team players who will move and cover positions as required for the benefit of the club. We have an exceptional defender who can play equally well at centre back or left back, and an exciting young midfielder who will play anywhere and still find ways to make an impact. And they both cost us diddly squit!

Isn't that enough to make people happy?!

I tend to agree.
Pigeon holing players into certain positions especially in the modern day seems a bit pointless ( and Des clearly doesnt).
Brown is an excellent CB but can effortlessly play at left back ( against a very good winger). That is of huge benefit to OUFC

 

[Steve Gilbert]

I’m going to go out on a limb and say best city centre pub.

You have the bear as well which is up there although a lot smaller. The Turf is another cracking pub too.

 

[Steve Gilbert]

This is a strange argument to be having!

Ciaron Brown also recently played left back for Northern Ireland and was player of the season for us whilst playing there. We also have Ben Nelson who is highly rated, and was able to slot into the centre back position seamlessly (after a nervy first 10 mins)

So playing Brown there was hardly a surprise and, in my view, barely worth a mention beyond commenting on how well he did (although I personally thought that Kioso pipped him to the MOTM award).

There is a strange obsession with the positions of some players and I thought the "Is he or isn't he a left back" discussion had been done to death. Strange that we don't have similar discussions about other players, such as Tyler who looked exceptional centrally at the end of last season before moving to the right of a front three this season due to injuries.

However, what we have in Ciaron and Tyler (and several others) are team players who will move and cover positions as required for the benefit of the club. We have an exceptional defender who can play equally well at centre back or left back, and an exciting young midfielder who will play anywhere and still find ways to make an impact. And they both cost us diddly squit!

Isn't that enough to make people happy?!

Your view takes away a random opportunity to have a dig at Robinson though. Shame on you!

Gone are the days where every player has a ‘set’ position. We have a lot of players in our squad that can multiple positions and as I’ve said before, players are more likely to make it in the game if they can play a few positions. Full backs can usually play RB/LB but also CB or on the wing. Forwards can usually play anywhere along the front 3 (Phillips, Dembélé, Harris), players like Tyler can play out wide or in the number 10, centre mids can play holding or in an 8/10 (Brannagan/Mizouni).

 

[maidenheadox]

In the past I've been of the opinion that Brown is a better CB than LB. However I also think he is a much better footballer than he was 12 months ago.

 

[Yellow River]

In the past I've been of the opinion that Brown is a better CB than LB. However I also think he is a much better footballer than he was 12 months ago.

Well he clearly has a much better coach now than he did under Robinson, plus he’s playing with better players.

Centre back is still his best position though.

An absolute warrior with an amazing number of appearances over the last couple of seasons.

 

[RyanioBirdio]

Firstly I genuinely didn’t mean ‘Karl Robinson might be demanding a few apologies from RyanBirdio’, I just remembered that a few different people had ripped him for playing Brown at left back, saying he’s not one at all, so I thought it was funny that Des did it and he was MOTM, so you might want to turn down the main character syndrome a bit.

Secondly I agree Brown is a better centre back than left back. I agree that Bennett would have played there if fit. I wasn’t genuinely demanding an apology for a manager who I overall dislike. I was just making the point that Brown clearly can play left back just fine, because he just got voted MOTM playing there in a draw against one of the best sides in the Championship, and so Robinson playing there wasn’t, in my opinion, that crazy or ridiculous as SOME people have previously made out (but not having a balanced squad was, I agree)

I’ll turn it down when you stop referring to me as the forum’s most influential poster

As I recall, a lot of the Brown / left back frustration stemmed from Robinson refusing to sign proper full backs for years on end, which was why a lot of people got increasingly fed up. If he’d signed a half-decent left back instead of stockpiling endless wingers and attacking midfielders, and played Brown at centre half where he is clearly Championship quality let alone League One, maybe he wouldn’t have nearly got us relegated. I suspect that after seeing everybody from Jamie Hanson to Mark Sykes have a go at playing left back at various points, seeing anybody who simply was not a natural left back being shoved there, let alone treated as a permanent solution, became far too much. Especially when we ended up failing to win a game for three full months.

Pretty much the first thing Des did after getting the job was bring in a 34-year-old free agent who hadn’t had a club for six months to play at left back instead of Ciaron Brown, even though he had Thorniley, Negru, Moore and even Long as other centre back options, so it wasn’t a decision made out of necessity. I think it’s pretty safe to say that he didn’t view Brown as a genuine left back option at that level, or the current one given he then signed a second left back in Currie. Or at least he felt that playing him there would be a waste of his ability. Either way, I would be loathe to say that Des got it wrong, and if he didn’t get it wrong then I’m not sure anyone else could be said to have.

I thought that Brown did well yesterday, but he also got badly skinned and looked like he was running through treacle a couple of times, which is what happened in League One a good few times as well. And I say that as someone who voted for the guy to win POTS while he was stuck playing there, because that man’s fight and determination was all we had going for us that season. Luckily Burnley’s end product was non-existent, but he stuck at it and never even thought about leaving his post, which is what Des clearly doesn’t trust Leigh to do. Or not do.

Although as we’ve seen, being voted MOTM on here doesn’t always count for much. The guy who won that vote nearly every week for the first couple of months of last season ended up being our seventh choice central midfielder, and hasn’t kicked a ball for his new club since he moved there six weeks ago.

 

[Orkney Islands Yellow]

BREAKING NEWS:

 

[Scotchegg]

Although as we’ve seen, being voted MOTM on here doesn’t always count for much. The guy who won that vote nearly every week for the first couple of months of last season ended up being our seventh choice central midfielder, and hasn’t kicked a ball for his new club since he moved there six weeks ago.

Whilst he didn't do much after that point, McGuane was very good during that period and rightly got numerous MOTM votes on here.

Strange example to give if you're looking to discredit the forum voting.

 

[Northstandboy]

MOTM poll closes in a few hours, only 9 votes been Brown and Kioso.

 

[West Oxon U’s]

Be interesting to see how Peter Kioso deals with Josh Murphy on Saturday.

 

[Northstandboy]

Be interesting to see how Peter Kioso deals with Josh Murphy on Saturday.

That’s if he doesn’t take a”knock” tomorrow night.

 

[Eaststanding]

BREAKING NEWS:

Gets to the game late because he didn’t realise how far away the station is, phone runs out of charge during the game, and all he can say about the game was it was a bit s**t.
Add to it the whiny comments about the atmosphere always being bad ‘down south’, we only have one chant, oh and guess what, we only have three stands. Not the most insightful vlog. Must try harder.

 

[RyanioBirdio]

Whilst he didn't do much after that point, McGuane was very good during that period and rightly got numerous MOTM votes on here.

Strange example to give if you're looking to discredit the forum voting.

Not at all, I’m saying that winning MOTM represents nothing outside of what happens in a specific game, or how well a player performs in a specific fixture. Ciaron Brown winning a vote at the weekend doesn’t change what came before any more than Marcus McGuane regularly winning that same vote a year ago changed what came after. It has absolutely no bearing on anything else.

Someone implying that people should apologise (ie feel stupid) for saying Brown shouldn’t have been our main left back for an entire season two years ago, purely because he had a good game there on Saturday, would be like me suggesting others should apologise for saying McGuane was a good player who should be given a new contract a year ago. Don’t think it would be either reasonable or constructive.

 

[ZeroTheHero]

It is a very bizarre thing to say that people should 'apologise' to KR for saying (quite a long time ago!) that Brown was a better central defender than left full back and using Brown's ability to adapt to that position as the reason! The reason Brown was playing at LB was because the recruitment was all over the place and we had little choice other than to play him there, unlike now when playing him there is an actual decision taken to suit the particular match. Will we see him there again? I expect so. Will we see him centrally in upcoming games? Almost certainly. Could he win MOTM in either position? Yes. Does that excuse KRs recruitment later in his tenure? Nope.

 

[holdsteady]

Brown playing left back against a side who have had prem and parachute money for the last decade so they are a step above in class makes more sense than playing Brown at left back for an entire season at League one level against sides, with all due respects, like Stevenage, Port Vale, Cambridge, Burton and Forest Green.
If Robinson had signed a left back instead of Stuart Findlay, put league one promotion winning centre back Brown at centre back then he might even still be here. Actually thank f**k he didn't.

 

[Eric Blair]

Brown playing left back against a side who have had prem and parachute money for the last decade so they are a step above in class makes more sense than playing Brown at left back for an entire season at League one level against sides, with all due respects, like Stevenage, Port Vale, Cambridge, Burton and Forest Green.
If Robinson had signed a left back instead of Stuart Findlay, put league one promotion winning centre back Brown at centre back then he might even still be here. Actually thank f**k he didn't.

Agree with that.

The caveat to all of this discussion is that this squad have been amazing, hard working and have put themselves on the line week in and week out (that Des stuff from the Dub last week about how much faster they play and the increase in sprints during a game compared to League One is a case in point). It's clear that Des thinks of squads rather than first 11s. I haven't got a bad word to say about any squad member (maybe a few questions about why they play like they do but no criticism intended).

But all things being equal and a fully fit squad I would have Brown centre back every day of the week. Happy to be told otherwise but Brown's distribution from left back isnt as good as Bennett's and someone like Dembelle needs quick balls down the channels.

 

[Carpy]

I really liked our back 4 Saturday and prefer having Brown on the left than Leigh, he's effortlessly good at defending and isn't as shabby going forward as some are making out. I suspect Des will agree and I would expect to see Leigh less frequently.

Also nice to see that Nelson looks good with both feet.

 

[BicesterU]

We've got to get out of the habit of assuming that it's a problem if a player is played in a position other than the one we, individually, think he should be playing in.

Brown and Moore's partnership is an excellent one, but Brown is more defensively-minded and so against a team we allowed to have so much possession, he was the obvious choice at LB over Leigh with Bennett injured.

That's why we've got the squad we've got - so we can play different people in different positions to suit different systems against different oppositions.