Home Match Day Thread 29/12/2025 - MDT: Oxford United v Swansea City

[Northstandboy]

 

[AssHead]

Bad day at the office for sure when you’re getting 3s in the forum. I thought Marris was the only one capable of that sort of number.
Spencer
Larris
Romeny
£50 fine each to charity to you three

 

[Oldman159]

For what it’s worth..

An ‘After the Lord Mayors show…’ performance, IMHO, hovering between the dire and the abysmal for most of the 96 minutes. Couldn’t blame the Ref this time.

How can this happen?

I have no idea.

Desperate.

 

[Mateo Corbo's Tackle]

I thought that was the worst performance by a right back that I can remember going back many years.
Spencer is not a bad player usually but he should have been replaced by Long at half time.
Everything pass he made, every throw he took went to an opposition player.
Not sure if he had other things on his mind, but he was abject

And it wasn’t just that. He looked so…slow. Not just slow, dead slow. Like he had a forty kilo rucksack on.

Come to think of it, they pretty much all did. Today wasn’t just tiredness and a natural drop off after the high of Boxing Day. Thinking about it, it seemed like more than that - what exactly I’m not sure, but it was undoubtedly a terrifying evening.

 

[carefreeoufc]

Galbraith (a signing who was so logical to make it hurt) and Stamenic I’ll give you. Other than that they’re mid to lower end Championship players. We made them look like world beaters tonight. Eom (?) was the best player on the park, but even Swansea fans don’t rate him too highly. Burgess and Cabango - meh, two big lumps who will win everything aerially but get caught out every now and then, just like our two CB’s.

I think Eom and Vipotnik both get in along with those you’ve mentioned. Appreciate it’s all subjective though. My view is we have a higher percentage of L1 players than we do mid/lower Championship players.

 

[Toe knee]

What an absolute waste of money for Romeny complete donkey...

 

[Matty Greens Left Boot]

Poor recruitment and wasting money on indonesian players who are nothing more than a marketing gimmick. There are too many players in out starting 11 that simply wouldn't get in any championship team.

 

[Toe knee]

Davies & Bradshaw what was the point

 

[Osei Yaw]

Swansea sacked Sheehan just before the last international break and this Matos guy since has taken 12 points out of a possible 24, they were fit, technical and incredibly well coached tonight. Oh what could have been if we just did what was staring us in the face since October.

Speaking of Matos... Alex Matos (or similar) is the exact sort of player we are badly lacking in games like tonight.

 

[holdsteady]

Worst performance at home since being back in this league, which given the competition is saying something. We struggle to play two games in a week, our players are not as good athletes as other teams and that showed. Just terrible all over really with no real pluses to grab at.

What with the next two away games being very hard and us struggling to play games close together we could be a bit adrift by the time the new manager comes in, it’s starting to look like we will be in league one next season so it’s a hell of a job for the incoming manager.

 

[PottersRightBoot]

The worst home performance in years.

I can think of worse home performances this season.

Stoke .

 

[smiler106]

Our recruitment has been poor for the last two windows and EW is not good enough (in my opinion). Too late to change him and the rest for this next window but that is where change is needed. BDK, Romeny, L Harris etc. were all a waste of money.
Magician required now.

I tend to think it's the recruitment in the first window that has caused the most problems. We signed too many players who weren't good enough and we are now lumbered with, which has limited our options in subsequent windows.

 

[Common Villager]

After the (relative) high of Boxing Day, that was a very deflating performance and result. Our inability to string two decent performances together is absolutely killing us; we cannot build any momentum or create some breathing space. It always feels like one step forward, two steps back.

I think it comes down to the level of effort required for us to win being too much for this squad to deliver twice in a week. All of our wins have felt like monumental displays of doggedness where every player is bang at it - we're not good enough to win at a canter and, as a result, its energy-zapping both physically and mentally.

To that end, I thought there were lots of poor performances today. Spencer and Larris both seemed to give the ball away constantly, BDK looked leggy and desperate, Shemmy was completely anonymous. One of my biggest disappointments, though, is the centre back partnership. They were such a big part of our success under Rowett last season, but this season they look sluggish and simply don't defend the box well enough. If Davies isn't fit enough to play regularly we need to send him back and bring in someone who is going to command the defence, because at the moment it looks rudderless.

Unfortunately, it does now feel that our only hope of survival, regardless of the managerial appointment, is a huge January transfer window. I think we need a minimum of three players to come into the starting eleven: a commanding centre back, a midfielder, and an out and out left winger. It's a lot to ask for in January but it's stick or twist at this stage.

 

[West Oxon U’s]

Completely agree with your remarks. They looked two leagues ahead of us.

Oxford were completely outplayed and outfought by a much superior and fitter opponent.

Swansea won every running duel, every header, every 50/50 and were full value for their victory. They pressed us from minute one to minute 95
and the fair haired lad in midfield, Widell , must have covered 15km tonight.Eom was also superb for the Swans as was full-back Galbraith.

I’ve no idea how Currie found himself against their number nine Vipotnik for the winner in the centre of the goal. That should never happen.

No Oxford player emerged from the game with any credit in the bank and Short was let down in my opinion - however the team seemed to lack energy as well as a gameplan and any real belief.The performance was as bad as anything I’ve seen in OX4 in the past three years and relegation looks a certainty.

The team simply cannot put in back-to-back performances which are surely needed for survival.

I said a few days ago this will be a really tough night. I wasn’t convinced we should have gone with an unchanged team because these players aren’t cut out to perform with any consistency, that said I can understand why Short wanted to give them a chance to build on Boxing Day. Swansea were excellent, no complaints at all. I thought they were the standout team at The Kassam last season, better on the day than Leeds, Burnley, anyone. Thats the best any team has pressed us all season, we had no answer to their energy and intensity. They were really good on the ball and the Korean lad, Eom, he’s the best Championship player I’ve seen this season - moves so smoothly and just looks a level up from the rest. Disappointing but we were outclassed, simple as that.

 

[Upthecowboys]

Thought Swansea were quite good.

We have too many show ponies, players who can sometimes turn it on but don’t do it consistently. When we click we look half decent but too often we don’t have enough 7.5 out of 10 players.

New signings need to bring pace, consistency and a bit of attitude to this team.

 

[Toe knee]

If your all going Swindon clap your hands
if your all going to Swindon clap your hands

 

[Nadi-]

Stamenic Ran the game from the off.
However good you think BDK is, we haven’t a midfielder at the club. Anywhere near that class who can dictate a game, as he has at theirs and again tonight.

 

[ZeroTheHero]

Blimey. That was awful, especially after the hope-raising performance on Boxing Day. Outdone in skill, endeavour, speed, closing down, passing, fitness, movement off the ball and speed of both thought and action when we actually had some rare possession. I can remember few more depressing performances in recent seasons. If you could get rid of the majority of the squad, you would.

I was daft enough to buy a ticket for the FA Cup game at MK...

Edit. I forgot. Thank you to the Swansea supporters for the sustained applause during the roll call of those we have lost. Classy.

 

[dickwalton1964]

What an absolute waste of money for Romeny complete donkey...

Have to agree. I always hoped he’d come good but given up on him now, I’ve seen enough.

 

[Matty Greens Left Boot]

I am so angry at how our owners have wasted money on half baked indonesian players amongst others who they have overpaid for and simply dont deliver.

 

[90syeIlow]

I felt it was the right idea to start with the same lineup as Southampton, but in hindsight it was completely wrong and Short knows that aswell. It takes character to admit when you're wrong and I really liked that about him tonight, though the result isn't entirely on him.

When your most technical players cannot play a simple pass then you are not going to come away with any points. Spencer for me was the worst tonight, but he and the others looked physically and mentally fatigued, so Southampton really must have taken alot out of them all.

With this in mind, Vaulks, Long and Lankshear should have started and we may have scraped a draw but it's hard to call in all honesty.

 

[headingtonoldboy]

That was quite honestly one of the worst performances I have seen from us for a very long time.

 

[holdsteady]

Is it too early to start saying “teams like Bromley”? That fixture next season will be like like the 00s happened in one summer this time.

 

[Swinny]

It really is the hope that kills you.

The only way we are staying in this league is if if we somehow put a decent run together - and tonight showed even more vividly than any poor performance before it that we are just totally incapable of stringing performances together.

Fair play to Swansea - press and energy that we just couldn’t cope with.

Rubbish performance, flat atmosphere, stupid “sheep sh@ggers” chanting, tw@T’s fighting in the car park and the usual miserable wait in the car park after…thoroughly dismal night all round.

 

[Johnf]

That tonight was the worse I seen us play for some considerable time and I’m talking years rather than weeks.
If we are relying on this set of players in a relegation fight, the future doesn’t look good. We need players that are playing for the shirt when most of the team tonight looked like they just didn’t care. And the reward for that dreadful performance is a day off tomorrow.
We need to get a new manager in PDQ for us to have any hope of avoiding relegation.

 

[tomoufc]

On the plus side, I didn’t know you could get a half litre of bitter from the kiosk for £5.50. Not sure if it’s a new thing, but better than when the only thing on offer was small plastic bottles of Carlesberg.

 

[East Stand Fan]

Another thing that infuriated me throughout the game tonight was the amount of under-hit passes. Even when we made a successful one, most of the time we couldn’t get ball under control either.

We will need to rotate Rowett-style for the Ipswich game but this time drop players who deserve to be omitted from the starting lineup. Long, Leigh and Lankshear should start. In hindsight, we should’ve rested players today because of the schedule and now they are going to be even more spent.

 

[werthersoriginal]

Another thing that infuriated me throughout the game tonight was the amount of under-hit passes. Even when we made a successful one, most of the time we couldn’t get ball under control either.

We will need to rotate Rowett-style for the Ipswich game but this time drop players who deserve to be omitted from the starting lineup. Long, Leigh and Lankshear should start. In hindsight, we should’ve rested players today because of the schedule and now they are going to be even more spent.

Also we lost the element of surprise and Swansea were waiting for us. Our only chance of getting something from Ipswich is to catch them unawares but it’s a tall order for a caretaker who admits he’s not great at the tactical side.

 

[Older Shotts]

We couldn’t even pass wind tonight.

 

[PottersRightBoot]

Randoms:

Considering he was our RECORD BUY at the time then pound for pound , Romeny has been the worst signimg the club has ever made ; the ‘Ray Gaston’ of the 21st century,

Luke Harris should be sent back to Fulham; he’s not going to make it at this level.

Spencer looked v unfit ; his injury at Sheffield was nasty and two games three days clearly currently a bridge too far. Think he’s got potential though.

BDK cream crackered . Of course it didn’t stop some of the idiots in SSU bawling him out. Although he can’t play every game , he has to; there’s literally no one else. I like him and he’s going to make the club a bit of money in the close season.

Swansea are a good side. In a false position. We could t cope with them earlier in the month . Same tonight . They are too mobile and technical and just snuffed us out, I’d go as far to say they’re the best Champ team I’ve seen all season; rheir new boss is doing a v good job. Eom the pick , also rate Galbraith.

Helik and Brown fine; kept us in the game - to a toehold extent.

Currie , jaded but stuck to it.

Tyler ok.But needs a minder. Come back Bran.

Mills starved of ball; think he’s got a champ future .

Dembele - actually not bad - theres something there, start him on NYD.

Kickaball report. Prelec the best of the rest; the guy tries his best I suppose. The rest were anonymous. No impact.

It’s going to take a mighty effort and a number of new faces to turn this round. Tonight was very poor .

But as ever, COYY , it’s far too early to throw the towel in. Whoever becomes manager,

 

[greatunclekip]

Stamenic Ran the game from the off.
However good you think BDK is, we haven’t a midfielder at the club. Anywhere near that class who can dictate a game, as he has at theirs and again tonight.

Swansea paid £2m for him btw. Less than we paid for BDK and not much more than we paid for Romeny. Quality doesn’t have to cost a fortune.

Vipotnik was free btw.