Home Match Day Thread 29/12/23: L1 - OUFC v Derby County

[Northstandboy]

Huge game today, COYY!

Let’s leave 2023 on a high!

 

[Oxford Aesthete]

Can't remember ever being this disappointed with the outcome of a game in 40 years of watching the team

 

[Scrongo]

I don't claim to be, but I'm old enough & wise enough to know what is absolute sh**te talk

Yep and you keep talking it!

Maybe maybe not, I know one thing I've been supporting Oxford United long enough to not be delusional.

 

[Followtheox1]

Maybe maybe not, I know one thing I've been supporting Oxford United long enough to not be delusional.

That doesn't make sense.

 

[Scrongo]

That doesn't make sense.

Of course it does, think about it....

 

[Followtheox1]

Of course it does, think about it....

Nope makes no sense. On your original point, at least I think it's your original point, regarding young athletes, what does the science say?

 

[SirAndyOfCrosby]

The players who were the engine of Manning's team aren't there. Greg Leigh, most of all. Edwards and Negru are big misses too.

Others like Goodrham and Mills have had to become starters rather than coming on for the last twenty minutes. We have a small group of players who are shattered.

You say the engine of Manning's team is missing, and then mention only Leigh, Edwards and Negru (who respectively started 8, 2 and 5 of the 16 League games this season under Manning)?

We are missing a bit of (temperamental) flair and creativity, sure, but it's an absolute fabrication to suggest 'the engine' of our early season form is missing (i.e. Beadle, Moore, McGuane, Brannagan, Rodrigues).

And it appears our injured players are also getting better with every game they miss. To the point where Goodrham (4 League goals, 3 assists) and Mills (1 goal, 7 assists) are seemingly dismissed as bit-part players in favour of the likes of Browne and Murphy (0 goals and just 3 assists between them).

We have a couple of key injuries (and a couple more that are deeper in the squad) and I really do feel for the 7 or 8 players doing all the heavy lifting at the moment, but the situation is nowhere near as horrific as is being routinely and melodramatically suggested on here.

 

[Thomas/Brock/Jones]

Can't remember ever being this disappointed with the outcome of a game in 40 years of watching the team

Really ? Orient at home, Exeter play off to name two from a season
Any Bristol Rovers home match .
We lost to a veey good side yesterday .

 

[MC Yellow]

Can't remember ever being this disappointed with the outcome of a game in 40 years of watching the team

Not even the playoff final against Wycombe?

 

[Scrongo]

Nope makes no sense. On your original point, at least I think it's your original point, regarding young athletes, what does the science say?

Science??? Maybe that's what's the problem with the modern game .
They're to finely tuned, the slightest movement & tweak & they're out injured for weeks , month's.
It wasn't as bad in the good old bad days with injuries, plus player's played without substitutes & busier Christmas & Easter schedules.
Too much stats & science, instead of good old common sense nowadays..

 

[Followtheox1]

Science??? Maybe that's what's the problem with the modern game .
They're to finely tuned, the slightest movement & tweak & they're out injured for weeks , month's.
It wasn't as bad in the good old bad days with injuries, plus player's played without substitutes & busier Christmas & Easter schedules.
Too much stats & science, instead of good old common sense nowadays..

Will take that as a no then.

 

[Followtheox1]

You say the engine of Manning's team is missing, and then mention only Leigh, Edwards and Negru (who respectively started 8, 2 and 5 of the 16 League games this season under Manning)?

We are missing a bit of (temperamental) flair and creativity, sure, but it's an absolute fabrication to suggest 'the engine' of our early season form is missing (i.e. Beadle, Moore, McGuane, Brannagan, Rodrigues).

And it appears our injured players are also getting better with every game they miss. To the point where Goodrham (4 League goals, 3 assists) and Mills (1 goal, 7 assists) are seemingly dismissed as bit-part players in favour of the likes of Browne and Murphy (0 goals and just 3 assists between them).

We have a couple of key injuries (and a couple more that are deeper in the squad) and I really do feel for the 7 or 8 players doing all the heavy lifting at the moment, but the situation is nowhere near as horrific as is being routinely and melodramatically suggested on here.

You kind of make some okish points but then mess it up with the picking and choosing of stats. Why not add Leigh, Bodin and Edwards stats in there too to demonstrate what the current injured players have contributed in terms of goals and assists?

 

[Scrongo]

Will take that as a no then..

Take it as you like

 

[chromeyellow]

"A couple of key injuries."
Leigh, Edwards, Negru, Bodin, Browne and Long, are all part of the first team squad and would normally be in the team or on the bench under Manning/

And yes Goodrham and Mills are making more appearances- and having better stats- because players they would be replacing- or be replaced by are injured. They are both now overplayed and doubtful for the next game. McGuane who has been outstanding with Brannagan earlier in the season looks exhausted.

Murphy was brought into the side by Buckingham -partly because we lacked other options but has looked consistently dangerous- which is why he's been voted man of the match here at least twice.. He has the pace others lack. Would have been ideal against Derby as offering an out ball. he's also looked better.defensively

 

[tonyw]

Coming late to this thread and haven't read the whole thing, so apologies if this has already been pointed out and discussed.....

.....but that's six goals we've conceded in three games; four of them set pieces and all of them from regulation crosses played into our box.

It goes without saying, but you're not going to sustain a playoff push at this level if you can't defend regulation crosses (or if you concede two goals a game).

I don't recall this being a major problem earlier in the season.

You could blame the manager change - but Craig Short is still here, and he's surely the guy that should be managing our set piece defending?
It seems more to me to be a matter of personnel. We're basically now throwing out a side with only two physical players (Moore & Brown) who are decent in the air. Stevens and Bennett have their moments going forwards, and their defensive positioning is solid enough for when the ball's on the ground, but neither of them seem to be able to win a header. And it's really showing when we play against teams that are strong from set pieces and/or want to get the ball into the box quickly.

We obviously miss Greg Leigh hugely, but maybe even Sam Long coming back will help in this regard.....he has his limitations, but he is good in the air.

Though from the sounds of things, finding eleven fit bodies full stop on Monday is going to be a challenge.......

 

[Nadi-]

It was evident at Bristol City that we were inexperienced and vulnerable on our right side with Stevens behind Mills.
The better teams have worked that out before the game and have exploited it.

 

[christenedinjericho]

I knew we would run out of steam but to cave in by the 48th minute and expect to see out the game by having 11 men behind the ball was coaching nonsense in not just the first degree but the second, third and fourth.

Most supporters knew by the shape and body language of the players after the opening 5 minutes of the second half that this was going to be a very hard watch but it seemed to me that our management team thought the tactic of sitting back seemed a jolly fine decision.

Not once did I see any real physical animated actions coming from the bench to challenge our players to press higher up the pitch but who the f*ck am I to complain as I'm only a punter who from time to time would like to see some courageous and 'we are all in this togetherness' to get us out of this small but expanding hole we now seem to be in.

However, in having a few moments this afternoon to peruse the delusional forum of the victors - who, to their credit smelt victory from the moment they scored their first I cannot let their cup final moment in OX4 run away with the fact that back in August we ran their fluffy little gentile arses off the park in a display that seemed miles ahead of anything we saw from last night. County in my view will not win the 3rd division tinpot championship especially with their ageing back line ageing further - and one in which we could have exposed a lot better than we did but there's another story. They will however, secure a playoff place and with some vital investment for us in the window I believe they will play us again in the play offs. Happy Easter.

London's calling.

COYY'S

 

[RgYellows]

Maybe its because I can just about remember when , for example, over Easter weekend, there would be 3 games ( league played over 4 days ( good fri, Easter Sat, Easter Mon) - that was during the days when there were NO substitutes too.

Players tired? , that's not any excuse in today's % substitutes per match times IMO. They are professional footballers, they should be physically fit and capable of doing the job they are (well) paid to do, which is play football

If they are apparently 'tired' , the question is why are they not fit or capable of doing the job they're paid to do?

But the game they are playing isn’t at an intensity and standard that young professionals are expected to maintain for ninety minutes three times a week.

If you want players to play that much, then they will have to slow down. If the opposition don’t slow down with you, you lose. Derby didn’t have to slow down, because they had a bench loaded with quality.

If you don’t slow down, Mills and Tyler get exhausted. Then we have to replace them with Henry and McEachran because we don’t have the depth. And you lose.

No I’m not saying necessarily high intensity pressing. The starting positions from where we were defending were too deep. When the balls were flying in, quite often the fresh leg players we brought on - Machecran and Henry were sitting deep not engaging, Brannagan was also very deep so virtually all our midfielders were completely ineffective. If they were trying to pass it through us, sitting deep would have been fine but their strategy was to cross the ball in at every opportunity which is where the goals came from.

McEachran and Henry weren’t engaging and closing down because they don’t have the legs.

Of course their strategy was to cross it in - because they knew we couldn’t stop them.

You say the engine of Manning's team is missing, and then mention only Leigh, Edwards and Negru (who respectively started 8, 2 and 5 of the 16 League games this season under Manning)?

We are missing a bit of (temperamental) flair and creativity, sure, but it's an absolute fabrication to suggest 'the engine' of our early season form is missing (i.e. Beadle, Moore, McGuane, Brannagan, Rodrigues).

And it appears our injured players are also getting better with every game they miss. To the point where Goodrham (4 League goals, 3 assists) and Mills (1 goal, 7 assists) are seemingly dismissed as bit-part players in favour of the likes of Browne and Murphy (0 goals and just 3 assists between them).

We have a couple of key injuries (and a couple more that are deeper in the squad) and I really do feel for the 7 or 8 players doing all the heavy lifting at the moment, but the situation is nowhere near as horrific as is being routinely and melodramatically suggested on here.

As far as I can tell, the rest of your post is saying that you basically make no allowances for it.

Who has said Browne and Murphy are more important than Mills and Ty?

Science??? Maybe that's what's the problem with the modern game .
They're to finely tuned, the slightest movement & tweak & they're out injured for weeks , month's.
It wasn't as bad in the good old bad days with injuries, plus player's played without substitutes & busier Christmas & Easter schedules.
Too much stats & science, instead of good old common sense nowadays..

The reason that every single team has adapted and moved on is because, if they didn’t, they’d lose every week.

 

[PottersRightBoot]

You say the engine of Manning's team is missing, and then mention only Leigh, Edwards and Negru (who respectively started 8, 2 and 5 of the 16 League games this season under Manning)?

We are missing a bit of (temperamental) flair and creativity, sure, but it's an absolute fabrication to suggest 'the engine' of our early season form is missing (i.e. Beadle, Moore, McGuane, Brannagan, Rodrigues).

And it appears our injured players are also getting better with every game they miss. To the point where Goodrham (4 League goals, 3 assists) and Mills (1 goal, 7 assists) are seemingly dismissed as bit-part players in favour of the likes of Browne and Murphy (0 goals and just 3 assists between them).

We have a couple of key injuries (and a couple more that are deeper in the squad) and I really do feel for the 7 or 8 players doing all the heavy lifting at the moment, but the situation is nowhere near as horrific as is being routinely and melodramatically suggested on here.

Eh? All our impact players are missing.

 

[Paul Cannell]

Browne and Murphy were Robinson signings, the Henry contract extension was Robinsons doing, Bodin as well.

The centre forward situation is partly Robinson and partly Manning, but Robinson was here for 5 years and left that cupboard absolutely bare along with other positions, Manning had a hell of a job to do in a short time to repair the damage Robinson did to the club.

The fires from Robinsons last year at the club were put out by Manning which was one hell of a job but the damage that was left and the rebuild job was never going to be completed in one summer transfer window, the beginning of this season was a false dawn of overachievement in the shadow of the damage caused by a man having a midlife crisis of epic proportions.

Agree about what happened. I would say there are 2 areas of blame:

1. a fake manager who pretended to be working for 3 years was eventually found out after he had eviscerated the football staff.

2. the management who swallowed his bullshit whole because they were over-awed and smitten (Tiger) or too lazy to look and too ignorant about football to understand what a shambles the football side was or how long it would take to fix (the Chuckle Brothers: Timmy & Grant).

And they're doing it again. They've employed one man (Des Buckingham, presumably because it would wash well to have a local face running the team) to replace a team of 4 and then said "Job done".

The board of Oxford United is where the buck for the Derby match stops.

 

[Paul Cannell]

He joined a team doing well though. I can't be the only one who was looking forward to a new manager bounce from second and are slightly disappointed it hasn't happened and momentum appears to have been lost.

You probably aren't the only one.

You probably aren't the only one who hadn't noticed that we were getting increasingly found out by teams that pressed us hard, that key players were (often predictably) getting injured, that the squad was paper thin despite a bloody good window overseen by Manning or that, without a striker, we were falsely high in the league table. That it looked a lot better than it was.