Home Match Day Thread 31/01/2026 - MDT: Oxford United v Birmingham City

[Carpy]

 

[holdsteady]

Don't know how many times ive said it this season but we cant play with 2 in midfield we just get over run

Any formation we play seems to get picked apart eventually though. But we looked more solid with 3 in the middle, didn’t really create a lot of chances though.

 

[Isle of Wight Yellow]

Take it no one moaned when cam bran moved the ball vs Coventry

Firstly that wasn’t the ref getting it wrong and secondly that was less than half as far away from the correct spot as this one was

 

[JOHN BOY]

We could have Haarland up front and he would struggle. We create no real chances, a few half chances in the first 15 mins but that was it until last five when Romeny had a snap shot.
What we lack are creative midfielders who can open up defences and I see no signs of us signing anyone like that.
Having said that we only have Lankshear as an out and out striker and he is still learning his trade. Prelec hasn’t impressed me that much and Harris is not up to it.
These two areas were not addressed in the summer and boy have we paid for it

So we do need a striker.

 

[Jster]

Firstly that wasn’t the ref getting it wrong and secondly that was less than half as far away from the correct spot as this one was

The weird thing was you could actually see the slide mark for where the tackle was made. Not sure how the ref missed that.

 

[Yellowmania]

I completely agree with this. After a bright start, Birmingham got to grips with our press and it was as clear as day that McDonnell and Brannagan were right up against it.

There were two reasons the gameplan worked at Leicester:

1- their CBs were pretty limited on the ball and had no intention of carrying it.

2 - they only had a midfield two and we were matched up against them.

Once it became obvious the Brum Terminator twins were actually pretty comfortable on the ball and could move it crisply and quickly, we should have adjusted immediately. Instead, they just played around us and their midfield had started to dominate even before their goal. Once we went behind the life was just sucked out of us.

It was then encouraging to see Konak ready to come on at half-time, replaced with instant frustration when it became apparent that it was like-for-like. If McDonnell was feeling something, then it should have been Vaulks AND Konak coming on. We should have gone 3 in midfield against their 3, sat back a bit more and looked to get at them on the counter.

I obviously expect to lose games at this level, but if we do I also expect no stone to be left unturned in trying to squeeze out every point we can and want to see a plan B if plan A isn't working. I also want to see complete ruthlessness if the changes need to be made, I don't care if it's the 30th minute. If we had made those tactical tweaks and still come away from the game well beaten, I'd then be happy to say Bloomfield had done all he could, we were just outplayed by a better team and we've got to shake it off and move on. But we didn't, and it was a big error on Bloomfield's part.

I still think we're completely capable of getting out of it and still have faith that we we have it in us to be at least above Blackburn and West Brom come the end of the season, particularly considering that there's likely to be activity tomorrow. But it's going to need us to adapt much more quickly when a gameplan gets thrown off early doors and be much less passive when the signs are clearly there - I hope Bloomfield has learned a massive lesson after this defeat.

Absolutely 100% agree with this and it seemed so obvious at the game to do this at half time that I’d love to hear MB’s tactical reasoning not to.

 

[carefreeoufc]

Doesn't help that some of our fans are entirely ignorant of football tactics and how the game works, yet expect our players to be able to play the opposition off the park.

Had some fool behind me who swore and moaned at the players throughout the match for:

• Passing the ball about instead of attacking
• Trying cross-field passes as opposed to passing to playing through the middle
• Trying to dribble it through them
• Trying long-balls / "hoofing" the ball forward
• Shooting from outside of the box
• Not shooting from outside of the box

Go on then mate, what should they do? Those are literally the only options. Do you really think the players just choose to pass the ball about for the sake of it? Or might it be that they are trying to find space and a team mate to pass the ball to, but that they're just not able to?

We're just not good enough at unlocking the opposition every game, especially if they are tactically astute and disciplined at keeping their shape. Doesn't mean you should call every player every swear word under the sun as opposed to encouraging them.

Swearing at players throughout?

Leaving the ground as soon as we concede a 2nd goal, with a third of the match still to go?

Do us all a favour and just stay at home. A 7,000 attendance with encouraging fans is better than a 11,500 attendance where a 40% of the fans are abusive and demonstratively discouraging.

We’ve always had imbeciles. All football clubs have them. We could go back to non league or L2 days and the same faces would be there.

In my limited experience, the new “hangers on” aren’t the issue. It’s the 3 teeth between a family of four brigade that are.

 

[Emilio]

We’ve always had imbeciles. All football clubs have them. We could go back to non league or L2 days and the same faces would be there.

In my limited experience, the new “hangers on” aren’t the issue. It’s the 3 teeth between a family of four brigade that are.

What do you mean by "hangers on"?

 

[Bicester Yellow]

I don't know if this has been mentioned before and it's slightly off thread but I cannot see how Romeny gets in the team ahead of Krastev, who I always felt tried to make things happen, was always industrious and chased back defensively. I would have him in the squad ahead of Romeny.

Romeny plays for Indonesia, Krastev doesn’t.

Not a slight on anyone but it’s obvious why he gets in the squad and Krastev doesn’t and that’s not because of on field product.

 

[carefreeoufc]

What do you mean by "hangers on"?

Apologies, mate. I read your post and another I’m quick succession. “Hangers on” was based on new supporters who’d only followed us since the heady heights of the championship.

 

[Sarge]

I don't know if this has been mentioned before and it's slightly off thread but I cannot see how Romeny gets in the team ahead of Krastev, who I always felt tried to make things happen, was always industrious and chased back defensively. I would have him in the squad ahead of Romeny.

Erik T being at the game, (according to RadOx), may have been a factor? - or maybe its that Romeny is better in training than Krastev?

 

[ubermeistervonmeat]

Erik T being at the game, (according to RadOx), may have been a factor? - or maybe its that Romeny is better in training than Krastev?

Probably the former

 

[Oldman159]

Somebody talking about luck? We only get the bad kind….and if we didn’t have that, we wouldn’t have any luck at all.

As an aside, perhaps the team should be made to watch the Spurs v Citeh match today? Another 45min team in a brilliant second half….
Watch it , Not only for the ‘game of two halves’ but also the poor officiating….its not just us, but it doesn’t make it any easier to swallow

 

[Trevor L]

Somebody talking about luck? We only get the bad kind….and if we didn’t have that, we wouldn’t have any luck at all.

As an aside, perhaps the team should be made to watch the Spurs v Citeh match today? Another 45min team in a brilliant second half….
Watch it , Not only for the ‘game of two halves’ but also the poor officiating….its not just us, but it doesn’t make it any easier to swallow

Yes, ManC we're cruising in the first half but Spurs came out and had a go in the second half and really unsettled them. Shows it can be done at that level, poorer team closes the gap by will and effort.

 

[OX14]

Good to see the club playing some music from an Oxfordshire musician.

Anyone know who it was?

 

[Isle of Wight Yellow]

Romeny plays for Indonesia, Krastev doesn’t.

Not a slight on anyone but it’s obvious why he gets in the squad and Krastev doesn’t and that’s not because of on field product.

Romeny has been better and done more in his last two Oxford United appearances than Krastev has in his last two.

 

[ubermeistervonmeat]

Romeny has been better and done more in his last two Oxford United appearances than Krastev has in his last two.

True but thats still a low bar