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

[Carpy]

 

[Sarge]

s**t ref so far (again)

 

[Isle of Wight Yellow]

Think I might hook Spencer here. He's been a bit rubbish and he's on a yellow

He looks completely shot of all confidence

 

[Made-in-Jericho]

s**t ref so far (again)

What a surprise (not)!

 

[Symp59]

Both wingback poor ,go to a back 4 but not many options in the middle, Harris back to normal .

 

[BrockBuster]

I'm yet to be convinced Phillips is still good enough to be a winger at this level.

I'm more certain than anything I've seen in football that he isn't able to play as a bloody left wing back.

 

[Canterburyexile]

Be interesting to see if MB mixes it up straight away.

 

[Berliner]

Been a decent game all round. Good ten minutes but can't lay a glove on them since the goal. Missing the nous of BDK or similar. You can just see the difference in class...Birmingham play it out, we try to but either turn back (although nowhere near like under Rowett) or Brown just massacres it aimlessly upfield.

 

[Sarge]

Lacklustre 1st half. Step it up n sharpen up 2nd half Oxford

 

[Osleroad]

Oh Rosie only one nil - might as well be 10 if we can't stop this Nurse Oxford making Blues weekends away better.

 

[OX14]

I'm yet to be convinced Phillips is still good enough to be a winger at this level.

I'm more certain than anything I've seen in football that he isn't able to play as a bloody left wing back.

He's giving it a better go at it than Spencer is who was awful that first half.

 

[Swaby39]

Really, really poor half. Deservedly behind. Lots of people off the boil and a catalogue of errors for the goal. All we can do there is draw a line under it and reset.

I don’t understand switching Mills and MPH when they’ve been pretty effective the other way around. Brannagan and McDonnell look totally lost and outnumbered.

Got to throw Konak and Helik in here, yank Spencer off who’s booked and not contributing.

Not done anywhere near enough after the first few minutes to think we can win this. Birmingham are a boring watch but the ease they are playing around us needs addressing. 3 CBs is a waste when all the play is happening 50 yards away from them.

This is exactly how they played in the away fixture, so they haven’t changed and Bloomfield has misread it. New game plan needed.

 

[Symp59]

Outplayed through the middle ,Spencer off ,Phillips, off Vaulkes and placheta on.Move Brannagan slightly forward, stan back on the right he looks lost and get Harris off

 

[brassmonkey]

Really stupid free kick to give away for their goal. Annoyingly the free kick was taken 5 yards in from the byeline as well which allowed a 'shot'. One of our players flicked it on. Cumming flapped at it - real schoolboy stuff.

 

[WRox]

Missing Currie so badly.

 

[Isle of Wight Yellow]

I really want to see us make changes at half time and come out better second half - this has been back to the bad old days of no-one getting forwards, no confidence on the ball, poor performances from players.

Spencer and Phillips off at HT, switch to 4-2-3-1.

 

[Symp59]

Need much much better 2nd half ,we need at least a point today, weve got a really tough February coming up .Sheff utd ,Middlesbrough and Coventry away

 

[Sarge]

Need a much better 2nd half Oxford

 

[BrockBuster]

He's giving it a better go at it than Spencer is who was awful that first half.

Aye and more troubling given it's more of a natural position to Spencher. But don't think we can't really happy one player is giving a 5/10 performance just because the other is a 4/10.

 

[chuckbert]

Aye and more troubling given it's more of a natural position to Spencher. But don't think we can't really happy one player is giving a 5/10 performance just because the other is a 4/10.

Don’t think that’s fair on Philips

 

[WRox]

I think in Spencer’s defence their winger has been outstanding and he’s taking advantage of the space between Spencer and Long.

 

[Theox07]

Been a decent game all round. Good ten minutes but can't lay a glove on them since the goal. Missing the nous of BDK or similar. You can just see the difference in class...Birmingham play it out, we try to but either turn back (although nowhere near like under Rowett) or Brown just massacres it aimlessly upfield.

Brown has touched the ball once what game have u been watching

 

[BicesterU]

Shape isn't right. They're playing through our press too easily, and we spent two thirds of that half running back towards goal.

I'd do Phillips for Konak, move Stan to the right, MPH on the left and cam in front of Konak and McDonell.

 

[Mad Dog]

Lively start, got the crowd going, then switched off, and were utter shite after that.

Harris back to being Harris, Spencer looks miles off, midfield getting outplayed with ease, and formation not working at all.

Other than that, a good first half!

 

[battman]

Not out of the game, but it’s not been great. A back three/back five only works well when you’re matching up with the opposition; because what’s happening is their left winger is operating in so much space that both drags Long out and forces Spencer back.

We’ve had no width in the half because our wingbacks have been pinned back, and our back three are essentially marking one player, which leaves us a man light in other areas of the pitch.

Also our front three feels like a front one, as MPH and Mills don’t know whether to tuck in or offer width. I think our press has been pretty bad too, very reactive instead of proactive, and our shooting so tame.

Need to step it up in the second 45, which starts with moving to a back four.

 

[Northstandboy]

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

 

[Robin Shater]

Come on Yellows.
Up at at 'em.

 

[Northstandboy]

Konak on for McDonnal

 

[Sarge]

COME ON YOU U'S

 

[Northstandboy]

Bloomfield isn’t scared to make a HT change.

 

[Berliner]

Brown has touched the ball once what game have u been watching

Correct, and what did he do with it again?