Away Match Day Thread *** 4/8/2018 Barnsley FC v OUFC match day thread ***

[Shaun Rice]

On the one hand, today's result doesn't completely deflate me about the prospects for the season. Barnsley are clearly an excellent side who will be there or thereabouts at season's end. So that's likely one of the season's toughest games out the way early.

It does, however, depress me a little about the state of football nowadays. There's always been a bit of a gap between the Premier League and Championship, but there was never much of a gulf between the bottom of the Championship and League One. Now there seems to be a chasm. With teams in the division above us paying fees for players, on a semi-regular basis, that are bigger than our annual revenue.

Last year the three teams that came down went straight back up again; Bolton did it the season before; You'd have to think that Barnsley & Sunderland will be strong favorites to do the same this year....with only the fact that Burton were punching above their weight for a couple of years leaving a spot open for someone else.

Makes you wonder what hope we have in the medium term to better our lot significantly. Unless someone takes us over with sufficient resources to sort through the stadium issues, then a solid finish in League One and a good cup run would seem to be about the summit of our realistic ambitions at the moment. Which isn't the worst thing in the world - it's a good league, with some fun opponents - but hardly matches the dreams of the 80s or even 90s.

Modern football, eh?

Absolutely true, good post.
I actually thought tiger was going to be the man to bridge the gap between the finances required in league one and the championship. All the talk about Eastwood seeing the list of targets and signing, Tiger at the forum “wow these are championship players” and “it’s going to be an exciting season”. Him having a meeting with Ka$$am etc. I don’t think it’s quite gone to plan. I still think he might be the man but it’l be through partnerships like Singha and bringing other investors in because, well actually that’s more sustainable.

Regarding the match yesterday and the team. Firstly terrible news regarding Samir. Hope he’s back playing soon but it’ll not be until Christmas that we see him!
I’m not going to slate individual players in this post but in general we were exposed in a few areas.
In the final 3rd we’re simply not good enough. We were not good enough last season and as it stands not much has changed.
Our midfield was massively exposed against Leeds a week or so ago and it was again today.
Finally we struggled down the flanks but I doubt we’ll see many teams that are able to expose us quite as much as they did.
There’s still time for Tiger, KR and the rest of the back room team to turn this around but I thing as you posted the gulf between us and the championship is vast right now.

 

[RCYellowRC]

It's frustrating the first goal came when it did. That was Carruthers man who scored it. That was the defining moment of the game. After that goal heads dropped and Barnsley played is of the park. I'm not worried as I think Barnsley have the best team in the league by far.

 

[windmill]

Sod it another point - I think we struggled with how wide the pitch was too. Barnsley have definitely made theirs as big as possible.

I thought everyone at Barnsley was very friendly, it is the north after all

Its pretty easy to be friendly when you've hammered someone four nil.

 

[McXal]

Yeah - must say my experience of Barnsley fans is that they aren’t a pleasant bunch at all. Classic gobby, cocky, Yorkshire fans. Between a pissed up group of them chanting ‘baby, you’re a c***’ at my six month old daughter before the JPT final to the group on the way in yesterday who cockily and cheerfully told me they should ‘do us easily’ (well at least they went home happy) and couldn’t understand why our keeper hadn’t ‘forced his move to us through’, or the pissed up lads barging through a group of Oxford fans yelling about how sh*t we were.

Not my favourite team. Isolated incidents perhaps. But my experience is that they are spiky and unpleasant. Would love for us to finally get one over them when they come to ours later in the year, although on the evidence of yesterday that seems unlikely

 

[Osleroad]

Yeah - must say my experience of Barnsley fans is that they aren’t a pleasant bunch at all. Classic gobby, cocky, Yorkshire fans. Between a pissed up group of them chanting ‘baby, you’re a c***’ at my six month old daughter before the JPT final to the group on the way in yesterday who cockily and cheerfully told me they should ‘do us easily’ (well at least they went home happy) and couldn’t understand why our keeper hadn’t ‘forced his move to us through’, or the pissed up lads barging through a group of Oxford fans yelling about how sh*t we were.

Not my favourite team. Isolated incidents perhaps. But my experience is that they are spiky and unpleasant. Would love for us to finally get one over them when they come to ours later in the year, although on the evidence of yesterday that seems unlikely

And note the smirking stewards in oxmail photo of Carruthers exiting yesterday which maybe unrelated but makes you cross to view

 

[RCYellowRC]

Sod it another point - I think we struggled with how wide the pitch was too. Barnsley have definitely made theirs as big as possible.

I thought everyone at Barnsley was very friendly, it is the north after all

would hope this isn't the case as the pitch at Grenoble road has been made wider and longer this season.

 

[Steve McAvoy]

On the one hand, today's result doesn't completely deflate me about the prospects for the season. Barnsley are clearly an excellent side who will be there or thereabouts at season's end. So that's likely one of the season's toughest games out the way early.

It does, however, depress me a little about the state of football nowadays. There's always been a bit of a gap between the Premier League and Championship, but there was never much of a gulf between the bottom of the Championship and League One. Now there seems to be a chasm. With teams in the division above us paying fees for players, on a semi-regular basis, that are bigger than our annual revenue.

Last year the three teams that came down went straight back up again; Bolton did it the season before; You'd have to think that Barnsley & Sunderland will be strong favorites to do the same this year....with only the fact that Burton were punching above their weight for a couple of years leaving a spot open for someone else.

Makes you wonder what hope we have in the medium term to better our lot significantly. Unless someone takes us over with sufficient resources to sort through the stadium issues, then a solid finish in League One and a good cup run would seem to be about the summit of our realistic ambitions at the moment. Which isn't the worst thing in the world - it's a good league, with some fun opponents - but hardly matches the dreams of the 80s or even 90s.

Modern football, eh?

Completely agree with this. Consequently developing players through the U23 side is the best option we have, which will require patience (so that should work well!). The prospect of watching other teams players develop endlessly on loan until we can afford to pay obscene amounts of money to journeymen is not a great prospect. I am not going to post anything about yesterday except it is a damn sight quicker getting home to Bradford than back to Oxford- best wishes to all who made the trip north.

 

[uptheus]

It's frustrating the first goal came when it did. That was Carruthers man who scored it. That was the defining moment of the game. After that goal heads dropped and Barnsley played is of the park. I'm not worried as I think Barnsley have the best team in the league by far.

When the first goal came it wouldn’t have made a spot of difference. It was coming before we went down to ten men.

 

[Davox]

I didn’t think that when we put Singha on our shirts we’d turn into a pub team! That’s what it looked like to me! Men v boys

 

[Osleroad]

I didn’t think that when we put Singha on our shirts we’d turn into a pub team! That’s what it looked like to me! Men v boys

The Cambridge Utd away moment has come rather early

 

[RCYellowRC]

When the first goal came it wouldn’t have made a spot of difference. It was coming before we went down to ten men.

I think it may have in terms of the nature of the defeat. That was where Carruthers should have been, it may have helped it be less embarrassing scoreline.

 

[dabigfella]

The defeat was not very nice, but there is one slight excuse for it. Barnsley have basically kept the same side from last year with only a couple of additions. They are therefore a side that is settled and well used to playing alongside each other. United on the other hand are have recruited massively and are therefore a collection of individuals still trying to get together as a team. I still think we would have lost, but perhaps not so badly. I did predict several weeks ago that I thought we would not do well early on because of the upheaval. But I expect matters to improve steadily over the next few weeks. Particularly id the recruitment of real talent goes through as Robinson wats.

 

[MiddleBartonYellow]

I will reserve judgment until we’ve played around 10 games. We were top after 2 games last season and some of us got carried away but look at how that one panned out. A right old beating but a reality check for everyone I think.

 

[RCYellowRC]

I will reserve judgment until we’ve played around 10 games. We were top after 2 games last season and some of us got carried away but look at how that one panned out. A right old beating but a reality check for everyone I think.

exactly, Blackburn lost 3 in a row last season and then went on to be unbeaten for 3 months. Plymouth were bottom 4 months into last season and finished outside the playoffs. What i'm trying to say is no need to worry until atleast October/November time.

 

[Concretebob]

I will reserve judgment until we’ve played around 10 games. We were top after 2 games last season and some of us got carried away but look at how that one panned out. A right old beating but a reality check for everyone I think.

I would agree. It's generally accepted that we played a championship quality side yesterday. The real test is Fleetwood...

(I am in no way making excuses for a rubbish performance yesterday)

 

[Peterdev]

Could be good next week . More complaining about the referee from Joey Barton and a win for us.
Can’t recall losing 0-4 in the first game before, but I do think we were up against one of the favourites for promotion. If we can get a Ricky ahomes may well be different

 

[Concretebob]

Could be good next week . More complaining about the referee from Joey Barton and a win for us.
Can’t recall losing 0-4 in the first game before, but I do think we were up against one of the favourites for promotion. If we can get a Ricky ahomes may well be different

I think Barnsley will win league one personally.

Really hope we can break the Fleetwood curse!

 

[ZeroTheHero]

I would agree. It's generally accepted that we played a championship quality side yesterday. The real test is Fleetwood...

(I am in no way making excuses for a rubbish performance yesterday)

Well maybe - but they ARE in the same division as us. We ought to be able to compete, at the very least. I wasn't there Jerome but from listening to RadOx, it sound very much as if even making a game of it was quite a way beyond us.

The performance sounded very like what I witnessed in the PSF against MK, and it worries me that in those two games (one against a team in the same division as us and one in the division below) we have fallen such a long way short of the standards the the manager must be aiming for. I am looking forward to the Fleetwood match - hopefully a home game and a kick up the collective a**e by KR will have an effect. Three or four new players wouldn't go amiss either!

 

[RCYellowRC]

Well maybe - but they ARE in the same division as us. We ought to be able to compete, at the very least. I wasn't there Jerome but from listening to RadOx, it sound very much as if even making a game of it was quite a way beyond us.

The performance sounded very like what I witnessed in the PSF against MK, and it worries me that in those two games (one against a team in the same division as us and one in the division below) we have fallen such a long way short of the standards the the manager must be aiming for. I am looking forward to the Fleetwood match - hopefully a home game and a kick up the collective a**e by KR will have an effect. Three or four new players wouldn't go amiss either!

I have a feeling we may struggle against 2 up top. MK played it after the 20th minute and we didn't get a sniff of the ball and Barnsley did yesterday and dismantled us with ease. I really think if we don't manage to bag this CM KR has spoke about Mousinho has to start and just sit infornt of our defence and anchor the midfield, to take a bit of pressure of Nelson and Dickie [a bit like the Brannagan role last season].

Fleetwood are going to be just as tough in my opinion because they have some very good attacking quality, they played a 4231 yesterday so it may be a more even game if Barton doesn't go 2 up top. With Mcaleny in the side the midfield will have to be alert because he is a threat from long range and i reckon if we don't sort our positioning out then he will be licking his lips when analysing the first 2 barnsley goals yesterday.

 

[outsidethebox]

Yep, be nice to finally beat Fleetwood!