Away Match Day Thread 6/2/2021 L1 Doncaster Rovers v OUFC

[BigLad]

Exactly, come on guys less of the continued negative comments for Eastwood. He wasn't responsible for the goals stevens let in yesterday. He's paying his penance, and needs less of this to get his confidence back.

Fine he's made mistakes, but too many on here forget when the boot has been on the other foot, over a the years and he has produced great performances, whilst stevens has produced some clangers.

As soon as the post about stevens missing the ball low by the post was made on the forum earlier in the thread, it's been open season on Eastwood, and a sense of the eleventh commandment:
Thou shallt not Critisise stevens.

Eastwood is as much an Oxford player as stevens is, and as such needs encouragement and support, rather than raking over the old ashes of earlier in the season.

what clangers, wandered how long before you put your two pence in !

 

[Oxford84]

Are we seeing the end of Henry as a league 1 player?he’s been brilliant in all his time with us, apart from this season when he’s just had the odd brilliant moment.

 

[ZeroTheHero]

I wasn't actually too discouraged by yesterday. Of course I didn't want us to lose, but for long periods of the game we were the better team against another team at the right end of the table and also going great guns. The two new lads that started looked good and we moved the ball about nicely quite a lot of the time.

Gorrin is a bit daft sometimes: he get books stupidly and is then at about 50% effectiveness for the rest of the game. It's not the first time this season.
Doncaster (for all the slightly sour comments on here) did the counter-attacking thing very very well - they were clinical in front of goal and moved the ball forward on the floor much quicker and with more players flooding forward than we did in similar situations. I hope there are a few lessons being learned there..
... and indeed from their goals. How their player scored with five of ours standing there watching him defies belief, and the defending for the other two wasn't much better.
I also hope we are practicing passing in training this week. There were some times where we just gifted the ball to them in awful positions. And it was more than just one or two players guilty in that regard.

I fully expect us to be back to winning ways on Tuesday.

 

[tonyw]

The standard of football in div 3 is higher now though. I agree about Joey and Elliott, also Simmo was better than our current wingers. I’d say the full backs are roughly on a par but Gorrin, Henry, and Brannagan would get into the 96 side. I’d take a fully fit Moody any day!

Paul Simpson? His last game for Oxford was in 1992!
Our wingers in 1995-96 were Joey and some combination of Massey, Mark Angel and Chrissy Allen.

And whilst Cam is awesome, Bobby Ford was pretty damn good as well (at least in his first spell).

 

[werthersoriginal]

Paul Simpson? His last game for Oxford was in 1992!
Our wingers in 1995-96 were Joey and some combination of Massey, Mark Angel and Chrissy Allen.

And whilst Cam is awesome, Bobby Ford was pretty damn good as well (at least in his first spell).

Yes Simmo was a bit of a digression. None of those wingers would get near our side though Massey was pretty good. Of course it all depends what formation this combined side would play!

 

[Carpy]

Next season I’d like to see us sign a new keeper, offer Stevens a new contract but then loan him out. Then look to review the keeper situation next January window / end of next season.

Like I said he has done well, but I still think it’s an area we need to strengthen in.

I think you need to give your head a wobble after that suggestion, out of all the places we need to strengthen, a first team goalkeeper is not one of them based on the performances from Stevens so far.

 

[MiddleBartonYellow]

I think you need to give your head a wobble after that suggestion, out of all the places we need to strengthen, a first team goalkeeper is not one of them based on the performances from Stevens so far.

It’s now or never for Stevens in my opinion because he’s waited long enough. He needs to push on and make it his own. If anything it’s Eastwood that probably needs to move on because I assume he’s on to big a wage to be a backup.

 

[tonyw]

It’s now or never for Stevens in my opinion because he’s waited long enough. He needs to push on and make it his own. If anything it’s Eastwood that probably needs to move on because I assume he’s on to big a wage to be a backup.

I'm sure Eastwood will be moving on in the summer. He signed a 3-year deal in 2018, so he's OOC in June and I can't imagine we'll be offering him another based on his play this year (or last year, to be honest).

As for Stevens? If he plays the rest of the year as well, or close to as well as he has done so far, he should be first choice next year.

But he's never been a full-time Football League keeper. So he does need to prove over the next three months that he can keep his levels high over the long haul. If he can't then we will need to bring in some competition next season.

 

[dickwalton1964]

Are we seeing the end of Henry as a league 1 player?he’s been brilliant in all his time with us, apart from this season when he’s just had the odd brilliant moment.

Of course we‘re not. Anybody can see what Henry brings to the team - goals for a start.

 

[LeftSideBoy]

Of course we‘re not. Anybody can see what Henry brings to the team - goals for a start.

You talk absolute rubbish Josh Ruffels has scored more this season! Josh Ruffels has more assists. He’s a defender..

Once Maguane is back and Lee is fully fit, I really cannot see how Henry starts over either of those players!

 

[dickwalton1964]

You talk absolute rubbish Josh Ruffels has scored more this season! Josh Ruffels has more assists. He’s a defender..

Once Maguane is back and Lee is fully fit, I really cannot see how Henry starts over either of those players!

It seriously sounds personal with you. F*** me, get behind a player who plays for the club you supposedly support, kept us in this division single handedly a couple of seasons ago and continues to be an automatic pick for Robinson in any meaningful game.

 

[LeftSideBoy]

It seriously sounds personal with you. F*** me, get behind a player who plays for the club you supposedly support, kept us in this division single handedly a couple of seasons ago and continues to be an automatic pick for Robinson in any meaningful game.

It’s not personal, its looking at something objectively. I really don’t care what he did 2 seasons ago. I care about how he is playing now. If you choose to select players based on how they used to play, Eastwood would still be in goal and we would be languishing in 18th. That’s ridiculous.

I’ve watched every single minute of this season and in 95% of the games he has played, he hasn’t been anywhere near good enough. If we are serious about going up or challenging for the playoffs, we shouldn’t be picking players based on sentiment.

He’s been carried in far too many games and now that we have better options, we should use them. Simple as that.

Gorrin
Brannagan Maguane
Barker Taylor Lee/Shodipo

You seriously cannot tell me you would pick Henry over any of those players, based on form?

 

[Carpy]

It seriously sounds personal with you. F*** me, get behind a player who plays for the club you supposedly support, kept us in this division single handedly a couple of seasons ago and continues to be an automatic pick for Robinson in any meaningful game.

Robinson picked Clare at RB consistently, I wouldn’t use that as an indication of Henry’s quality

I think once McGuane is back fit and all of Lee, Barker and Shodipo are match fit then I suspect those calling for less blind loyalty towards Henry may be proved correct, that being said, I do think he has something to offer and would be my pick ahead of both Kelly and Forde at CM

 

[Scotchegg]

It’s not personal, its looking at something objectively. I really don’t care what he did 2 seasons ago. I care about how he is playing now. If you choose to select players based on how they used to play, Eastwood would still be in goal and we would be languishing in 18th. That’s ridiculous.

I’ve watched every single minute of this season and in 95% of the games he has played, he hasn’t been anywhere near good enough. If we are serious about going up or challenging for the playoffs, we shouldn’t be picking players based on sentiment.

He’s been carried in far too many games and now that we have better options, we should use them. Simple as that.

Gorrin
Brannagan Maguane
Barker Taylor Lee/Shodipo

You seriously cannot tell me you would pick Henry over any of those players, based on form?

I said we should have played Kelly!!!

 

[LeftSideBoy]

I said we should have played Kelly!!!

Hey, we all make mistakes

 

[Mellowyellow]

If you can cite ONE clanger that Stevens has made then I’ll be very impressed..

Quite a loaded question. From the opinion of some the goal he could have done better at stopping. As mentioned earlier in the thread and by Captain Ox. Doesn't look like his best moment. I didn't mean to break the 11tth commandment ffs. I'm talking during the reserve games I've seen over the years.

 

[Mellowyellow]

I know you don't like Stevens, but please list 'clangers ' he has made. I could list quite a few massive clangers from Eastwood over the last few months he played.

Also, Stevens has been criticised for a few minor errors... kicking, and possibly first goal yesterday.

Don't like stevens?? I don't even know the lad. My opinion is, for the record, the same as others have mentioned here, namely, I think kr will being in a first choice in the summer, and stevens will compete for the jersey.

 

[Scotchegg]

Quite a loaded question. From the opinion of some the goal he could have done better at stopping. As mentioned earlier in the thread and by Captain Ox. Doesn't look like his best moment. I didn't mean to break the 11tth commandment ffs. I'm talking during the reserve games I've seen over the years.

Go on, name some of those clangers that you've (not) seen?

 

[Thomas/Brock/Jones]

Don't like stevens?? I don't even know the lad. My opinion is, for the record, the same as others have mentioned here, namely, I think kr will being in a first choice in the summer, and stevens will compete for the jersey.

Tbf , you don't and haven't posted anything positive about him( or any youth players for that matter ) but seem to be quick to criticise.
If he keeps the form he has been in over the next 20 odd games then it would be madness to bring in another keeper , especially when our squad maybe limited to 20 players !

 

[LeftSideBoy]

Quite a loaded question. From the opinion of some the goal he could have done better at stopping. As mentioned earlier in the thread and by Captain Ox. Doesn't look like his best moment. I didn't mean to break the 11tth commandment ffs. I'm talking during the reserve games I've seen over the years.

That’s not a clanger, that’s conceding a goal at your near post that took a deflection off of your left back...

A clanger is taking someone out in the playoff final and giving away a penalty that cost us promotion. No big deal though, right?