Away Match Day Thread 8/1/2022 L1: Lincoln City v OUFC

[greatunclekip]

It's not the fact of the loss, but the manner in which we lost it again. Good managers like Appleton suss us out and KR does not seem to have the nous to figure out how to combat it.

Karl Robinson has a lot of good qualities. Tactical nous will never be one of them unfortunately.

 

[bazzer9461]

For those that went what was our support like in terms of getting behind the team? My son read on Twitter that some sections of our end were singing derogatory song(s) about us? Not sure if true or not so just wanted to find out.

748 in total heard some songs on Radox but nothing more than the usual

 

[OxfordYankee]

748 in total heard some songs on Radox but nothing more than the usual

There were some pathetic ‘we’ve lost the ball’, ‘we’ve got the ball’ chanting from our fans.

Not quite ‘how s**t must you be, we lose every week’, but it was still embarrassing to see and hear.

It was a very poor performance, and I suspect those singing it thought that were being funny; they weren’t. I think the team deserved better, despite their own issues on the day.

 

[RyanioBirdio]

Up front i door you’re not addressing the no 9 roll in saying there are 3 for up front?.

There are also three centre forwards competing for one spot, yes. For now.

If people want to talk about quality that’s a separate argument, but quantity is not an issue. The midfield and forward lines are bulging.

 

[mooro]

Sam Long - I firmly believe he gets away with far more mediocre performances because he is a local lad. I’m yet to be convinced that any other promotion aspiring league 1 team would have him in their starting 11.

I'm biased, of course, but on the whole I would say most teams would be happy to have a Sam long in their lineup.

As a defender, I like his commitment, but more his footballing intelligence in that he knows what to do with the ball ( when to play, when to clear), and he is generally among the first to read a situation and cover over when necessary.

And going forwards Sammy on the overlap and/or whipping in those crosses always generates a buzz that those on the left ( ruffs, Seddon) often didn't match.

Saying all that, I didn't see yesterday, where someone suggested that he was playing with a cold or something like that, but against Cheltenham he definitely wasn't his normal self and I could see that description holding water..

 

[bazzer9461]

There were some pathetic ‘we’ve lost the ball’, ‘we’ve got the ball’ chanting from our fans.

Not quite ‘how s**t must you be, we lose every week’, but it was still embarrassing to see and hear.

It was a very poor performance, and I suspect those singing it thought that were being funny; they weren’t. I think the team deserved better, despite their own issues on the day.

There are some sad bastards, I think this season the good football has well outplayed the bad football. We didn’t play well yesterday and yes I was pissed off because that was a draw minimum considering blow we are playing and how they’re playing, but in football nothing is a god given.

 

[bazzer9461]

There are also three centre forwards competing for one spot, yes. For now.

If people want to talk about quality that’s a separate argument, but quantity is not an issue. The midfield and forward lines are bulging.

Yes you’re correct but are you saying Agyei and Winnall are competing on the performances we’ve seen of them so far.

 

[Golden Dr Otto]

There are also three centre forwards competing for one spot, yes. For now.

If people want to talk about quality that’s a separate argument, but quantity is not an issue. The midfield and forward lines are bulging.

Any thought of Matty Taylor and suddenly you whip out the word ‘bulging’

 

[RyanioBirdio]

Yes you’re correct but are you saying Agyei and Winnall are competing on the performances we’ve seen of them so far.

The money is being spent. The bodies are in the building. Quality or performance level isn’t relevant to the point, which is that somebody said Oxford United has a small squad. It does not. Whether that squad is good enough or performing well enough is a separate debate. Those two players are being paid around £5,000 per week between them, by the way. So money isn’t the issue.

It would probably have been better if one of them hadn’t been told they could leave and that their decent form at the back end of last season didn’t mean anything, and if they hadn’t then been stopped from moving on at the last minute because the other one can’t stay fit. Maybe the club should’ve made the call earlier in the window, so that it could have got a replacement sorted and didn’t end up with a crock and somebody who is now mentally shot as the only alternatives, as well as Taylor being run into the ground as a result. Perhaps a lesson to be learned on the planning front.

It’ll be sorted by the summer at the latest either way. Then we can get back to the good old days of you asking for a striker to be signed

 

[windmill]

There were some pathetic ‘we’ve lost the ball’, ‘we’ve got the ball’ chanting from our fans.

Not quite ‘how s**t must you be, we lose every week’, but it was still embarrassing to see and hear.

It was a very poor performance, and I suspect those singing it thought that were being funny; they weren’t. I think the team deserved better, despite their own issues on the day.

What were the issues? Not feeling fit to play? Mind not on the match because of transfer speculation and contract negotiations? Poor reward for the 700 who made the journey.......and that includes you. The team would have got a sight more flak in the inineteen seventies and eighties believe you me. Clearly not good enough.

 

[MarkG]

There were some pathetic ‘we’ve lost the ball’, ‘we’ve got the ball’ chanting from our fans.

Not quite ‘how s**t must you be, we lose every week’, but it was still embarrassing to see and hear.

It was a very poor performance, and I suspect those singing it thought that were being funny; they weren’t. I think the team deserved better, despite their own issues on the day.

Probably thought they were being funny when in reality we were only 2 down. It wasn’t in the realm of a 5-0 defeat at Rushden & Diamonds.

 

[Oufcrealist]

We are now playing the reverse fixtures from earlier in the season.
If most teams are like Lincoln they will do their homework and know if they press us and don’t sit back we tend to lump it forward but that is no good to Taylor.
Not every team will be able to do this but be prepared for more of the same especially away from home and until KR comes up with plan C we may not see the fluid football we have seen of late.

Agree. That is why we need a totally different option to Taylor. A big strong lump who you can target that can get on the end of long balls/crosses and bring others into the game. Try to offload Agyei and Winnall but that won't be easy!!

 

[Greenstar]

Having watched the Wycombe v Sunderland match , next week we'll need a much better focus on planning than v Cheltenham or Lincoln. 3 Centre halves, focus on long balls to forward spaces for our wingers, better set piece delivery, clinical finishing of opportunities (Mr Taylor !)

 

[bazzer9461]

The money is being spent. The bodies are in the building. Quality or performance level isn’t relevant to the point, which is that somebody said Oxford United has a small squad. It does not. Whether that squad is good enough or performing well enough is a separate debate. Those two players are being paid around £5,000 per week between them, by the way. So money isn’t the issue.

It would probably have been better if one of them hadn’t been told they could leave and that their decent form at the back end of last season didn’t mean anything, and if they hadn’t then been stopped from moving on at the last minute because the other one can’t stay fit. Maybe the club should’ve made the call earlier in the window, so that it could have got a replacement sorted and didn’t end up with a crock and somebody who is now mentally shot as the only alternatives, as well as Taylor being run into the ground as a result. Perhaps a lesson to be learned on the planning front.

It’ll be sorted by the summer at the latest either way. Then we can get back to the good old days of you asking for a striker to be signed

But I would like to think if those two go there would be two replacements not at least be good one that would give Matty a run for his money.

 

[OxfordYankee]

What were the issues? Not feeling fit to play? Mind not on the match because of transfer speculation and contract negotiations? Poor reward for the 700 who made the journey.......and that includes you. The team would have got a sight more flak in the inineteen seventies and eighties believe you me. Clearly not good enough.

They played poorly. It happens.

And I was there during the 80’s and the fickleness of fans hasn’t changed a bit.

Thanks for the history lesson, though; really enlightening.

 

[Essexyellows]

Just wondering how much the "lurgy" has impacted the squad and/or individuals?
There are plenty of known side effects such as "brain fog" and muscle weakness, reduced stamina and others that might not be much of a problem for us supporters but could be critical for an elite athlete who has to make split-second choices and movements.

Apart from that, buckle up and push on...

 

[Mellowyellow]

Its quite simple really. Yesterday showed we need an alternative to Taylor, just in case he gets injured or hits a barren spell. This alongside cover in defence, although with the Brannigan and Kane situation we may need cover there.

 

[Mellowyellow]

5 players in?
Did you listen to KR I would imagine we might get 1/2
My bet is that it will be Browne and one other
Agyei will be on his way

Then if he really believes his own words, and 1/2 come in then if we continue to drop points to the likes of Cambridge, Wimbledon, Cheltenham, the play offs might be a step too far as well.

 

[Paul Cannell]

It was a bad day yesterday, nothing more.

It was certainly a bad day, and it clarifies some major weaknesses in our team:

we are always vulnerable to teams that play with pace and attack the wings, Long is far and away our best reader of the game defensively but with the support Whyte gave him he can't be expected to attack and defend (Long was poor yesterday), Seddon is inept at defending, Moore reads the game like it's in Sanskrit and without Gorrin our midfield don't protect the defence when the ball is coming at them.

Taylor is knackered and there's no feasible replacement in the squad. Why?

We haven’t become a bad team overnight and the play-offs are still possible but we're not going to challenge for automatics without 3 or 4 improvements.

Oh, why was our best player taken off yesterday (Williams)?

 

[Jolteon]

I've only missed five games this season - Saturday's loss to Lincoln, the loss to Wigan, and the cup defeats to QPR, Stevenage and Bristol Rovers. Clearly I am some kind of good luck charm because every game I don't watch we seem to lose. I sincerely apologise for being unavailable this weekend just gone, and I will endeavour to keep every Saturday afternoon and Tuesday evening free for the rest of the season.