A big thank you to KR and Tiger

[Sharp Edges]

Let’s not lose sight of the fact that although we are in a league that is title EFL 1, we are in fact in the third level of the old football league structure, with a distinct possibility of dropping into the fourth level. We hear every day about the cost of living and how people are struggling and the fact that going to watch a team struggling in the third tier of English football is not cheap and in some cases bloody expensive, it’s not unreasonable to expect a win now and again. There are many other ways people can spend their income on and in the case of OUFC, they are not at the moment giving fans the encouragement to watch them, as they lose most weeks. The Man City game is a once in a generation opportunity and the fact that the club sold out for this game means they added much needed fund to the coffers. I have a season ticket so have paid up front, if I did not have one I to may have thought twice about Tuesdays game as KR has told us the players hate playing at the Kassam, not a great marketing ploy.

Whats his excuse for the games we dont play at the Kassam?

 

[Oxford84]

Just looking at league games only,the stats of those games in terms of possession and chances on goal,only twice have we had less possession and chances than the team we were playing against.Barnsley and Portsmouth.of the other 8 league games 4 weve had more possession and chances and 4 we had either more possession or chances,

 

[Thehorse777]

Ok, but where on the pitch is that possession and where have the shots been from?

There’s no point having loads of possession if most of it is in your own half with 11 opponent a between the ball and goal.

Yes, we keep the ball well quite often but this is usually in areas that aren’t going to hurt the opposition so they are happy, especially away from home, to allow us to keep the ball in these areas..... just as we were against Man City.

It’s easy to skew the reality using statistics if you look at the right ones, what you can’t hide though are results and this is the only statistic that matters.

You can play well and lose on the odd occasion but if you think it happens every week then there’s something else wrong rather than not getting the run of green.

 

[Oxford84]

well seeing as how in most games we are creating chances I would say the possession is in good attacking areas,if it was just possession at the back we wouldn't have the chances.

 

[Oufcrealist]

I find it quite sad that when longstanding fans reach a nadir and express their frustration publicly, they get harangued and rather unpleasantly cast as 'martyrs' or 'drama queens'.

I'm sure most fans on here have been through both good and bad times with OUFC - 48 years worth in my case - and these fans have the right to share their feelings with current fellow sufferers.

@Shaun Rice has every right to feel disappointed at the moment, and if his son - one of the younger generation we will rely on - is so disillusioned that he won't make Tuesday's game that should illicit concern from the Robinson / Tiger cabal, rather than disdain from us.

Things are not improving. We need some sort of change. I will NEVER support booing our team, but if just 5,000 home fans versus Luton helps the penny drop, it can only be a good thing.

Spot on Pete.
54 years in my case and fans should be free to show as much concern as they like.
No booing from me but away from the ground I'll say what I think. It's almost at the point where if there is no sustained improvement the home crowds will inevitably drop. That can't be ignored.
KR and Tiger said pre season they wanted play offs minimum. That looks very unlikely and now the aspiration seems to be avoid relegation or mid table at best. Not good enough for me.

 

[yellowbow]

NO, I’m not saying that, I agree that we are playing just like a team that gets relegated - not looking too bad a lot of the time, bit unlucky, just can’t score. But to make out it’s some sort of all time low is ridiculous

I think the reason people are so angry is after a summer of KR given it the billy big b#ll#cks large one, what are we now - barely 8 weeks into the season? - and it’s now a case of avoiding relegation. He’s completely ballsed everything up but still giving it the big ‘I am’ and taking no responsibility for it whatsoever

 

[makv]

Whats his excuse for the games we dont play at the Kassam?

They hate playing there too

 

[Thehorse777]

What games have we had loads of chances in?
If you are talking about shots, yes weve had them but most of those are, again, innareas that arent likely to hurt teams.

I always played as a defender and if someone wanted to keep shooting from 25 yards becasuse theyd run out ideas id be more than happy.

 

[RyanioBirdio]

If anyone thinks we’re creating proper chances they’re clearly mad. We’re largely having pot shots from 20+ yards or flicking the ball towards goal from set pieces, which counts as a shot and skews the precious statistics. Even if it trickles into the goalies hands or drifts yards wide of the post it counts. That isn’t a chance. We are beyond toothless and have been in the league absolutely all season, and I don’t need some statistics to tell me otherwise. Watch the games, not the numbers.

 

[outsidethebox]

I can't help thinking that there is stuff going on in the background that is causing us to drift along in this current state. Whether it's related to this new possible stakeholder or other things I've no idea. Just have a gut feeling that somethings not right somewhere.

 

[unification]

Whilst I sort of understand the OP's viewpoint in mustering up enthusiasm to attend, to bring in the 'I've been going since X and my dad since Y' emotive narrative makes it a bit OTT. These sort 'open letter' of posts are appropriate when the death knell is tolling and you may not have a club to support in a few weeks - not for a sticky patch which could be sorted out. Some serious perspective is needed here.

Things are very s**t at present but all of us know it has been a lot worse, a lot closer to the wire in terms of this club surviving (most of the '90s were spent battling some sort of financial crisis) and with terrible people running things. I came back from yesterday's game pigsick at what I'd witnessed and frustrated at the identikit performance that that team, manager and formation generates game after game.

I'll moan and whinge and complain about it in the vain hope that others agree and the envelope can be pushed to generate change, but I won't be resorting to eulogies and overtures towards the club breaking me as a fan just yet.

 

[Shaun Rice]

Get a grip mate. If you don't want to go then don't, if you do get behind the team.

Everyone thinks they're a martyr these days.

Read my post again. At no point do I say I’m not going. I’m no martyr not looking to be. What I posted is 100% factual nothing more nothing less.

Edit: I wonder how many more fans will drop away in the coming weeks. Let’s see.

 

[Deleted member 291]

Read my post again. At no point do I say I’m not going. I’m no martyr not looking to be. What I posted is 100% factual nothing more nothing less.

Edit: I wonder how many more fans will drop away in the coming weeks. Let’s see.

You said your son wasn't going. If he's been going that long remind him that when we played on Tuesday night, 10 years to the day before that we played and lost to Lewes instead of the champions of England. We now play in a league with the likes of Barnsley, Sunderland, Coventry and Luton.

This team has been crap this season, but is still better then at least 5 of the other teams we have watched in the last 10 years.

If he doesn't want to come any more then fair enough, if he's expecting a win every time he watches Oxford then it's probably not the team for him.

Everyone is entitled to do what they want with their time and money but all these open letters are cringeworthy. If you want to come and support the team do it, if not don't. No one fans support is more special then anyone else's.

As for the support dwindling, if we keep losing it will drop, if we win some it gets bigger that's football.

 

[Yellows1]

You said your son wasn't going. If he's been going that long remind him that when we played on Tuesday night, 10 years to the day before that we played and lost to Lewes instead of the champions of England. We now play in a league with the likes of Barnsley, Sunderland, Coventry and Luton.

This team has been crap this season, but is still better then at least 5 of the other teams we have watched in the last 10 years.

If he doesn't want to come any more then fair enough, if he's expecting a win every time he watches Oxford then it's probably not the team for him.

Everyone is entitled to do what they want with their time and money but all these open letters are cringeworthy. If you want to come and support the team do it, if not don't. No one fans support is more special then anyone else's.

As for the support dwindling, if we keep losing it will drop, if we win some it gets bigger that's football.

Yep, thats the one, fairweather supporters, easy to jump ship when the going gets tough

 

[Salaghaf]

I hope you’re reading this Karl and Tiger. I know some of the players do read the forum so please feel free to direct them to this post.

I would like to offer my thanks to Karl and Tiger. I have been an Oxford United fan since I was 9 years old. I was so small I remember having to stand on tip toe to see over the wall of the London Road. My father has been a fan since the 60’s and still drags his aging bones to get to games home and away. My son has been coming to football with me since he was 5 and he’s now nearly 17. With my wife in the early stages of labour I left her at the hospital to watch us draw 1-1 at home to Northampton.
I love OUFC not just for the football and excitement of the game but for the family to come together. To stand with faces and friends I only ever see at football.
What is all this about? Well my son just told me, even though he has a season ticket, he’s not coming on Tuesday (Luton). His own words “I don’t even care if we win or lose I just want us to play well”.

I can’t say I blame him. It’ll be an effort to get myself there.

So, Thank you, for promising an exciting competitive season and delivering a dull, boring and inept side that I can hardly stand to watch.

Get over yourself mate.
Either show up, or shut up.
And the same applies to your son/family.

 

[werthersoriginal]

The OP is going to the Luton game, but his son might not. Throw your vitriol in the right direction folks, if you have to
throw it at all.

Shouldn’t be any vitriol at all, this is just a place for friendly chat and debate about our club

 

[Shaun Rice]

Get over yourself mate.
Either show up, or shut up.
And the same applies to your son/family.

You make some very important points with your meaningful insight.

 

[Deleted member 222]

I have no issue with fans not wanting to turn up. It's their choice if they do or not. Like someone said, it isn't cheap going to games.

What does annoy me is that right now we seem to have more and more people saying they wont go until KR is sacked yet I bet they all turned up last Tuesday to a game that everyone knew we would lose, even the players and staff knew it!
I've said it before and i'll say it again, we have some of the best fans in this league when its all going well. As soon as we are going through a bad patch we have some of the worst fans around who are very quick to jump on any little negative they can find.
I find it amazing how suddenly we have all these ITK people who have heard rumours about unrest amongst the players, how nasty My Derry is to the players etc. Yet when it is all going well no one knows anything.

I personally think that right now, while the team and manager could be doing a lot more to turn results around I think we as fans could do a lot more too.

 

[MattyGreensLeftBoot]

I have no issue with fans not wanting to turn up. It's their choice if they do or not. Like someone said, it isn't cheap going to games.

What does annoy me is that right now we seem to have more and more people saying they wont go until KR is sacked yet I bet they all turned up last Tuesday to a game that everyone knew we would lose, even the players and staff knew it!
I've said it before and i'll say it again, we have some of the best fans in this league when its all going well. As soon as we are going through a bad patch we have some of the worst fans around who are very quick to jump on any little negative they can find.
I find it amazing how suddenly we have all these ITK people who have heard rumours about unrest amongst the players, how nasty My Derry is to the players etc. Yet when it is all going well no one knows anything.

I personally think that right now, while the team and manager could be doing a lot more to turn results around I think we as fans could do a lot more too.

Sorry mate I'm one and I wasn't there for Man city. So lets stop thes wild over generalisations.

 

[Millman]

I see little point in turning on each other. I think we are all really down. Some are desperate for change but are frustrated by feeling powerless to force it. Maybe not going is their way of trying to save what they care for by they hope forcing Tiger to act. I know some on here are quite the optimistic types and I think that they take this sort of act as disloyalty and hurting the club. the truth is we are all fans and non of us are happy right now.

So with problems like this as happens each time we all have a differing opinion on how to fix it. Sack the manager, give him more time, sign some strikers, change the formation, etc. You can see the groups forming behind the solutions and the in fighting starting. Its a little sad that this is where the club is right now.

I think we are all behind the team (maybe not the manager), and we are certainly behind the club, what we really need to be is supportive of each other.

A win on Tuesday and we all may be a little happier.