Manager/Coach Des Buckingham

[Northstandboy]

Manager Stats (Click Below)

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[uptheus]

In what world are we slight favourites? We are a poor footballing side, concede soft goals, have a manager reluctant to take the handbrake off and are just about the most inconsistent side in L1. Lincoln can’t stop winning, score for fun, are sound defensively and have unbelievable momentum. And we are favourites? I’ll be staggered if you find even one Oxford fan who thinks we have the upper hand and are favourites now!

I wouldn’t put us as favourites based upon our performances, but we’ve still got a chance, especially as we have Lincoln and Stevenage at home. Yeah, I know it’s a long shot based upon Lincoln’s recent form compared to ours, but whilst there’s a chance we’ve got to believe.

Just imagine we turn in performances like Lincoln have for the last 5/6 games. I know ‘back in the room’

For these next 6 or hopefully more games or until it’s not mathematically possible for us to make the play offs, we’ve got to stick together, get rid of any negativity and get behind the team and manager.

 

[uptheus]

This seasons gone but a replacement needs to happen soonish to have the whole of preseason like Manning did last summer

It’s crazy to suggest the season has gone. I just don’t understand this mentality with only 6 games to go and we’re on joint points with the team in 6th place.

Yes, I admit it might be a long shot, so whilst there’s still a chance I’ll still believe/have hope, but I certainly wouldn’t be throwing in the towel!

 

[yellowbow]

Michael Skubala is doing an incredible job at Lincoln. He’s taken them from league one strugglers to the play off positions with some impressive wins. And apparently he was their second choice after Des..? The mind boggles.

I suppose the big question is are we still ‘doing what we want to do and how we want to do it’ Or something…

 

[uptheus]

Michael Skubala is doing an incredible job at Lincoln. He’s taken them from league one strugglers to the play off positions with some impressive wins. And apparently he was their second choice after Des..? The mind boggles.

I suppose the big question is are we still ‘doing what we want to do and how we want to do it’ Or something…

Does this bit refer to Des’ regular post match comments? If so, it made me chuckle!

 

[yellowbow]

Does this bit refer to Des’ regular post match comments? If so, it made me chuckle!

It does.. a cheap dig from me I suppose, but I have now lost all patience

 

[OUFC OX3]

I tried to dig out whether we were creaming for him here? Regardless he's done better than I expected. At least we've beaten teams that are weaker than us. I was the only one or two who voted Lampard. BTW, am looking to make friends here.
Seriously, give him to the end of the season & his Arsenal ladies computer mind coach.. Let the recrement crew keep any and continue to recruit players and a new coach/manager. I would take Michael Appleton or even Beale.

 

[38yearsofpain]

Agree. Des has definitely lost the respect of many of the squad. He is not experienced in EFL to handle the different " pressure " scenarios and it will only get worse the longer we persevere with him.

Experience in EFL is probably irrelevant now. He has been here a few months. The huge worry is we keep making the same mistakes. The Shrewsbury goal you just knew it was coming. We look a fragile, weak and scared side. The one thing that this team now has in abundance is fear. The fear of failure is our worst enemy, The analyst we need is psycho not performance,
That fear comes from within and until it goes, we will go nowhere.
We all know in our hearts the play offs are gone, this team is not mentally prepared for war, the backbone has long since eroded away.
Des may know football but psychology I really wonder. This team now pervades an aura of defeatism, its there week in weak out for everyone to see. There is something really wrong at the moment.

 

[Thomas/Brock/Jones]

Seems unfortunately to me like ' death by a thousand cuts ' and we are just waiting to be put out of our misery of still clinging to a play off place.
The players individually or as a collective are not firing and Des isn't getting enough out of them, he also seems a bit of an ' unlucky ' general .
Jan window was a shocker .
Obviously hope we do get a run of form together and still make the play offs but coldly looking at it can't see it .

 

[SirAndyOfCrosby]

We've been ahead, at some point, in 14 of Buckingham's 24 League games.

But have won just 7.

Impossible not to conclude that there is a game management problem.

 

[Swaby39]

We've been ahead, at some point, in 14 of Buckingham's 24 League games.

But have won just 7.

Impossible not to conclude that there is a game management problem.

I’ve always found his substitutions really questionable. I found the timing of RR coming off yesterday extraordinary. He was the only player to find the gaps Shrewsbury were leaving and after going a goal up it seemed obvious that he would be more dangerous the more vulnerable they got in search of an equaliser. He’s also much better defensively than Bodin so I can’t see the sense in that change at 1-0.

Bodin might’ve scored but had a terrible game and was hardly involved. Far too tentative on the ball.

As I said in the match thread Des’ changes don’t seem to yield anything - no more threat nor more defensive strength. By contrast the opponent’s changes always seem to give us problems and these are coaches we’d turn our nose up at.

 

[PotterToWrapItUp]

Michael Skubala is doing an incredible job at Lincoln. He’s taken them from league one strugglers to the play off positions with some impressive wins. And apparently he was their second choice after Des..? The mind boggles.

I suppose the big question is are we still ‘doing what we want to do and how we want to do it’ Or something…

Well we have done a lot of work in that space.

 

[Sheik djibouti]

I’ve always found his substitutions really questionable. I found the timing of RR coming off yesterday extraordinary. He was the only player to find the gaps Shrewsbury were leaving and after going a goal up it seemed obvious that he would be more dangerous the more vulnerable they got in search of an equaliser. He’s also much better defensively than Bodin so I can’t see the sense in that change at 1-0.

Bodin might’ve scored but had a terrible game and was hardly involved. Far too tentative on the ball.

As I said in the match thread Des’ changes don’t seem to yield anything - no more threat nor more defensive strength. By contrast the opponent’s changes always seem to give us problems and these are coaches we’d turn our nose up at.

Yep, Bodin was the change that needed making, but that changed when he scored!

And bringing McEachran on and moving Brannagan further forward only made us more pedestrian and ponderous (if that were possible). He may look technically great on the training ground, but there's virtually no bite or industry in that vital part of the midfield when he comes on.

I thought after the first 5 minutes of the game that Shrews were there to be opened up and the game was there for the taking. I said immediately after we scored that this was the precise moment we needed to be brave and press hard for a second. You could see Shrews confidence drain after concedeing and we really should've exploited that, but instead the team went into "don't f**k up" mode and we invited more pressure as a result.

Truth is, we're nowhere near clinical enough, we don't force teams into errors, yet we allow/invite other teams to force us into errors. We may create opportunities in attack, but we fail to get enough bodies up in support to get on the end to create real goalscoring opportunities. I find it really hard to believe that given many of the problems were causing ourselves on the pitch, that they players are actually coached to play that way.

Some of the on pitch decision making (or lack of) is utterly incomprehensible and/or brainless. Fear of failure is causing just that.

 

[Swaby39]

Yep, Bodin was the change that needed making, but that changed when he scored!

And bringing McEachran on and moving Brannagan further forward only made us more pedestrian and ponderous (if that were possible). He may look technically great on the training ground, but there's virtually no bite or industry in that vital part of the midfield when he comes on.

I thought after the first 5 minutes of the game that Shrews were there to be opened up and the game was there for the taking. I said immediately after we scored that this was the precise moment we needed to be brave and press hard for a second. You could see Shrews confidence drain after concedeing and we really should've exploited that, but instead the team went into "don't f**k up" mode and we invited more pressure as a result.

Truth is, we're nowhere near clinical enough, we don't force teams into errors, yet we allow/invite other teams to force us into errors. We may create opportunities in attack, but we fail to get enough bodies up in support to get on the end to create real goalscoring opportunities. I find it really hard to believe that given many of the problems were causing ourselves on the pitch, that they players are actually coached to play that way.

Some of the on pitch decision making (or lack of) is utterly incomprehensible and/or brainless. Fear of failure is causing just that.

I thought McEachran was a decent change until I realised it was to push Brannagan forward. Why not sit them next to each other and allow Rodrigues to patrol the 10 space that was opening up more and more? That seemed such an obvious play to protect the lead but remain dangerous and Bodin was screaming out to be subbed. Instead, we sacrificed the one player who can exploit space with any quality and we saw it later in the game when Bodin had the ball and pondered with options flying past him in to space. Rodrigues plays that ball every time.

Bodin’s goal was a sitter and it didn’t spark his performance in to life - he was still the player to take off. I’m no coach of course but watched enough football to find his decision making bizarre and lacking in common sense.

 

[dickwalton1964]

Yep, Bodin was the change that needed making, but that changed when he scored!

And bringing McEachran on and moving Brannagan further forward only made us more pedestrian and ponderous (if that were possible). He may look technically great on the training ground, but there's virtually no bite or industry in that vital part of the midfield when he comes on.

I thought after the first 5 minutes of the game that Shrews were there to be opened up and the game was there for the taking. I said immediately after we scored that this was the precise moment we needed to be brave and press hard for a second. You could see Shrews confidence drain after concedeing and we really should've exploited that, but instead the team went into "don't f**k up" mode and we invited more pressure as a result.

Truth is, we're nowhere near clinical enough, we don't force teams into errors, yet we allow/invite other teams to force us into errors. We may create opportunities in attack, but we fail to get enough bodies up in support to get on the end to create real goalscoring opportunities. I find it really hard to believe that given many of the problems were causing ourselves on the pitch, that they players are actually coached to play that way.

Some of the on pitch decision making (or lack of) is utterly incomprehensible and/or brainless. Fear of failure is causing just that.

I think someone pointed out our lack of control in games and the frantic and often chaotic look to our game and I think that’s been very evident in the games we’ve led - and chased. This is not having a pop at Des but I thought our game management under Manning, with basically the same personnel, was outstanding. I was very often quite bored watching us under LM but there was a whole load of games where we went a goal up but then controlled the game, took the sting out of it, ground the opposition down with nothing other than total possession - often quite tediously in our own half - then hit them with another one or two around the 60-70 minute mark and killed the game.

It wasn’t breakneck football under Manning but he sure knew how to strangle the life out of a football match we were leading. Des, too, isn’t one to go Robinson style hunting more goals when we go one up but somehow we can’t gain that same control we had under LM. It always looks to me that we look caught somewhere between the two - sit or hunt a second and it starts to look messy and uncontrolled and we begin to lose shape. An obvious example of this was yesterday when they equalised, from the kick off there was no ‘right what do we do here’? It was blindingly obvious what we had to do and with that clarity we produced a great 10-15 minutes of football.

 

[38yearsofpain]

Experience in EFL is probably irrelevant now. He has been here a few months. The huge worry is we keep making the same mistakes. The Shrewsbury goal you just knew it was coming. We look a fragile, weak and scared side. The one thing that this team now has in abundance is fear. The fear of failure is our worst enemy, The analyst we need is psycho not performance,
That fear comes from within and until it goes, we will go nowhere.
We all know in our hearts the play offs are gone, this team is not mentally prepared for war, the backbone has long since eroded away.
Des may know football but psychology I really wonder. This team now pervades an aura of defeatism, its there week in weak out for everyone to see. There is something really wrong at the moment.

Comparing Manning to Buckingham in terms of style of play. Manning knew what his players were capable of and more importantly what they were not good at. Players were asked to play in their comfort zone, do the things they were good at, in a style they could understand. He was literally getting a quart out of a pint pot.
Buckingham just wants to play his way irrespective of his player skill sets. We concede goals because full backs are caught out of position. We make reckless passes out of defence because we no longer have a midfield of substance. Our defending of corners is bordering on suicidal.
The players are exposed game in game out, confidence is mostly shot away. The only players who prosper are the wide players because the whole plan is to feed them. I really wonder if this style can be sucessful in League 1. It worked in the Indian Premier League great, but I'm sure the overall management nous across this league is superior. We are nowhere near having the players to play that way. Indeed we need a complete rebuild to even try, a bit of tinkering will not do it.
We just look so easy to play against and teams quickly adapt to any subtle change of shape. Now we appear to be getting a pint out of a quart pot. We look to be on a journey to mid table mediocrity for time immemorial. Depressing is the only emotion.

 

[Sheik djibouti]

I thought McEachran was a decent change until I realised it was to push Brannagan forward. Why not sit them next to each other and allow Rodrigues to patrol the 10 space that was opening up more and more? That seemed such an obvious play to protect the lead but remain dangerous and Bodin was screaming out to be subbed. Instead, we sacrificed the one player who can exploit space with any quality and we saw it later in the game when Bodin had the ball and pondered with options flying past him in to space. Rodrigues plays that ball every time.

Bodin’s goal was a sitter and it didn’t spark his performance in to life - he was still the player to take off. I’m no coach of course but watched enough football to find his decision making bizarre and lacking in common sense.

And in fairness, Bodin nearly missed it as he smashed it into the roof of the net. A yard further out and that sails over the bar.

I would even have taken Browne or Goodrham in that Bodin space, both would at least have driven forward and offered something. It would also have allowed Brannagan to sit a bit more with McEachran, but it was noticeable to me how often Shrews went through us in midfield after JMc came on. Not entirely his fault alone, but what little midfield balance the team had was lost at that point.

 

[38yearsofpain]

I think someone pointed out our lack of control in games and the frantic and often chaotic look to our game and I think that’s been very evident in the games we’ve led - and chased. This is not having a pop at Des but I thought our game management under Manning, with basically the same personnel, was outstanding. I was very often quite bored watching us under LM but there was a whole load of games where we went a goal up but then controlled the game, took the sting out of it, ground the opposition down with nothing other than total possession - often quite tediously in our own half - then hit them with another one or two around the 60-70 minute mark and killed the game.

It wasn’t breakneck football under Manning but he sure knew how to strangle the life out of a football match we were leading. Des, too, isn’t one to go Robinson style hunting more goals when we go one up but somehow we can’t gain that same control we had under LM. It always looks to me that we look caught somewhere between the two - sit or hunt a second and it starts to look messy and uncontrolled and we begin to lose shape. An obvious example of this was yesterday when they equalised, from the kick off there was no ‘right what do we do here’? It was blindingly obvious what we had to do and with that clarity we produced a great 10-15 minutes of football.

Very Jose Mourinhoese under Chelsea back in the day.

 

[Swaby39]

Comparing Manning to Buckingham in terms of style of play. Manning knew what his players were capable of and more importantly what they were not good at. Players were asked to play in their comfort zone, do the things they were good at, in a style they could understand. He was literally getting a quart out of a pint pot.
Buckingham just wants to play his way irrespective of his player skill sets. We concede goals because full backs are caught out of position. We make reckless passes out of defence because we no longer have a midfield of substance. Our defending of corners is bordering on suicidal.
The players are exposed game in game out, confidence is mostly shot away. The only players who prosper are the wide players because the whole plan is to feed them. I really wonder if this style can be sucessful in League 1. It worked in the Indian Premier League great, but I'm sure the overall management nous across this league is superior. We are nowhere near having the players to play that way. Indeed we need a complete rebuild to even try, a bit of tinkering will not do it.
We just look so easy to play against and teams quickly adapt to any subtle change of shape. Now we appear to be getting a pint out of a quart pot. We look to be on a journey to mid table mediocrity for time immemorial. Depressing is the only emotion.

Great post.

I find the talk of a squad rebuild really alarming because last summer we assembled a good nucleus of a squad for the longer term. January should have been a mid-term tuning exercise for wherever nwas lacking this season followed by the last of the major surgery in this coming summer with the expiry of some really burdensome contracts. Manning didn't (couldn't) do the whole job but oversaw a huge swing of players/staff and put some excellent foundations in place. He was ruthless with people he didn't want around where necessary and it was the wielding of he axe/shot in the arm our club really needed. He got the results to prove he was right and that what's here is far more capable than it is now showing. The very thought of another overhaul makes me shudder because we're at risk of undoing some good work that was done. I've no doubt there are some questionable characters in the squad but Manning had them in check and dismantling a once competitive squad at the hands of a so far incompetent manager is a monumental gamble. Unfortunately for Des his tenure backs on to someone who just did the same job so much better and there's no hiding place for him.

 

[Scotchegg]

Great post.

I find the talk of a squad rebuild really alarming because last summer we assembled a good nucleus of a squad for the longer term. January should have been a mid-term tuning exercise for wherever nwas lacking this season followed by the last of the major surgery in this coming summer with the expiry of some really burdensome contracts. Manning didn't (couldn't) do the whole job but oversaw a huge swing of players/staff and put some excellent foundations in place. He was ruthless with people he didn't want around where necessary and it was the wielding of he axe/shot in the arm our club really needed. He got the results to prove he was right and that what's here is far more capable than it is now showing. The very thought of another overhaul makes me shudder because we're at risk of undoing some good work that was done. I've no doubt there are some questionable characters in the squad but Manning had them in check and dismantling a once competitive squad at the hands of a so far incompetent manager is a monumental gamble. Unfortunately for Des his tenure backs on to someone who just did the same job so much better and there's no hiding place for him.

What was this nucleus of the squad for the long term that Manning created in the summer?

Who made the grade then?

 

[Sheik djibouti]

Under Manning, it felt like everything was controlled and led from the dugout. It was an extremely rigid system, but everyone knew their role in it and hence the performances of the team were often greater than the sum of their parts. He and his management team provided all the leadership and structure and no individual player/players were entrusted to do that on the pitch and were able to play within their comfort zone.

That doesn't apparently fit with Des/City Group philosophy, where leadership on the pitch from the players and flexibility within a framework seems to be expected.

It feels like a fundamental change in they way you want a team to set up and at least goes some way to explain some of the chaotic, inexplicable and rudderless play we see.