Fan's View - Charlton away

[Paul B]

Fan's View - Charlton away

 

[Maggiesdad]

Fan's View - Charlton away

Another great read. Thank you. True supporters like you deserve days like Saturday. Glad you enjoyed it!

 

[unification]

Good write up as always, Paul.

A minor point. Was MApp hired through an interview process or did he just arrive as part of the MAsh and DE deal?

 

[TailsWeWin]

Interesting point about the (players’) celebrations. They all seemed genuinely thrilled to be celebrating the goals. So often in the premiership I see players hardly bothered to congratulate the scorer or bother to run ten metres to say Well done.
And yes, Eales. After a great transfer window (some youthful talent in, and no talent out) the Eales-is-selling-up-and-pocketing-the-cash moaners have gone quiet, haven’t they?! No humble pie evident there!

 

[Marked Ox]

Good read, agree on your comments about people's claims on here around DE. Small point on the young lads who played against Ardley, I watched North Leigh a couple of times last season and based on those I would never imagine the impact Napa is having in his short time playing for the 1st team.

 

[Sarge]

Top FV as per

 

[Paul B]

Good write up as always, Paul.

A minor point. Was MApp hired through an interview process or did he just arrive as part of the MAsh and DE deal?

Good point. I've possibly fallen into the assumption trap.

 

[Foley]

Great read Paul,

I know somebody who went who had to move as some Oxford fans spent the whole game slagging off the players. I find it all a little odd and it sure isn't fun sitting/ standing anybody like that.

I must admit that I thought that MAPP came directly with DE/ MA and I am not sure that there was an interview process (there certainly was with CW)

 

[jambon46]

I know somebody who went who had to move as some Oxford fans spent the whole game slagging off the players. I find it all a little odd and it sure isn't fun sitting/ standing anybody like that.

It's amazing, some of the closer away games you get knob jockeys like them, why bother going if you don't like your own f*****g players? I understand a bit of anger when your team are playing shite, but ten or twenty minutes into a game, really?

 

[Paul B]

I know somebody who went who had to move as some Oxford fans spent the whole game slagging off the players. I find it all a little odd and it sure isn't fun sitting/ standing anybody like that.

It's amazing, some of the closer away games you get knob jockeys like them, why bother going if you don't like your own f*****g players? I understand a bit of anger when your team are playing shite, but ten or twenty minutes into a game, really?

And when we are playing well too.

But overall the noise and singing is a big plus.

 

[Paul B]

Great read Paul,

I know somebody who went who had to move as some Oxford fans spent the whole game slagging off the players. I find it all a little odd and it sure isn't fun sitting/ standing anybody like that.

I must admit that I thought that MAPP came directly with DE/ MA and I am not sure that there was an interview process (there certainly was with CW)

Yes. I got that wrong.

 

[The Deadman]

So well done to Darryl Eales then for having the guts to make the decision which I’m sure he didn’t take lightly at all. I agree it’s not like him or the Oxford United of recent times to part with a manager after such a short space of time...

I'm not so sure DE would not have pulled the trigger during the first half of MApp's first season (pretty sure we can thank MA for believing in the manager and the project). MA was the one in charge back then, he had faith in MApp to turn things around and the calls for MApp's head back then were far louder than they were for Pep's. The position back then was far more perilous with relegation back to the Conference a very real possibility. The stakes were far higher then, but as you say the right decision was made. Had DE been more "hands on" during that time, he may have decided to take a different path.

 

[DannyW]

From the kick off the demeanour of the team was just so different. It was not just where Todd was to score his goal but for the other goals where the likes of Josh and Ryan were, we have not seen them in such offensive positions for some time. The first touches from Napa so pleasing and although Mous had his error again the rest of his match was pretty good, I thought anyway. The moaners were probably leaving with ten minutes to go, I don't know too enthralled with the game to notice, if they did karma!

 

[Paul B]

From the kick off the demeanour of the team was just so different. It was not just where Todd was to score his goal but for the other goals where the likes of Josh and Ryan were, we have not seen them in such offensive positions for some time. The first touches from Napa so pleasing and although Mous had his error again the rest of his match was pretty good, I thought anyway. The moaners were probably leaving with ten minutes to go, I don't know too enthralled with the game to notice, if they did karma!

I agree with you on Mous. Plenty have made up their minds though and that's that.
I didn't notice anyone leave but like you I was too caught up in the game to notice.
A lot of the moaners do celebrate like mad when we score though. (There will always be those with a scowl on their faces though when someone they've been slagging off all game does something brilliant and wins or saves the three points for us.)

 

[ttg17]

"All of a sudden it feels really good to be an Oxford fan again even if that was only one game."

How true. Saturday felt like the first game of the season that could almost have been a 'MApp game' - comparable to the Swindon, Swansea or Middlesborough matches of recent years. That intangible X-factor of good feeling seems to have returned.

Thanks too for pointing out how Rothwell and other subs joined in the celebration for the last goal. I hadn't noticed and, as you say, it speaks volumes.

 

[HeyMcAleny]

"What I think we need now though is a purely pragmatic coach, one that will get us enough points to remain in League One."

I think a lot of fans think the same, but I don't think this is the way DE's mind works at all. Your surprise at Pep being sacked after Bury is the clue, since we weren't in imminent danger of falling into the releation zone, which is the usual trigger for a managerial change.

I think that DE sacked Clotet because the loss to Bury was the moment when he realised that under Pep we were definitely not going to get promoted.

DE, I believe, is a very driven man who sincerely believes that promotion is still at this stage of the season a realistic possibility.

So don't expect a pragmatic coach. Expect someone who DE believes shares his drive and determination to gain promotion to the Championship.

From this perspective I'm not sure if you would expect Faz to fit the bill, but it seems at the very least as though DE is in no rush while the players are buzzing from their Charlton miracle.

 

[HeyMcAleny]

I know somebody who went who had to move as some Oxford fans spent the whole game slagging off the players. I find it all a little odd and it sure isn't fun sitting/ standing anybody like that.

It's amazing, some of the closer away games you get knob jockeys like them, why bother going if you don't like your own f*****g players? I understand a bit of anger when your team are playing shite, but ten or twenty minutes into a game, really?

I'm really starting to get annoyed now with the negative behaviour of some fans. In his report, Paul states he turned round and challenged someone on it. I did at the Bury game as well and others chimed in and supported me.

I think there's nothing wrong with calmly asking someone to get behind their team and support it, and maybe if more of us spoke up and challenged abusive supporters (deliberate contradiction there) then this behaviour might change.

 

[Paul B]

I'm really starting to get annoyed now with the negative behaviour of some fans. In his report, Paul states he turned round and challenged someone on it. I did at the Bury game as well and others chimed in and supported me.

I think there's nothing wrong with calmly asking someone to get behind their team and support it, and maybe if more of us spoke up and challenged abusive supporters (deliberate contradiction there) then this behaviour might change.

In this case it wasn't abusive just negative. No encouragement or appreciation of the good stuff just moaning when a mistake was made. That said I think everyone around us was celebrating like whirling dervishes as goals two and three went in.

 

[TailsWeWin]

I’ve sat in the south stand a couple of times (for pre-season friendlies) and even then the negativity and moaning drives me nuts.

 

[StEbbesYellows]

Thanks for a great report Paul. You're correct that such results don't come around that often. For me the intensity of our play and the way the players celebrated was very similar to our 4 - 2 win at Notts County in the New Year 2016. A real sense of togetherness (relief?) within the team that matched the passion from the fans. The win at Charlton however was for me the more remarkable as the team on Saturday had never played together before. Not wanting to count chickens of course but this augers well for the rest of the season, I hope!