Fan's View - Scunthorpe at home

Sadly, not everyone who goes to a football match does so with a positive and constructive approach to the beautiful game. Some go to shout and abuse in a manifestation of their sad; inadequate and unfulfilled lives. It's a right they think buying a ticket gives them.
 
There are, sadly, those who need a scapegoat it seems. Having selected their own personal one they will seek to promote their view at every opportunity rather than, like you, assess each performance on its merits. I recall the vitriol spouted over Duffy a 'few' years back which resulted in a subversive campaign to strike penalties from his annual goal tally. Wes Thomas, Yemi, Dean Smally and Phil Trainer also suffered from similar abuse. Wes Thomas and even Chey Dunkley (what ever happened to him?) were heard to be unpopular up near us in the SSU at times.

As for the Scunny game? I think I slept through the first half. Even George was quiet and his normal polite criticism of the match officials was subdued. But the second half was so different. Finally it became a pleasure watching the effort and enterprise the team put in. If we can replicate that over the next few games we will be fine. (All relative of course). The Dickster did well IMHO.
 
The Dickster is fine at wellying the ball away, but why did it keep falling to him to distribute it? He hopeless at that. Others need to take responsibility and not put him in that position
 
There are, sadly, those who need a scapegoat it seems. Having selected their own personal one they will seek to promote their view at every opportunity rather than, like you, assess each performance on its merits. I recall the vitriol spouted over Duffy a 'few' years back which resulted in a subversive campaign to strike penalties from his annual goal tally. Wes Thomas, Yemi, Dean Smally and Phil Trainer also suffered from similar abuse. Wes Thomas and even Chey Dunkley (what ever happened to him?) were heard to be unpopular up near us in the SSU at times.

This goes back further with the likes of Matt Murphy, Martin Gray, David Smith, Colin Greenall etc and no doubt before that.

Matt Murphy never really threw off that abuse/constant criticism yet he performed in The Championship and scored goals from midfield.

Smudger and Martin Gray finally turned it around (like Hylts) when it dawned how important they were but it took a long time.

Sadly, some people have to have a scapegoat to shout abuse at. And every squad seems to have one.
 
David Smith was my first cult hero.

We used to chant his name whilst everyone else was chanting for Moods
 
This goes back further with the likes of Matt Murphy, Martin Gray, David Smith, Colin Greenall etc and no doubt before that.

Matt Murphy never really threw off that abuse/constant criticism yet he performed in The Championship and scored goals from midfield.

Smudger and Martin Gray finally turned it around (like Hylts) when it dawned how important they were but it took a long time.

Sadly, some people have to have a scapegoat to shout abuse at. And every squad seems to have one.

I never rated Matt Murphy, yet he scored goals from midfield. His pointing used to infuriate me. But I don't think I kept constantly yelling abuse at him. I liked David Smith, a much under-rated steady midfielder & Martin Gray was a real scrapper. Colin Greenall, okay nothing more as far as I can remember but it was difficult for any centre half coming along after the Briggs / Shotton years.
 
A not deliberate mistake has been pointed out in this Fan's View by a mate. The last time we had three wins in a row wasn't during the last three games in our first season back in L1 but under Pep in 2017/18. 30th Sept - Posh 1 Oxford 4, 7th Oct -Oxford 3 Wimbledon 0, & 14th Oct - B.Rovers 0 Oxford 1. Happy Days with genuine hope of the play-offs? Until that thrashing by Wigan put us truly in our place.
 
I never rated Matt Murphy, yet he scored goals from midfield. His pointing used to infuriate me. But I don't think I kept constantly yelling abuse at him. I liked David Smith, a much under-rated steady midfielder & Martin Gray was a real scrapper. Colin Greenall, okay nothing more as far as I can remember but it was difficult for any centre half coming along after the Briggs / Shotton years.

55 of them!!
 
A not deliberate mistake has been pointed out in this Fan's View by a mate. The last time we had three wins in a row wasn't during the last three games in our first season back in L1 but under Pep in 2017/18. 30th Sept - Posh 1 Oxford 4, 7th Oct -Oxford 3 Wimbledon 0, & 14th Oct - B.Rovers 0 Oxford 1. Happy Days with genuine hope of the play-offs? Until that thrashing by Wigan put us truly in our place.
Still makes me shudder when I think of that game...absolutely dreadful to be at home as well. :mad:
 
10th in the all-time list, in fact.

That is amazing. Didn't make sense to me but I don't claim to know everything about football by a long way.
33 in the league from 248 games.
 
Are we all in agreement then, that henceforth he shall be referred to as The Dickster? All those in agreement, say aye...
 
The Dickster is playing incredibly. You should however give the row in front of you credit for inventing the nickname though Mr B. ?

As for Murphy what sort of player would he have been if he hasn’t been a regular smoker?

No wonder he pointed at teammates a lot; he wanted the ball all the time. A goal machine.

Get him back as guest of honour immediately. He could sponsor the fence.
 
The Dickster is playing incredibly. You should however give the row in front of you credit for inventing the nickname though Mr B. [emoji4]

As for Murphy what sort of player would he have been if he hasn’t been a regular smoker?

No wonder he pointed at teammates a lot; he wanted the ball all the time. A goal machine.

Get him back as guest of honour immediately. He could sponsor the fence.

From memory, wasn’t he one of the few players who didn’t make it back for the 95/96 Anniversary evening? Perhaps he’s moved on in life and doesn’t associate himself with his professional footballer days.
 
The Dickster is playing incredibly. You should however give the row in front of you credit for inventing the nickname though Mr B. ?

As for Murphy what sort of player would he have been if he hasn’t been a regular smoker?

No wonder he pointed at teammates a lot; he wanted the ball all the time. A goal machine.

Get him back as guest of honour immediately. He could sponsor the fence.

Don't think so Tim. My good lady wife said it first then someone in the row in front, having heard it, repeated it immediately.
I thought MM's pointing was telling other players where to go without covering the same amount of ground himself. I recall from my working days many years ago talking to a lad (Grant) in the gym who knew I was an Oxford fan and said that he used to work with Matt Murphy at the Nationwide and that he got in the Nationwide first team ahead of MM. Perhaps that unfairly gave me a blinkered view. I remember playing against Grant in a six a side tournament. He was good but not impossible to mark.
 
I never rated Matt Murphy, yet he scored goals from midfield. His pointing used to infuriate me. But I don't think I kept constantly yelling abuse at him. I liked David Smith, a much under-rated steady midfielder & Martin Gray was a real scrapper. Colin Greenall, okay nothing more as far as I can remember but it was difficult for any centre half coming along after the Briggs / Shotton years.

One thing I can remember about Colin Greenall after the club had recently signed him was a bloke behind us who took an instant dislike to him. Greenall was isolated and being chased down by 2 opponents so rather than get caught he correctly cleared the ball over the Osler Road. This bloke shouted "Great, we've wasted all that money on a 4th Division defender" ignoring that Briggs, Shotts etc would have done the same. He made such comments throughout games and ignored good play. Iirc, somebody got so irritated by it that he told him to "shut the f*ck up". Fortunately we moved to the London Road not so long after.
 
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