Away Match Day Thread +++ L1 29/12/2019 AFC Wimbledon v OUFC +++

[Norwayyellow]

Lambert never turned out for interview, hes probably gone!

Tell me more. who is he?

 

[Shropshire U]

Bostin'!!!

 

[Frustrated Yellow]

Tell me more. who is he?

The Ipswich manager!

 

[Norwayyellow]

The Ipswich manager!

thanx

 

[Score In A Minute]

Get on the away train as it’s going to be a great ride......see you all at Donny

 

[LeftSideBoy]

Lambert never turned out for interview, hes probably gone!

I love the fact that the proverbial is hitting the fan with all of the supposed 'big boys' but as smug as I am, I wouldnt want to win the league solely due to their problems. However, when mixed with us playing some amazing football, it does make for a lovely cocktail! ?

 

[Northernyellow]

Archer 8 - Couple of good saves, first time he's been tested, distribution mostly good.
Ruffels 7 - As ever, solid. Credit to his fitness for another 90mins.
Moore 7 - Shaky start but settled down.
Dickie 8 - Brilliant again. Targeted off the ball which is a credit to his ability.
Long 7 - Great cross for our 1st but could have done better theirs
Gorrin 8 - Stopped so many of their counters and started so many of our attacks.
Brannagan 7 - Did well especially considering early booking, long passing impressive especially.
Baptiste 8 - Unbelievable assist + hardworking defensively, one outstanding tackle in particular first half.
Hall 6 - Unfortunately don't think he took his chance, thought the game mostly passed him by.
Sykes 8 - Looked good out wide again, some lovely touches to go with a great finish.
Mackie 8 - His work rate seems to improve game on game, was still sprinting at their GK in the 90th min. Hold up play was also better than usual.

Fosu 6 - Looked refreshed coming on vs tired legs, hopefully can continue against Doncaster
Mous + Taylor - Not on that long


Agree with all, apart from Mackiee. 6 at best. I love the effort, but his legs have gone, and he's not good enough to play 90 minutes in a team that genuinely wants to go up. 10-15 minute cameos at the end of a game. At best. Almost zero goal threat.
On a slightly more positive note, an all round vv classy team. Best since the mid 90's. Dickie is our best defender since Matt Elliott.
KR 10 - Spot on with his rotation and subs, freeing up Baptiste to assist the 2nd and managed the game flawlessly (shame we switched off at start of 2nd half). One of our most important assets.

 

[Northernyellow]

I do know it's spelt Mackie, btw! Autocorrect....

 

[Oufcrealist]

That was a very good win make no mistake.
Dickie and Baptiste showing real class. Gorrin was very good again. Archer some good saves and pleased for Sykes who I think has bags of potential.
Wish Mackie would cut the unnecessary fouling out. A couple of set pieces were wasted because of it.
On to Donny!!

 

[Scotchegg]

We have different types of players, and they offer different things. Mackie might not be a serious goal threat, but he runs his legs off to disrupt the defence and buys time for our midfield to control the game. Taylor may have got a half chance or two, but mainly plays between the two centre backs. He is easier to play around which allows the ball to be cleared quicker and bypass our midfield, putting pressure on our own defence.

Equally Long and Sykes are very different to Cadden and Henry, but can be just as effective. Often Henry plays inside, leaving space outside for Cadden to play in. This gives more attacking options but it can also leave a big gap behind. Having Gorrin, Mous or Dickie covering means that we rarely get punished, but it can be a weakness. Long is 90% right back, 10% wing back. His first job is to defend, and he does this very well. This means that Gorrin can focus on defending the middle of the pitch rather than having to cover to the right. It also means that Sykes has the freedom to play a free role on the right, knowing that he has cover behind. He can play on the shoulder of the last defender like we saw with his goal today and can also find space through the middle. This is why Sykes doesn't play so well in front of Cadden, and why Long and Henry are not a great match.

Both Mackie and Long/Sykes worked well today against a team like Wimbledon. However, you would imagine that Taylor and Cadden/Henry will return against Doncaster who are a more natural footballing team.

 

[CornishOx]

We have different types of players, and they offer different things. Mackie might not be a serious goal threat, but he runs his legs off to disrupt the defence and buys time for our midfield to control the game. Taylor may have got a half chance or two, but mainly plays between the two centre backs. He is easier to play around which allows the ball to be cleared quicker and bypass our midfield, putting pressure on our own defence.

Equally Long and Sykes are very different to Cadden and Henry, but can be just as effective. Often Henry plays inside, leaving space outside for Cadden to play in. This gives more attacking options but it can also leave a big gap behind. Having Gorrin, Mous or Dickie covering means that we rarely get punished, but it can be a weakness. Long is 90% right back, 10% wing back. His first job is to defend, and he does this very well. This means that Gorrin can focus on defending the middle of the pitch rather than having to cover to the right. It also means that Sykes has the freedom to play a free role on the right, knowing that he has cover behind. He can play on the shoulder of the last defender like we saw with his goal today and can also find space through the middle. This is why Sykes doesn't play so well in front of Cadden, and why Long and Henry are not a great match.

Both Mackie and Long/Sykes worked well today against a team like Wimbledon. However, you would imagine that Taylor and Cadden/Henry will return against Doncaster who are a more natural footballing team.

Great post that fully agree with all of it

 

[warksox]

So after watching the Quest coverage, I am more convinced than ever that Colin Murray is a closet Oxford fan!
Unfortunately, the way he was talking up Baptiste, and with Ian Holloway drooling over the pass to Sykes, it'll be a real battle to keep hold of him this transfer window.

 

[ttg17]

We have different types of players, and they offer different things. Mackie might not be a serious goal threat, but he runs his legs off to disrupt the defence and buys time for our midfield to control the game. Taylor may have got a half chance or two, but mainly plays between the two centre backs. He is easier to play around which allows the ball to be cleared quicker and bypass our midfield, putting pressure on our own defence.

Equally Long and Sykes are very different to Cadden and Henry, but can be just as effective. Often Henry plays inside, leaving space outside for Cadden to play in. This gives more attacking options but it can also leave a big gap behind. Having Gorrin, Mous or Dickie covering means that we rarely get punished, but it can be a weakness. Long is 90% right back, 10% wing back. His first job is to defend, and he does this very well. This means that Gorrin can focus on defending the middle of the pitch rather than having to cover to the right. It also means that Sykes has the freedom to play a free role on the right, knowing that he has cover behind. He can play on the shoulder of the last defender like we saw with his goal today and can also find space through the middle. This is why Sykes doesn't play so well in front of Cadden, and why Long and Henry are not a great match.

Both Mackie and Long/Sykes worked well today against a team like Wimbledon. However, you would imagine that Taylor and Cadden/Henry will return against Doncaster who are a more natural footballing team.

Really interesting observations

 

[tonto]

YYYYEEEESSSSS bit late stuck with no coverage in deepest Suffolk maybe Sykes is going to be our next asset. Nothing less than ten million needs to be our mantra for anyone!

 

[Kiewhite]

Yes, defo not one of the worst, but IMO one of the most disappointing games I've seen in 55 years of watching OUFC, given the relative positions of the teams. Anyway, that's behind us, now basking in the warm glow of today's VICTORY!

It’s gonna happen and will happen again a couple more times this Season but when it does like I said after the mk game won’t be anything to worry about

 

[uptheus]

I love the fact that the proverbial is hitting the fan with all of the supposed 'big boys' but as smug as I am, I wouldnt want to win the league solely due to their problems. However, when mixed with us playing some amazing football, it does make for a lovely cocktail! ?

Still a long way to go with many obstacles/ups & downs along the way.

 

[Foley]

I love the fact that the proverbial is hitting the fan with all of the supposed 'big boys' but as smug as I am, I wouldnt want to win the league solely due to their problems. However, when mixed with us playing some amazing football, it does make for a lovely cocktail! ?

Whoever goes up will do so simply because they deserve to.
Whatever happens to the 'big boys' who will have a far bigger budget than we have.
I suspect that Sunderland and Ipswich will spend relatively big again, so let's see what happens.

 

[Lincoln.yellow1]

I would be keeping an eye on Coventry.

Coventry away on Easter (Bank holiday) Monday could be a fantastic event with massive numbers making their way up the M40 to St Andrews.........

 

[beyondthefourth]

Whoever goes up will do so simply because they deserve to.
Whatever happens to the 'big boys' who will have a far bigger budget than we have.
I suspect that Sunderland and Ipswich will spend relatively big again, so let's see what happens.

I'm not so sure about Ipswich, Lambert was complaining about the lack of a summer budget.

Regarding Sunderland, I'm more than happy for them to drop £4 million on another big name striker that fails to impress. Meanwhile they'll ship out McGeady on the cheap and not recruit in the positions that they need to.

 

[Marked Ox]

I'm not so sure about Ipswich, Lambert was complaining about the lack of a summer budget.

Regarding Sunderland, I'm more than happy for them to drop £4 million on another big name striker that fails to impress. Meanwhile they'll ship out McGeady on the cheap and not recruit in the positions that they need to.

I expect they'll have to pay McGeady off and that won't be cheap considering he signed a new contract in the summer.

 

[RgYellows]

We have different types of players, and they offer different things. Mackie might not be a serious goal threat, but he runs his legs off to disrupt the defence and buys time for our midfield to control the game. Taylor may have got a half chance or two, but mainly plays between the two centre backs. He is easier to play around which allows the ball to be cleared quicker and bypass our midfield, putting pressure on our own defence.

Equally Long and Sykes are very different to Cadden and Henry, but can be just as effective. Often Henry plays inside, leaving space outside for Cadden to play in. This gives more attacking options but it can also leave a big gap behind. Having Gorrin, Mous or Dickie covering means that we rarely get punished, but it can be a weakness. Long is 90% right back, 10% wing back. His first job is to defend, and he does this very well. This means that Gorrin can focus on defending the middle of the pitch rather than having to cover to the right. It also means that Sykes has the freedom to play a free role on the right, knowing that he has cover behind. He can play on the shoulder of the last defender like we saw with his goal today and can also find space through the middle. This is why Sykes doesn't play so well in front of Cadden, and why Long and Henry are not a great match.

Both Mackie and Long/Sykes worked well today against a team like Wimbledon. However, you would imagine that Taylor and Cadden/Henry will return against Doncaster who are a more natural footballing team.

Love it Mr Egg.

When you say Long/Sykes can be as effective as Cadden/Henry, I think I get exactly what you mean but I have to say that the latter is by far the preferred combination for me. My main issue is that Henry does such a superb job as a goalscorer and chance creator. If you rest Taylor and Henry at the same time then Sykes/Hall and Mackie provide a steep drop off in goals. We end up relying on Baptiste/Brannagan/Fosu or a more unusual source (twice if we should concede!). We've had some luck with those players hitting wonder strikes but I would not like to depend on them to win matches too often.

Henry is currently my player of the season. I am happy with Long as a RB at this level in his own right, but working out how to bring the best out of Henry would make the next six months a lot more enjoyable.

 

[itsoneofthem]

Great to hear a home fan comment on how we’re the best team they’ve seen this season on the walk back to the car yesterday. Not only did we out football Wimbledon but we also showed the battling qualities needed to compete against the more physical teams in the league.

 

[uptheus]

Love it Mr Egg.

When you say Long/Sykes can be as effective as Cadden/Henry, I think I get exactly what you mean but I have to say that the latter is by far the preferred combination for me. My main issue is that Henry does such a superb job as a goalscorer and chance creator. If you rest Taylor and Henry at the same time then Sykes/Hall and Mackie provide a steep drop off in goals. We end up relying on Baptiste/Brannagan/Fosu or a more unusual source (twice if we should concede!). We've had some luck with those players hitting wonder strikes but I would not like to depend on them to win matches too often.

Henry is currently my player of the season. I am happy with Long as a RB at this level in his own right, but working out how to bring the best out of Henry would make the next six months a lot more enjoyable.

No way, and don’t agree about Long either. I guess that’s why Robinson’s got 3 right backs lined up just in case Cadden leaves.

Like when Gorrin’s out of the team we’ll notice how big a loss Cadden is if Long ends up being his permanent back up. He’s great as a back up shirt term.

Cadden’s energy, touch and availability brings so much to our team which sort of goes unnoticed until they’re not there e.g. similar to Gorrin. They make difficult situations look easy.

 

[derek]

So after watching the Quest coverage, I am more convinced than ever that Colin Murray is a closet Oxford fan!

He's a Liverpool fan, but has a soft spot for us after spending time in Oxford some years ago.

 

[beyondthefourth]

No way, and don’t agree about Long either. I guess that’s why Robinson’s got 3 right backs lined up just in case Cadden leaves.

Like when Gorrin’s out of the team we’ll notice how big a loss Cadden is if Long ends up being his permanent back up. He’s great as a back up shirt term.

Cadden’s energy, touch and availability brings so much to our team which sort of goes unnoticed until they’re not there e.g. similar to Gorrin. They make difficult situations look easy.

Yup. Long hasn't contributed enough attacking output this season. Just the two goals and an assist vs Wimbledon.

We do need another right back if Cadden goes. Just like we need another left-back, despite Ruffels being excellent there all season.

 

[Finlandia]

Long also lost his man for the goal - add the two goals that came from his side against City and you can see why KR wants a new starter for Cadden

 

[uptheus]

Yup. Long hasn't contributed enough attacking output this season. Just the two goals and an assist vs Wimbledon.

We do need another right back if Cadden goes. Just like we need another left-back, despite Ruffels being excellent there all season.

Like I said, he’s great as a back up, but not as a permanent replacement.

Ruffels, again good, but imagine having a Cadden/Baldock at left back too. You know, like Liverpool have in Trent-Arnold/Robinson.

Don’t really want to get into a debate about these players because they’re great squad players/cover/servants to the club, but I think we need to get better in these positions if we progress. If Long was better than Cadden then I’m sure KR would start him more often, but I guess he knows what Cadden type player brings to the team.

Obviously if you have two attacking fullbacks then if one goes the other needs to read the game to ensure they cover defensively.

 

[RyanioBirdio]

Long also lost his man for the goal - add the two goals that came from his side against City and you can see why KR wants a new starter for Cadden

Yeah but apart from that.

 

[Foley]

Long also lost his man for the goal - add the two goals that came from his side against City and you can see why KR wants a new starter for Cadden

Pretty harsh.
Two goals came from his side v MAN City? You could argue that the central defenders should have cut out the crosses especially the first one. Regardless he played pretty well v Man C against exceptional players.
KR is rightly looking for a Cadden replacement as he provides so much going forwards. KR has suggested himself that Long is very good defensively but he is looking for one very attacking full back.

 

[iambungle]

So after watching the Quest coverage, I am more convinced than ever that Colin Murray is a closet Oxford fan!
Unfortunately, the way he was talking up Baptiste, and with Ian Holloway drooling over the pass to Sykes, it'll be a real battle to keep hold of him this transfer window.

That goes back to his radio days I think when one of the production team on the show was a ST holder. He use to mention us a lot then incl. standing on the London Rd terrace on occasions (Left Side obvs).