Ex Player Mark Sykes

Consistent at what? Running around looking busy
Seem to forget he won a fair few man of the match awards through the season. you don’t get that for just running around and looking busy.
Consistency came with more game time, the same can be said of mcguane.
 
He’d be a great five a side player. Really fun to watch. ... Doesn’t seem to have an obvious position in league one football though.

Certainly not an impact sub who can change a game if we struggling.

Certainly not an obvious starter.

Negligible goals and assists for an “attacking midfielder”.

Most people seem concerned about “what if he gets good” or “what if he scores on us”. You could say the same for Abdou Sall. “What if?”.

He’s 23. Take the money and run.
He was starting games in our great run at the end of the season. He may not be a game changer but he can certainly liven up the side. He’s a squad player, worth having if we can afford more than 20.
 
I would be interested to know the win % and number of goals scored/conceded with Sykes in and out the team. Does anyone have that information?
 
I would be interested to know the win % and number of goals scored/conceded with Sykes in and out the team. Does anyone have that information?

Try Transfermarkt. It has plenty of info broken down into minutes played but I don't know if it will have that detail though.
 
Mark Sykes made an appearance in 42 matches across all competitions

W17, D 9, L 16, GF 62, GA 56, 5 Yellows, 1 Red.

Courtesy those nice people at Scoccerbase.
 
Seem to forget he won a fair few man of the match awards through the season. you don’t get that for just running around and looking busy.
Consistency came with more game time, the same can be said of mcguane.

He gets MOM when we lose because the rest of the team haven’t made an effort and he stands out. I don’t see any improvement in his end product.
 
There is a lot of spiel regarding end product - and quite rightly.

For me its about impacting games - assists, goals, tackles in the defensive third, winning 1 on 1 battles, creating overloads, delivering a ball across the 6 yard box. There are multiple players at OUFC who fail to do that vs the better teams.

If we are serious about the championship, our midfield will not consist of Gorrin or Sykes next season.
 
There is a lot of spiel regarding end product - and quite rightly.

For me its about impacting games - assists, goals, tackles in the defensive third, winning 1 on 1 battles, creating overloads, delivering a ball across the 6 yard box. There are multiple players at OUFC who fail to do that vs the better teams.

If we are serious about the championship, our midfield will not consist of Gorrin or Sykes next season.
Not Gorrin? Look how spineless we looked against Blackpool without him. Good teams will walk through our midfield when he or a like for like replacement is not on the pitch. Brannagan isn’t the answer for that position unless a team is going to come and sit 11 men behind the ball.

Agree regarding Sykes though, he is in the Forde category of very useful utility man but not a specialist in any area.
 
He gets MOM when we lose because the rest of the team haven’t made an effort and he stands out. I don’t see any improvement in his end product.
If that’s the case you need be asking questions about the rest of the team.
Let’s be honest, we have people on here giving opinions on a player. From a tv screen.
The 1 home game attended recently he was man of the match.
 
There is a lot of spiel regarding end product - and quite rightly.

For me its about impacting games - assists, goals, tackles in the defensive third, winning 1 on 1 battles, creating overloads, delivering a ball across the 6 yard box. There are multiple players at OUFC who fail to do that vs the better teams.

If we are serious about the championship, our midfield will not consist of Gorrin or Sykes next season.
Gorrin!? Excuse me..
 
Just a observation
Tom Davies of Everton.
Similar height and weight.
2018/2021
Matches 71
Goals 1
Assist 1
Value £14 m

Also Bristol rovers sold a 15 year old for over 200k last week.
 
After Agyei, surely Sykes divides opinions more than any other Oxford player?
 
After Agyei, surely Sykes divides opinions more than any other Oxford player?
I think it's because you know that both could be fantastic at this level if they could only get the end product right. No doubt that the mid-season bus throwing has given both the opportunity to knuckle down and prove what they can do, and Dan has been virtually unplayable since coming back (although often in 30 minute spells). Mark has also looked the same at times, but doesn't pick the right pace, or get set right for a shot, or gives away petulant fouls etc.

If we can get both playing at the level they are capable of, and it's just a bit of fine tuning for both, then we have two huge assets. I've probably had my share of digs at both, but I'd want nothing more for them to rip this league apart in August/September and get rewarded with decent contract extensions.
 
I think it's because you know that both could be fantastic at this level if they could only get the end product right. No doubt that the mid-season bus throwing has given both the opportunity to knuckle down and prove what they can do, and Dan has been virtually unplayable since coming back (although often in 30 minute spells). Mark has also looked the same at times, but doesn't pick the right pace, or get set right for a shot, or gives away petulant fouls etc.

If we can get both playing at the level they are capable of, and it's just a bit of fine tuning for both, then we have two huge assets. I've probably had my share of digs at both, but I'd want nothing more for them to rip this league apart in August/September and get rewarded with decent contract extensions.
I'm not sure Sykes will ever rip the league apart, but that doesn't mean he's a bad player, or that we don't want him.
 
I'm not sure Sykes will ever rip the league apart, but that doesn't mean he's a bad player, or that we don't want him.
I think that he is a confidence player, and if he started the season with 3 or 4 goals in the first month from a midfield position it would add a huge extra dimension to our play. Not saying that it will happen, but sometimes a little luck can get someone up and running and see the full potential.
 
I think that he is a confidence player, and if he started the season with 3 or 4 goals in the first month from a midfield position it would add a huge extra dimension to our play. Not saying that it will happen, but sometimes a little luck can get someone up and running and see the full potential.
I agree ability isn’t everything.
Confidence comes from having ability and being played regularly, knowing your boss has faith in you.
I think both have proved a point this season. And fair play to Robinson.
 
Have seen Gavin Whyte, Mark Sykes and Joel Cooper play in n Ireland before signing.
Oxford got the best out of Gavin Whyte in his spell here. And a good move money wise.
Would like to see him back though.
Mark Sykes has the ability to step up and we wouldn’t see him again.

Joel Cooper on his day can be unplayable in Ireland , can’t see why it can’t happen here.
 
Sykes is pretty similar to Rothwell in my opinion. He has moments of brilliance in games - more often little turns and shimmies in the middle third than goal impacts in the final third - and can take out a defender with his quick feet but rarely grabs a game by the scruff of the neck. Like Rothwell, he is a good player with the potential to be even better but I wouldn’t be devastated to lose him. And, like Rothwell, he might find a club more willing to give him a run of games in his favoured position at which he makes a decent impact.
 
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