Carpy
Level: Dave Roberts
(176 Apps, 8 Gls)
- Year of First Game
- 1998
| Sam Long  Signed: Youth Team Graduate  |
Last edited:
Current Player Sam Long
- Thread starter MJB
- Start date
Level: Dave Roberts
MJB
Level: Les Phillips
(224 Apps, 15 Gls)
Announced by the club - excellent news.
bazzer9461
Level: Joey Beauchamp
(428 Apps, 79 Gls)
- Year of First Game
- 1968
Good news
- Year of First Game
- 1953
Great news
- Year of First Game
- 1980
Surely the headline should have been "Sam signs Long Deal"? OUFC, sort it out before Oxford Mail reads this and uses it first.
Great news
Great news
Was already contracted to June 22 so wonder if that's an additional 3 years on top of that one or a better deal from now replacing the one with a year left to run.
Thomas/Brock/Jones
Level: Steve Basham
(189 Apps, 51 Gls)
Another 3 year deal , good amount of time that surely shows investment and some longer term planning is in place now ?
Notaswindonfan
Level: Callum O'Dowda
(106 Apps, 14 Gls)
Heโs having a good season and we missed him When injured, had my concerns he would struggle when players have been brought in to play at RB and wasnโt KR first choice but one potential player of the season now.
From OM in 2020: "Already the club's longest-serving player having joined the club as an 8-year-old, in June 2020 he signed a 2-year extension with Oxford United which will bring him to 19 years at the club."
Now Robbo says "Sam has been outstanding and by the end of his new deal will have been here 21 years: thatโs a double testimonial!"
So deal till 2024 as I understand it.
POTS this year and well deserved.
Iโm with @RyanioBirdio and his repeated observations that we need more than Long and Ruffels at LB and RB next year rather than the โyouโll doโ approach weโve taken this year. Thatโs not a criticism of either - just logical sense that you should have more than one option for each position. Chuck another proper RB into the mix (who isnโt Clare, Forde or Hanson) and weโll see what else Long can do with some proper competition.
Iโm with @RyanioBirdio and his repeated observations that we need more than Long and Ruffels at LB and RB next year rather than the โyouโll doโ approach weโve taken this year. Thatโs not a criticism of either - just logical sense that you should have more than one option for each position. Chuck another proper RB into the mix (who isnโt Clare, Forde or Hanson) and weโll see what else Long can do with some proper competition.
Foley
Level: Colin Harrington
(260 Apps, 30 Gls)
He has developed significantly under KR in my view.
Previously he was a bit of a utility player ( he still has the ability to be), but his attacking play as a right back has improved massively.
I would think that rather than a back up to Cadden / Clare, he should rightly now be seen as a number 1 right back.
Well done Sam
On his day he's one of the best RBs in the league, if not the best. Even off his day he'll give you a 7/10 performance. A really good job to tie him down because I'm sure there will be some vultures sniffing around him in the summer. A real role model for our youngsters too. Brilliant news.
Marked Ox
Level: Mickey Lewis
(351 Apps, 7 Gls)
Chuffed with this.
Wandering Yellow
Level: Steve Basham
(189 Apps, 51 Gls)
Apparently he was an Oxford United fan when he was younger, so great to see him play for the club all these years.
Heโs a Sunderland fan apparently ...
https://www.Oxfordm**l.co.uk/sport/17998595.sunderland-fan-sam-long-mission-oxford-united-tonight/
Heโs got the oddest Mackem accent Iโve ever heard!
RyanioBirdio
Level: Les Phillips
(224 Apps, 15 Gls)
Fantastic that SL has signed a new deal. He plays with dedication and commitment and in the last year or so has really added quality to that heart and effort. We need more full backs for the same reason that we donโt just have one centre forward or only two wingers at the entire club - you need cover as well as competition - but anybody coming in will need to wrestle the shirt off him. He should be right up there for POTY next month.
Ruffels will be interesting. Multiple clubs are in for him including real interest from one in the Championship, apparently.
Ruffels will be interesting. Multiple clubs are in for him including real interest from one in the Championship, apparently.
Carpy
Level: Dave Roberts
(176 Apps, 8 Gls)
- Year of First Game
- 1998
Great news for both the club and Sam, he's improved no end and you can't say his performances don't justify his starting place.
Carpy
Level: Dave Roberts
(176 Apps, 8 Gls)
- Year of First Game
- 1998
Baffles me that any Championship clubs would want him to be honest
Championship? I have to admit, I am shocked to hear that. If/when we go up, I would want us to explore alternatives. I think we can do much better.
Jon-ioualways
Level: Callum O'Dowda
(106 Apps, 14 Gls)
Fantastic news....I'm so please for Sam and for OUFC.
RyanioBirdio
Level: Les Phillips
(224 Apps, 15 Gls)
Just the one, but apparently so. Heโs free, isnโt on mega bucks, is versatile and was the left back for a L1 team that were two points / one game at Wembley away from being promoted to the second tier a year ago. If someone needs a backup left back at that level and heโs on a free, I can see it. Same as I can see most L1 clubs wanting him for that very reason.
I hope he stays. As one of two left backs and with real competition I think he could be really important. We havenโt had much luck in recent years with signing full backs. Caddenโs half-season loan aside weโve been poor in that department over the last 3 years of recruitment, so Iโm a bit worried about having to build from nothing on either side. Would be good to keep what we have and add competition ideally...
OX14
Level: Les Phillips
(224 Apps, 15 Gls)
Wycombe I'm led to believe. So probably won't be Championship next year.
Wycombe!?
Ah well, if they fancy paying us 6 figures for another average full back then they can crack on. Canโt see him going there though..
Thomas/Brock/Jones
Level: Steve Basham
(189 Apps, 51 Gls)
Yes only the 6 goals and 5 assists , as well as apart from the odd 45 mins not been roasted !!
Of course our full backs should never , ever be beaten by their winger while our wingers must also absolutely roast the full back they are playing against!
So you think that Josh Ruffels is as good as we can do at LB? His final ball is poor, he canโt beat a man, he is quite often caught out of position and despite what you say, he has been targeted by practically every decent side we have faced and more often than not, it has worked. Great servant for the club, but if we are serious about taking that next step as a club, we need to look at replacing him or at the very lease, bring in another player that will provide some serious competition for his position.
BrockBuster
Level: Callum O'Dowda
(106 Apps, 14 Gls)
He's earned it. Fair play to the lad.
BarrySpang
Level: Jack Midson
(68 Apps, 15 Gls)
Millwall are one of the clubs interested in Ruffels apparently.
Good news about Sam, very much deserved.
Good news about Sam, very much deserved.
I think Ruffs is a very good League 1 full back. But that's his limit. The best players in L1 target him because they're probably Championship quality (or close to) where Ruffs isn't. If the target is to yo-yo between L1 and Champ then Ruffs is fine, but if the target is to stick around in tier 2 then we'd probably need to replace. Sam on the other hand I think could manage at stable Championship level, which is why this contract is such good news. No faffing about looking for the next Chris Cadden next season, we've got our no1 RB. What we need is a young, versatile full back able to play both sides to be an understudy to both Ruffs and Long and looking to overthrow one of them. Whether Elechi and Lofthouse are ready to be that or whether we look to NI, the leagues below or look to snipe a youngster in the prem who wants to get game time remains to be seen. Just as long as they are permanent signing.
