Matches Top 6 Race 2023/24

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SirAndyOfCrosby said:
Yeap. The bizarre implication that it's been an incredible slog, we've come up on the rails, but not quite had enough at the final hurdle - despite doing all in our power.

There's short memories - and then there's this place. We were 5 (five) points clear of Lincoln - this time last week...
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Could not agree more. How stupid do people look when they blame tiredness, squad depth, last summers recruitment etc when, as you say, this time last week we were 5 points clear of Lincoln and about to play them at home in a normal Tuesday night game and in front of a packed crowd!
 
dickwalton1964 said:
Could not agree more. How stupid do people look when they blame tiredness, squad depth, last summers recruitment etc when, as you say, this time last week we were 5 points clear of Lincoln and about to play them at home in a normal Tuesday night game and in front of a packed crowd!
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So tiredness and squad depth had nothing to do with the players being out on their feet against Stevenage or the fact that Rodrigues had to come off against Lincoln as he had ran himself into the ground (his words) and instead it was all because of Des?

Amazing how much you post after a couple of poor results yet barely a peep out of you after a 5-0 win against Peterborough.
 
WRox said:
Fair summary. I think the key point to add is that Des was way to slow to work out where the squad was in those early weeks and find a way to get results, but that late form seemed to be a reflection of him finding his feet as much as players returning or January signings making any difference.

Whatever happens Saturday, it feels to me like we’ve gone through the new manager transition now and have a platform to build from like we did last summer. After Bolton, that felt a million miles away.
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I think that Peterborough game has made everything seem a bit more rosy than it is. Yes it was brilliant and everyone rightly enjoyed it, but they're still the only top 10 team we've beaten under Des (I think?). We had 2 good results prior to that, but they were against teams that (depending on your expectations of the club) you'd want to be beating comfortably anyway.

I do agree things feel a bit better now despite our last 2 results, but it still feels like something isn't quite right. Hopefully another transfer window can resolve that, but if it's anything like the last one I'm very worried!!
 
Steve Gilbert said:
So tiredness and squad depth had nothing to do with the players being out on their feet against Stevenage or the fact that Rodrigues had to come off against Lincoln as he had ran himself into the ground (his words) and instead it was all because of Des?

Amazing how much you post after a couple of poor results yet barely a peep out of you after a 5-0 win against Peterborough.
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Look at the Peterborough thread, could not have been more gushing. Then I was banned for a week. I’m not starting these conversations, Im just joining in - if that’s ok with you? 🤷‍♂️🙄
 
Actually, fwiw, I thought as good a we were against Peterborough, they looked really heavy legged and there really wasn't much resistance there. They were certainly a shadow of the team that gubbed us 3-0 earlier in the season.

A team suffering from fatigue . . . . who knew 🤷‍♂️ :ROFLMAO:
 
Steve Gilbert said:
Obviously because some of us will be very positive and then you have the few on here who seem desperate for Des to fail and they will be trying to find reasons why we won’t win the play offs if we get there.
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I just don’t get this holier-than-thou, rather superior attitude that you and some of your acolytes share.
Nobody on this forum wants us to fail to make the playoffs or have a successful weekend. And, surely, hoping Buckingham fails is by implication, hoping we fail.
OK, I admire your positivity, but continually slagging off posters who don’t share your view is rather tedious.
There’s room on this forum for ALL views to be accepted.
After a career watching Oxford win six promotions and suffer six relegations, over many years, I think I have the right to offer a balanced view. We are spending the weekend in Devon and hoping all the results (or enough of them) go for us. But it’s really not an expectation (look at Exeter’s recent form) that we will win and some other teams do us a favour.
I’ll be delighted and excited if it happens, but don’t dismiss those supporters who think it might not. It really doesn’t give you a moral superiority, much as you think it does.
 
Bigdwoolly said:
You know how this works.... the players did themselves a massive favour by brilliantly beating Peterboro 5-0, despite Des. It's just such a shame Des let them down by losing and drawing the next 2 games. What more can we ask of the players?
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You could just as easily sarcastically say:

‘Des was absolutely brilliant in beating Peterborough 5-0, a tactical masterclass. But the rubbish squad he inherited could never have got a single more goal in the next two home games - the solitary 1 point and single goal was overachieving and all down to Des.’

As ever, the truth is somewhere in between. But generally in football, managers get the praise when it goes well and the criticism when it goes badly, that’s just how it is and how it always will be.

Saying this season is entirely Des’ fault as he’s a terrible manager is just as stupid and tiresome as saying he holds literally zero responsibility, imo. Two sides of a myopic and shortsighted coin.
 
MustardYellow said:
I think that Peterborough game has made everything seem a bit more rosy than it is. Yes it was brilliant and everyone rightly enjoyed it, but they're still the only top 10 team we've beaten under Des (I think?). We had 2 good results prior to that, but they were against teams that (depending on your expectations of the club) you'd want to be beating comfortably anyway.

I do agree things feel a bit better now despite our last 2 results, but it still feels like something isn't quite right. Hopefully another transfer window can resolve that, but if it's anything like the last one I'm very worried!!
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The Peterborough game, for me, was a defining moment in terms of it being the first game I’d seen a real identity and intent to our play. I’d agree too that the performances in the next two were reasonably positive but results are everything, especially at this stage of the season, and Des seemed a bit clueless in terms of a plan B - plan A clearly not working, particularly in the Lincoln game. The signs are better, the results aren’t, toss of a coin as to where anyone thinks we are in terms of progression under Des.
 
TailsWeWin said:
I just don’t get this holier-than-thou, rather superior attitude that you and some of your acolytes share.
Nobody on this forum wants us to fail to make the playoffs or have a successful weekend. And, surely, hoping Buckingham fails is by implication, hoping we fail.
OK, I admire your positivity, but continually slagging off posters who don’t share your view is rather tedious.
There’s room on this forum for ALL views to be accepted.
After a career watching Oxford win six promotions and suffer six relegations, over many years, I think I have the right to offer a balanced view. We are spending the weekend in Devon and hoping all the results (or enough of them) go for us. But it’s really not an expectation (look at Exeter’s recent form) that we will win and some other teams do us a favour.
I’ll be delighted and excited if it happens, but don’t dismiss those supporters who think it might not. It really doesn’t give you a moral superiority, much as you think it does.
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No issue with others having different views, it is the fact that when our down falls have been down to a whole host of issues this season rather than just 1 person yet some ignore this and continually blame that 1 person.
 
dickwalton1964 said:
The Peterborough game, for me, was a defining moment in terms of it being the first game I’d seen a real identity and intent to our play. I’d agree too that the performances in the next two were reasonably positive but results are everything, especially at this stage of the season, and Des seemed a bit clueless in terms of a plan B - plan A clearly not working, particularly in the Lincoln game. The signs are better, the results aren’t, toss of a coin as to where anyone thinks we are in terms of progression under Des.
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I'll never forgive myself for this, but I agree with you that Boro was a strong signal of what Des is tactically capable of.

As for "seeming a bit clueless" for the next 2, they were different challenges being physical and defensivel solid but what would you have done differently with the available players?
 
Paul Cannell said:
I'll never forgive myself for this, but I agree with you that Boro was a strong signal of what Des is tactically capable of.

As for "seeming a bit clueless" for the next 2, they were different challenges being physical and defensivel solid but what would you have done differently with the available players?
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I'm not exactly qualified to say but Harris looked shot, maybe Browne through the middle? People say Harris is a wide man playing centrally, so put another wide man, Browne, there and see how that goes - more pace than Harris and an eye for goal. The wingers were nullified, they were getting no joy and I think it was a bit odd to keep ploughing the same furrow and just playing in to the opposition hands. There was so much predictable football, if us fans can see it then it's a certainty that the Lincoln and Stevenage coaching staffs were going to pinpoint it too. Mix the set pieces up too, you know what's coming with every corner and every free kick. If you look at the Lincoln game, in particular, I felt sorry for Harris because we were playing airborne balls in to him that were just being gobbled up defenders 5 or 6 inches taller than him. Never thought I'd be saying it but if we were to persevere with Harris, someone like O'Donkor up there with him would have given Lincoln and Stevenage far bigger problems. I know he wasn't available but it's either unfortunate timing with him departing and Goodwin arriving injured or just reckless management to think we could limp by with one reliable centre forward - who's really a winger.
 
I struggle to think what he could have done, too. I think you're right that the formation played to both Lincoln and Stevenage's strengths and expectations, that both teams management set up for it, and that you & I could see that much before either kick-off.

I think it would be very unfair to say that Des didn't see it too. If so, he chose the formation he hoped would work in the absence of a way to vary the atttack (you outlined the options) or have a strong midfield (Brannagan & Smyth?). So I do think it's not right to state that last week or the drop in places (in the main) 'is Des' fault'. The squad he has to work with is really unbalanced.

I don't know who directed the January recruitment, but it was very, how shall I say, flawed.

Your points on Harris are well made, he is the player of the season by a country mile in my book.
 
I’m more worried about Blackpool overtaking us & Lincoln after this Saturday’s results, than anything else. It’s fair to suggest that Lincoln will be incredibly lucky if they get more than a point v Pompey. It’s also reasonable to predict that Blackpool will beat Reading.

The bookies have somehow got us as clear favourites to beat Exeter, although their shortest correct score odds are a 1-1 draw. Let’s assume the bookies know what they’re doing.

All this adds up to Blackpool scraping into the final play-off place with us behind Lincoln.

I’ll be at Exeter and looking forward to it. The game is a sell-out and all home fans are being urged to wear red. It should be a good atmosphere and, hopefully, a good result for us.
 
Paul Cannell said:
I struggle to think what he could have done, too. I think you're right that the formation played to both Lincoln and Stevenage's strengths and expectations, that both teams management set up for it, and that you & I could see that much before either kick-off.

I think it would be very unfair to say that Des didn't see it too. If so, he chose the formation he hoped would work in the absence of a way to vary the atttack (you outlined the options) or have a strong midfield (Brannagan & Smyth?). So I do think it's not right to state that last week or the drop in places (in the main) 'is Des' fault'. The squad he has to work with is really unbalanced.

I don't know who directed the January recruitment, but it was very, how shall I say, flawed.

Your points on Harris are well made, he is the player of the season by a country mile in my book.
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Wouldn't disagree re Harris as POTY. I think Moore, for his consistency as much as anything, is a worthy winner though. He's a 7/8 out of 10 most weeks - has the occasional 5/10 in him like most L1 players. Of those currently on our books, I'd like to see Harris and Murphy out wide and Goodwin down the middle next season (be just as happy with a fit Browne and Edwards out wide too). A big plus with Harris is his durability, reliability and availability. He takes a battering up there on his own but seems to have a lot less 'knocks' than most footballers do, he's undoubtedly one of our toughest players.
 
Steve Gilbert said:
No issue with others having different views, it is the fact that when our down falls have been down to a whole host of issues this season rather than just 1 person yet some ignore this and continually blame that 1 person.
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If we are in the blame category, personally I’d point that largely at recruitment and whoever has contributed to that process and ultimate decision making. That includes the summer when we were left unbelievably short up front (Perkins a disaster) and also light in midfield and other areas in terms of numbers and physical presence and the types of options available.

The Jan window was then unacceptable given where we were in the table. The signings made largely unusable, and expensive in some cases, just when any half decent recruitment would have seen us comfortably in the play offs.

So it is lack of squad depth due to very poor recruitment which has ultimately cost us. I’d be reviewing the decisions taken, and addressing the failings within this process as a key priority once the season is over, though it should already have taken place if we are competent and don’t want any more repeats of gambles, crocs and non contributors in the future.
 
Y
Chippy said:
If we are in the blame category, personally I’d point that largely at recruitment and whoever has contributed to that process and ultimate decision making. That includes the summer when we were left unbelievably short up front (Perkins a disaster) and also light in midfield and other areas in terms of numbers and physical presence and the types of options available.

The Jan window was then unacceptable given where we were in the table. The signings made largely unusable, and expensive in some cases, just when any half decent recruitment would have seen us comfortably in the play offs.

So it is lack of squad depth due to very poor recruitment which has ultimately cost us. I’d be reviewing the decisions taken, and addressing the failings within this process as a key priority once the season is over, though it should already have taken place if we are competent and don’t want any more repeats of gambles, crocs and non contributors in the future.
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You're certainly right about our failure to acquire enough forward options, though presumably Goodwin's lengthy absence was unforeseen. But you're going easy on Des in other ways. Persisting with the lightweight midfield and predictable wing play against tough teams has cost us when we had options such as Smyth, McGuane and McEachrean unused.
 
It's an argument, not really one I'd subscribe to. Smyth is a mystery wrapped in an enigma, McGuane seems to have completely gone off the boil and to me McEachran is as likely to show up as not. I dunno, maybe more work on them was needed but they weren't the only fire Des had to fight on his tod.
 
Paul Cannell said:
It's an argument, not really one I'd subscribe to. Smyth is a mystery wrapped in an enigma, McGuane seems to have completely gone off the boil and to me McEachran is as likely to show up as not. I dunno, maybe more work on them was needed but they weren't the only fire Des had to fight on his tod.
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I think it was reasonable to hope for some kind of 'plan B'. It was clear from the start that Murphy was being double or triple marked. But I dunno what that could have been.
 
werthersoriginal said:
Persisting with the lightweight midfield and predictable wing play against tough teams has cost us when we had options such as Smyth, McGuane and McEachrean unused.
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And, of course, we could have done something more about this area in January (beyond a risky Matete)?

Wycombe signed Matt Butcher (L1 stalwart and a Champion last season) from Plymouth and he has been a triumph in a side that are 4th in the 'since Feb 1st' table.

I refuse to believe that we couldn't compete with Wycombe for what is a reliable, affordable, versatile L1 midfielder.

We consistently make recruitment look like rocket science. It isn't.
 
werthersoriginal said:
I think it was reasonable to hope for some kind of 'plan B'. It was clear from the start that Murphy was being double or triple marked. But I dunno what that could have been.
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This is exactly how I see the last two games from last week - especially Lincoln.

We have two strings to our bow. We can play it around the back until the opportunity to get it out to our wingers in space arises, and have them cause havoc. And we can press, harry and break quickly on opponents coming at us. The combination of the two annihilated a Peterborough side that were tired, but consistently willing to play football and attack.

Lincoln nullified both of those options by doubling up on our wingers, and just launching it when they were in possession. And we didn't have another plan......because it's pretty hard to come up with something effective with the personnel we currently have available. Our only striking option is a converted winger who's running on empty; we don't have a destroyer in the middle of the park, nor really a watercarrier-type now that McGuane's form has fallen through the floor. I think at times we tried to play Manning-style controlled pass and move football through the middle, but that's not really a style that suits the best players we have available and firing right now.

So the fault last week, for me, was less Des failing to come up with a tactical masterstroke to get us four points, and more a failure in squad construction over at least the last four windows for which Des is partly, but not wholly responsible.

The good news is that a bunch of our big contracts will be coming off the books, so as long as our owners are willing to set fire to another couple of million, we should be able to build a balanced squad that can adapt better. Even having the option to play two up front if and when we need to would be nice!
 
dickwalton1964 said:
I don’t buy that either. Players in the 46 game EFL are conditioned to go Saturday, Tuesday, Saturday for large swathes of the season. In that sequence you would never get three consecutive home league games - this was a unique situation.

Had we been playing Carlisle away on that second Saturday no one would have mentioned it, it would have just been another game in a typical EFL week. So instead of 3pm on a Saturday in, say, Carlisle we play at 8pm on the Friday in Oxford - about 11 waking hours difference (bed at 11, awake 8 hours later at 7). Compensate that with a 12-14 hour round trip coach journey and what’s the difference? If Carlisle is too extreme, let’s take somewhere around halfway as an example - Lincoln, you are talking only a few hours difference and nothing that’s going to massively impact your performance on a football field.

Yes, it was three games in that slightly shorter time frame but as I’ve said that’s off set by no travelling whatsoever, plenty of time to properly rest as well as being able to feed off the energy three packed home gates give you.

Just give us two draws, nothing more, nothing less. No one was asking for two more 5-0’s, two 0-0’s would have done. Des failed to navigate what was a very favourable position. Any manager you like would have bitten your hand off for a week like that and what was needed.
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Could and shouldve got 4 points from those games though, it wasnt like we didnt deserve 4 points was it?
 
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