Matches Top 6 Race 2023/24

[Scotchegg]

If you want to see a bunch of bottlers then just look at some of the posters on here.

Win Saturday and we still have a decent chance of making the top 6. We will obviously need other results to go our way, but that happens. Until then we have 90 minutes to finish the season with a win and give ourselves a shout.

 

[dickwalton1964]

On the bright side, Man Utd scraped through against Coventry yesterday ahead of their annual humiliation by Citeh at Wembley

Back to the subject of this forum and if you're looking for anyone to blame for this season, then look no further than Liam Manning. He's the one who really sold the club down the river this season and left us in the lurch having been handsomely backed by the club to start building a squad in his image. Even so, when we though everything was hunky-dory with manning, many were STILL saying it would take three windows to undo the damage done by the previous incumbents repeated brain farts in the transfer market.

Once Des has had the generous backing that was afforded to Liam Manning when he arrived (and no a January transfer window is in no way the same as a Summer transfer window), then we can start to judge. As far as I'm concerned, Buckingham now has this Summer and the January window (unless next season up to December sees us in the lower third of Division 1) to make the squad his own.

If by some slim miracle we actually DO make the playoffs next Saturday, then I'm sure you'll be congratulating the manager and club on that achievement and a recovery against the odds, having been left high and dry by Manning at a crucial point in the season.

Back to your No1 team and I heard Jasper Blomquivst interviewed this morning on Man UTd's spawny win yesterday and he was asked if they should replace Ten Haag, to which he replied he was not convinced that was the solution, given that Utd have had 5 managers in 11 years since Ferguson and the problems and lack lustre performances continue. The problems lie deeper with a United that let Ferguson mould the club in his image . . . . which is strikingly similar to the way OUFC "evolved" under Robinson.

I accept Des is here for the medium term at least but our first glimpse of seeing him manage under real pressure has been a major let down, one point - and even the ‘wrong’ point at that - from Stevenage and Lincoln at home and on the back of his best result yet is going to cost us massively. He had to do better in those two and one paltry penalty - that wasn’t even a penalty - is all we had to show.

To blame Liam Manning, of all people, is among the most absurd opinions I’ve read on here, possibly ever. What Liam Manning has to do with failing to break down Lincoln and Stevenage I don’t know. Should we be applauding Manning for the 5-0 thumping of Peterborough in that case?

 

[Paul Cannell]

Back to the subject of this forum and if you're looking for anyone to blame for this season, then look no further than Liam Manning. He's the one who really sold the club down the river this season and left us in the lurch having been handsomely backed by the club to start building a squad in his image. Even so, when we though everything was hunky-dory with manning, many were STILL saying it would take three windows to undo the damage done by the previous incumbents repeated brain farts in the transfer market.

I'm sorry to say this, yr sheikship, but Manning is not to blame for this season. 3 seasons of phoning it in (after the evisceration by Blackpool in the play-offs) and then active destruction by the United manager and a panglossian ignorance by senior management of what was happening on the pitch did that. Manning started to repair it and had the team at a false high position in the league when he took the money. That he left in cowardly and churlish way is neither here nor there.

Unfortunately I think it will take another 2 windows and support from the Drs Pangloss to put a structure in place to support the coach to recover. Am I disappointed we're now odds-on to miss the playoffs? Of course.

Has the club management been complacent and accepting of failure? Of course it has.

 

[Reynolds97]

If you want to see a bunch of bottlers then just look at some of the posters on here.

Win Saturday and we still have a decent chance of making the top 6. We will obviously need other results to go our way, but that happens. Until then we have 90 minutes to finish the season with a win and give ourselves a shout.

So you left the ground Friday thinking we hadn't thrown the season away?

 

[Bigdwoolly]

It's definitely not a bottle job, if we don't make the play-offs it will be a "not good enough" job. Sky showed a stat at one point on Friday that showed we'd not beaten any top half League one side at home other than Peterborough. So our draw against Stevenage was entirely in keeping with that. A bottle job would be failing to beat crap teams, which actually we've been fairly consistent at.

 

[Big Ron]

Making play offs against the odds?! We have literally bottled it.

We've actually put it in a bottle? You want to make sure that doesn't get out.

 

[Leysboy]

First of all Brannagan isn’t going anywhere.

Goodrham on the other hand, will have a lot of suitors, and it will be hard to resist a good offer if that happens.

Eastwood,Long,Findlay,Seddon,Henry,Browne,
McGuane,Bodin can all go!!!

That will get a hefty amount in wages off the payroll.

So we need to look at brining in some robust brutes, and players that can play a season, rather than take up space in the treatment room.

Major priority has to be a goalkeeper. Southwood is decent. Build your squad from the back, and make it balanced. It will be a tougher league next season.

 

[Carpy]

Making play offs against the odds?! We have literally bottled it.

You could suck the positivity out of winning the lottery...

We were on the verge of relegation last year, any talk of promotion in the summer was fanciful and yet here we are, still able to make the playoffs with one game to go

Our manager dumped us mid-season and we still have players on contract that should not be here and offer very little, yet, we're challenging.

Our recruitment must improve in the summer and not everything is perfect, but it rarely is in football, I think if you can't cope with losing or missing out, maybe you should run off and support someone like Man City

 

[MustardYellow]

Definition of 'Bottling' in the context of football: 'In football, to 'bottle' or to have 'bottled' something is to throw away a lead or a good chance of winning when you've been on the front foot. More specifically, it is when a team in a leading position loses that lead, directly impacting the outcome of the match or competition.'

Based on that, if we don't get play-offs, we've bottled it.

 

[Reynolds97]

You could suck the positivity out of winning the lottery...

We were on the verge of relegation last year, any talk of promotion in the summer was fanciful and yet here we are, still able to make the playoffs with one game to go

Our manager dumped us mid-season and we still have players on contract that should not be here and offer very little, yet, we're challenging.

Our recruitment must improve in the summer and not everything is perfect, but it rarely is in football, I think if you can't cope with losing or missing out, maybe you should run off and support someone like Man City

Deary me - What about the conference days? You forgot about them too?

 

[billyturleyscurlywurly]

You could suck the positivity out of winning the lottery...

We were on the verge of relegation last year, any talk of promotion in the summer was fanciful and yet here we are, still able to make the playoffs with one game to go

Our manager dumped us mid-season and we still have players on contract that should not be here and offer very little, yet, we're challenging.

Our recruitment must improve in the summer and not everything is perfect, but it rarely is in football, I think if you can't cope with losing or missing out, maybe you should run off and support someone like Man City

This point is irrelevant as it’s literally not what Des walked in to.

He walked in to a side sat 2nd in the league with a united group of players and a united fanbase. See Leyton Orient away. Magic.

He’s managed 29 L1 games since arriving picking up 39 points. 1.3 PPG.

Over a season that’s 59 or so points.
That’s simply not good enough.
The level of a Bristol Rovers/Northampton.

You’d be finishing 13th to 15th over a full season.

 

[Bitter]

Am I right in thinking Sky have cameras at every ground next week and one match showing live. Then is something happens in another game they show it?

Pompey are on the beach so I expect nothing from them, don't think Blackpool will get any change from Reading, Barnsley are having a good wobble so I fancy Northampton getting a result there, all the Yellows have to do is win at Exeter.

 

[Sheik djibouti]

I'm sorry to say this, yr sheikship, but Manning is not to blame for this season. 3 seasons of phoning it in (after the evisceration by Blackpool in the play-offs) and then active destruction by the United manager and a panglossian ignorance by senior management of what was happening on the pitch did that. Manning started to repair it and had the team at a false high position in the league when he took the money. That he left in cowardly and churlish way is neither here nor there.

Unfortunately I think it will take another 2 windows and support from the Drs Pangloss to put a structure in place to support the coach to recover. Am I disappointed we're now odds-on to miss the playoffs? Of course.

Has the club management been complacent and accepting of failure? Of course it has.

Dammit....my point of highlighting the absolute folly of blaming this on one individual was far too subtle it seems

OK - I will spell it out for those that didn't see through my ruse. Blaming Buckingham for this season is just as ridiculous as blaming Manning for it. The roots of why we are where we are go far deeper than that I'm afraid and I am astounded that more either can't, or simply refuse, to see that.

The fat lady may have started warming up, but she is yet to start warbling. If and when she does, it would be nice to think that the club will conduct a proper professional and detailed post-mortem of the causes and then reflect on them and learn lessons from them, rather than some myopic knee-jerk reactionary nonsense which involves replacing the manager (again) as some sort of panacea for all the clubs ills.

Some don't think the current manager is up to the job, yet have seemingly not questioned whether it's actually the wider club that hasn't, thus far, been up to the job.

 

[AbsoluteZero]

It has been a valiant effort to get into the top 6. 14 points from the last 7 games if continued over the season gets auto promotion. For sure the last 2 home games have been frustrating but since Bolton the performances have improved out of all recognition from the previous 4 months.

If you want to be picky at this stage it is the complete waste of money that was Goodwin in January. Even an average striker probably would have seen us over the line into 6th place. This is the big missed opportunity amongst it all.

And the team v Lincoln was wrong and whilst it was admirable that the same team that demolished Peterborough was selected and they probably expected to be picked, with RR going off against Peterborough claiming he couldn't run any more, JMc going off with an injury, Harris supposedly carrying an injury too, even Finn Stevens coming in from the cold and then expected to perform to the same level a few days later, the manager picked the wrong side based on emotion and loyalty and not what was needed to win (or at least draw) the game, hindsight is a wonderful thing but the better managers have foresight and don't always need to be nice and need that ruthless streak sometimes.

 

[Big Ron]

Definition of 'Bottling' in the context of football: 'In football, to 'bottle' or to have 'bottled' something is to throw away a lead or a good chance of winning when you've been on the front foot. More specifically, it is when a team in a leading position loses that lead, directly impacting the outcome of the match or competition.'

Based on that, if we don't get play-offs, we've bottled it.

Brilliant, along with your relentless positivity, you can use Google.

 

[Scotchegg]

Brilliant, along with your relentless positivity, you can use Google.

 

[Sheik djibouti]

It has been a valiant effort to get into the top 6. 14 points from the last 7 games if continued over the season gets auto promotion. For sure the last 2 home games have been frustrating but since Bolton the performances have improved out of all recognition from the previous 4 months.

If you want to be picky at this stage it is the complete waste of money that was Goodwin in January. Even an average striker probably would have seen us over the line into 6th place. This is the big missed opportunity amongst it all.

And the team v Lincoln was wrong and whilst it was admirable that the same team that demolished Peterborough was selected and they probably expected to be picked, with RR going off against Peterborough claiming he couldn't run any more, JMc going off with an injury, Harris supposedly carrying an injury too, even Finn Stevens coming in from the cold and then expected to perform to the same level a few days later, the manager picked the wrong side based on emotion and loyalty and not what was needed to win (or at least draw) the game, hindsight is a wonderful thing but the better managers have foresight and don't always need to be nice and need that ruthless streak sometimes.

Simple question - who from our vast and talented squad would you have put in the team instead?

The most depressing thing against Stevenage for me on Friday was the moment we took off RR and Goodrham and replaced them with Bodin and Henry. THAT showed me all I needed to see about the state of our squad. Up to the point of their substitution, we were piling the pressure on Stevenage. Goodrham and Rodrigues (along with Murphy, but not so much Browne) had given us some much needed forward momentum. Both RR and TG were out on their feet but the players brought to replace them could not get close to offering the same outlet....and so rather predictably and depressingly, we started going backwards and lost all that early second half promise.

That in a nutshell illustrates why our squad is so lacking and why we appear to be falling short - we simply have not had the personnel.

 

[m]

I'm sorry to say this, yr sheikship, but Manning is not to blame for this season. 3 seasons of phoning it in (after the evisceration by Blackpool in the play-offs) and then active destruction by the United manager and a panglossian ignorance by senior management of what was happening on the pitch did that. Manning started to repair it and had the team at a false high position in the league when he took the money. That he left in cowardly and churlish way is neither here nor there.

Unfortunately I think it will take another 2 windows and support from the Drs Pangloss to put a structure in place to support the coach to recover. Am I disappointed we're now odds-on to miss the playoffs? Of course.

Has the club management been complacent and accepting of failure? Of course it has.

He says what I'm thinking!

 

[dickwalton1964]

Simple question - who form our vast and talented squad would you have put in the team instead?

The most depressing thing against Stevenage for me on Friday was the moment we took off RR and Goodrham and replaced them with Bodin and Henry. THAT showed me all I needed to see about the state of our squad. Up to the poijt of their substitution, we were piling the pressure on Stevenage. Goodrham and Rodrigues (along with Murphy, but not so much Browne) had given us some much needed forward momentum. Both RR and TG were out on their feet but the players brought to replace them could not get close to offering the same outlet....and so rather predictably and depressingly, we started going backwards and lost all that early second half promise.

That in a nutshell illustrates why our squad is so lacking and why we appear to be falling short - we simply have not had the personnel.

You are creating a far bigger picture than is necessary. We kept ourselves alive until Friday just gone, a scenario that shouldn't in all honesty have been too demanding for any incoming manager with 6 months and a winter window to play with. It effectively came down to a two game season, Lincoln and Stevenage. Two home games, 11 v 11, great backing from the fans, a 5-0 mauling of Peterborough in the lead up, under the lights, everything was set up. What do we get? Two ok'ish performances but a pathetic one goal (disputed penalty) return. Dress this up how you like, go back as far as you like, but whatever went on before we just needed steering through these two games - Manning, last summer, the boardroom, any excuse you like has no bearing at all on these two fixtures.

Where's the alternative game plan when our preferred one is clearly not working? Side to side football and 50 yard diagonals to the wing for 190 minutes of malfunctioning football. It's the easiest football in the world to stop and defend against - keep your shape and double up on the wingers. Job done.

 

[WRox]

Simple question - who form our vast and talented squad would you have put in the team instead?

The most depressing thing against Stevenage for me on Friday was the moment we took off RR and Goodrham and replaced them with Bodin and Henry. THAT showed me all I needed to see about the state of our squad. Up to the poijt of their substitution, we were piling the pressure on Stevenage. Goodrham and Rodrigues (along with Murphy, but not so much Browne) had given us some much needed forward momentum. Both RR and TG were out on their feet but the players brought to replace them could not get close to offering the same outlet....and so rather predictably and depressingly, we started going backwards and lost all that early second half promise.

That in a nutshell illustrates why our squad is so lacking and why we appear to be falling short - we simply have not had the personnel.

Exactly this - we’ve been hamstrung all season by having totally inefficient cover in multiple areas. The cracks didn’t show in August or September, but by the time Des came in they certainly were. Remember Pompey? Ahead in that game against a now Championship side, then off the bench came Eastwood, Smyth at RB, O’Donkor and James Henry.

There is most certainly an argument that says that Des should have implemented a preferred style of play sooner, although he’s improving much more quickly as a manager than I feared he might a few weeks ago. And we most certainly wasted January as the opportunity to resolve some of the issues. The principle reason if we don’t make the playoffs though is the lack of squad depth. Manning said it was two to three windows to fix and he was right, you don’t get promoted carrying half a dozen or more who can’t contribute consistently.