General What needs to change?

[OxfordYankee]

We hit the heights in that run of games where we seemed to beat everyone 3-0 at home in the Autumn of 19. Dickie so often the catalyst for everything good, which allowed Fosu, Baptiste and Henry to feed a ravenous Taylor. We were excellent for a period.

We’ve not been treated to that level since. Even our streaks of wins have relied upon more workman-like performances. Nothing wrong with that, but we haven’t hit those heights again.

I certainly don’t blame KR for having his best players sold.

 

[oufc1991]

.

I certainly don’t blame KR for having his best players sold.

Nope but surely it’s up to KR to replace them with similar types of players not injured crocks and players he wants to try and make play is positions alien to them .
I don’t think KR will get this team promoted I would love to be proven wrong I just don’t think he’s got the know how I think he could sign all the players he personally would like to sign but he would stick them in the wrong position just to get them all in the team

 

[Thomas/Brock/Jones]

Nope but surely it’s up to KR to replace them with similar types of players not injured crocks and players he wants to try and make play is positions alien to them .
I don’t think KR will get this team promoted I would love to be proven wrong I just don’t think he’s got the know how I think he could sign all the players he personally would like to sign but he would stick them in the wrong position just to get them all in the team

Its not that easy though is it ! To sell your best players and replace is always a gamble as they need to settle , fit into system , produce form , get on wavelength with other players.
One player Clare was signed as a right back in the Cadden mould but was obviously not a success .
If we keep our back 5 from this season , add some cover , spend the money on midfield/ wingers then next season should be worth looking forward to !

 

[MalaysiaYellow]

We have done as expected. We are a mid table Div 1 side in terms of support, revenue, budget, etc. Same as last year, we may flirt with the playoffs but we are where we should be.

 

[oufc1991]

Its not that easy though is it ! To sell your best players and replace is always a gamble as they need to settle , fit into system , produce form , get on wavelength with other players.
One player Clare was signed as a right back in the Cadden mould but was obviously not a success .
If we keep our back 5 from this season , add some cover , spend the money on midfield/ wingers then next season should be worth looking forward to !

The problem is tho if you plan have a plan of such and such is moving on for 2m have the next player in the line how do Peterborough lose Toney last season replaced him with a player just as good in the bloke scoring goals for fun it can be done if you plan the problem with KR he puts all his eggs in one basket and when that fails he’s screwed

 

[Thomas/Brock/Jones]

The problem is tho if you plan have a plan of such and such is moving on for 2m have the next player in the line how do Peterborough lose Toney last season replaced him with a player just as good in the bloke scoring goals for fun it can be done if you plan the problem with KR he puts all his eggs in one basket and when that fails he’s screwed

Peterborough spend big money at this level , we currently do not so always a gamble taking unpolished stones and turning them into diamonds!
Clarke -Harris was proven at this level , fighting fit and a good age .Who is the last player we signed who wasn't a bit of a gamble ? ( Matty Taylor aside)

 

[MalaysiaYellow]

The problem is tho if you plan have a plan of such and such is moving on for 2m have the next player in the line how do Peterborough lose Toney last season replaced him with a player just as good in the bloke scoring goals for fun it can be done if you plan the problem with KR he puts all his eggs in one basket and when that fails he’s screwed

Reports were that Jonson Clarke-Harris cost between 1.25 & 1.5 million with a sell on fee.

​

 

[Junior_1]

We have done as expected. We are a mid table Div 1 side in terms of support, revenue, budget, etc. Same as last year, we may flirt with the playoffs but we are where we should be.

Spending on agent fees are very high for what you’re describing...

 

[The mighty Aldo]

Have we played any really exciting football this season? Genuine question. Cant rememeber any matches when i thought wow we really outplayed the opposition. Maybe doncaster away and some of the dross such as northampton at home.

Crewe
Burton
Doncaster h and a
Northampton h
Plymouth
MK h
Rochdale
Accrington a

plus we are third top scorers in the league

 

[Marked Ox]

We hit the heights in that run of games where we seemed to beat everyone 3-0 at home in the Autumn of 19. Dickie so often the catalyst for everything good, which allowed Fosu, Baptiste and Henry to feed a ravenous Taylor. We were excellent for a period.

We’ve not been treated to that level since. Even our streaks of wins have relied upon more workman-like performances. Nothing wrong with that, but we haven’t hit those heights again.

I certainly don’t blame KR for having his best players sold.

Others have said elsewhere for this season.

On top of that streak, in November we beat Crawley away 4-1 (Pizza Trophy) and Southend away (Lg) 4-0 in a run of 6 games when we only conceded 1 goal (Crawley) but this run included 2 Pizza Trophy matches and 2 FA Cup games. I don't remember these being particularly workmanlike as the 1-0 win over Walsall away in the FA Cup, we were all over them but could only get 1 goal and even then it was a cruise of a win. We also beat Hartlepool 4-1 at home in the FA Cup 3rd Round. I'm not sure drawing away at Newcastle and then pushing them so close in the replay could be called workman-like either tbf in the FA Cup 4th Rd. Then I would say we were back to similar levels as the streak in that run of 5 wins before lockdown which included beating Wimbledon 5-0 and Accrington 3-0.

 

[WRox]

We play football that is pretty easy on the eye, there are multiple examples of it really clicking, and of the 6 teams on course to finish above us - 4 are bigger clubs and more attractive than Oxford to players, 2 are equivalent clubs. We won’t finish below anyone that we absolutely shouldn’t based on size/budget. Sure Blackpool/Lincoln might spend 10% less, Pompey/Ipswich a hell of a lot more. We’re about where we should be.

So the discussion is what needs to change for us to punch above our weight rather than compete at the level we should.

For me it’s two things - we need to keep hold of our best players. Losing Dickie, Whyte, Baptiste, Fosu etc creates additional work and more room for error, before you even consider how difficult it is to find Championship standard players as a medium sized League One club. Moore, Brannagan, Atkinson will all go higher, but none are ready to go and excel in the league above like Dickie has. Hopefully that means we can keep hold of them.

Second thing is squad balance and here’s the big frustration with KR. We cannot continue to go into seasons without adequate cover in key positions. It leaves us too vulnerable when we’re still fixing gaps in October and getting by at the end of the season because both full backs have played 40 games and inevitably picked up injuries.

 

[Manorlounger]

We play football that is pretty easy on the eye, there are multiple examples of it really clicking, and of the 6 teams on course to finish above us - 4 are bigger clubs and more attractive than Oxford to players, 2 are equivalent clubs. We won’t finish below anyone that we absolutely shouldn’t based on size/budget. Sure Blackpool/Lincoln might spend 10% less, Pompey/Ipswich a hell of a lot more. We’re about where we should be.

Why would they be more attractive? What makes them bigger?
It does irritate me that some of our supporters are so keen to demean our club. I don't buy into this bigger club mentality. The likes of Portsmouth, Sunderland, Hull, Ipswich, even Blackpool have all played at a higher level than League 1 but, they have all been relegated to this level and some of them have serious financial question marks hanging over them. Having a bigger ground doesn't make them bigger clubs.
Oxford United played in the old First Division, we won the Milk Cup and should have played in European competition, granted, in recent times the big stage has eluded us but we have still beaten higher placed opposition and displayed to other clubs what a fantastic fanbase we have. OUFC is not a small club, we just happen to have landed in a three sided ground with a lack of consistent results. The ground will be sorted, the ambition will be instilled and the playing style will, must be improved to match.

We are, most definitely, NOT where we should be.

 

[WuTang]

It's also very easy to assume that the "bigger clubs" than us in this division have a bigger budget. These bigger clubs, many of them are actually going through financial struggles and have had to trim their budgets to suit, I would not be surprised, based on our agent fees spent, if we have a higher budget than some of the clubs who are traditionally "bigger" than we are.

 

[m]

Why would they be more attractive? What makes them bigger?
It does irritate me that some of our supporters are so keen to demean our club. I don't buy into this bigger club mentality. The likes of Portsmouth, Sunderland, Hull, Ipswich, even Blackpool have all played at a higher level than League 1 but, they have all been relegated to this level and some of them have serious financial question marks hanging over them. Having a bigger ground doesn't make them bigger clubs.
Oxford United played in the old First Division, we won the Milk Cup and should have played in European competition, granted, in recent times the big stage has eluded us but we have still beaten higher placed opposition and displayed to other clubs what a fantastic fanbase we have. OUFC is not a small club, we just happen to have landed in a three sided ground with a lack of consistent results. The ground will be sorted, the ambition will be instilled and the playing style will, must be improved to match.

We are, most definitely, NOT where we should be.

I think for Pompey, Sunderland and Ipswich there's no reasonable metric by which you could say they are not bigger clubs: larger support, larger grounds and greater achievements in the game. I'm sure non-OUFC supporters would unilaterally agree.

More attractive is a different matter of course and this we have a degree of control over.

 

[battman]

Why change anything? Half the fun in supporting Oxford is that we never seem to do anything the easy way!

Promotion in 96 after a crap first half of the season before that incredible run in.

Coming out the conference, first season unbeaten in loads, top for ages before dropping in to the playoffs, win away, take the lead at home and still f**k them up! Then when we do eventually come up we nearly throw it away before having a day to remember in the Wembley rain.

90% wanted MApp sacked in his first season, Hylton was shite before he'd kicked a ball, Roofe out of his depth etc! Then everything clicks and we have the memorable cup games, Wembley and a promotion that we very nearly let slip too.

Robinson has started badly every year but has given us some of the most exciting (and frustrating) football that we've seen in years. Developing and selling players for big profits, balancing the books and getting us to a playoff final only to see if all crash and burn!

I don't think we've done anything the easy way since 84/85 so why start now? Let's enjoy the ride, the hard times make the good times so much sweeter!


(And learn to use the ignore button!! I'm sure it'll reduce the stresses of some and be less boring for so many others!!!)

You've answered your own question there.

Genuine question, because I'm intrigued to know, do you think Karl is doing a perfect job? Is there anything you think he isn't doing well, and is there anything you think the club and the manager could do better next season?

I know your schtick is to be overwhelmingly positive and to look on the bright side, which is admirable at times, but on a thread about what people would change for next season to improve our fortunes, surely you can find something we could be doing better?

 

[bazzer9461]

As i said in another post. Will be very surprised if we see Cooper back, not knowing what his personal problems are. Could be we will cancel his contract on mutual consent if he cant come back.. what ever he is doing i wish him well.

I would like to see him back, in the short amount of time he was with us he showed he had something which could help the team.

 

[WRox]

Why would they be more attractive? What makes them bigger?
It does irritate me that some of our supporters are so keen to demean our club. I don't buy into this bigger club mentality. The likes of Portsmouth, Sunderland, Hull, Ipswich, even Blackpool have all played at a higher level than League 1 but, they have all been relegated to this level and some of them have serious financial question marks hanging over them. Having a bigger ground doesn't make them bigger clubs.
Oxford United played in the old First Division, we won the Milk Cup and should have played in European competition, granted, in recent times the big stage has eluded us but we have still beaten higher placed opposition and displayed to other clubs what a fantastic fanbase we have. OUFC is not a small club, we just happen to have landed in a three sided ground with a lack of consistent results. The ground will be sorted, the ambition will be instilled and the playing style will, must be improved to match.

We are, most definitely, NOT where we should be.

So you don’t understand why clubs with wage budgets of £5m-£8m would be more attractive than one at £3-£4m no? Clubs that are traditionally more successful and have proven to have higher ceilings in the last 30 years as well?

I love the nostalgia and bias, but there isn’t a sensible narrative that suggests we’re failing because we’ve not finished above clubs of that size and stature.

 

[brassmonkey]

Crewe
Burton
Doncaster h and a
Northampton h
Plymouth
MK h
Rochdale
Accrington a

plus we are third top scorers in the league

You think we really outplayed plymouth and rochdale away? I thought both matches were pretty even. MK is debatable as well. We won yes, but we didnt win by playing exciting football. I would say we have been playing more exciting football since Gorrin has been out of the team and we have reduced the amount of time we knock it around at the back. Our so called exciting football has meant we havent beaten anybody in the top 6 (except an injury ravaged Lincoln)

 

[Mad Dog]

KR: OUT!

Although I do sometimes tire of Robbo’s arrogance and pigheadedness, and quite frankly, bizarre decision making at times, I think you need to look at the bigger picture.

Last season, we got to the playoff final, and the 1/4 final of the league cup, this season, in extremely difficult, unprecedented circumstances, with 4 games left, it looks like we’re just gonna miss out on the playoffs.

So all considered he’s actually done very well, and I think deserves another shot at it next season, under (hopefully) more normal circumstances

Is he the right man to take us to the next level, I’m not sure, time will tell, but I can’t think of anyone who’s available at the moment who would be much of an upgrade (unless Mapp was interested)

But he needs to change his whole policy around signings, as if he brings in more crocks, has beens or unfit players, then even I will start sharpening my pitchfork..

 

[DevilsAvocado]

What needs to change ? A new LB would be a good start, keeping Barker and Lee would also be a good move.
Offload Hanson, Kelly as well, shame as i think he could be decent but it looks like his heart isnt in it.
Forde and Sykes i would keep as squad players, add a couple CM`s ( McGuane could be 1 of them ) and a winger
and i think we are good to go. I don`t think we are far off from having a really good side.

Have no probs with KR at the helm, i think we are on an upward curve both on and off the pitch and tbh
i havent been happier as an Oxford supporter for many years.

That doesnt mean i don`t want to get promoted, far from it, but i can wait a year or 2 if thats what it takes, after all
we have only been promoted from this division twice in our history, establishing ourselves as a top 10 L1 club before
we push again is ok with me especially if we have games like, West Ham, Man City, Lincoln, Crewe, and to a slightly
lesser extent Newcastle in the meantime.