Away Match Day Thread 21/5/2021 Playoff L1 Blackpool FC V OUFC

[Siho]

Outclassed, tactically abysmal, but i predicted a relegation battle, we made the playoffs, i was delighted to be proved wrong. A totally bizarre season..

I disagree. It was a great performace today..

 

[North Wales Yellow]

We consistently look a much more dangerous side when Agyei plays. There defenders looked a lot less comfortably when he came on. Simply needs to play a lot more next season

 

[brassmonkey]

I agree with robbos assessment of what we need but please get adequate cover for defence. If we had decent left and right back cover we would have been pushing on the autos this season. (And maybe have beaten Blackpool)

 

[bazzer9461]

1981/82 finished 5th Div 3
1982/83 finished 5th Div 3
1983/84 Champions Div 3

Just hope he can achieve promotion next season or we will be asking if he has what it takes to take us up.
If we start like we have the last three seasons then I doubt very much but If we start like we didn’t the last three seasons then we could be fine. But it has to be next season or else bye and thanks KR

 

[Mad Dog]

I disagree. It was a great performace today..

I think once it got to the point where we needed to score 3-4 goals in the last 25 mins, Blackpool knew they could ease off a bit, and just see the game out, which probably made our hard graft look better than it actually was, as although we plugged away until the end, they were never in danger.

 

[PottersRightBoot]

Just hope he can achieve promotion next season or we will be asking if he has what it takes to take us up.
If we start like we have the last three seasons then I doubt very much but If we start like we didn’t the last three seasons then we could be fine. But it has to be next season or else bye and thanks KR

Why?

 

[RgYellows]

I think once it got to the point where we needed to score 3-4 goals in the last 25 mins, Blackpool knew they could ease off a bit, and just see the game out, which probably made our hard graft look better than it actually was, as although we plugged away until the end, they were never in danger.

A fair few also did us a favour by trying to get themselves on the score sheet when they had spare men unmarked in the box..

 

[Manorlounger]

Hope the twats lose in the final and we can take thousands up there next season and P**s on their promenade, knock that pathetic tower down like a game of Jenga, pull the plug on those tacky illuminations, trash the ball room and knick the Glitter Ball, take a beery slash in Harry Ramsdens cooking oil, cut each pier off at the legs and watch them float off into the Irish Sea, loot the Arcades, stamp on the sand sculptures, derail all the trams, set the donkeys free and turn the Golden Mile into a sea of Yellow.

Can we have a 99 on the seafront as well?

 

[Layton_Seasider]

Wow that Taylor is some dirty player, on any other day he could have had 3 red cards! Instead the Blackpool goalkeeper (and captain) gets a yellow card for questioning why an offside decision wasn't given when 3 Oxford players were 10 yards offside! Ballard had his eyes gouged. Stewart had studs down his knees. Maxwell had a late challenge on his ankle. All went without punishment. How bad are officials? We have had so many reds for much less.

 

[bazzer9461]

Calling for Robinson to go after two consecutive play off campaigns?
Absolute melts.
I’m looking forward to this summer and next season with Karl at the helm.

But he has to do better next season or that surely has to be time to move on.

 

[brassmonkey]

Wow that Taylor is some dirty player, on any other day he could have had 3 red cards! Instead the Blackpool goalkeeper (and captain) gets a yellow card for questioning why an offside decision wasn't given when 3 Oxford players were 10 yards offside! Ballard had his eyes gouged. Stewart had studs down his knees. Maxwell had a late challenge on his ankle. All went without punishment. How bad are officials? We have had so many reds for much less.

Your goalie rolled around like he had been shot. Should have been carded for play acting.

 

[IsleofWightYellow]

Wow that Taylor is some dirty player, on any other day he could have had 3 red cards! Instead the Blackpool goalkeeper (and captain) gets a yellow card for questioning why an offside decision wasn't given when 3 Oxford players were 10 yards offside! Ballard had his eyes gouged. Stewart had studs down his knees. Maxwell had a late challenge on his ankle. All went without punishment. How bad are officials? We have had so many reds for much less.

3 reds?! Behave. The eye gouge is the only one which could have been a red. Your player should have been carded for shoving his face in Sykes at the end there.

 

[bazzer9461]

I agree with KR’s comments about where we need to strengthen. We need to add to McQuaine. I think we can do better than Lee and Barker. We also need rid of Hall and we can do better than Ruffs who obviously doesn’t want to play anymore for us. Barker cannot tackle and rarely chases back. Two fast wingers and a strong midfielder in with a left back

Who’s McQuaine?

 

[Layton_Seasider]

Wow! Deluded.

Ah well - 6-3!

 

[brassmonkey]

Wow! Deluded.

Ah well - 6-3! [emoji1787][emoji1787][emoji1787]

Well played...

 

[OX14]

Who’s McQuaine?

Oven chips?

 

[brassmonkey]

3 reds?! Behave. The eye gouge is the only one which could have been a red. Your player should have been carded for shoving his face in Sykes at the end there.

The same player who should have had a red for taking down sykes in the 1st leg. And the same player who handballed in the area in the 1st leg. Refs eh!

 

[BeechRoadBokelberg]

Put me in the camp that thinks Blackpool had another couple of gears available to them tonight, if they had needed it. They looked better drilled, and they played with more energy and tenacity. When they broke forwards they attacked with pace and their passing was good. It reminded me of that trip to Luton on the final day a couple of years back, when I went away thinking we had just been shown the standard we needed to reach.

We were beaten by the better team. With that in mind, we did well to score some goals, get a draw and rescue a bit of pride on the night. In the playoffs, a team should not be losing 5-1 so I am glad we made it a bit more respectable.

I don't blame individual players because I thought we looked worse across the board. Robinson needs to learn the lessons from this showing, which really has been representative of the whole season when we've come up against good L1 teams. I agree with his comments on us needing a bit more presence and physicality and I am sure that all Oxford supporters are hoping or even expecting us to avoid another slow start next year - which we can work towards by doing business early and signing players ready to contribute immediately.

That said, there's no question in my mind that Robinson should be back next season and with our full backing. When you think of how Oxford have spent the past 20 years, a L1 playoff appearance should be considered a good showing, as disappointed as we might all feel by how it ended.

Our last promotion campaign reminds me just how much you have to get right to go up. So many within that team went on to Championship or higher standards of play within a few years. If we want to take that next step, we have to avoid being sentimental when looking at our squad. Clearly, the lack of defensive cover has hurt us - and the better teams have had joy attacking our full backs. Last season, I would have backed our midfield options against any other team in the division. Now, I think we need a real quality addition or two. We've lost our wingers and I think the decision on whether to pursue Barker or Shodipo alongside other options is going to be a big call. We need to decide whether Agyei is a striker - if he is, I think we're limited in the amount of resources we can commit to a new forward, and we must make sure we get the other attacking additions right. We do have some good building blocks, and a couple of players who really could take the next step in 2021, but we can't get complacent.

All in all, I've been grateful for the distraction that the club has provided during a horrible year. I'm thankful to all involved for their efforts and I can't question that they gave everything to get this far.

Excellent post

 

[Mellowyellow]

Do you think KR has done a good job do you think the start of the last two seasons was acceptable do you think he’s a tactically good manager seriously

Two full seasons with decent budgets, poor starts to both seasons, how would he fare at other clubs? The Tranmere manager gets sacked after 6 months, with them sitting in the play off places.
Would he not have achieved promotion by now if he was ever going to?
Talking about caring for the fans and club is one thing, actually coming up with the goods is another. He is very clever verbally, but limited tactically.

 

[bazzer9461]

Why have we signed Sykes if he's not the sort of player we are looking for ? Nice neat player never scores please score8 next year I will be the first to sent you 6 bottles of champagne please prove me wrong

Are you blind? He puts in a hell of shift just isn’t scoring