Away Match Day Thread 4/9/21 L1: AFC Wimbledon v OUFC

[Thomas/Brock/Jones]

So we want to choose our lone striker because he can organise the defence ?
If we go down that route then buy a 6'3" centre forward who is good in the air in both boxes .
We are a small side but we know that .
Sam really isn't the answer.

 

[ZeroTheHero]

he could play at RB

Shhhhh!

 

[IsleofWightYellow]

I have a feeling that ‘We would have won if Sam Winnall had started as he can shout really loud’ will go down with ‘Not many fans can actually see what Liam Kelly does’ as a legendary ScotchEggism

 

[Oxford1996]

Sam Winnall was outstanding v Charlton at home on his own leading the line. Since then he’s been dropped for an out of form Taylor.

 

[Scotchegg]

Sam Winnall was outstanding v Charlton at home on his own leading the line. Since then he’s been dropped for an out of form Taylor.

Careful you'll have people saying that you want him to play at centre back!!!

 

[Big Ron]

I can see Wimbledon being a success story this year. Despite going down they fought hard to get their equaliser and kept going for the win.
I hope we can find some wins now. Managers are supposed to learn from defeats. Karl Robinson has the players at his disposal and he must blend them into a winning team.
After a poor start last season we have done ok so far and just need Taylor and Whyte in scoring form

I think they’ll be OK and will take some points from decent teams - they knocked the ball about, showed some good movement and bullied us at set pieces. Certainly no Wycombe. I hated losing to them and was disappointed but there was a proper atmosphere at the game. Robinson was also tactically out-thought - particularly with the big centre forward dropping back into a Harry Kane type role with a smaller, nippier forward ahead of him. It’s League One, so he gave the ball up a few times but we never got a proper grip on him. Man for man, we have better players but we all no that’s not how it works. Oh, and Robinson got the substitutions wrong and I’m yet to be convinced that Holland is up to it. I’d love to be proven wrong.

 

[MC Yellow]

Nope, not uptight, just disappointed with what I found but what I object to is essentially being told my opinion about their ground is not valid because I’m ‘a bit sour after a painful defeat’. Simple really, bit of respect for others opinions doesn’t hurt does it?

Fair enough.

Just felt that it was a bit rich expressing an opinion about someone’s ground when our own situation is what it is at present.

I felt it also showed a total lack of respect for all the effort that would have been needed to get this ground built. It is quite an achievement regardless of the teething issues or whether everyone likes it.

As for it being shoehorned between an industrial estate and a block of flats as you put it, perhaps that was the only option available. Maybe not ideal but it is theirs.

But that’s just my personal opinion, which differs to yours, so no issue.

Anyway, I take your point about making a comment on your behalf, which on reflection was incorrect, for which I apologise.

 

[Hackney Jack]

Yes.

Away from home particularly you need to defend as a team. Taylor is out of sorts at the moment and I think that Winnall gives the same presence upfront but also a greater presence in our own box.

Also it's clear that our central defender and captain isn't doing the shouting and organising or we wouldn't have conceded the goals we have. So having another experienced player to support this can only be a good thing.

but Winnall can hardly get himself from box to box?

 

[werthersoriginal]

You should finish above us. However we are on an upwards curve. Since Robbo took over we have lost 6 in 31 matches. We are youngest side in professional football in England currently and our goal.is championship and sustainability

Well good (ish) luck. Of the two goals for both of our clubs sustainability is by far the more important

 

[werthersoriginal]

Sam Winnall was outstanding v Charlton at home on his own leading the line. Since then he’s been dropped for an out of form Taylor.

Was he outstanding? He put himself about and tried hard but didn’t win much and disnt look like scoring bar the great chance he missed. He runs like a pub player and despite my general positivity I’m not seeing it with him.

 

[ZeroTheHero]

Careful you'll have people saying that you want him to play at centre back!!!

As you well know, that bit was a merry quip.

 

[southcoastyellow]

Not the first and I’d put my mortgage on it not being the last time I see a comment like this. If every time we get something tactically wrong we point the finger at players in and players out, it’s going to be a long season for you. The recruitment this year was very, very nearly perfect and we have one of the best squads in the division. If all it took was tall players to defend, there wouldn’t be much need for highly paid set piece coaches in the modern game.

Sean Clare was tall, does he get us a point or more yesterday? I’ll save your breath, he absolutely wouldn’t have. As some others have rightly said, a man on the post may have got us out of jail yesterday.

I defend Karl as a part time job it feels like at times, but even I can’t excuse conceding from set pieces yesterday after the absolute mauling we got from corners at Cambridge in the week which was actually cringeworthy to watch. That’s not about recruitment, that’s simply about positioning, communication and just learning from your mistakes. Above all you need players who are desperate to head the ball.

OK tall players are advantageous (which is why you must have a few, yes) but it’s not much use if they have zero understanding of where to stand to be most effective. A pair of effective centre backs working together and a positive, confident keeper should deal with 95% of balls in the box. Add in some good zonal positioning from the rest and you should be OK. It’s not rocket science but it needs attention urgently before hoof ball Harry and his boys come to visit.

My point is we lost to a more physical side which KR said we needed to address after the play off defeat, we didn’t follow that with our summer recruitment and yet again struggled against a physical side. Recruitment over the summer very nearly perfect?? no left back cover, no CDM cover and Forde not a natural RB to cover?

 

[Wallop]

but Winnall can hardly get himself from box to box?

Now now, he’s quick between the opposition’s 6 yard and 18 yard boxes, only takes him a few seconds to go box to box there.

 

[tonto]

Don't worry, I'm not expecting you to agree, but I actually think that if we'd started with Winnall yesterday we'd have won the game.

Taylor hasn't been at the races recently, and I'm not sure we'd have lost anything by switching the two. But what we do get from Winnall is someone who screams and shouts and organises and I think our defence would have been better for his earlier involvement. Of course there will be those who talk about the two penalties, but one hit him in the face and the other he won the ball before the play ran into him. We would also have had Taylor to come on and liven things up.

I generally agree with your brand of optimism and support. And I would love Winnall to start scoring goals and be good, but I am afraid to me and many other posters he just looks sadly slow and past it Apart from shouting what did he contribute on Saturday unfortunately zero. Agyei might be inconsistent but he actually contributes. Please Scotchers explain to me why he is a better option than Dan who could be a real prospect. Im afraid Sam looks like a memory.

 

[holdsteady]

Winnall is the new Jamie Mackie, not much end product anymore so he is trying to make up for it with fouling and shouting. Both were good players in there day but time and injuries do for every player in the end.

 

[Wandering Yellow]

Sam Winnall was outstanding v Charlton at home on his own leading the line. Since then he’s been dropped for an out of form Taylor.

Hmm. I think he did OK but still missed a sitter personally.

 

[Jolteon]

I'm just hoping that this is the classic KR bad start to the season, but because of the quality in the side it's got us upper mid table instead of down the bottom for once, and when we characteristically pick it up for the next two thirds of the season we'll just be battering teams left, right and centre

 

[Sarge]

I'm just hoping that this is the classic KR bad start to the season, but because of the quality in the side it's got us upper mid table instead of down the bottom for once, and when we characteristically pick it up for the next two thirds of the season we'll just be battering teams left, right and centre

hope youre right

 

[The mighty Aldo]

Regarding defending at corners why do we not leave 1/2 of our quicker players up front?
Remember when Diaz was here he used to leave 3 up front they have to be marked this means less congestion in our own box
Several times Stevens has claimed the ball but has to hold onto it because there is no outlet
Needs looking at

 

[Scotchegg]

I'm just hoping that this is the classic KR bad start to the season, but because of the quality in the side it's got us upper mid table instead of down the bottom for once, and when we characteristically pick it up for the next two thirds of the season we'll just be battering teams left, right and centre

This was the point I made yesterday which got overlooked for the later comments about Winnall!!

At the beginning of last season we were playing nice football but didn't take our chances and made silly mistakes at the back. Taylor couldn't find form and we had a number of injuries that meant we couldn't get a settled side together. It took a dozen or so games before we found any consistency and rhythm to our game.

This season has started the same, the difference is that in our good spells we are looking devastating and scoring first. That is giving us the buffer zone needed to get away with some glaring mistakes in both boxes.

And I think there is a psychological weakness that leads to mistakes being made rather than the physical weakness many are referring too. Too many players are making the wrong choices are critical times. Get that right, and get a settled side and we'll start winning games for fun.