Away Match Day Thread 18/9/21 L1: Cheltenham Town v OUFC

[tonyw]

Strange, I thought he showed plenty of class. Got himself into great positions, made some great passes. He's no brannagan but he looks a great find. He isn't at match fitness yet and got very tired in the second half when his, and the teams performance faded.

For the first 60 minutes or so, I liked the look of Kane. Good energy, good positional sense, got onto a lot of second balls.
His passing was set to scattergun (a few excellent ones, a few that missed their target by absolute miles) but passing touch is something that might come back with a bit more game time and confidence.
The flick that almost set up Whyte early second half (the Cheltenham man charged it down) was terrific vision.

After that he was utter rubbish before getting the hook. But sadly that was true of everyone in yellow for the last half hour.

 

[dickwalton1964]

Clotet wasn’t sacked because we were tenth. He was sacked because he was going to get us relegated and was trying to sign even more washed up foreign footballers.

Very few managers, certainly lower league ones with no obvious track record, escape a 7-0 home defeat. That was effectively the end for him.

 

[TailsWeWin]

I’ve really enjoyed the last couple of seasons but I’m fed up losing to crap teams. We need to get better at winning in a scrappy ugly way. I suspect there will be changes at Christmas

Blimey. Are you changing your tune? The change we need at Christmas is for a manager who isn’t tactically inept, and who doesn’t make a complete c**k up of the management of his players during the game. What does KR say to them at half time?! Look at our second half record this season! We get WORSE as the match progresses. His substitutions are a mess.

 

[The mighty Aldo]

Wingers?
We have plenty of them but the main point is that they beat a man and square the ball back for the on rushing forwards or they deliver pin point crosses
None of our wingers other than Skyes looks like beating anyone for pace Whyte looks a shadow of his former self
As we only have Taylor to aim at on crosses this isn’t happening he needs help and now I understand why we were linked with Harrison from Pompey but with no back up plan we look woefully short up front( no pun intended)
Goals didn’t seem a problem last year but with arguably better attacking options we are struggling, not sure why

 

[DannyW]

A year or so back we were super fit and regularly getting late winners, what’s changed?

Short left

 

[Reynolds97]

When does Ageyi finally get his chance up top? or are we just going to play Taylor up top on his own week in week out. I don't understand KR thinking we need a goal and he hooks of his trusted man?

 

[ECYellow]

I resisted the temptation to post last night after getting back for fear of not being constructive. Having slept on it, i feel no less annoyed and frankly dumbfounded about yesterday’s performance.

First and foremost, who are these Oxford supporters that have this self righteous attitude towards teams like Cheltenham, AFC and Wycombe? What in gods name gives us a divine right to beat any one of them? Is it because we play 4 square passes across our backline before the inevitable, hopeful ball up to Taylor’s head/shoulders/ chest (which he never wins btw!)? Newsflash: Square passes do not make you a good footballing team nor do they make you an effective one!

I said it after last week and i’ll say it again, KR has not addressed the midfield physical ability issues he spoke about after Blackpool. We are powder puff at best and downright soft at worst.

Maybe at 33 i’m old fashioned (surely not!) but i do not care for a pretty footballing team and the comments i heard in the away end yesterday and the derogatory way in which people spoke of Cheltenham was bizarre. They deserved to beat us with their style. Just like AFC deserved to beat us and just like Wycombe were worthy of a point last week. It is not up to these teams to bow to our ‘superior’ footballing philosophy, it is up to KR and Co to find a way to break these teams down and find a way to win. right now, playing a bloke who’s 5’10” up top, on his own, with a right footed winger playing from the left and no focal point to our attack i just cannot see how the tide will change against these teams.

KR is inflexible and downright stubborn in his approach, or so it would seem. Unless he has a willingness to accept a change of system is required against the more direct oppositions, a mid-table (at best) season awaits.

Fingers crossed Erik and Co are willing to plough more money into us in Jan as for the love of god, we will require a CF not in the mould of Taylor and Winnall and we will require a CM who has the ability to impose himself. Stay in touch until then, get those players in and you just never know.

Final point, travelling numbers were again outstanding - more variety of song and prolonged spells of singing required. That said, the fare on the pitch could really help with that!

 

[IsleofWightYellow]

Player ratings.

Stevens 4. Learn to kick
Long 6
McNally 5
Thorniley 3 Shocking for the goal
Seddon 5
Gorrin 6
Henry 7 MOTM
Kane 5
Sykes 6
Taylor 3
Whyte 5

Sykes was better than Gorrin. Sykes was one of our best players

 

[ECYellow]

Sykes was better than Gorrin. Sykes was one of our best players

He and Henry were the only two to come out with and credit!

 

[yellowbow]

I resisted the temptation to post last night after getting back for fear of not being constructive. Having slept on it, i feel no less annoyed and frankly dumbfounded about yesterday’s performance.

First and foremost, who are these Oxford supporters that have this self righteous attitude towards teams like Cheltenham, AFC and Wycombe? What in gods name gives us a divine right to beat any one of them? Is it because we play 4 square passes across our backline before the inevitable, hopeful ball up to Taylor’s head/shoulders/ chest (which he never wins btw!)? Newsflash: Square passes do not make you a good footballing team nor do they make you an effective one!

I said it after last week and i’ll say it again, KR has not addressed the midfield physical ability issues he spoke about after Blackpool. We are powder puff at best and downright soft at worst.

Maybe at 33 i’m old fashioned (surely not!) but i do not care for a pretty footballing team and the comments i heard in the away end yesterday and the derogatory way in which people spoke of Cheltenham was bizarre. They deserved to beat us with their style. Just like AFC deserved to beat us and just like Wycombe were worthy of a point last week. It is not up to these teams to bow to our ‘superior’ footballing philosophy, it is up to KR and Co to find a way to break these teams down and find a way to win. right now, playing a bloke who’s 5’10” up top, on his own, with a right footed winger playing from the left and no focal point to our attack i just cannot see how the tide will change against these teams.

KR is inflexible and downright stubborn in his approach, or so it would seem. Unless he has a willingness to accept a change of system is required against the more direct oppositions, a mid-table (at best) season awaits.

Fingers crossed Erik and Co are willing to plough more money into us in Jan as for the love of god, we will require a CF not in the mould of Taylor and Winnall and we will require a CM who has the ability to impose himself. Stay in touch until then, get those players in and you just never know.

Final point, travelling numbers were again outstanding - more variety of song and prolonged spells of singing required. That said, the fare on the pitch could really help with that!

And there was me thinking you were KR...

 

[gingerox]

Was anyone near to where Sykes went over at the end of the game? Hope anything said was well mannered

 

[Followtheox]

We can see how poor our attack is. That was Cheltenham’s first clean sheet. Something has to change surely. One lone striker is not cutting it.

 

[5aside]

Jerome Sinclair is a free agent but i don’t think there’s space in the squad

 

[Daviddidcotexile]

Last season Milton Keynes kept posting high possession stats but continually losing. We are in danger of falling into the same situation. It seems to me we are fixated on personal statistics. Completed passes are great but the same stats stifle the risk taking dynamic moves. Forward passes should be the first thought of players but we position our body ready to pass negatively. Let's get more dynamic. Invite the opposition to attack and then break with speed and purpose. Our wingers should be flying past the defenders but they seem to be struggling to do so.

 

[5aside]

I think the squad KR has assembled is the best we’ve had in many years, it just needs to click and find our best 11 then we will dismantle most sides in this division

 

[Bacon]

I resisted the temptation to post last night after getting back for fear of not being constructive. Having slept on it, i feel no less annoyed and frankly dumbfounded about yesterday’s performance.

First and foremost, who are these Oxford supporters that have this self righteous attitude towards teams like Cheltenham, AFC and Wycombe? What in gods name gives us a divine right to beat any one of them? Is it because we play 4 square passes across our backline before the inevitable, hopeful ball up to Taylor’s head/shoulders/ chest (which he never wins btw!)? Newsflash: Square passes do not make you a good footballing team nor do they make you an effective one!

I said it after last week and i’ll say it again, KR has not addressed the midfield physical ability issues he spoke about after Blackpool. We are powder puff at best and downright soft at worst.

Maybe at 33 i’m old fashioned (surely not!) but i do not care for a pretty footballing team and the comments i heard in the away end yesterday and the derogatory way in which people spoke of Cheltenham was bizarre. They deserved to beat us with their style. Just like AFC deserved to beat us and just like Wycombe were worthy of a point last week. It is not up to these teams to bow to our ‘superior’ footballing philosophy, it is up to KR and Co to find a way to break these teams down and find a way to win. right now, playing a bloke who’s 5’10” up top, on his own, with a right footed winger playing from the left and no focal point to our attack i just cannot see how the tide will change against these teams.

KR is inflexible and downright stubborn in his approach, or so it would seem. Unless he has a willingness to accept a change of system is required against the more direct oppositions, a mid-table (at best) season awaits.

Fingers crossed Erik and Co are willing to plough more money into us in Jan as for the love of god, we will require a CF not in the mould of Taylor and Winnall and we will require a CM who has the ability to impose himself. Stay in touch until then, get those players in and you just never know.

Final point, travelling numbers were again outstanding - more variety of song and prolonged spells of singing required. That said, the fare on the pitch could really help with that!

Good post! But do you really trust KR with any more dosh in January?

 

[MiddleBartonYellow]

Not getting Harrison in the summer is key for me. We definitely need a first choice striker to challenge Taylor, and needs to be someone with a physical presence. Winnall would be that man about 5years ago but not now. Maybe loan someone out to create space in the squad.

 

[ECYellow]

Good post! But do you really trust KR with any more dosh in January?

its a very valid question. I’d say the jury is very much out.

 

[tonyw]

I think the squad KR has assembled is the best we’ve had in many years, it just needs to click and find our best 11 then we will dismantle most sides in this division

Got to be honest - I don't.

I think the squad is woefully imbalanced, and severely lacking in many key attributes, most notably size, strength and defensive aggression and awareness (also beginning to think we may have to add finishing to the list, unless and until Matty gets his groove back).

It's a great squad for playing silky football, and pretty one touch passing moves.

I'm not convinced it's a great squad for winning the 25+ games you likely need to to be in contention for the automatics.

 

[Mad Dog]

Something clearly has to change. Might one of these lineups and formations be an option?