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As I said in the build up thread, we need a good performance and result in front of a big crowd.
Home Match Day Thread 26/12/23: L1 - OUFC v Cambridge
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Orkney Islands Yellow
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Oxford United 2-1 Cambridge United | League One highlights
Watch highlights of the Sky Bet League One match between Oxford United and Cambridge United.
www.skysports.com
Really difficult game to analyse in the main given how drastically different the opening 30, subsequent 25, and final 35 minute periods were.
It’s difficult to overstate just how bad that opening half was. I was extremely concerned at half time (and to be honest, late heroics aside, still am a bit). We looked like we didn’t have a clue what we were supposed to be doing and had no real will to do anything about it. Body language of the players really worrying. It was like after 30 mins Cambridge collectively realised ‘hang on - this lot are shite’ and proceeded to absolutely muller us for the remainder of the half. Lucky to go in only one down.
Second half started much the same - and then something just flipped and we had space every time we got the ball into midfield, they couldn’t get out, and only one team looked like it was going to win it. Fair play to Des I suppose because he must have done something to cause this, but I certainly couldn’t see what it was. Superb individual goal from Goodrham, then two really good, brave subs from Buckingham. JM I was very surprised by, especially coming on for Maguane, but did very well, and the added bit of Henry’s technical quality probably got us the win. Massive fair play to him - I’d written him off completely, but on that showing he still has a lot to offer.
Would love to see that final goal back again because I’m sure there’s no way Brown can have been onside! Shame Bran couldn’t get the goal his performance deserved, the clear MOTM for me, the kind of performance we expected him to deliver every week when we gave him that whacking contract last summer. Singlehandedly hauling the team on at times. He’s had a good year but, in the matches I’ve seen, he seems to have come alive even more under Buckingham.
Stevens played very well for them, obnoxious time wasting aside. Two superb saves. Nothing on Beadle though.
Getting the stoppage time winner obviously very exciting, and gives a real surge of good feeling to the club that we (and particularly DB) have been needing. But it shouldn’t cover the fact that that first half was absolutely diabolically bad, one of the worst I’ve seen at home in a while, and came off the back of a similarly terrible performance on Saturday. You couldn’t see what we were trying to do with the ball, players were completely static and we were being totally dominated, at home, by the team sitting 14th in the league. As I said above, the players’ body language was so worrying. Passive resignation.
Credit where it’s due, DB’s changes (whatever they were) arguably swung the game in our favour, and I take the point that we have a massive injury list. But we need to be showing more than that. Performances like that second half are very much the exception, rather than the rule, at the moment, and I have to say I think we’re getting to the point where we can start asking why DB isn’t getting better than that first half performance out of the players. I think the fanbase’s patience is quickly running out, too - that atmosphere at the end of the first half was getting more than a little spicy.
Really fun end to the Christmas weekend and hopefully the excitement of the late goal will encourage some of the daytrippers to come through the turnstiles again in future. January can’t come soon enough - really tough couple of games coming up now before we can strengthen again.
PS A final point - I did wonder during the match why we couldn’t revert to our 3511 that was so successful under Manning with the players we have out? Bennett and Stevens can do the WB roles and, with Murphy seemingly out too, we now have basically one out-and-out fit winger in the squad (and a surplus of CAM/CDM types). One thing I loved about the first part of this season was our tactical malleability. I’d like to see DB show he can provide that, too.
It’s difficult to overstate just how bad that opening half was. I was extremely concerned at half time (and to be honest, late heroics aside, still am a bit). We looked like we didn’t have a clue what we were supposed to be doing and had no real will to do anything about it. Body language of the players really worrying. It was like after 30 mins Cambridge collectively realised ‘hang on - this lot are shite’ and proceeded to absolutely muller us for the remainder of the half. Lucky to go in only one down.
Second half started much the same - and then something just flipped and we had space every time we got the ball into midfield, they couldn’t get out, and only one team looked like it was going to win it. Fair play to Des I suppose because he must have done something to cause this, but I certainly couldn’t see what it was. Superb individual goal from Goodrham, then two really good, brave subs from Buckingham. JM I was very surprised by, especially coming on for Maguane, but did very well, and the added bit of Henry’s technical quality probably got us the win. Massive fair play to him - I’d written him off completely, but on that showing he still has a lot to offer.
Would love to see that final goal back again because I’m sure there’s no way Brown can have been onside! Shame Bran couldn’t get the goal his performance deserved, the clear MOTM for me, the kind of performance we expected him to deliver every week when we gave him that whacking contract last summer. Singlehandedly hauling the team on at times. He’s had a good year but, in the matches I’ve seen, he seems to have come alive even more under Buckingham.
Stevens played very well for them, obnoxious time wasting aside. Two superb saves. Nothing on Beadle though.
Getting the stoppage time winner obviously very exciting, and gives a real surge of good feeling to the club that we (and particularly DB) have been needing. But it shouldn’t cover the fact that that first half was absolutely diabolically bad, one of the worst I’ve seen at home in a while, and came off the back of a similarly terrible performance on Saturday. You couldn’t see what we were trying to do with the ball, players were completely static and we were being totally dominated, at home, by the team sitting 14th in the league. As I said above, the players’ body language was so worrying. Passive resignation.
Credit where it’s due, DB’s changes (whatever they were) arguably swung the game in our favour, and I take the point that we have a massive injury list. But we need to be showing more than that. Performances like that second half are very much the exception, rather than the rule, at the moment, and I have to say I think we’re getting to the point where we can start asking why DB isn’t getting better than that first half performance out of the players. I think the fanbase’s patience is quickly running out, too - that atmosphere at the end of the first half was getting more than a little spicy.
Really fun end to the Christmas weekend and hopefully the excitement of the late goal will encourage some of the daytrippers to come through the turnstiles again in future. January can’t come soon enough - really tough couple of games coming up now before we can strengthen again.
PS A final point - I did wonder during the match why we couldn’t revert to our 3511 that was so successful under Manning with the players we have out? Bennett and Stevens can do the WB roles and, with Murphy seemingly out too, we now have basically one out-and-out fit winger in the squad (and a surplus of CAM/CDM types). One thing I loved about the first part of this season was our tactical malleability. I’d like to see DB show he can provide that, too.
Don’t think he’s the issue there, do agree with the other.
As evident when getting it to Tyler for the first.
That ended up being an enjoyable game. I don't go to many but got tickets for a Christmas present which I thought was going to turn sour.
First half, Cambridge pressed well and we were sloppy. They deserved to be a goal up and could have had two. They were especially dangerous down the right wing, where Stevens and Mills were showing their inexperience. Ruben was frustrating and frustrated, often taking a touch too many and then not tracking back. This gave space for Cambridge to play through the middle and then get it out to the wings, from where they put in some dangerous crosses. It's interesting that towards the end of the half, Beadle started taking long goal kicks. I don't know if that was a tactical change or just that there were no short options on.
In the second half, Cambridge started well but then Tyler got the ball out on the left wing, cut inside and curled a shot into the far corner. After that, Cambridge had a few moments which caused a bit of a panic but they didn't offer much. I think they ran out of steam and weren't able to press as much, allowing us more space and we took control of the game after Tyler scored. It looked like Cambridge had hung on for a draw, but space opened up for McEachran and he knocked it to CamBran who had plenty of time to line up his shot from outside the area. I thought Jack Stevens flapped at it a little, and the ball bounced up nicely for Brown to head in. Other than that, I thought Stevens had a decent game.
We were lacking our flair players other than Ruben today, but fortunately some brilliance by Tyler turned the game. We really do need a a striker. Harris is a pest to defenders but he needs someone playing off him to be effective. At the moment he's trying to be a 9 and a 10 at the same time.
Funniest moments. Cambridge's second half shot which went as high over the fence as you can get. The ballboy slipping over right in front of the East Stand. Mills getting poleaxed by a pass.
I thought the ref was generally OK. Ruben conned him a few times but in the first half he let a lot of tussles go. In the second he let some go but blew up for others which didn't even look like fouls. Booking CamBran for trying to take a free kick from the right place was bizarre.
First half, Cambridge pressed well and we were sloppy. They deserved to be a goal up and could have had two. They were especially dangerous down the right wing, where Stevens and Mills were showing their inexperience. Ruben was frustrating and frustrated, often taking a touch too many and then not tracking back. This gave space for Cambridge to play through the middle and then get it out to the wings, from where they put in some dangerous crosses. It's interesting that towards the end of the half, Beadle started taking long goal kicks. I don't know if that was a tactical change or just that there were no short options on.
In the second half, Cambridge started well but then Tyler got the ball out on the left wing, cut inside and curled a shot into the far corner. After that, Cambridge had a few moments which caused a bit of a panic but they didn't offer much. I think they ran out of steam and weren't able to press as much, allowing us more space and we took control of the game after Tyler scored. It looked like Cambridge had hung on for a draw, but space opened up for McEachran and he knocked it to CamBran who had plenty of time to line up his shot from outside the area. I thought Jack Stevens flapped at it a little, and the ball bounced up nicely for Brown to head in. Other than that, I thought Stevens had a decent game.
We were lacking our flair players other than Ruben today, but fortunately some brilliance by Tyler turned the game. We really do need a a striker. Harris is a pest to defenders but he needs someone playing off him to be effective. At the moment he's trying to be a 9 and a 10 at the same time.
Funniest moments. Cambridge's second half shot which went as high over the fence as you can get. The ballboy slipping over right in front of the East Stand. Mills getting poleaxed by a pass.
I thought the ref was generally OK. Ruben conned him a few times but in the first half he let a lot of tussles go. In the second he let some go but blew up for others which didn't even look like fouls. Booking CamBran for trying to take a free kick from the right place was bizarre.
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Followtheox1
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State you can't see what DB did to change things and then go on to describe his excellent subs and state that Henry's technical ability probably won us the game. Granted Goodrham scored first but JM coming on really seemed to give us some added drive and it was around that time we really started to push them. Big call that sub given Mguane's performances this season. Also putting Rodrigues up top instead of bringing GoD on, was a good move.
Game had changed before the subs though, they just consolidated it.
QR
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Better than the Oxford Mail! You can come again.
On the balance of play in both games, we probably deserved two draws this week - so a last minute loss followed by a last minute win is gravy.
Desperately need some more bodies though - either players back from injury or new signings, almost not fussed which right now.
A bench of GK, CB, three holding midfielders, a 34 year-old club legend who's started two games in twelve months and a 19 year-old striker who's clearly not ready for League One is.....to state the bleeding obvious.....not ideal.
Desperately need some more bodies though - either players back from injury or new signings, almost not fussed which right now.
A bench of GK, CB, three holding midfielders, a 34 year-old club legend who's started two games in twelve months and a 19 year-old striker who's clearly not ready for League One is.....to state the bleeding obvious.....not ideal.
Think there's a lot in this.
For the first 45 minutes, they pressed high like utter maniacs. It's a good strategy against us because it disrupts the possession football we want to play. But only if you can keep it up for ninety and they were spent after an hour......
DannyW
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Very true
PottersRightBoot
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That first half was ick. Passing so laboured. Little tracking back. Made a very medocre Cambridge look like a top Championship outfit
But although a bit thud and blunder , we deserved to win.
Buckingham changed the shape, moved Rodrigues up and pressurized their poor back line. They had a centre back who was neither big enough or quick enough. And he eventually cracked.
Tyler Goodhram first class today. Monstered the full back all game but didn’t get enough of the ball. Like the way he gets back and wins second balls. Deserves to start next game .
Not man of the match though: Has to be the mighty Brown. What a signing he’s been.
The second half might even get some casuals back.
Well done on the subs Des. But can we beat Derby on a cold Friday night?
But although a bit thud and blunder , we deserved to win.
Buckingham changed the shape, moved Rodrigues up and pressurized their poor back line. They had a centre back who was neither big enough or quick enough. And he eventually cracked.
Tyler Goodhram first class today. Monstered the full back all game but didn’t get enough of the ball. Like the way he gets back and wins second balls. Deserves to start next game .
Not man of the match though: Has to be the mighty Brown. What a signing he’s been.
The second half might even get some casuals back.
Well done on the subs Des. But can we beat Derby on a cold Friday night?
OX14
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A tale of two halves that.
First half we could of easily went in 3-0 down, we were as woeful as Cambridge's finishing. Everytime we play slow, sideways and backwards we actually look like conceded more goals than when we pass quickly and with purpose. Rightfully the team were booed off at half time.
Second half we actually came out and it looked like it was going the same way as the first half, sloppy passes and losing possession. But then up steps Tyler with a moment of magic to not only bring us level but give the whole team a kick up the a**e. From then it was all us and if it weren't for Stevens and some decent defending we would of won the game earlier and more convincingly.
What really surprises me is we are still right in the mix even though we haven't been our best with players missing and certain players on the pitch not being their best.
2 more games and then let's be aggressive in the transfer window!
First half we could of easily went in 3-0 down, we were as woeful as Cambridge's finishing. Everytime we play slow, sideways and backwards we actually look like conceded more goals than when we pass quickly and with purpose. Rightfully the team were booed off at half time.
Second half we actually came out and it looked like it was going the same way as the first half, sloppy passes and losing possession. But then up steps Tyler with a moment of magic to not only bring us level but give the whole team a kick up the a**e. From then it was all us and if it weren't for Stevens and some decent defending we would of won the game earlier and more convincingly.
What really surprises me is we are still right in the mix even though we haven't been our best with players missing and certain players on the pitch not being their best.
2 more games and then let's be aggressive in the transfer window!
oufc1991
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First half was shockingly bad it was like there was 11 stranger's playing in yellow..... 2nd half was like watching a different game we were much better and looked like a point would of been a good result BUT to get all 3 was amazing...... Derby will be alot harder especially if we play like we did in the 1st half looking forward to it tho ( hopefully another full house)
brightonyellow
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Great win, thought Harris played well. Great hold up play all game and played some great passes.
Besides the subs and the tiring opposition, we hit the ball long and towards the corners a lot more in the second half.
Cambridge struggled to deal with it in its own right, but it also opened things up a bit by making them more cautious when it came to their pressing work, because they knew we were willing to play over them.
Was never ever like that.
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