Home Match Day Thread 20/02/2024 L1: OUFC v Northampton Town

[Northstandboy]

Post Match Discussion

Interview - Des Buckingham

Interview - Will Goodwin

Interview - Jon Brady

Match Highlights

Match Report

Ref Watch

Fans View

 

[Yellow2K22]

This is how we were looking when Sam played that weird backpass. In injury time. At 2-1! We had every opportunity to go 4-5-1 as they pushed up and chased the game. Just criminal.

View attachment 17907

Look where Greg Leigh is on the other flank, bent over exhausted high up the pitch from an overlap he shouldn't be making at this point. No safe option for Long to fall back on. Rubbish decision making by individuals cost us but we sure raised the stakes by not doing the basics.

Northampton commentator spent most of the game saying "Oxford hold the ball and frustrate us". Then at THIS moment "that's a bizarre pass back from Long from inside the cobblers half to his keeper who bombs it down field to no great purpose."

Lots of talk here about defensive problems but one other gripe I had last night is how often our attacking players chose speculative long shots over keeping the pressure up and forcing errors from our opponents defence. I know that without a bunch of worldies this season we'd be mid table but it's not a sustainable strategy and there must have been at least 5 times last night where we had them under pressure only to fire one over the bar and give them a chance to breathe and reset.

Small margins and overall much better performance in many ways. It's all about doing the basic stuff now to shift those margins in our favour.

Sat here shaking my head at that photo. One of the dumbest decisions I’ve ever seen on a football pitch.

Imagine the embarrassment of watching that back as a team in training today. If I was long I’d have written my resignation notice and handed it in via a photo on WhatsApp and not turned up again.

 

[RyanioBirdio]

It would be pretty weird if everyone around you had the same feelings.

It would be pretty weird if literally nobody did, especially as I’ve known most of them for a decade so have a pretty good handle on whether their mood or behaviour has shifted, as well as seeing who has stopped coming every week.

Maybe some people are feeling the same and some people aren’t. How’s that?

 

[MustardYellow]

That’s an incredibly linear view of the situation. Thousands and thousands of people have been going to games week in, week out for years and decades at a time, and I’m pretty sure they don’t do that solely because all they crave or care about is three points. They’re at the wrong club if that’s the only motivator. It’s really not about that.

I don’t enjoy being at games from the first minute these days. I didn’t enjoy the Wigan game last week even though we won 4-2, and I didn’t enjoy anything about last night even when we were winning on two separate occasions. I was talking to my mum on Sunday night and actually winced when I realised that I had not one, but two home games to attend this week. The football is flat, the atmosphere is flatter and it doesn’t feel like anybody who sits anywhere near me is any more arsed or inspired than I am at the moment. It’s a total apathy fest. It genuinely feels like almost nobody wants to be there at the moment. It’s people reporting for duty because “that’s what you do”.

I don’t know what the answer is. I don’t know whether anybody does, to be honest.

Exactly this.

A lot of people go to games obviously for the love of the club, but also because we ultimately want to be entertained - we want to have fun. What aspect of the experience following Oxford is fun at the minute? I enjoy seeing everyone in the pub before the games, but that's about it.

 

[Eric Blair]

That’s an incredibly linear view of the situation. Thousands and thousands of people have been going to games week in, week out for years and decades at a time, and I’m pretty sure they don’t do that solely because all they crave or care about is three points. They’re at the wrong club if that’s the only motivator. It’s really not about that.

I don’t enjoy being at games from the first minute these days. I didn’t enjoy the Wigan game last week even though we won 4-2, and I didn’t enjoy anything about last night even when we were winning on two separate occasions. I was talking to my mum on Sunday night and actually winced when I realised that I had not one, but two home games to attend this week. The football is flat, the atmosphere is flatter and it doesn’t feel like anybody who sits anywhere near me is any more arsed or inspired than I am at the moment. It’s a total apathy fest. It genuinely feels like almost nobody wants to be there at the moment. It’s people reporting for duty because “that’s what you do”.

I don’t know what the answer is. I don’t know whether anybody does, to be honest.

I'm sorry to hear that Ryan as I know that you are a massively dedicated fan and it cant be much fun to feel that way about the club.

Maybe it's my perspective but I am actually loving the season. Challenging for the play offs, the craziness of Manning leaving, seeing Murphy return with form, some great performances (Cam Bran, Mark Harris and Goodrham). Going with my daughter and spending quality time with her. It is a roller-coaster and at times frustrating but the players are working hard and I'm enjoying supporting them. I think we'll make the play offs and whilst it's unlikely we'll win but who knows.

I also think there are some great club community moments - acknowledging the two year anniversary of Joey's passing (although I think all the profits from the shirt sale should go to the foundation) and the "fans we lost" moment at the start of the year was moving.

You are a more dedicated fan than me Ryan with a much bigger history with the club. I hope you get your mojo back soon (or the club does something to inspire you).

 

[RyanioBirdio]

I'm sorry to hear that Ryan as I know that you are a massively dedicated fan and it cant be much fun to feel that way about the club.

Maybe it's my perspective but I am actually loving the season. Challenging for the play offs, the craziness of Manning leaving, seeing Murphy return with form, some great performances (Cam Bran, Mark Harris and Goodrham). Going with my daughter and spending quality time with her. It is a roller-coaster and at times frustrating but the players are working hard and I'm enjoying supporting them. I think we'll make the play offs and whilst it's unlikely we'll win but who knows.

I also think there are some great club community moments - acknowledging the two year anniversary of Joey's passing (although I think all the profits from the shirt sale should go to the foundation) and the "fans we lost" moment at the start of the year was moving.

You are a more dedicated fan than me Ryan with a much bigger history with the club. I hope you get your mojo back soon (or the club does something to inspire you).

And I’m very glad to hear that you are enjoying it - I would never want that to not be the case even if I’m struggling with it atm. Everybody should enjoy going to the games and watching the team. That’s meant to be the whole point.

Although I’m surprised that more people aren’t being more vocal about the Joey shirt situation that you briefly mention. I think it’s pretty grim that the club has whacked £11 onto ‘his’ shirt and is not sacrificing any of its own profits in return for this donation. Perhaps it’s this sort of heartless attitude coming from the commercial bods that is making me feel more disconnected than usual.

 

[Nadi-]

Long put us under pressure with a ridiculous back pass but it was their defender who launched it forwards. Hoskins is coming back from chasing down Long's back pass, is at least 30 yards offside and Negru has to adjust his run to get round him so he's interfering with play. My understanding was if the defender tries to play it it's fair game, which is already nonsense, but Negru hadn't even done that yet. Stand to be corrected but I think it's a horrendous decision. If you're being really generous you could say Negru changing his run got him caught under the ball as well so he couldn't clear it but that's well into the territory of making too many excuses for him.

That's not to excuse the defending either which was hopeless, but by the same token hopeless defending doesn't excuse a terrible refereeing call.

Long has a bad touch anyway, I don’t think he intended it. When he gets himself all worked up it goes from bad to abysmal.
Negru decision making and judgement at times are questionable.
On just watching the highlights, reminded me of the cup final against Derry.

 

[dickwalton1964]

We as fans not singing has nothing to do with the football we play, we were terrible under Patterson in the conference that season, 5 thousand crowd and we still made much more noise than we do now. Just got an old and ageing fan base now, might be more people but the number of geriatrics in the east stand makes me, at 45, feel young. Most people in their fifties and above, apart from moaning at the ref/manager/players/football/life in general don't make a lot of noise, which is fair enough as I can't see me "going f*****g mental" at 65 years old, probably be to tired from climbing the stairs. Add in its more family groups and you have the recipe for sterility.

Our only decent atmosphere this season came away to Leyton Orient which was a lads day out type crowd, mostly groups of blokes who had been drinking, home games are nothing like that so you won't see much of an improvement.

In my opinion it is everything to do with the football. We are 5th, when we've been around 5th in recent seasons - notably the two play off campaigns - the atmosphere has been far more charged. We are entering the home straight, there would have been a real buzz in the Robinson era when we attacked non stop and scored for fun (Lincoln, Crewe, Gillingham etc). Stats might prove me wrong but I'm not sure we were any more porous under Robinson either - we had balance.

Everything was set up for Des to really connect with the fan base. The Oxford connection, team flying high and a feeling that we were getting a personable, bright, innovative, energetic coach. We've had the wind well and truly sucked from our sails with the sterility of the football. I think us fans are quite shocked and bemused by what's been going on and this has led to the graveyard atmospheres. We can't even be bothered to muster a 'Buckingham out' - it's like no one really gives a sh*t as to what's happening out there.

 

[Eric Blair]

And I’m very glad to hear that you are enjoying it - I would never want that to not be the case even if I’m struggling with it atm. Everybody should enjoy going to the games and watching the team. That’s meant to be the whole point.

Although I’m surprised that more people aren’t being more vocal about the Joey shirt situation that you briefly mention. I think it’s pretty grim that the club has whacked £11 onto ‘his’ shirt and is not sacrificing any of its own profits in return for this donation. Perhaps it’s this sort of heartless attitude coming from the commercial bods that is making me feel more disconnected than usual.

Completely agree on the shirt. I know the club is a business but some things transcend that and donating to his charity and supporting mental health which affects many of us is surely the right thing to do.

 

[MarkG]

Last-gasp Springett strike rescues precious point for Cobblers at Oxford United

Tony Springett chose an excellent moment to score his first professional goal as he struck in stoppage-time to earn Cobblers a dramatic 2-2 draw with promotion-chasing Oxford United on Tuesday evening.

www.northamptonchron.co.uk

 

[MarkG]

Opposition view: Oxford boss felt Cobblers' stoppage-time equaliser shouldn't have stood

Oxford United 2 Northampton Town 2

www.northamptonchron.co.uk

 

[dickwalton1964]

I’m also in SSL and the abuse hurled at the team and Des was horrible. Some of the people by me were not staring by any means. The language was foul and there were young children by those shouting. Do these idiots really believe they’re helping the team by such a torrent of abuse.

No place for foul language but hurling abuse at Buckingham ? I have no problem with that, fully deserved on last nights performance, especially in the first half. If we were playing a notably superior side, giving everything but struggling to get a foothold then, yes, the team need support and backing. Sorry, but this was Northampton at home and we elected to play a brand of football that was abysmal. The players had time, they had the ball, they weren't being overly pressed but, one assumes on the managers instruction, they opted for such a weak, toothless approach. Why shouldn't Buckingham get stick if that's the football he's promoting ?

 

[ZeroTheHero]

I also think there are some great club community moments - acknowledging the two year anniversary of Joey's passing (although I think all the profits from the shirt sale should go to the foundation)

The fact that they were 'donating' just £11 having inflated the cost of the shirt by £11 did not go unnoticed in the stands last night. They are in fact donating very little (if anything, I guess there is some cost in printing the shirt) of their profit - it's the purchaser doing the donating.

 

[holdsteady]

In my opinion it is everything to do with the football. We are 5th, when we've been around 5th in recent seasons - notably the two play off campaigns - the atmosphere has been far more charged. We are entering the home straight, there would have been a real buzz in the Robinson era when we attacked non stop and scored for fun (Lincoln, Crewe, Gillingham etc). Stats might prove me wrong but I'm not sure we were any more porous under Robinson either - we had balance.

Everything was set up for Des to really connect with the fan base. The Oxford connection, team flying high and a feeling that we were getting a personable, bright, innovative, energetic coach. We've had the wind well and truly sucked from our sails with the sterility of the football. I think us fans are quite shocked and bemused by what's been going on and this has led to the graveyard atmospheres. We can't even be bothered to muster a 'Buckingham out' - it's like no one really gives a sh*t as to what's happening out there.

Atmosphere has been s**t for a couple of seasons, we could be playing great football and top of the league and still no one would be singing.

Where do you sit? I am near the back in the middle of the east stand, so where the atmosphere normally generates from, from looking around at the people there I can tell you it will make no difference whatever we do on the pitch, won't be a lot of songs coming out because its too old, too family, too couples, too on the phone distracted, too sober, too jaded, too reserved, too cowed by the fear of standing out amongst our family fan base who tut at you if they have to move their legs to let you into your seat.

The atmosphere at half time under the stand away to Leyton Orient was better than every home game combined this season, that was a well oiled, laddish crowd on an away day.

In truth the football club went after the sanitised, family crowd for the money, but in going after that its lost its soul and we have no edge at matches now, I felt more threat at the two days of my life I spent watching Harry Potter and the cursed child in a west end theatre a couple of years back.

You can hang some stuff on Buckingham but the s**t atmosphere predates him, it has been a morgue for the last couple of years under the two previous managers.

We need an influx of lads in there teens and twenties, we seem to lose them once they get to that age, they need to be able to come in groups and be allowed to enjoy themselves without the club and the killjoys in our fanbase combining with the grass hotline that's on the stupid big screen every ten seconds to try to crush the joy out of going to the game.

An improved atmosphere isn't going to come from boring old men in the south stand upper, you are irrelevant in this conversation really, you can just go back to checking how man u are doing on your phone and let the youngsters enjoy themselves.

 

[WEYellow]

No place for foul language but hurling abuse at Buckingham ? I have no problem with that, fully deserved on last nights performance, especially in the first half. If we were playing a notably superior side, giving everything but struggling to get a foothold then, yes, the team need support and backing. Sorry, but this was Northampton at home and we elected to play a brand of football that was abysmal. The players had time, they had the ball, they weren't being overly pressed but, one assumes on the managers instruction, they opted for such a weak, toothless approach. Why shouldn't Buckingham get stick if that's the football he's promoting ?

What an absolute clown you are, beggars belief.

 

[holdsteady]

What an absolute clown you are, beggars belief.

Rather have foul language than hurl abuse at Buckingham, as the song went on the London Road the day they tried to cut it out in the nineties, orchestrated by Malcolm Shotton, "We only win when were swearing".

 

[m]

I think it’s pretty grim that the club has whacked £11 onto ‘his’ shirt and is not sacrificing any of its own profits in return for this donation. Perhaps it’s this sort of heartless attitude coming from the commercial bods that is making me feel more disconnected than usual.

I'd like to be wrong but I see this as the (almost) inevitable side of attempting to become a top 30 club.

I'm not sure how you can do that without losing some of the closeness.

 

[MustardYellow]

Atmosphere has been s**t for a couple of seasons, we could be playing great football and top of the league and still no one would be singing.

Where do you sit? I am near the back in the middle of the east stand, so where the atmosphere normally generates from, from looking around at the people there I can tell you it will make no difference whatever we do on the pitch, won't be a lot of songs coming out because its too old, too family, too couples, too on the phone distracted, too sober, too jaded, too reserved, too cowed by the fear of standing out amongst our family fan base who tut at you if they have to move their legs to let you into your seat.

The atmosphere at half time under the stand away to Leyton Orient was better than every home game combined this season, that was a well oiled, laddish crowd on an away day.

In truth the football club went after the sanitised, family crowd for the money, but in going after that its lost its soul and we have no edge at matches now, I felt more threat at the two days of my life I spent watching Harry Potter and the cursed child in a west end theatre a couple of years back.

You can hang some stuff on Buckingham but the s**t atmosphere predates him, it has been a morgue for the last couple of years under the two previous managers.

We need an influx of lads in there teens and twenties, we seem to lose them once they get to that age, they need to be able to come in groups and be allowed to enjoy themselves without the club and the killjoys in our fanbase combining with the grass hotline that's on the stupid big screen every ten seconds to try to crush the joy out of going to the game.

An improved atmosphere isn't going to come from boring old men in the south stand upper, you are irrelevant in this conversation really, you can just go back to checking how man u are doing on your phone and let the youngsters enjoy themselves.

The atmosphere was bad under Manning because the football (while effective) wasn't exactly fun to watch. KR's last season isn't really fair to use because the performances were dire, but before that the atmosphere was way better than it is now.

You're going to get a better atmosphere at a game where you draw 3-3 with 2 red cards than you would if you were to win 3-0 with not much else happening (extreme example I know, but you get the point).

Entertaining football gives life to a crowd, boring football kills it - unfortunately we've had boring football for while now.

 

[Shaun Rice]

This is how we were looking when Sam played that weird backpass. In injury time. At 2-1! We had every opportunity to go 4-5-1 as they pushed up and chased the game. Just criminal.

View attachment 17907

Look where Greg Leigh is on the other flank, bent over exhausted high up the pitch from an overlap he shouldn't be making at this point. No safe option for Long to fall back on. Rubbish decision making by individuals cost us but we sure raised the stakes by not doing the basics.

Northampton commentator spent most of the game saying "Oxford hold the ball and frustrate us". Then at THIS moment "that's a bizarre pass back from Long from inside the cobblers half to his keeper who bombs it down field to no great purpose."

Lots of talk here about defensive problems but one other gripe I had last night is how often our attacking players chose speculative long shots over keeping the pressure up and forcing errors from our opponents defence. I know that without a bunch of worldies this season we'd be mid table but it's not a sustainable strategy and there must have been at least 5 times last night where we had them under pressure only to fire one over the bar and give them a chance to breathe and reset.

Small margins and overall much better performance in many ways. It's all about doing the basic stuff now to shift those margins in our favour.

It’s absolutely mental. He’s not even under that much pressure. Dale should be showing down the line and is ball watching, perhaps has a mind that long is forward so is covering. Matete is an option but Goodwin is the obvious easy ball or even a ball into that area between defenders and keeper. Worse! all of their players are in their half. How do we go from that to conceding?

 

[holdsteady]

The atmosphere was bad under Manning because the football (while effective) wasn't exactly fun to watch. KR's last season isn't really fair to use because the performances were dire, but before that the atmosphere was way better than it is now.

You're going to get a better atmosphere at a game where you draw 3-3 with 2 red cards than you would if you were to win 3-0 with not much else happening (extreme example I know, but you get the point).

Entertaining football gives life to a crowd, boring football kills it - unfortunately we've had boring football for while now.

Our last two home games have been a 4-2 win and a 2-2 draw, that’s hardly boring nil nils.

It’s not the football, we could be playing thrilling attacking football to go with those goals and our sanitised fan base wouldn’t make much noise.

Northampton fans made noise, they are as basic a football team as you will watch at this level, by your reckoning they shouldn’t of made a peep.

 

[tim lane]

Atmosphere has been s**t for a couple of seasons, we could be playing great football and top of the league and still no one would be singing.

Where do you sit? I am near the back in the middle of the east stand, so where the atmosphere normally generates from, from looking around at the people there I can tell you it will make no difference whatever we do on the pitch, won't be a lot of songs coming out because its too old, too family, too couples, too on the phone distracted, too sober, too jaded, too reserved, too cowed by the fear of standing out amongst our family fan base who tut at you if they have to move their legs to let you into your seat.

The atmosphere at half time under the stand away to Leyton Orient was better than every home game combined this season, that was a well oiled, laddish crowd on an away day.

In truth the football club went after the sanitised, family crowd for the money, but in going after that its lost its soul and we have no edge at matches now, I felt more threat at the two days of my life I spent watching Harry Potter and the cursed child in a west end theatre a couple of years back.

You can hang some stuff on Buckingham but the s**t atmosphere predates him, it has been a morgue for the last couple of years under the two previous managers.

We need an influx of lads in there teens and twenties, we seem to lose them once they get to that age, they need to be able to come in groups and be allowed to enjoy themselves without the club and the killjoys in our fanbase combining with the grass hotline that's on the stupid big screen every ten seconds to try to crush the joy out of going to the game.

An improved atmosphere isn't going to come from boring old men in the south stand upper, you are irrelevant in this conversation really, you can just go back to checking how man u are doing on your phone and let the youngsters enjoy themselves.

'An improved atmosphere isn't going to come from boring old men in the south stand upper, you are irrelevant in this conversation really, you can just go back to checking how man u are doing on your phone and let the youngsters enjoy themselves.'

I appreciate your passion, HS, but I have to take exception to your final paragraph. I'm an 'old man' and I sit in the SSU, but let it never be said that I lack passion and have become irrelevant. I'm every bit as enthusiastic now as I was at my first game in 1962. We of a different age group are physically obliged to express our support in different ways to the youngsters. Let it also never be said that I check my phone for the Man U score or that of any other team for that matter!