Away Match Day Thread 17/02/2024 L1: Wycombe Wanderers v OUFC

[Northstandboy]

POST MATCH PACK:

Post Match Discussion

Interview - Des Buckingham

Interview - Stephan Negru

Interview - Matt Bloomfield

Match Highlights

Match Report

Ref Watch

Fans View

 

[RgYellows]

My view is simply that he's capable of playing further forward with a fit Bennett behind him.

I don't see what's outrageous about that.

that we have waited about six years for a competent full back, we now have one who is amongst the best in the league, and you want to put him in a different position where we already have several players ready to play?

 

[chromeyellow]

We scored 4 against Wigan, (who were in the Championship last season)

Mark Harris has scored twice as many goals under Buckingham as he did under Manning.

There are green shoots everywhere- if you want to see them

 

[m]

that we have waited about six years for a competent full back, we now have one who is amongst the best in the league, and you want to put him in a different position where we already have several players ready to play?

You're right.

Forget the right back thing, let's bench him.

 

[Wandering Yellow]

that we have waited about six years for a competent full back, we now have one who is amongst the best in the league, and you want to put him in a different position where we already have several players ready to play?

1: I'm not against playing Leigh at wing back, I just think when Bennett is fit he is ALSO a competent full back.
2: Playing on the left of a flat midfield 4 is different to playing as an advanced winger, if you started with 4-4-2 with Goodwin and Harris as a two, you could change it with 20 to go, switch into 4-2-3-1 and put pacy wingers and Ruben on. I don't think it's the worst idea, that's just my opinion. I'm not sure how else we could accomodate a two up top.

 

[chromeyellow]

The "we're sixth in the league coupon" getting used time and time again.

Since Buckingham has come in there's no way we have been any better than mid table in terms of form.

Cliche after cliche.

How dare fans refer to our league position when discussing how the team is doing! the nerve!

Instead we should be paying attention to how a couple of vocal people feel about our form. You know who else did that? Karl Robinson.
We may have been tumbling down the Division but Karl knew that the table was lying.

 

[Wandering Yellow]

How dare fans refer to our league position when discussing how the team is doing! the nerve!

Instead we should be paying attention to how a couple of vocal people feel about our form. You know who else did that Karl Robinson. We may have been tumbling down the Division but Karl knew that the table was lying.

When discussing the MANAGER, crediting him with the fact the team is sixth is misleading.

 

[Northernyellow]

What utter B*****s that is. He's been here for 3 months, with a depleted over performing squad, without backing from those above, with a group of players who he didn't put together.

In comparison with our last 4 managers, we had;

Appleton - Took a whole season to see any sort of philosophy with his own (or Ashton's) players.
Clotet - A disaster from the start, but not helped by the lack of structure above him
Robinson - Took a season and a half to see any sort of philosophy, and in his whole tenure we were overloaded in some positions and criminally light in others
Manning - Kept us up with a squad he didn't make up, then had a whole pre-season to create a team which he thought was so good that he left at the first opportunity.

Des has a 3.5 year contract, we are still in the process of a rebuild from the last 18 months which have been a shambles on and off the field, it would take the best managers in the world at least a season to implement their own philosophy on a club such as ours and get rewards for it. We are unbeaten in 5, and 3 points inside the play offs where many were saying we'd be around mid table at this point. If we are sat here in a year's time and appear to have gone backwards, then granted questions can be raised, but to be so sure that he isn't the right man for us less than 20 games into his tenure is bonkers, and definitely backed by an agenda.

Absolutely- and to add to that, Manning knew perfectly well that teams were beginning to work us out- in his last five L1 matches, we picked up eight points and some of those were very lucky points as well. Part of the reason he scuttled off (and I don't care what anyone says) is because he knew he wouldn't sustain a top two position. Buckingham has done ok so far- he's not been brilliant but all this 'Des-aster' nonsense is getting very tedious. Do I think we will get in the Play-Offs? Probably. Do I think we will go up? Highly unlikely. But considering where we were 12 months ago, I'm really happy with this season and the progress we have made.

 

[RgYellows]

I'm not sure how else we could accomodate a two up top.

3-5-2 or diamond or Leigh at LB with an LM ahead of him would all be alternatives to what you’ve proposed.

 

[Eric Blair]

We scored 4 against Wigan, (who were in the Championship last season)

Mark Harris has scored twice as many goals under Buckingham as he did under Manning.

There are green shoots everywhere- if you want to see them

Plus Murphy getting game time and performing well, attracting players like Matete and Goodwin.

And I dont have the data to hand but I bet you match day engagements are up too.

 

[MustardYellow]

We don't sing when we win, lose or draw games anymore, can't blame the atmosphere on Buckingham, it was w**k under Manning and we were on a title challenging run.

How many times have we gone to Wycombe and come away with nothing though, its a decent away point following a home win, back it up with a win tuesday night and we are looking good for the play offs.

Asking for moments from a manager who has been here ten games? Would rather he gave us those later in the season when we can achieve something tangible.

He's been in charge of 17 L1 games (21 in total according to transfermarkt), and not a single moment that any of us can safely point to and compare it to Doncaster away under KR.

The atmosphere is dross now for sure, but that isn't helped by the football we play - it's frankly pretty dull. Fans of most clubs tend to be quiet when they're bored by what they're watching!

According to transfmrkt Des has a a points per game of 1.24. No idea where that would put us if you averaged it over a season, but I imagine it wouldn't be very good. We're still only in the play-offs because of the start we had under Manning.

 

[holdsteady]

He's been in charge of 17 L1 games (21 in total according to transfermarkt), and not a single moment that any of us can safely point to and compare it to Doncaster away under KR.

The atmosphere is dross now for sure, but that isn't helped by the football we play - it's frankly pretty dull. Fans of most clubs tend to be quiet when they're bored by what they're watching!

According to transfmrkt Des has a a points per game of 1.24. No idea where that would put us if you averaged it over a season, but I imagine it wouldn't be very good. We're still only in the play-offs because of the start we had under Manning.

So you think we should sack him?

It’s 57 points over a season, so about 14th.

 

[chromeyellow]

He's been in charge of 17 L1 games (21 in total according to transfermarkt), and not a single moment that any of us can safely point to and compare it to Doncaster away under KR.

The atmosphere is dross now for sure, but that isn't helped by the football we play - it's frankly pretty dull. Fans of most clubs tend to be quiet when they're bored by what they're watching!

According to transfmrkt Des has a a points per game of 1.24. No idea where that would put us if you averaged it over a season, but I imagine it wouldn't be very good. We're still only in the play-offs because of the start we had under Manning.

He didn't average over the season though did he? he came in when the previous manager had walked out after 15 games after lying to the fans about his intentions (and no doubt to the players too)

Our form was dropping and some of our standout players were injured or exhausted. the fact that we are still in 6th is a miracle. Especially if fans are so negative


Personally I thought the Oisyn Smith winner at Charlton was a special moment. Sorry if it didn't make your heart beat any faster.

https://www.tiktok.com/video/7319512745412463904

 

[Common Villager]

I've struggled to keep up with this thread, but fwiw my thoughts are as follows:

- The situation it looked like Des was coming into was not as favourable as it initially appeared. The squad through December and January was very threadbare and the lack of support and structure around him became evident very quickly. I had/have a good degree of sympathy for him and think other posters on here ought to give more consideration to these factors when assessing his overall performance.
- The job Manning and Hogg (and the analyst and GK coach) were doing was underrated. They squeezed every last drop out of the players at their disposal. It really would've been interesting to see if they could keep it up for a full season, but obviously we'll never know.
- Despite the above concessions, Des is underperforming. The style of play (if you can call it a style) is painfully boring, and our game management in certain matches has been extremely poor (Portsmouth, Reading). The form of some players is well below where it was earlier in the season.
- We still have a good chance of making the playoffs. The teams around us all have their own issues and, as has been often asserted, the quality of the league this season does appear to be poorer than in previous seasons.
- It's imperative that Des finds a winning formula very, very quickly. Draws aren't going to cut it for much longer.

 

[MustardYellow]

So you think we should sack him?

It’s 57 points over a season, so about 14th.

I've never said we should sack him, he just isn't (or at least shouldn't be) immune to criticism.

 

[Reynolds97]

Rothwell, Baptiste and Lundstram have gone on to play Premier League football. Nelson, Johnson, Dickie, Ledson and Mowatt have gone on to firmly establish themselves as Championship players, and Dickie was justifiably third choice centre back as Mous was so good. Brannagan was already here and James Henry was in his prime when he would have walked into any team in the league. Eastwood was pre injury and was a rock solid keeper at the time and we had Todd Kane in on loan who played around 100 Championship games in the next three seasons. We had some crap like Tiendalli but saying he picked up a team of no hopers is a myth that is still peddled on here.

That's not to take away from the fact that we should be doing better with what's currently at our disposal mind in terms of players. In terms of help for the manager it's a different kettle of fish but that's incredibly hard to measure. You'd have to imagine Hogg was of some use to Manning as he takes him everywhere but Buckingham hasn't had that benefit, as well as having to chase up a load of staff himself. Unfortunately I worry that it's been left too late now and he'll have a hell of a job on to turn it around even if he does finally get the help he needs.

Lundstram and Ledson before Kr.

 

[holdsteady]

Lundstram and Ledson before Kr.

Ledson wasn't, he left the summer after Robinson took over I think?

 

[holdsteady]

I've never said we should sack him, he just isn't (or at least shouldn't be) immune to criticism.

That's fair enough, I don't think he should be either and would agree he hasn't completely convinced yet, my caveat would be you have to give any manager more time.

 

[Marked Ox]

Ledson wasn't, he left the summer after Robinson took over I think?

Correct. KR's 1st game was 25/3/18, Lego left May 17th:

» Player

rageonline.co.uk

 

[IsleofWightYellow]

I think a neutral looking at Des' start would say that he's probably hovering around par. Probably slightly over par given where we were when he took over, but not a disaster; so-so.

Do you mean under par?

 

[Carpy]

Matchday Thread closed, for discussions about Des and his tenure so far use this thread