Home Match Day Thread +++ 2/10/18 OUFC v Luton Town +++

[m]

I’ve just about lost my nut with this shower.

Gobby, verbal diarrohea management, mystifying substitutions, kids with a handful of games expected to carry the team, the best player deliberately running his contract down, tired old crocks picking up a last nosebag, wholly inadequate preseason player recruitment, an unfit, physically feeble squad, no game management skills, ill disciplined managers and players,an absentee chairman, an unfinished training ground, Pravda style club PR, desperate pre game gimmicks involving TV pundits, no pace, no power, mistake ridden midfielders, too many chiefs and not enough Indians off pitch, Steve Anthrobus reborn upfront, a goalkeeper who cannot kick straight, a carousel of permanently underperforming right backs, a £25k pw loanee left back who would only sprint to catch a bus, a lunatic headstrong £500k central midfielder who keeps on losing the ball 30 yards from goal, a 12 year old captain, rotten sportsmanship, dirty tactics, a centre back who would struggle to match the physical presence of Sir Geoff Hurst - that’s Sir Geoff Hurst now, the most consistent player in and out of the starting 11 as randomly as the Hadron Collider, a maverick who dribbles up and down the pitch because he doesn’t trust his teammates, a bright prospect being absolutely played into the ground, exterminate, exterminate, exterminate....

I do not know where the next win is coming from.

I bet Robinson is here in a months time because there is no one around to sack him. It’s a soft old environment atthe club with absolutely no sense of purpose.

A120 mile round trip tonight to see a football equivalent of The Office.

KR is David Brent.

Damning stuff indeed from one usually so optimistic.

Agree with every word.

 

[Oxfordpete]

Last nights performance was dreadful, Luton could or should have had a few
We were lucky to only lose 2-1
Baptiste Captain very odd
Everyone could see he was walking a tightrope he should have come off at least 10 mins before the second card
Hanson, yet again his mistake costs us a goal
McMahon was out jumped by their number 2 I think, even tho he was quite a bit taller
Obika awful, one contested header won, no pace contrary to what KR says, rubbish with his feet, i don’t think the players trust him, they know a ball to him will be wasted
KR seems to alienate players and staff
11 players not playing as a team
Look at the players he had at MK I could have got them in the play off and promotion
His ‘signings’ have been poor
Smith who he spent most of the summer trying to get, and he’s done nothing, his goal scoring record for us speaks volumes
Obika is worse
Robinson needs to go now

 

[Common Villager]

I’ve just about lost my nut with this shower.

Gobby, verbal diarrohea management, mystifying substitutions, kids with a handful of games expected to carry the team, the best player deliberately running his contract down, tired old crocks picking up a last nosebag, wholly inadequate preseason player recruitment, an unfit, physically feeble squad, no game management skills, ill disciplined managers and players,an absentee chairman, an unfinished training ground, Pravda style club PR, desperate pre game gimmicks involving TV pundits, no pace, no power, mistake ridden midfielders, too many chiefs and not enough Indians off pitch, Steve Anthrobus reborn upfront, a goalkeeper who cannot kick straight, a carousel of permanently underperforming right backs, a £25k pw loanee left back who would only sprint to catch a bus, a lunatic headstrong £500k central midfielder who keeps on losing the ball 30 yards from goal, a 12 year old captain, rotten sportsmanship, dirty tactics, a centre back who would struggle to match the physical presence of Sir Geoff Hurst - that’s Sir Geoff Hurst now, the most consistent player in and out of the starting 11 as randomly as the Hadron Collider, a maverick who dribbles up and down the pitch because he doesn’t trust his teammates, a bright prospect being absolutely played into the ground, exterminate, exterminate, exterminate....

I do not know where the next win is coming from.

I bet Robinson is here in a months time because there is no one around to sack him. It’s a soft old environment atthe club with absolutely no sense of purpose.

A120 mile round trip tonight to see a football equivalent of The Office.

KR is David Brent.

KR to Tiger

'If you sack me you'll have a mutiny on your hands'

 

[frenchconnection]

That's it he has to go, enough is enough. WTF exactly do those people that want to give him time expect is going to change, nothing. They are simply giving him more rope to hang the club. That appearance was a shambles. Baptiste made stupid errors that indirectly cost us the game.

That lad has been played into the ground...given the capts armband and is probably knackered ...bad man management from kr and his clueless cronies .... sack the lot NOW

 

[lodeyellow]

Not sure what was worse tonight; our performance, or the poor excuse for a bloke next to me in the North stand making racist remarks while an Asian steward was trying to do his job.

I assume you didn't report him. If not, why not?

 

[outsidethebox]

Dismal summer recruitment leading to an ineffective pre-season. Numerous poor tactical decisions (topped by not subbing Shandon at ht last night) and sticking with a formation that just isn't working. Go now, please, and take bully Derry with you.

 

[unification]

KR to Tiger

'If you sack me you'll have a mutiny on your hands'

Shaun Derry - Assistant Manger.

KR: Assistant to the Oxford manager.

Out of interest, we’re there any ‘Robinson out’ chants yesterday? At Wimbledon, their chants of ‘you’ve got Karl Robinson’ were met with silence from our fans and on the full time whistle no one said a thing. It didn’t appear to have boiled over into anti-management feeling.

I wondered whether that had changed last night?

 

[Shosho]

Shaun Derry - Assistant Manger.

KR: Assistant to the Oxford manager.

Out of interest, we’re there any ‘Robinson out’ chants yesterday? At Wimbledon, their chants of ‘you’ve got Karl Robinson’ were met with silence from our fans and on the full time whistle no one said a thing. It didn’t appear to have boiled over into anti-management feeling.

I wondered whether that had changed last night?

All stands were chanting ‘sacked in the morning’. Loud boos on full time, everyone chanting Robinson out. There was no doubt as to the feeling of the fans.

I think we’ve been more than patient

 

[Peterdev]

We just have to wait now and see what happens. I doubt he will walk, and there not much choice out there now for a replacement. Paul Clement and Nigel Adkins must be expecting the bullet any day so there may be a ready replacement.
Adkins was fantastic for Southampton, and Clement although highly rated probably wouldn’t drop down a division.
Something needs to be done, only 6500 there last night...still remember around 11000 attendance in the National League for the same fixture, and I think that was an evening game too

 

[unification]

He did. It was the last straw for me. I stood and shouted at him to stop having a go at a 14 year boy who was doing his job and do his own bloody job properly.

Was very neutral about him coming in as manager but after 2 months he has to go. The players are just not playing for him. He has ‘lost the dressing room’ I believe.

It’s a bit of a cliche and is only partly true. In his predictions on the BBC over the weekend, Mark Lawrenson said that often you tend to lose a few players or a clique rather than everyone.

I think we can make an informed guess of those who aren’t playing for him anymore - Nelson (stripped of the captaincy) and Brannagan (unfavoured position) would be two.

 

[m]

All stands were chanting ‘sacked in the morning’. Loud boos on full time, everyone chanting Robinson out. There was no doubt as to the feeling of the fans.

I think we’ve been more than patient

I concur.

 

[Essexyellows]

Can someone tell me what is the point of SD? What does he add to the coaching team? What is his role, exactly?

Dreadful - on all counts.

I said at half time we were basically closing our eyes and hoping Holmes or Whyte created something. Sadly, even when one of them did we were too dopey in all respects to profit from it.

I could rant about how bad that was for hours. We weren’t ‘unlucky’, it was a shambles. Bar five minutes at the start of both halves where Luton needed time to adjust to our change in systems (and a couple of speculative Whyte runs), we were utterly outplayed. If Ruddock could finish we’d have shipped significantly more.

Eight minutes of stoppage time was harsh - but entirely self-inflicted. Baptiste’s red, Mackie and Holmes feigning injuries, drinks breaks, Brannagan kicking it away, Mitchell dawdling over kicks. It was an embarrassing watch as an Oxford fan - and their crowd were dead on in deriding us for it

Then if the game wasn’t bad enough, Karl Robinson’s interview was utterly inexplicable. Clearly Hanson is the next to be bombed out (as with Cam Norman, John Mousinho, Sam Long etc). No mention of the fact he’d actually done pretty well in the first half. No attempt to be a ‘blanket’ and protect him. Just chucked him straight under the bus with words to the effect of ‘he’d cocked up so I wanted to hook him’.

Not his fault for not taking Shandon off earlier? Yes mate, it was. He was sent off with more than three quarters of the game gone. He was a walking red from the moment the second half whistle went - and Robinson should be ashamed of not protecting a young talented kid and pulling him off. ‘Don’t blame Shandon’. Don’t worry pal, nobody is. You and your ‘400 plus league games’ on the other hand

Then comes the ‘I didn’t sign Hanson’ nonsense. As if poor Hanson wasn’t already kicked into the dirt enough having made a shocking cock up (though multiple others could’ve bailed him out), now Robbo didn’t even want him? I’m pretty sure EVERY interview he gave about ‘six foot powerhouse’ Hanson when he signed him contradicts that.

It goes on and on. Obika has pace, patting himself on the back for switching systems in a game where we conceded masses of possession and shots at home, ‘protecting’ the players, ‘taking responsibility’ whilst actually taking NONE whatsoever. It felt like the interview of a man with one foot out the door and absolutely no grasp on what is going on around him.

My view is that his ‘credit’ for last year is now gone. If he is sacked in the morning I can’t say I’d mind. If he isn’t, nothing less than four points from the next two league games will do (i.e. lose at Southend and Tiger needs to fetch his shotgun).

Saved me typing it. Glad I saved the petrol, it was almost predictable.

 

[Essexyellows]

I should add a Cambridge supporting mate said "Why??" when we signed SD. He has a reputation of having a poor mind set & doesn`t take responsibility (sounds familiar)..... and the defence since we signed him has deteriorated.

 

[Essexyellows]

Home domination in figures...........................................................

 

[BigAlan]

Obika is a statue, no movement and concrete in his boots, Dickie has his hand up for offside waiting for the assistant to bail him out, we have little pace and “him” takes of Whyte, no shape, no idea, no passion and goodness knows how we’re going to get back on track with “him” in charge.

“Him” should be sacked, can’t even say his flipping name he is so crap.

 

[holdsteady]

Home domination in figures...........................................................

View attachment 765

They were the better team, 2-1 flattered us the stats just back that up.

Robinson’s bullshit has been exposed, he needs to go now. Probably still get relegated but we might at least make a fight of it, at the moment we are going down with 30 points or less.

No confidence a change will happen though, no one to make that decision.

 

[Shosho]

Putting KR aside, the real worry is the lack of any clear playing style.

We were ok for 20mins, until Luton shut down the short passing at the back. Mitchell then started to go long and the Luton CBs dominated with the ball coming straight back to us. We arent a long ball team, equally we dont have the ability to move it effectively.

The small glimmers we had going forward are from Whyte and Holmes trying to do it by themsleves. Many times seeing the run of Obika and choosing to go it alone. Therefore, we are essentially relying on 25 yard pop shots (like the one Holmes scored). That effort carries around 10% chance...with the leaky defence we are asking the 3 behind the striker to do that several times a match.

Aditionally, the crossing is woeful. In open play we are crossing with height...who in the team can head a ball? Why are we not rolling it to the penalty spot? Give them some chance.

Finally, set pieces. F**k me. Luton showed throughout the match what some time spent on set pieces can achieve. They had a player blocking the keeper, they had players huddled making various runs losing their markers and looked a threat each time. What do we do? Get the sand wedge out and aim for a CB at the back post. Set pieces are possibly the most critical part of the game...and yet we are incompetent.

I dont really get why the defence is so poor. The first thing KR did when he came in was sort that out.

Anyway, there was players yesterday that are visibly dismayed. Holmes was emptying the tank at the end chasing defenders, doubt he will play Saturday. Brannagan walked straight off the pitch. Whyte must be wondering how much longer he will be about.

KR doesnt suggest anything in the way of improvement, infact stating that he doesnt know what to do. Its all good pushing the blame on to the players for making mistakes...but you coach them EVERYDAY! The players showed vs Man City they can broadly carry out a game plan

 

[ZeroTheHero]

After that debacle, I can see no footballing reason to keep Robinson on. Was there anyone else in the ground surprised when Baptiste was sent off? He had been booked, been warned again and committed two more borderline yellows BEFORE he was finally sent off. Why he came out for the second half I have no idea, but even then he should have been quickly subbed. Dismal management. Why was Whyte taken off? He was one of our better players, while the lumbering ineffectual Obika was left on. Obika is conference standard at best - and I think that's being kind to him. The shape? I know Robinson said he tried various formations during the game - but it was total confusion out on the pitch, with players obviously having no idea at all what was going on whatever shape was supposedly being played.

Robinson dug Hanson out in his post match interview but that was a shocking pass to him by Brannagan. Why the hell is the stupid passing out from the goalkeeper going on? We repeatedly put ourselves under pressure, and Mitchell (who made a couple of decent saves) was obviously doing it under orders. The whole approach is so brain dead, so predictable and IT'S THE SAME EVERY GAME! I don't think Robinson made one good decision last night and that interview afterwards was toe-curlingly embarassing (as was the teams pathetic timewasting BTW) - he was blaming the players and pretending not to, blaming everyone else for his summer recruitment (that he typically shot he mouth off about at the time) and quite obviously has no idea what to do next.

McMahon was rubbish (again), Holmes has obviously decided that his fellow forwards are a waste of time and is trying to do it completely on his own, Nelson has checked out, Baptiste shouldn't be captain. Robinson shouldn't be at the club.

 

[Gary Baldi]

KR doesnt suggest anything in the way of improvement, infact stating that he doesnt know what to do. Its all good pushing the blame on to the players for making mistakes...but you coach them EVERYDAY! The players showed vs Man City they can broadly carry out a game plan

That for me is the biggest issue. For one game, this team has looked solid and organised. Yesterday was another complete and utter mess. Are the players motivated for league games?

We are not good enough for the passing out from the back schtick, and it is causing us more issues because we are constantly under pressure outside our own penalty area. For a side at the bottom of the league in poor form, we have to be smarter than that and the areas we put the ball into. We are trying to play football like we are 10 points clear at the top of the league when in reality we have 5 points and haven't won for ages.

The fans last night finally let the frustration out. We've been patient and understanding, but enough is enough. We aren't even playing well any more. We look like a rabble and play like a rabble. A good workman doesn't blame his tools.

 

[outsidethebox]

Car trouble, buggered tyre. So I'm back at home in Warwickshire. Didn't get particularly far. I hope I miss a great Oxford home win but not optimistic.

Hope you've thanked that tyre. Certainly saved you a wasted journey!