Away Match Day Thread 5/8/23 L1: Cambridge United v OUFC

[Northstandboy]

First game of the season. COYY!

 

[ThatSlopesATwelfthMan]

The worst culprit was mid 50's at a guess.

It's a good point. Most of the very worst and witless stuff I've witnessed at away games in recent years is from beetroot-faced old timers

 

[ThatSlopesATwelfthMan]

It's a good point. Most of the very worst and witless stuff I've witnessed at away games in recent years is from beetroot-faced old timers

Fwiw I'm pretty relaxed about behaviour at football but humourless, repetitive abuse of individuals, including our own players, is boring at best and enough to ruin the whole afternoon at worst.

 

[BigGreebo]

The likelihood that a professional footballer - whose determination has helped them to accomplish an athletic level enormously above what a normal person could manage - isn't trying their hardest is pretty small.

Of course it happens, but if they're failing it's far more likely that they're injured, having a bad day, or out of their depth.

Slagging them off might make a fan feel better, especially if their own life is empty or small, but it'll probably make the player perform even worse. So it's an odd thing for a true fan to do.

And if you're a player representing your home town team and the fans get at you, it must feel terrible.

I'll never forget Mark Druce having a superb game away at Bristol Rovers. It was great, but I couldn't help feeling he was liberated from having the London Road on his back. And that's rather sad, as is the fact that taking a young child to an Oxford game would be f*****g madness.

 

[Paul Cannell]

I have a couple of times only to be laughed at and told it’s just ‘banter’…

What now, then?

 

[BeechRoadBokelberg]

You’re right, every generation has acted poorly in some way in the past but surely society has moved on enough and people are more aware of what is right and wrong.
Chanting peado at goalkeepers/mascots, sexist chants towards female physio’s really shouldn’t have any place at football. I’ve heard these chants at all the away games I’ve been to recently.

I was sat in the North Stand for the Sheff Wed game towards the end of last season, a few parents sat with kids nearby. A guy probably in his late 40's screamed 'you f-ing s**g referee!' to the female official.

Unfortunately the morons get everywhere.

 

[bashamwonderland]

I think it goes both ways.

If you sit in the South Stand you should know not to scream and shout abuse because people don't want to hear it.

If you sit in the East Stand you should expect to hear people screaming and shouting abuse.

At the end of the day football is (or "was") a working class sport at its heart. That can sometimes mean hard language and abuse, aggression, and a general lack of minding P's and Q's. It's not how I choose to watch football but I respect those who do choose to act disrespectfully because that's literally the foundation of British football culture.

If the abuse goes too far then just report it and let the stewards deal.

 

[encyclopedia]

Looking at the highlights as I just forced myself too Brown, Thorniley and especially Beadle at fault for the first goal ....cross shot allowed by JT but wide of the box pushed out to the centre of the goal, basics .
Second Long lost it in their half ? Not really his fault the covering player RR let the cross come in nor that Brown didn't jump as got in a poor position while Beadle could have go for a ball in the 6 yard box I think.
Mills missed a sitter of a header although great ball from RR.
I'm sure Beadle will prove a good keeper but if Easty had performed like that he would be getting pelters . Same as if GoD had missed that header.
We will get better but scapegoats are not the answer.
Findlay part of the defence that kept a clear sheet v Rangers yesterday as well.

If manning thinks thorniley is a better defender than Findlay then it's going to be a long season

 

[Golden Dr Otto]

The two go completely hand in hand. How can anybody expect a forward to get himself in to a game when the two centre halves are static in possession and the full backs are afraid to cross the half way line. They don’t overlap, they don’t underlap, they don’t play little return passes to create space, they don’t cross from deep, they don’t play balls in behind… Nothing. Backwards passes that suggest ‘here, you do something’. Full backs are so dangerous because they arguably have the most space on the field of anybody. Forwards will be starved unless that space is put to good effect.

We don’t have superstar forwards at Oxford United. They cannot take the ball at pace in a yard of space under pressure and create magic on their own. They might occasionally but not week in, week out. And on the days it doesn’t work, you get what we got yesterday which is forward players searching for space where there is none, taking poor touches under pressure and losing the ball. Eventually they make less runs and become lethargic because nobody can see them. You’ve got to move the ball urgently and use each other to create space. I have no doubt Manning is looking for this but some players are just not wired to do it. His wings backs at MK were everything ours are not. I hope to god he knows how big an issue this is for our chances but watch our build up play closely before criticising the forwards. I felt sorry for them.

As I type this, I invite anybody unsure on this to turn on Cardiff’s game and look at where O’Dowda is playing as a left back and the damage it’s just done.

Post of the week. This nails it.

 

[QR]

I think it goes both ways.

If you sit in the South Stand you should know not to scream and shout abuse because people don't want to hear it.

If you sit in the East Stand you should expect to hear people screaming and shouting abuse.

At the end of the day football is (or "was") a working class sport at its heart. That can sometimes mean hard language and abuse, aggression, and a general lack of minding P's and Q's. It's not how I choose to watch football but I respect those who do choose to act disrespectfully because that's literally the foundation of British football culture.

If the abuse goes too far then just report it and let the stewards deal.

But this is about away games where you often have limited or no choice where you sit. How can anyone think it's alright for a guy sat next to say an eight year old to use the c word every other sentence? Football and in particular our club is far better off without these neanderthals. Period. Passion and the odd expletives will happen but some of what I've heard is way beyond acceptable even at football and should be roundly condemned by all.

 

[greatunclekip]

But this is about away games where you often have limited or no choice where you sit. How can anyone think it's alright for a guy sat next to say an eight year old to use the c word every other sentence? Football and in particular our club is far better off without these neanderthals. Period. Passion and the odd expletives will happen but some of what I've heard is way beyond acceptable even at football and should be roundly condemned by all.

As I've said before, we have possibly the best fans in the league in my opinion. We also have some utter, utter brain donors, whose idiocy even after a few beers is just mind-blowing to observe.

 

[Scotchegg]

It's important to point out that there are a very small minority that let themselves down at games, and they tend to do so more at away games.

Generally we police our own pretty well, and I've had a chat with a few before as I know others have too. Football is all about passion and we should not lose sight of that, but a few do need to wind it in a bit.

Let's put it down as a bad day on all sides and hopefully we'll see better on and off the pitch - starting Wednesday!

 

[SirAndyOfCrosby]

If manning thinks thorniley is a better defender than Findlay then it's going to be a long season

Thanks for that Mrs Findlay 'New Member' 'From Glasgow'.

Particularly enjoyed the correct capitalisation of Findlay whilst stripping both Manning and Thorniley of that particular dignity.

The post could only have been improved if you'd instead referred to Findlay as 'My Stuart'.

 

[OX14]

If manning thinks thorniley is a better defender than Findlay then it's going to be a long season

Thorniley is better with the ball at his feet and bringing the ball out from defence and slotting a pass through, the problem on Saturday was both full backs weren't running down the line and creating space for the midfield which meant his option of a pass were severely limited.

 

[bdodwell]

The likelihood that a professional footballer - whose determination has helped them to accomplish an athletic level enormously above what a normal person could manage - isn't trying their hardest is pretty small.

Of course it happens, but if they're failing it's far more likely that they're injured, having a bad day, or out of their depth.

Slagging them off might make a fan feel better, especially if their own life is empty or small, but it'll probably make the player perform even worse. So it's an odd thing for a true fan to do.

And if you're a player representing your home town team and the fans get at you, it must feel terrible.

I'll never forget Mark Druce having a superb game away at Bristol Rovers. It was great, but I couldn't help feeling he was liberated from having the London Road on his back. And that's rather sad, as is the fact that taking a young child to an Oxford game would be f*****g madness.

 

[bdodwell]

'Fans' who abuse our own players are anti-Oxford supporters. They can go down the A420 and follow our friends down there.
I'll start the crowd funding to get rid of this virus.

 

[Orkney Islands Yellow]

The pass map is quite telling. It'll be very easy to play against us if this is the tactic every game:

https://twitter.com/x/status/1688076342321909760

 

[bazzer9461]

I was sat in the North Stand for the Sheff Wed game towards the end of last season, a few parents sat with kids nearby. A guy probably in his late 40's screamed 'you f-ing s**g referee!' to the female official.

Unfortunately the morons get everywhere.

Alas I let myself down on an occasion that day calling her a silly cow when she missed the blatant penalty on Findlay, I felt when I had said I had let myself down Mrs Bazzer and a lady who I’ve known many years rebuked me for it but did say she was wrong over that decision, needless to say I was on my best behaviour.
I do swear occasionally as the passion can get the better of me but if one of our players does something bad, stupid or wrong I won’t call him a name as he is one of our players but I might say something in the way of FFS Joe Bloggs.

 

[Yellowmania]

The pass map is quite telling. It'll be very easy to play against us if this is the tactic every game:

View attachment 15040

https://twitter.com/x/status/1688076342321909760

Often wondered, how do they actually plot and record all these passes?

 

[Wandering Yellow]

It's important to point out that there are a very small minority that let themselves down at games, and they tend to do so more at away games.

Generally we police our own pretty well, and I've had a chat with a few before as I know others have too. Football is all about passion and we should not lose sight of that, but a few do need to wind it in a bit.

Let's put it down as a bad day on all sides and hopefully we'll see better on and off the pitch - starting Wednesday!

99% of Oxford fans are great people. As you say, some good results on the pitch will enhance the mood.

 

[ChamonixOx]

That's the thing. Brown and Long each lost the ball in the opposition half. We need to be able to recover from such a situation, especially if the call is to play with more attacking full backs. They will give the ball away when attacking, and if we can't deal with that, we are in trouble. So I'm not going to let Brown or Long take full blame for their goals, even if some want to scapegoat them.

You seem to be missing the points being made. People are not just highlighting their responsibility for each goal, but their deficiencies as full-backs generally. Not their fault they are being played out of position, and their commitment is unquestionable, more a reflection on the management, past and present.

On the latter point, it is still early days, but by now we should have had at least one capable full-back to replace either Long or Brown, ideally two! Manning needs to sort this out PDQ. My other concern was the fact that Manning didn’t change the system, making like for like changes when Plan A was clearly not working. Again it is early days and one can only hope that our latest manager is not as pig headed as the previous incumbent, and learns from the chastening experience and his mistakes.