Home Match Day Thread 18/5/2021 Play Off L1 OUFC v Blackpool

[Northstandboy]

Same old...

Choke on Sky
Choke in a big game
Bit like Christmas without children, an anti climax.
Winnall is a crock - could have easily dropped the r!

 

[Paul Cannell]

Cannot agree shades of Gazza against the Scots a brilliant goal

Actually if Ruffels hadn't been ambling back dreaming of Cardiff he'd of cleared it easily.

 

[outsidethebox]

Thanks for the, actually what have we got to thank Swindon for? Has anything good, apart from the A420, ever come out of Swindon?

Q1: endless amusement, even in our darkest hours
Q2: Oxford fans carry three points home .... again!

 

[oufc1991]

these new posters aren’t very fun I’m bored now
Anyway moving on to serious subjects did we play at the kassam tonight or was the t Adams park
Right seriously now tonight we was outplayed out thought and just not much good but it’s only half time really we could go to Blackpool and be 3-0 up at half time 3-3 really and then we could get another couple in second half stranger things have happened we’re oufc we don’t do thing easily

 

[ubermeistervonmeat]

Ruffels should of shielded the ball out, or hooked it away with his right foot.

There second goal he was at fault and he or Atkinson should never of allowed him inside. Both goals were poor to concede.

The third came from a bad ball by Agyei, but there was a challenge on, and I think it was Barker that just jumped over the challenge. Which led to there breakaway goal.

Thought Henry and Ruffels and a few others were dreadful.

Thought Sykes was excellent though, but should of taken his opportunity when one on one.

We just have to accept Blackpool were excellent and a well drilled side.

Can we turn the tie around.... No chance!

Henry's pass to Sykes (which he should have scored) was better than anything produced by Branaghan or Taylor this evening so why dwell on him - yes he faded but the other two (and others) bottled it just as they did against Wycombe last year

 

[Mad Dog]

So, so poor tonight.

We started ok, looked up for it, and Barker looked really dangerous, then Blackpool woke up, took control, and were then on a level we could not compete with.

We had the home advantage, and a stadium consisting of ONLY our fans, in a playoff semi final, and we needed to take advantage of that, and score goals, to take a lead into the 2nd leg.

So why did Robbo play Hanson, instead of Forde, who offers so much more going forwards than Hanson, who provides absolutely zero attacking support?

And why did he start with Lee, who is slow, when we could've had Agyei and Barker on the wings, with Taylor through the middle?

I know some will say Lee offers better defensive cover than Agyei, but with the home advantage, and all our fans there, tonight should've been all about attack attack attack, get the goals, then look to shut them out in the 2nd leg, with the likes of Gorrin, Lee and Hanson.

Instead we put in a really lacklustre, slow, ponderous display, and have left ourselves an impossible mountain to climb, against a very good side, who have kept the most clean sheets in the league, and will have the home advantage, with more of their own fans there than we had here tonight.

I think even the most blindly positive of us have to admit, we've lost this tie in the first leg.

That said, it's been a remarkable season, what with COVID, cancelled games, empty stadiums, injuries to key players, and a shocking first half of the season, but Robbo and the players have stuck together, dug deep, turned things around, and done a superb job to put us in a position to even be involved in the playoffs at all, and for that, deserve a lot of credit, and we thank them

But this season is over now.

 

[oufc1991]

.

Who or what is that

 

[m]

Social media is priceless tonight , basically saying all you season ticket holders are a disgrace for NOT creating an atmosphere

They're hurting and need to lash out bless 'em.

 

[Berliner]

I must say, TangerineInPeace makes some very good points.

 

[Paul Cannell]

Might I say that Blackburn (as the Sky commentator said at the start of the second half) are pretty good and thoroughly deserved the victory.

 

[m]

So, so poor tonight.

We started ok, looked up for it, and Barker looked really dangerous, then Blackpool woke up, took control, and were then on a level we could not compete with.

We had the home advantage, and a stadium consisting of ONLY our fans, in a playoff semi final, and we needed to take advantage of that, and score goals, to take a lead into the 2nd leg.

So why did Robbo play Hanson, instead of Forde, who offers so much more going forwards than Hanson, who provides absolutely zero attacking support?

And why did he start with Lee, who is slow, when we could've had Agyei and Barker on the wings, with Taylor through the middle?

I know some will say Lee offers better defensive cover than Agyei, but with the home advantage, and all our fans there, tonight should've been all about attack attack attack, get the goals, then look to shut them out in the 2nd leg, with the likes of Gorrin, Lee and Hanson.

Instead we put in a really lacklustre, slow, ponderous display, and have left ourselves a impossible mountain to climb, against a very good side, who have kept the most clean sheets in the league, and will have the home advantage, with more of their own fans there than we had here tonight.

I think even the most blindly positive of us have to admit, we've lost this tie in the first leg.

That said, it's been a remarkable season, what with COVID, cancelled games, empty stadiums, injuries to key players, and a shocking first half of the season, but Robbo and the players have stuck together, dug deep, turned things around, and done a superb job to put us in a position to even be involved in the playoffs at all, and for that, deserve a lot of credit, and we thank them

But this season is over now.

Ponderous is the key word.

Blackpool always had a sense of purpose, with or without the ball.

In the fleeting moments that we did we looked alright.

Singling out individual players after that is utterly pointless. It was a team failing right across the pitch.

I'm not one of those constantly sharpening a knife for Karl but he failed today when it mattered.

 

[Manorlounger]

Tactically inept. No midfield to talk about.

No reason to talk about the goals we conceded. Every reason to talk about why we didn't score.

As for the North stand, less said the better. If the rest of the stadium was as filthy and neglected as the away section, then the whole lot should be condemned and demolished.

 

[Paul Cannell]

Pondersome. Go out there and run around, he said. Don't be bloody pondersome. Got us into the play-offs though, eh?

 

[Steve Gilbert]

We got beaten by a far better team tonight. They stopped us playing how we wanted and were clinical.
Our big players, yet again, didn’t turn up.
We go again on Friday but to be honest, just being in the play offs is a bonus and as tonight showed, we just aren’t quite good enough to be really promotion contenders this year.

No shame in going out to a better team.

 

[Manorlounger]

Pondersome. Go out there and run around, he said. Don't be bloody pondersome. Got us into the play-offs though, eh?

Pondersome, yes, that works.

 

[carefreeoufc]

By far the better team (Blackpool) I thought we missed Long and unfortunately missing a couple of chances cost us. Blackpool were well set up as expected and they look like a team that may end up going up this season.

I thought the ref had a relatively decent game and we kind of did what we do best when it comes to the big games on Sky. It definitely emphasises how much of a missed opportunity last season was having got through to the final with relatively lacklustre games against Portsmouth.

Can’t see much coming of Friday but hopefully we can get a goal or two to make a game of it. Time for KR to get working on coming out of the blocks firing and not leaving us with a mountain to climb every year. Perhaps we’ll also hear some more news on the proposed takeover.

 

[RyanioBirdio]

Blackpool have the best defence in the league; 270+ minutes and we haven’t scored against them this season. We had the best goals against tally in L2 when we got promoted, but hardly anybody remembers that. Did having the best defence make us boring that year? No. It gave us a platform to play off, which is what Blackpool had tonight, as well as the victory at our place a few months back. They look like a team built for success. They’re the benchmark in terms of what the next step looks like for us.

Defences win you things, whether people want to admit it or not. You need to earn the right to swashbuckle your way around. Otherwise you end up with a few great days but nothing tangible to show for it. We need more quality, more depth, and a willingness across the board to keep things just that little bit tighter before we play out. Gung-ho looks great when it pays off, but there’s a reason our record against the best teams this season has been poor. Too naive, too easy to pick off, too open. Not enough nous.

Friday is the ultimate free hit now. See what happens, try to win the game on the night and if it isn’t enough, hopefully we will learn a bit from this season. Nights like tonight are only a washout if they don’t teach you anything.

It was just nice to be in a stadium with fans again, tbh.

 

[m]

As for the North stand, less said the better. If the rest of the stadium was as filthy and neglected as the away section, then the whole lot should be condemned and demolished.

That was one of the few bits that did make me smile in fact.

Hearing a chant start up away to my right and instinctively bristling before realising 'oh yeah, their ours today'.

 

[Grumpy Git]

I think it’s over, but stranger things have happened. Well done Blackpool, if we fail to turn it round, I hope you go up.

 

[m]

We got beaten by a far better team tonight. They stopped us playing how we wanted and were clinical.
Our big players, yet again, didn’t turn up.
We go again on Friday but to be honest, just being in the play offs is a bonus and as tonight showed, we just aren’t quite good enough to be really promotion contenders this year.

No shame in going out to a better team.

According to the league table they're not that much better than us.

No shame in going out to a better team but some shame in today's performance for sure.