Away Match Day Thread 16/11/2021 FA Cup 1st R. Replay: Bristol Rovers v OUFC

[bazzer9461]

Thanks Bazzer, and apology accepted.

Actions speak louder than words, so I do hope you stick to it and have a little pause next time one of us posts something that you don't quite agree with or doesn't give the information you feel you need.

I've been following the club for about 55 years and a home game is a 200 mile round trip for me, and I probably watch about 50 games a season, home and away, so I'm not sure your passion is second to none? Unless you want to argue about it???!!!

I see all home matches and probably a bout 50% away matches but that’s not a bad level of attendance. Truly 200 mile round trip is commendable and I salute you in that. I’ve been supporting about 53 years but then again you are olde than me but that can’t be u for discussion or an argument.
But yes a 200 mile round trip is commendable.

 

[werthersoriginal]

Thanks Bazzer, and apology accepted.

Actions speak louder than words, so I do hope you stick to it and have a little pause next time one of us posts something that you don't quite agree with or doesn't give the information you feel you need.

I've been following the club for about 55 years and a home game is a 200 mile round trip for me, and I probably watch about 50 games a season, home and away, so I'm not sure your passion is second to none? Unless you want to argue about it???!!!

That is impressive given we have 46 league games and get knocked out of the cups at the first go!

 

[Colin B]

That is impressive given we have 46 league games and get knocked out of the cups at the first go!

Well, I've seen five cup games this season and not missed a league game, home and away, so am on target for 51 (54 including possible play-offs) even in this season of no cup runs!

 

[Wallop]

Ricky,

In general, I dont know why, Covid, etc but we need a reset on the forum. Its not becoming a good place. I think we need proposals of which I have seen this on another one.

We need something where someone can raise a complaint which is visible (but proposers name withheld) and if 5 people anonomously agree, that post is deleted or person is temporarily suspended for a certain number of days.

Perhaps we should set up a Yellows Forum Supporters Panel (YFSP?) to gain views from forum posters and liase with the Mods - that can't divide opinion surely?

 

[5aside]

Lots of brotherly loving on this website today , you can tell it’s getting close to Xmas . You hang up , no you hang up , no you hang up lol

 

[Golden Dr Otto]

You’d actually have to attend for that to happen. *tongue firmly in cheek*

I’ll be at Portsmouth away. Second game of the season. That’s 20000 miles total for Oxford games this season. But that still means I’m contributing way less than the rest of you to the club financially (except iFollow and merchandise). You guys win the better supporter trophy.

Plus I was a bit ambivalent about last nights defeat

 

[ECYellow]

I’ll be at Portsmouth away. Second game of the season. That’s 20000 miles total for Oxford games this season. But that still means I’m contributing way less than the rest of you to the club financially (except iFollow and merchandise). You guys win the better supporter trophy.

Plus I was a bit ambivalent about last nights defeat

20000 miles is quite the support, RO!

 

[Oufcrealist]

Watching those highlights Eastwood looks questionable for Rovers 3rd and 4th goals.

The 4th was just as much Long's fault if not more. He should have put the ball out not stood and watch the player flick the ball back into the danger area.

 

[Joey]

after Eastys clanger for their 4th , I hope Jack is fit n ready for Saturday

Would you want Long dropped as well? Eastwood was out of position but Long switched off completely to allow their player to come round the side of him and flick it back. After that their lad has a free half volley from 6 yards or so, no matter where Eastwood was positioned he'd be doing well to save that. I also thought he made some good saves in the first game that got us the replay, although we should have put that to bed at the first time of asking.

 

[Sheik djibouti]

Would you want Long dropped as well? Eastwood was out of position but Long switched off completely to allow their player to come round the side of him and flick it back. After that their lad has a free half volley from 6 yards or so, no matter where Eastwood was positioned he'd be doing well to save that. I also thought he made some good saves in the first game that got us the replay, although we should have put that to bed at the first time of asking.

Funny thing is that earlier in the commentary last night, I think it was Jerome who offered that he thought some of Eastwood's work last night showed that he was back to his very best....ie a long way before the Swindon and play off final calamities, best.

It's a funny old game. Watching the replay of that 4th goal, both Long and Eastwood appeared to assume the other would deal with it....and we all know why you shouldn't assume....

 

[Oxford1996]

Player ratings for who started.

Eastwood 3, McNally 6 Mousinho 7 Thorniley 7, Forde 6 Kane 5 McGuane 6 Williams 8, Bodin 4 Sykes 7 Agyei 2

 

[Osei Yaw]

The 4th was just as much Long's fault if not more. He should have put the ball out not stood and watch the player flick the ball back into the danger area.

There are multiple people at fault for the fourth goal. I've only seen the highlights but we didn't do anywhere near enough to stop the cross coming in in the first place. It's quite conceivable that there are mistakes before that as well, it happens across a game of football, just you're fortunate if you play further forward to have at least one (but up to 10) players behind you to clean up your mistake.

A goalkeeper is the last line of defence and therefore the one on show if it does end up in the net. From what I've seen of Eastwood since he's been back in the team, he's been decent. He's made some saves ranging from decent to very good. For all of Stevens potential, I have more confidence in Eastwood when there's a cross coming in. Eastwood's kicking is also much better than Stevens' (both distance and accuracy). There are obviously elements of Stevens' game that are better than Easty's but I'm happy enough with Eastwood in the starting line up. He needs our full support along with the rest of the team and definitely doesn't deserve scapegoating any more than he has been already (KR I'm looking at you)!

 

[Ewes]

Well that was the first game I’ve tuned into for a while (I’m an Exile who is busy as a local referee on Saturdays). In general, in life, I avoid knee-jerk reactions and won’t comment on supremely good results or equally poor ones.

But for me last night’s showing was woeful and summed up by the Gas chants at the end “(3-1 up and you f@£&?d it up”). If we can’t professionally see out a good lead against a lower division club who are themselves in turmoil, who played their second string XI against what was for the second half mostly our first-choice players, then I despair for the rest of the season.

If the club wants sustainability (keeping the manager and selling a player each year to balance the books) then that’s fine. Most fans - fair weather ones like me or the true loyal supporters - expect to see progression - year on year improvements in final league positions, the occasional cup run etc.

I’m not seeing this and can only hope KR gets a reaction ahead of the next game. To throw away a lead like that in the space of a few minutes against a poor team from a league below equals ‘panic measures needed’.

 

[OX14]

Well, I've seen five cup games this season and not missed a league game, home and away, so am on target for 51 (54 including possible play-offs) even in this season of no cup runs!

Watching on ifollow doesn't count..

 

[NC2U]

Well that was the first game I’ve tuned into for a while (I’m an Exile who is busy as a local referee on Saturdays). In general, in life, I avoid knee-jerk reactions and won’t comment on supremely good results or equally poor ones.

But for me last night’s showing was woeful and summed up by the Gas chants at the end “(3-1 up and you f@£&?d it up”). If we can’t professionally see out a good lead against a lower division club who are themselves in turmoil, who played their second string XI against what was for the second half mostly our first-choice players, then I despair for the rest of the season.

If the club wants sustainability (keeping the manager and selling a player each year to balance the books) then that’s fine. Most fans - fair weather ones like me or the true loyal supporters - expect to see progression - year on year improvements in final league positions, the occasional cup run etc.

I’m not seeing this and can only hope KR gets a reaction ahead of the next game. To throw away a lead like that in the space of a few minutes against a poor team from a league below equals ‘panic measures needed’.

How do you not see progression? The last two seasons we have finished in our highest positions in over twenty years, this season we are in the mix against some massive clubs and holding our own in and around the playoff spots. Off the field the progression is huge with training ground facilities, the academy, hopefully the stadium etc.
Occasional cup runs you say…did I dream the Man City games one of them a quarter final, the Newcastle games, the 4-0 drubbing of West Ham, beating Sunderland on Pens. No club is going to have massive cup runs every year, but we certainly have had our fair share so that’s a silly comment.
We had a bad night last night I agree, but let’s not get carried away over one result when in the league we have lost one in 8 and have been playing really well.

 

[The mighty Aldo]

I’m so glad Bazzer, Colin EC Yellow and Scotchers are all chums again
Makes up for the disappointment of last night
Funny how we were applauding the defence vIpswich, yet the same defence v BR ( minus Thornilly) was vilified
I have some sympathy because it is the personel in front of them who should also be doing their jobs and it looks like they weren’t but those are not our regular midfield
Oh how we missed Branagan and Kane at the end. It was also a game where Gorrin could have come on at 3-1 he is sorely missed

 

[windmill]

Well that was the first game I’ve tuned into for a while (I’m an Exile who is busy as a local referee on Saturdays). In general, in life, I avoid knee-jerk reactions and won’t comment on supremely good results or equally poor ones.

But for me last night’s showing was woeful and summed up by the Gas chants at the end “(3-1 up and you f@£&?d it up”). If we can’t professionally see out a good lead against a lower division club who are themselves in turmoil, who played their second string XI against what was for the second half mostly our first-choice players, then I despair for the rest of the season.

If the club wants sustainability (keeping the manager and selling a player each year to balance the books) then that’s fine. Most fans - fair weather ones like me or the true loyal supporters - expect to see progression - year on year improvements in final league positions, the occasional cup run etc.

I’m not seeing this and can only hope KR gets a reaction ahead of the next game. To throw away a lead like that in the space of a few minutes against a poor team from a league below equals ‘panic measures needed’.

" A League below " means very little in the FA Cup. This sort of result happens frequently. Unfortunately United are at the receiving end. As for " panic measures needed"........no more to be said.

 

[tonyw]

If the club wants sustainability (keeping the manager and selling a player each year to balance the books) then that’s fine. Most fans - fair weather ones like me or the true loyal supporters - expect to see progression - year on year improvements in final league positions, the occasional cup run etc.

I get that football fans are generally ambitious - and most are significantly more ambitious than me - but at what point do we stop, calm down and think "You know what, the club has made a ton of progress over the last decade, we're in a pretty good place, let's just sit back, relax and enjoy it for a while"?

Back-to-back League One playoff appearances, and every chance this year of making it three-in-a-row.
That's actually over-performance for a club of our current size and resources. By any financial metric you choose to use - attendances, revenues etc. - we "should" slot in somewhere in the middle of League One today.

And, as I was saying at the weekend, League One is a great league. Really good level of football; fantastic mix of teams from the struggling giants through to the minnows punching above their weight (I think the fact that we're going to play league games at the Stadium of Light & Hillsborough, but also the Wham Stadium in Accrington and the Mazuma stadium in Morecambe in the same season is awesome); it's balanced, varied and unpredictable.

Which is not to say that we shouldn't get irate and complain when we **** up as badly as we did last night - of course we're going to.
Lord knows, I've criticized KR plenty this season for the absurdly lopsided squad he's put together, and for some of the idiotic substitutions he's made. The man often drives me nuts.

But maybe, just maybe as a fanbase, we could all take a breath, recognize the progress that has been made and enjoy watching a good team in a good division for a while?

Besides which, if OUFC is going to see sustainable on-the-field progression beyond where we are now, we have to see significant progress off-the-pitch first. Unless our owners turn out to be sugar daddies of the maddest kind, who don't care about burning huge piles of their own cash, it's simply not possible to compete financially in the Championship whilst locked into a bad rental deal for a 12.5k capacity Kasstad.

 

[werthersoriginal]

I get that football fans are generally ambitious - and most are significantly more ambitious than me - but at what point do we stop, calm down and think "You know what, the club has made a ton of progress over the last decade, we're in a pretty good place, let's just sit back, relax and enjoy it for a while"?

Back-to-back League One playoff appearances, and every chance this year of making it three-in-a-row.
That's actually over-performance for a club of our current size and resources. By any financial metric you choose to use - attendances, revenues etc. - we "should" slot in somewhere in the middle of League One today.

And, as I was saying at the weekend, League One is a great league. Really good level of football; fantastic mix of teams from the struggling giants through to the minnows punching above their weight (I think the fact that we're going to play league games at the Stadium of Light & Hillsborough, but also the Wham Stadium in Accrington and the Mazuma stadium in Morecambe in the same season is awesome); it's balanced, varied and unpredictable.

Which is not to say that we shouldn't get irate and complain when we **** up as badly as we did last night - of course we're going to.
Lord knows, I've criticized KR plenty this season for the absurdly lopsided squad he's put together, and for some of the idiotic substitutions he's made. The man often drives me nuts.

But maybe, just maybe as a fanbase, we could all take a breath, recognize the progress that has been made and enjoy watching a good team in a good division for a while?

Besides which, if OUFC is going to see sustainable on-the-field progression beyond where we are now, we have to see significant progress off-the-pitch first. Unless our owners turn out to be sugar daddies of the maddest kind, who don't care about burning huge piles of their own cash, it's simply not possible to compete financially in the Championship whilst locked into a bad rental deal for a 12.5k capacity Kasstad.

I do think people should try to enjoy it more. For me the last few years under Karl and Mapp have been one of the most enjoyable periods since I've been watching.

 

[Sarge]

Would you want Long dropped as well? Eastwood was out of position but Long switched off completely to allow their player to come round the side of him and flick it back. After that their lad has a free half volley from 6 yards or so, no matter where Eastwood was positioned he'd be doing well to save that. I also thought he made some good saves in the first game that got us the replay, although we should have put that to bed at the first time of asking.

lets not forget Forde was not tracking back on his man and snuffing out the shot..... and, Long was marking/ covering his man on the near post, I cant think of many defenders at any level who can cover two opposing players simultaneously?

BTW, If you look at the time of my post it was in the heat of the (frustrating) moment, 'live' at the Memorial ground -I had no replays to pour over after the event...., just the one-off, live-action, in real-time there and then.... and it did seem at the time ( live), to me, that their 4th was a clanger from Easty

Long, Forde & Easty all could've, probably should've done better with that one

yes, I agree we should've won it first time of asking

3 times ( that I can think of) KR has made a triple substitution, 2 of them ( Sw*nd*n at home last season & Last night) we snatched defeat from the jaws of victory, the other was the first attempt at this tie, and we we chucked away a lead, right at the end, to draw. Maybe KR shouldn't make triple substitutions ? .... thankfully he is unlikely to for the rest of this campaign , with only 3 subs avail in league games ( opposed to 5 subs in fa cup )