Home Match Day Thread 09/04/2022 L1: OUFC v Sunderland

[m]

What a day.

I only saw 10 mins before having to seek medical attention. After the first half in the First Aid room in the South Stand (thanks to all there) and then the the rest of it at the JR (brilliant), I’ve just got home.

For the first time in my life, I have a modicum of perspective on the importance of OUFC. Ask me again tomorrow, I will have swept my new found perspective clean away.

It’s been a highly enjoyable season but I can’t help but think it’s an opportunity wasted.

Still, i’m home, feeling better and the misery can wait until tomorrow.

All the best.

Hope all is good sir.

 

[Daviddidcotexile]

You have to say just as we started to go on a decent run and looking really impossing we lost Baldock and Moore in the same game and then struggled to maintain that form. KR was unlucky with key injuries. However risking Marcus to start a game when he was not really match fit was inviting an injury. If we pull 4 wins out of the bag we will be in the playoffs and then it is a lottery. If not then next season promises another roller coaster with Browne Baldock (hopefully) - keep the faith

 

[WuTang]

There are much bigger clubs than us in this league but they don't have the budgets to match.

Karl was provided the 6th biggest budget in League One and had the luxury to reject bids for our best players in January.

We can all see the poor recruitment decisions are coming home to roost, not sure the owners will be too pleased that their hard earned is being squandered on players we didn't need.

 

[SirAndyOfCrosby]

What a complete disaster of an 8 days.

Fivethirtyeight have a good handle on the probabilities. According to them we've consistently been 70%+ chance of making the play-offs in recent weeks. I believe pre-Plymouth it was 71%. It dropped to 53% (IIRC) after Plymouth, down to 27% after Morecambe and now sits at just 8% (with 2% chance of promotion).

In 3 games (and 8 days) we have effectively gone from a 3/4 chance of play-offs, to 1/2, to 1/4, to now just 1/10 (being very generous). If Wycombe and/or Wednesday had held on for wins it would be even worse.

I think a few questions being asked is more than justified under the circumstances.

 

[Victor1986]

I can't remember when the highest scoring team failed to get into the play--offs? Amazing statistics.

 

[werthersoriginal]

I think it all stems from Aston Villa chasing him in the summer, and whilst I don't think he's been shite, I certainly don't think he's been anywhere near his best. We probably don't know how much of an effect his illness has had on his abilities, and I hope that a rest over the summer can see him return to the player we know he can be. But I can't see anyone signing him in the summer, as he's either been out injured or off form for the entire season.

I wish we’d left Eastwood in and let Stevens recover and get coached, ready for next year.

 

[uptheus]

Blood a few youngsters in now, and see if they can thrive.

Not until it’s mathematically over

 

[greatunclekip]

Robbo out!

 

[Jakeyboy13]

Robbo out!

And who in ?

 

[Foley]

I have no idea what your point is. Denis Smith got us promoted. Wilder got us promoted. Appleton got us promoted. Not 'almost' managers.

I am saying that all of the managers BETWEEN Denis Smith and CW. So what 14 years were nowhere near 'nearly men'.
Probably what 10 to 15 managers in a row were poor to awful. Nowhere near ' nearly men'.
So 10 to a penny in my view is nonsense

 

[Foley]

He’s a centre back.. he made that pretty clear in his own interview on radio Ox

If KR doesn’t think Seddon is good enough then we will need 2 left backs in the summer.

Only if Seddon goes if not Seddon will be back up

 

[Foley]

Lots of thoughts after that, but ultimately the same errors keep cropping up. Having read a recent opposition report on us it focussed around allowing us possession, achieving a turnover, hits us on the counter, focus attacks down the left. Our primary goal threat coming from the right. And so was the case again today - turnover, counter once Oxford players had over committed, goal conceded.

Kane is a victim of his passing range. He does the defensive stuff well (in my opinion), not Gorrin levels, but very few in the league do. Kane as a proper number 8, in the final third is where he excels - we have been unable to unlock that this season. Matete was very good for Sunderland today, breaking up play. I would love Kane back (although I think that's improbable), but a progressive midfielder will be needed in the summer - an Ethan Galbraith type.

For a team that scores so many, we are very reliant on Taylor. If he doesn't score, then its set pieces. But Sykes and Holland slashed at chances, whilst we have seen Whyte do similarly this season.

Finally, this summer is the bog one. I suspect money will be committed, KR has no option but to challenge for promotion. Going in to the season with lacking defensive numbers as we have the previous seasons will be our undoing. This summer we assembled a squad that, in my opinion, is the best quality wise, and deepest that we've had. Players such as Williams, Bodin, Forde are top end League One squad players - this season feels an opportunity missed.

Anyway, do what we can in the last 4 matches, enjoy Brannagan, suspect Sykes will be off, don't think McNally will move, Smyth to be big for us next year.

P.s - Joe Tomlinson has been having a very good loan at Swindon. Got minutes in the Championship and I imagine will be getting big minutes next season. what could have been, eh? Maybe time to check in on Alex Cochrane again

A really informative sensible post.
Thank you!

 

[Jonny G]

I am saying that all of the managers BETWEEN Denis Smith and CW. So what 14 years were nowhere near 'nearly men'.
Probably what 10 to 15 managers in a row were poor to awful. Nowhere near ' nearly men'.
So 10 to a penny in my view is nonsense

Crosby
Shotton
Lewis
D Smith (assume you're referring to Denis 93 - 97 and CW above, this is the spell where he came back under Kassam)
Kemp*
Wright*
Atkins
Rix*
Diaz
Talbot*
Patterson
J Smith
Patterson*

It was Dec '97 to Dec'08.... so 11 years to the day. First game after Denis left the first time was 26/12/97 away at Wolves. CW's first game was 26/12/08 away at Salisbury.

Thanks for this, on a sh**e day, I now have to remember those c**ts marked with a * too

 

[chuckbert]

I am saying that all of the managers BETWEEN Denis Smith and CW. So what 14 years were nowhere near 'nearly men'.
Probably what 10 to 15 managers in a row were poor to awful. Nowhere near ' nearly men'.
So 10 to a penny in my view is nonsense

Dunno about “nearly men”, but Patto, Talbot, Rix and Wright were “nearly managers”.

Still not sure what I think about Diaz - I’ve only had 18 years to process that mindfuck which isn’t enough.

 

[RgYellows]

Only if Seddon goes if not Seddon will be back up

Seddon doesn't count as back up if we would sooner player a winger, CB or CM there instead of him.

 

[West Oxon U’s]

 

[holdsteady]

Be a huge turnover of players for next season, losing some good players but also getting rid of some deadwood who are on decent money.

So a lot of work to do in building a new team/squad to go for promotion, we will have the money to be competitive thanks to big wages going out and very wealthy backers, it’s whether you trust a manager who is basically on a get promoted or be gone season to spend that money wisely I suppose.

Ipswich bought a load of players in and gelled to late so there’s always a chance of that happening, Robinson has been decent here but I think this might of been his season to achieve promotion, the careless attitude to the defence has cost us that.

If I was to put money on it I would say we will have a slow start to next season, that will do for Robinson and then the new man will benefit from an improved squad that comes together to just miss out on promotion/play offs before A.N Other (what a legend) gets us promotion winning the league the following year.

 

[m]

Dunno about “nearly men”, but Patto, Talbot, Rix and Wright were “nearly managers”.

Still not sure what I think about Diaz - I’ve only had 18 years to process that mindfuck which isn’t enough.

Diaz was fun. A lot of fun. Like Robbo on marching powder.

 

[uptheus]

Be a huge turnover of players for next season, losing some good players but also getting rid of some deadwood who are on decent money.

So a lot of work to do in building a new team/squad to go for promotion, we will have the money to be competitive thanks to big wages going out and very wealthy backers, it’s whether you trust a manager who is basically on a get promoted or be gone season to spend that money wisely I suppose.

Ipswich bought a load of players in and gelled to late so there’s always a chance of that happening, Robinson has been decent here but I think this might of been his season to achieve promotion, the careless attitude to the defence has cost us that.

If I was to put money on it I would say we will have a slow start to next season, that will do for Robinson and then the new man will benefit from an improved squad that comes together to just miss out on promotion/play offs before A.N Other (what a legend) gets us promotion winning the league the following year.

I don’t think this will be far from the truth.

 

[dickwalton1964]

Out of interest, lets say it becomes mathematically impossible by next Tuesday evening and the board pulled the trigger on Wednesday morning, who realistically could you see us going for ? I’m a massive Robinson fan and don’t want him gone although I do accept missing out can’t go on indefinitely. I’d give him another season with the remit of minimum the play offs and one more season after that to have achieved promotion - so two more seasons maximum to get us up.

I’m not sure any of the teams who will go up this season have a better manager than Robinson, I look at them all and not sure I’d swap any of them except maybe Warne at Rotherham. For all those who think his time is up where exactly would we go right now for someone who is a) attainable and b) better ?