Home Match Day Thread 01/04/2024: L1 OUFC v Fleetwood Town

[Northstandboy]

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Interview - Des Buckingham

Interview - Charlie Adam

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[ChamonixOx]

Was just going to post something like this myself.

Orient are done now, and Blackpool are six points behind both ourselves and Lincoln with five to play. They're going to need a miracle.
Stevenage are still in touch, but they've won none of their last seven.

What was a battle between five teams, is starting to look like a two horse race now. It's us or Lincoln.....with the game on the 16th looking like it might be the biggest match we've had in a few seasons.......

Good result today - but looking at their run in and ours, even if we beat them I think they’d still would probably be favourites based on their form at the moment. Have to hope Reading do us a favour, and Pompey too, and then we actually start winning consistently. Both very big IFs! The latter one in particular!

 

[QuietYeller]

Good result today - but looking at their run in and ours, even if we beat them I think they’d still would probably be favourites based on their form at the moment. Have to hope Reading do us a favour, and Pompey too, and then we actually start winning consistently. Both very big IFs! The latter one in particular!

Barnsleys run in is the hardest of everyone altho looks like they’ll do enough

 

[Wandering Yellow]

If you have a fully fit Dale, Goodrham, Murphy, Edwards and Browne who starts on the wing? (In your opinion)

For me I think Goodrham will forge a career as a "10" rather than a wide player.

 

[dickwalton1964]

Much better and, in general, much better tempo, intensity and closing down. Best game I’ve seen Murphy have and all I’ve been saying he needs to give is a 90 minute (or 70 or whatever it was today) performance - today he delivered. Dale was better too, although nowhere near Murphy’s level. A fit and firing Murphy and Browne can be a real threat in these latter stages of the season.

Brannagan should have been MOTM, an imperious performance and was still chasing back as though his life depended on it deep in to injury time. A near faultless performance from him. Rodrigues was good as well, showed a lot of strength in possession, linked up well and just looked hungrier for the ball, him and Goodrham linked well.

A word for Cumming. I’ve been highly critical of him, and am not changing my mind on the back of a clean sheet against Fleetwood, but he had a good game. Crosses he came for he got and his distribution was better, it was quicker and a few really good throws set Murphy away.

I thought Fleetwood looked good until virtually the moment we opened the scoring. That Lawal fellow in midfield looked useful, big and hard to shake off the ball, one to maybe keep tracks on. Certainly ticks that big, roving midfielder box! As decent as they looked at times in attack they were very easy and open once we got to grips and went ahead.

A good day, a very good performance and hopefully signs that Des is capable of playing in a manner that can kill off teams rather than sitting on narrow leads and awaiting that sting in the tail.

Well done Des Buckingham!

 

[ECYellow]

Excellent result. I reckon that just might do the players, Des and the supporters the world of good!

Brannagan, both full backs and Murphy were excellent.
I still think we’ll need JMc alongside Brannagan for the next three home games. We’ll need to solidify the middle of the pitch a little more.

Lincoln at Reading is not easy. Reading are not yet safe. We should be looking to get 3 points Saturday and if we do, i think we’ll be in 6th come 5pm.

If you can do it, get yourself to Burton. Imagine the lift if the players come out to a sold out away end?

Come on yellows!

 

[Thomas/Brock/Jones]

We will actually take some of our chances today , 4-0 win.

May I just leave this one here

 

[bdodwell]

Our fans have reset expectations lately, that plus not being favourites might suit us as less pressure. We're better off in the slip stream

 

[joshua]

Fantastic result we can only do our bit - win the remaining games and we’re in the playoffs.

So what about Lincoln

 

[Wandering Yellow]

So what about Lincoln

We play Lincoln so what Jericho said is true. It is in our hands.

 

[Scotchegg]

Excellent result. I reckon that just might do the players, Des and the supporters the world of good!

Brannagan, both full backs and Murphy were excellent.
I still think we’ll need JMc alongside Brannagan for the next three home games. We’ll need to solidify the middle of the pitch a little more.

Lincoln at Reading is not easy. Reading are not yet safe. We should be looking to get 3 points Saturday and if we do, i think we’ll be in 6th come 5pm.

If you can do it, get yourself to Burton. Imagine the lift if the players come out to a sold out away end?

Come on yellows!

And if you can't get to Burton then definitely get to the last 3 home games.

I know there has been a lot of negativity, but 8500 home fans on Easter Monday is poor. Peterborough will be our last 3pm Saturday home game of the season and one that we really should be selling out for.

 

[Common Villager]

I hate to inject any negativity into this thread, but it has to be said that Fleetwood were laughably bad - literally laughable. They must've passed it directly out of play at least ten times, and their finishing was truly woeful. A decent team would've scored at least twice against us today. And yet, it took us 15 minutes to realise how poor they were. We came out with our usual laboured passing across the back four and it was only after the ref failed to award Fleetwood what was an obvious free kick on the edge of our box that we broke with a bit of pace and got a shot away.

That said, to use an old, tired football cliche, you can only beat what's in front of you and credit where it's due that's what we did. There were moments of brilliance, from Murphy and Brannagan especially, but throughout the course of the match I think it was simply the case that we had more quality than they did.

I'm not a fan of the one man midfield system we seem to be employing of late. I think we may get away with us against weaker opposition, but against any teams in the top half I think we'd get exposed. Maybe Des is simply utilising it because we've been playing against weaker teams against whom he knows we'll have more possession and will revert to having an extra body in there against stronger teams and, if so, fair enough.

Another gripe - could someone more tactically aware than I explain why we are giving up so much space to opposition wide players? I guess the full backs are being told to play narrow when out of possession, but again I think it's something better teams will expose.

To end on a positive note after what has been generally quite a negative post (sorry) - it's really great that the playoffs are still in our hands. My gut tells me we're not good enough to win them, but we've just got to get in them first, and there's a bloody decent chance that we will. Worst case scenario we'll get an extra couple of matches and a bit of excitement to end the season - I'd have taken that back in August.

COYY

 

[LeftSideLarry]

Thoughts with dickwalton at this difficult time.

 

[Manorlounger]

It has to be said, Fleetwood were dire and really look relegation bound. That said, it was enjoyable to see four goals scored and none conceded. Still some very basic mistakes and still some wayward passing but, in terms of confidence building, that's got to have been a good days work.

Not done yet, still a few games to go and unless Lincoln drop points and we don't, we are still outside the play-offs.

 

[Wandering Yellow]

When Oxford lose people hammer ScotchEgg and when Oxford win people hammer Kip/other "negative" posters. All a bit unnecessary.

Lincoln have Pompey last day but that could well be an "on the beach" performance from Pompey

 

[Symp59]

Fantastic result, well done keep giving it all ,onwards to Burton and the same result well done Des and the boys .Excellent.

 

[dickwalton1964]

Thoughts with dickwalton at this difficult time.

I have no agenda, no hate towards Des. If nothing else, I am consistent in my opinion. Of course I want him to succeed, why wouldn’t I? Do I think he’s the right man? No, I don’t, and I think his record and where we currently sit backs that up. I’ve also recently said that it’s now too late for change and he should get the remainder of the season. Others may disagree, fair enough as we are all entitled to our opinion.

I will always say it as I see it, always. Today, we were very good, the tactics were good too, the substitutions as well. The opposition weren’t much but there was still a job to do and we did it emphatically. Can we reproduce that same intent and belief when Peterborough and Lincoln come calling or - if we make it - the play off games? It’s these games, rather than the Fleetwoods, where Des will rightly be judged but today was definitely a step in the right direction and well done to him.

 

[OX14]

When Oxford lose people hammer ScotchEgg and when Oxford win people hammer Kip/other "negative" posters. All a bit unnecessary.

Lincoln have Pompey last day but that could well be an "on the beach" performance from Pompey

Pompey have still got to play Derby, Bolton and Barnsley. Hopefully for our sake they drop points in them games meaning they will need at least a draw at Lincoln to go up.

We need to go in to every game now with the mentality that we need the win to stand any chance.

Win the next 4 and we can go into the Exeter game knowing at worst we only need a draw to get 6th.

 

[Ox4Eva]

Good result, f*ck the whinging morons, and up the U's!

 

[dickwalton1964]

Good result, f*ck the whinging morons, and up the U's!

I think people have been entitled to whinge. Come on, 8 wins in 26 is it, 15th or 16th in the form table and automatics and 2nd to 7th and out of play offs. Today is a good day, let’s enjoy it, but don’t act as though people have been whining without reason.

 

[Essexyellows]

Nice confidence boosting win and we didn't concede.

That`ll do.

Onwards and upwards on the roller coaster.