Home Match Day Thread 09/03/2024 L1: OUFC v Cheltenham Town

[Northstandboy]

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[Coffin dodger]

Southwood is out of contract at the end of the season.

 

[tonyw]

What’s your point ? We needed a last minute goal to beat a team worse than Exeter - at home. If Bolton are rocking a bit how the heck do you explain what we are like ?

Cheltenham have gotten a lot more points than Exeter over the past five months.

Not saying that they are good (they’re not) or that yesterday was a good performance (it wasn’t) but it seems appropriate to point out that after getting off to the worst start in history and sacking their manager, Cheltenham have been a mid table side since then. Talent-Light but well coached.

We got the result yesterday and most of the top ten didn’t so we should be viewing it as a good weekend

 

[Wandering Yellow]

Southwood is out of contract at the end of the season.

Very worth a look.

He's from Oxford too if you didn't know.

 

[Yellow River]

Cheltenham’s goalkeeper* had an all black kit which clearly clashed with the ref and his assistants. I was genuinely surprised this was allowed.


*Apparenly he’s from Oxford.

 

[holdsteady]

I think giving McGuane a rest on Tuesday and playing Matete would be a sensible move. For all of McGuane's backwards passing he did actually have a shot on target yesterday and scored one screamer this season. Sadly, I think his shot yesterday would have comfortably saved by most contributors to this forum.

I wouldn’t drop McGuane away from home to Bolton and go with a midfield of Brannagan, Matete and Rodrigues, I think you are looking at letting in more than our customary 1 or 2 a game if we leave the middle of the pitch that open.

Personally would put Rodrigues on the bench and go with McGuane holding with Brannagan and Matete in front of him.

 

[bazzer9461]

Should have been on the bench yesterday, he would have given us a different option to what we had on there.

Would be nice to know if we’ve wasted money and a loan spot

 

[bazzer9461]

How do you know this? Bolton have been stuttering themselves recently and will be feeling the pressure as much as we are. They needed a last minute goal themselves yesterday to rescue something against a pretty average Exeter side. They have also dropped points off several lower teams in recent weeks and have dropped out of the auto places when they were looking nailed on to go up.

I'm also sure that we will have players who will equally be "bang up" for it. I'm sure Murphy will love to show others that he still has the ability to destroy teams. He is out of contract in the summer and being in the shop window will do him no harm. McGuane was brought up at clubs where there was greater media attention. Brannagan thrives in the bigger games. Mark Harris will be pushing for more games within the Welsh set up. Cumming will be considering his next move in the summer. Greg Leigh is hardly shy and loves the cameras. And then we have a team who are far more united than many want to present. They will know that a decent result against Bolton will push them further towards the playoffs.

So there's no reason to think that Bolton will be up for this and we won't.

Sounds strange but if Bolton as up for it and try and turn it on against us that could be better for us as we always seem to play well against teams who try to play good football. Anything in an upgrade point of view from the Cheltenham game will be good for Oxford.

 

[Cass63]

I thought their goalie was good, don’t think I’d sign Cumming.

 

[Golden Dr Otto]

Huge win, and keeps the season alive. Some random thoughts..

It is a results business and I’m not as obsessed as some seem to be re ‘What is Des’s style’? However we saw Mannings style only after a full preseason and if there is an answer to that question we’ll see it in August. One thing I would say about Des is I think he has been more flexible than other managers re his willingness to change formations.

I understand some of the flack he’s been getting as I feel he seemed to do well over Christmas when we had all those injuries. Then more recently when we had an almost full squad to choose from the results have been disappointing.

If we do make the play offs then I think we’ll be a real contender as we’ll be going into them in form. Plus we may have a couple more options available, I know they seem injury prone but even if one of Edwards or Browne are fit then there would be another potential match winner in the squad.

I wonder if we’ll see fresh legs in midfield on Tuesday. Matete hasn’t had the impact I expected but I’d be tempted to start him and Bodin. It is a tough fixture but Stevenage have Posh away on Weds.

Possibly one of your most eclectic posts in some time.

Dee’s style matters because it’s a direct inference about the slightly clueless looking nature of the players as to what’s expected of them. Take a look at our set pieces. Take a look at the changing approach to cross field diagonals. Take a look a goal keeper distribution. It’s the root cause of a lack of game plan.

And the idea that we should wait until he’s had a pre season because of the comparison to manning…!!!?

Manning adopted a relegation bound team that needed to eke out results. The style had to be different as he didn’t have the personnel or the luxury of time / circumstance. But the idea that a four week pre season is needed to develop your style. What the heck do you think they are meant to be doing in practices 4 days a week….cone drills?

As for the idea that if we sneak into the playoffs we’ll be the form team. The other three are light years ahead of us since manning left. Look at the table. We’ll be there because Stevenage couldn’t quite pull it off. I’m highly doubtful we’ll be there though . We’ve become a dreary lower mid table team with occasional good performances (most teams in this league can have good half) and what’s frustrating is we have a top six budget and top six squad

 

[bazzer9461]

My summarisation of yesterday for 80 mins we weren’t great but to get the win we played well and if we had played like that for most of the game the result would have a lot easier on the eye.
Their keeper Southwood did keep the score to a minimum with some good saves, he maybe from Oxford but is he someone that Des might look at?

We won it wasn’t pretty and yes I was moaning
( when aren’t I ) throughout the game apart from Murphy’s goal and the period after they equalised.

We won it weren’t pretty and will still faff around the defence and that worries me and a lot of others as well but we got 3 points C O Y Y

 

[Wandering Yellow]

Is the "Luke Southwood is from Oxford" thing definitely true?

He was born in Oxford but the fact he was at Ding suggests he may have grown up in Berks?

 

[bazzer9461]

Is the "Luke Southwood is from Oxford" thing definitely true?

He was born in Oxford but the fact he was at Ding suggests he may have grown up in Berks?

In that case he’s from Oxford

 

[Wandering Yellow]

In that case he’s from Oxford

Quite an interesting philosophical question that. Does being born somewhere make you "from" there. One for plato and aritstotle.

If you were born in London but moved to Glasgow aged one month are you a Londoner?

 

[Thomas/Brock/Jones]

Is the "Luke Southwood is from Oxford" thing definitely true?

He was born in Oxford but the fact he was at Ding suggests he may have grown up in Berks?

Think Reading stole quite alot of young Oxfordshire talent when our youth set up wasn't a patch on theirs .....although a category below still ours is much improved and attractive to come to now .

 

[East Stand Fan]

Burey.

Seems like a Perkins 2.0 situation. He was excellent against Reading but I don’t think he’s had a sniff since even getting on the bench. Real shame because he would be ideal going into the final quarter but if he’s throwing this opportunity then it’ll be unfortunate for him because if he ain’t careful, he’ll end up at the likes of Bromley or Sutton.

 

[holdsteady]

Just tried google mapping Luke Southwood to find out where he is from. He is something of an enigma as it can’t find him.

 

[Followtheox1]

Buckingham’s style.
Pragmatic I would say, keep possession, patient build up, play out from the back. Maybe not a lot else from what I can see.
There has to be more going forward though.

So the same as Mannings style in your view then. We were well down the chances created charts under Manning just more clinical with the ones we had.

 

[Followtheox1]

Do you need Henry and Bodin on the bench? I think the idea that Henry who has hardly played in over a year and is at the end of (a very good) career is undroppable from the bench is just a strange suggestion and really reaching.

He may have fell out with Burey but we are a league once club with a limited squad, not every one need me to be best mates, we seem to go through this with every manager, the job isn’t who the manager likes, it’s about getting results.

Except Henry has had occasions where he hasn't featured on the bench under Buckingham. So it's also an untrue suggestion. I suspect when Goodrham returns it will be Henry who misses out again.

 

[Sarge]

Except Henry has had occasions where he hasn't featured on the bench under Buckingham. So it's also an untrue suggestion. I suspect when Goodrham returns it will be Henry who misses out again.

Long was fit yesterday , but didnt make the bench ( despite claims by a few that he's DB's mate)

 

[tonyw]

Quite an interesting philosophical question that. Does being born somewhere make you "from" there. One for plato and aritstotle.

If you were born in London but moved to Glasgow aged one month are you a Londoner?

See I don't think I've ever been back to the town (well, village) that I was born in since I was two days old and leaving the hospital.

I always think of myself as being "from" Oxford, but we didn't move there until I was 4 years old. But maybe I'm really not?