Matches The League 1 Promotion Run In

[Sarge]

Very much so. It needs sorting out ahead of next season and it cost us way too much. Makes you wonder where we would have been if we had say, 18 clean sheets?

12 instead of 9 would , Id guess , have us sat in the playoff places right now

( though maths isn't my strong point)

 

[SirAndyOfCrosby]

Likewise, we didn’t seem to take advantage when taking an early lead on occasion.

10x in League games this season we have taken the lead and failed to win. 7 of those away from home.

 

[ZeroTheHero]

10x in League games this season we have taken the lead and failed to win. 7 of those away from home.

My memory (never brilliant at the best of times!) tells me there was far too much 'trying to defend a lead' in many of those games - not exactly something we have been set up to do!

 

[OX14]

My memory (never brilliant at the best of times!) tells me there was far too much 'trying to defend a lead' in many of those games - not exactly something we have been set up to do!

Yep, these are the games where we went infront and tried to defend the lead and lost points.

Cambridge 1 -1 Oxford (2 points lost)
Bolton 2-1 Oxford (3 points lost)
Wimbledon 3-1 Oxford (3 points lost)
Oxford 1 - 1 Gillingham ( 2 points lost)
Oxford 1 - 3 Plymouth (3 points lost)
Wigan 1 -1 Oxford ( 2 points lost)
Oxford 2-3 Bolton (3 points lost)
Portsmouth 3-2 Oxford (3 points lost)
Morecambe 2-1 Oxford (3 points lost)
Rotherham 2-1 Oxford (3 points lost)

27 points lost from.these 10 games

 

[SirAndyOfCrosby]

10x in League games this season we have taken the lead and failed to win. 7 of those away from home.

As also identified by @OX14 we actually went on to lose 7 of those 10 games.

So to clarify, we have lost having scored the first goal on 7 occasions in the League this season. How do the rest of the Top 8 compare?

Wigan 2 (Sunderland, MK)
Rotherham 1 (MK)
MK 2 (Wednesday, Oxford)
Sunderland 1 (Cheltenham)
Plymouth 1 (Lincoln)
Wycombe 4 (Ipswich, Morecambe, Wigan, Accrington)
Wednesday 1 (Oxford)

So if Wycombe are the side to miss out on the Top 6 then they'll likely be no side in the Top 6 to have lost from a winning position more than twice all season. Vs our seven occasions (only 1 short of that potential Top 6 combined).

Put simply, top sides dont mess up from winning positions (and as you can see, if you are an automatic contender it will only typically be against other top sides - ours include Morecambe, Wimbledon, Pompey and Bolton x2).

 

[Leysboy]

Ideally we wanted Sheffield Wed to have won yesterday, and Sunderland up in the playoffs.

Gets rid of two big teams with bigger budgets, and would have made it easier next season with them two gone. Instead one of them or both will be here next season. So it’s going to be just as tough if not tougher with Derby County and Ipswich, Portsmouth, Charlton, and Bolton here.

I mean no disrespect to Plymouth Argyle I think they fully deserve to be in the playoffs. They’ve done remarkably well, deserve a playoff spot, especially with the run in they’ve had. I just feel we would have a better chance with them and Wycombe here next season than with the two big clubs mentioned ie Sheff Wed, Sunderland.

 

[OX14]

Ideally we wanted Sheffield Wed to have won yesterday, and Sunderland up in the playoffs.

Gets rid of two big teams with bigger budgets, and would have made it easier next season with them two gone. Instead one of them or both will be here next season. So it’s going to be just as tough if not tougher with Derby County and Ipswich, Portsmouth, Charlton, and Bolton here.

I mean no disrespect to Plymouth Argyle I think they fully deserve to be in the playoffs. They’ve done remarkably well, deserve a playoff spot, especially with the run in they’ve had. I just feel we would have a better chance with them and Wycombe here next season than with the two big clubs mentioned ie Sheff Wed, Sunderland.

Hope Sheffield Wednesday win them. Not quite sure how we beat them twice when they completely out played us for 3/4 of the game in both. They've stuck with Darren Moore even when results weren't going their way and I always thought he was a decent manager when at Donny.

 

[Wandering Yellow]

Yep, these are the games where we went infront and tried to defend the lead and lost points.

Cambridge 1 -1 Oxford (2 points lost)
Bolton 2-1 Oxford (3 points lost)
Wimbledon 3-1 Oxford (3 points lost)
Oxford 1 - 1 Gillingham ( 2 points lost)
Oxford 1 - 3 Plymouth (3 points lost)
Wigan 1 -1 Oxford ( 2 points lost)
Oxford 2-3 Bolton (3 points lost)
Portsmouth 3-2 Oxford (3 points lost)
Morecambe 2-1 Oxford (3 points lost)
Rotherham 2-1 Oxford (3 points lost)

27 points lost from.these 10 games

We have a talented squad but a manager who doesn't make the changes he needs to to get over the line in games.

 

[OX14]

We have a talented squad but a manager who doesn't make the changes he needs to to get over the line in games.

Yesterday was a prime example. We go in front then decide to play act, sit back, time waste and forget to actually play the game. For an attacking side we are very boring when this happens and its even worse when we're playing away.

 

[mooro]

The top 11 is the strongest there’s ever been in League 1. The other 13 are very average at best..

Some of our results v them though..

Wimbledon 3-1 Oxford
Cheltenham 1-0 Oxford
Oxford 1-1 Gillingham
Oxford 1-1 Cheltenham
Lincoln 2-0 Oxford
Accrington 2-0 Oxford
Morecambe 2-1 Oxford

2 points from possible 21

Why is this post receiving so much stick - am I missing something?

That is a lot of points dropped against bottom half sides that could have proved useful at this stage. Wonder how many points the rest of the top eight have dropped against the weaker sides?

 

[ubermeistervonmeat]

Ideally we wanted Sheffield Wed to have won yesterday, and Sunderland up in the playoffs.

Gets rid of two big teams with bigger budgets, and would have made it easier next season with them two gone. Instead one of them or both will be here next season. So it’s going to be just as tough if not tougher with Derby County and Ipswich, Portsmouth, Charlton, and Bolton here.

I mean no disrespect to Plymouth Argyle I think they fully deserve to be in the playoffs. They’ve done remarkably well, deserve a playoff spot, especially with the run in they’ve had. I just feel we would have a better chance with them and Wycombe here next season than with the two big clubs mentioned ie Sheff Wed, Sunderland.

the stats don't bear this out - 1 point from 4 games against Wycombe & Plymouth this year 7 against the other 2

 

[m]

Why is this post receiving so much stick - am I missing something?

That is a lot of points dropped against bottom half sides that could have proved useful at this stage. Wonder how many points the rest of the top eight have dropped against the weaker sides?

Because it's 7 games selected to make the blindingly obvious point that we would have finished higher in the table if we'd won more games.

 

[Essexyellows]

Because it's 7 games selected to make the blindingly obvious point that we would have finished higher in the table if we'd won more games.

Shhhhh, folk don`t like the obvious being pointed out to them.

 

[Wandering Yellow]

Yesterday was a prime example. We go in front then decide to play act, sit back, time waste and forget to actually play the game. For an attacking side we are very boring when this happens and its even worse when we're playing away.

I've been of the opinion for what feels like years now that KR's strengths are: Building team spirit, relationship with fans, spotting player potential, giving players belief in themselves. The mental side of the game I think he has a fantastic understanding of.

Tactically he is miles off from the best. Miles off. I've lost count of the amount of times I feel like other teams have "done a job" on us despite us being the technically superior team and we haven't known how to respond. If we aren't allowed to "out-football" opposition sides I often feel we are bang in trouble. Also feel like he doesn't know whether to stick or twist whilst defending leads

I'm NOT saying I want him but Ainsworth is a superior manager tactically by a huge distance.

Edit: After a tenth placed finish next season where we have played some teams off the park but lost silly games and the good sides have found a way past us we are going to be having the exact same conversation, yet again. Oxford under KR is becoming groundhog day - good to watch but the same season roughly on repeat.

 

[Mike_H]

12 instead of 9 would , Id guess , have us sat in the playoff places right now

( though maths isn't my strong point)

That, or getting further in the cups, depending in which of the 52 games the extra clean sheets took place

 

[horseman]

Yesterday was a prime example. We go in front then decide to play act, sit back, time waste and forget to actually play the game. For an attacking side we are very boring when this happens and its even worse when we're playing away.

Hang on, one minute we have people saying negatively all this Globetrotter stuff and now not liking when we try to be more professional/conservative.

 

[OX14]

Hang on, one minute we have people saying negatively all this Globetrotter stuff and now not liking when we try to be more professional/conservative.

Don't think you can call sitting on a lead from 9 minutes into the game as professional or even conservative. Do that with 9 minutes to go till the end!

 

[horseman]

Don't think you can call sitting on a lead from 9 minutes into the game as professional or even conservative. Do that with 9 minutes to go till the end!

Logic suggests that a side sat 2nd going 1 behind who need a win are going to come at you, the boring stuff as you put it is surely to prevent their momentum and eventually taking control of the game? also known as weather the storm.

 

[OX14]

Logic suggests that a side sat 2nd going 1 behind who need a win are going to come at you, the boring stuff as you put it is surely to prevent their momentum and eventually taking control of the game? also known as weather the storm.

Well it didn't work very well not just saturday but 9 other matches this season.

 

[Yello]

Logic also suggests a side on a terrible run going one down, low on confidence were there for the taking. Why then sit back , let them regroup and build momentum ?