2020/21 General Match Thread

[Marked Ox]

We used to get the same complaints from pretty footballing sides when Evans was here, we used to love the bleating.

There's more ways to be successful at football than trying to emulate Barca.

Oxford were very good early season at NYS, the best team to visit so far.
They did go down rather easily, but most teams (including us) do these days.
Sadly that's how the game is going, it's up to refs to spot cheating and play on.

But, teams suss it out as the season goes on and we bullied them at the Kassam a couple of weeks ago.

Personally I like to see my team playing football in the opposition half, I am not keen on 3rd division defenders passing it around in front of our goal, it often leads to disaster.

It's Oxford's way to take 3 passes where 1 would do but they can't complain when the opposition press them and knock them out of their stride.

Tbh, apart from the usual raving loons I don't remember many complaining about you beating us and how you did it. In fact, most comments I read on our forum praised your tactical approach in the 1st half and utilising the wind etc, overall on balance (we were on top in the 2nd half with the wind) deserved your win.

 

[Millerbri]

Tbh, apart from the usual raving loons I don't remember many complaining about you beating us and how you did it. In fact, most comments I read on our forum praised your tactical approach in the 1st half and utilising the wind etc, overall on balance (we were on top in the 2nd half with the wind) deserved your win.

You're right I read your forum, I've got no problem with Oxford or their fans we had a great weekend down there.

Football is all about opinions and different styles.

It just so happens I prefer the up and at 'em approach that Steve Evans and Paul Warne utilise.

We had Alan Stubbs trying to play passing out from the back and we all know how that went.

Our fans don't have the patience for it and as soon as someone gives the ball away all hell breaks loose.

The players lose confidence and the results go downhill fast.

Ultimately we might not be successful playing this way, but I'd rather see us pressing teams and winning the ball early, then attacking down the wings.

I don't even mind the occasional hoof up to the strikers.
Defenders don't like being turned and they usually concede possession, it's just a pity we haven't got a decent long throw merchant since Will Vaulks left.

All teams suffer injuries though, we can't get a settled defence because we always seem to have 3 or more on the treatment table.
Jones, Robertson, Wood, Mattock , Thompson and McDonald have all been missing for long periods.
You just have to get on with it and hope it evens out over the season.

Good luck for the rest of the season, I'm sure when some of your better players return your results will improve.

 

[thewwfc]

We got shat upon 4-0 at Posh.

We gave away a pen & red card early doors and it was kind of downhill from then on.

A lot of people are bemoaning the red, but to my mind our player did push Szmodics in the area and no matter how soft the contact, you give the ref a decision to make if you do that, so...

Ah well. We’re piling up these bad days at the office of late.

I accept we’re most probably in a false position, and even in the incredibly unlikely event we did scrape promotion, we’d get mercilessly shat upon in the second tier - but we really do need to cut down on these thumpings.

still, Posh have some very strong players, even if Ivan Moany is a cock.

 

[eric read]

Ah, the famous old Oxford footballing masterclass was denied us on Saturday was it? Shame. I've heard so much about it. You're just another side who thinks passing the ball out from goal kicks makes you Arsenal of the late 90's. We played terribly at the weekend but were still more than good enough to match your lot, and considering the signings you keep making to an already decent squad, that'll do for me.

Fosu is a diving little cheat. Scored a good goal but went down easier than a Chatham mum - anyone could've told you that after watching him for 10 minutes. Baptiste wasn't much better, and Mackie was the biggest shithouse in the Medway Towns at the weekend, very much in the snide style of Robinson. I haven't heard any comments from Evans at the weekend so no idea what he said, and I don't really care what changes you were forced into making as that's irrelevant to us - we got ourselves a well-earned point and we'll have to put off seeing your tiki-taka til next season I'm afraid.

You had your footballing lesson at our place, when both Evans and Scally said we were the best side they'd seen all season.

You'd love Fosu or Baptiste in your side, not that they'd lower themselves. And the irony of someone who's manager is Steve Evans criticising another club's manager!

That's some inferiority complex you've got there. I was going to say it must be because you live in the Medway towns, but notice you're from Maidstone. Probably Tovill or Shepway, which would explain your angry little twat persona.

 

[eric read]

I can remember the year we got back into the football league beating Oxford at Belle Vue and their manager at the time blaming it on our tannoy system, must be an Oxford thing blaming everything but themselves

I've read some fucking bullshit on football forums over the years but you've just won first prize.

 

[DearneValleyRover]

I've read some fucking bullshit on football forums over the years but you've just won first prize.

true bullshit non the less, obviously it was back when you had to read a paper

 

[eric read]

true bullshit non the less, obviously it was back when you had to read a paper

Well, unless you can find the newspaper article referring to it, we'll have to take your word for it.

Funny thing is, the year you came up (won the Conference) we weren't even in that division!

 

[Kim Jong Un]

I see Rovers lost at home to Bolton. They're in such a false position. Lower mid-table side at best.

I told you all so!

 

[DearneValleyRover]

Well, unless you can find the newspaper article referring to it, we'll have to take your word for it.

Funny thing is, the year you came up (won the Conference) we weren't even in that division!

28/09/2003 so I think you will find you was as I was referring to our first year back

 

[Gassy]

I told you all so!

Yeah, that has nothing to do with we changed our manager. If only we had had your wisdom

 

[eric read]

28/09/2003 so I think you will find you was as I was referring to our first year back

Then you should have made it clearer, as I thought you meant the year you came up.

I was at the game at Belle Vue and have no recollection of any "tannoy incident." I'm pretty sure I'd remember such an unusual occurrence, or such a loud tannoy system, as even the world champion excuse makers that we obviously are, we only use the tannoy excuse in extreme situations when all of our other excuses and cheating doesn't work.

PS: You may have only had newspapers in Doncaster in 2003, but in Oxford the internet had been invented by then!

 

[DearneValleyRover]

Then you should have made it clearer, as I thought you meant the year you came up.

I was at the game at Belle Vue and have no recollection of any "tannoy incident." I'm pretty sure I'd remember such an unusual occurrence, or such a loud tannoy system, as even the world champion excuse makers that we obviously are, we only use the tannoy excuse in extreme situations when all of our other excuses and cheating doesn't work.

PS: You may have only had newspapers in Doncaster in 2003, but in Oxford the internet had been invented by then!

It may well have been tongue in cheek fella when you’re manager made it, I found it amusing at the time, lighten up

 

[Kim Jong Un]

Yeah, that has nothing to do with we changed our manager. If only we had had your wisdom

Can't get my head round your manager leaving Rovers for the bright lights of Mansfield.

 

[Gassy]

Can't get my head round your manager leaving Rovers for the bright lights of Mansfield.

Probably wanted a better squad

I'm laughing, but really I'm crying.

 

[Kim Jong Un]

Probably wanted a better squad

I'm laughing, but really I'm crying.

Haha, I don't have anything against Rovers, I just was left scratching my head at your flirtation with the play-offs given the squad you have available. Your last gaffer did a good job, totally bizarre decision.

I spent many years living in Bristol, not the kind of place you'd leave for Mansfield.

 

[Gassy]

Haha, I don't have anything against Rovers, I just was left scratching my head at your flirtation with the play-offs given the squad you have available. Your last gaffer did a good job, totally bizarre decision.

I spent many years living in Bristol, not the kind of place you'd leave for Mansfield.

I think the league is poor this season tbh. Last season this squad would be nowhere near play offs, never mind automatic promotion. We're much better than last season, but based on the league standard I didn't feel we were overachieving at all. We were comfortably beating teams, whilst not playing pretty football. We weren't hammering anyone, just a well oiled team that knew what they had to do and were bloody effective at it.

Now, it's just headless chickens running about for 90 minutes not having a clue.

 

[Luke Imp]

Away at Ipswich tomorrow. Suspect it'll not pan out as it did at Sincil Bank! I've never know a season where our home and away form have been so different.

Got a sneaky feeling MA will play 4-4-2 and just have a go. In Walker, John-Jules and Hopper we have three decent strikers and we've not really worked too well playing a '10' this season.

 

[Tom_ITFC]

Away at Ipswich tomorrow. Suspect it'll not pan out as it did at Sincil Bank! I've never know a season where our home and away form have been so different.

Got a sneaky feeling MA will play 4-4-2 and just have a go. In Walker, John-Jules and Hopper we have three decent strikers and we've not really worked too well playing a '10' this season.

We’re around 18th for home form and 2nd for away so I wouldn’t write yourself off just yet!

 

[Bartonyellow]

Accrington at home today in the annual "how many stands can we get away with opening" Derby.

 

[joethegill]

4th draw in a row, this time 2-2 at Rochdale. First one of the 4 I'm slightly disappointed by, but win on Tuesday and it'll be a reasonable point.

 

[Gassy]

Another game without a league goal. Only team to not score in 2020 with the last goal being 26th December

 

[Luke Imp]

Another 1-0 away loss!

Away form isn't an issue this season now as long as our home form holds up.

 

[Fedora Dale]

4th draw in a row, this time 2-2 at Rochdale. First one of the 4 I'm slightly disappointed by, but win on Tuesday and it'll be a reasonable point.

Working again today, so couldn't go but the moaning on our forum is about an inept ref rather than Gills, the consensus being a point apiece was a fair reflection of the game...

 

[GodsGift]

Just watching the highlights on Quest - Accy's keeper takes their free kicks? What's that about?!

What happens if the opposition clear their lines and go up the other end and score?

 

[Stanleyfan]

Just watching the highlights on Quest - Accy's keeper takes their free kicks? What's that about?!

What happens if the opposition clear their lines and go up the other end and score?

It shows how light we are up front - apparently he's the best we have at set pieces

He was taking them against Salford in the tinpot last Tuesday. In the round before we had a penalty shootout away at Fleetwood and he took the first pen.

Only at Stanley!!!
Delighted with a point against an in-form Burton after a bad start to 2020 (manager of the month curse for Coleman - he won it for December)

 

[GEORGE]

Fleetwood -- Where are your supporters ? In the side for away fans I counted one. Behind the goal -- Possibly 50. Thought we were back in Non league.

 

[Kim Jong Un]

Fleetwood -- Where are your supporters ? In the side for away fans I counted one. Behind the goal -- Possibly 50. Thought we were back in Non league.

They got 50 fans for home matches 20 years ago

 

[Luke Imp]

Home to Portsmouth for us tomorrow night. Both teams are in a different place form wise to when we last met early in MA's reign. I've just checked and 5 of the starting 11 that night aren't here anymore and 1 has been told he can leave so that'll be 6 changes.

Would take a point to keep ticking over, although we've been excellent at home under MA in terms of results but also performances.

 

[DearneValleyRover]

Southend tomorrow, given their problems there is an expectation of an easy victory. We put seven past them at their place not so sure we would get anywhere near that but we have signed a striker

 

[joethegill]

Shrews at home for us Wednesday night. Neither of us are prone to conceding a huge amount, nor scoring many - but both were involved in 2-2 draws against North-West giants at the weekend. The signings of Akinde and Roberts suggest Evans is starting to favour a slightly more attacking approach in order to turn draws into wins, with a 4-3-3 favoured on Saturday over the usual 4-4-2 diamond.

Evans likes sticking with a line-up, so I wouldn't be surprised to see the same 11 from Rochdale turn up against Shrewsbury - particularly as we have our 'free' weekend this week as well.

No idea which way it'll go. We're decent at home, unbeaten in several, but Shrews have just held the World Champions to a draw so will be confident. Another draw would be 5 on the spin and not overly unlikely, so I'll say yet another stalemate - 1-1.