Pre Season friendlies

[eric read]

Beat Hayes & Yeading 9-0 last night at Thame United.

We fielded a mixed side, due to 12 players having to isolate after the weekend games, with only six senior players involved. Four goals for Matt Taylor (7 in 3 games), two for Joel Cooper (who's return from Northern Ireland is like having a new player), and the other goals were scored by our increasingly impressive youngsters.

We also played our Under 19s against Biggleswade (1st team) and won 2-1, with some as young as 16 making up the numbers.

So overall, at this early stage, we look much stronger than last year, although many of our fan base are on suicide watch because we haven't signed ten new players!!! Probably looking for another five signings before the window shuts.

 

[Luke Imp]

No official CH playing in the first half (I don’t see Melbourne as a CH), hoping Norwich feel charitable.

Bit of a weird pre-season so far isn't it?

Little of Jackson and Montsma, no Walsh or Scully. No-one really getting any consistent game time (which I suppose is what pre-season is about to a point), Melbourne, who we want to sell, is still hanging around because we need the numbers. Bringing 'trialists' in purely for numbers in friendlies.

 

[Luke Imp]

We're at Gainsborough Trinity tonight in the Lincs Senior Cup. It's a Lincoln XI so probably the U16's/U18's given that we played yesterday afternoon.

Their manager is actually employed by us in our academy!

 

[Crewelad87]

Lost 3-2 to Stoke this evening. Was a strange game, we were absolutely trash for the first 55 minutes and so and were lucky to be only 3-0 down. For the last 35 minutes, we were excellent and were probably unlucky not to get back level.

One of the best pre season games I've ever been too. Felt competitive, decent atmosphere and all for a good cause. The guard of honor and reception Ashton got was incredible.

Stoke were fantastic first half, we barely got a kick. 2nd half we gave it a real good go and scored a couple of good goals.

 

[DippyDon]

We've had a really good pre season so far beating King's Lynn 3-1, Maidenhead 3-1 and Coventry City 7-1. All the games so far have been 4 lots of 30 minutes. On to Bristol City on Saturday, then Tottenham on Tuesday to finish it off.

 

[Imp in Branston]

Bit of a weird pre-season so far isn't it?

Little of Jackson and Montsma, no Walsh or Scully. No-one really getting any consistent game time (which I suppose is what pre-season is about to a point), Melbourne, who we want to sell, is still hanging around because we need the numbers. Bringing 'trialists' in purely for numbers in friendlies.

Weird and disappointing so far in pre-season.

 

[lordofthepies]

Draw 1-1 at Kidsgrove, wasn't a great performance but the team largely a mix of scholars and second year pros with a third year and our experienced back up keeper.

 

[eric read]

Another win for the youngsters last night, away at Banbury United, by 3-0.

I know pre-season results don't matter, but that's four games, four wins, 21 goals scored, three goals conceded. Not bad for a club apparently in crisis!

 

[Indian Dan]

Ooh! Crisis? Do tell.

 

[eric read]

Ooh! Crisis? Do tell.

Absolutely no crisis Dan, sorry to disappoint you.

It was a tongue in cheek response to somebody on here who claimed that us, Pompey and Lincoln were in crisis as we hadn't signed half the England squad.

Last season's accounts show us as the most profitable club in League One and we've sold over £4million of players since then and continue to re-invest back into the playing squad, with young players, who are also assets. One more should be announced today.

The future is bright, the future is yellow!

 

[Indian Dan]

And there’s me thinking the little Thai fella had been caught money laundering with his chums in the Far East.

 

[masi51]

Absolutely no crisis Dan, sorry to disappoint you.

It was a tongue in cheek response to somebody on here who claimed that us, Pompey and Lincoln were in crisis as we hadn't signed half the England squad.

Last season's accounts show us as the most profitable club in League One and we've sold over £4million of players since then and continue to re-invest back into the playing squad, with young players, who are also assets. One more should be announced today.

The future is bright, the future is yellow!

I never said any off the three are in crisis...........your words not mine
I have said all 3 clubs mentioned are going through a transit period...............I expect all 3 to finish top half but not really push for automatics.
By your own account you have let £4m of good players gone.
You may invest but it will take a team 3/6 months to gel

 

[eric read]

I never said any off the three are in crisis...........your words not mine
I have said all 3 clubs mentioned are going through a transit period...............I expect all 3 to finish top half but not really push for automatics.
By your own account you have let £4m of good players gone.
You may invest but it will take a team 3/6 months to gel

It wasn't you that said it mate, it was one of the Lincoln fans, in the transfer thread.

Out of interest, the four million I referred to was £2m for Rob Dickie 12 months ago and £2m for his replacement, Rob Atkinson (who we bought for £100k 18 months ago), this summer, so it's technically one player to be replaced. He's already in the building, Luke McNally, bought for £100k from the Irish League and will probably be sold next summer for £2m, provided he changes his name to Rob!

We've actually sold two or three lesser players for a few hundred grand too. This is our model and we are very good at it, so it's no problem. You're right of course, it can take time to gel, but we're in a better place this time round than last season, and last season we were in a better place than the season before. Cue a fucking terrible start to the season............

 

[Luke Imp]

We're at Gainsborough Trinity tonight in the Lincs Senior Cup. It's a Lincoln XI so probably the U16's/U18's given that we played yesterday afternoon.

Their manager is actually employed by us in our academy!

Turns out it was an Academy XI.

 

[eric read]

And there’s me thinking the little Thai fella had been caught money laundering with his chums in the Far East.

The little Thai fella is not the main man. We have three billionaires on our board and they now own the majority of the shares (74%). They've been around for a while now and Tiger will soon be history and the real money men running the show, with the stated aim of establishing us as a "Top 30 Club" run in a sustainable way playing in a new stadium of our own.

What could possibly go wrong?

 

[Indian Dan]

I know what you mean! All sounds rosy - until it isn’t.

The life of a small, provincial club.

 

[eric read]

Me

I know what you mean! All sounds rosy - until it isn’t.

The life of a small, provincial club.

Medium sized provincial club, if you don't mind!

 

[Indian Dan]

I was using the collective ‘small’.

So, in essence, your aim is to be Bristol City?

 

[Davidimp]

It appears we 8 players injured/ missing/ whereabouts unknown
They are
Walsh
Jackson
Montsma
Poole
Archibald
Cann
Roughan
Scully
Playing 61 games having knock on into this season it would appear

 

[PuB]

Our friendly tomorrow night is now off as well due to covid, cutting it fine to get any match practice in before the season starts

 

[Tea Towel]

Our game against Wrexham now also cancelled due to covid in their squad.

Only Port Vale left now.

 

[PuB]

Our game against Wrexham now also cancelled due to covid in their squad.

Not boding well for the new season is it.

 

[Crewelad87]

This season is probably going to be a farce with the amount of games that will end up being called off due to covid. Karl Robinson is going to be demanding 3 points left, right and centre this season. We currently have a fair few senior player isolating. Although I believe they are coming to the end of it.

 

[Davidimp]

As far as we know we don't have covid in the camp (had twice in squad! ) just got knocks and injuries and not being risked.

 

[Davidimp]

This season is probably going to be a farce with the amount of games that will end up being called off due to covid. Karl Robinson is going to be demanding 3 points left, right and centre this season. We currently have a fair few senior player isolating. Although I believe they are coming to the end of it.

Always the victim our Karl

 

[eric read]

I was using the collective ‘small’.

So, in essence, your aim is to be Bristol City?

No. In essence our aim is to be the best version of Oxford United we can be.

 

[SVH]

Somehow we managed to avoid any Covid issues last season and that definitely had a factor on us going up. Teams were playing a lot of Saturday/Tuesday games whereas we could put our feet up during the week.

At one point teams had 5 or 6 games in hand over us but just couldn't make up the ground due to burnout. It turned league two into a very exciting lottery with 15 odd games to go. It looks like this season could be the same for a lot of teams.

We have had two 60 minute games against Cardiff and play a Brentford XI tonight. QPR Tuesday and then finish with Northampton on Saturday.

 

[Boletus Edulis]

Warnock has for the second year consecutively bought his boys down for a BBQ at his gaff across the Tamar, and incidentally they are playing us tonight as well.

 

[DearneValleyRover]

Lost 3-2 to a very strong Newcastle side but lots of positives just need 4 more bodies in and we should be ok

 

[masi51]

Lost 3-2 to a very strong Newcastle side but lots of positives just need 4 more bodies in and we should be ok

Messi,Ronaldo,Mbabbe and Doyle perhaps !!