Millwall

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YF Dan
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Millwall

Post by YF Dan »

Ok then, what about our team for Thursday?

It's a tough one, but what about:


Slocombe

Long Wright Dunkley Skarz

Maguire Rose Lundstram O'Dowda

Hoban Hylton


Does this balance the need to rest certain players (Roofe, Sercombe, Baldock), give others game time who deserve an outing (Rose, Dunks, Hylton, Hoobs, Long and Callum), but also give us a chance of winning?

I think it shows we have a good squad.
Werthers Original
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Re: Millwall

Post by Werthers Original »

Yes I'm sure that team would be top half Div 4
Boogie
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Re: Millwall

Post by Boogie »

If you think you know what the team and playing subs will be you could have a go at the Boot this week...
Kernow Yellow
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Re: Millwall

Post by Kernow Yellow »

We could really do without this game if you ask me. Fans and players getting excited about a trip to Wembley - it's the JPT ffs! Even most younger fans will have seen us win a properly big match there, and I can't imagine that many of those of us who went in 86 are remotely excited about the prospect of having our name etched on the Paintpot Trophy.

Our next two league games are absolutely massive, season-defining. Given that competition rules don't allow us to 'do a Swansea' and make wholesale changes, it's a distraction to say the least. Promotion from this league is a long, long way from being assured. With another chance to watch Us on telly tomorrow night (or another away-day opportunity on the beers, depending how you look at it) it's unsurprising that ticket sales for Rovers at home on Sunday are so poor. Indeed it's only on a Sunday at all because of the Tinpot Trophy, which I'm sure has also put a big dent in the attendance. But that is the biggest game of the three this week - by a distance.

For the same reason I'm also not too disappointed that we didn't draw a huge team in the cup. Our absolute focus must be on getting at least four points from our fixtures against the Gasheads and Pompey. That's not to say we can't be succesful on more than one front - I remember the 80s (just) and they were great times. But everything was a rollercoaster then. Promotion to the top flight was just a dream come true. Whereas getting out of League 2 is an absolute necessity for the future prosperity of our football club.
Dr Bob
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Re: Millwall

Post by Dr Bob »

On the other hand, success in the JPT did not seem to harm Bristol City's promotion push last season. I agree with your views on the imperative of getting promotion, but as for 'doing a Swansea', was it not the case that seven of their starting 11 against us started their recent game against Crystal Palace which, by all accounts, was a pretty good performance by their recent standards? I guess, ultimately, it is about the extent to which success breeding success, or tiredness and a lack of quality in the depth of the squad may, or may not, be the critical factors.
Kernow Yellow
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Re: Millwall

Post by Kernow Yellow »

Dr Bob wrote:as for 'doing a Swansea', was it not the case that seven of their starting 11 against us started their recent game against Crystal Palace which, by all accounts, was a pretty good performance by their recent standards?
Oh yes, I didn't mean to imply that their team was very weak - all Premier League clubs have strong squads well beyond their first XI, so I understand that cup games are a way of keeping them happy. That line-up should have been much too strong for your average League 2 side. But they did make 10 changes from their previous game - something we're not allowed to do tomorrow.

I also know about Bristol City last year, and would be delighted if we could emulate them. It's just that this Millwall match has come at a bad time (imo) with such crucial league games this month.
SmileyMan
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Re: Millwall

Post by SmileyMan »

*brrrr* *click* *scratch* *scratch*

The statistics show that teams that do well in the league also do well in the cup competitions. Good teams win - it's as simple as that. In particular there's absolutely no evidence that going out of the cups early results in improved league position.

Think about it - with all the analysts that clubs have nowadays, if there were any truth in the theory then the first round matches of every cup would be 100-100 scorelines consisting of own goals.
SmileyMan
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Re: Millwall

Post by SmileyMan »

A comfortable win away to the team 8th in League One. What's not to like?

I'd forgotten this daft cup was two-legged though!
YF Dan
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Re: Millwall

Post by YF Dan »

Well, I couldn't have been much more wrong with my team prediction...

Funny old night, got to London Bridge at 7.15, only for my phone to ring, with my wife telling me she was locked out with the kids and had left the oven on.

Sharp turn around back to North London...got to watch the last 60 mins in the pub at least.

We're a great team, but my golly we looked flat out on our feet in the second half. I'm a little worried to say the least about Sunday, against a Rovers team who outplayed us for most of the game earlier in the season.

I wish we'd given Hylton, Rose, Callum and Chey a bit of an outing...still, we look well set for a trip to Wembley again. No matter what happens, we'll remember this season and this team for a while.

Best stat of the night: with 61 goals so far, we're second top scorers in the 92. If only we could take our chances and score penalties.

Annoyingly I booked a long haul holiday months ago for the Easter holiday...whatever happens I won't be at Wembley in April.
recordmeister
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Re: Millwall

Post by recordmeister »

Oh, what luck Dan. No sets of neighbours with keys?!

I agree how puffed out we looked last night; personally I'd have taken Maguire off for COD and Roofe for Hylton after about 60 mins but then I'm not the manager, and why shouldn't we max out the fitness of a loan player who we send back on Monday morning? He looked totally dead from 60 mins on, but he's not ours and won't be from Monday, so leave him out on the front line to take the bullets.

As for scoring- someone told me last night that we'd c.430 corners this seasons and scored from....one. That's shocking.
Kernow Yellow
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Re: Millwall

Post by Kernow Yellow »

YF Dan wrote:No matter what happens, we'll remember this season and this team for a while.
We'll remember it a lot longer if it actually achieves something. It certainly deserves to, but nothing's won yet. Not even this tie. If Millwall's forwards find their radar they can cause us problems - their finishing (or lack of it) was quite incredible! The great thing is that we always look capable of scoring ourselves.

'Out on our feet' in the second half? I didn't see it like that (I wasn't at the game either though). We got a bit deep for a while, as we did against Swansea after their second goal, but I didn't see any noticeable drop in energy or effort from our players. It was a very decent performance against a team in the upper echelons of League 1.

Lundstram had a blinder - all the usual good things and very few of the over-hit passes. The chipped pass which Roofe miscontrolled when clean through was truly sumptuous, and the shot which led to our second deserved a goal itself. Our standout player last night. Buchel had a good game too - confident handling under pressure and some great positioning and blocks.

Evans looked a little suspect defensively but clearly likes to get forward - I get the impression that Appleton would like to play with two marauding fullbacks but isn't quite brave enough to do it in league games, something I'm relieved by!
recordmeister
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Re: Millwall

Post by recordmeister »

I was sitting three rows in front of Chris Wilder and Alan Knill. When Lundstram played that little dink through to Roofe, you should have seen their faces... Jaws were on the floor.
OUFC4eva
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Re: Millwall

Post by OUFC4eva »

Wilder and Knill were there to not only scout us but
to look at Millwall left back Joe Martin (son of Alvin).

Martin signed a loan deal yesterday with The Cobblers.
OUFC4eva
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Re: Millwall

Post by OUFC4eva »

recordmeister wrote:I was sitting three rows in front of Chris Wilder and Alan Knill. When Lundstram played that little dink through to Roofe, you should have seen their faces... Jaws were on the floor.
The dinked pass from John Lunny was exquisite - what a player we have.
slappy
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Re: Millwall

Post by slappy »

A very enjoyable game. good crowd of Oxford fans there, I like it when clubs squeeze you into a couple of blocks rather than let the away fans spread out over a whole stand.
Millwall made the mistake of trying to play football, what the opposition need to do is lump shots up to a big forward as it is height at the back and crosses that are our weak point.
Towards the end of the second half, i really enjoyed watching us spread the ball from left to right through the midfield, leaving Millwall chasing spaces.

Also why weren't we awarded a penalty? Their player blocked a ball in the box with his arm, then on the ground controlled the ball with his hands/arms too.
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