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Where will we finish?

Posted: Sat Jul 30, 2016 10:39 pm
by YF Dan
It's that time of year...

Re: Where will we finish?

Posted: Sat Jul 30, 2016 10:41 pm
by YF Dan
I've gone for automatic, despite watching the utter shambles of today's defensive chaos at Barnet.

Re: Where will we finish?

Posted: Sun Jul 31, 2016 9:26 am
by GodalmingYellow
Lower mid table.

It's a big step up from League 2.
We've lost 60 goals from players departed.
We've lost 3 or 4 of our best talent.
The squad looks less threatening than last season, and the defence looks weaker.
The new players have not shown much in pre-season against superior or inferior opposition, save against Leicester who were not playing at full pace.
There are plenty of teams with greater resources than us who will fill the promotion spots. Sheffield United, Charlton Athletic, Millwall, Bolton Wanderers, Coventry City, MK Dons to name just a few. There are plenty at the next tier down also, who have funds and are used to playing at League 1 level week in, week out. The likes of Peterborough United, Walsall, Bradford City, Fleetwood Town who will all be very tough opponents.

With an almost all new squad, at this higher level, this season will be about consolidation.

Re: Where will we finish?

Posted: Sun Jul 31, 2016 9:43 am
by neilw
10th, which I've always felt is our expected rightful place, to oscillate around.

In fact, our average all time league position is 54th which would back up that assumption.

Re: Where will we finish?

Posted: Sun Jul 31, 2016 9:47 am
by OUFC4eva
YF Dan wrote:I've gone for automatic, despite watching the utter shambles of today's defensive chaos at Barnet.
What specifically were the issues
afflicting the back four?

I mean they are vastly experienced
Skarz, Ribeiro, Martin and Nelson
have approaching 900 games
between them.

Appleton said Barnet's first two goals
were excellent but we conceded two
cheap penalties in the middle of
our defence - concerning.

We seemed to start very slowly.

Re: Where will we finish?

Posted: Sun Jul 31, 2016 10:59 am
by Jimski
I agree with GY's post, and think if we made the top half it would represent a major achievement, given who we've lost from our squad.

Re: Where will we finish?

Posted: Sun Jul 31, 2016 11:09 am
by Dr Bob
Upper-mid. I agree with all of GYs comments for the first half of the season, but I believe that, over time, our performances will improve as the new players, who between them bring experience and quality, bed in.

Re: Where will we finish?

Posted: Sun Jul 31, 2016 1:47 pm
by Myles Francis
Lower mid-table for me too. Around 14th-18th I'd say.

GY hits the nail on the head for me. Have our transfer dealings really added much to the squad?

We've exchanged two competent lower league centre backs for two other competent lower league centre backs, and I don't think Ribeiro is a step up from Baldcock/Kenny. Then upfront, we've lost around 50 goals and, possibly, got a good chunk of them back in the form of Hemmings, but Thomas has only had two seasons where he has hit double figures, and Maguire has never hit double figures. Plus I don't think MacDonald is going to be good enough for League One - Burton had already spotted that hence allowing him to move on.

I think in response to OUFC4eva and Dr Bob's comments, I think we have to be wary of falling into the trap of believing "vastly experienced" equates to "any good".

Again to echo GY, a season of consolidation would be acceptable to me at this stage.

Re: Where will we finish?

Posted: Sun Jul 31, 2016 1:56 pm
by Sideshow Rob
It's very difficult to say. If Tyler Roberts, Rothwell, Crowley and Rob Hall mostly have good seasons we could be right up there. If most of them fail we may struggle. I am fairly confident about the other new players.

Re: Where will we finish?

Posted: Sun Jul 31, 2016 10:27 pm
by Kernow Yellow
Mid-table I reckon. 13th in fact, so I've voted for lower-mid.

I also have a feeling that we might start slowly and take a while to gel but I hope that in time the core of the squad becomes at least competitive in L1. Pre-season results suggest that we're still a work in progress. But I haven't seen any of the newbies yet so this is all just a hunch and I don't feel qualified to make any more specific observations...

Re: Where will we finish?

Posted: Mon Aug 01, 2016 6:46 am
by recordmeister
Interestingly, the odds have us as finishing above Slumdon which, so long as we don't get relegated, has to be the basis of a good season...

I've gone for Upper Mid.

Re: Where will we finish?

Posted: Mon Aug 01, 2016 10:17 am
by Old Abingdonian
Of course we don't know, but that's part of the fun.

I don't go down the line that we have weakened the squad, with the exception of Roofe's habit of scoring goals, which is, after all the most important thing in football. I was sad to see Wright go for sentimental reasons (far too great a tendency to put together a side per season in modern football), but I can't believe that Appleton would have told Jake he was not first choice unless he was very confident in Nelson and Martin, both of whom have looked good to me in pre-season - yes, despite the goals. I did not go to Barnet, however.

Otherwise, it's hard to judge a player like Crowley against opposition so much higher up the tree - those clever little passes only have to work a couple of times per game to make a big difference. My Barnsley supporting mate had interesting things to say about Hemmings. He said that when he was at Barnsley, he only wanted to play on the shoulder of the last defender, which he did well, but the coaches struggled to get him to play different roles. This rather fits with Dundee's apparent building of the team around him.

If I have significant concerns, they are at fullback. Skarz had a torrid time against Brighton, and although the same arguments about higher quality opposition are true in this case also, he is the only specialist LB in the club. Ribeiro looks a bit slow too, and isn't yet giving us pace in wide positions.

My greatest reason for optimism is Appleton's track record, not only in identifying and attracting players, but in coaching them. Dunkley and Lundstram are vastly improved from twelve months ago, and I see no reason why this trajectory should not apply to at least some of the players we have just signed.

Re: Where will we finish?

Posted: Mon Aug 01, 2016 1:03 pm
by recordmeister
Yes, I agree with your last point here OA. It seems that players are looking at Oxford United as a good incubator club for them. This is great but raises the challenge of then keeping the player who we are 'developing' (a la Roofe and CoD) and ensuring that we develop players beyond our own league status (Lunny, for example, I feel is probably at his level in L1) to keep us progressing up the ladder- hopefully we have this in our young lads from WBA, Arsenal and the one we actually 'own', from Man Utd. Or maybe they'll all just turn out to be Danny Rose Mk.2... who knows.

Re: Where will we finish?

Posted: Mon Aug 01, 2016 1:12 pm
by OUFC4eva
When asked about a possible "dark horse" for promotion
from League One, Rochdale boss Keith Hill said at a fans forum last week,
without hesitation, Oxford.

Re: Where will we finish?

Posted: Mon Aug 01, 2016 1:13 pm
by Kairdiff Exile
I don't go to pre-season games as a rule, so I can't comment on individual players. However, my one concern would be the number of players we've lost and the impact it will have on team spirit / momentum. Sides that get into the habit of winning tend to keep on winning - but I fear we'll lose that dynamic because of the departures, particularly of key players like Roofe and Wright.

I'd be very interested to know whether Appleton would have let Wright and Mullins go if he'd known he'd also be losing Roofe and O'Dowda - different players, different roles, but equally hard to replace in terms of continuity/momentum. Maybe he is fine with that, and trusts his ability to build a team and a strong dynamic - but like others, I can see it being a slow start to the season, probably with some patchy form for a good few months.

We'll finish 13th, by the way (unlucky for some).