Wear not so bad

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Kernow Yellow
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Wear not so bad

Post by Kernow Yellow »

Wow. I wasn’t expecting that performance. We absolutely ripped Sunderland apart for most of the match. What a game from Marcus Browne. They couldn’t live with him at all and resorted to such blatant foul play all match that it was a miracle they still had ten on the pitch at the end. Also a word for Shandon Baptiste - a really strong performance from a lad that doesn’t look in any way out of place in the middle of the park against a team like Sunderland.

The only disappointment was not sewing it up and conceding a really sloppy goal. For 89 minutes we did a great job closing the home team down as soon as they crossed the halfway line, but when substitute Wyke cut in from the touch line shortly after half time Mousinho backed off and backed off and invited the shot which crept in off the post. Gutting.

Most Sunderland fans were praising our performance after the game, but one old couple thought it was appropriate to harangue me and my twelve year old as we crossed the Wear bridge about Oxford’s disgraceful diving, and a quick look at their forums shows they think the ref robbed them. Utter rubbish. They were an ill-disciplined rabble resorting to crude tactics for much of the game.

As to our team, everyone acquitted themselves well. Binning those awful full backs and bringing Baptiste in has transformed our team. But we’re sorely lacking a decent striker to put the ball in the back of the net (though Mackie’s shift was a marked contrast from his abysmal showings against Barnsley and Fleetwood).

I stayed in Gateshead on Friday night, and alighting at their stadium metro station reminded me how far we’ve come in the last 8 years. Today was a top day out at a great ground. And a performance which reassured me that we shouldn’t worry too much about falling back from whence we came.

COYY
recordmeister
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Re: Wear not so bad

Post by recordmeister »

Well I had the honour of watching the game from ‘side on’ and what a belter it was too. In summary, Oxford played like Stevenage; very clever football. For what it’s worth I didn’t think a lot of the fouls were fouls- we just did a brilliant job of managing the game very well. If I was a Home supporter I’d be furious with Oxford.

A few points from the game:

- we managed Maguire v well to the point he was a liability and nearly got sent off.

- Baptiste. Wow. What a player. Considering he was up against Cattermole too.

- What a free kick.

- I got be train back to London. Some of the players got on at Darlington. They seem to get on very well indeed.

- not one of them knew of a stomach bug in the camp...
Kairdiff Exile
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Re: Wear not so bad

Post by Kairdiff Exile »

recordmeister wrote: Sat Sep 01, 2018 11:18 pm - I got be train back to London. Some of the players got on at Darlington. They seem to get on very well indeed.

- not one of them knew of a stomach bug in the camp...
SO why do we think KR was going on about it in the post-match interview?
Radley Rambler
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Re: Wear not so bad

Post by Radley Rambler »

Kairdiff Exile wrote: Mon Sep 03, 2018 2:20 pm
recordmeister wrote: Sat Sep 01, 2018 11:18 pm - I got be train back to London. Some of the players got on at Darlington. They seem to get on very well indeed.

- not one of them knew of a stomach bug in the camp...
SO why do we think KR was going on about it in the post-match interview?
Well either he's trying to foster a siege mentality a la Sam Allardyce at Bolton or he's a bit of a fibber.

Onto the football - we were good, very good. Not too many teams will get something at the SOL. I thought the ref helped us though because he was quite strong and not intimidated by their fans. Mind you both Maguire and Baptiste should have gone once booked for their later bookable fouls. When 11 v 11 we dominated and we almost got a second through Browne, had a goal disallowed and also had one cleared off the line in injury time.

After tomorrow night's nonsense, we have a run of 4 league games in which if we can average 2 points a game, we can get ourselves into a good position after 10 games which is the baseline where I start to look at what we might do over the season. In addition, we'd be on an upward trajectory.

Of course, if we lose those 4 games I reserve the right to start calling for the manager's head.

Fickle - yep.
OtmoorYellow
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Re: Wear not so bad

Post by OtmoorYellow »

One of the best away days for ages.

That's all I need to say.
Kernow Yellow
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Re: Wear not so bad

Post by Kernow Yellow »

recordmeister wrote: Sat Sep 01, 2018 11:18 pm In summary, Oxford played like Stevenage; very clever football. For what it’s worth I didn’t think a lot of the fouls were fouls- we just did a brilliant job of managing the game very well. If I was a Home supporter I’d be furious with Oxford.
Really? Are you sure you weren't being influenced by the howling one-eyed Mackems around you? Admittedly my view was from close to the Earth's outer atmosphere in the away end, but there was niggly foul after foul from the Sunderland players as they realised they couldn't live with Browne's tricks and pace.

I've just watched the extended highlights on ifollow and I can't see a single decision, in either team's favour, that was clearly wrong. I notice a comment from a Mackem under Paul's Fan's View saying that the foul on Baptiste which led to our goal shouldn't have been given, but it's absolutely blatant! Even Cattermole walks away without protesting.

The only decision against Sunderland that was dubious was the straight red - it looked like a routine yellow to me at the time, but I guess the fact that he used alot more, ahem, Power than was necessary just to trip Browne counted against him. There was another wild hack at the back of Browne's legs nowhere near the ball in the second half that was punished with just a yellow, but looked pretty obviously violent from 150 yards away.

The handshakes at the end are pretty warm, with a certain amount of embracing, so the Sunderland players don't seem to have been 'furious with Oxford' as you suggest their fans should be.
slappy
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Re: Wear not so bad

Post by slappy »

OtmoorYellow wrote: Tue Sep 04, 2018 11:51 am One of the best away days for ages.

That's all I need to say.
Agree with that. Pleasant train journey up and stayed weekend in Newcastle, only three hours from London. Bumped into lots of Oxford fans on every corner in Newcastle, lots staying in the same hotel. Metro to Sunderland only £5.10 for the daypass. Very nice experience to go to a Premier League standard stadium with a big crowd for a league game. Our other "big" away games in recent years have mainly been in cups, where there is a different expectation from the game and the players probably treat it differently too. My group did get a bit confused about where the away entrance was, so ignored the signs pointing us one way, and decided that we'd be better off looking for the higher gate numbers, so ended up doing a complete tour of the perimeter, before still managing to go past the away stairs as these were actually an entrance away from the ground level pitchside entrances. Quite a climb up the stairs and then to the top of the tier. Some vaguely amusing quotations printed at each level on the stairway too made a nice change.

Good game too, thought we generally outplayed them, but caught out by their free kick routine for the goal, and then the shot which went just wide. After losing the first four league games, I am impressed that things seem to be settling down, and looking forward to seeing Baptiste, Whyte, Holmes and Browne much more. Holmes's freekick made me think "Chris Maguire who?"
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