VALIANT UNITED BEAT VALE...

[Sackcloth Ox]

Well that was me that rang in to RadOx. I said we were 'slightly lucky' to win. (I also went on to say that we had improved immeasurably as a team since Wembley.

We were slightly fortunate to take three points as we were under massive pressure for most of second half but I'll take the result, bearing in mind we should have minced Stockport. A fantastic game and atmoshpere nonetheless.

Random thoughts:

we DO NOT miss Bulman
Clist is plenty good enough at this level
Constable has just got a new girlfriend, (if his Facebook status to be believed it showed in his performance)
Clarke and the back 4 were tremendous
Purkiss has been our best signing of the summer.
Have no idea what TVP were doing in the car park post match show down lack of gumption, experience of football game crowd control, whatever, turned a molehill into a mountain. The sergeant in 'charge' of corralling the 25 PV brethren(tbf they looked a fairly nasty bunch) by the bingo hall had the presence of mind to say 'get those cars out of here' precisely as 2,000 supporters were getting into their cars to leave!

I did not sense much in the way of clear and coherent leadership from Babylon yesterday afternoon. I echo Snake's concern how much did yesterday's inefficient police performance cost our club?

[OUFC4eva]

It seems that Potter has now settled into the starting line-up ahead of Green, although I still think the impact of the impact double substitution on the hour mark of Deering and Potter has its merits. Midson it seems will only be on the bench until Constable is injured or suspended.

Another nerve-wracking last half hour as we were undecided between trying for a second goal or defending the lead.

I was slightly bemused by the Port Vale mini-pitch invasion - they scored an equaliser that was all - hardly a last game of the season promotion.

Someone said the last minute winner reminded them of the comeback against York on the opening day of last season. I would have added the away game against Crawley last year - if I hadn't left that match at half time.

Slappy - was that a picture of you on page three of yesterday's programme wearing that rather natty yellow woolly number keeping your face warm

[Snake]

I echo Snake's concern how much did yesterday's inefficient police performance cost our club?

Well, you can only ask....

http://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/c ... oing-87433

[Dr Bob]

Wouldn't you know it. The only game I had to miss this side of Christmas because of a gig in the diary - and that happens.

I leave my seat early, because 30 minutes or more in the car park before I even start the long drive home IS too long. That said, I leave half way through the allotted added time from my seat in the middle of SSU then - like quite a few people - I pop in to see the last of the action at the west end of SSU, then leg it. Occasionally I leave a couple of minutes before the final whistle - and in over a quarter of a century I have probably missed at most two or three goals. And I judge missing the end of match celebrations less important than getting on the road home.

[Hog]

Some more random thoughts ...

- Only two of our starting line-up yesterday started at Wembley

- If our gang in SSU DD chipped in a couple of quid a game we could buy the seat that The Knob Behind Colin was sat in and force him to go elsewhere if he ever comes again (where has he been for the last seven years anyway?)

- No condemnation on here yet about the w@nkers doing the fighting

- Wilder was a bit prickly after the game about Melville being given credit for organising the defence so if he (Wilder) is king then what is he doing about Beano and his persistent offsiding? He was caught offending so many times yesterday he was worth a booking!

- Our kit is still too blue

- Not that I can talk but I reckon Heslop and Franks are going to be a bit chubby when they stop exercising regularly

- Ryan Clarke: where's he been all his career?

- Dannie Bullman: I'd still like him in our squad

- Batt is going to have some difficulty forcing his way back into the team

- Wasn't it the funniest thing to see the Port Vale coaching staff celebrating their 'point' like they'd just won the world cup on one side of the pitch whilst the players and yobs did the same thing on the other side, only for us to go and win it?*

- Never seen so few 'shirters' in an away crowd of over 900 - I reckon there were less than 50 replica shirts in their section (unless they'd all got anoraks on top!)

*Well maybe not at the time, but certainly about 30 seconds later!

[Swissbloke]

Two more things about Beano.

I have a feeling he's being asked to play that deep and get offsides. It's a time killer.

He's changed his facebook status to &quotin a relationship&quot becuase of the special partnership we'd formed on FIFA 11.

[slappy]

I'm not a ref, but I don't think Constable got caught offside at all yesterday, as he wasn't interfering with play even though he was between the goalie and last defender / attacking player at the time the ball was played.

This seems like a new tactic from Wilder to me. Rather than run back to get onside, let Craddock or Potter take the attack, and Constable jogs back almost Yemi-like in his efforts.

[recordmeister]

Someone said that we have the biggest paying fan base in the league. What about Bradford?

Also, it was three players in yesterdays starting line up that also started at wembley. It's just that one of them started on the York team. But he still started...

[A-Ro]

I said during the game yesterday that I thought JC's persistent offside was a deliberate tactic to stretch the PV midfield and give us more room to play.

I'm no football expert but to me it looked deliberate and it seemed to do a job.

It's not something we've ever accused him of before so there is a very good chance he was under instruction.

[Old Abingdonian]

The point about 'only two (Oxford) Wembley starters started yesterday' is an interesting reflection on CW and the team. It is 2/10, as Chapman is in prison. Another 4 were effectively unavailable (Batt, Wright, Creighton &amp Tonkin).

That leaves four. Only one (Bulman) is no longer at the club, leaving three (Green, Midson, Clist) who CW believes are not as good as replacements. This should mean that we have improved: Payne for Bulman, Craddock for Midson, Potter - a Wembley sub., of course - for Green, and Hall for Clist. Although I do subscribe to the view that Midson is unlucky in some respects, I think I would only argue in favour of Clist, who I thought was unlucky not to start, given his performance at Cheltenham. So CW does really seem to have strengthened the squad pretty effectively.

I also believe CW deserves some credit for Franks's performances. Although we might well have seen him as a fringe player before Tuesday, he is clearly good enough, and has been given the confidence to succeed. He may have had a bit of luck: would we think the same if he had scored an og. on Tuesday and conceded a penalty yesterday?

[Long John Silver]

I said during the game yesterday that I thought JC's persistent offside was a deliberate tactic to stretch the PV midfield and give us more room to play.

I'm no football expert but to me it looked deliberate and it seemed to do a job.

It's not something we've ever accused him of before so there is a very good chance he was under instruction.

He has definitely done this plenty of times before, just in Saturday's match it was more noticeable as he seemed to be walking back from an offside position almost every time we went forward.

If it was a deliberate tactic (has this ever been used by anyone before?), then I'm not so sure it was a good one, as it stifled plenty of our attacks as the player in possession had very limited options.

A good win and deserved. Dissappointed with Vale who I thought would play more football than mostly just lumping it up to big two at the front.

[Peterorange]

Fantastic battling performance, the lads played with so much passion but at the same time when they got the ball on the ground they kept trying to pass it around - right up to the 94th minute .

As far back as I can remember Oxford teams have started every match trying to play passing football (except under Kemp of course) but as the pressure built and the confidence ebbed away have resorted to hoofing it. Their confidence seemed unshakeable yesterday though and that is all credit to Wilder...a steely drive runs through the team.

[Kernow Yellow]

Someone said that we have the biggest paying fan base in the league. What about Bradford?

I think Bradford's season tickets are dirt cheap - they certainly used to be. That's why there's hardly any variation in their attendances week in week out.

I think the point Snake(?) was trying to make was that our gate receipts must be pretty much the biggest in our division.

[Snake]

Someone said that we have the biggest paying fan base in the league. What about Bradford?

I think Bradford's season tickets are dirt cheap - they certainly used to be. That's why there's hardly any variation in their attendances week in week out.

I think the point Snake(?) was trying to make was that our gate receipts must be pretty much the biggest in our division.

Bradford are currently selling 25 year season tickets for £110 a year and when the scheme was introduced a couple of years ago a one year ST worked out at £6 a game for adults.

http://www.bradfordcityfc.co.uk/page/Ne ... 06,00.html

[Myles Francis]

Bradford are currently selling 25 year season tickets for £110 a year and when the scheme was introduced a couple of years ago a one year ST worked out at £6 a game for adults.

http://www.bradfordcityfc.co.uk/page/Ne ... 06,00.html

That's only for renewals of those who have already taken them out. Current ST info is here: http://www.bradfordcityfc.co.uk/page/Se ... 66,00.html

So, £250/season which isn't expecially cheap.