Yemi Yemi Yemi

[Mally]

D'you think Yemi's strengths would be apparent playing on a pitch like a ploughed field?

Why all this anti Smith nonsense? This year it appears, according to our fans, that finishing second will be a massive disaster, for which Smith will be responsible. If two, or more, went up automatically, as in the first four divisions, it would be considered a great success thanks to our god like manager. Pathetic !!!!!

I think that years of constant battering and mental torment has lead to us, the fans, losing all sense, reason and patience.

Except the goal for this season was automatic promotion and that means finishing top. Also we have double the playing budget of the nearest rivals and FOUR times the budget of most teams for playing staff and much better infrastructure around the club generally which means finishing top was a very realistic goal.

Yes he's done reasonably well but he hasn't done well enough even by the standards he set himself. If we get through the play-off lottery then this will all be forgiven and forgotten but if we don't then there will be thousands of fans who express the feelings of ty cobb above by staying away next season and that financial advantage will start to disappear fast.

[ty cobb]

D'you think Yemi's strengths would be apparent playing on a pitch like a ploughed field?

Why all this anti Smith nonsense? This year it appears, according to our fans, that finishing second will be a massive disaster, for which Smith will be responsible. If two, or more, went up automatically, as in the first four divisions, it would be considered a great success thanks to our god like manager. Pathetic !!!!!

I think that years of constant battering and mental torment has lead to us, the fans, losing all sense, reason and patience.

I don't think anyone was able to look good on that pitch last night, everyone was brought down to the same level - even Marv looked half decent! However, against a tiring defence who looked like they might struggle with speed with a striker short of match practice clearly knackered yes I do think Yemi should have been brought on, I would find it surprising that you didn't.

I also think Smith has done a good job even if he has got a much higher budget then most clubs I have been impressed by how well he has put together a new team not just at the start of the season but halfway through it as well.

[Werthers Original]

Second in the Conference is better than nearly all the other teams in the division, yes, but I think some people are getting cynical about Smith because we should be doing much better. Not because we're the mighty Oxford United, but because we have much more money and experience at our disposal than our rivals, and have a squad that, esp in the midfield, is more talented. Yet there is a lack of pace, method, and creativity that allows modest teams like Crawley and St Albans to match us. I think the difference is that these lowly outfits have been together as a unit for a few years, whereas we start again every season - an argument against changing the manager, of course.

[Shoobedoo]

This year it appears, according to our fans, that finishing second will be a massive disaster, for which Smith will be responsible.

If you'd offered me second at the start of the season, I would have ripped your hand off (and a fair proportion of your arm as well). But, given where we were in November, 10 points clear (albeit with a fair slice of luck), to now be in second place with the other playoff teams breathing down our neck is immensely disappointing.

And the things that have annoyed me about Smith (sorry to go over this ground again but I think it needs to be reiterated) and I believe have had a material effect on our demise are:

- Taking 11 games to figure out that 5-3-2 had been sussed.
- Not signing any wingers when he'd decided to play 4-4-2.
- Not trying the home grown kids (they may not be good enough, but how do you know unless you try?).
- Playing people out of position (Yemi, Corcoran).
- Not dropping favourites even when they're way off form (Gilly).
- Signing players on an agents’ say-so.
- Stupid substitutions (Kiddy).
- Not knowing how to sort out Burgess or Duffy.
- Knee-jerk reactions when a steady hand on the tiller would have reaped far greater rewards.
- Hiring a coach who clearly doesn’t know how to coach defending at set pieces, or movement off the ball, or movement at throw-ins (although to be fair to our recent history, nothing new there then).
- Picking on players during a game (Yemi, Pettefer) and in post match interviews (Yemi).
- Dropping players for no reason (Eddie A twice, Yemi).
- Signing rubbish up front (Slabber, Robinson, Grebis).

I do not believe that getting rid of the manager every year is the right course of action, and there are some positives to come out of his management (getting Rose, finding a 20 goal striker, playing nice football at times), but Smith needs to realise that he's got lots of things wrong this season - maybe it's because he's been feeling the pressure or maybe it's because he's not the manager he was - and learn from it.

This season isn't a cock-up yet, and if we do go up through the playoffs then I will be delighted to eat a large slice of Humble Pie but if we don't then I think we have to classify the season as a failure even if we remain in second place, and more worryingly I see no evidence of building for the future on the pitch (we can't build a side around decrepit has-beens and loanees can we?).

[recordmeister]

I think the realistic facts are that Smith was unable to stop us getting relegated last season (it is a whole other thread and discussion point as to his role in our relegation- i.e. was he unable to prevent the inevitable or did he add to the car-crash of a season with players like the Italian goalie?) and this season he has assembled a squad that individually should be able to take us to the title but don't seem to act as a team together. You can point the finger at other people (i.e. coaches) but you must remember that they are employed by the Manager and it is the Managers job to run the 'on the pitch affairs' of the club and this includes the backrooms staff and quality of the jobs they do, as well as the overall well being and motivation of the players.

At the start of the season, Smith had one job to achieve: promotion. This comes in two forms automatic or via the play-offs. We've lost the automatic place to the champions elect, Dagenham. And fair play to them for it. Smith can still achieve his (only) goal for the season through the playoffs, but now he really has to earn his crust.

I hope this does not come across as a Smith Out post, as it is not intended to be one. What it is intended to do is to highlight the fact that the buck stops with the Manager.

[neilw]

I think Smith can do a lot better, as can Merry, the coaches and the players. Us fans could also do a lot better by accepting that it's not always perfect and mistakes will be made along the way, especially at this shite level of football.

This season, the thing we had (have?) that would see us through the adversity was something we'd not had for many, many years. That being a togetherness throughout the club and fans, all believing in each other. A little naive and romantic, I know, but you need to hang on to something when you are left supporting a non-league club, in a Kassam owned stadium.

I'd hate for that spirit to be broken by impatience and blame.

[Mooro]

After having had to face the embarrassment of asking the barstaff to turn the TV over to the football, I was sat on my lonesome watching what to the neutral must have been pretty dull – but then again that could be said for most lower league games really.

My main view was that these two games at Alty and Halifax were going to be the trickiest week of our entire run in and this one has always been a tough trip every season, so a point was a decent result and one I’d have taken at the start. I was impressed by our endeavour in terms of “earning the right to play

[neilw]

And I bet that Smith would agree with all your points, Shoobedoo.

Smith has at times struggled this season. What may not always help is that he cares passionately and hence is overly emotive, fan-like, desperately wanting to get us back up. He does feel a sense of responsibility, I believe. Sometimes a more considered approach may have helped and been more effective. Also, being old school probably doesn't fit as well these days. Works well for Man Utd though. Some may also say that his beverage of choice could be better.

Also, we make judgements, by what we see on the pitch and hear in post match interviews. We've no idea what has been said on the training pitch, what a player's mentality is like, if someone is fully fit, if Duffy really is as thick as pig shit etc ..... In essence we make judgement without the full facts. For example, do we know why Yemi wasn't played last night?

[Mooro]

You are right of course Neil, Yemi might have had a knock, he might (and probably does) talk to the players during the week, and they might or might not show what they can do in training and their attitude in doing so may tell the manager more than we can ever know.

Similarly, this season has been our most successful for many years in terms of winning games and even, at times, playing decent football. One of the things I saw last night was a togetherness and ability to scrap to get something out of a game that we have not seen in years.

The thing that worries me is that some of the 'mistakes' we are talking about appear to be repeated. More than one apparent favourite stays in the side too long, more than one player appears not to get a chance, more than one gets played out of position. There might be valid reasons in each case, but the more it happens the more likely that the reason lies with the manager.

You talk of old school, and I think that may have a lot to do with it, particularly when you combine that approach with age, which probably manifests itself in stubbornness. I said on an earlier thread that another thing I think he has struggled with is the level we are playing at, in that methods that work higher up, cannot always be translated to this level, where players are not as strong in so many areas than higher, so simplicity seems the best approach, whereas he sometimes tries to complicate things with different systems, positions etc.

He is free with his comments regarding the inadequacies of some players having lost us points, but I hope you are right in that he too realises that some of his decisions have done so also.

One final question, do you think he is more passionate about Oxford than he would be about any other club he has been involved in and at what stage does that start to cloud his judgement and ability to actually do the job he is here to do?

[neilw]

&quotOne final question, do you think he is more passionate about Oxford than he would be about any other club&quot ........

Yes, exaggerated by the fact that he was at the helm when we went down, sentiment and his loyalty to Merry.

[recordmeister]

i do agree that Smith's comments are sometimes loose, but then one just needs to look at the Stats to work out a lot of them are common sense.

Smith commenting on how bad our finishing has been this season (&quotI've never known so many bad finishers in a team as we've got!&quot &quotThe only disappointment was that we missed so many chances,&quot &quotHow did we miss those goals?&quot &quotAnd Yemi, I thought that was his best game, in terms of retaining the ball and movement. But he can't score.&quot) and making comments about where we would be if we had scored lots more goals (&quotIf he [Yemi] and others had been able to find the net, we'd be 11 points further up the league.&quot) are clearly reflected by the fact that we have the meanest defence in the league so the onus is on the team to score. He's not pointing out anything we can't see from looking at the league table.

[neilw]

I also think that many do not understand the man management style of a miserable old yorkshire man. He uses extremes to get a reaction, sometimes really slating, sometimes very supportive. The art of course is knowing what to use when. Have you ever heard Rosie's story of playing away at Wimbledon, in Smith's first stint? A good case in point.

[SmileyMan]

Yep, to be fair to Jim, Yemi has developed an unfortunate habit of missing chances recently.

At least we didn't lose!

[Matt D]

Have you ever heard Rosie's story of playing away at Wimbledon, in Smith's first stint? A good case in point.

do tell!

[neilw]

Rosie story, from memory. In essence:

- signs for Oxford, playing away at Wimbledon. Having a nightmare.
- Half time, Smith chucks him 10 pence and tells him to phone his wife to tell her the house move is off.
- second half, playing on the wing in front of Smith. Smith slating him.
- Rosie justifiably substituted.
- When coming off the pitch, Smith puts his arms around Rosie and says &quotNever mind son, it just wasn't your day, you'll be absolutely fine for the next match&quot

Obviously not accurate word for word, but you'll get the spirit and point of the story. It's in one of our publications, not sure which.