Gilly golly gosh

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Radley Rambler
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Gilly golly gosh

Post by Radley Rambler »

Well it's three points and a clean sheet. It wasn't that pretty but then Gills played in a way that meant this was always going to be the case.

Given our absentees through call-ups, suspension and injury, this was a good effort and one that might be a real springboard to move on from now - is it 8 or 9 unbeaten (?), either way a good recent run and let's press on - we're only 10 points off the play-offs 8)

A few players to pick out:

Dickie - very good and he'll need to continue this form when Nelson leaves in January

Nelson - solid but his distribution was poor

Holmes - he just does not stop trying, if he's as crocked as KR makes out then all plaudits to him

Browne - Did well to get the pen and his backheel past their full back was pure class

Henry - great pen and how his effort 5 minutes later didn't go in is beyond me

The goalie's challenge for the pen was right in front of me but why did he go for it? Browne was going nowhere and was at an extreme angle - goalies seem to rush out and make these sorts of challenges in many areas of their box that they'd be better off leaving alone - cf Shearer vs Fleetwood.
Werthers Original
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Re: Gilly golly gosh

Post by Werthers Original »

When we give a fully committed performance like that we are so hard to beat and even with injuries have quite a few skilful match winners. If only we had a striker we’d be a pretty good team - though you could say that about a few teams in this league. Dickie did well keep their prolific guy quiet.
Old Abingdonian
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Re: Gilly golly gosh

Post by Old Abingdonian »

I would add that I thought Hanson did well in the last half hour.

It's no coincidence that we stopped leaking goals when (a) Eastwood came back, and (b) Mousinho started playing as the defensive midfield player. Credit to KR for the latter.
Mr T
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Re: Gilly golly gosh

Post by Mr T »

Our 25th game of the season, and the first penalty that we've been awarded (I think?)!
8 games unbeaten now; 2 contrasting away games next week to hopefully take it up to 10...!
Bring back the black away shirt!
Hog
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Re: Gilly golly gosh

Post by Hog »

Holmes looked absolutely livid to be subbed when he was and stomped off down the tunnel.

Mousinho could be player of the season.

Bradbury is a unit but is he a footballer or a back street brawler?

Is Smith a footballer?

What was Ruffells thinking when he bought those boots?

Who will sign Nelson? Suggestions I heard today were Bristol City (me), Leeds and Brentford.
Kernow Yellow
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Re: Gilly golly gosh

Post by Kernow Yellow »

Why would anyone pay money for Nelson in Jan when they can get him for free in the summer? Is he going to transform any of those teams in the second half of the season? On today’s showing I’d say no.

Sorry, but today was rubbish. Of course the three points were important but if that’s what passes for a decent game of League 1 football these days then count me out. The only remotely exciting bits came when Gillingham had to push forward and we hit them on the break, but even then we weren’t savvy enough to hurt them. Browne and Holmes are playing for themselves rather than the team, and the rest haven’t got much quality between them.

Does anyone really see this as an improvement on the Pep Clotet era? 12 months ago this weekend I watched us demolish Plymouth 4-0 and it was fun! Now, despite our unbeaten run we’ve only just got to the 1 point per game mark for the season - relegation form - after the easiest run of fixtures you could hope for. Anyone who thinks we’ve turned a meaningful corner is deluding themselves. We’re still in massive trouble, despite having several billionaires on the board. You couldn’t make it up.
OUFC4eva
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Re: Gilly golly gosh

Post by OUFC4eva »

Kernow Yellow wrote: Sun Nov 18, 2018 1:56 am Why would anyone pay money for Nelson in Jan when they can get him for free in the summer? Is he going to transform any of those teams in the second half of the season? On today’s showing I’d say no.

Sorry, but today was rubbish. Of course the three points were important but if that’s what passes for a decent game of League 1 football these days then count me out. The only remotely exciting bits came when Gillingham had to push forward and we hit them on the break, but even then we weren’t savvy enough to hurt them. Browne and Holmes are playing for themselves rather than the team, and the rest haven’t got much quality between them.

Does anyone really see this as an improvement on the Pep Clotet era? 12 months ago this weekend I watched us demolish Plymouth 4-0 and it was fun! Now, despite our unbeaten run we’ve only just got to the 1 point per game mark for the season - relegation form - after the easiest run of fixtures you could hope for. Anyone who thinks we’ve turned a meaningful corner is deluding themselves. We’re still in massive trouble, despite having several billionaires on the board. You couldn’t make it up.
The footballing Gods of Plymouth Argyle ! How are they doing these days?

December 2017:

Pep Clotet’s OUFC 0 Wigan Athletic 7 (SEVEN)
OUFC4eva
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Re: Gilly golly gosh

Post by OUFC4eva »

Old Abingdonian wrote: Sat Nov 17, 2018 9:55 pm I would add that I thought Hanson did well in the last half hour.
Agreed - just wish he would display a calmer head for the U’s on a more consistent basis.Likes snapping into tackles but prone to giving away free-kicks.
Maybe the penny is dropping.
Dr Bob
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Re: Gilly golly gosh

Post by Dr Bob »

I am with KY on this. Bradford will bring an end to a run of games against teams down around us and whilst we have done OK, that is the best that can be said. Thinking about that short spell against Scunthorpe when I could not believe what I was seeing, that does not bode well for when we come up against teams that play like that for more than 10 minutes.

I also thought we got the rub of the green with refereeing decisions today. Their goal could not be offside, as the ball came off Nelson last. The foul for the penalty was one I always think should not be a penalty, but an indirect free kick (the player is moving away from the goal) - although looking at Law 12, it does seem to be interpreted by referees pretty consistently as being a penalty offence. And the amount of man-handling and all-in wrestling that went on with Eaves with extraordinary. Still, evening out over the course of a season and all that. Yes, Henry hit the post, but in the second half before then, one of their players broke down the right, shot across goal and it only just edged past the far post. By such margins...

On the plus side, hey - we won! To Eastwood and Mousinho I would also add Ruffels at left back, who is far better in that position than a certain loanee who is supposedly on somewhere north of £25k a week. And as for those boots, do they even make black football boots any more?

Oh - and I heard a rumour yesterday about Nelson and Sunderland. At least, unlike the other clubs named, the people at Sunderland know how good a player he can be. I find it interesting that having seemingly been forgotten, Charlie Raglan is now playing one or two cup games and is back in the match-day squad on a regular basis. Just wondering...
Old Abingdonian
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Re: Gilly golly gosh

Post by Old Abingdonian »

Sorry, KY, but I think that's too negative. I'm not getting carried away, but my analysis is closer to RR's. To say that 'the rest haven't got much quality between them' is harsh on Mousinho, Eastwood and Dickie on yesterday's showing. And some players who are not top quality at L1 level (Long, perhaps Ruffels) played with great grit and determination.

The contrast with the Clotet era is a valid and interesting one. Last season we were lucky to have Payne (who went in January, of course). Performances did deteriorate as the autumn went on, and rumour had it Clotet lost the dressing room. Some players, particularly van Kessel and Tiendalli, looked as if they couldn't be bothered.

I would agree about Nelson - I can't see a big-money move in January. Perhaps the club will think it's worth having him off the wage bill to use the money elsewhere.
recordmeister
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Re: Gilly golly gosh

Post by recordmeister »

Yup PC lost the dressing room with a mix of inconsistent messages to players (“we need a team effort attacking at corners” pre-match vs “why did you all go forward for the corners” post-match sort of thing).

KR seems to have the dressing room. Doesn’t stop him coming across as a bit thick, tho doesn’t it? In this day-and-age I don’t really care any more about people in charge and where they come from / what they’ve done before / how ‘thick’ they seem... politics has taught me that I just want someone in charge who can get results. I don’t see anyone in that arena, from any bckground, who is support at the moment and I’m kinda feeling the same about football managers.
Isaac
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Re: Gilly golly gosh

Post by Isaac »

I was "abroad" this weekend so watched the game on ifollow, which is ok for what it is for 6 euros.

It wasn't pretty and 0-0 would have been a decent reflection of the game, but on the plus side we looked solid and well organised. I can't see any great plan on how we're going to score a goal though, other than hoping for Holmes or Browne to do something. Smith put himself about (as did Bradbury in a Rob Duffy immobile style) but he looks either very low on confidence or sub-standard for this level. Our set pieces were very poor. Maybe a better plan will become apparent once some of the injured players return, but that starting XI was strong enough. To give Robinson some benefit of the doubt, Mackie up front might have been able to hold the ball up a bit, but if we're relying on an injury prone, aged striker as our lynchpin then it doesn't fill me with optimism.
For the Gillingham offside goal, it looked to me the through ball was actually a tackle made by the Gillingham player on Nelson, so the offside was correct. No Gillingham players complained.

I'm not convinced there's much difference from the Clotet days, I remember watching the away game at Gillingham last season (after we'd lost 7-0 at home) and we produced a similar well organised. fighting performance to get a draw.

We should have enough to stay up I think, but it could be close. The playoffs look miles away, but I've been wrong before!
Kernow Yellow
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Re: Gilly golly gosh

Post by Kernow Yellow »

OUFC4eva wrote: Sun Nov 18, 2018 10:35 am
The footballing Gods of Plymouth Argyle ! How are they doing these days?

December 2017:

Pep Clotet’s OUFC 0 Wigan Athletic 7 (SEVEN)
Not really sure what either of those points have got to do with Saturday's performance or our current league position to be honest.

But I'd take an occasional spanking off the eventual champions and be top half of the table with some exhilarating performances over grinding out tedious 0-0's and 1-0's and scrapping to avoid relegation.

And hopefully I'll get to find out how Plymouth are playing in a couple of weeks if we can get past the footballing gods of Forest Green Rovers at the second time of asking!

Back to Saturday, and it's true that defensively we were pretty solid (though we seemed to get very lucky with the goal ruled out for offside). I've certainly no complaints about the endeavour of the back six or so. But further up field we're relying on individual skill from loanees - there were very few incisive passing moves until Gillingham pushed forward in search of an equaliser and left space at the back. And even then we couldn't actually capitalise.

Anyway, of course I hope that however we play we manage to continue grinding out results and slowly climb the table. But if it's going to look like Saturday (or the previous match I saw at Brizzle), then I'm not sure fans will be flocking to witness it...
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