Questions I would like to ask CW

[ty cobb]

As I sat in my seat on Mon trying to work out where it all went wrong from when I was there last I was looking at the team we had when things were going well and the teams we put out recently and the following questions formed in my mind, many of which I'm surprised the OM/RO have not asked.

1. Why did you drop Midson and freeze him out of a number of squads?
2. Why did you drop the Beast given our defensive record?
3. Why did you dump Foster and tell him he would never play for the club again given the role he had played in our success since you took over?
4. Why did you drop Cook and freeze him out of a number of our squads – compare our record of when he was regularly involved to that of when he was frozen out?
5. What impact do you think all of the above had on team morale?
6. Why did you break up the successful squad of last season, would it not have been better to make minor tweaks rather than overhaul completely?
7. Why did you decide to stop attacking teams and ‘going for it’ as we did last season and at the beginning of this season?
8. What is your preferred formation?
9. Where do you think Adam Chapmans best position is?
10. Why did you bring in Hargreaves and Chalmers when Murray not Bullman was injured?

[deanwindass]

As I sat in my seat on Mon trying to work out where it all went wrong from when I was there last I was looking at the team we had when things were going well and the teams we put out recently and the following questions formed in my mind, many of which I'm surprised the OM/RO have not asked.

1. Why did you drop Midson and freeze him out of a number of squads?
2. Why did you drop the Beast given our defensive record?
3. Why did you dump Foster and tell him he would never play for the club again given the role he had played in our success since you took over?
4. Why did you drop Cook and freeze him out of a number of our squads – compare our record of when he was regularly involved to that of when he was frozen out?
5. What impact do you think all of the above had on team morale?
6. Why did you break up the successful squad of last season, would it not have been better to make minor tweaks rather than overhaul completely?
7. Why did you decide to stop attacking teams and ‘going for it’ as we did last season and at the beginning of this season?
8. What is your preferred formation?
9. Where do you think Adam Chapmans best position is?
10. Why did you bring in Hargreaves and Chalmers when Murray not Bullman was injured?

1. I think Midson wasn't what CW thought he would be when he brought him in. Lots of energy but finishing not up to scratch, especially given what his record at Histon suggested that he would produce. He brought in Grant, who he knew and rated from before, but that didn't work out so he's gone back to Midson, which I'm pleased about.

2. Before Day got an extended run at Beast's expense his record was exceptional. Until Luton we'd not conceded a goal when he was on the pitch I believe. I love the Beast: he is class and should play but does occasionally look like a lumbering oaf. Now he's realised that Day has about 2 big errors in him every game, and that his legs have gone, we're back to the Beast.

3. Allegedly, he was shagging/trying to shag Matt Green's girlfriend and/or fighting with Creighton in the dressing room after the Salisbury game.

4. Cook's obviously got talent but has on numerous occasions looked off the pace, lightweight and disinterested. The key moment was the FA trophy game against Kiddy when he was lazier than Duffy ever was (and far less effective) and was subbed at half time.

5. Not a good impact re Midson you'd have thought but yesterday he played pretty well I think. If either of 3 are true then fair enough, if not then its puzzling. You could also read the message of dropping Cook as 'I don't care who you are (whether you've been brought in by the fans etc. if you don't work hard enough you'll be out.'

6. We were well rid of lots of last year's first team as is evidenced by what most of them (with the exception of Yemi who I maintain is rubbish in spite of his record this season!) have gone on to since.

7. Don't know but I think a big issue is Murray being out. He was constantly offering for a pass deep from the defence which minimised the panicking and hoofing which we're seeing all too often now.

8. I don't think anyone knows. 433 to incorporate Murray if he's fit?

9. He must know that it's central midfield, but there are others above him in the pecking order.

10. I guess he thought Chapman could play that role, but then Batt being rubbish and injured / suspended hampered that. There are also many fewer skillful Murrayesque players available for transfer midseason then there are in technique-free battling Hargreaves mould. Chalmers seems pretty good the the ball at his feet though. Plus, Bulman's been off-form recently and we didn't actually have any cover for him in the event of an injury beforehand.

[Myles Francis]

3. Allegedly, he was shagging/trying to shag Matt Green's girlfriend and/or fighting with Creighton in the dressing room after the Salisbury game.

There were also, allegedly, time keeping issues - turning up late for training and for the Christmas party with only 1/2 hour left.

[Swissbloke]

I've no problem with Wilder letting Foster go.

He made lots of pretty good last ditch tackles...but most of those were because of his bad positioning in the first place.

Wright is a better replacement.

Oh and point your mouse at a Stags forum and see what they think of our Foster.

To save you time, they want him out the club along with Burgess and Duffy, described as some of the worst players they've seen up there. Poor old Fozzie has not done well.

Also the Foster/Green stuff is crap, Foster was at Rushden away with the non dressed squad, there's no cloud. The fella is desperate for us to go up as he stands to share in a promotion bonus.

[Swissbloke]

Not being a Wilder sympathist or anything but here's my take on it...

1- Midson to me looks a stone too light. He's not strong enough and get's bullied off the ball too often. Maybe he's finding the switch from part time to full time too hard. That said I'd want to see a Constable Midson partnership in a 4-4-2.

2- Agree with you,Day's distribution is not as good as Beasts. With Day the ball ends up coming straight back at us.

3 - Previous post

4- I think Cookie is not a Wilder sort of player. He's a mystery to me. How did he play so well for that hard nut Evans who must have dished out bollockings a plenty but under Wilder he's been very tepid save for the Luton game.

5- Morale is key. I think the games lost to Snow and the loss of the 2 Rangers boys had more to do with upsetting the flow. Also the odd loan signings in November may well have messed up something.

6- Killock should have stayed, other than that who else?

7-8 I don't think he likes to play more that 1 striker and that's a massive gripe for me.

Bringing Hargreaves in was wrong in my opinion, pointless.

Still I have faith, the 2nd half yesterday was much better.

The two CB's were great. Saving Potter and Deering for Salisbury to tire was the right thing to do. Midson and Constable looked like they could click into place.

Chapers was better as a mid, still too many misplaced passes but at least the mid worked better.

[ty cobb]

Some interesting points, in reply I would make the following points.

1. Cook seems to divide opinion, well actually most people don't rate him, but I would point to our record with him in the team and his record at Crawley where he was considered a good player. I think he gives the impression of lacking effort and Oxford fans don't like players who don't put the effort in. However, he has an excellent first touch, a footballing brain, a very good shot and a bit of guile - something that has been missing of late. Ok rotate the squad but to dump him from the team at the expense of some pretty poor loan players is a poor decision.

2. Fosters record speaks for itself - player of the season for us a couple of seasons ago and under Wilder we had one of the best defensive records of our history. Since he's left we've thrown away the league. I'd love to know the reason why he fell out with Wilder, to me a good manager manages differcult players as they are often the better ones in the team. How would Wilder have managed Gazza or Rooney?

3. I'd have kept Nelthorpe and Haldane from last season - we've been poor out wide this season and Haldane is scoring at a higer level and Nelthrope is a good squad player for a team above us in this league. I'd also have kept Wilmott and had him as back up to the Beast and Fozzie. Yemi is a excellent impact sub and again plays for a team above us in the league.

I don't mind players being dropped but to exclude them from the squad as we have seen with the likes of Midson and Cook and bringing loan players straight into the team at their expense is poor management and a lesson I hope Wilder has learnt.

[tomoufc]

&quot3. I'd have kept Nelthorpe and Haldane from last season - we've been poor out wide this season and Haldane is scoring at a higer level and Nelthrope is a good squad player for a team above us in this league. I'd also have kept Wilmott and had him as back up to the Beast and Fozzie. Yemi is a excellent impact sub and again plays for a team above us in the league.&quot

OK you've lost me now.

[Old Abingdonian]

I have to say that deanwindass's analysis looks excellent to me. All in all, dramatic though the descent has been, we are looking at several factors, I think, not just one. Murray's influence was huge, even when playing below his best. We often saw a pass to No8 - it appeared - because he was the one who knew what to do.

I don't think Foster was crucial - Wright is a better player, and although there was a bit of a wobble, he got going fairly quickly. Kinniburgh, on the other hand, was a major loss - the best crosser in the team, and always in the right place. Height at the back as well.

[deanwindass]

I'd love to know the reason why he fell out with Wilder, to me a good manager manages differcult players as they are often the better ones in the team. How would Wilder have managed Gazza or Rooney?

Foster's no Gazza, nor Rooney(!) and Wright's a far better player (than Foster, not the other two).

3. I'd have kept Nelthorpe and Haldane from last season - we've been poor out wide this season and Haldane is scoring at a higer level and Nelthrope is a good squad player for a team above us in this league. I'd also have kept Wilmott and had him as back up to the Beast and Fozzie. Yemi is a excellent impact sub and again plays for a team above us in the league.

Nelthorpe couldn't get in the team at York and was eventually forced out, and had an average spell at Barrow, before playing a bit-part role for Luton. He's not a great player and is quite obviously, as demonstrated by his conduct on and off the pitch, a complete dickhead.

Yemi may be a good impact sub but he wasn't worth retaining for the money that he was on.

[Werthers Original]

Yemi not worth retaining?? Who would you rather have: Yemi, or Green F &amp Grant? Presumably the cost would be similar, if Yemi was so highly paid (though none of us have any idea what he was on).

[deanwindass]

Yemi not worth retaining?? Who would you rather have: Yemi, or Green F &amp Grant? Presumably the cost would be similar, if Yemi was so highly paid (though none of us have any idea what he was on).

The fact that his replacements have been poor does not mean that it was not a good idea to get rid of him. I'd rather have the John Grant that CW thought he was buying (the one who banged them in for Aldershot) and the Franny Green who was part of the Kettering side who were punching well above their weight than the Yemi who has no footballing brain and no first touch. It's very easy to be wise after the event but was anyone seriously thinking at the time that getting rid of Yemi and signing Midson and Green(M) was anything other than progress?

I also thought it was fairly common knowledge that he was one of our highest paid players. He signed a two year deal the second season down following 'interest from league clubs' and both Patterson and Wilder have said words to the effect of 'he needs to start performing considering the amount we're paying him.'

[GodalmingYellow]

3. Allegedly, he was shagging/trying to shag Matt Green's girlfriend and/or fighting with Creighton in the dressing room after the Salisbury game.

There were also, allegedly, time keeping issues - turning up late for training and for the Christmas party with only 1/2 hour left.

There are loads of unproven allegations flying around, like Foster was borrowing money from players and not repaying it, and frequently borrowing money from the club.

Also that Creighton and Foster fell out with Wilder, which is why Wilder broke the partnership up.

Also that Foster was refusing to play how Wilder wanted.

Also that Foster liked the sauce.

I suspect most of the rumours are untrue.

[YF Dan]

If Yemi''s first touch is as bad as some think, his 19 goals this season suggest his second touch must be a good'n.

[SmileyMan]

Stevenage have played Yemi as a striker, rather than hoping against all evidence that his pace would make him a good winger.

[A-Ro]

I always felt he was too slight to make for an out and out striker. Stevenage, either by accident or design, have overcome this shortcoming.