Burton

[Jimski]

Ouch, not a good start. Reasonable first half, terrible second half. Not sure why Appleton took off Brown and (especially) Rose, as they seemed the players most likely to create something. Stuart Beavon looked a cut above any attacking player in our side. And Tom Newey has to go.

[Kernow Yellow]

Two teams basically cancelled each other out, and both only looked threatening on the break - hence our forwards looking ok for the first half hour. Once Burton scored they didn't need to take any risks, and our attempts to break them down were woefully inadequate.

Rose was my MotM by a country mile - the only player that looked likely to create anything through the middle all game. Collins excelled at receiving the ball from the centre backs and then giving it back again. He reminded me of Dave Savage - solid but very much unspectacular. Ruffels was similar, but at least had an eye for goal. The full backs were both poor - Newey had a shocker despite putting in our best (and worst) crosses of the day.

Hard to judge the 'forwards' - Morris hardly touched the ball second half, but it was his poor decision making that lead to Burton's goal. Brown looked promising when he got the ball at his feet advancing on goal, but that hardly happened all game. Long made a ridiculously stupid error of judgement trying to see the ball out for a goal kick, and was lucky to end up with just a clumsy foul against him.

Frankly it looked like any Wilder home game - lots of passing in our own half but a complete inability to penetrate an organised opposition. I suspect we'll see a few changes on Tuesday night - for all Appleton's encouraging words post-match he can't have been impressed with what he saw.

Early days though - COYY! See you all at Ashton Gate...

[ty cobb]

All depressingly inevitable wasn’t it? A team thrown together at the last minute, your main striker a kid who hasn’t ever played at a competitive level and a new manager who is still putting his stamp on the team and a complete lack of a creative midfielder that we’ve been missing since Leven got crocked.

I thought it was going to be a long hard season before Sat, that has simply confirmed that view, albiet we'll be another 1.5m in debt by the end of it.

[GodalmingYellow]

All depressingly inevitable wasn’t it? A team thrown together at the last minute, your main striker a kid who hasn’t ever played at a competitive level and a new manager who is still putting his stamp on the team and a complete lack of a creative midfielder that we’ve been missing since Leven got crocked.

I thought it was going to be a long hard season before Sat, that has simply confirmed that view, albiet we'll be another 1.5m in debt by the end of it.

There'll be more debt than that as well.

Eales & Co projections of losses are based on 6,500 average gates. The gate on Saturday was 5,300, and first game of the season is usually a larger crowd. Season ticket sales are significantly down and without 2 decent strikers, failure to score goals will only result in falling crowds. The debts are already scary, and they could easily become catastrophic in a short space of time. The more I look at it, unless Eales & Co can engineer Water Eaton fairly quickly, the less I like every aspect of this takeover.

[Eric Pollard]

Yes --- but as an alternative how exactly would we have all been feeling if Lenagan was still at the helm with just the two signings, Danny Hylton and some new no mark midfielder on the pitch?

Let's give the new regime some time hey?

Not that I was massively encouraged by Saturday. Neater football yes, but no evil bastards in the front six, and the lack of cutting edge in the second half was pretty depressing.

[slappy]

I think it's safe to assume that since April, Lenagan was far into discussions to sell the club, and it would be foolish to sign players knowing that a new manager would want to pick his own.

[GodalmingYellow]

Yes --- but as an alternative how exactly would we have all been feeling if Lenagan was still at the helm with just the two signings, Danny Hylton and some new no mark midfielder on the pitch?

Let's give the new regime some time hey?

Not that I was massively encouraged by Saturday. Neater football yes, but no evil bastards in the front six, and the lack of cutting edge in the second half was pretty depressing.

It is an assumption, and one with little or nothing to substantiate it, that we would only have had 2 signings. The signings dried up because Lenagan was in the middle of selling. Had he not been selling, it is perfectly reasonable to assume there would have been several more signings. It is likely that we would now be playing uninspiring football under Waddock however.

I'm not saying the old regime was good and the new one is bad. I am saying however, that with the benefit of 30 years experience, I am very confident that Eales & Co are leading us down a very unsustainable route with a big dead end and potential for catastrophic failure, unless a stadium deal can be done that makes significant money for the club.

[Kairdiff Exile]

...unless a stadium deal can be done that makes significant money for Eales & Co.

There you go, fixed it for you.

[GodalmingYellow]

...unless a stadium deal can be done that makes significant money for Eales & Co.

There you go, fixed it for you.

I imagine that would indeed also be the case, and I don't mind that. However, if it was to make no money for OUFC, it would be completely pointless and the future of the club would be very worrying.

[ty cobb]

Don't recall the club making money on the last stadium deal, quite the opposite in fact.