City v Oxford Utd Matchday Thread

[Egg]

While i'm on, if you need someone to blame for yesterdays defeat try Sweens. That error cost us the whole match, sadly he is just too slow against fast attacking players. Running back trying to catch Harris he actually impeded Jules. Great guy BUT11

Not sure how you work that out. Of course, Sweenz was culpable for the first goal, but he wasn't to blame for the second, without which the game would have ended in a draw.

 

[Antony Moxey]

Semantics Moxey, he was exposed as not being capable of playing the centre half role competently.

But he did play it competently. Yes he made a mistake but that wasn’t because he was in the middle or under pressure, he just had a brain fart.

 

[Egg]

Don't get me wrong, I love a player that keep things ticking over - was a fully signed up Matt Gill superfan

However a player like that, on a large wage - you have to expect more from

His inability to replace McDonald was one of the reasons in retrospect for our struggles; Woods has made an enormous difference

Without the ginger one in midfield yesterday it all went a bit familiar again

Slightly concerning that our football hinges on one role so significantly - I'd be wanting to bring in Woods and an understudy. Love Cole but he's not that pivot type player.

Carroll seems to be our 'Marmite' player. I thought he was great yesterday and kept things ticking over superbly, while my pal – who, incidentally, is a big Spurs fan – completely disagreed.

Appreciate they're very different players [and FWIW I like them both], but every time Luke Harris received the ball yesterday he seemed to either miscontrol it or run into a cul-de-sac. Conversely, for all his lack of probing penetrative passes, Carroll finds a team-mate with unnerving consistency. I think you need someone such as Carroll in the team in order to give the likes of Cole and Harris licence to play.

 

[Egg]

I wish he'd stop knocking it in front of him only to see it run out of play again and again and again

Quite. At one point in the second half yesterday he must have knocked the ball circa 10 yards ahead of himself when not much more than 13 or 14 yards from the goal-line – you didn't need to be Einstein to work out how that was going to end!

 

[grecIAN Harris]

Semantics Moxey, he was exposed as not being capable of playing the centre half role competently.

And I call that talking out of your arse. Sweeney made an error, a mistake, a c0ck up, call it what you will. He was not exposed in any way, shape or form. He then compounded it by getting in the way of Jules.

 

[grecIAN Harris]

Carroll seems to be our 'Marmite' player. I thought he was great yesterday and kept things ticking over superbly, while my pal – who, incidentally, is a big Spurs fan – completely disagreed.

Appreciate they're very different players [and FWIW I like them both], but every time Luke Harris received the ball yesterday he seemed to either miscontrol it or run into a cul-de-sac. Conversely, for all his lack of probing penetrative passes, Carroll finds a team-mate with unnerving consistency. I think you need someone such as Carroll in the team in order to give the likes of Cole and Harris licence to play.

Harris's problem was what he had on his feet. I lost count of the amount of times he lost his footing which probably aided what you saw in miscontrol or running into cul-de-sacs.

 

[tonykellowfan]

Carroll and Woods together have been a great combination.

It isn't all about Woods though. If we have Woods and no Carroll next season, Woods could easily struggle. Don't forget Woods started the season on loan at Rovers and did nothing special there.

 

[The 3 United's]

Poor first half as system with two up top clearly didn't work. Nightmare from Sweeney and always going to be a goal after the error. Assume Aimson was on the right as Murphy clearly too quick for Sweeney and if Will hadn't been flapping his arms regarding offside might have just prevented the penalty situation by making the appropriate challenge outside the box. Watts clearly not a right wing back and on more than one occasion drifted into central areas where our players were looking to play wide right.
Correct changes were made at half time and looked much better with Rankine and Aitch on the pitch, the latter providing that link up play missing in the first half. Alli looks an exciting prospect and seems to be growing into his new central role. A full pre season and he could come on enormously.
Maybe we should have got back to 2-2; Will's great cross field pass to Niskanen should have had an end product and why didn't he take the shot with his right foot, he can clearly use it!
Lastly, a refereeing 'performance' that was abysmal, one of many at SJP this season

 

[iscalad]

Poor first half as system with two up top clearly didn't work. Nightmare from Sweeney and always going to be a goal after the error. Assume Aimson was on the right as Murphy clearly too quick for Sweeney and if Will hadn't been flapping his arms regarding offside might have just prevented the penalty situation by making the appropriate challenge outside the box. Watts clearly not a right wing back and on more than one occasion drifted into central areas where our players were looking to play wide right.
Correct changes were made at half time and looked much better with Rankine and Aitch on the pitch, the latter providing that link up play missing in the first half. Alli looks an exciting prospect and seems to be growing into his new central role. A full pre season and he could come on enormously.
Maybe we should have got back to 2-2; Will's great cross field pass to Niskanen should have had an end product and why didn't he take the shot with his right foot, he can clearly use it!
Lastly, a refereeing 'performance' that was abysmal, one of many at SJP this season

I would slightly disagree and say 4 at the back was the problem. Opinions, eh.

 

[ECFC-GC]

And I call that talking out of your arse. Sweeney made an error, a mistake, a c0ck up, call it what you will. He was not exposed in any way, shape or form. He then compounded it by getting in the way of Jules.

Sweeney can make basic mistakes on the right side of back 3 which sometimes he can recover, but in the middle = no chance and it showed yesterday and on top of that got in Jules' way.
Management fault for putting him there!
Generally there were far too many stray passes by many of City's players which improved in the 2nd half.
Officials were very poor, should not be there!