FAN’S VIEW 21/22 – NO.37

CHARLTON AWAY

But first a few things – making this a very long one. Possibly the longest ever. But why not in the circumstances?

Defensive stats

It appears plain to see for fans, management, players and owners alike that defensively we are currently falling some way short of the standard required to get promoted. It’s not just the odd bad day at the office when it comes to preventing our opponents scoring goals.

I thought I’d do a bit of very basic research to try and get a handle on the usual standard needed to get a team from League One to the Championship and see how we’ve been progressing in this regard since our return to tier three.

OUFC

Promoted teams

And the current top of the table

So, in the five seasons prior to this, of the ten teams that have finished in the top two, seven conceded less than a goal a game and the other three very marginally just over a goal a game. Restricting the opposition to under a goal a game on average throughout a season does not however guarantee promotion. In 2016/17 both Fleetwood and Bradford managed that, finishing fourth and fifth respectively but then failing in the play-offs. Shrewsbury finished third in 2017/18 having done the same and Sunderland missed out two years in a row having been defensively this strong. That was 2019/20 when the season was curtailed and played into Wycombe’s hands and last season.

Unsurprisingly a team making it through the play-off route is not quite as likely to be as strong defensively as the two going up automatically. Three of the last five who went up via the play-offs let in over a goal a game but two didn’t and last season Blackpool had the best defensive record in the division. We had no answer to that in the first leg of the play-off semi-final as we well know. In fact they kept clean sheets in both league games and it was only when they’d already got a foot in the Wembley door that we managed to start scoring at Bloomfield Road.

In conclusion more than ever I’ll state the bleeding obvious, we need to sort that defence out. How many times will we rue not focussing more on that area of the pitch?

Give us a Brake

I can’t now help thinking back to the days of FOUL when I was much more heavily involved in trying to ensure that our football club had a home to play in. Complex and difficult roads had to be negotiated and travelled and we’re in for another journey which I would guess will be at least as challenging. Books could be written on the move to Minchery Farm and still people would be left scratching their heads. What it is quite easy to forget is that the initial structure of what eventually became called the Kassam Stadium appeared when Firoz was unheard of in these parts. Oxford United Football club was then owned by Robin Herd and we had a Managing Director by the name of Keith Cox. It was probably a combination of Walter Mitty thinking, bullshit and possibly also a little bit of stretching the truth that got us as far as having a rusting hulk in Minchery Farm. Of course the money that was never really there in the first place ran out and the construction company took their guys off site never to return. I met Robin quite a few times and he was a really nice bloke, sadly now no longer with us. I‘ve no idea where Keith Cox ended up.  There’s an article in “The Lawyer” in the summer of 1999 saying that “Solicitor Keith Cox has quit as managing director of Oxford United Football Club following allegations concerning a $100m (£61m) fraud investigation in the US.”

Probably all a big misunderstanding. “In his resignation statement, Cox says the OSS found there was no case to answer. But The Lawyer understands the investigation is still continuing. A warrant for Cox’s arrest was issued in September 1991 in the US District Court for Northern Florida. He is wanted for questioning in connection with mail fraud, wire fraud, bank fraud, interstate transportation of stolen property and money laundering”

There have been convictions in the US in relation to this matter, but all have been overturned on appeal.

The US Attorney’s office in Pensacola, Florida, has confirmed Cox is still wanted for questioning in the state.

He says the land deal dates back to 1986, and that “since then a number of principals and others involved have died”.

He says the indictments also related to other people. “At all times I was acting for clients.”

My conclusion on this is that I have led a very boring life.

But we are where we are and the lease on our current rented home expires in 2026 with little likelihood that it will be renewed and no will by any of the parties involved to see that happen anyway. If that were to happen that would be a lose / lose situation. What we want is win / win whatever that is. Us fans have had enough, we want to move on and have done for years. We want to be able to grow.

Knowing that a city centre location has never been on the cards I’d say Stratfield Brake looks ideal to me.  There will be some locals not happy with this and they have as much right as the rest of us to have an opinion but come on. It’s not in the middle of a built up area and there’s a station very close and that ticks so many boxes. It would be a real asset to the local economy and something that the city and county ought to be extremely proud of.

Any Yellows reading this that have not made their views known, whether you reside in the Shire or not, please don’t leave it to others. Make the powers that be aware of your opinions, fill in the surveys, write to the Council and help those who will be putting in an incredible amount of time and effort to try and see this dream come to fruition.

The closing date for the survey on the Oxfordshire County Council Site is nearly upon us, Tuesday 22 Feb. https://letstalk.oxfordshire.gov.uk/stratfield-brake-land-use-proposal-2022

Remember that the worst case scenario is that we end up homeless

And on the subject of football club ownership

Anyone who has read much of the stuff I’ve churned out will know that I am an avid listener to the Price of Football podcast. The second piece on last Thursday’s episode made for very interesting and surprising listening. I and I suspect nearly everyone else who takes even a passing interest, thought that Stuart Donald, Charlie Methven and Juan Sartori had sold Sunderland to 24 year old mega rich kid Kyril Louis-Dreyfus. But no, not so. Turned out the ownership of Sunderland is currently split thus: Dreyfus 41%, Donald 34%, Sartori 20%, Methven 5%. CM is described as “a posh bloke who doesn’t know much about football”. Apparently revealing your red underpants when leaning over is not the thing to do in those parts. And according to this, Sunderland are the only team to have received two years of Premier League parachute payments when in League One. Seems that this was the money these three used to purchase the club from Ellis Short.

Perhaps we need to be indebted to Darryl Eales even more than we realised?

Our opponents

Big club. Again. Fourth highest average home attendances in L1 this season at 17,928. Only Sunderland, Sheffield Wednesday and Ipswich get more through the turnstiles.

They’ve spent four of the last five seasons in tier three and are at present 14 points worse off than us in the table having played one game less. They’ve lost their last two league games but only by a single goal and the teams that beat them were Bolton and Wigan.  The bookies have the Addicks as marginal favourites to take all three points. It would be an understatement to say that I would be pissed off if we **** up again after Accy and Bolton and continue to leak goals as we have been doing.

CHARLTON ATHLETIC 0 OXFORD UNITED 4

Relying on Chiltern Railways to get us from Bicester to London we were a lot luckier than some fans from other parts of the country who were unable to make it to the Valley thanks to Storm Eunice. Some southern based fans turned round and went back home and it was no go from Cambridge.

The first leg of the journey was spent chatting to a QPR fan who thanked us for Rob Dickie.

Having left early in case we encountered travel issues we were in Borough Market in good time but what a disappointment that turned out to be pub wise. We discovered that the Barrowboy & Banker and the Market Tavern didn’t open until midday. We couldn’t find the Rake and the choice of beer in the Old King’s Head, bloody Doombar and Tribute, had no appeal (picky or what?). So we ended up in the National Trust owned George Inn which is leased to Greene King. Interesting 17^th century building and it did the job.

A pub at last

After a phone call or two we got everyone we had intended to link up with into the George, including some Charlton fans. If we are able to play our football we will win but if you get stuck in and stop us with strength and size and get at our defence then we won’t, is what I told them. I could have added especially if you attack down your right and fire shots across our keeper. That was before I’d seen the team Karl had picked. The reply I got was that all of Charlton’s forwards are out. That increased my optimism that we would win.

Then I saw the team. Just two changes to the starting XI but I read this as quite a shit or bust approach. Steve Seddon and the injured Billy Bodin (our best player of late) out and a front two of Matty Taylor and Sam Baldock (surely too similar in style?) with three centre-halves and wing-backs. I quite trust Ryan Williams in the w-b role but Mark Sykes that was a surprise.

The train from London Bridge to Charlton provided more football chat. I managed to get a seat next to a man wearing a red scarf and mask. With not much of his face on show it was hard to gauge his age but I would have put him at a bit older than me and I’m no spring chicken. I got chatting. His first Charlton game was in 1954 as a seven year old. Marvellous. His approach to this game and his team was a shrug of the shoulders “we’re not going up or down”.  Must be boring for them and its only February.

During the first 15 minutes or so it wasn’t looking as if our new set up was giving us the upper hand. The home side were having a lot of the ball and whilst we by no means looked any leakier at the back than we have done in recent times, I had concerns that we could be breached before proper understandings had been formed. That said, Charlton at no time in this spell had us doing anything desperate to remain level.

With nearly a quarter of the game gone we took the lead with a fine goal and from then on there was only one team in it. It might have been slightly against the run of play but the move we put together was better than anything the red shirted ones had constructed.

Cameron Brannagan came back to the edge of our box demanding the ball from Jack Stevens. Seeing players you trust taking charge is a real positive. The passing started. To Sam Long, to Sam Baldock, back to CB, quickly to Herbie Kane, to CB again, and then first time to Luke McNally. It was encouraging but about 10 yards shy of the penalty area he lost out to George Dobson. This wasn’t the end of the attack though because Sykes came in with great determination, wanting it more as the saying goes. A great chest pass from Baldock to Gavin Whyte then saw our loanee turn in an instant and feed Taylor to his right. The finish was superb. First touch perfection to place the ball ready for the second touch which was a smash into the opposite top corner.

We were really at it now and a second nearly followed almost immediately. It came from a Charlton attack in which they were unable to find their men as we had just started doing. Sykes read the situation in the RB position and with a neat dummy made room to launch one down the right and over the top for Taylor to run on to. We had them 3 v 3. Matty beat his man and then more marvellous work from Whyte set up CB for a rocket that rattled the frame of the goal.

Number two did soon arrive anyway. Again the attack started with Stevens, played out with his feet this time. Strength and determination winning the day once more (recently we’ve been losing out in such matters) from Williams powering past his man and setting Taylor up with a really good pass. No slow build up play here, just going for the kill. The shot was first time low, hard and close to keeper Craig MacGillivray’s legs and straight through them. They’re harder to save than they look.

The second half was much as the second half of the first half had been. Not even ten minutes in and number three was on the scoreboard. Long won a towering header and instead of being under potential threat it was us asking the questions. Whyte collected the ball in the centre circle and yet again turned and sent in motion a swift potent attack. When he received the pass Baldock was midway in the Charlton half. Teasing the defender in front of him he was able to cut inside and from the edge of the area curl a sublime effort beyond MacGillivray’s dive.

Some brief match reports will lazily declare that Oxford United beat ten man Charlton not bothering to mention that we were already 3-0 up when Sean Clare was dismissed. That happened eight minutes after Baldock had opened his Yellows account.

Taylor looked like he might get away down the left but Clare just threw his body into our number nine. On the deck Clare made sure he tangled with Matty as he got to his feet instead of heading directly to the loose ball. Foot was near face and a potential grabbing action to protect said face then happened. Red card. Yes. A stupid decision by Clare to behave in that way.

As often happens a team that have had their numbers reduced go on to play some of their best football of the match but to be fair they’d set a very low bar here. Stevens had to beat one shot away at his near post but the only other Charlton effort on target didn’t test him much.

The final goal came with seven minutes of regulation time left. Counting the free-kick, ten passes later with half the outfield players involved, Brannagan had the ball on the edge of the D and a feint set up a rocket with his right foot. His shooting has come on in leaps and bounds recently. He’s now joint 12^th leading scorer in the division on 10. Taylor is joint 4^th with six more of course.

On social media Charlton fans were as to be expected focussing on slagging their team off and not doing a huge amount more than damning us with faint praise. Yes we’re a decent side but not a great one. Charlton’s heads dropped. They want just about the whole team changed. They’re going nowhere under the current owner. None of the strikers at the club are as good as Taylor who they should have bought. They don’t quite understand why they’re getting beaten this easily by teams like us who have a smaller budget. (How do they know that?)

As ever a team can only beat the opposition they face on the day and after our first goal I thought we were superb. Credit all round to the players and management.

The wing back system worked. Williams was a strong contender for man of the match as were quite a few others. He formed a solid looking partnership with Long. Sykes grew into his new role very quickly. Brannagan was all action, Herbie Kane’s passing was back on target and in Baldock we have another quality striker. Then there was the positive creativity of Whyte. We didn’t get outmuscled anywhere. Our shooting wasn’t wayward, just clinical.

Recent focus on our defensive shortcomings has meant our goal scoring prowess has been overlooked by me at least. We’re the first team in our division to reach 60 goals this season and even when taking account of the fact that we’ve played more games than some, we still come out top on goals scored per game edging out Rotherham by 0.0057 of a goal. Not that these things have a whole lot of meaning in themselves.

Defensively we now rank 9th and I am nearly as happy with the clean sheet as I am with the three points and comprehensive victory. We’ve proven we can do it and this should build confidence, although we’ll face more fearsome attacks than Charlton could muster.

Still 13 games to go and much hard work ahead. By the week we’re concluding more and more that Rotherham and Wigan are gone. MK Dons are on great form and have four more points than us having played the same number of games. With their games in hand Plymouth, Wycombe and Sheffield Wednesday could all overtake us pushing us down from the play-off places. Sunderland though look shot although a mate is still convinced they’ll nick a top six spot. Some teams with dreams will miss out and that’s just the beginning. Please don’t let it be us.

But not to worry about that now. This was a day to revel in a win of such proportions that propelled us back up the table above the line, at least for now. And what support we had in SE7 to do that revelling. They say that a vociferous backing for a team can be worth a goal and when away followings rock up at the Kassam loudly and in large numbers it irks me that they often seem to have the upper hand decibel wise. At the Valley that was us on Saturday and brought back memories of that 3-3 draw we got there many years ago when the din Oxford United’s backing created was almost deafening.

We even had a very big flag

It wasn’t just in the ground but on the train to and from London Bridge as well and walking back to Charlton station after the game. Out of nowhere we have accumulated a sizeable number of noisy singing youth. As long as they behave that’s a good thing. Slowly shuffling along to get into the station “SMHS” they sang. Now as the ages would be I’d guess late teens / early twenties I couldn’t help but comment “they weren’t even born” to no-one in particular. A lad about the same age as them near me overheard and said, “Well someone has to keep it going and no disrespect mate you old geezers are all finished”. I could not help but smile. This old geezer is going to continue going to football as long as he possibly can.

I walked through the front door at about 7:50 and the first words I spoke to my wife were, “What a great day”. She replied, “If you’d seen the text I just sent you, you wouldn’t think it was such a great day. Joey Beachamp has died”.

I held the tears back as I ate my meal but after I’d finished they came. I’ve no idea what to write now. Legend and all that. I keep picturing him running with the ball.

RIP Joey, you brought so much joy to so many.