FAN’S VIEW: 2025/26 – COVENTRY AT HOME

Just because I don’t write a FV after every game now – and some relief that is – doesn’t mean that I’ve not got Oxford United yellow opinions pinging around in my head all the time and bouncing off my skull. These need to be released at some stage.

The season so far (before the visit of the Sky Blues)

Has worried me. I always knew it was going to be difficult and before the visit of the Sky Blues we were only three games in but those pinging opinions aren’t doing my mental health much good.

I gave my views on a number of players in the Hull FV and those have not changed. The standard of a number of them has dropped. I’m thinking Tyler Goodrham, Cameron Brannagan and Elliott Moore. Siriki Dembele has never convinced me. There are others too.

For us to be successful – and by that I mean not getting relegated – we need to produce something that is greater than the sum our parts. We’ve been way off that.

I’ve not given up hope, far from it, but I’ve got a fear that we could be somewhat adrift before we get our act together.

The players I am pinning my hopes on are some of the new boys and I’ve not seen a lot of them yet so I could be quite wrong. Perhaps is it just desperate thinking? Some are not match fit; not ready to go, or if they can go it isn’t for a full 90 minutes.

Absolutely liked the look of Nik Prelec. A striker with proper physical presence. A fully functional Brian De Keersmaecker could be our best central midfielder, a nailed-on starter.

It’s been said that we’re really lacking midfield creativity with the departure of Ruben Rodrigues. I’d go along with that a bit but not to the extent of some. Step forward Luke Harris. Think I’m getting carried away here, I’ve only seen him for a few minutes against Brighton. But hey, I need to get my positive thinking head on. (The red wine helps).

Then there’s Will Lankshear. I think (hope) he’ll do well. Again, a bit of a presence and if he has a better work ethic than our previous Spurs loanee he’ll do fine.

Stan Mills looks like he’s improving. Our best wide man? And he too has physicality. He’s not going to be easily pushed off the ball. Not something I’ve noticed but a mate reckons he needs to get better at what he does when we’re out of possession, which to be fair is most of the time.

We’ve yet to see Ben Davies but he is highly rated and considered to be the solution to the left sided central defensive problem. Elliott Moore and Michal Helik are not a comfortable pairing and the former seems to be falling down the pecking order based on recent displays even if he is captain. Hopefully the pain of losing Ciaron Brown for possibly the whole of the first half of the season will largely go away with the arrival of Davies.

And whilst talking about the defence it would be wrong not to mention Sam Long. What a servant he has been to the club. He fills in where needed at the back and seems to be getting better with age.

It’s good for the mind to focus on the positives but the reality is that before Saturday we’d played three league games and lost them all, albeit by a single goal. Two of these three opponents are not fancied to end up near the top. Then we got slaughtered by the Brighton second string. The 6-0 score line says so as do the eyes of those who witnessed it. (Stats tell a somewhat different story, but I’ll gloss over that). Three of those goals were gifted. Mistakes aplenty even from our better players. But hey, given the talent Premier League teams can amass we’re likely to lose to their third and fourth teams too. Never going to beat them. Then we look at other scores. League Two Grimsby knocking Manchester United out. And to add to our woes both full-backs got injured against the Seagulls. Woe is us indeed.

A very tiny minority of our fans on social media have called for Gary Rowett to go. Utter delusional drivel imho. In fact, I can’t think of many better managers to take on the task in hand. He’s got my full support and also sympathy for having to undertake the Indonesian jaunt.

OXFORD UNITED 2 COVENTRY CITY 2

Cameron Brannagan celebrates scoring United’s equaliser (Photo: Steve Daniels)

At times in this game there was much to depress and much to worry about. At other times there was a lot of hope. Of the ten 45 minutes I’ve witnessed this season the second period here was the only one that’s properly excited me. Edge of the seat and leaping in the air stuff.

Given what Brighton had done to us and what Coventry had done to QPR I, only half joking, said to Mrs FV let’s see if we can survive the first 10 minutes. We did. That 0-0 score line was only maintained a further 30 seconds though. Just about all the game had been played in our half up to that point. Haji Wright had already got the ball in our net before the visitors took the lead but was marginally off-side.

Coventry players had the ability to receive the ball when closely marked, including in our penalty area. Not only that but they were also able to move it on again to team mates in a similar situation. From the off it looked like it was going to be a tough afternoon.

The opener came following one and two touch football in a crowded area on the left flank. When the ball came into the area Helik had not quite got his balance right meaning that when he stretched and got a foot on it the ball was not cleared. Wright picked it up, turned and put it away from close range. I’d question whether Jamie Cumming should have done better.

The lead could have been extended. This time Ephron Mason-Clark thought he’d got on the score sheet. Emily Carney again getting it absolutely correct in raising her flag. Not much in it though. Did a great job without the assistance/interference of VAR.

We’ve not got the players to play the Coventry way. I’m not saying we are, or should be, long ball merchants, far from it, but when Cumming launched it, we won a free-kick. At the time I thought it was soft but having watched it back again I’ve changed my mind. Bobby Thomas just ran into Lankshear making no attempt to play the ball. It was a nudge, not the most violent of actions, but cheating nonetheless. Stop moaning Lampard. This needs cutting out of the game. You’ve got a team good enough to win many football matches without doing such things.

It’s a fine sight, seeing Brannagan with a dead ball before him within shooting range, and even a good way out given his ability. He struck it low and hard to the right of the wall. It bounced once before it got to keeper Carl Rushworth. He saved it but Lankshear was on to the rebound quicker than anyone else and confidently equalised.

Although this raised the spirits somewhat Coventry were still in the ascendancy. We continued to make mistakes. I don’t want to have a downer on TG but I recall him giving the ball away in a dangerous area. We were saved by one magnificent block from Hidde ter Avest and also helped out by poor Coventry finishing.

By half time we were behind again. Lankshear had caught Victor Torp in the D (and when you get caught in the D that hurts ha ha). Torp-edoed the ball beyond Cumming. No stopping that.

It could have been worse as they frequently played through us. Another block kept us in it. This time from Cumming who positioned himself just where he was needed to stop Mason-Clark.

The second half was different altogether. We began with more intensity, taking the game to the opposition. That intensity increased to the mythical 110% when Goodrham was cynically bodychecked. It motivated us further and we got better still when Stan Mills and Nik Prelec arrived in the 72^nd minute. Those two would have been in my starting XI. (If fully match fit).

There was another off-side goal, this time from us. Brian De Keersmaecker, who impressed me, bent a beautiful ball in and after one bounce it was despatched by a Lankshear diving header. A very close call but once more Carney was spot on with her decision.

It’s the way of most football fans to have a go at the officials. We get so wound up and entangled in the game. We let out our frustrations. But at times when we watch replays it has to be said that they did rather well in many situations. They’re closer than we are and are trained in these matters. We’re very biased. But don’t start me on shirt pulling and opponents not retreating 10 yards from a free-kick when spray is not used.

Matt Philips played a ball over the top which Lankshear got onto. From the angle of the six-yard box he hammered just over the bar. Captain Liam Kitching just about got back to make it a tad more difficult for our loanee from Spurs.

Another equaliser came three minutes after our key substitutions. Every league goal we’ve scored this season has been an equaliser.

From another long ball down the centre, this time from Helik, Prelec was adjudged to have been fouled. The camera behind the goal confirmed that this was very much the correct decision. Well done referee Ruebyn Ricardo.

To the right and a yard or so outside the area there wasn’t much room to squeeze the ball home between wall and Rushworth’s left-hand post. Brannagan did help his cause by moving the ball slightly to the right when Ricardo wasn’t looking. Bang. Postage stamp stuff.

It’s all about twos. Two of the four goals here were direct from free-kicks. We’ve only got two players who have scored in the league this season. Each has scored two goals. It was now 2-2. As it had been at Hull. There though in the 90 + 4th minute we conceded again. Obviously I didn’t want that to happen here but the way we were playing we were the most likely side to get another. The West Midlanders were still very dangerous though.

After another good Oxford move Siriki Dembele was set up with a very presentable chance. His effort was woeful. He just didn’t set himself right at all. No wonder we get pissed off with him at times.

Would we pay for that? We nearly did. At the other end Wright was set up for a chance that was just as good as Dembele’s. He did much better than our man did but not quite well enough and struck the bar.

That was in the 90^th minute and with just three added we’d got our first point on the board.

The way we’d played for those last 45 minutes and the fact that we’d come from behind twice made it feel like a win. Just one point after four games isn’t great but we’re not bottom and have the two Sheffield clubs below us. United still to register but surely they’ll climb the table and not do a Luton, won’t they? Wednesday have a point but worse GD than us and massive off field issues as we know. They’re likely to be there or thereabouts near the bottom all season unless ownership changes pdq and they get themselves into a position to build in the January transfer window. Which can be something of a challenge when you can’t sign players for fees. Backs to the wall siege mentality can only get you so far.

We’ve now got the international break which I think comes at a very good time, provided we don’t end up with more crocks. We should come back fitter overall and ready to go again with the uplift of the Coventry game still hanging around.

There’s so much more I could write here but time to sign off as its now three days since we played.

However, I feel another FV coming on before the visit of Leicester. Another new signing; Elliott Moore leaving the club; I’ve still not properly commented on the Cherwell decision; there’s been a fans forum and there’s other little niggling bits and pieces. Perhaps I will, perhaps I won’t.