Chelten-numb

[slappy]

Well that was an improvement from Saturday against Burton. Cheltenham had two shots all game and scored both. The first was once again a long range strike which Clarke couldn't stretch to reach. The second was a bit of a defensive muddle leaving one player with four U's players around him, but left him free to shoot and score.

Midfield of Chapman, Heslop, Cox. Attack of Craddock, Smalley, JPP. JPP went down injured fairly early and despite treatment had to be subbed on 15 minutes for Potter.
The revived front three looked dangerous, however the two Cheltenham centre backs kept most of the attacks to the usual inability to get into space. Smalley and Craddock I think both had great shots saved by the Cheltenham keeper Brown. The changes to the side however meant at times the players couldn't quite read each other as much as a tried and tested formation. There was one flick-on where if our player had gone one way past the defence it would have been a perfect pass, but he went the other way and the chance was lost.

Late on, Constable and Leven were on for I think Craddock and Cox? Anyway, the extra battling of Constable got us fighting back into the game, we were able to try some balls over the top for Constable to get underneath.

What did annoy me was the kids taking the piss out of our team with cheering each pass whilst their was still fifteen minutes to go. This was not a four-nil thrashing, and very much a game we could get back into.

We did with about ten minutes left get a penalty our way, Leven converted, and it was then down to Cheltenham to waste as much time as possible.

I think both sets of players were fairly low on confidence, so there were some memorable cock-ups. Our throw in straight to their players. Their corner from Marlon Pack was hacked into the centre circle for Alfie to run on to. Unfortunately he waited for back up to arrive rather than attacking the goal and the momentum was lost.

Cheltenham had a player go down injured, rolling around whilst Cheltenham continued their attack. Several minutes later, the ball is finally up in the Cheltenham half, and they kick it out, before having the nerve to claim we should give it back to them. Said player runs straight back on after walking off the pitch with the physio.

On a very crackly Radio Oxford, Jerome I think asked Chris Wilder if he would be preparing the squad for Saturday. Wilder took exception, I think justifiably that this performance would over the season get results, but just not tonight.

[OUFC4eva]

All so utterly predictable and depressing.

The OUFC away experience has become such a recurring theme - it's gut wrenching.

Lot's of huff and puff but a stunning lack of know how and quality. We really do struggle
to open teams up. The set pieces are dreadful,there is no heading ability, no cut and thrust
in the vital areas and we succumb to the opposition in the end as the pressure builds.

Check out our away record in the FL especially this calendar year.

[SmileyMan]

OK, I'm one of the most pro-Wilder posters on here, and even I'm now thinking that maybe a change is due. Not that he's not a good manager, and not that he doesn't have the ability to perhaps manage at a higher level. It's just clear that he has a real problem with either recognising problems or taking the steps to fix them, or both.

I think the best word is stale. Losing to Cheltenham, even with a good performance, shouldn't be on the acceptable list.

[theox]

I have also been a firm Wilder supporter and am very definitely a supporter of continuity in club management.

However, the writing is beginning to emerge on the wall. We have these bad runs every year under Wilder and only once have we got away with it (Play off promotion). When we are in these runs there never seems to be any ideas of how to change things and the constant lack of cutting edge up front (we need a League Two level Matt Green imho) is telling. It always seems to be a case of riding it out and eventually we stop conceding goals and are able to win games 1-0 or 2-1 again but never enough games to lift us to the next level.

Time for a change? Its starting to look that way.

[ty cobb]

I'm sorry but losing away to Chelt shouldn't be on the acceptabale list? What the same team who were narrowly beaten in the play off final last season? We don't have a right to beat a team like that anymore than we had a right to beat any team in the Conference.

Bad runs every year under Wilder? Every team has a bad run under a manger, although first season we had with him we had nothing but an amazing run and would have been promoted but for admin issues. Second season he got us promoted, the small bad run we had that season cost us the title but getting promoted via Wembley as far more than acceptable.

Season after we were comfortably mid table in our first season back, last season was our highest finish in years despite a long injury list - if Leven had stayed fit throughout we'd have got in the play offs. This season we started like a train, albeit one that has now crashed. This is now the time to give Wilder a bit of slack, he's earnt it. he is only failing if you expect Oxford to be challanging for promotion. Is this reasonable? Given the size of our crowd and history perhaps, given the history over the last 10 years not at all. If we do have those expectations there that just shows how much he has turned the club around - when he took over I'd have snapped your hand off to be where we are today, and indeed where we have been the last couple of years.

Injuries and suspensions have hit us hard recently, we haven't really seen JFC and Leven together and I think they will be an awesome combination, Dubes (our best defender) has been missing and Beano has been in and out all season due to injury and suspension.

And if Wilder did go would the new man improve things, again maybe history of the type of manager we have attracted over the last few years can help with this

Darren Patterson (40%), Brian Talbot (26%), Graham Rix (20%), David Kemp (23%), Mark Wright (18%), Ian Atkins (39%). (Ramon Diaz (40%) and Jim Smith (49%) don't count as they only came here under special circumstances and we're not likely to get the best manager in South American anytime soon), the above list sends a shiver down my spine - Wilder has his faults, perhaps needs to address them but time for a change because of losing to last seasons play off finalists when it sounds like we dominated the game - come on!

Edited to show win percentages. CW is at 47% - second most successful manger in Oxfords history in terms of games won?

[JoeyBeauchamp]

Losing to Cheltenham away is not acceptable, but this was an improvement. Such a shame about that second goal, because a draw would have given us some confidence. Saturday now becomes huge.

I was quite happy with team selection with one glaring exception - Beano has to be given five/six games to give him a chance to get back to the form we know he can show. For us to repeatedly turn down six-figure bids for him and then leaving him on the bench doesn't make sense.

[slappy]

I forgot to mention the free-kick which crashed back off the post and Craddock just quite couldn't connect.

[Myles Francis]

. he is only failing if you expect Oxford to be challanging for promotion. Is this reasonable? Given the size of our crowd and history perhaps, given the history over the last 10 years not at all.

Sorry, but I do expect us to be challenging for promotion. It's got nothing to do with crowd size or history. It has got everything to do with the resources available, the stated ambitions of our manager and chairmen, etc etc etc.

We are now into our third season back in the league and we seem to be making the same mistakes time and time again. If we were making progress then I would agree that Wilder deserves time. In fact, I think he is well into his grace period now having failed to deliver any significant progress last season. I'm still of the opinion that he should be given until Christmas and if we're not in the top 5 then a change should be made.

[dr ceri]

I tend to agree with your analysis Myles, but there's just one problem. IL has decided to let it get to the point where CW's contract is up at the end of the season and he's pointedly refusing to give him a new one right now. Makes sense on one simple level, but it's actually simply making fertile ground for instability. Wilder is and will continued to be linked with every job in L1 and L2, and you can bet his agent is working hard behind the scenes to get him something else. I don't think this scenario ever works out. Either back him (a 1 year extension with another one on top of that if certain criteria are met) or sack him. We're just delaying the inevitable now and the consequences will be a lost season at best, and we've been here before to know what the worst case scenario is.

[GodalmingYellow]

I tend to agree with Myles as well on this, although how long CW is given must surely depend on his ability to get more from the squad. Christmas may be too late.

Sorry Ty, but your post looks like a list of unjustified excuses which do not reflect what has actually occurred and conveniently ignoring all the negative issues which have been repeated throughout CW's reign.

[Kernow Yellow]

I tend to agree with your analysis Myles, but there's just one problem. IL has decided to let it get to the point where CW's contract is up at the end of the season and he's pointedly refusing to give him a new one right now. Makes sense on one simple level, but it's actually simply making fertile ground for instability. Wilder is and will continued to be linked with every job in L1 and L2, and you can bet his agent is working hard behind the scenes to get him something else. I don't think this scenario ever works out. Either back him (a 1 year extension with another one on top of that if certain criteria are met) or sack him. We're just delaying the inevitable now and the consequences will be a lost season at best, and we've been here before to know what the worst case scenario is.

That's a very interesting point. And how nice to see Dr Ceri back on the forum.

As to last night's game, it's hard to know what to make of it. We played well enough, I thought. Yet again we lose to seemingly 'wonder goals', but we stuck at it, the players heads never dropped, and they got a deserved round of applause from the Yellows fans at the end. Heslop and Raynes, who've come in for a lot of stick lately, both played fine, the former probably our most effective midfielder on the night, and no-one had a stinker. My travelling companion was certainly of the opinion that we're just getting no luck at the moment, and on another day we keep a clean sheet and get 3 points.

However, I'm not so sure. Yet again mistakes cost us - the first goalscorer was given all the time he wanted to stroll forwards and hit a shot, and the culpability for the second is undeniably Batt's. Yet again Clarke is beaten twice from distance (he didn't even move for the first, despite the ball having to travel over 25 yards). And when we lose the ball, Cheltenham seemed to move through the middle of the park as if our midfield wasn't there (which, often, it wasn't). In short, we seem to have developed a 'softness', very unlike the Wilder teams we've come to know.

Moreover, for all our passing and shots on goal, we don't particularly look like scoring. Our shots from distance do not sail in the top corner - which of our forwards would you back to finish the chance that Harrad was presented with for their second? We've scored two goals from open play in four games, while conceding thirteen. Yet again we are so static at throw-ins it's frankly a miracle when we retain possession.

The game just reminded me of years past - a midtable performance in a subdued atmosphere, players trying their best but coming up a little short. So what's the solution? I can't help but notice that our most productive spells this season have come when we are playing 4-4-2 with two wide men, but would this expose our central midfield even more? I'd be tempted to try and find out. Because something needs to change if we're going to challenge for anything this season...

[Werthers Original]

I tend to feel we've never really replaced Adam Murray and Matt Green - a midfield 'guv'nor' who can pass and a forward who scares the opposition with speed and directness. Maybe add Paul McLaren to that , an unflashy holding midfielder who just seems to make us play better when he's on the field.

[joepoolman]

I tend to feel we've never really replaced Adam Murray and Matt Green - a midfield 'guv'nor' who can pass and a forward who scares the opposition with speed and directness. Maybe add Paul McLaren to that , an unflashy holding midfielder who just seems to make us play better when he's on the field.

Imo Chappy is just as effective as Murray, JP if he gets a run of form will do what Matt Green did, he looked brilliant until he came off last night, and although Whingy isn't as good on the ball I think he plays the holding role just as well as (an on form) McLaren.

For what it's worth I pretty much agree with all of what ty cobb's got to say, and I think dr ceri makes a very good point too, despite the fact I'm firmly behind Wilder I think IL needs to go one way or the other soon, for the sake of club and manager.

[tts back]

I tend to feel we've never really replaced Adam Murray and Matt Green - a midfield 'guv'nor' who can pass and a forward who scares the opposition with speed and directness. Maybe add Paul McLaren to that , an unflashy holding midfielder who just seems to make us play better when he's on the field.

Matt Green maybe but ADAM MURRAY???? you are having a laugh aintcha??? ........ Bulmans the player we miss imo.

[ty cobb]

I tend to agree with Myles as well on this, although how long CW is given must surely depend on his ability to get more from the squad. Christmas may be too late.

Sorry Ty, but your post looks like a list of unjustified excuses which do not reflect what has actually occurred and conveniently ignoring all the negative issues which have been repeated throughout CW's reign.

Unjustified excuses? So you don't think we were particularly hit hard by injuries last season and again this season? Beano and Leven were out for the run in last season, had they both been fit we'd have picked up a couple more wins and got in the play offs - getting in the play offs would have been a good season, our budget is not as high as some in the division.

After Jim Smith Wilder is the second most successful manager in the clubs history at winning games. You want to get rid of him - crazy!

Agree with Dr Ceri, the uncertainty around his contract and the Coventry job does not help - any club with speculation around the manager usually suffers. This time two weeks ago if I'd have called for his head I'd have been shouted down, sitting pretty in the league and having beaten the scum in the cup we were in a good place. Since then we've lost two games in a row, that is not enough to change the long term view of Wilder being a manager who is improving us every season. Indeed given his fantastic record with us it is the time to cut him a bit of slack and get behind him.