Oxford United (h) - 09/12/25

[chaddyrovers]

32 minutes ago, Dreams of 1995 said:

I'm guessing that Gardner-Hickman got injured but he was a big miss in the 2nd half.

Ismael said post game it was tactically and Cantwell came on for him

[chaddyrovers]

24 minutes ago, RevidgeBlue said:

That's somewhat of an indictment on the recruitment when you signed 3 central midfielders in the summer.

are all those 3 signings can play the number 6 defensive midfielder role? 

[RevidgeBlue]

3 minutes ago, chaddyrovers said:

are all those 3 signings can play the number 6 defensive midfielder role? 

Stop splitting hairs.

[NeilInBristol]

48 minutes ago, rossyste said:

Last night summed up for me the sad decline of our club over the last 15 years. With no investment in the Stadium infrastructure, playing squad or fan base Venkys "generated" the lowest league "attendance" at Ewood in many a year. Where does this all end with no creative thinking and fan engagement at an all time low ? I genuinely think the only option left is a match boycott to attract some media attention but would the happy clappers simply tut and attend ? It's hard to even press the Red button these days so kudos to those that attend but some people need to open there eyes to what is going on.

I am amazed that even 5-7k actually turned up last night!! A cold wet Tues to watch us struggle against Oxford - there are some truly die hard fans of ours.
 

If they would protest as well and show the media that they aren’t coming to the ground but the fact that many even turned up last night doesn’t give me much hope that we can muster up enough of a walk out to attract media attention against the scumbags

[Gaz85]

If we are putting our strongest 11 together when all fit (appreciate in reality that rarely happens) there’s an argument as many as 7 were missing last night from the starting team. That’s; Toth, Wharton, Carter, Hedges, Tronstad, Cantwell and Baradji.

I dont care who you are but that amount of disruption is going to have a huge impact on performance. I’m hoping we are close to seeing a midfield 3 of Tronstad, Cantwell and Baradji. A mix of solidity, strength, skill and flair. Have them playing consistently we will be so much better for it.

Injuries are part and part of the game I get it, but we have been totally decimated this season. Very difficult to judge this team without actually seeing them play together.

We certainly had the chances to win the game last night. Good save from TGH but Ohashi has to do better; poor miss.

Let’s go to Pompey and get the win…..Ever the optimist….

 

[G Somerset Rover]

I mean, I agree with Ismael that had Tronstad and Cantwell been fit all season that we'd likely be a few points better off. But let's not forget that the club are seemingly content with letting the former leave on a free at the end of the season (not to mention they'd no doubt be keen to get Cantwell and his wages out of the door too at the first opportunity). What then? Another Gardner-Hickman calibre of player to come in for Tronstad? If we somehow survive this season we certainly won't next.

Edited 1 hour ago by G Somerset Rover

[chaddyrovers]

2 minutes ago, RevidgeBlue said:

Stop splitting hairs.

No Rev, different midfielders have different roles in midfielder. You don't rated Tronstad. He is defensive midfielder where has Henriksson isn't centre midfielder but number 10. Baradji is a number 8 box to box midfielder. Is Tavares a natural number 6 defensive midfielder player? 

 

[chaddyrovers]

1 minute ago, G Somerset Rover said:

But let's not forget that the club are seemingly content with letting the former leave on a free at the end of the season

Tronstad said in Norwegian press during a podcast in the summer he was going back Norway next summer for Family reasons

[NeilInBristol]

43 minutes ago, Dreams of 1995 said:

I could see this being a disappointing night. Everything pointed that way

We have the basics of a competitive squad but it is too imbalanced. Not enough competition in the right places, combined with injuries, has meant that we lack options from the bench to change our style and the game. I think we did well to get back into it and get a point where in times gone by we may have collapsed.

Ribeiro had a poor game but has not played much. Tended to move backwards instead of forwards. We miss Hedges down that left-hand side for sure.

I'm guessing that Gardner-Hickman got injured but he was a big miss in the 2nd half. Tavares just hasn't got it has he? I quite like it when a player looks relaxed but as I said last night, it isn't relaxation with him it is being lackadaisical. He gives the ball away too often and there were times he played these short passes with absolutely no purpose other than to move the ball on. I don't think he has it cut out to be a player in the Championship

We were unfortunate not to finish the Gardner Hickman chance. He couldn't do much more and the keeper made a fine save. It was a lovely knock down by Gudjohnson.

The Yuki chance was another which should have gone in. Except this time it was poor finishing instead of good goalkeeping. I think if Gudjohnson was there, it becomes 1-1.

I am not overly enamoured by our defensive options either. McLoughlin is a bit slow off the mark and a couple of occasions him being turned back to his goal nearly brought problems.

There's still glimpses of hope. We aren't as bad of a squad as I thought going into the season. We need to defend our box better and we need to be better and more ambitious when in possession. For sure in January we need a centre half but we also need a central midfielder who is prepared to take this game by the scruff of the neck. Take Tronstad out of the team and we don't half look like a pushover in midfield

Last season we had travis and tronstad with Buckley on the bench and rarely used

 

If people can’t see the downgrade of our squad due to the owners then they deserve to waste their money and go to the ground and watch us struggle 

[RevidgeBlue]

Just now, NeilInBristol said:

I am amazed that even 5-7k actually turned up last night!! A cold wet Tues to watch us struggle against Oxford - there are some truly die hard fans of ours.
 

If they would protest as well and show the media that they aren’t coming to the ground but the fact that many even turned up last night doesn’t give me much hope that we can muster up enough of a walk out to attract media attention against the scumbags

Im not sure Id agree, there were so few on last night it was really noticeable.

I think we're nearing the stage, if not already at it, where there's already an unofficial boycott by virtue of people  having voted with their feet. Without the need for an official boycott to be called.

Whether or not it was a one off reaction to the Wednesday postponement we'll have to wait and see but either way I think they'll be shocked at ST renewal figures next season.

[NeilInBristol]

7 minutes ago, RevidgeBlue said:

Im not sure Id agree, there were so few on last night it was really noticeable.

I think we're nearing the stage, if not already at it, where there's already an unofficial boycott by virtue of people  having voted with their feet. Without the need for an official boycott to be called.

Whether or not it was a one off reaction to the Wednesday postponement we'll have to wait and see but either way I think they'll be shocked at ST renewal figures next season.

I hope you are right 

but 5-7k is still a lot of people 

I see Bristol rovers play at the mem and they are now relegated yet still get 6k each game at home Tues sat. It’s a lot of people 

it’s astonishing that we have fallen so low but in reality for it to be noticeable 7k turning up doesn’t seem to raise an eyebrow with the media 

[RevidgeBlue]

12 minutes ago, chaddyrovers said:

No Rev, different midfielders have different roles in midfielder. You don't rated Tronstad. He is defensive midfielder where has Henriksson isn't centre midfielder but number 10. Baradji is a number 8 box to box midfielder. Is Tavares a natural number 6 defensive midfielder player? 

 

Im not going to get drawn into alleged technical differences between central midfielders but if we needed a back up "number 6" or direct Tronstad replacement and don't have one perhaps we should have signed one?

I wasn't even referring to Henriksson, we signed Forshaw, Tavares, Baradji and TGH in summer.

[...]

1 hour ago, Comfortably numb said:

He's got a good leap on him as well. I think we saw glimpses last night of why we were prepared to sign him with his injury. Short term pain for long term gain hopefully.

It's also why I find it baffling that people write players off after seeing them play for 10 mins.

Yea he's probably touched the ball about 30 times but he could come good for us and ypur right looks big and strong in the air. 

Hopefully he can push on for us and turn out to be useful

[Penwortham Blue]

36 minutes ago, Gaz85 said:

If we are putting our strongest 11 together when all fit (appreciate in reality that rarely happens) there’s an argument as many as 7 were missing last night from the starting team. That’s; Toth, Wharton, Carter, Hedges, Tronstad, Cantwell and Baradji.

I dont care who you are but that amount of disruption is going to have a huge impact on performance. I’m hoping we are close to seeing a midfield 3 of Tronstad, Cantwell and Baradji. A mix of solidity, strength, skill and flair. Have them playing consistently we will be so much better for it.

Injuries are part and part of the game I get it, but we have been totally decimated this season. Very difficult to judge this team without actually seeing them play together.

We certainly had the chances to win the game last night. Good save from TGH but Ohashi has to do better; poor miss.

Let’s go to Pompey and get the win…..Ever the optimist….

 

I agree, I think if everyone was available for selection, then we have a really decent XI and a much stronger bench than Ismael is currently having to work with.

Edited 1 hour ago by Penwortham Blue
Spelling

[bazza]

36 minutes ago, RevidgeBlue said:

For me last night was an absolute "must win" game which yet again we failed to convert.

The only positive thing was that (on TV at least) the pitch looked absolutely fine. If it's true what Mike Graham said on here yesterday that we hired some machinery from Lancs Cricket Club then it did it's job admirably and it's what we should have done after the Ipswich game.

Should keep us going until we can sort it permanently.

It wasn't raining much during the game last night. That's why the pitch was fine. During the Ipswich game it rained incessantly through the first half and even heavier during the second. The pitch couldn't cope with that. Nothing to do with Lancs CC equipment IMO

[chaddyrovers]

17 minutes ago, RevidgeBlue said:

Im not going to get drawn into alleged technical differences between central midfielders but if we needed a back up "number 6" or direct Tronstad replacement and don't have one perhaps we should have signed one?

I wasn't even referring to Henriksson, we signed Forshaw, Tavares, Baradji and TGH in summer.

I dont class Forshaw as a signing. Forshaw and Montgomery are Tronstad's back ups for me. 

[RevidgeBlue]

5 minutes ago, bazza said:

It wasn't raining much during the game last night. That's why the pitch was fine. During the Ipswich game it rained incessantly through the first half and even heavier during the second. The pitch couldn't cope with that. Nothing to do with Lancs CC equipment IMO

We only needed to get through another 10 mins of the Ipswich game though. With covers or proper machinery, that game would have finished.

[rovers11]

There were some positives from the game last night. 

Thought Morishita looked really good again and is fast becoming one of our best players. Good on the ball and has a good work ethic.

Baradji looked good when he came on. Unlike most of our players, he has good technical ability and speed. 

Toddy head and shoulders above everyone else when he came on. He'll have certainly instructed his agent to get him a move next summer. 

[desrover]

12 hours ago, Upside Down said:

Maybe it's time for the remaining few to do the same then.

While our club is struggling under Venky's the average attendance last season was over 16 thousand minus away fans. Not sure how long it will take for the 'remaining few' to stop going! It will need organised action similar to that at Sheffield Wednesday. 

[KidderStreetNoise]

1 minute ago, desrover said:

While our club is struggling under Venky's the average attendance last season was over 16 thousand minus away fans. Not sure how long it will take for the 'remaining few' to stop going! It will need organised action similar to that at Sheffield Wednesday. 

The actual average attendance last season was 12,822, including away fans

[desrover]

2 minutes ago, KidderStreetNoise said:

The actual average attendance last season was 12,822, including away fans

Which is decent considering the last 15 years. Rovers clearly need new owners who care!

[KidderStreetNoise]

Just now, desrover said:

Which is decent considering the last 15 years. Rovers clearly need new owners who care!

It's already below 11k this season

[Bronzed A Donis]

1 hour ago, NeilInBristol said:

I hope you are right 

but 5-7k is still a lot of people 

I see Bristol rovers play at the mem and they are now relegated yet still get 6k each game at home Tues sat. It’s a lot of people 

it’s astonishing that we have fallen so low but in reality for it to be noticeable 7k turning up doesn’t seem to raise an eyebrow with the media 

I dont think the media have ever cared. Small Lancashire Town, small gates, must be because they aren't in the prem, will be most peoples thoughts. Most people just put us in a homegenous blob, indistinguishable from Burnley, Bolton et al.

We will never get a full boycott, not even for a game. Everything thats happened in 15 years should be enough in most normal circumstances for the owners to leave.

If people enjoy going, go for it, lifes too short, it doesnt mean they condone the way club is run. The only people who need to stay away from Ewood and fuck off and never come back are Suhail, Rudy and the Rao's (makes me laugh the same people who slag off fans for not attending, defend the owners, who havent been in over 10 years !).