Home Match Day Thread 15/4/2023 L1: OUFC v Bolton Wanderers

[ChamonixOx]

Some good signs in the second half; the balll was being pinged about quickly. Bolton were mullered today and very lucky to walk away with three points.

All we can do is keep supporting the lads and trust that we never see Murphy on the pitch in a yellow shirt again; what a shameful performance.

There was a bloke on the radio asking questions of the board; leave your questioning untill 7th May, we have to devote every ounce of effort in keeping in this division.

I say we can do it.

Supporting the team and questioning the board are two entirely separate issues. We heard the same s**t about the manager, and look where that got us? We should have been calling for Robinson’s head in November, but because of comments and attitudes like this, it took a three nil home game against Rovers (who were crap) and one point in eight games, before the fans properly turned.

Get behind the team when they are on the pitch, yes, but that does not mean the CEO, Chairman, et al can’t be questioned currently - and they should be after the Robinson debacle (how TW is still here is beyond me).

 

[Oxford84]

It was definitely a foul so yellow.
If he was last man it would have been red, but he wasn't as Williams was covering and the ball was going away from the goal anyway.

just think about what your reaction would be if it was the other way round? youd never say it was a yellow for our keeper.
covering players might count when you still have a keeper in goal but what was the covering defender going to do to stop Joseph from scoring?

 

[Swaby39]

just think about what your reaction would be if it was the other way round? youd never say it was a yellow for our keeper.
covering players might count when you still have a keeper in goal but what was the covering defender going to do to stop Joseph from scoring?

Had this battle with this poster during the game. My interpretation was that It’s not even the last man issue that kept him on the field. If you watch the referee, he very clearly gestures that the ball had gone wide away from goal and therefore not a clear goal scoring opportunity. It’s scandalous. What choice did Joseph have? Look at Trafford’s reaction. He knew exactly what the decision should be, It’s nothing shy of an absolute cop out. The keeper is 25 yards off his line when he makes the challenge and not only is he last man but it is a bloody dangerous foul with Joseph at full tilt.

If the keeper had stayed where he was and it was Williams who wiped him out, he’d be off. There is no credible argument whatsoever for that being a yellow card and the standard of refereeing in this country continues to ruin matches and have major influences in results when it should have next to none.

 

[The mighty Aldo]

You are bang on that Manning is in no way at fault for this debacle BUT having said that, he was not the right man for this relegation scrap or to rebuild in L2 either - and that is another epic bad decision by the Turd Twins who should both be gone asap

I will nick that phrase The Turd Twins if you don’t mind @ubermeistervonmeat

Sums them up perfectly

 

[BDJ]

Awful defensive work from Brown for the goal. Bradley played a 1-2 and Brown could not recover and lost Bradley in the right channel and the challenge was poor.
Bradley’s centre was palmed out by Eastwood into the centre of the gaping goal and Charles was never going to miss.

I was right in front of it and reckon Brown was unlucky. He made a good tackle, but the attacker got a lucky rebound.

 

[McXal]

I thought the red card non-decision was scandalous live. It’s worse on the replay. I can’t find a single viewpoint from which it isn’t a red.

Joseph categorically hasn’t knocked it too far away from him. He is running at full pace and moved it around the keeper - and would absolutely have caught the ball for a clear goal scoring opportunity had he not been impeded.

The challenge itself is a shocker - high, clumsy, dangerous and (as others have pointed out) only not deemed an automatic red card itself because ‘it’s the goalkeeper’. Had an outfield player gone through a forward at that velocity and height the ref would’ve whipped out the red card without a moment of hesitation.

And also…he’s the last bloody man! The position of the covering defender is irrelevant, because the keeper is out of his goal. If it was two defenders and one of them brought Joseph down then I could understand this argument. But the covering defender means nothing - Joseph was prevented from a clear shot at goal with the keeper behind him and only a scrambling, barely positioned defender to beat.

It’s a red. All day long, and twice on Sunday. Shameful refereeing. After we were denied an absolute stonewall penalty against Sheff Weds the previous home game as well (albeit that was balanced out by being given a soft penno a few minutes later). I’m absolutely appalled. (Not quite as appalled as I am by the absolute shambles of a squad we’ve been forced to watch all season. But appalled nonetheless)

 

[Swaby39]

I was right in front of it and say that Brown was unlucky. He made a good tackle, but the attacker got a lucky rebound.

Hmmm… He panicked and tried wiping him out in the box! Wasn’t his finest moment but nobody in the team covered themselves in glory for the goal. We started the game terribly and we’ve learned a harsh lesson (as if we needed any more) - all it took was 15 bad minutes out of the traps and it’s cost us a 90 minute game in which we ended up dominating.

 

[The mighty Aldo]

The board allowed Taylor to leave and replaced him with two players we aren't paying wages of because we were in cost cutting mode as it had become clear we weren't going up. Robbos decision was disgraceful, but it was always one in, one out when other teams around us were strengthening. Robbo wanted Marriott, the board refused to cough up.

It was the Haynes manual of how not to do a window.

We then follow that up hiring a manager who had lost more games than we had this season, who couldn't arrest a relegation slide.

Honestly, it's f*****g nuts.

Kip

Untrue that there was no money available, we were told at the infamous Friday meeting that we had a bid turned down of £750,000
We were also told about certain players we tried to get on loan but fell through, familiar story.
Agree it was a s**t window,as were the previous two, but to say the money wasn’t there is untrue.

Also agree that Manning might be a good manager for the future, but not what we need right now

As has been said on here before Ferguson and Williams are as much to blame as Robinson and should be sacked

 

[Essexyellows]

Play as we did in the second half and we get a win on Tuesday and things will look marginally happier.


"It’s not the despair, Laura. I can take the despair. It’s the hope I can’t stand. " ....................bonus points for the actor and the film..........

 

[Berliner]

I thought the red card non-decision was scandalous live. It’s worse on the replay. I can’t find a single viewpoint from which it isn’t a red.

Joseph categorically hasn’t knocked it too far away from him. He is running at full pace and moved it around the keeper - and would absolutely have caught the ball for a clear goal scoring opportunity had he not been impeded.

The challenge itself is a shocker - high, clumsy, dangerous and (as others have pointed out) only not deemed an automatic red card itself because ‘it’s the goalkeeper’. Had an outfield player gone through a forward at that velocity and height the ref would’ve whipped out the red card without a moment of hesitation.

And also…he’s the last bloody man! The position of the covering defender is irrelevant, because the keeper is out of his goal. If it was two defenders and one of them brought Joseph down then I could understand this argument. But the covering defender means nothing - Joseph was prevented from a clear shot at goal with the keeper behind him and only a scrambling, barely positioned defender to beat.

It’s a red. All day long, and twice on Sunday. Shameful refereeing. After we were denied an absolute stonewall penalty against Sheff Weds the previous home game as well (albeit that was balanced out by being given a soft penno a few minutes later). I’m absolutely appalled. (Not quite as appalled as I am by the absolute shambles of a squad we’ve been forced to watch all season. But appalled nonetheless)

This is your regular public service announcement that "last man" doesn't exist in the laws, merely "location and number of defenders".
I agree with everything else though and am equally appalled seeing it on replay.

 

[Osei Yaw]

leave your questioning untill 7th May, we have to devote every ounce of effort in keeping in this division.

Fair point. If I'm a passenger in a car and the person driving is totally incapable of steering in the right direction, then I think it's best to wait and see if we crash before I start asking questions.

 

[RyanioBirdio]

Fair point. If I'm a passenger in a car and the person driving is totally incapable of steering in the right direction, then I think it's best to wait and see if we crash before I start asking questions.

I feel like I’ve gone back in time three years and ended up listening to PMQs.

“Now is not the time. Now is not the time. Now is not the time. It’s done now and time to move on, Captain Hindsight!”

 

[McXal]

This is your regular public service announcement that "last man" doesn't exist in the laws, merely "location and number of defenders".
I agree with everything else though and am equally appalled seeing it on replay.

Haha - I stand corrected. Although I’ll rewrite it as …it’s a red! On every viewing it just looks worse and worse!

 

[SteMerritt]

As much as it was a blatant red and it still annoys me this morning, my calmer head has me thinking our forward line would still probably have failed to score against 10 men, and we would still have lost 1-0. That miss by Joseph in the second half...

 

[The mighty Aldo]

I feel like I’ve gone back in time three years and ended up listening to PMQs.

“Now is not the time. Now is not the time. Now is not the time. It’s done now and time to move on, Captain Hindsight!”

Order Order

 

[headingtonoldboy]

Now there is no doubting the red card issue. That is not up for debate. I just can't help thinking that even if Bolton were down to 10 men, would it really have affected the result? We can't hit a barn door from 10 yards and all Bolton would have done is park the bus and hold on to their lead and we haven't got the nous to break down a defensive set up. Unfortunately, I am now preparing myself for League 2 football next season but please let me be wrong. I can't see where the next win is coming from. FGR away won't be easy now they are already down as they will be playing without pressure or fear. Accrington will be an interesting one, depending on what they are playing for but even this game doesn't fill me with any confidence. Despite all this, I'll still be cheering the team on.

 

[Osei Yaw]

As much as it was a blatant red and it still annoys me this morning, my calmer head has me thinking our forward line would still probably have failed to score against 10 men, and we would still have lost 1-0. That miss by Joseph in the second half...

If it's any consolation then I think Joseph would've been flagged offside had he actually made a proper contact on that cross.

 

[PottersRightBoot]

Fair point. If I'm a passenger in a car and the person driving is totally incapable of steering in the right direction, then I think it's best to wait and see if we crash before I start asking questions.

We’ve not been relegated yet. Don’t deliver a post-mortem before the patient’s dead.

 

[SteMerritt]

If it's any consolation then I think Joseph would've been flagged offside had he actually made a proper contact on that cross.

I think I'd be slightly happier if he had clinically finished then was flagged offside than missing it completely, it would suggest that next time he has that chance he could put it away.

 

[Oldman159]

“…it’s the hope that I can’t stand”

(John Cleese? Clockwise?)

“Every time I go to the Kashstad, I live in hope that the refereeing cannot possibly get worse….”

(OM159 - look back in anger 2023)