Home Match Build Up 21/10/2023 L1: OUFC v Blackpool

[oufc1991]

From Blackpool perspective, we now seemed to have settle into life in League 1 and have just started to click.
It’s not been a very good start for us but recent results have picked up and I’d be very careful about writing us off in this fixture.
I think if Oxford finish 1 place behind us, come the end of the season, it will be a very successful campaign for you guys.

I predict 1-3 Pool, with 770 Seasiders travelling.

Haha if we finish a point behind a team we are currently 8 points clear of with a game in hand so that could become 11 that would be a good season for us I think it's time you removed your head from your a**e Blackpool will be lucky to finish a place behind us with both Oxford and Pompey going so well at the moment

 

[BristolOx]

Haha not surprising now they're in the dizzy heights of 7th. Not sure why they've got so much more of a chip on their shoulder compared to the rest of league one fans?

With that said they can't be underestimated despite their poor return away.

 

[Joey]

Haha not surprising now they're in the dizzy heights of 7th. Not sure why they've got so much more of a chip on their shoulder compared to the rest of league one fans?

With that said they can't be underestimated despite their poor return away.

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Where do you get these tables from please? They're really interesting as a comparison, also interesting that we seem to have caught a fair few teams at the wrong time such as Exeter and Port Vale who are now sinking back to closer to where I'd expect them to finish, arguably Stevenage as well as they won't end up top 6. Flip side is we caught Derby, Charlton and Barnsley at a good time.

Blackpool won't be an easy game and they've played themselves into a bit of form but they got done at home to Derby a few games back and threw away a lead at Charlton, think they beat Wigan and Reading before that, they've had a win (at Barnsley), draw (at Charlton) and defeat (home to Derby) recently so their form against the top teams is mixed. We've generally found ways to get the job done without blowing anyone away so we've got nothing to fear. Should be a good game and I'm looking forward to it.

 

[Scrongo]

 

[BristolOx]

Where do you get these tables from please? They're really interesting as a comparison, also interesting that we seem to have caught a fair few teams at the wrong time such as Exeter and Port Vale who are now sinking back to closer to where I'd expect them to finish, arguably Stevenage as well as they won't end up top 6. Flip side is we caught Derby, Charlton and Barnsley at a good time.

Blackpool won't be an easy game and they've played themselves into a bit of form but they got done at home to Derby a few games back and threw away a lead at Charlton, think they beat Wigan and Reading before that, they've had a win (at Barnsley), draw (at Charlton) and defeat (home to Derby) recently so their form against the top teams is mixed. We've generally found ways to get the job done without blowing anyone away so we've got nothing to fear. Should be a good game and I'm looking forward to it.

This is the site: https://www.soccerstats.com/pmatch.asp?league=england3&stats=524-8-3-2024
However i've only ever found this info when we're in the next game week, so I couldn't post it when I started the thread

 

[captainox]

Greg Leigh played 90mins in both of Jamaica's games during this international break.
Given the travel involved alongside the game time - I wonder if he gets benched at the weekend.

 

[SirAndyOfCrosby]

Greg Leigh played 90mins in both of Jamaica's games during this international break.
Given the travel involved alongside the game time - I wonder if he gets benched at the weekend.

That would be f**king  mental.

 

[RyanioBirdio]

Greg Leigh played 90mins in both of Jamaica's games during this international break.
Given the travel involved alongside the game time - I wonder if he gets benched at the weekend.

Tbh I would be more worried about the fact that he’s just been playing Haiti.

 

[Steve Gilbert]

How can a 33 year old who has scored 38 championship goals over the last 5 seasons be ‘too good for this level’? I would disagree and say he is now at the right level.

This is Kip saying Rhodes is far too good for this level and, what has become clear over time, is that Kip’s knowledge of other players and teams in this league is limited at best and his views on the ability of players generally stems from when they were in their prime 10 years ago.

 

[Golden Dr Otto]

This is Kip saying Rhodes is far too good for this level and, what has become clear over time, is that Kip’s knowledge of other players and teams in this league is limited at best and his views on the ability of players generally stems from when they were in their prime 10 years ago.

To be fair you were backing Karl Robinson massively last season

 

[Steve Gilbert]

To be fair you were backing Karl Robinson massively last season

Until it was clear he needed to go and then said he needed to be sacked (long before he actually was too!)

 

[Leysboy]

I’ve got a feeling this could be our first draw this season. I hope we win!

2-2

 

[Golden Dr Otto]

Until it was clear he needed to go and then said he needed to be sacked (long before he actually was too!)

Without being too pedantic he was fired on 26th February 2023.

In a poll asking whether he should be fired, that closed on 12th February 2023 you and scotchegg voted that he should remain in place.

It’s not a classic chronological exemplar of “long before” in relative terms

 

[oufc1991]

I believe there is a thread just for people who want to talk Karl Robinson... This thread is for people who would like to talk about our home game this Saturday against Blackpool.... Now if you want to speak about Karl Robinson go to the Karl Robinson thread please

 

[wolvercoteyellow]

I believe there is a thread just for people who want to talk Karl Robinson... This thread is for people who would like to talk about our home game this Saturday against Blackpool.... Now if you want to speak about Karl Robinson go to the Karl Robinson thread please

who is karl robinson?

 

[Carpy]

Without being too pedantic he was fired on 26th February 2023.

In a poll asking whether he should be fired, that closed on 12th February 2023 you and scotchegg voted that he should remain in place.

It’s not a classic chronological exemplar of “long before” in relative terms

 

[tonyw]

Greg Leigh played 90mins in both of Jamaica's games during this international break.
Given the travel involved alongside the game time - I wonder if he gets benched at the weekend.

Agree that you ask him how he's feeling, and make him take it easy if he's got any knocks or niggles (Saturday is, after all, the first of four league games in ten days).

The challenge is that the current formation (I don't even know what to call it.....it's sort of a lopsided 3-2-2-2-1) only works because of Leigh. We've noone else with his skillset that can play LWB effectively. So if he doesn't play, then we're forced to revert to the 4-2-3-1 by default.

Which may be absolutely fine. Knowing our current management team, I'm sure they're doing their homework on how Blackpool, Wigan, Wycombe & Lincoln play, and forming an opinion on which formation is going to work best against which team, and therefore when might be the optimum games for Greg Leigh (and everyone else) to take a break.

 

[IsleofWightYellow]

We absolutely should go to 4-2-3-1 again. Our first half performance against Rovers was shocking with 5 at the back, and bringing on pacey wingers turned it round for us. Let’s attack them!

 

[Yellow There!]

We absolutely should go to 4-2-3-1 again. Our first half performance against Rovers was shocking with 5 at the back, and bringing on pacey wingers turned it round for us. Let’s attack them!

Mind you it was our two number 10s combining to score our goal in the first half. Agree we were poor though.

 

[Joey]

We absolutely should go to 4-2-3-1 again. Our first half performance against Rovers was shocking with 5 at the back, and bringing on pacey wingers turned it round for us. Let’s attack them!

People can get too bogged down in systems sometimes, if played aggressively a back 3 can be more adventurous than a back 4 as you've replaced a defender with another midfielder. From what I can tell watching the Rover replay both Stevens and Leigh ended up getting pinned back for most the first half meaning it was pretty much a back 5 with no out ball, credit to Manning for changing things at half time and having Mills make their full back defend. When Leigh signed or was about to sign I said a few times that a 3 man defence gets a lot of our best players on the pitch at the same time but there also needs to be some horses for courses about it. Fortunately we've built a squad with plenty of different options. I certainly wouldn't write it off based on a poor 45 minutes.