 | Forum
Reply | Stephan stands by team selection after QPR draw and gives Clarke-Salter update
at 16:32 3 Oct 2025
Ignoring all the condescending, narcissistic ‘copy’ you love to write on here (he’s an editor did anyone know…) that is not a contradiction. I think we should be rotating our squad, even if doing so reduces the quality of the 11. It is the lesser of two evils compared to seeing our best players unavailable through overuse.
I’m sorry if that logic is too complex, maybe you can find your holier than thou thesaurus to spruce it up to your divine level. |
| Forum
Reply | Stephan stands by team selection after QPR draw and gives Clarke-Salter update
at 16:25 2 Oct 2025
I get the sentiment - pick your best team to win the game in front of you. But if we’d played another game with the same starting 11 as previous 4 games and Saito pulls his hammy are you genuinely telling me you’re not sat here lambasting the manager?
The championship is a slog and the reason teams like Burnley / Leeds can get 100 points is that they have 25 genuine first team players at a good level who can come in without any drop in quality. We do not have that good a squad, and when we rotate its in hope of no drop in quality not expectation.
I think he’s right to rotate. The alternative is the Steve McClaren crash of 2019, flogging 13 players until they drop. The fact the players being rotated in played poorly isn’t on the manager, the tactics/gameplan is but having a go at him for just rotating is off the mark imo. |
| Forum
Reply | Oxford Utd Reflection
at 11:43 2 Oct 2025
Without wanting to dredge up the consistency debate - a good team at this level puts them away in second gear. We are not yet a ‘good’ team. We cannot win games in second gear. Is there anything else to say |
| Forum
Reply | RND
at 10:07 2 Oct 2025
Or, radical thought, a lot of fans trust a coach with a lot of experience developing youth players to decide on his pathway rather than fans who think dogmatically playing 19 year olds no matter what is the answer?
As others have said this is a weird obsession, especially when he’s doing the same thing with Morgan and Kolli without any memes getting created. |
| Forum
Reply | Oxford Utd Reflection
at 09:33 2 Oct 2025
Late to party - but last night showed that our squad is still not strong enough to make 6 changes and retain the level. Going to need more sales and reinvestment to get to that point.
Still think the sides we’ve had since the Warbs team would have lost last night and on weekend, so baby steps.
I think we will probably be around where we are (10-14th) for a lot of the season, and content to just not be anxious about the table every week. People can shout “standards” all they want - our standard for the last 4 years is 16-24th so this would be an improvement. |
| Forum
Reply | Could this be the most open Champ season for years...?
at 14:52 1 Oct 2025
No 100 pointers in this league. I reckon we might see one of least spread tables come end of season (reckon could be as low as 35 points from 1st to 24th, mid-80s to 50), which would be some turnaround after 25 points or so separated 3rd and 6th last year.
Depending on your persuasion that is either very exciting or very worrying.
Edit: 1st-23rd (for a moment forgot about SWs impending doom of admin). That aside though [Post edited 1 Oct 14:55]
|
| Forum
Reply | Consistency
at 10:24 30 Sep 2025
Football cliches klaxon indeed. Basically the top 3/4 of every division and bottom 3/4 of every division are consistently good or consistently bad. You can swap a discussion about consistency for discussion about quality and end up at the exact same place.
A nonsense topic perpetuated by the talking heads on soccer Saturday who don’t have original points to make. |
| Forum
Reply | The unicorn stays a bit longer
at 14:22 23 Sep 2025
Yeah unless we’re talking about a deal with a heavily weighted appearance pay packet, this isn’t a good call for me. Appreciate we will never know that so a bit of a nothing statement, but we need to learn as a club that, with our budget in the modern game, we need players who are available. JCS being the best CB in the treatment room is no good to anyone.
They’ve learnt some lessons from last year, but deals to Frey/Hayden/JCS in last 12 months don’t suggest to me that they’ve yet understood the best ability is availability. |
| Forum
Reply | Who misses out - best team v best plan
at 14:16 23 Sep 2025
Totally agree with Nix’s second paragraph here. It’s not up to the board to decide who the projects / sellable assets are. Nourry can buy the players (and I think on the whole he has done a good job on recruitment) but he can’t tell you who is going to be worth the most money in a year or two. That’s for the coach and the market to decide. If he/the board is involved to that degree it’s 4 year plan, banter era stuff. Living in hope it isn’t. |
| Forum
Reply | RND
at 15:41 22 Sep 2025
I thought the exact same thing after 15 minutes or so. Even runs like Bidwell. As we get into 2026 - hopefully way away from the drop - would like to see more Esq.
RND is solid, but he’s not ours and I’m not so sure he’s going to be more than a Bidwell (whereas Esq could be very good or not, we still don’t really know) |
| Forum
Reply | Bircham isn’t happy
at 15:30 22 Sep 2025
X not being a place with a semblance of balance or rationality? Never.
Got off it just over a year ago. Best decision I’ve ever made, and saw me transition over here instead! |
| Forum
Reply | Possession…. Can do one?
at 09:47 21 Sep 2025
Totally agree. Pep himself called it last season that it’s all about “transitions” now - which for the normals among us is counter attacking football. Our current front 4 showing why it’s so effective when done well. |
| Forum
Reply | Madsen
at 16:52 20 Sep 2025
Just very happy for him. Clearly a decent guy. Looks good with Varane next to him, and they complement each other. Slowly becoming the sort of player we hoped we had bought. But still more to go. Keep going Nico |
| Forum
Reply | Is Saito a future 10?
at 11:03 18 Sep 2025
This. Seen Vale described as a “7”,”8”,”10”. Keep it simple: he’s a smart, technically gifted footballer. So he’s comfortable playing across positions. Don’t need to be ascribing numbers to it.
The xg nerds have won the football chat battle unfortunately. |
| | dm97
|
Site Scores| Prediction League: | 0 | | TOTAL: | 0 |
|
By continuing to use the site, you agree to our use of cookies and to abide by our Terms and Conditions.