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Reply | Would a newby be a booby ? Match thread
at 10:22 24 Jan 2026
Like that idea but doesn’t get round the issue of the CDs playing so deeply but does add am extra ball playing DM who can bring the ball out from deep.
Moore may not start as Smith has scored quite a few goals too.
I’m going for 2-2. Can’t see them not scoring but at home with the crowd may spur us on a bit. |
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Reply | Sam field
at 09:56 23 Jan 2026
Except that Varane has done almost double the number of tackles, clearances and interceptions per 90 minutes compared to either of the other two (according to Sofascore). I’m sure that’s why he gets picked ahead of them.
We have to sell him if a decent offer comes in to keep up the plans to develop and build over time. But certainly defensively we would miss JV from the team. |
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Reply | The 3 sides of a match thread at Oxford
at 15:09 22 Jan 2026
Yes I agree we had a poor injury situation then too.
That would be a big downer. Having said that we’ve got a couple of players who’ve come in and with a bit of luck some players due to come back in well before April so hopefully we’ll steady the ship.
Also we’ve got no midweek matches until February 24th now so we’ve got more time on the training pitch and more rest in between matches for our players that have been flogged like Kone, Madsen, Dunne and Cook. We’ve got a couple of tough matches at home with Wrexham and Cov but then hopefully a bit easier/players coming back with Charlton and Blackburn. |
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Reply | The 3 sides of a match thread at Oxford
at 10:40 22 Jan 2026
Yes just checked Dave we had 35 points after 27 matches last season having had a really good run from November until January and 38 points after 28 - spot on. We then went into a big slump and lost eight out of the next twelve from the 25th January until April. We only won two matches and drew two.
Let’s hope we don’t go into one of those spirals. [Post edited 22 Jan 10:42]
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Reply | Hoopsa on Oxford point and Wrexham preview
at 09:56 22 Jan 2026
Yes that’s my theory. Largely based on the difference it made when JCS was able to play for us for a few matches. It definitely seemed to me that we were less hemmed into in and around our box. I also think it was similar with RE last season. Other teams press us because we struggle with Cook and Jimmy to get past the first press and because our DMs have to drop back further because of the CDs lack of pace.
Will be interesting to see whether this comes to pass! |
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Reply | Hoopsa on Oxford point and Wrexham preview
at 08:33 22 Jan 2026
I think part of the answer is Ronnie. Not sure how whether at CD paired with JD or defensive mid with Madsen but I think he’s going to improve our passing and mobility out of our own third. |
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Reply | Dembélé new boo boy?
at 23:58 21 Jan 2026
I never thought Madsen was lazy. I thought he was struggling to know what he should be doing, where he should be positioned, how he could affect the game.
I don’t think Dembele has any of that. As I say, I think he looks quite happy with how he’s playing and quite confident. That’s what worries me because I don’t think he thinks he needs to learn. Madsen always looked like he was concerned he wasn’t getting it right.
Of course I might be completely wrong and he might just be fronting up on the pitch and goes home and reflects on how to improve and is working massively hard in training. I hope so.
What frustrates me is because I can see he has the raw technical ability. Which is why he gets less of a free pass than say Paul Smyth. Saito gets one on the basis of the efforts he seemed to be making last season. I’ll be disappointed if he doesn’t return to those levels of efforts. |
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Reply | Madsen
at 19:04 21 Jan 2026
Part of the reason they’re so deep is because our CDs haven’t got any pace. We tried it with Mbengue but he hasn’t got the defensive solidity and nous to play there yet and we also need him at RB to provide some pace. But you could see the difference when JCS played in a little cameo. Our whole team could move up at least ten metres.
The thing is you can’t leave massive gaps between your lines because teams will exploit them both across and lengthwise you need to keep them compact to a degree. That’s why I think we were so keen on signing Ronnie. His ability to carry the ball at least that significant ten metres will allow Madsen plus an other to be passing from the halfway line rather than just outside our penalty area. I think it will help with our possession figures for that reason. It’s a bit like when you’re taking a throw in from by your own penalty area compared to further up the pitch, you tend to get penned in.
They only move up when the rest of the opposition are already in their half as the danger is less and our defence can move up. [Post edited 22 Jan 8:13]
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Reply | Player Sales
at 16:08 21 Jan 2026
No I said both could see a pass but Madsen could see it quickly. But maybe that wasn’t clearly expressed. |
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Reply | The 3 sides of a match thread at Oxford
at 15:49 21 Jan 2026
Yes agree with all of this.
I do understand also people being upset cos we’ve spent a lot but the problem is so has nearly everyone else. Pretty much with the exception of Preston I think in the top half of the table. But quite a few in the bottom half too.
Wonder how Preston are managing it. They’re certainly over achieving for their spends. Pretty everyone else has spent as much although some have been able to fund it by selling other players. But it still means their squad is worth the same or more than ours and in many cases considerably more. |
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Reply | VAR in the EFL
at 15:35 21 Jan 2026
Absolutely effing no.
I naively thought it would at least cut out biases in the favour of bigger clubs. If anything it’s made it worse. Cos of course they don’t care if they get it wrong There’s no come back. They still get to faff around next week.
And it just ruins the game.
NO NO NO? |
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Reply | Player Sales
at 15:29 21 Jan 2026
I agree on Varane £5 million would be fine.
Still wouldn’t sell Madsen for that though. If we can’t get £7 million then we build the team around him for a few years like we did with Chair.
Also hope we can get a few hundred thousand here or there for players that are on the fringes like Murphy Cooper, Morrison. Maybe that’s too optimistic but then again never thought we’d get that much for Kelman, Armstrong and Dykes, |
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Reply | Dembélé new boo boy?
at 15:22 21 Jan 2026
Yeah I think you’re right they wouldn’t wear that now, or at least their agents wouldn’t.
Most of the players we’ve brought in seem like the right sort in terms of effort and not being a total arse or having ishoos on the Caulker level. Maybe that’s why we’ve gone for players who had it tough like Burrell and in particular Kone and Mbengue. They’ve got some appreciation for having naff all.
I was shocked by the Matt Smith wages too. I thought he was plucky but very limited. The kind of player you want in your side who’ll cause havoc, play for the shirt but costs peanuts. Wondering what they were thinking paying him that much when there was no potential resale or development upside.
I work in a job where you help to develop people and the thing is you could be the top coach/therapist/motivator/teacher in the world but if someone won’t listen, put things into practice, reflect on what you’ve said, how that has worked in practice and integrate that into their own way of behaving/working it’s a waste of time.
The starting point is you have to think you can be better and want to better. If you can’t be bothered or you think you’ve already made it then you’ll never improve.
That’s why I have so much respect for Madsen. You can see from his interviews and the changes on the pitch that he knew he wasn’t performing well enough. So he buckled down, listened and worked on his game. His defensive work is exponentially better and he’s also learnt to play the ball better and position himself better for the English game. That takes cojones.
I fear that Dembele hasn’t got that hunger. You look at his expressions on the pitch and he looks like someone who thinks he’s doing a good job. |
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Reply | Player Sales
at 15:01 21 Jan 2026
He really is. The only player who really sees a pass (Chair aside) and can execute it quickly.
Also does a deceptive amount of defensive work these days too. |
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Reply | Player Sales
at 13:49 21 Jan 2026
Definitely not Madsen for £5 million.
I always start with how much would it cost us to replace him. And unless we’re very lucky it would probably cost not much less and then you’ve got them settling in etc. Wouldn’t sell him for less than £7 million.
Varane at £5 million would be good business.
Burrell would need to have a very good offer to let go. Wouldn’t be a disaster to sell Dembele for what we paid for him but I’m not sure we’d get it back.
Morrison hopefully just needs a run of matches. For whatever reason he’s not quite got the consistency and confidence of last season. Having him at least partially off the wage bill and getting matches is a good thing.
Agree with Field and Smyth. |
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Reply | Injuries
at 13:41 21 Jan 2026
Yes I agree. Would you have rested him last night? And Madsen? Again in hindsight it would’ve been better to rest them for an away game midweek and bring them back for the home match after a rest. But then JS might have seen this as an opportunity to get a win away which would’ve given us a real boost.
It’s hard being a manager. |
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Reply | FA Youth Cup v Brighton
at 12:50 21 Jan 2026
Anyone else Bosh you rate at the moment who might be good enough for the fringes of the first team squad? |
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Reply | Injuries
at 12:41 21 Jan 2026
With the benefit of hindsight we could have rested him last night and had him for the home game. It really would be a disaster to lose him. Thing is he does a lot of defensive work too so it’s not just giving up his passing.
Although I don’t think Chair can play that role he at least provides some creativity which we sorely lack without both of them in the team. Wish we knew when he is due back. Really hard to do without so many of our more technical players at once.
Hope the new striker can start soon to give Kone a rest and Ronnie can come in to just provide some flair and energy. Surprised he hasn’t had the odd ten minutes at the end of games. |
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Reply | Just back
at 12:32 21 Jan 2026
As PP said, please don’t give up, just ignore. |
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