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Reply | Christian Pullella
at 09:00 30 Jan 2026
Good point too but the general idea is to get these young lads out on loan at some stage. So the more you have the better chance of putting a competitive side out in every game, even when he have multiple loans arranged not to mention injuries.
Another thought is maybe they feel he is at least as good, if not a better prospect than the other two.
Then there is the question is he exclusively a left back or a player who may also be a left sided centre back and maybe develop into midfield player or left winger? |
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Reply | Christian Pullella
at 08:51 29 Jan 2026
It could be that you need a certain number of players to make up a development squad and not many DS players make it at our level anyway. So you sign players with some limited experience of first team football in their country to raise the level of the DS. Therefore, the players with the best chance are benefitting from playing in a better team.
Examples of this could be Aoraha and Petrie. They may have come up through the age groups but they were kept on longer than usual. Both had very limited first team minutes but were decent DS players. |
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Reply | Three-game weeks
at 11:08 27 Jan 2026
I've said it before it's three games in a week or three games in a week + or - 2 hours.
Half time on Saturday to half time on the following Saturday is a week.
Kick off on Saturday to Full time on Saturday is a week + approximately 2 hours.
Full time on Saturday to Kick off on Saturday is a week - 2 hours.
So if you've got on match in-between it's a three game week. To argue otherwise is just quibbling over semantics.
However you address, it we have a major problem with them and we are not getting equitable treatment with the home and away split. We need to do lots to address this.
The CEO and Chairman should be haranguing the football league for fairer fixtures in the three game weeks. Longer term they should be liaising with all the clubs re the Christmas period.
The players stamina and fitness needs improving drastically. The whole training, conditioning and medical regimes need a complete overhaul. The only suggestion I can make is a longer pre season, a more gradual getting up to the levels required by the first match and hopefully less stress injuries.
The mentality needs addressing and not just for three game weeks. Sports psychology, whatever we are doing isn't working. The whole club, board, manager/coaching staff, stadium and pitch management and players need a course in positive mental attitude. They could learn lessons from the parts of the club that have improved over time and now work well e.g. the box office, possibly merchandising, the planning and implementation of the training centre.
Christian Noury has taken over a tough task and has so far tackled it with some successes and some failures, which Clive has highlighted on a number of occasions.
He now needs to step it up and show some rapid improvement in these failing areas.
We can't afford to keep doing the same thing |
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Reply | Four minutes of madness – Report
at 09:31 26 Jan 2026
Good theory on the style v injuries and fitness scenario. Some truth in that for me.
I think they may need a longer preseason to build up stamina, if we are going to continue with that methodology.
On Mbengue, he's just a quick and very aggressive player who gets stuck into every challenge.
Take that aggression away and he would be ineffective. I really like him but we need to get an expert in football psychology or something to attempt to teach him some game management and control. His disciplinary record seems to have made him an easy target for referees.
Sadly, before yesterday he had been doing better as he hadn't had a league yellow card, for a tackle, since Sheffield United on the 8th November. Incidentally, that was the first time he'd played right back. |
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Reply | Julien speaks
at 08:50 26 Jan 2026
You carry on 'shouting at the television'. |
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Reply | Julien speaks
at 18:27 25 Jan 2026
....but you've missed mine, which is, if you know that, then why the need to comment and come over all emotive, when the questions and answers that you desire are not forthcoming?
Surely, you must realise it's highly unlikely to change. |
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Reply | Reaction
at 10:38 25 Jan 2026
It's a good job your in exile😬😁 |
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Reply | Form Guide:
at 10:09 25 Jan 2026
Apart from the last paragraph, all the rest is now history.
I agree you should know your history but losing 4-1 at Scunthorpe in a Championship winning season, has about as little relevance to the current situation as playing poorly, whilst drawing 0-0, at bottom of the table and subsequently relegated Sheffield United in 1976.
The morale of the tale is don't have expectations, have hope and give your support.
Only one team can win a match and someone's got to finish 1st, 2nd ....16th etc.
Enjoy the good days when you can and keep the faith when it all going wrong. |
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Reply | Julien speaks
at 09:33 25 Jan 2026
For a self professed person of high intelligence, when will you realise that you are watching club propaganda? |
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Reply | Would a newby be a booby ? Match thread
at 09:58 24 Jan 2026
It has been said elsewhere. Unless there is a fitness issue it must be Jimmy and Steve against Moore.
If Ronnie is to play today it should be in midfield. |
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Reply | Pure cinema, or poor am-dram? Preview
at 09:54 24 Jan 2026
If you were at Loftus the Sheffield Wednesday game you may have seen Kolli stretching and struggling a bit in the later stages of his 70 odd minutes. It was quite clear he has had genuine injury issues and that his minutes would need managing.
He then started at WHU six days later and lasted 90 minutes and Stoke seven days later where he played 87. Oxford coming only three days later, was undoubtedly too much and hence Bennie got a chance.
It's not something to bash the manager or the club with. There are other things we can use for that.😁 |
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Reply | The 3 sides of a match thread at Oxford
at 10:59 22 Jan 2026
Winter break, nah we put extra games in over Christmas and three match weeks in January!
I'd look at reducing those but not a break. When would you schedule it? The weather can be very bad in January and February, sometimes from late November to late March. Wet and windy can happen throughout the year. Having a break would add to late season fixture pile ups. |
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Reply | Lather, rinse, repeat – Report
at 10:46 22 Jan 2026
Thanks Clive, I thought it was a marginally better performance than Stoke but as you say the opposition was probably inferior, albeit with a new manager to motivate them
One important block that I think should be praised was Madsen's. He got back and got his leg across the ball in one of their late counters, when Dembele gave it away, I think.
With an extra day to rest, recover and prepare, I am hoping for an improvement in performance and a much needed win on Saturday.
The questions you ask about Julien's decisions, I understand and have similar thoughts. The only mitigation I can offer, is that it is incredibly difficult to change a 0-0. The defensive shape of the team is mostly very good and subs risk upsetting that and possibly ending in a defeat. Nevertheless, in attack he has to do more. He flogged Burrell to an injury. Some of us were saying, he had lost his edge, was exhausted and needed a rest before he broke down. Similar could happen to Kone if we don't reduce his minutes. It now seems that we have at least three other options up front in Kolli, Bennie and the new guy. We have always had Smyth to try in that role too. So Julien act now and don't repeat the mistake. |
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Reply | Madsen
at 09:45 22 Jan 2026
It tends to be overlooked that his 'rebirth' came when he was recalled, by Marti, at Oxford last season. A game in which he played well, we won and virtually ended our relegation battle. |
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Reply | Justin Obikwu
at 09:19 22 Jan 2026
I think Clive's been a bit busy.😁 |
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Reply | The 3 sides of a match thread at Oxford
at 18:36 20 Jan 2026
Putting Esquerdinha in, instead of Field is a positive but very risky selection. Kolli and RND struggling for fitness, so no surprise to me that they are benched.
Cooke doing well to play Saturday - Tuesday. |
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Reply | A different ball game - Preview
at 15:05 20 Jan 2026
New manager for them, second chance to win at home after 0-0 on Saturday. We suffered something similar when we were beaten by Norwich.
It's a tricky fixture and we will have to play much better, if we are to get anything.
Why not start with Adamson and Esquerdinha wide, with Smyth up front with Kone/Kolli? |
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Reply | 2026 Bond
at 09:15 20 Jan 2026
Good info but wasn't the interest rate 'artificially low' in 2021 due to trying to 'kick start' the economy after the pandemic? |
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Reply | Extended highlights Stoke 0 QPR 0
at 17:04 19 Jan 2026
Delusional is when you still think it's 1976, Stan is at the top of his game and football, which is more important to you than Queens Park Rangers, hasn't moved on. |
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