Papering over the cracks

[Milltown1882]

Another three points thanks to OG. Lot more promising signs in early stages of attack but plenty of awful final balls and inability to test the keeper.

People said all window we need a striker and tonight’s a classic example of why they were saying that.

[evensteadiereddie]

Blimey.

[CoolClaret]

What are you trying to get at here?

[bumba]

Overall a decent performance but it's a tough ask to get promoted without a championship quality striker on your books

[StuWestMidsClaret]

Another three points thanks to OG. Lot more promising signs in early stages of attack but plenty of awful final balls and inability to test the keeper.

People said all window we need a striker and tonight’s a classic example of why they were saying that.

Mate have a day off ffs.

[GetIntoEm]

Really good performance I thought, dominated them. Never in doubt. On to the next one

[Fretters]

Inability to test the keeper? Seriously?

[Spijed]

Overall a decent performance but it's a tough ask to get promoted without a championship quality striker on your books

One point off doing exactly that though.

[TPClaret]

Another three points thanks to OG. Lot more promising signs in early stages of attack but plenty of awful final balls and inability to test the keeper.

People said all window we need a striker and tonight’s a classic example of why they were saying that.

Inability to test the keeper. He kept them in it

[HollandsPies]

Thank-you very much for the 3 points, Oxford
Thank-you very much
Thank-you very, very, very much ...

[GetIntoEm]

Proper crybaby post this one. Proper entitled ****

[Gp8419]

Forgive my ignorance but I didn’t realise how much in form Oxford had been since rowett took over, always a good manager at this level imo.Don’t think it was ever going to be a walk in the park.But apart from 20 mins start of 2nd half we was well in control and 1-0 flatters them I think.It was definitely better we look better with Hannibal,I just think foster needs putting up top he will score goals there.He played better foster tonight though.utc

[StuWestMidsClaret]

Posts a load of ******** then logs off. About standard for this place.

[GetIntoEm]

Posts a load of ******** then logs off. About standard for this place.

Mummy will have told him straight to bed

[Stonehouse]

Had to watch it on tv ,but an half decent striker would have buried Oxford in the first half and as soon as Hannibal went off all the spark disappeared and we produced another crab like performance ,away fans used to say they would rather lose then watch Dyche ball every week ,and SP has a team with loads more flare the SD had but still manages to stifle all the creativity out of a decent bunch of players.

[Milltown1882]

Mummy will have told him straight to bed

[Colburn_Claret]

Scoring goals has a lot to do with confidence.
We don't have a lot of either.
If we keep creating the chances, like tonight, then both will improve.

[Goliath]

Forgive my ignorance but I didn’t realise how much in form Oxford had been since rowett took over, always a good manager at this level imo.Don’t think it was ever going to be a walk in the park.But apart from 20 mins start of 2nd half we was well in control and 1-0 flatters them I think.It was definitely better we look better with Hannibal,I just think foster needs putting up top he will score goals there.He played better foster tonight though.utc

We really shouldn't be too worried about a team like Oxford having a decent run. It shouldn't matter, we are in a totally different league to them in terms of budget and quality and again we left ourselves exposed to them scoring a lucky deflected goal near the end to take a point

We are playing with fear and it's going to cost us eventually. We had a bench including Shelvey, Benson and Edwards. Imagine those coming on after an hour from an Oxford perspective, it'd be an absolute nightmare.

[Vegas Claret]

Summed it up when one of the highlights was Shelvey playing a forward pass. Get him in the side

[Clovius Boofus]

and inability to test the keeper.

I think you must have been watching the wrong Sky+ channel.

[burnley007]

Even I'm not whinging tonight!!

We showed genuine intent to get the ball forward, it might not have worked, but at least they tried. That's all we can ask at this stage.

[Vegas Claret]

Blimey.

did you not see Flemming react a second too late on a good few occasions ? It's Parker's fault he is playing him as a striker but a fox in the box scores two tonight. We should have brought a striker in

[Somethingfishy]

I've been as critical and as bored as anybody over our last few performances but tonight took the p*ss.

Why have we become so entitled? That atmosphere tonight (and the attendance) was disgusting. I could understand if it was another lifeless and chanceless pedestrian performance but we created countless chances in the first 15 minutes alone and yes a couple were absolute sitters but the performance was much livlier. The moaning and whining around me was constant.
The final whistle was greeted with almost silence and polite applause. Just bizarre.

Scott Read alluded to it on Radio Lancashire and he and David Unsworth just thought the atmosphere was very strange considering we created so much and dominated the game.

Have our heads gone as fans? We have just moved into 2nd in the league ffs

[bumba]

One point off doing exactly that though.

One point off promotion? What world are you living in?

[BabylonClaret]

Summed it up when one of the highlights was Shelvey playing a forward pass. Get him in the side

That was a terrific ball. He's moving diagonally to our RH corner with a man closing on him from behind and he plays a 40 yard reverse ball onto the channel. Would be good to get him some more minutes and build that fitness.

[pauliopaulio]

Summed it up when one of the highlights was Shelvey playing a forward pass. Get him in the side

This is what gives me confidence bizarrely enough. We won and the chances we had in the 1st half we should have been 2 or 3 up. But we still play safe.

Shelvey showed in that one move exactly what we need - a deep lying midfielder who can split the line. We had runners all night but no ball forward.

[TheFamilyCat]

Had to watch it on tv ,but an half decent striker would have buried Oxford in the first half and as soon as Hannibal went off all the spark disappeared and we produced another crab like performance ,away fans used to say they would rather lose then watch Dyche ball every week ,and SP has a team with loads more flare the SD had but still manages to stifle all the creativity out of a decent bunch of players.

Are you sure? All our best chances in the se and half were after Hannibal went off.

[pauliopaulio]

I've been as critical and as bored as anybody over our last few performances but tonight took the p*ss.

Why have we become so entitled? That atmosphere tonight (and the attendance) was disgusting. I could understand if it was another lifeless and chanceless pedestrian performance but we created countless chances in the first 15 minutes alone and yes a couple were absolute sitters but the performance was much livlier. The moaning and whining around me was constant.
The final whistle was greeted with almost silence and polite applause. Just bizarre.

Scott Read alluded to it on Radio Lancashire and he and David Unsworth just thought the atmosphere was very strange considering we created so much and dominated the game.

Have our heads gone as fans? We have just moved into 2nd in the league ffs

There is context though in terms of the lack of goals at home. If we’d have put two or three of the 1st half chances in it would have been different.

I’m a firm believer in football is all about the 3 points and we won comfortably tonight but we are tough watch at the minute. But I do put a lot of that down to confidence - once the dam bursts I think we’ll finish top by a distance

[Gp8419]

We really shouldn't be too worried about a team like Oxford having a decent run. It shouldn't matter, we are in a totally different league to them in terms of budget and quality and again we left ourselves exposed to them scoring a lucky deflected goal near the end to take a point

We are playing with fear and it's going to cost us eventually. We had a bench including Shelvey, Benson and Edwards. Imagine those coming on after an hour from an Oxford perspective, it'd be an absolute nightmare.

your looking at the size of the club! I’m sure a lot of prem teams don’t fear Bournemouth and look how well there doing!

[Vegas Claret]

This is what gives me confidence bizarrely enough.

it's a glimmer of hope for me. I'd play him instead of Laurent, can't drop Cullen and you would expect Brownhill to be back once fit. Really pleased with the win, can't point the finger at Parker for the laughable finishing but he couldn't take the brake off against what I would argue is the worst Championship side we've seen at the Turf in many a year. I feel like I'm being ultra negative but my eyes tell me that Parker is holding a talented group back. He'll be overjoyed with a 1-0 when in reality someone like Leeds or Sunderland would likely have score at least 5 tonight. Maybe it's just me but given the amount of empty seats I think plenty are bored to tears with it.

[dvalley69]

Just need a bit of patience, which understandably fans have lost a little with our style of play. Our signings are definitely a step up in quality and over the next month I hope JJ and Edwards, as well as the returning Hannibal, get more minutes under the belt, show their quality and eventually become shoe-ins to start. If anything, it's competition and motivation for the likes of Anthony, Foster and Brownhill to show their worth and keep their places. We're still in a fantastic position and plenty of games to move up through the gears. I, for one, can't wait for the last 10 games, when it gets to the crunch, to see how we do. That's when all the work that's been done will provide the answers.

[Spijed]

One point off promotion? What world are you living in?

One point off averaging two points per game, which guarantees promotion.

[dvalley69]

it's a glimmer of hope for me. I'd play him instead of Laurent, can't drop Cullen and you would expect Brownhill to be back once fit. Really pleased with the win, can't point the finger at Parker for the laughable finishing but he couldn't take the brake off against what I would argue is the worst Championship side we've seen at the Turf in many a year. I feel like I'm being ultra negative but my eyes tell me that Parker is holding a talented group back. He'll be overjoyed with a 1-0 when in reality someone like Leeds or Sunderland would likely have score at least 5 tonight. Maybe it's just me but given the amount of empty seats I think plenty are bored to tears with it.

You're right from a business point of view about the numbers not turning up, but it shouldn't really matter in the grand scheme of things. This team is here to get promoted and if we do then most of those missing supporters will be back next season in the Prem, I've no doubt.

[Ampth7]

I thought we battered them for the first 15 minutes and we probably should have been out of sight even at that early stage of the game.

Even though they came back into it, we still created plenty of opportunities throughout the game and they never really looked like scoring.

However, it only takes one mistake, one set piece, one opportunity created when you’re only 1-0 up and thankfully it never happened for them and nor did they deserve it.

For the rest of the season, I’ll take 1-0 wins every game, but I suspect we are going to need to start scoring more freely to avoid any more 0-0’s which could seriously impact our chances of automatic if we’re not careful.

[Stonehouse]

Are you sure? All our best chances in the se and half were after Hannibal went off.

Like I say had to watch it on tv ,but Phil Bird was raving how wonderful he was given a free role and certainly gives us more impetuous ,we may have created more chances in the 2nd half when he went off but how many did we create when he was on in the first half?

[boyyanno]

it's a glimmer of hope for me. I'd play him instead of Laurent, can't drop Cullen and you would expect Brownhill to be back once fit. Really pleased with the win, can't point the finger at Parker for the laughable finishing but he couldn't take the brake off against what I would argue is the worst Championship side we've seen at the Turf in many a year. I feel like I'm being ultra negative but my eyes tell me that Parker is holding a talented group back. He'll be overjoyed with a 1-0 when in reality someone like Leeds or Sunderland would likely have score at least 5 tonight. Maybe it's just me but given the amount of empty seats I think plenty are bored to tears with it.

I think this is a massive overreaction. Oxford aren't the worst side that's come to the Turf- not even this season, the league table will tell you as much. However we did make them look like it.

Secondly I reject the notion that had we scored more today it makes the performance better. If Foster and Flemming take their chances it doesn't make any difference to how we played does it?

I find it bizarre that you acknowledge we didn't score more due to poor finishing but then blame Parker for not taking off the handbrake. Some will never ever be pleased under this manager that's for sure. One week the result doesn't matter it's the performance, then its the preformance doesn't matter its the result.

[steve1264b]

In the last 6 games;

Leeds have 12 points

Sheff U have 12 points

Burnley have 12 points

[Bosscat]

Another three points thanks to OG. Lot more promising signs in early stages of attack but plenty of awful final balls and inability to test the keeper.

People said all window we need a striker and tonight’s a classic example of why they were saying that.

Bloody hell "inability to test a keeper" he was man of the match for them.

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Screenshot_20250204_223939_Chrome.jpg (34.25 KiB) Viewed 2814 times

[CoolClaret]

it's a glimmer of hope for me. I'd play him instead of Laurent, can't drop Cullen and you would expect Brownhill to be back once fit. Really pleased with the win, can't point the finger at Parker for the laughable finishing but he couldn't take the brake off against what I would argue is the worst Championship side we've seen at the Turf in many a year. I feel like I'm being ultra negative but my eyes tell me that Parker is holding a talented group back. He'll be overjoyed with a 1-0 when in reality someone like Leeds or Sunderland would likely have score at least 5 tonight. Maybe it's just me but given the amount of empty seats I think plenty are bored to tears with it.

It's called confirmation bias, mate, and is a textbook example of it.

You weren't really happy with him from the start (and I know you're normally glass half full), so you're looking for things to confirm that view - as many are, based on this pre-conceived notion about SP's management style.

Just take each game as it comes. Tonight was good and could have easily been a repeat of the Plymouth game.

Of course he will be happy with 1-0, job done, managed that game well and now on to the FA cup before the run in.

UTC.

[beddie]

I think from a football perspective even Parker will be and has been thinking for sometime that we need a quality striker. Pretty sure the club have been working hard to find one but it just didn’t for whatever reason happen. Great first half tonight that should have resulted in us being 4 up. Second half okay but somehow we’ve got to solve this lack of scoring.

[CoolClaret]

I've been as critical and as bored as anybody over our last few performances but tonight took the p*ss.

Why have we become so entitled? That atmosphere tonight (and the attendance) was disgusting. I could understand if it was another lifeless and chanceless pedestrian performance but we created countless chances in the first 15 minutes alone and yes a couple were absolute sitters but the performance was much livlier. The moaning and whining around me was constant.
The final whistle was greeted with almost silence and polite applause. Just bizarre.

Scott Read alluded to it on Radio Lancashire and he and David Unsworth just thought the atmosphere was very strange considering we created so much and dominated the game.

Have our heads gone as fans? We have just moved into 2nd in the league ffs

Blame social media (especially Tik Tok) where 'outrage' and stating non-objective, hysterical opinions gains traction. Turfcast does some alright stuff, but some of the 'reactions' are a prime example of what I'm getting at. Narcissistic, entitled WAFFLE.

[The Shire Claret]

Another three points thanks to OG. Lot more promising signs in early stages of attack but plenty of awful final balls and inability to test the keeper.

People said all window we need a striker and tonight’s a classic example of why they were saying that.

Did you watch the match ?

[daveisaclaret]

Can't see that as papering over the cracks, that's how it's meant to work and it did. Created a few chances, didn't give them a sniff, job done. It's mostly boring but c'est la vie.

[Stalbansclaret]

I enjoyed it tonight …thought we showed real attacking intent throughout and the scoreline massively flattered Oxford. Too much negativity. Yes, I wish we could have signed a goal scorer but not sure who there is out there whom we could realistically have brought in.
The defensive record is astonishing. Just mad !!

[Vegas Claret]

It's called confirmation bias, mate, and is a textbook example of it.

You weren't really happy with him from the start (and I know you're normally glass half full), so you're looking for things to confirm that view - as many are, based on this pre-conceived notion about SP's management style.

Just take each game as it comes. Tonight was good and could have easily been a repeat of the Plymouth game.

Of course he will be happy with 1-0, job done, managed that game well and now on to the FA cup before the run in.

UTC.

Not sure about that tbh, my issue with tonight is we started the second half pretty flat and once again Parker failed to make any changes to even try and regain the momentum in the game because he's more than happy to win 1-0. That's my biggest frustration with him tbh.

[jlup1980]

It's called confirmation bias, mate, and is a textbook example of it.

You weren't really happy with him from the start (and I know you're normally glass half full), so you're looking for things to confirm that view - as many are, based on this pre-conceived notion about SP's management style.

Just take each game as it comes. Tonight was good and could have easily been a repeat of the Plymouth game.

Of course he will be happy with 1-0, job done, managed that game well and now on to the FA cup before the run in.

UTC.

Tonight wasn't good. It was average at best. I agree we started well and it should have been another Plymouth, but our finishing highlighted what we all knew before the transfer window - we need a natural scorer. Then, thankfully, they scored for us and the game ended. The second half was as dull as dishwater. We didn't look to kill the game off, we played to hold onto a 1 nil at home against Oxford.

Tonight was a chance to score goals and build confidence. Oxford were absolutely shocking, rank bad. We didn't even need to press particularly hard and they seemed to melt away (the Sarmiento shot towards the end summed that up!). We should have battered them and put a marker down. We won, which is always great, but it's not the full story, not by a long way.

[CoolClaret]

Not sure about that tbh, my issue with tonight is we started the second half pretty flat and once again Parker failed to make any changes to even try and regain the momentum in the game because he's more than happy to win 1-0. That's my biggest frustration with him tbh.

He's made changes before and we've been notably worse as a result. The lads he could have brought on, Edwards/Shelvey etc will starting seeing minutes after a bit more time with the squad. Just have some faith!!

[CoolClaret]

Tonight wasn't good. It was average at best. I agree we started well and it should have been another Plymouth, but our finishing highlighted what we all knew before the transfer window - we need a natural scorer. Then, thankfully, they scored for us and the game ended. The second half was as dull as dishwater. We didn't look to kill the game off, we played to hold onto a 1 nil at home against Oxford.

Tonight was a chance to score goals and build confidence. Oxford were absolutely shocking, rank bad. We didn't even need to press particularly hard and they seemed to melt away (the Sarmiento shot towards the end summed that up!). We should have battered them and put a marker down. We won, which is always great, but it's not the full story, not by a long way.

So if it was 'average at best' but 'should have been another Plymouth', who is that on?

[Vegas Claret]

Just have some faith!!

I've had faith since the 80s mate and I'll be getting up at 4:30am to watch us play PNE, it's the hope that kills you !

[dvalley69]

So if it was 'average at best' but 'should have been another Plymouth', who is that on?

SP of course. You do know he's the one who tells them to put the ball in the net! Or is it the shackles he puts on them so they can't score goals?