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Post by stevewilliams on Sept 21, 2014 12:38:19 GMT
Jesus I cant quite understand why so many people are happy that we are 2nd from bottom and level points with the drop zone. once again our old failings came to show yesterday that we cant score against negative bully sides. if the unambitious lenegens were still here you lot would be fn suicidal...or may be more homicidal. lets get real as it stands we have a poor points haul that if continued at 7 points in 9 games would see us relegated. I agree the football is better but results are poor one win in 4 is not impressive nevermind 1 in 9! people forget waddock tried to get us playing football and we got shite results then too! loving this abuse as charliesghost if anything as ive said before he actually needs be less statesman like as I dont see him having digs at the new owners at all hes on here talking about his views about current results which hes got as much right as us to all to do. also love the fact that njones is saying charliesghost lost us 2000 fans at what point did he run te club as at what point did we average 7000 fans??? whereas sadly out current gates out over 1k down since the first game and nearly 2k down on last season average!!!! so perhaps the real question here is what are the club going to do to get to the 6k figure they need to just lose £1.5m? what's the plan for marketing, how long can they sustain these loses, will they write off the debt which it seems the lenegens didnt!!!! think many would agree best we will get this season is midtable after our start so we could be lower in the league with almost double the financial loss as a much lower average attendance compared to next season. that's not being negative thats what we are facing and I want to know how the new guys will sort this and why people think its acceptable. right now Im not hearing any answers to this question other than oh the footballs better to watch and we want to be championship ASAP. no news on stadium plans either. I really hope they sort this as its our club as we all want success but nobody is wrong to question whats going on but there seems to be this witchunt on here from new posters to attach anyone that asks serious questions. its not negativity its genuine interest and concern. I'm honestly stunned more aren't worried but looking at the attendances it suggests many people arent convinced and this needs to be addressed now.
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Post by m on Sept 21, 2014 12:56:10 GMT
Jesus I cant quite understand why so many people are happy that we are 2nd from bottom and level points with the drop zone. once again our old failings came to show yesterday that we cant score against negative bully sides. if the unambitious lenegens were still here you lot would be fn suicidal...or may be more homicidal. lets get real as it stands we have a poor points haul that if continued at 7 points in 9 games would see us relegated. I agree the football is better but results are poor one win in 4 is not impressive nevermind 1 in 9! people forget waddock tried to get us playing football and we got shite results then too! loving this abuse as charliesghost if anything as ive said before he actually needs be less statesman like as I dont see him having digs at the new owners at all hes on here talking about his views about current results which hes got as much right as us to all to do. also love the fact that njones is saying charliesghost lost us 2000 fans at what point did he run te club as at what point did we average 7000 fans??? whereas sadly out current gates out over 1k down since the first game and nearly 2k down on last season average!!!! so perhaps the real question here is what are the club going to do to get to the 6k figure they need to just lose £1.5m? what's the plan for marketing, how long can they sustain these loses, will they write off the debt which it seems the lenegens didnt!!!! think many would agree best we will get this season is midtable after our start so we could be lower in the league with almost double the financial loss as a much lower average attendance compared to next season. that's not being negative thats what we are facing and I want to know how the new guys will sort this and why people think its acceptable. right now Im not hearing any answers to this question other than oh the footballs better to watch and we want to be championship ASAP. no news on stadium plans either. I really hope they sort this as its our club as we all want success but nobody is wrong to question whats going on but there seems to be this witchunt on here from new posters to attach anyone that asks serious questions. its not negativity its genuine interest and concern. I'm honestly stunned more aren't worried but looking at the attendances it suggests many people arent convinced and this needs to be addressed now. ....and rest!
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Post by Deleted on Sept 21, 2014 13:05:28 GMT
Jesus I cant quite understand why so many people are happy that we are 2nd from bottom and level points with the drop zone. once again our old failings came to show yesterday that we cant score against negative bully sides. if the unambitious lenegens were still here you lot would be fn suicidal...or may be more homicidal. lets get real as it stands we have a poor points haul that if continued at 7 points in 9 games would see us relegated. I agree the football is better but results are poor one win in 4 is not impressive nevermind 1 in 9! people forget waddock tried to get us playing football and we got shite results then too! loving this abuse as charliesghost if anything as ive said before he actually needs be less statesman like as I dont see him having digs at the new owners at all hes on here talking about his views about current results which hes got as much right as us to all to do. also love the fact that njones is saying charliesghost lost us 2000 fans at what point did he run te club as at what point did we average 7000 fans??? whereas sadly out current gates out over 1k down since the first game and nearly 2k down on last season average!!!! so perhaps the real question here is what are the club going to do to get to the 6k figure they need to just lose £1.5m? what's the plan for marketing, how long can they sustain these loses, will they write off the debt which it seems the lenegens didnt!!!! think many would agree best we will get this season is midtable after our start so we could be lower in the league with almost double the financial loss as a much lower average attendance compared to next season. that's not being negative thats what we are facing and I want to know how the new guys will sort this and why people think its acceptable. right now Im not hearing any answers to this question other than oh the footballs better to watch and we want to be championship ASAP. no news on stadium plans either. I really hope they sort this as its our club as we all want success but nobody is wrong to question whats going on but there seems to be this witchunt on here from new posters to attach anyone that asks serious questions. its not negativity its genuine interest and concern. I'm honestly stunned more aren't worried but looking at the attendances it suggests many people arent convinced and this needs to be addressed now. Some interesting points there Steve, although, without wishing to be the grammar police, it might have come over better if broken into manageable chunks! Charlie's two main protagonists (on this thread) are very different creatures. njones' agenda is undeniably personal, and I suspect he is either close to the club, or dreams of being. I am surprised at the vehemence of Scotchegg's stance against Charlie, as I always had him pegged as a fair-minded non-agenda driven poster, but then he and Charlie seem to be enjoying the to and fro and I don't think they're far from kissing and making up. Home attendances are 900 down on the averages for the past two seasons, which is certainly worrying. 1 win in 9 is, superficially, a disaster, but how would we feel had we achieved our second successive win yesterday? I'm guessing we'd be basking in our revival. One chance in the net was all it would have taken. That's why I'm looking beyond raw statistics; if that was the basis of our support we could all stay at home and save money.
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Post by charliesghost on Sept 21, 2014 13:44:52 GMT
Jesus I cant quite understand why so many people are happy that we are 2nd from bottom and level points with the drop zone. once again our old failings came to show yesterday that we cant score against negative bully sides. if the unambitious lenegens were still here you lot would be fn suicidal...or may be more homicidal. lets get real as it stands we have a poor points haul that if continued at 7 points in 9 games would see us relegated. I agree the football is better but results are poor one win in 4 is not impressive nevermind 1 in 9! people forget waddock tried to get us playing football and we got shite results then too! loving this abuse as charliesghost if anything as ive said before he actually needs be less statesman like as I dont see him having digs at the new owners at all hes on here talking about his views about current results which hes got as much right as us to all to do. also love the fact that njones is saying charliesghost lost us 2000 fans at what point did he run te club as at what point did we average 7000 fans??? whereas sadly out current gates out over 1k down since the first game and nearly 2k down on last season average!!!! so perhaps the real question here is what are the club going to do to get to the 6k figure they need to just lose £1.5m? what's the plan for marketing, how long can they sustain these loses, will they write off the debt which it seems the lenegens didnt!!!! think many would agree best we will get this season is midtable after our start so we could be lower in the league with almost double the financial loss as a much lower average attendance compared to next season. that's not being negative thats what we are facing and I want to know how the new guys will sort this and why people think its acceptable. right now Im not hearing any answers to this question other than oh the footballs better to watch and we want to be championship ASAP. no news on stadium plans either. I really hope they sort this as its our club as we all want success but nobody is wrong to question whats going on but there seems to be this witchunt on here from new posters to attach anyone that asks serious questions. its not negativity its genuine interest and concern. I'm honestly stunned more aren't worried but looking at the attendances it suggests many people arent convinced and this needs to be addressed now. Some interesting points there Steve, although, without wishing to be the grammar police, it might have come over better if broken into manageable chunks! Charlie's two main protagonists (on this thread) are very different creatures. njones' agenda is undeniably personal, and I suspect he is either close to the club, or dreams of being. I am surprised at the vehemence of Scotchegg's stance against Charlie, as I always had him pegged as a fair-minded non-agenda driven poster, but then he and Charlie seem to be enjoying the to and fro and I don't think they're far from kissing and making up. Home attendances are 900 down on the averages for the past two seasons, which is certainly worrying. 1 win in 9 is, superficially, a disaster, but how would we feel had we achieved our second successive win yesterday? I'm guessing we'd be basking in our revival. One chance in the net was all it would have taken. That's why I'm looking beyond raw statistics; if that was the basis of our support we could all stay at home and save money. Leaving me to one side for the moment - sad though that makes me! - you're right that we would be feeling different had we won yesterday. And stats aren't everything: enjoyment is part of it, too, and I think we're grateful finally to actually enjoy our hobby. I loathed the Wilder regime - and argued consistently that he was damaging the club long-term by both his tactics and ghastly personal style. I think, therefore, that we can all be on board on this one. It helps that the protagonists at OUFC are fundamentally, as far as I can see, non-divisive personalities. All seem to me to be good blokes, driven by the right things, both in football and in life - non chippy, passionate about football, but able to have a laugh. But both they and therefore the club and therefore we fans have serious challenges to consider. 1.The level of indebtedness is appalling, and it is a great pity that the deal with IL does not seem to have led to at least a substantial write-off of debt. Indeed, it appears to be increasing. In terms of turnover to debt ratio, we are going to be one of the worst in the country (3 x turnover?) plus we have no asset (unlike most clubs). 2. Under Financial Fair Play, our max budget for next season is going to be set at 60% (I think) of this year's turnover. As things currently stand that means a lower budget next year than this. Combine that with a high fixed overhead, and there is going to be a natural financial tension - as far as I can see, anyway 3. Every extra single season that we stay amongst the dregs of pro football, our attendance will gradually diminish. I'm sorry, but that is a fact of life. There is a limited appetite for League 2 football year after year after year. My firm prediction is that our base home attendance will only rise back up to the 5400 or so we saw last season if we are challenging strongly for promotion, let alone the 7500 we need to break even on current spending. None of the above is anti-Eales. It is a statement of the challenges that were taken on at the start of July. I understand the urge to bury the head in the sand and hope for the best. Many, indeed the majority, of fans did that under Uncle Firoz. Personally, it's never been my inclination, but I do understand why many simply do not want to think about it.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 21, 2014 14:07:51 GMT
I think if people want to take pot shots at people asking questions, they'd be better off attacking me than Charlie as my cup is less full than his. Admittedly I've been to far fewer games than many of you, I enjoyed the 3-3 I saw, and I read all these excellent player ratings. But if I were to plagiarize some of Steve's post above and break it into my own bite size chunks it would look as follows
1. Some very attractive football teams have been relegated and everyone is awfully sad and surprised about it. But it does happen
2. We are playing a style if football that is going to be extremely hazardous to acquire points with in my opinion over the rough pitched winter months. Don't get me wrong I'm delighted we are now playing football, but will the supposed advantage of our boutique players like Howard be somewhat diminished come November. As such you'd almost hope we were slightly ahead of the game points wise from this stage of the season. Can and will MApp adapt?
3. When I look at the results and the opposition, the improvement appears to be directly aligned to the calibre of the opposition. We have just played Daggers, Stevenage and a Accrington at home and Exeter away. There are sterner tests ahead where our opportunities to attack will be more constrained
4. A significant chunk of our fanbase has gone. I have a hunch (complete finger in the air and unsubstantiated) that they will be very tricky to get back into going. If I take a small snapshot, of my regular group of 7, only 1 is currently attending games regularly. All would have been absolutely bang up for Luton in previous years and a big day out. It would be unmissable. There is a categorical lack of interest despite my repeated efforts. They all read these boards so they are aware that "the football has improved". So if they won't go to that it's going to take some serious work to get them to home games. All are ex S/T holders.
5. Not really any if the current incumbents fault but home matchday experiences are still awful but for the football being more appealing. That does matter. I think we will also see fewer away fans coming now they don't have the Priory experience to enjoy . We are a bad day out.
6, Budget. This for me is the whopper. Crowds down budget up. Both probably quite significantly. It's all very well saying that we will happily sit in league two for a few seasons but we could be racking up serious and unrecoverable risk. What level of debt can we sustain? What are the owners actual resources for this project? How wealthy is Eales and how much does he want to commit to this cash apocalypse that we love?
Now I've deliberately only laid out the negatives only there. I realise there is plenty to be excited about and to potentially enjoy, particularly the hope and aspiration. But in the words of one of ITVs finest morons, Adrian Chiles, "it's the hope that kills you!"
I think we still need to be very aware of our predicament and we also need to be challenging this season. Still possible but we need to get moving and I'm not convinced the train will move fast enough,
A couple of wind may cheer the mood up on here but would it really change that much?
Discuss!
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Post by Deleted on Sept 21, 2014 14:28:30 GMT
1. Some very attractive football teams have been relegated and everyone is awfully sad and surprised about it. But it does happen 2. We are playing a style if football that is going to be extremely hazardous to acquire points with in my opinion over the rough pitched winter months. Don't get me wrong I'm delighted we are now playing football, but will the supposed advantage of our boutique players like Howard be somewhat diminished come November. As such you'd almost hope we were slightly ahead of the game points wise from this stage of the season. Can and will MApp adapt? 3. When I look at the results and the opposition, the improvement appears to be directly aligned to the calibre of the opposition. We have just played Daggers, Stevenage and a Accrington at home and Exeter away. There are sterner tests ahead where our opportunities to attack will be more constrained 4. A significant chunk of our fanbase has gone. I have a hunch (complete finger in the air and unsubstantiated) that they will be very tricky to get back into going. If I take a small snapshot, of my regular group of 7, only 1 is currently attending games regularly. All would have been absolutely bang up for Luton in previous years and a big day out. It would be unmissable. There is a categorical lack of interest despite my repeated efforts. They all read these boards so they are aware that "the football has improved". So if they won't go to that it's going to take some serious work to get them to home games. All are ex S/T holders. 5. Not really any if the current incumbents fault but home matchday experiences are still awful but for the football being more appealing. That does matter. I think we will also see fewer away fans coming now they don't have the Priory experience to enjoy . We are a bad day out. 6, Budget. This for me is the whopper. Crowds down budget up. Both probably quite significantly. It's all very well saying that we will happily sit in league two for a few seasons but we could be racking up serious and unrecoverable risk. What level of debt can we sustain? What are the owners actual resources for this project? How wealthy is Eales and how much does he want to commit to this cash apocalypse that we love? Now I've deliberately only laid out the negatives only there. I realise there is plenty to be excited about and to potentially enjoy, particularly the hope and aspiration. But in the words of one of ITVs finest morons, Adrian Chiles, "it's the hope that kills you!" I think we still need to be very aware of our predicament and we also need to be challenging this season. Still possible but we need to get moving and I'm not convinced the train will move fast enough, A couple of wind may cheer the mood up on here but would it really change that much? Discuss! 1. True. I think there is a 10% chance of OUFC being relegated; 2. I think / hope our style can be adapted to allow a mix of ariel and ground work if conditions dictate. Perhaps 20% chance that this will be a problem; 3. True. I think there is a 20% chance of OUFC reaching the play offs this season; 4. True. The best we can hope for, crowd wise, if style continues to improve AND we start winning more often is +1,000 on current; 5. True. I generally go straight to my seat now; 6. True, and very, very concerning. Just how committed will Mr Eales be about continuing to chuck money after a lost cause? So there we are. I would say my glass is more than half full, yet I agree with 5 of 6 of your "negative" points. They are, in fact, well made and realistic. Perhaps someone - step forward njones? - will be able to list six positives, for balance?
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Post by Deleted on Sept 21, 2014 15:14:54 GMT
This is no place for balance
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Post by charliesghost on Sept 21, 2014 15:16:12 GMT
1. Some very attractive football teams have been relegated and everyone is awfully sad and surprised about it. But it does happen 2. We are playing a style if football that is going to be extremely hazardous to acquire points with in my opinion over the rough pitched winter months. Don't get me wrong I'm delighted we are now playing football, but will the supposed advantage of our boutique players like Howard be somewhat diminished come November. As such you'd almost hope we were slightly ahead of the game points wise from this stage of the season. Can and will MApp adapt? 3. When I look at the results and the opposition, the improvement appears to be directly aligned to the calibre of the opposition. We have just played Daggers, Stevenage and a Accrington at home and Exeter away. There are sterner tests ahead where our opportunities to attack will be more constrained 4. A significant chunk of our fanbase has gone. I have a hunch (complete finger in the air and unsubstantiated) that they will be very tricky to get back into going. If I take a small snapshot, of my regular group of 7, only 1 is currently attending games regularly. All would have been absolutely bang up for Luton in previous years and a big day out. It would be unmissable. There is a categorical lack of interest despite my repeated efforts. They all read these boards so they are aware that "the football has improved". So if they won't go to that it's going to take some serious work to get them to home games. All are ex S/T holders. 5. Not really any if the current incumbents fault but home matchday experiences are still awful but for the football being more appealing. That does matter. I think we will also see fewer away fans coming now they don't have the Priory experience to enjoy . We are a bad day out. 6, Budget. This for me is the whopper. Crowds down budget up. Both probably quite significantly. It's all very well saying that we will happily sit in league two for a few seasons but we could be racking up serious and unrecoverable risk. What level of debt can we sustain? What are the owners actual resources for this project? How wealthy is Eales and how much does he want to commit to this cash apocalypse that we love? Now I've deliberately only laid out the negatives only there. I realise there is plenty to be excited about and to potentially enjoy, particularly the hope and aspiration. But in the words of one of ITVs finest morons, Adrian Chiles, "it's the hope that kills you!" I think we still need to be very aware of our predicament and we also need to be challenging this season. Still possible but we need to get moving and I'm not convinced the train will move fast enough, A couple of wind may cheer the mood up on here but would it really change that much? Discuss! 1. True. I think there is a 10% chance of OUFC being relegated; 2. I think / hope our style can be adapted to allow a mix of ariel and ground work if conditions dictate. Perhaps 20% chance that this will be a problem; 3. True. I think there is a 20% chance of OUFC reaching the play offs this season; 4. True. The best we can hope for, crowd wise, if style continues to improve AND we start winning more often is +1,000 on current; 5. True. I generally go straight to my seat now; 6. True, and very, very concerning. Just how committed will Mr Eales be about continuing to chuck money after a lost cause? So there we are. I would say my glass is more than half full, yet I agree with 5 of 6 of your "negative" points. They are, in fact, well made and realistic. Perhaps someone - step forward njones? - will be able to list six positives, for balance? I don't think it's a question of listing positives. We all know what they are. They are listed above several times in this thread. It's really a question of accepting the challenges, seeing them for the genuine challenges they are, and coming up with proper answers. I agree with every bit of the above. I would say that our chance of relegation is no more than 10-15 % as well (and I agree that we have a 1 in 5 chance of making the play-offs). For me, though, until that 10% chance is obliterated I will not rest easy. Relegation to the Conference is always worse than other relegations. It truly is a trapdoor, with no parachute payment to break the landing. But, and it'd a big BUT, unlike last time we would be indebted to the tune of £10 million (£2 million last time), we'd be losing an additional £2.5-£3 million year on year with a massive fixed overhead entirely inappropriate to the Conference and funding to our League 1 sized academy decimated. ie it'd be carnage, and probably the end of our club, or more probably administration. This time, there would be no novelty to the experience, and crowds would swiftly drop beneath 3000, in my opinion. It is only a 10% chance, but I, personally, would like to see us take on that existing possibility and face it down, and THEN start to look to the future. Doesn't mean for a moment that I am not enjoying the football. I am. Doesn't mean I don't think we have better players than most clubs in tis league. We do. But 2005 has left me massively jittery, as does having numerous Bristol Rovers-supporting mates. They spent most of last year appreciating John Joe O'Toole, and talking about their new stadium. Now the stadium deal is in tatters and O'Toole is at Northampton. This is not 'scaremongering'. Half the teams in League 2 start their campaign terrified of the Conference. It is just a case of accepting a challenge, rather than ignoring it
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Post by wandsworthyellow on Sept 21, 2014 15:31:19 GMT
Wow. "Talk of 'unbeaten runs' makes me want to scream. We have just taken 5 points from the last 3 games. Who would not have rather have won 2 of those games and lost won, for a total of six points and the tear-jerking, devastating loss of our 'unbeaten run'." And: "I am capable both of appreciating sincerely what our players and coaches are trying to do, together with urging on them a steelier determination to grind out a few more wins. Because, unlike you, I do not enjoy being 21st in League 2." Why does it make you want to scream? Yes, we'd all MUCH prefer wins, or course. But after the summer we have just had, and the complete upheavel on and off the pitch, anyone thinking we'd be challenging at this stage of the season was seriously in cuckoo land. The WIlder tenure seriously ran its time. And tbf to Chris, he clearly got the best out of a below average group of players - but played a desperately safe brand of "let's not lose" football. What we're playing now is the best football we've had for years. The results aren't coming at the moment. But the unbeaten run is a start, in the right direction. Surely you see this after the time we've been having off field? If not Charlie, then you just don't get it. And as for point 2, please point out where I have written that I enjoy being 21st in the league? I am happy to discuss both points further with you this Saturday at Luton, over a pint. The unbeaten run is a total and complete irrelevance, as a metric of success. You can win the Premiership without a significant 'unbeaten run', and get relegated from the League having been unbeaten in any number of games. It makes me scream because there is no logic to welcoming something which, in and of itself, is meaningless. So we draw against Daggers, Exeter and Stevenage. Is that actually something to cheer? Oh, sure, it's better than LOSING. It's also better than being put into administration. It's better than having shingles etc etc. But. It. Is. Meaningless. It neither denotes success, in the context of a League where a win gives you 3 points and a draw 1 point, nor does it denote a high level of performance. In answer to the more sensible question from Paul, yes, I do 'feel' that better times are coming. I too have enjoyed the way we have played this season. Far, far more than under CJ Wilder, whose style of play I detested. I am just trying to weigh that 'feeling' up against objective facts. I'm an experienced enough gambler to know that facts are ignored at your peril when looking to the future. I am also enough of a fan to desperately hope that all our 'feeling' is right. Mate, you are not making sense. CW delievred results. Fact. Not pretty I agree. Not at home. But I get wound up with fans slagging off CW when he delivered results.
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Post by oufcyellows on Sept 21, 2014 15:35:23 GMT
The unbeaten run is a total and complete irrelevance, as a metric of success. You can win the Premiership without a significant 'unbeaten run', and get relegated from the League having been unbeaten in any number of games. It makes me scream because there is no logic to welcoming something which, in and of itself, is meaningless. So we draw against Daggers, Exeter and Stevenage. Is that actually something to cheer? Oh, sure, it's better than LOSING. It's also better than being put into administration. It's better than having shingles etc etc. But. It. Is. Meaningless. It neither denotes success, in the context of a League where a win gives you 3 points and a draw 1 point, nor does it denote a high level of performance. In answer to the more sensible question from Paul, yes, I do 'feel' that better times are coming. I too have enjoyed the way we have played this season. Far, far more than under CJ Wilder, whose style of play I detested. I am just trying to weigh that 'feeling' up against objective facts. I'm an experienced enough gambler to know that facts are ignored at your peril when looking to the future. I am also enough of a fan to desperately hope that all our 'feeling' is right. Mate, you are not making sense. CW delievred results. Fact. Not pretty I agree. Not at home. But I get wound up with fans slagging off CW when he delivered results. Not enough results to get us promoted though!!! And it's the not at home fact which is a lot to do with current attendances. No ones slagging him off, but if we finish 8-9th this season I know I'll be happier than under cw as they will have done it with hardly any preseason and playing football that is enjoyable to watch
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Post by wandsworthyellow on Sept 21, 2014 15:42:03 GMT
So I'm going to play Devil's Advocate here, but: After 9 games this season - 7 points, 9 goals After 9 games last season - 18 points, 19 goals I know we're trying to see the big picture here. And we're thinking that we've played some lovely stuff this season, and been unlucky. Whereas at the same time last season, we thought we'd been a bit mediocre and rather fortunate. We all think there's much more promise for the future this year, because of the quality of our squad, and the quality of our football. But frankly, I was much happier at this stage last season than I am this. And that isn't going to change until we start turning this attractive football into scoring more goals and some actual wins. Obviously last season went to hell in a handbasket, but for all the quality we're seeing, there's no guarantees that this season is going to take off like we all hope it will, and end much better. Potential is all well and good, but I want points. And I'm not going to be happy until we start to get wins on a regular basis, however nicely we play. See y'all at Luton! My sentiments 100% precisely, Tony. But because they were expressed by me, Scotch Egg, 'N Jones' and his cohorts choose to represent this frankly obvious view as 'having an agenda', 'bitterness' and 'negativity'. What then happens is that various people wade in to point out to these nameless trolls - Ok, nameless troll; Scotch Egg is just on some pills that I would love to be able to afford - that they are traducing my position. I then re-state my position. And then they re-appear, sometimes two weeks later, sometimes under a different username, usually spewing personal abuse about my motives, my career, my historic work for OUFC etc. And yet it is still worth me re-stating my view, to those on here I know, because we need to wade through these people to have a reasoned debate. 1. I like and support Darryl Eales and Mark Ashton. I like Darryl Eales better than any owner I can remember (though I do recall Robin Herd being nice to me when I met him once!) 2. I especially like and support Michael Appleton. I've met him three brief times, and he is that much over-used term, a gentleman. He and Fazackerley, as we now see, are also excellent coaches. 3. I have been more entertained in 5 home games this season than in the previous two years in total under Wilder 4. The new management team have brought good players to the club: we haven't see the likes of Howard, Hoskins and Barnett in eons (Kitson was too aged to count) 5. The coaching team are clearly encouraging young players. Going to the youth team game today, as usual, it was really nice to watch it alongside Fazackerley, and to see Mapp encouraging the youngsters as they came off at half-time 6. Several of the things that Mark Ashton is doing I am especially supportive of. I shan't go into detail here, not because it's anything controversial, but because it concerns the YCT, which I am a trustee of and it is not for me to make things public, even good things! With the exception of this last point, I have made these points time and again, to the point of near embarrassment. But let me make it clear one more time: by any standards short of North Korea I am very, very supportive. However, that does not stop me being concerned at the current situation of the club I love. We are heavily indebted, 22nd in the basement of the FL, have a hideous stadium rental deal and are losing money hand over fist with a diminishing home audience. Put that way, what's not to like??? Are these problems the fault of the current ownership? Far from it. As I have said many, many times. Is it concerning? As Tony, Ricky, uptheuss and many others have continually asserted, like me, yes it is concerning. And is it worthy of discussion? In my view, if this forum is NOT to discuss these issues then what is the point of it? I'd love to say that this is the last time I have to say all this. But it won't be. In a week's time or so, you'll get the same sequence of events. Generally speaking, at some point, they will allude to an aged dispute between fans groups which makes the Life of Brian seem like a serious documentary. 100% agree Charlie. What is YCT?
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Post by wandsworthyellow on Sept 21, 2014 16:18:20 GMT
1. True. I think there is a 10% chance of OUFC being relegated; 2. I think / hope our style can be adapted to allow a mix of ariel and ground work if conditions dictate. Perhaps 20% chance that this will be a problem; 3. True. I think there is a 20% chance of OUFC reaching the play offs this season; 4. True. The best we can hope for, crowd wise, if style continues to improve AND we start winning more often is +1,000 on current; 5. True. I generally go straight to my seat now; 6. True, and very, very concerning. Just how committed will Mr Eales be about continuing to chuck money after a lost cause? So there we are. I would say my glass is more than half full, yet I agree with 5 of 6 of your "negative" points. They are, in fact, well made and realistic. Perhaps someone - step forward njones? - will be able to list six positives, for balance? I don't think it's a question of listing positives. We all know what they are. They are listed above several times in this thread. It's really a question of accepting the challenges, seeing them for the genuine challenges they are, and coming up with proper answers. I agree with every bit of the above. I would say that our chance of relegation is no more than 10-15 % as well (and I agree that we have a 1 in 5 chance of making the play-offs). For me, though, until that 10% chance is obliterated I will not rest easy. Relegation to the Conference is always worse than other relegations. It truly is a trapdoor, with no parachute payment to break the landing. But, and it'd a big BUT, unlike last time we would be indebted to the tune of £10 million (£2 million last time), we'd be losing an additional £2.5-£3 million year on year with a massive fixed overhead entirely inappropriate to the Conference and funding to our League 1 sized academy decimated. ie it'd be carnage, and probably the end of our club, or more probably administration. This time, there would be no novelty to the experience, and crowds would swiftly drop beneath 3000, in my opinion. It is only a 10% chance, but I, personally, would like to see us take on that existing possibility and face it down, and THEN start to look to the future. Doesn't mean for a moment that I am not enjoying the football. I am. Doesn't mean I don't think we have better players than most clubs in tis league. We do. But 2005 has left me massively jittery, as does having numerous Bristol Rovers-supporting mates. They spent most of last year appreciating John Joe O'Toole, and talking about their new stadium. Now the stadium deal is in tatters and O'Toole is at Northampton. This is not 'scaremongering'. Half the teams in League 2 start their campaign terrified of the Conference. It is just a case of accepting a challenge, rather than ignoring it agreed and bristol rvrs are a much bigger club than oufc
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Post by Deleted on Sept 21, 2014 16:21:52 GMT
Disagree, they are exactly the same size as us
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Post by Deleted on Sept 21, 2014 16:25:16 GMT
Disagree, they are exactly the same size as us OUFC are 2.7% bigger than BRFC. FACT.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 21, 2014 16:43:35 GMT
Disagree, they are exactly the same size as us OUFC are 2.7% bigger than BRFC. FACT. I didn't realise that so stand corrected but that's not much bigger. It's hugely biggerest
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Post by scotchegg on Sept 21, 2014 17:41:53 GMT
I would like to draw a line under some of the comments I've made in recent weeks as things have heated up unnecessarily. I have been frustrated at time by those who fail to see the development shown since July, and that frustration has frequently been aimed at Charlie and I've allowed this to become personal. I do not know Charlie personally and have absolutely no agenda other than supporting the club I love. We first classed swords in the days after the takeover when a handful of posters looked in my view to try to discredit the new guys prematurely. As it appeared that some were linked to the 'other bid' directly (Charlie) or indirectly (Myles and others close to Charlie). I felt that some comments were unfair and were fueling division at a time when the club needed to be united. Comments were made about asset stripping, incompetency and hidden agendas. There was a lot of uncertainty, and on the back of previous owners this led to a lot of fear. I am annoyingly optimistic by nature and frequently argued for more time before we judged the new guys. That didn't mean ignoring any concerns, but to be realistic in allowing them time to stabilise before being fully able to answer all the fears. If we look back over the last couple of months then most will acknowledge that there has been huge changes behind the scene, and that there are a few green shoots of recovery on the pitch. I'm not stupid enough to ignore the results of the league table but in this division a good run of games seems to have a greater effect than a similar number of poor results. We were shocking for the second half of last season but were still only a few wins away from the playoffs. If we stay fit, build confidence and get a bit of luck then the season is a long way from being over. Nothing positive is achieved with a negative mind, and I have strongly back the positive bus to the point were I have jumped on any concerns being raised. That is not realistic and I need to take a step back and not take an occasional moan or concern personally. We are Oxford United fans. We have been through far worse, and far better, but we have done this as one. Charlie and I want the same thing and the journey is irrelevant as long as we get to the right destination. So the positive and negative buses have been put back in the garage and a yellow and blue double decker is pulling up with enough space for all of us! (However, when we get promotion I'll be all over this forum saying I told you so!!!)
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Post by yellowg on Sept 21, 2014 17:44:54 GMT
I hope there is a massive turnout on Thursday night at the kassam. We have a lot of fans who are interested in more than just the football, and are giving themselves serious hypertension. I have read a thousand superb questions that need answering...see you all there!
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Post by Deleted on Sept 21, 2014 18:04:43 GMT
When the takeover was announced there were a number of sceptics telling us that the new owners were only in it to asset strip the club etc etc. now we have seen actual proof that ENSCO have a vision for our club. The quality of players signed, the style of football being played and the vast improvement in the PR have been refreshing to say the least. Much like Scotchegg, I was frustrated by the continued negativity by some of the posters on this site. I also found Charlie very patronising in his dismissal of others when it came to those who were trying to positively back the new owners. The drop in attendances are not the fault of MAPP, MA or DE, it's 100% the fault of the previous administration of which CM was a major part of. Why do I believe he was a major part of the previous administration, because he told us he was an a number of occasions.
MAPP has had to start from a very low level with the players he had when he became manager and had little or no time to put his stamp on the players before the season kicked off. Along with this he did not have the luxury of having a full closed season to put together a squad of players that would have been his first choice. Bearing this in mind it's not surprising that we are at the wrong end of the table, but I for one believe that this is just a temporary situation and will change.
Now I'm not stupid and neither is MA, MAPP or DE, they look at the league table and can see for themselves where we sit, the difference is they have a real plan to improve this situation. They don't need the minute by minute dissection of what's wrong by supporters like Charlie. Let's give them some slack and let them get on with achieving their goal of making OUFC a club to be proud of.
The fact is we have new owners in place and whatever you or I think, our future is in their hands and I for one am quite comfortable with the current situation . That's my last word on the subject and will refrain from posting anything that contains the words Charlie or Methven in the future.
All I want is to return to the days when we had gates over 6000 and a team worth watching and so far ENSCO. Have achieved 50% of that.
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Post by charliesghost on Sept 21, 2014 18:26:49 GMT
I would like to draw a line under some of the comments I've made in recent weeks as things have heated up unnecessarily. I have been frustrated at time by those who fail to see the development shown since July, and that frustration has frequently been aimed at Charlie and I've allowed this to become personal. I do not know Charlie personally and have absolutely no agenda other than supporting the club I love. We first classed swords in the days after the takeover when a handful of posters looked in my view to try to discredit the new guys prematurely. As it appeared that some were linked to the 'other bid' directly (Charlie) or indirectly (Myles and others close to Charlie). I felt that some comments were unfair and were fueling division at a time when the club needed to be united. Comments were made about asset stripping, incompetency and hidden agendas. There was a lot of uncertainty, and on the back of previous owners this led to a lot of fear. I am annoyingly optimistic by nature and frequently argued for more time before we judged the new guys. That didn't mean ignoring any concerns, but to be realistic in allowing them time to stabilise before being fully able to answer all the fears. If we look back over the last couple of months then most will acknowledge that there has been huge changes behind the scene, and that there are a few green shoots of recovery on the pitch. I'm not stupid enough to ignore the results of the league table but in this division a good run of games seems to have a greater effect than a similar number of poor results. We were shocking for the second half of last season but were still only a few wins away from the playoffs. If we stay fit, build confidence and get a bit of luck then the season is a long way from being over. Nothing positive is achieved with a negative mind, and I have strongly back the positive bus to the point were I have jumped on any concerns being raised. That is not realistic and I need to take a step back and not take an occasional moan or concern personally. We are Oxford United fans. We have been through far worse, and far better, but we have done this as one. Charlie and I want the same thing and the journey is irrelevant as long as we get to the right destination. So the positive and negative buses have been put back in the garage and a yellow and blue double decker is pulling up with enough space for all of us! (However, when we get promotion I'll be all over this forum saying I told you so!!!) Appreciate the sentiment, Scotch Egg, and agree with it. But I am just going to have to haul you up once more - disappointingly, given that theoretically you are trying to be consensual - on the claim (repeated yet again here) that I have tried to discredit the current owners. It is an unfair and untrue claim, and a damaging one, given the situation. You mention asset-stripping etc. I've been saying for as long as you have that this is nonsense. I've never accused anyone of incompetence. Nor was Myles 'linked indirectly' to the bid. I think I've only seen Myles once in the last 12 months, and he had no role - direct or indirect in my bid. Nor Ricky Otto etc. It's just all a fantasy conspiracy which defames honest, good OUFC fans who are worried by their club's macro situation. Your problem, as I see it, is that you cannot divorce 'fair comment' from 'negative criticism'. So when I point out some obvious truths about our current situation - without any angst towards Eales, Mapp et al - you have seemed unable just to see it as a point of view, and insist on perceiving an agenda and even a conspiracy. One final thing I want to say. You write that nothing positive is achieved with a negative mindset. Apart from the fact that that is factually untrue (many top sportsmen achieve out of a fear of losing) - tho I get what you are saying, of course - it is important to acknowledge another truth about achievement. And that is that until you face up to the size of a challenge, you have little chance of overcoming it. It's understanding what needs to be done that drives the actions that then provide the solid platform for achievement. So I am queasy about the current level of self-congratulation. I was told yesterday that senior players believe that we have 'just been unlucky' and that 'it'll turn soon'. To me - I'm sorry - that is a loser's mindset. The only saying about luck that is worth repeating is Gary Player's. "The more I practise, the luckier I get". We can bet our bottom dollars that the Accys, Exeters, Hartlepools et al of this world - clubs with budgets half ours - will already be practising very, very hard. They know that they need to do everything in their power to save their FL careers. Until the table tells us that we are much better than them, I'd love to see us refrain from swanking around as if we're top of the table. A bit of real hurt in the dressing room, coupled with earnest determination just to work harder and harder after one of these unsatisfactory results would give me far more confidence than blithe talk about luck. Other than that, of course I agree with the yellow and blue bus. And it goes without saying that a bus ride goes quicker if there are few interesting discussions along the way.... Hope to high heaven that you get your chance to be smug in May. That would be a wonderful 'downside' to have to cope with.
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Post by pottersrightboot on Sept 21, 2014 18:27:14 GMT
I think if people want to take pot shots at people asking questions, they'd be better off attacking me than Charlie as my cup is less full than his. Admittedly I've been to far fewer games than many of you, I enjoyed the 3-3 I saw, and I read all these excellent player ratings. But if I were to plagiarize some of Steve's post above and break it into my own bite size chunks it would look as follows 1. Some very attractive football teams have been relegated and everyone is awfully sad and surprised about it. But it does happen 2. We are playing a style if football that is going to be extremely hazardous to acquire points with in my opinion over the rough pitched winter months. Don't get me wrong I'm delighted we are now playing football, but will the supposed advantage of our boutique players like Howard be somewhat diminished come November. As such you'd almost hope we were slightly ahead of the game points wise from this stage of the season. Can and will MApp adapt? 3. When I look at the results and the opposition, the improvement appears to be directly aligned to the calibre of the opposition. We have just played Daggers, Stevenage and a Accrington at home and Exeter away. There are sterner tests ahead where our opportunities to attack will be more constrained 4. A significant chunk of our fanbase has gone. I have a hunch (complete finger in the air and unsubstantiated) that they will be very tricky to get back into going. If I take a small snapshot, of my regular group of 7, only 1 is currently attending games regularly. All would have been absolutely bang up for Luton in previous years and a big day out. It would be unmissable. There is a categorical lack of interest despite my repeated efforts. They all read these boards so they are aware that "the football has improved". So if they won't go to that it's going to take some serious work to get them to home games. All are ex S/T holders. 5. Not really any if the current incumbents fault but home matchday experiences are still awful but for the football being more appealing. That does matter. I think we will also see fewer away fans coming now they don't have the Priory experience to enjoy . We are a bad day out. 6, Budget. This for me is the whopper. Crowds down budget up. Both probably quite significantly. It's all very well saying that we will happily sit in league two for a few seasons but we could be racking up serious and unrecoverable risk. What level of debt can we sustain? What are the owners actual resources for this project? How wealthy is Eales and how much does he want to commit to this cash apocalypse that we love? Now I've deliberately only laid out the negatives only there. I realise there is plenty to be excited about and to potentially enjoy, particularly the hope and aspiration. But in the words of one of ITVs finest morons, Adrian Chiles, "it's the hope that kills you!" I think we still need to be very aware of our predicament and we also need to be challenging this season. Still possible but we need to get moving and I'm not convinced the train will move fast enough, A couple of wind may cheer the mood up on here but would it really change that much? Discuss! Why don't you start going to a few more games, that would help the club.
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Post by pottersrightboot on Sept 21, 2014 18:36:33 GMT
We should have buried Stevenage yesterday. We didn't. That is a concern. 0-0 at home against such limited opposition is not a good result. Is it?
I did see a strong positive though yesterday, we were getting stuck in and were pressing the opposition. I will bang on about this till I am blue in the face, no team won promotion from League 2 without the blood, sweat and tears of 100% commitment in every game. Bring this to the party and we have a chance OF upper mid table .
I also worry that some of our players are not physically robust enough as winter draws in.
Probably the best thing that Appleton has done overall to date is to bring on the career of Calum O'Dowda - and to a more limited extent, Ruffels, (who was excellent yesterday.)
Under Wilder, both would be bench fillers still.
We have no chance of promotion this season though.
There IS a sense of gradual progress and a better future. Which I did not see at the end of last season.
COYY.
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Post by bazzer9461 on Sept 21, 2014 18:40:42 GMT
When the takeover was announced there were a number of sceptics telling us that the new owners were only in it to asset strip the club etc etc. now we have seen actual proof that ENSCO have a vision for our club. The quality of players signed, the style of football being played and the vast improvement in the PR have been refreshing to say the least. Much like Scotchegg, I was frustrated by the continued negativity by some of the posters on this site. I also found Charlie very patronising in his dismissal of others when it came to those who were trying to positively back the new owners. The drop in attendances are not the fault of MAPP, MA or DE, it's 100% the fault of the previous administration of which CM was a major part of. Why do I believe he was a major part of the previous administration, because he told us he was an a number of occasions. MAPP has had to start from a very low level with the players he had when he became manager and had little or no time to put his stamp on the players before the season kicked off. Along with this he did not have the luxury of having a full closed season to put together a squad of players that would have been his first choice. Bearing this in mind it's not surprising that we are at the wrong end of the table, but I for one believe that this is just a temporary situation and will change. Now I'm not stupid and neither is MA, MAPP or DE, they look at the league table and can see for themselves where we sit, the difference is they have a real plan to improve this situation. They don't need the minute by minute dissection of what's wrong by supporters like Charlie. Let's give them some slack and let them get on with achieving their goal of making OUFC a club to be proud of. The fact is we have new owners in place and whatever you or I think, our future is in their hands and I for one am quite comfortable with the current situation . That's my last word on the subject and will refrain from posting anything that contains the words Charlie or Methven in the future. All I want is to return to the days when we had gates over 6000 and a team worth watching and so far ENSCO. Have achieved 50% of that. We are not achieved 50% yet We may do later on this season but not yet. it doesn't matter who s in charge we need the results to get the support back and we are not achieving that yet!
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Post by scotchegg on Sept 21, 2014 18:48:39 GMT
I have explained why I had my views, and posts are available for all to see if anyone desperately wants to look back.
I never said that luck alone will get results, that we have any given right to success or otherwise. Of course everyone understands and accepts the challenge we face. No one would be stupid enough to rely on luck, but the margins between success and failure can at times be very small. Recognise the problem, get the right people in, work harder than anyone else, and perhaps just a little extra luck will bring everything together.
I will let others judge on agendas etc but I've made my position clear and can't see any value in going through this again. It's time to put egos aside and move forward.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 21, 2014 18:55:18 GMT
I think if people want to take pot shots at people asking questions, they'd be better off attacking me than Charlie as my cup is less full than his. Admittedly I've been to far fewer games than many of you, I enjoyed the 3-3 I saw, and I read all these excellent player ratings. But if I were to plagiarize some of Steve's post above and break it into my own bite size chunks it would look as follows 1. Some very attractive football teams have been relegated and everyone is awfully sad and surprised about it. But it does happen 2. We are playing a style if football that is going to be extremely hazardous to acquire points with in my opinion over the rough pitched winter months. Don't get me wrong I'm delighted we are now playing football, but will the supposed advantage of our boutique players like Howard be somewhat diminished come November. As such you'd almost hope we were slightly ahead of the game points wise from this stage of the season. Can and will MApp adapt? 3. When I look at the results and the opposition, the improvement appears to be directly aligned to the calibre of the opposition. We have just played Daggers, Stevenage and a Accrington at home and Exeter away. There are sterner tests ahead where our opportunities to attack will be more constrained 4. A significant chunk of our fanbase has gone. I have a hunch (complete finger in the air and unsubstantiated) that they will be very tricky to get back into going. If I take a small snapshot, of my regular group of 7, only 1 is currently attending games regularly. All would have been absolutely bang up for Luton in previous years and a big day out. It would be unmissable. There is a categorical lack of interest despite my repeated efforts. They all read these boards so they are aware that "the football has improved". So if they won't go to that it's going to take some serious work to get them to home games. All are ex S/T holders. 5. Not really any if the current incumbents fault but home matchday experiences are still awful but for the football being more appealing. That does matter. I think we will also see fewer away fans coming now they don't have the Priory experience to enjoy . We are a bad day out. 6, Budget. This for me is the whopper. Crowds down budget up. Both probably quite significantly. It's all very well saying that we will happily sit in league two for a few seasons but we could be racking up serious and unrecoverable risk. What level of debt can we sustain? What are the owners actual resources for this project? How wealthy is Eales and how much does he want to commit to this cash apocalypse that we love? Now I've deliberately only laid out the negatives only there. I realise there is plenty to be excited about and to potentially enjoy, particularly the hope and aspiration. But in the words of one of ITVs finest morons, Adrian Chiles, "it's the hope that kills you!" I think we still need to be very aware of our predicament and we also need to be challenging this season. Still possible but we need to get moving and I'm not convinced the train will move fast enough, A couple of wind may cheer the mood up on here but would it really change that much? Discuss! Why don't you start going to a few more games, that would help the club. It would indeed. However my circumstances prevent that currently. Having said that, even if they hadn't I'm not sure I would attend regularly given my social group are not interested at the moment (for a number of the generic reasons captured elsewhere)
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Post by Deleted on Sept 21, 2014 18:56:52 GMT
I agree that promotion looks a distant dream, but should we have a run of four straight victories opinions will change. It is amazing what a win can do for confidence. It's a strange season and most on here believe we are heading the right way even though results have not been going the way they should for various reasons. If you are optimistic you can say, we have had five games without a loss, we have had a clean sheet. Good signings have been made and we now have a proven scorer in Hylton, which we didn't have before. Unfortunately Hoskins was injured but what a signing in Barnett. Howard looks immense in this league. Even if we didn't make promotion this year, I would far rather have Appleton as manager than Wilder. Looks like Wilder is still having problems at home with Northampton. If I was negative, I would still be concerned about Long although he was better on Saturday. Disappointed with Potter and wonder if he is on the way out. I think Appleton will bring the best out of Newey..he has played better over the last three games. Riley looks a good acquisition. In Mark Ashton, I think we have someone who is prepared to back his manager, and give him support financially to achieve that goal. Oxford have started to improve and they are enjoyable to watch. Crowds will improve. What more can I say. COYY
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Post by wandsworthyellow on Sept 21, 2014 19:24:33 GMT
Disagree, they are exactly the same size as us OUFC are 2.7% bigger than BRFC. FACT. that's bull. FACT.
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Post by charliesghost on Sept 21, 2014 19:32:58 GMT
I agree that promotion looks a distant dream, but should we have a run of four straight victories opinions will change. It is amazing what a win can do for confidence. It's a strange season and most on here believe we are heading the right way even though results have not been going the way they should for various reasons. If you are optimistic you can say, we have had five games without a loss, we have had a clean sheet. Good signings have been made and we now have a proven scorer in Hylton, which we didn't have before. Unfortunately Hoskins was injured but what a signing in Barnett. Howard looks immense in this league. Even if we didn't make promotion this year, I would far rather have Appleton as manager than Wilder. Looks like Wilder is still having problems at home with Northampton. If I was negative, I would still be concerned about Long although he was better on Saturday. Disappointed with Potter and wonder if he is on the way out. I think Appleton will bring the best out of Newey..he has played better over the last three games. Riley looks a good acquisition. In Mark Ashton, I think we have someone who is prepared to back his manager, and give him support financially to achieve that goal. Oxford have started to improve and they are enjoyable to watch. Crowds will improve. What more can I say. COYY Agree with most of that. And I am feeling so much better about going to the football under Mapp than Wilder. Even my children notice the difference in excitement. For the first time, last season they started to ask not to come from time to time (poor mites). Have to agree to disagree on the crowds. You imply that they improve willy nilly because of the style of football. I'm afraid that I do not agree with that. Our style of play has been really good all season and the home crowd has actually deteriorated markedly. I'm not saying that I think it will continue to drop this year - 4000 is probably about the base level for now - but every season we stay in the basement will eat away at our core attendance. We simply HAVE to get out of this God-forsaken league (and yes, I mean get out of it in the right direction) as swiftly as possible.
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Post by tonyw on Sept 22, 2014 13:48:58 GMT
All I want is to return to the days when we had gates over 6000 and a team worth watching We could argue for a while about this - but I honestly don't think that this has definitively happened at OUFC since the late 80s! What history shows us is that for OUFC to attract fans in big numbers on a regular basis we need two things - 1) Good Football and 2) Good results There's a few people who will come back when the football is entertaining regardless of where we sit in the table......but probably not that many. There's a few people who only care about results and will come back when we're next in a promotion battle, regardless of the quality of football. But to get back to 6000, to get all the occasionals back more regularly, we need both. And therefore for that to happen we need points. And in a hurry if it's going to happen this season. Performance in isolation is not enough.
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Post by mekong on Sept 22, 2014 19:34:48 GMT
Agree with Charlie and Tony re attendances. I am guilty of giving up my season ticket this year but will be attending most games and slotting in a few away as well. Having seen the management changes and the player changes and playing style change I am now charged with optimism. I firmly believe we can be chasing promotion later in the season even though the table right now suggests otherwise. Last season felt wrong - this season feels right - the ingredients are there for success to come our way. Hope springs internal.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 23, 2014 7:45:00 GMT
I think we can push on. We have signed quite a few new players and although it usually takes time for the players to know each other that looks to be happening. Brian Howard and Tyrone Barnett particularly look good acquisitions at this level. Hylton seems to have slotted in very well. What I particualrly like about MAPP!is that he is not afraid to inject some home grown talent into the side, even though he might have been criticised for bringing in two teenagers from outside. They too have blended in nicely to the team. I'm a big Junior Brown fan and can see him doing very well for us
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