I have been preparing myself for that for two weeks, to cushion the inevitable blow. I said to a friend at halftime that I would pick the 88th minute for Oxford's winner in the sweepstakes. That sounds cynical, but it is too predictable now.
Just to recap, 3 games out of 4 conceding in injury time, and leading all four games for a grand total of...1 point.
Can have a go at the tactics and performances but some of them look very old and others don't look up to it for the division. Need a massive chunk of luck somewhere or everyone else down there to keep being crap.
Well we chucked that away collectively, but one thing's for sure: the Yves experiment was worth a shot but hasn't worked. He hasn't made a costly error yet but he's hardly inspiring confidence in the defence.
It's hard to be critical of overall performances when we're consistently winning or drawing games at 90mins. For whatever reason we're just not seeing games through and switching off and making mistakes time and time again at the death. It's becoming a habit now and opposition know it.
Not so disappointed by the loss of a point - although it would have helped. But, hell, that loss is going to be a further kick to the players and manager.
Not sure anyone did very much wrong - JJ's penalty miss aside. But the players look tired and disorganised come 85minutes onward. We need to be leading about 3-0 to stand any chance of getting anything from a match.
@Wycombe85 said:
It's hard to be critical of overall performances when we're consistently winning or drawing games at 90mins. For whatever reason we're just not seeing games through and switching off and making mistakes time and time again at the death. It's becoming a habit now and opposition know it.
I get what you're saying, but it we shouldn't overlook what's going wrong in the 90 minutes. I can't comment on today as I wasn't there, but it seems another case of us playing alright and taking the lead, but not taking our chances to put the game to bed. We're not scoring enough; wasting chances, missing sitters and penalties, god knows when one of our strikers last scored a goal and this failure to kill teams off means we're piling the pressure on ourselves and inviting our opponents on to batter us in the closing stages, when they shouldn't have anything to play for.
Our high energy style is taking its toll on our small, ageing squad. We cannot rely on grinding out a 1-0 or 2-1 anymore.
@MindlessDrugHoover said:
Show just how important those loanees were, especially Fred. Conceding deep into injury time 3 games running is beyond acceptable.
We seemed to deal well with it for a few weeks, then it's kicked in massively between Fred, Morris and the other winger with the wispy moustache whose name I've criminally forgotten.
The latter two didn't always start, but they added quality in places.
I can’t in all honesty blame Ainsworth for persevering with Yves. Allsop has been very poor for some time and deserved to be dropped. The experiment is over and Allsop will play until the end of the season regardless of his form/ ability. I can’t see us getting any points from the next two games...we could go down, we could stay up...who knows!!
Need to beat Rochdale and Walsall and hope to snatch some thing from any of the other games, but in all honesty, can't see where goals are going to come from at the moment.
Well it has happened so many times this season. On for a point or three points then can’t hold onto the position. Oxford were there for the taking but we were just not good enough to take the game by the scruff of the neck.
Let’s hope we can take something from the next two home games.
Feel gutted for Samuel who worked like a trojan today, a huge asset for us in our style of play. Gape, Stewart and Bean were also very good. Sadly we have some players with little confidence, no form and others are looking burnt out. JJ in particular. Allsopp has also suffered from this but he must go back in now. Yves is not the answer.
Well, I thought we paid the price for showing next to no endeavour to win the game. Oxford played the more "attractive" football, without really hurting us. Second half, looked like we were happy to settle for a draw. They kept putting the ball in the box from wide positions and it invites trouble. I predicted, (sadly), at halftime that we would lose to an injury time goal and so it proved. I'm certain this excessive "game management" is playing a big part in these injury time goals. It has to be watered down. Yves Mak-Flappy gloves wasting time with 60 on the clock is poor and let's be honest, he doesn't inspire confidence in either the defence or the crowd. Speed the general play up a bit, during the dead ball time and show more ambition to win a game and it might just pay dividends?
If Yves left tomorrow, I dare say his legacy would be the most incredible time wasting ever seen, in some early round cup game, where he spent about 5minutes messing about with his hair band, and I can only imagine the ref allowed it, as he was too sh!t scared of making a stand in case it blew up into some PC incident.
While I agree about Yves causing as many problems as anyone for our defenders I'm not sure we did much game management.
In fact just the opposite for me. We clearly had lots of tired legs in the last 10 minutes and it was crying out for someone to go down 'injured' to allow players to take a breather.
It's a terrible statistic, that we've lost 27(?) points from winning positions this season and quite frankly I'd accept the team doing almost anything to get a win - however unlikely that is - next week.
Our time wasting and gamesmanship has been pathetic for a long time now and we have a deserved reputation for it. This is supposed to be the beautiful game...and for anyone that remembers when Bobby Moore strolled out of defence in those final few seconds in Jul 1966 and delivered a sublime pass to Geoff Hurst who hammered in the fourth - it probably didnt cross his mind to time waste then. Such a shame that we have come to these tactics.....
Comments
I've just had to apologise to a colleague for my language.
I have been preparing myself for that for two weeks, to cushion the inevitable blow. I said to a friend at halftime that I would pick the 88th minute for Oxford's winner in the sweepstakes. That sounds cynical, but it is too predictable now.
Just to recap, 3 games out of 4 conceding in injury time, and leading all four games for a grand total of...1 point.
Leading, missed a pen, and a 93rd min goal to lose it.
What an all round sickener.
Looks like we're relying on 4 teams having a crapper end of season than us, then seeing it through ourselves.
Can have a go at the tactics and performances but some of them look very old and others don't look up to it for the division. Need a massive chunk of luck somewhere or everyone else down there to keep being crap.
Several players did really well - Gape, Stewart and Samuel stood out. Sadly, too many other look knackered, too old or not quite good enough.
For me the shape is too open, requiring us to cover too much ground. Need to be more compact really.
Not looking good at all now.
Well we chucked that away collectively, but one thing's for sure: the Yves experiment was worth a shot but hasn't worked. He hasn't made a costly error yet but he's hardly inspiring confidence in the defence.
Show just how important those loanees were, especially Fred. Conceding deep into injury time 3 games running is beyond acceptable.
It's hard to be critical of overall performances when we're consistently winning or drawing games at 90mins. For whatever reason we're just not seeing games through and switching off and making mistakes time and time again at the death. It's becoming a habit now and opposition know it.
Does the emergency goalkeeper loan system work if your goalies are not injured, just crap?
Not so disappointed by the loss of a point - although it would have helped. But, hell, that loss is going to be a further kick to the players and manager.
Not sure anyone did very much wrong - JJ's penalty miss aside. But the players look tired and disorganised come 85minutes onward. We need to be leading about 3-0 to stand any chance of getting anything from a match.
I get what you're saying, but it we shouldn't overlook what's going wrong in the 90 minutes. I can't comment on today as I wasn't there, but it seems another case of us playing alright and taking the lead, but not taking our chances to put the game to bed. We're not scoring enough; wasting chances, missing sitters and penalties, god knows when one of our strikers last scored a goal and this failure to kill teams off means we're piling the pressure on ourselves and inviting our opponents on to batter us in the closing stages, when they shouldn't have anything to play for.
Our high energy style is taking its toll on our small, ageing squad. We cannot rely on grinding out a 1-0 or 2-1 anymore.
We seemed to deal well with it for a few weeks, then it's kicked in massively between Fred, Morris and the other winger with the wispy moustache whose name I've criminally forgotten.
The latter two didn't always start, but they added quality in places.
Williams?
I can’t in all honesty blame Ainsworth for persevering with Yves. Allsop has been very poor for some time and deserved to be dropped. The experiment is over and Allsop will play until the end of the season regardless of his form/ ability. I can’t see us getting any points from the next two games...we could go down, we could stay up...who knows!!
Need to beat Rochdale and Walsall and hope to snatch some thing from any of the other games, but in all honesty, can't see where goals are going to come from at the moment.
We haven't won a game since January and I honestly can't see where the next one is coming from. It's all gone very wrong.
Wonder if Gabby Agbonlahor fancies a six-game contract in exchange for £4.67 and no crisps?
Well it has happened so many times this season. On for a point or three points then can’t hold onto the position. Oxford were there for the taking but we were just not good enough to take the game by the scruff of the neck.
Let’s hope we can take something from the next two home games.
And as for Ives, he is not a league class keeper. Allsop is poor but Ives comes second out of two.
I'm going mad trying to double check my counting but I make it 24 points dropped from winning positions this season (10 in 4 games -_-)
I think that 24 points was before today's game, so 27 now. Worst in the division.
Feel gutted for Samuel who worked like a trojan today, a huge asset for us in our style of play. Gape, Stewart and Bean were also very good. Sadly we have some players with little confidence, no form and others are looking burnt out. JJ in particular. Allsopp has also suffered from this but he must go back in now. Yves is not the answer.
What is quite alarming, is that three of the bottom four are now just 2 points away.
So the comfort zone is squeezing very quickly.
We can't write these next two off, but anything is a bonus.
Game in hand is key, needs to be a win. Next 2 games though Pompey and Charlton...
Well, I thought we paid the price for showing next to no endeavour to win the game. Oxford played the more "attractive" football, without really hurting us. Second half, looked like we were happy to settle for a draw. They kept putting the ball in the box from wide positions and it invites trouble. I predicted, (sadly), at halftime that we would lose to an injury time goal and so it proved. I'm certain this excessive "game management" is playing a big part in these injury time goals. It has to be watered down. Yves Mak-Flappy gloves wasting time with 60 on the clock is poor and let's be honest, he doesn't inspire confidence in either the defence or the crowd. Speed the general play up a bit, during the dead ball time and show more ambition to win a game and it might just pay dividends?
If Yves left tomorrow, I dare say his legacy would be the most incredible time wasting ever seen, in some early round cup game, where he spent about 5minutes messing about with his hair band, and I can only imagine the ref allowed it, as he was too sh!t scared of making a stand in case it blew up into some PC incident.
I've also said it before, the time wasting doesn't help us at all... absolutely gutted today
While I agree about Yves causing as many problems as anyone for our defenders I'm not sure we did much game management.
In fact just the opposite for me. We clearly had lots of tired legs in the last 10 minutes and it was crying out for someone to go down 'injured' to allow players to take a breather.
It's a terrible statistic, that we've lost 27(?) points from winning positions this season and quite frankly I'd accept the team doing almost anything to get a win - however unlikely that is - next week.
Our time wasting and gamesmanship has been pathetic for a long time now and we have a deserved reputation for it. This is supposed to be the beautiful game...and for anyone that remembers when Bobby Moore strolled out of defence in those final few seconds in Jul 1966 and delivered a sublime pass to Geoff Hurst who hammered in the fourth - it probably didnt cross his mind to time waste then. Such a shame that we have come to these tactics.....
Our last win was on the 26th Jan against Plymouth. No wins in our last 10 games.