The Bohemian
Member
- Joined
- Jul 24, 2012
- Messages
- 472
- Reaction score
- 2,198
Great credit to Wilder and the supporters for today's fully deserved, if somewhat edgy, victory.
Wilder for having the courage to drop Clarke and revert back to 4-2-3-1, which Oxford never really got to grips with. The supporters for sticking with the team even after conceding early on.
Basham and Coutts are not going to win us promotion as a central midfield pairing but both did OK today, especially in the second half when providing a defensive barrier (mainly Basham) and playing calmly out of trouble (mainly Coutts) when Oxford pressed.
The four up front started as:
.......Scougall...........Sharp...........Duffy........
..............................Done.........................
All played well and looked comfortable in doing the job asked of them - which none did in a 4-4-2.
Done did what he does best, pressurising defenders into errors through his relentless chasing and making intelligent runs between the central defenders and full backs. His finishing lacked conviction but his cross for Billy, shortly after missing one, was excellent.
Billy looked back to last season's form: good movement and link play. No surprise when he scored.
Duffy had by far his best game to date, looking far more at home, finding pockets of space to jink and probe in a flexible 3 than as an out and out wide player in a 4-4-2, where he lacks the yard of pace to beat a full back on his outside. His delivery from set-pieces caused problems for Oxford throughout and he really deserved Wilson getting on the end of one.
If we ignore Scougall's obvious vulnerability - his pre-pubescent physique and consequent susceptibility to being out-muscled - he was back close to his best today. He always tries to be positive, either running at or passing past defenders and showing a great work ethic. He does get bullied off the ball but he also adds something to the team, which nobody else does at present - the ability to stretch teams and move the ball forward purposefully and quickly.
Today's win shouldn't deflect from the critical surgery required on the squad: we are defensively very vulnerable and today's starting line up determined that we would need to score at least twice to win the game. Neither Freeman nor Hussey are natural defenders - both ball watch and don't seem to know how when to mark tight and when to drop deep.
Wright did OK, no more. On several occasions he attacked a high ball he had no hope of winning leaving a gaping hole behind himself. He also lacks the height to dominate in the air. On the plus side, he was very vocal, made some good interceptions and seemed relatively calm in possession.
Wilson had his best game to date in terms of decision making and distribution (both of which have been suspect previously) and finished his header really well. He doesn't provide, and I suspect never will, commanding presence in central defence.
O'Connell did well, replacing Hussey at left back at half time. He was defensively strong, used the ball intelligently and even nutmegged Oxford's full back when charging forward.
A nervous ten minutes aside - during which, Oxford scored - we defended reasonably well as a unit and Moore cuts a much more confident figure in goal than the embattled Long. Once again, the goal conceded was avoidable with Basham and Coutts switching off at a free kick and allowing Sercombe (a player we should be looking closely at) far too much space to get a clean strike at goal. Moore will be disappointed with his parry into Hemming's path but, again, no reaction or anticipation from our defenders.
We're now treading a fine line between having a top six, challenging squad versus a bottom-half, struggle.
Wilder has shown his capacity to learn and make big decisions - e.g. moving Brayford on and dropping Clarke. However, his current squad does not have the capability to mount a sustained promotion challenge, so the next four days will define his season (and probably his future).
In order of priority he needs:
1. A proper League One/Championship centre half
2. An athletic, ball-winning, ball-playing, 6' plus central midfielder
3. A pacy striker
4. A right back (or, my preference - move Basham there)
If he sorts 1. out, we should finish in the top half. If he deals with 2. we can challenge for a top six finish. If he deals with 1, 2 and 3 we can still win promotion this season.
Wilder for having the courage to drop Clarke and revert back to 4-2-3-1, which Oxford never really got to grips with. The supporters for sticking with the team even after conceding early on.
Basham and Coutts are not going to win us promotion as a central midfield pairing but both did OK today, especially in the second half when providing a defensive barrier (mainly Basham) and playing calmly out of trouble (mainly Coutts) when Oxford pressed.
The four up front started as:
.......Scougall...........Sharp...........Duffy........
..............................Done.........................
All played well and looked comfortable in doing the job asked of them - which none did in a 4-4-2.
Done did what he does best, pressurising defenders into errors through his relentless chasing and making intelligent runs between the central defenders and full backs. His finishing lacked conviction but his cross for Billy, shortly after missing one, was excellent.
Billy looked back to last season's form: good movement and link play. No surprise when he scored.
Duffy had by far his best game to date, looking far more at home, finding pockets of space to jink and probe in a flexible 3 than as an out and out wide player in a 4-4-2, where he lacks the yard of pace to beat a full back on his outside. His delivery from set-pieces caused problems for Oxford throughout and he really deserved Wilson getting on the end of one.
If we ignore Scougall's obvious vulnerability - his pre-pubescent physique and consequent susceptibility to being out-muscled - he was back close to his best today. He always tries to be positive, either running at or passing past defenders and showing a great work ethic. He does get bullied off the ball but he also adds something to the team, which nobody else does at present - the ability to stretch teams and move the ball forward purposefully and quickly.
Today's win shouldn't deflect from the critical surgery required on the squad: we are defensively very vulnerable and today's starting line up determined that we would need to score at least twice to win the game. Neither Freeman nor Hussey are natural defenders - both ball watch and don't seem to know how when to mark tight and when to drop deep.
Wright did OK, no more. On several occasions he attacked a high ball he had no hope of winning leaving a gaping hole behind himself. He also lacks the height to dominate in the air. On the plus side, he was very vocal, made some good interceptions and seemed relatively calm in possession.
Wilson had his best game to date in terms of decision making and distribution (both of which have been suspect previously) and finished his header really well. He doesn't provide, and I suspect never will, commanding presence in central defence.
O'Connell did well, replacing Hussey at left back at half time. He was defensively strong, used the ball intelligently and even nutmegged Oxford's full back when charging forward.
A nervous ten minutes aside - during which, Oxford scored - we defended reasonably well as a unit and Moore cuts a much more confident figure in goal than the embattled Long. Once again, the goal conceded was avoidable with Basham and Coutts switching off at a free kick and allowing Sercombe (a player we should be looking closely at) far too much space to get a clean strike at goal. Moore will be disappointed with his parry into Hemming's path but, again, no reaction or anticipation from our defenders.
We're now treading a fine line between having a top six, challenging squad versus a bottom-half, struggle.
Wilder has shown his capacity to learn and make big decisions - e.g. moving Brayford on and dropping Clarke. However, his current squad does not have the capability to mount a sustained promotion challenge, so the next four days will define his season (and probably his future).
In order of priority he needs:
1. A proper League One/Championship centre half
2. An athletic, ball-winning, ball-playing, 6' plus central midfielder
3. A pacy striker
4. A right back (or, my preference - move Basham there)
If he sorts 1. out, we should finish in the top half. If he deals with 2. we can challenge for a top six finish. If he deals with 1, 2 and 3 we can still win promotion this season.
