John Lundstram

[Lukeguest199]

Hi gents, Ox fan here just wondering how our former boys are getting on? always had soft spot for yous when Wilder took over, top guy and great to see he's fully kicked on now.

Noticed Lunny and JW are hardly making bench is that injuries or just out of favour?

 

[blade_ben]

JW has had an injury. Transfer window move to Scunthorpe didn’t happen. Lundstram just ain’t anywhere near good enough

 

[Rusty view]

I've liked Lundstram, but he just isn't at the level he needs to be to challenge for a 1st team place. Our midfield is very strong.

Shame for the lad.

 

[Stretch]

As said above, not quite at the level we need now but he has always put a shift in when called upon.
Had a few highlights with us too, Forest away last season where he was comfortably the best player on the park springs to mind. However his best ever was putting grease head Grealish on the deck with a proper (and fair) old school tackle. In a game where that little cunt had been trying to con the ref all afternoon, Lunny gave him something to really moan about. The ref putting the cherry on the cake by visibly trying him to get up and get on with it.

 

[Tynemouth Blade]

Great 'tackle' he made on that little shit from Villa though.

 

[SouthEssexBlade]

I'm pleased to say that things have moved on at a pace that has surprised most of us. The team has improved rapidly and the standard of the squad compared with only 12 months is a significant improvement. Players get left behind if they don't keep up and are quickly getting replaced. The Oxford lads are cases in point, though Lundstram may have a small part to play this season.

 

[TJB.]

He snapped Greasy Grealish in a convincing victory over Villa, that'll do me.

 

[LondonBlade89]

Lundstram is technically very good but just a bit short of where we're at right now and we what we need. We play with a midfield three. In simple terms, one conducts, one is more box-to-box, and one plays just behind the front two. Lundstram doesn't really fit into any of these. Too ponderous to conduct in the way that we want, not athletic enough to make those thrusting runs forward to play box-to-box, and not good enough with the ball at his feet to play in our 10 role. He's had his chances too, particularly when Coutts went down half-way through last season and our midfield was in flux. It wasn't until we signed Ollie Norwood in August that we cracked it again. He's a squad player right now. If we go up, I imagine he'll be on his way. Can't fault his effort and I'm sure he'll have a fair few interested clubs.

Jake Wright was absolutely immense for us in our promotion season. Wilder just recognised that we needed to strengthen our centre back when we reached the Championship. Richard Stearman was signed and stepped in straight away. Wright hasn't had too many chances since. Wilder strengthened again this year by signing John Egan, who like Stearman stepped in straight away, except this time it was Stearman being relegated to the bench. So Wright is a fair way down the pecking order now.

 

[Lukeguest199]

Lundstram is technically very good but just a bit short of where we're at right now and we what we need. We play with a midfield three. In simple terms, one conducts, one is more box-to-box, and one plays just behind the front two. Lundstram doesn't really fit into any of these. Too ponderous to conduct in the way that we want, not athletic enough to make those thrusting runs forward to play box-to-box, and not good enough with the ball at his feet to play in our 10 role. He's had his chances too, particularly when Coutts went down half-way through last season and our midfield was in flux. It wasn't until we signed Ollie Norwood in August that we cracked it again. He's a squad player right now. If we go up, I imagine he'll be on his way. Can't fault his effort and I'm sure he'll have a fair few interested clubs.

Jake Wright was absolutely immense for us in our promotion season. Wilder just recognised that we needed to strengthen our centre back when we reached the Championship. Richard Stearman was signed and stepped in straight away. Wright hasn't had too many chances since. Wilder strengthened again this year by signing John Egan, who like Stearman stepped in straight away, except this time it was Stearman being relegated to the bench. So Wright is a fair way down the pecking order now.

Everything most Oxford fans thought would be the case with Lunny lacks any sort of pace. Good to see George and Marv have kicked on both were also immense for us.

Still cannot believe we let JW go still baffles me that one.

 

[SwissBlade]

I think we may yet see more of Lundstram before the end of the season. He’s a solid defensive midfielder and I think that once Norwood gets his 10th yellow, Coutts will come in and Lundstram will be there to cover him when he’s done after 60-80 mins. He’s not played enough football to be ready for 90 mins

We have plenty of games in a short period and I think Lundstram could be used to close games out, I think he’d have been ideal at villa.

Not sure we’ll see him after this season, perhaps another to send out on loan

 

[LondonBlade89]

Everything most Oxford fans thought would be the case with Lunny lacks any sort of pace. Good to see George and Marv have kicked on both were also immense for us.

Still cannot believe we let JW go still baffles me that one.

Baldock has been a superb signing. He was brought in to provide competition for Kieron Freeman, who'd been exceptional in our promotion season, and has basically ended up taking the shirt from him. He's been injured lately and so Freeman has come back in and reminded us all what a threat he can be, particularly going forward, but that's Baldock's shirt right now, IMO.

Johnson has been alright. I'm not convinced LWB is his best position. But he's done a good filling-in at that position while our first choice LWB slots in at LCB for injury cover. Good to have in the squad.

 

[nopigfansintown]

Jake Wright was immense in our promotion season - we were unbeaten with him in the team. His reading of the game is amongst the best we've ever had at the club, alongside the likes of Harry Maguire and Paul McGrath. He played the first 10 or so games last season until succumbing to injury. He hasn't really had a look in since then after being replaced first by Richard Stearman and now the excellent John Egan.Any club at the top end of league one playing a back three, would be extremely fortunate to have him

Lundstram is clearly technically very accomplished, but doesn't put himself about well enough for a big man, and doesn't have the mobility required to play a more attacking role.He would get by with his technical ability in league one or maybe even bottom half of the championship.

 

[RedandWhite]

Lundstram is clearly technically very accomplished

He loses the ball in his feet and just is well off the pace to be able to take a man on, His passes are never weighted correctly and often fall short of our players and get intercepted, Doyle had more about him technically.

 

[nopigfansintown]

He loses the ball in his feet and just is well off the pace to be able to take a man on, His passes are never weighted correctly and often fall short of our players and get intercepted, Doyle had more about him technically.

No chance, best passing range at the club with the exception of Norwood. It's the rest of his game that lets him down.

 

[Millhousesblade1889]

I think we may yet see more of Lundstram before the end of the season. He’s a solid defensive midfielder and I think that once Norwood gets his 10th yellow, Coutts will come in and Lundstram will be there to cover him when he’s done after 60-80 mins. He’s not played enough football to be ready for 90 mins

We have plenty of games in a short period and I think Lundstram could be used to close games out, I think he’d have been ideal at villa.

Not sure we’ll see him after this season, perhaps another to send out on loan

Agree with this, think you'll probably see him after the Wednesday game....cant see Norwood going two games without a booking

 

[FinchleyBlade]

He loses the ball in his feet and just is well off the pace to be able to take a man on, His passes are never weighted correctly and often fall short of our players and get intercepted, Doyle had more about him technically.

You need to stop watching football. What absolute rubbish.

 

[RedandWhite]

You need to stop watching football. What absolute rubbish.

You clearly don't go to many games then. He takes 5-6 seconds longer than any player in the club to make a pass, and often it looks like its taken so much out of him to kick the ball once, he never looks like it's effortless like it does any of our other midfielders. When he runs about trying to close opponents down you can feel the ground shake and they do a simple turn and hes ran past them.

 

[LJBlade]

I think we may yet see more of Lundstram before the end of the season. He’s a solid defensive midfielder and I think that once Norwood gets his 10th yellow, Coutts will come in and Lundstram will be there to cover him when he’s done after 60-80 mins. He’s not played enough football to be ready for 90 mins

We have plenty of games in a short period and I think Lundstram could be used to close games out, I think he’d have been ideal at villa.

Not sure we’ll see him after this season, perhaps another to send out on loan

Although I've never mentioned it before on here I completely disagree with the assessment that Lundstram is a defensive midfielder. I personally feel he attacks the box better than the rest of our midfielders, arriving late to get on the end of something (like Lampard used to do for Chelsea, no I'm not comparing him to Lampard), that's how the goals he's scored for us have come about. Fleck is also good at attacking the box but in a different sort of way.

Examples of what I mean are when he hit the bar against Brentford earlier this season and his goal against Forest last season.

 

[LondonBlade89]

Although I've never mentioned it before on here I completely disagree with the assessment that Lundstram is a defensive midfielder. I personally feel he attacks the box better than the rest of our midfielders, arriving late to get on the end of something (like Lampard used to do for Chelsea, no I'm not comparing him to Lampard), that's how the goals he's scored for us have come about. Fleck is also good at attacking the box but in a different sort of way.

Examples of what I mean are when he hit the bar against Brentford earlier this season and his goal against Forest last season.

Completely agree, LJ. Lundstram isn't a defensive mid. He can be brought on to "shore up" the midfield, for sure, but that doesn't make him defensive.

 

[itsinyerblood]

Re. the OP's post, everything seems to have been covered above. Lunny lacks something, pace, the ability to react quickly, not sure to be honest, yet there are moments when he does something that says he could be a right player, so it's a confused situation no doubt. Wilder has brought in some decent players so even getting on a bench is a result for some players. They have to show they're worth the shirt, so no more passengers. After last night's Leeds' result were in god shape, but as usual, no assumptions, just an awareness that the run-in is in our hands.

 

[Mouth of the South]

I watched JL a number of times when he was at OUFC and he certainly appeared more comfortable in the sitting/deeper role that Norwood plays. His lack of a yard of pace was evident in L1 and the Champ also highlights that his speed of thought also appears to be a bit slower than is needed. I agree with the consensus that he's not quite good enough for Utd and as such is down the pecking order. No matter what happens this season, it would probably be in his best interests to move on in summer - he'd probably do a decent job for a lower end Champ club or a newly promoted L1 club.

 

[bibbity bobbity boo]

 

[fishpie]

I'd never heard of Jake Wright when he signed.. I still feel pretty stupid about that...

 

[Bruce Wayne]

Answer to the OP is that we have moved on to a level beyond their capabilities. Jake Wright will go down as a remarkable player for us in L1, we just didn't lose when he played, fantastic professional but presently we are a level above his ability. Lundstram always flattered to decieve and has never take his opportunities.

 

[BladeInIreland]

I’d still trust jake Wright to do a job in the championship.

Would be a great signing for any promotion hopefully or bottom half championship team. (If he can get fit again)

 

[Iceybabey]

Lunny makes the bench from time to time, pretty sure he was on the bench for Reading at home. Useful to still have around I think, can be used when necessary, brentford away for example.

 

[FriethBlade]

Luke what's going on at Oxford? Those winding up orders from HMRC don't suggest the new owners got much firepower do they ? Robinson hasn't pulled up any trees either, should have enough to avoid relegation but not the kind of season you expected back in August ?

 

[Lukeguest199]

Luke what's going on at Oxford? Those winding up orders from HMRC don't suggest the new owners got much firepower do they ? Robinson hasn't pulled up any trees either, should have enough to avoid relegation but not the kind of season you expected back in August ?

Worrying times to be an Oxford fan to be honest, 4th winding up order this season which has to be all time record?? All went wrong when our former chairman lost interest and sold any half decent player ie Roofe , O’Dowda , Lunny , Marv , dunkley , ledson then buggered off. As for Robinson the mans complete clown always someone else’s fault. Can see us going down and him somehow blagging his way into another league 1 side.

 

[Patrick Suffaux]

Both good pros and can just about punch at Championship level. Lads you want in your squad to back the first teamers up.

Unfortunately for them our squad has moved up a couple of levels since they joined the club and they will have a very difficult time getting games with a full quota to pick from.

I would love to see both of them kick on and challenge for a place again but it seems unlikely. They have a number of very good players ahead of them.

 

[Lukeguest199]

Cheers for responses - all the best tonight, I'm sure it will put the overhyped Merseyside derby to shame.