Match Thread Coventry City at Oxford United Match Thread - Tuesday 14th Aug (16 Viewers)

[chinamans view]

We trust Robins has gone after 3 games from most of your comments on here tonight

 

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[edgy]

What has Hiwula done to justify starting ahead of JP or JCH. He's gonna be lacking confidence now.

So far..yes very early days....But only Brown and Ogogu look like the only half decent signings this year.

Thank God Andreu is back fit.

Brown was rubbish last night. Mason is way out infront of him currently.

 

[Nick]

We trust Robins has gone after 3 games from most of your comments on here tonight

Gone a bit mad...

 

[SlowerThanPlatt]

 

[Nick]

Just as awful watching it back.

 

[Esoterica]

I don't think it was mentioned.

If Doyle or Ogogo get injured we are in a bit of a pickle.

Im sure he could put Sterling there though.

I'd be very happy to go down to 1 DM if Robins won't address the issues in the 4-2-3-1.
----------------Burge----------------
Grimmer-Willis-Davies-Brown
-------------Ogogo------------------
--------Bayliss Shipley----------
-------------Andreu-----------------
---------Biamou-Hiwula---------

Massive deja vu for me this year after the first few months of last season where anyone with half a footballing brain could see the issues with the way we set up with 2 DMs in a midfield 4. Got away with it in L2 because the opposition didn't have the quality to break down a back 6. He's so defensive and then seemingly stubborn (or blind) with his tactics - from the formations, square pegs in round holes, through to his late and bizarre substitutions. We only changed shape last year due to the same game injuries to Kelly and Jones and even then he tried to go like for like, slipping Shipley into Kelly's role for a game before turning to Bayliss. If he can't address absolute basics like the ridiculous kick offs and throw ins for most of last season, I've not much confidence in him correcting the subtle flaws within his chosen formation from week to week - especially when his soundbytes suggest he thinks the issues are players trying to find their feet at this level/match smartness. He's done so much good off the pitch, just wish he'd demonstrate the lessons learned from last season on the pitch now.

 

[Esoterica]

Has Burge pissed him off too? Robins was very cagey in his interview prior to the Wimbledon game when Geoff asked him if he was back in contention. He looked kind of annoyed and seemingly avoided the direct question answering 'he's back in the squad, yes'. Just left me with a feeling there was more to it than met the eye and he was another I expected to start last night.

 

[larry_david]

It's perfectly reasonable for fans to react negatively to a poor start. There are some people who love highlighting the posters who have meltdowns, at the end of the day this is no different to sitting in the pub after your mates with a pint and ranting about how shit we've been and trying to work out the wrongs and the rights of tactics, players, signings etc.

As for football, we need Willis back, we need Burge back, we need Kelly back and Jones as well. But the first 3 were key last season.

I also find the dropping of Shipley interesting. For me, he carried us forward in that play off final. Bayliss rightly gets plaudits but Shipley was really finding his feet. Assists, goals, through balls, little triangles of one touch football. I'd start Shipley against Plymouth.

 

[Gibbo]

Burge
Grimmer Davies Willis Brown (Hyam is tooooo slow)
Ogogo
Bayliss Kelly (if fit) Shipley
Andreu
Biamou

No attacking new signings!!!
Unlucky on AB who is actually competing with Shipley, he needs to turn himself into a taller version of Biamou
Andreu to park himself 10 yards from Biamou maximum. He has been a problem for me since the day he arrived, no matter how good he is
Picking Sterling is a sackable offence

 

[Liquid Gold]

Hyam properly at fault for both goals. Gets drawn to the ball for the first and that slow jog to close the player who delivers the cross is criminal.

 

[Nick]

Has Burge pissed him off too? Robins was very cagey in his interview prior to the Wimbledon game when Geoff asked him if he was back in contention. He looked kind of annoyed and seemingly avoided the direct question answering 'he's back in the squad, yes'. Just left me with a feeling there was more to it than met the eye and he was another I expected to start last night.

I know it's not based on much but watching body language but it didn't look as if the players enjoyed or had any faith in what he was trying to do last night.

 

[sw88]

Nice idea but it looks like Sterling has to play if he is fit, maybe the reason why he joined us and not a championship club?

I don’t buy this ‘Sterling has to play’, ‘it’s in his loan agreement we have to play him’.

By the sounds of it Grimmer did himself no favours last night to earn a starting place so maybe Sterling is looking the better of the two, like Mason is at Lb when it looked like Brown was coming in as first choice LB?

 

[robbiekeane]

I'd be very happy to go down to 1 DM if Robins won't address the issues in the 4-2-3-1.
----------------Burge----------------
Grimmer-Willis-Davies-Brown
-------------Ogogo------------------
--------Bayliss Shipley----------
-------------Andreu-----------------
---------Biamou-Hiwula---------

Massive deja vu for me this year after the first few months of last season where anyone with half a footballing brain could see the issues with the way we set up with 2 DMs in a midfield 4. Got away with it in L2 because the opposition didn't have the quality to break down a back 6. He's so defensive and then seemingly stubborn (or blind) with his tactics - from the formations, square pegs in round holes, through to his late and bizarre substitutions. We only changed shape last year due to the same game injuries to Kelly and Jones and even then he tried to go like for like, slipping Shipley into Kelly's role for a game before turning to Bayliss. If he can't address absolute basics like the ridiculous kick offs and throw ins for most of last season, I've not much confidence in him correcting the subtle flaws within his chosen formation from week to week - especially when his soundbytes suggest he thinks the issues are players trying to find their feet at this level/match smartness. He's done so much good off the pitch, just wish he'd demonstrate the lessons learned from last season on the pitch now.

Agree with all of this bud.

I really like Robins and I think, as you say, he's done loads of good off the pitch and last season was the best season i've had being a Coventry fan as a whole.

However, he's either very stubborn or cannot see glaringly obvious issues with the team at times and it's these traits that still make me doubt whether he is the answer long term. I hope he is and this isn't a knee jerk rattle out the pram type reaction to a few shit results, I made a thread of it about 10 games from the end of last season.

Baffled by some of the recruitment at the end of this window but hoping he has a plan and I just can't see it.

 

[sw88]

Robins gave the 'streetwise' thing back when we lost to Stanley in the winter and now he's bringing it out again....

In fairness it was Geoff who dropped that Robins-ism into the conference, he was just answering the question; CWR seem to love it when he uses it and said after the opening goal ‘we won’t be surprised if we hear him use the phrase a few times’ yet he didn’t use it until prompted

 

[BackRoomRummermill]

We are a win or two away from promotion talk , I don’t care about this loss , it’s Saturday that matters. It was a good game to experiment risk free and that’s what he is doing , it will come good have some patience guys .

 

[SlowerThanPlatt]

I was expecting more from Sterling. Reading the comments on here he’s been poor so far and made no impact. He is only 18 tbf so still very young but with the hype when he signed you’d expect him to at least be average at this level

There was a story Bournemouth wanted to sign him last January (which I think was no more than an agent ploy) and that led some of our fanbase to believe we signed an already made Premier League player for the season in L1

 

[Londonccfcfan]

Brown was rubbish last night. Mason is way out infront of him currently.

Completely disagree with you. Mason is a complete rookie.

Where as Brown has looked like he played in league one title challenging team last year!

You obviously didn't watch Mason at Wimbledon where their right winger ripped him a new asshole! Time and again he got passed him with ease and whipped in about 10 crosses from by line that he couldn't stop!

It was only Brown come on for him we improved immeasurably!

 

[Londonccfcfan]

We are a win or two away from promotion talk , I don’t care about this loss , it’s Saturday that matters. It was a good game to experiment risk free and that’s what he is doing , it will come good have some patience guys .

Yes no doubt we will win a game or two or maybe even 12 games this season (which btw means relegation)

Fact we were shocking in pre season and havnt improved since the real stuff started.

I'm afraid we need to long hard look at ourselves. We have major issues. Goalscoring and goal keeping is just the two glaring issues not been addressed.

 

[SlowerThanPlatt]

City to be fined by Liverpool over Ryan Kent loan - report

Anyone reckon we’re tied in with a similar deal for Sterling considering it was seen as a coup to get him at this level?

 

[Greggs]

Completely disagree with you. Mason is a complete rookie.

Where as Brown has looked like he played in league one title challenging team last year!

You obviously didn't watch Mason at Wimbledon where their right winger ripped him a new asshole! Time and again he got passed him with ease and whipped in about 10 crosses from by line that he couldn't stop!

It was only Brown come on for him we improved immeasurably!

Still shouldn't have sold Stokes

 

[Warwickhunt]

its the lack of urgency from the players thats bugging me! taking on board previous comments that they dont seem to be enjoying it out on the park for whatever reason?

 

[edgy]

Completely disagree with you. Mason is a complete rookie.

Where as Brown has looked like he played in league one title challenging team last year!

You obviously didn't watch Mason at Wimbledon where their right winger ripped him a new asshole! Time and again he got passed him with ease and whipped in about 10 crosses from by line that he couldn't stop!

It was only Brown come on for him we improved immeasurably!

Complete rookie or not, he's looked more aggressive, more capable on the ball and shown more awareness than Brown over 3 games (which I've watch all 3 BTW)

Not sure how you can back up this - "Brown has looked like he played in league one title challenging team last year" - he looked very shakey to me.

 

[Warwickhunt]

Grimmer played well? What game were you watching? He was dreadful.

probably because he was worried about covering fot Sterling who's absence on the park was quite worrying! i think Robbins may be expecting to much of the youngster at this early stage of the season

 

[Warwickhunt]

i swear at the start of the interview last night he said we have 2 weeks to get it right
not sure what the 2 weeks are for - was he referring to the transfer deadline, or does he not realise we are playing on saturday
Geoff didnt challenge him on it
was a strange thing to say

Probably saying that as a scare tactic! to whom i dont have a clue because the players dont seem worried by it

 

[Esoterica]

Hyam properly at fault for both goals. Gets drawn to the ball for the first and that slow jog to close the player who delivers the cross is criminal.

That jog over to close him down was terrible. He's one of our centre backs and having been dragged out of position, he should be busting his balls to prevent the cross knowing he's not where he should be. Reminded me very much of the late Luton equaliser we conceded last year too with Grimmer getting completely overpowered in the air from a standing start by Collins. Hyam held a poor line for the 2nd too, although did think the striker looked marginally offside when the ball was played - difficult to be sure though with the camera angle and a hard one for the linesman in real time. O'Brien very slow off his line too.


Biamou was clearly on for his disallowed effort, their left back was playing him onside by a mile.

 

[Liquid Gold]

That jog over to close him down was terrible. He's one of our centre backs and having been dragged out of position, he should be busting his balls to prevent the cross knowing he's not where he should be. Reminded me very much of the late Luton equaliser we conceded last year too with Grimmer getting completely overpowered in the air from a standing start by Collins. Hyam held a poor line for the 2nd too, although did think the striker looked marginally offside when the ball was played - difficult to be sure though with the camera angle and a hard one for the linesman in real time. O'Brien very slow off his line too.
View attachment 10352

Biamou was clearly on for his disallowed effort, their left back was playing him onside by a mile.
View attachment 10353

Yeah I did meant the second where he went to the ball and left the striker free. That linesman was awful he seemed to flag at random. A couple of times our players were a mile offside and he'd let them off with it and then flag when they were clearly on but in a dangerous position. Made me laugh that someone was abusing him for being bald when he clearly had hair.

 

[Nick]

That jog over to close him down was terrible. He's one of our centre backs and having been dragged out of position, he should be busting his balls to prevent the cross knowing he's not where he should be. Reminded me very much of the late Luton equaliser we conceded last year too with Grimmer getting completely overpowered in the air from a standing start by Collins. Hyam held a poor line for the 2nd too, although did think the striker looked marginally offside when the ball was played - difficult to be sure though with the camera angle and a hard one for the linesman in real time. O'Brien very slow off his line too.
View attachment 10352

Biamou was clearly on for his disallowed effort, their left back was playing him onside by a mile.
View attachment 10353

Are those from ifollow?

I thought it was biamou who had one disallowed but everybody was saying it was Ponticelli?

Just watched, first one was Ponticelli and second one was Biamou.

 

[Londonccfcfan]

Complete rookie or not, he's looked more aggressive, more capable on the ball and shown more awareness than Brown over 3 games (which I've watch all 3 BTW)

Not sure how you can back up this - "Brown has looked like he played in league one title challenging team last year" - he looked very shakey to me.

Agreed I missed Scunthorpe game as on holiday. By all accounts he had a good game. But so did many even though we lost.
Well Robins took him first off at Wimbledon as he was awful. Doesn't help when your 5ft 5 playing against giants.

Brown comes on and we improved simple.

 

[coop]

Grimmer at fault for the first shit defending and the second why is the left back playing in centre midfield. We looked awful from that video.

 

[Mucca Mad Boys]

Us Cov fans love a good meltdown.

 

[Nick]

Grimmer at fault for the first shit defending and the second why is the left back playing in centre midfield. We looked awful from that video.

We didnt have a centre midfield. It was so easy for them to just move the ball forward with about 3 passes.

 

[Liquid Gold]

I thought Oxford were poor we just made them look better by being awful.

 

[cc84cov]

Ok 3 games in but it just shows how much selling McNulty really has derailed us & the system we play.Would Robins be playing this 1 up front if Sparky was still here ? I very much doubt it...

 

[Nick]

Ok 3 games in but it just shows how much selling McNulty really has derailed us & the system we play.Would Robins be playing this 1 up front if Sparky was still here ? I very much doubt it...

People will obsess about McNulty. It's not much different to when McNulty was here at the start of last season and we created nothing.

We didn't play 1 up front last night.

The most worrying thing is how Robins has no gameplan and seems to switch his approach every game and makes it look like he hasn't told the players about it.

 

[Ashdown]

Just watching those highlights makes me think........ goalkeeper ! This guy is rooted to his line and quite frankly Burge although improved isn't great either.