Quoted from 120797
Very good.
No mind games here...
i.e. those on the fringes !
Interesting !
Your manager doesn't agree with you...
http://www.teamtalk.com/oxford-united/9545342/Wycombe-get-Ainsworth-believing"
If we keep taking the lead we'll go on and get some wins soon," Appleton added.
I think we both know if you concede first you're in BIG trouble !
How's the relegation zone looking for you ?
1 point above it and Appleton sh1itting himself (in advance of relegation rivals York AWAY, ouch !) if he fields a full strength team. get's turned over and gets the boot is my guess.
Come and risk it by going attacking with your fringe players if you like.
Guess with our measly defence we're happy to play you on the counter.
That said, I can quite easily see Shaun Pearson heading a last minute winner from a set piece.
I can't be doing with mind games, I always speak my opinion. I agree with Hurst in it wouldn't be a shock, plenty of sides near the top of the Conference have beaten sides in the lower half of L2 in the FA Cup over the past few years, we did it when we were in the Conference.
I'd describe fringe players as those that have featured very little - we literally have Meades, Raynes and the first year pros who haven't played much that are available. Otherwise the rest of the squad has featured regularly.
It's a strange one really, Appleton kept saying we need to score the first goal earlier on in the season, the first four games we lost and conceded first. Then the first point we got came from scoring first. The last couple of games, we've gone 1-0 up and lost 2-1 at Carlisle and v Wycombe. The game before at Northampton we went 1-0 down and won 3-1. Who knows what could happen, I wouldn't back us scoring early and having to try and hold out/kill the game.
Appleton's game is to pass, pass, pass, pass, regardless of the time in the game or the score. This has proved our undoing in a lot of the games we've lost as we don't have a good enough back four to do that and they just play someone else into trouble or lose the ball themselves. Cambridge tonked us 5-1 but we had 70% of the possession but it doesn't go anywhere.
The relegation zone is thankfully 4 points away at the moment but a big game at York next week. I think a lot of Oxford fans were prepared to give Appleton time as he came in during pre-season and had to quickly evaluate the squad and make some quick-fixes with a few loanees. However, he seems very stubborn on playing his way (Plan B is Plan A etc) and until he realises that he needs his side to be able to mix it up and be a bit physical/longball at time then I can't see us getting clear of a relegation scrap anytime soon. I don't *think* we'll go down but I thought that the season we did go down where we didn't spend time in the bottom two all season and got relegated on the last day.
For Saturday , who knows. I've always seen Grimsby as a tough place to go regardless of what league you've been in. September 1996 was the last time we won at Blundell Park, a lot has changed since then and we've both sunk down the leagues.
Hopefully, Saturday can be a good game with some exciting football. I have a horrible feeling it might be a 1-0 with a JP Pittman goal as that kind of thing always seems to happen against us. I'd take just being in the draw on Monday night though so if it means nicking a draw and having a replay then I'd be content.