Whatever floats your boat.. V Oxford United, Tuesday 28th Nov.7-45.

[TANGODANCER]

I've been perusing the Oxford forum and to say they're not overly confident is an understatement.

Liked this.." f we perform anything like Saturday, with the bench acting like a group of trapist monks, not a cat in hells chance of even a point.

[TANGODANCER]

Despite chest-puffing views from them and us, we're not suddenly going to turn into a bad side in three days. Get out there, play football and ignore the rest. No, I don't want a point, I want three. Why would I not? Do I believe we can get them; too xxxxing right I do. What would Kevin Cyril have to say...

COME ON YOU WHITES....

[officer_dibble]

If it's Randell on the bench I'd say Jerome should be the most likely to give way. Which would presumably make the subs Bod, Dan, CMG, Dempsey, Morley, Williams, Forrester – although given the game importance (and Iredale's presence as spare centre-back) Coleman might replace Forrester on the bench.

Given the oft-spoken narrative that we have a thin squad and recruitment has generally been poor - especially in the summer - thats not a bad bunch of players to have warming the bench is it!?!?!?!

Fairs fair and when it wasn’t looking good that was my view - I still think we’re short on a forward, mainly cos I can’t see Bodvarson playing longer than half an hour. Nlundulu, we were all happy to see him score and let’s hope he proves people like me wrong.

I think Matheson is a first team wingback, which means we have three options at RwB and three at left so that looks fine to me. It’s just another forward I would be in for in January…but we’re hardly in a situation where we are ‘light’ with the current squad as it stands fitness wise.

[truewhite15]

I do find the argument that "yeah, our squad looks alright now, but look how weak it was when we had three or four players out injured" rather curious.

Show me a team in this league, or the one above, come to that, that WOULDN'T struggle for strength in depth with nearly half a dozen first-teamers on the sidelines...

[officer_dibble]

And show me a set of fans who wouldn’t moan about it! End of the day we don’t see the books, we just get to sit here scratching our arses moaning when we don’t win 7-0 every week.

[Worthy4England]

I do find the argument that "yeah, our squad looks alright now, but look how weak it was when we had three or four players out injured" rather curious.

Show me a team in this league, or the one above, come to that, that WOULDN'T struggle for strength in depth with nearly half a dozen first-teamers on the sidelines...

Well three and half a dozen aren't really in the same place.

It would still potentially look thin with an injury to JDC. Dion or Thomason. We have two strikers on one between 'em.

So I still think we're light.

[truewhite15]

I do find the argument that "yeah, our squad looks alright now, but look how weak it was when we had three or four players out injured" rather curious.

Show me a team in this league, or the one above, come to that, that WOULDN'T struggle for strength in depth with nearly half a dozen first-teamers on the sidelines...

Well three and half a dozen aren't really in the same place.

It would still potentially look thin with an injury to JDC. Dion or Thomason. We have two strikers on one between 'em.

So I still think we're light.

I was generously rounding up from four

My point still stands. Most clubs in our position would look worse if you suddenly lose a first-teamer. See Portsmouth and Regan Poole.

[Worthy4England]

I do find the argument that "yeah, our squad looks alright now, but look how weak it was when we had three or four players out injured" rather curious.

Show me a team in this league, or the one above, come to that, that WOULDN'T struggle for strength in depth with nearly half a dozen first-teamers on the sidelines...

Well three and half a dozen aren't really in the same place.

It would still potentially look thin with an injury to JDC. Dion or Thomason. We have two strikers on one between 'em.

So I still think we're light.

I was generously rounding up from four

My point still stands. Most clubs in our position would look worse if you suddenly lose a first-teamer. See Portsmouth and Regan Poole.

Nothing wrong with looking to use a bit of artistic! I mean to be fair, the argument is against "we've gone backwards since Jan," from some quarters.

I don't think people were suggesting if you lost a significant player, there might not be a bit of a struggle. Agree that happens, you're going to look worse and I don't think most people were saying our squad looked "weak all over," either (unless you subscribe to the "gone backwards" theory - which given we've never been below 5th since Jan, I don't). There were a couple of positions identified where there was perceived to be a big problem should injury strike, if you're chasing automatic promotion spot. Upfront, we still have three strikers on 1 between them - there still needs to be a decision in Jan for me, as to whether that represents a good return on what we're spending on them, as 2 will have less than 6 months to run at that point.

RWB, we have to do a bit of a cobble together if JDC picks up a knock, similar with LWB.

At the time, Dempsey, Morley, Sheehan I think were described as "too alike" which I can see - Thomason, Sheehan and Maghoma look a better prospect right now - which might be a bit unfortunate on Demps who dropped out with injury, but that's the sort of competition you need. The missing DMF seems to have been found, most of the time.

So still a few holes for me to try and grab some cover in Jan. If you're vying for the top 2, it's not going to be all the wins that define how your season finished - there's going to be a lot of them - you're near the top. It's generally the lapses and odd games you lose that determine if you stay there - and that's a much smaller collection of games, where being at your best or just having the marginal edge, counts.

[The_Gun]

This may be more of a discussion for a Jan '24 transfer window thread, but I agree with Worthy here.

I think it is always wise to revise an opinion when presented with new information, and I believe that the majority of us now feel the squad is closer to where it needs to be than was the case in the immediate aftermath of the summer window.

However, I do also think that there is a risk that we may now be over-confident in the depth of the squad based on our recent tremendous form. Yes, we've shown that we're a very good side when we're fully healthy, but that doesn't change the fact that we came into the season relatively light on numbers, and we're still carrying two strikers who have regularly taken up bench places whilst contributing very little. In addition we're also going to be missing CMG for a reasonable period of time.

There's going to be a balance to be struck between not upsetting the current dynamics and ensuring we're best positioned to really kick on in the second half of the season. I'd personally be a bit worried if we don't bring in another player or two in Jan.

[knobpolisher]

Also worth noting that stevenage and Peterborough in 4th and 5th play each other this evening.
On my early Christmas list is a win for us and a draw in their game.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

This may be more of a discussion for a Jan '24 transfer window thread, but I agree with Worthy here.

I think it is always wise to revise an opinion when presented with new information, and I believe that the majority of us now feel the squad is closer to where it needs to be than was the case in the immediate aftermath of the summer window.

However, I do also think that there is a risk that we may now be over-confident in the depth of the squad based on our recent tremendous form. Yes, we've shown that we're a very good side when we're fully healthy, but that doesn't change the fact that we came into the season relatively light on numbers, and we're still carrying two strikers who have regularly taken up bench places whilst contributing very little. In addition we're also going to be missing CMG for a reasonable period of time.

There's going to be a balance to be struck between not upsetting the current dynamics and ensuring we're best positioned to really kick on in the second half of the season. I'd personally be a bit worried if we don't bring in another player or two in Jan.

To your point in bold: please leave the internet.

Every squad is improvable. This one less so than many we've had, but here's our main areas of 'thinness' IMO.
Strikers: Like a lot, I still have reservations over two (Cam/Dan), three (Bod) or perhaps even four (Ade) of our strikers. If a young genius loanee becomes available, I'd be interested.
Wingbacks: I would certainly like another attacking wingback, preferably 'double-sided'. (I like Geth and Ireland as backups, but they're more defensive; Matheson is promising but would we want to rely on him?; Ashworth, it's hard to tell.)
Def-mid: Or 'No.6' if you prefer. We have options there and tend to play with Sheehan quarterbacking if possible, but we don't have many (besides the brilliant Tomo) who reliably put their foot in. I'd be interested in a Kieran Lee type (in temperament rather than playing position).

Basically, I fully agree that yes, every team would be weakened by multiple absences. But if we lost Dion, JDC (or Randy) and Tomo we would be a very different team.

[Mar]

I do wonder whether Evatt sees Jerome as a player to utilise when we're up against it. Someone who can head the ball away and know enough up front to offer something of utility.

Jerome's not featured for some time so perhaps this game maybe his route back into the fold. Not that I'm advocating for that, but just more indicative of us not having it all our way as per the last few fixtures. Different problems cause require different solutions as you'd imagine.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

I do wonder whether Evatt sees Jerome as a player to utilise when we're up against it. Someone who can head the ball away and know enough up front to offer something of utility.

Jerome's not featured for some time so perhaps this game maybe his route back into the fold. Not that I'm advocating for that, but just more indicative of us not having it all our way as per the last few fixtures. Different problems cause require different solutions as you'd imagine.

Maybe. It's a fair notion. But maybe not.

Barring seven minutes at Wycombe – during which he won a pen by outwalking fellow pensioner Richard Keogh – he hasn't featured in the league since Oct 3. But we haven't really had a lot of options for the 18, and with questions (now hopefully receding) over Bod and Dan, perhaps Evatt had less confidence in the alternatives.

But now, if Randy's fit, we would be leaving out of the 18 a good senior pro in the prime of his career - not a kid like Ashworth or Matheson, but say a Forrester - in order to have a fifth forward, or a sixth if you include CMG (as Evatt often does). If you see these title six-pointers as important enough to have a bench keeper, then it's even tighter.

So yeah, maybe Jerome keeps his bench place tonight - he has, after all, been in every single 18 all season (an honour shared with only three other players - answers on a postcard). And I'd expect him to get minutes in the cup games, and perhaps be another 'safety' option at Pompey. But soon, surely, he'll be in the stands.

[boltonboris]

This is a big game! I'm starting to feel nervous.

Anything can happen in these games and some of it, not always controllable, but I think we can do it!!! COYM

[BWFC_Insane]

This is a big game! I'm starting to feel nervous.

Anything can happen in these games and some of it, not always controllable, but I think we can do it!!! COYM

I’m not nervous. We could lose. But I’d rather be us than Oxford.

Worst case we lose but are in touch with the top two which is a decent position to be in.

My concern after we lost to Carlisle is we had little if any margin of error or we'd be adrift. We, as it turns out, didn’t need any margin.

The thing for me is we can’t be mentally fragile anymore. We are going to lose a game somewhere. Maybe one we’d really not want to. But it’s what happens after that matters. If we just keep getting back on the winning horse we will be right up there come the end.

[Prufrock]

Looking forward to it, but big game nerves too.

We should be going to win this and Pompey. Fast start tonight important after their result at the weekend.

You'd expect it to be much much tighter than Sat, and sure we could defo lose, but it feels like a great opportunity to put our foot down.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

The thing for me is we can’t be mentally fragile anymore. We are going to lose a game somewhere. Maybe one we’d really not want to. But it’s what happens after that matters. If we just keep getting back on the winning horse we will be right up there come the end.

This has occured to me, but in the shorter timespan of going behind.

We haven't even conceded in 7 games. Carlisle is the only time we've been behind for longer than five minutes since September 2nd (Derby, behind for just nine minutes); the week before that we were behind at Burton for 12 minutes; the week before that was Wigan and, well.

Might be jumping at shadows but I hope we're prepared for something we've not suffered in a while - chasing a game. It's a great problem to avoid, but as you say it will happen at some point. What we have now is a suite of options to choose from.

[TANGODANCER]

As much depends on how well Oxford play as well as we do ourselves. I can't imagine them doing that badly, so a tough game looms. Once again, taking our chances is vital. That said, lt's a no shxt Sherlock, so, COME ON YOU WHITES... ..

[freeindeed]

I can't get through to the ticket office. Anyone know if I will be able to pay on the gate for tonights match or is it sold out?

[Worthy4England]

I can't get through to the ticket office. Anyone know if I will be able to pay on the gate for tonights match or is it sold out?

They still seem to be advertising them on the Oxford website...