Oxford Utd 2-4 BWFC (Link to goals Post 54)

Jesus christ that was a bit nail biting after they scored their second and the lad went through straight from the kick off and went over. I thought for all the world we'd fucked it up and conceded a penalty. Enjoyable game overall though and we definitely deserved to win it. Credit to Parky for turning this around again after the slump when certain people were calling for his head, undeservedly so imo. 

Alnwick was at fault for their first goal but what about that for a save when he tipped it onto the post. Brilliant. Beevers will be a big miss in these next couple of games as well.

Brilliant save of Alnwick. Almost went unnoticed.

Beevers cards got wiped along with everybody else's didn't they in the card amnesty

I think the cards are wiped, Beevers shouldn't get a ban.

McGuire's free kick was one of the best placed I've seen in a long time in any league TBF.

Some great positives from tonight but it's very much still a matter of one game at a time. We may have won this particular cup final but the next one is just round the corner. 

Well it is if you happen to live in Shropshire....

According to the Goldbrand stat site -

Bolton score 4 goals in 3 consecutive away league games for the 1st time in the club's history.

Sluffy wrote:According to the Goldbrand stat site -

Bolton score 4 goals in 3 consecutive away league games for the 1st time in the club's history.

Wow, that's impressive no matter how you look at it.

Sluffy wrote:According to the Goldbrand stat site -

Bolton score 4 goals in 3 consecutive away league games for the 1st time in the club's history.

And who would have expected that given our difficulty scoring earlier in the season.

Chris Long needs to learn how to pass a ball instead of shooting from impossible angles. You can hear Morais screaming at him when he tried it for the 3rd time.

BoltonTillIDie wrote:Beevers cards got wiped along with everybody else's didn't they in the card amnesty

I'm just going off the caption on sky when he got booked. It said underneath his name that he had 10 yellows and would miss The Shrewsbury and Chesterfield games. Hopefully they've made a mistake and you are correct. I must admit I thought the same as you but thought I must have been wrong.

Bwfc1958 wrote:

BoltonTillIDie wrote:Beevers cards got wiped along with everybody else's didn't they in the card amnesty

I'm just going off the caption on sky when he got booked. It said underneath his name that he had 10 yellows and would miss The Shrewsbury and Chesterfield games. Hopefully they've made a mistake and you are correct. I must admit I thought the same as you but thought I must have been wrong.

pretty sure that the cards where wiped, both him and vela where on 9 against Fleetwood, but got through without a booking and so started afresh.

Players had to accumulate 10 bookings before second Sunday in March, old rule was second Sunday in April.

Players will now only get suspension if 15 bookings before end of season.

DEANO82 wrote:Chris Long needs to learn how to pass a ball instead of shooting from impossible angles. You can hear Morais screaming at him when he tried it for the 3rd time.

There was a better pass on the second time he went through and shot IMO but I'm not too unhappy about it. Having two wingers who have pace and are capable and willing to have a shot is a good thing because it puts defenders in two minds and for the first time in ages we are not that predictable in front of goal, especially with Vela and Prats coming through the middle to provide even more attacking options. 

I guess Long wants a bit of the adulation Morais has received this week. If he'd scored, we'd be raving about it but simply by putting his shots on target it'll be giving defensive coaches nightmares when they analyse the videos.

wanderlust wrote:

 If he'd scored, we'd be raving about it but simply by putting his shots on target it'll be giving defensive coaches nightmares when they analyse the videos.

Spot on, made the keeper make a save with every shot, even from the tight angles.

wanderlust wrote:

DEANO82 wrote:Chris Long needs to learn how to pass a ball instead of shooting from impossible angles. You can hear Morais screaming at him when he tried it for the 3rd time.

There was a better pass on the second time he went through and shot IMO but I'm not too unhappy about it. Having two wingers who have pace and are capable and willing to have a shot is a good thing because it puts defenders in two minds and for the first time in ages we are not that predictable in front of goal, especially with Vela and Prats coming through the middle to provide even more attacking options. 

I guess Long wants a bit of the adulation Morais has received this week. If he'd scored, we'd be raving about it but simply by putting his shots on target it'll be giving defensive coaches nightmares when they analyse the videos.

Fabians Right Peg wrote:Spot on, made the keeper make a save with every shot, even from the tight angles.

I totally disagree fellas.

Did you not read DEANO82's post?

"Shooting from impossible angles", "Morais screaming at him when he tried it for the 3rd time"...

The thing any defensive coach, defender and goalkeeper want is to correctly identify what the opposition players are going to do.

If you know what to expect you know how to stop it happening - that is why Coyle is such a crap manager - he only has one plan - and the opposition knows what is coming and are prepared for it.

If Long continues to play as he does and goes for goal when much better options are available, then the defenders simply know to defend the shot as oppose to defend the cross.

Even the Wanderers players will stop making the runs eventually because they know a cross isn't going to happen.

Long needs to be coached out of his 'greedy' approach and taught lift his head up and be more aware of better options to score, as soon as possible if he wants to improve his game and become more of a worry to the opposition coaches.

it's a tough balancing act that will come with time and experience i suppose, but as a striker he has to be encouraged to shoot where possible surely? The third instance last night when Morais blasted him, he should have passed but the other two i remember he was on his own wasn't he?

Sluffy wrote:

wanderlust wrote:

DEANO82 wrote:Chris Long needs to learn how to pass a ball instead of shooting from impossible angles. You can hear Morais screaming at him when he tried it for the 3rd time.

There was a better pass on the second time he went through and shot IMO but I'm not too unhappy about it. Having two wingers who have pace and are capable and willing to have a shot is a good thing because it puts defenders in two minds and for the first time in ages we are not that predictable in front of goal, especially with Vela and Prats coming through the middle to provide even more attacking options. 

I guess Long wants a bit of the adulation Morais has received this week. If he'd scored, we'd be raving about it but simply by putting his shots on target it'll be giving defensive coaches nightmares when they analyse the videos.

Fabians Right Peg wrote:Spot on, made the keeper make a save with every shot, even from the tight angles.

Long needs to be coached out of his 'greedy' approach and taught lift his head up and be more aware of better options to score, as soon as possible if he wants to improve his game and become more of a worry to the opposition coaches.

Or alternatively the guy needs to be greedy, he's a striker and if he can get a shot away on target and force the keeper into making a save then that's his role, some of the best strikers in the world are the greediest who would knock a ball across the line from an inch out if they get their name on the score sheet.

If he didn't have the ability to hit the target then yes he should be passing the ball, but from what I have seen he looks to be making the keeper work every time, if he doesn't get goals then undoubtedly some of his efforts will be knocked in by players following up with the keeper out of action.

Players get rounded on for passing the ball too much, yes he needs to balance out his play but I'd rather he was encouraged to have a go at goal than the coaching staff start putting doubts into a confident young player.

I said on another thread we have had less chances on goal than Coventry earlier this year, I bet over the last few games that stat has changed, I wonder if it was ALF having a shot on target if the same fuss would be made?

Fabians Right Peg wrote:

Sluffy wrote:Long needs to be coached out of his 'greedy' approach and taught lift his head up and be more aware of better options to score, as soon as possible if he wants to improve his game and become more of a worry to the opposition coaches.

Or alternatively the guy needs to be greedy, he's a striker and if he can get a shot away on target and force the keeper into making a save then that's his role, some of the best strikers in the world are the greediest who would knock a ball across the line from an inch out if they get their name on the score sheet.

If he didn't have the ability to hit the target then yes he should be passing the ball, but from what I have seen he looks to be making the keeper work every time, if he doesn't get goals then undoubtedly some of his efforts will be knocked in by players following up with the keeper out of action.

Players get rounded on for passing the ball too much, yes he needs to balance out his play but I'd rather he was encouraged to have a go at goal than the coaching staff start putting doubts into a confident young player.

I said on another thread we have had less chances on goal than Coventry earlier this year, I bet over the last few games that stat has changed, I wonder if it was ALF having a shot on target if the same fuss would be made?

ALF doesn't shoot from impossible angles and does pass the ball to players in better positions to score.

It doesn't seem unreasonable to expect someone who does shoot from impossible angles and doesn't pass to players in better positions to be told to improve their game.

I'm guessing if he was doing the exact same things at Fleetwood then that is why they sent him back to Burnley and got someone else in instead that made the TEAM better.

They don't seem to have done to bad without him have they?

The way I see it is that we are all taught the runs to make and when to pass and shoot from a very early age which makes it predictable for defenders who tend to anticipate and step up early as a result. I know this because the only reason I can get away with playing 5 a side with a load of 20 somethings is that I know exactly what they are going to do and the movement they are going to make. For a long time, our forwards have done it by the book and that's why we scored so few goals because defenders were anticipating what was going to happen so they quickly closed it down. 
If some maverick starts shooting from stupid angles and hits the target the natural defensive instinct is to get between the ball and the goal and if the ball is coming in from wide then obviously it pulls defenders back and away from the forwards they are supposed to be marking.
Totally agree that Long did it too often last night, but mixing it up a bit makes defenders lives difficult and our attacking force less predictable. I think he just needs to get the balance right.

Sluffy wrote:

ALF doesn't shoot from impossible angles and does pass the ball to players in better positions to score.

It doesn't seem unreasonable to expect someone who does shoot from impossible angles and doesn't pass to players in better positions to be told to improve their game.

I'm guessing if he was doing the exact same things at Fleetwood then that is why they sent him back to Burnley and got someone else in instead that made the TEAM better.

They don't seem to have done to bad without him have they?

Alf knocked one in against Fleetwood from an 'impossible angle', in fact it was his first goal for us and has got him on a role.

Long's only goal so far was a screamer against Walsall from the right hand side of the box and was from a similar angle as the shots he hit on target yesterday showing he has the quality to finish those sort of chances, so not impossible.

I think Long has played about 2 and half games most from the bench with maybe one start, it's a bit harsh to judge the lad based on that as it is obvious he wants to get on the score sheet as any striker would.

I'm not sure what point you are making about Fleetwood, I usually judge a player off what I see and not what he has done before, some players suit certain styles and clubs better than others.

For me Long has shown enough quality in his few chances to be given a break, think he would do well at a higher level as well.

Sluffy wrote:

Fabians Right Peg wrote:

Sluffy wrote:Long needs to be coached out of his 'greedy' approach and taught lift his head up and be more aware of better options to score, as soon as possible if he wants to improve his game and become more of a worry to the opposition coaches.

Or alternatively the guy needs to be greedy, he's a striker and if he can get a shot away on target and force the keeper into making a save then that's his role, some of the best strikers in the world are the greediest who would knock a ball across the line from an inch out if they get their name on the score sheet.

If he didn't have the ability to hit the target then yes he should be passing the ball, but from what I have seen he looks to be making the keeper work every time, if he doesn't get goals then undoubtedly some of his efforts will be knocked in by players following up with the keeper out of action.

Players get rounded on for passing the ball too much, yes he needs to balance out his play but I'd rather he was encouraged to have a go at goal than the coaching staff start putting doubts into a confident young player.

I said on another thread we have had less chances on goal than Coventry earlier this year, I bet over the last few games that stat has changed, I wonder if it was ALF having a shot on target if the same fuss would be made?

ALF doesn't shoot from impossible angles and does pass the ball to players in better positions to score.

I'd refer you to the opening goal against Fleetwood.