City 1 (T.Smith 26m) v. Oxford City 2 (50m, 75m) full time att 1030

Same line up that started on Saturday, Artus, Watkins and Brunt on full bench, but no Bower.

I can imagine JGs foul mood after this one, however, still 7th.

I don't know what to make of the game today. We started lethargically both halves got away with it first but not second. Should have got at least one more when we were on top first half and then the ref decides the game.
To be fair Oxford defended very well but we are going to have to toughen up.

What happened there then? We looked nervous at the start of the first half, gained confidence, played really well, got the goal, got caught cold at the second half opening, again played well and then we get caught on the hop with the pen. Was it we were just unlucky or was it to do with the refereeing decisions? (Every time Tyler H expertly turned their big number 5, he seemed to go down easy for a big lad, and the ref seemed to feel sorry for him) Although Oxford City are a good footballing side, we arguably played the better football, but again end up rueing our chances and came away with nothing. For a big crowd it was quiet in there today too. again nervous. But next weekend at Chelmsford... bounce-back time !

We did not deserve to lose this game but this is what happens when you don't take your chances and press home the advantage when you are on top. Oxford should have been thinking about damage limitation at half time rather than thinking they are still in the game.
Similar sort of thing in the other 2 games I have seen. Hungerford we played some nice football and should have been out of sight but they get a late goal resulting in a nervy last few minutes.
Tonbridge, they were very shaky at the start and we had 2 or 3 good chances in the first 5 - 10 minutes but did not take them. If we had we would have gone on to win easily but after this they grew in confidence and we got ragged. Result 0 - 0.
As I said at the start if we don't take the chances and make it count when we are on top results like today's will continue.

Agree with Steve.

We had so many chances but somehow Oxford got vital touches or our efforts always found one of them. A bit unlucky and I am sure we'll get a better run of it in future games.

Oxford did have more desire in the second half so credit to them.

After 7 games this time last year we were won 4 and lost 3 and 9-5 on goals. 12 points then compared to 11 now. We know it could have been better - the last 3 games have been poor in terms of results but we are still there or thereabouts and an OK start.

A rare result at Chelmsford on the cards and then restore home pride against Hampton.

And a great crowd of 1,030 which beat the 1022(?) for Weston this time last year.

The Club has come a long way - playing nice football, slick marketing, on line ticketing and drinks orders plus good merchandise, nice kit etc.

And a plan for Twerton which would secure our future.

All in all a lot to be positive about as a City fan.

SteveS wrote:We did not deserve to lose this game but this is what happens when you don't take your chances and press home the advantage when you are on top.

How many times have we said that over the last few seasons? On the way out I heard somebody say "amazing how we can sign prolific goalscorers and turn them into nobodies" - a bit harsh on Tyler perhaps, but I knew what he meant. I lost track of the number of corners we had - in the first half they looked dangerous but in the second most ended up in the keeper's hands.

Although the penalty was pretty clear cut, there did seem to be a foul by an Oxford player on the half way line in the build up - having said that I don't think you should really concede a goal almost directly from your own corner.

Still early days and some strange results - like us, Weymouth lost their unbeaten home and way records over the weekend - so onwards and upwards.

15 corners according to the commentary on Internet radio. Ought to have made at least one of them count!

I always say - we never score from corners. I am sure statto stillmanjr will prove me wrong though.

I think Riley Lowe got tired with the result that his second half corners fell short of the back post. He put in a hell of a shift.

I also thought Hamblin worked very hard. Having said that you can't really point at any of the players and say they under-performed. Tyler did put the ball in the back of the net but the ref gave a foul to the defence. It was difficult to see how you could give a foul to the oxford defence given how much holding they were doing. Another ref might have given a pen at some stage.

As the article I’ve provided a link to explains, goals very rarely result from corners.

https://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2017/mar/27/in-defence-of-the-corner-a-much-maligned-set-piece

Rarely result in corners coz there isn’t enough planning.
Remember the Arsenal near post corner, flick it on and have somebody following in on or around the penalty spot.
Or a bit closer to home Mark McKeever crosses, Chris Holland heads it in.
Simples.

To be fair that routine we often use is very original although I can’t recall if it has led to a goal.

Freeview Joe wrote:For a big crowd it was quiet in there today too.

I may be wrong here, but that may have had something to do with an incident right at the end of the Slough game. When the inevitable winner went in a lad next to me shouted something out of frustration in the manager's general direction. I can't remember exactly what it was, but it didn't seem too out of order, as no one in the vicinity baulked at it. But it's the kind of thing that you hear at any ground in the world at this kind of disappointing moment in a game that you should have won.

Immediately the manager, who was previously slumped in his seat with his head in his hands, leapt to his feet and started pointing at the lad, completely ignoring the game for the last three minutes at a time that most of us felt he should be geeing his players up for a late equaliser.

Then the second the whistle blew he raced down to the away fans, pointing at the lad, turning the air blue, and shouting that the kid had no respect - all while we were trying to applaud the few players who dared come to our end to thank us for our efforts throughout the game. And it was a shame, because up to that point we'd been singing our hearts out in great humour, pretty much from start to finish. But the manager's behaviour left a bitter taste in the mouth, so I wouldn't be at all surprised if Monday's legion felt little motivation in singing up the side after his unwelcome antics.

If he's got ambitions of working his way up the managerial ladder he'll have to learn to take criticism, as he'll get much more than that on an an almost daily basis pretty much anywhere else. And it's not like he hasn't displayed this kind of behaviour before. But what disappointed me most was his shouting about respect. You don't demand it, Jerry, you earn it. And you certainly lost a big chunk of mine on Saturday

comrade powell wrote:As the article I’ve provided a link to explains, goals very rarely result from corners.

When Archie was in charge we scored from two corners when all the attackers lined up outside the penalty box and charged in to a ball played between the six yard box and penalty spot. But never did it again. It has always struck me that this tactic is impossible to defend so I wonder why it is not tried more often.

The latest trick is to have all the strikers lined up behind the penalty spot. This never appears to work and results in much shirt holding and tussles that most referees choose to ignore.

Roy D Hacksaw wrote:

Freeview Joe wrote:For a big crowd it was quiet in there today too.

I may be wrong here, but that may have had something to do with an incident right at the end of the Slough game. When the inevitable winner went in a lad next to me shouted something out of frustration in the manager's general direction. I can't remember exactly what it was, but it didn't seem too out of order, as no one in the vicinity baulked at it. But it's the kind of thing that you hear at any ground in the world at this kind of disappointing moment in a game that you should have won.

Immediately the manager, who was previously slumped in his seat with his head in his hands, leapt to his feet and started pointing at the lad, completely ignoring the game for the last three minutes at a time that most of us felt he should be geeing his players up for a late equaliser.

Then the second the whistle blew he raced down to the away fans, pointing at the lad, turning the air blue, and shouting that the kid had no respect - all while we were trying to applaud the few players who dared come to our end to thank us for our efforts throughout the game. And it was a shame, because up to that point we'd been singing our hearts out in great humour, pretty much from start to finish. But the manager's behaviour left a bitter taste in the mouth, so I wouldn't be at all surprised if Monday's legion felt little motivation in singing up the side after his unwelcome antics.

If he's got ambitions of working his way up the managerial ladder he'll have to learn to take criticism, as he'll get much more than that on an an almost daily basis pretty much anywhere else. And it's not like he hasn't displayed this kind of behaviour before. But what disappointed me most was his shouting about respect. You don't demand it, Jerry, you earn it. And you certainly lost a big chunk of mine on Saturday

I glad this got mentioned as I was chastised for mentioning he behaved in an unprofessional manner. I heard what said and it certainly wasn't out of order. Pity really as Jerry excellent with everything else.

tovid wrote:I always say - we never score from corners. I am sure statto stillmanjr will prove me wrong though.

Alex Hartridge has scored two from corners this season with tidy finishes at the back post. Unfortunately one was for Weymouth.

We had seventeen on Monday. No idea how many over the season. I'll go for around forty. I don't think it's the deliveries per se, and that inventive routine should have landed us a goal at Weymouth. I remember it did at Horsham last season. We created enough from open play Monday after Smith's goal but blew it by not taking more of our chances. Ironically the one we did convert was one of the more difficult ones - Harvey did incredibly well to force the opening.

Re the incident.... I wasn't there but be interested what the lad said. If it wasn't out of order presumably its repeatable here. The thing is in my view it's not acceptable to throw insults at another person especially if they are a manager like jerry who's working wonders.
I pay my money when to my local but I don't have the right to hurl insults at the landlord....

DodgyCarpet, so to confirm, you go into a pub, buy a pint, it tastes terrible (equivalent to playing badly), you highlight this to the landlord (Gill), landlord has a paddy (Gill did), you’re not allowed to retaliate? If you pay for something and it’s not good enough, you’re entitled to an opinion. If you’re paid to do something and you don’t do it well, you should be reprimanded.

and it wasn’t an insult...

Well this is why I'm asking what was said. As I accept there's assumptions here. But if we don't know what was said we shouldn't even be discussing it.
I'm guessing it was shouted, due to distance, which will always add to the effect of anything said that's not complimentary!

I agree with Dodgycarpet that to give this any context we need to know what was said, and also with a previous poster that Jerry will need a thicker skin if he moves further up the managerial ladder.

Does it also explain why Jim did the post-match interview on Monday?

Context can be irrelevant. Anyone who has managed people at a decent level will know that passion and frustration, when correctly channelled, can be a great motivational tool. However, when this materialises as anger it falls into the negative and is detrimental.
For the last minutes of the game this was the evident trait with the sole focus being the supporters behind the goal rather than the game. You could say during this period our manager was not doing the job he is employed to do.