Official Match Thread Oxford v Southend United

[Sam Jackson]

thing is, if they have been doing penalties in training and Bentley has looked better, then it is exactly the right decision!

 

[Sutton Who]

Probably means week commencing 4th and 18th Feb

 

[leeblue]

Why would Smith need to calm down. Sturrock made a tactical sub like any manager would do , this just happened to be the keeper, one of the 11 players on the pitch.

Why is a keeper so different?

good point

 

[wiggy]

Loved to have seen your comments, had we lost!

Errrr, exactly the same.....insult to a crap keeper to bring on an equally crap keeper. If he's got no confidence in Smith like the rest of us then don't sign him and even more, don't start him....laughable from Sturrock!

 

[chapperzUK]

Football league website states 4th and 18th Feb.

JPT says different. http://www.johnstonespainttrophy.com/key-dates/fixtures/

Mondays ???

Week commencing. So guessing either Tuesday or Wednesday.

 

[Firestorm]

Mondays ???

Weeks beginning I would imagine

 

[Clinton Baptiste]

Laird will be gutted he cant face his former team.
Coach and Horses is gonna take a pounding.
Sturrock has balls of steel and surely must give Bentley a run out. Smith makes too many errors.

 

[LeedsSUFC]

I'd rather see Bentley walk out at Wembley than Smith...

 

[sufclee]

Probably means week commencing 4th and 18th Feb

Indeed..my bad!

 

[leeblue]

Errrr, exactly the same.....insult to a crap keeper to bring on an equally crap keeper. If he's got no confidence in Smith like the rest of us then don't sign him and even more, don't start him....laughable from Sturrock!

if he had brought on a striker who was a penalty specialist would you have the same opinion

 

[Baskerville194]

so would i

 

[united we stand]

Real mind games there by Sturrock. As soon as Bentley came on it would have put a thought into Oxford players heads that he was a penalty specialists. Penalties is 90 per cent nerve. Ballsy but it paid off.

Feel sorry for Smith, although he shouldn't have reacted like that and he will know it now. He's a professional and he let himself down, and gave an opportunity for his bashers to have a real go - they will be delighted. Of course, when Mohsni did it, it was fine.

Agree with the first point 100%. So many people say that penalties are about the mind more than anything. Sturrock played mind games , giving our penalty takers more confidence , therefore taking the pressure off them, and putting a seed of doubt in their penalty takers.

I don't have a problem with Smiths reaction. Sturrock has just taken away his chance to be the hero, and to potentially win the crowd over. To a keeper what can be better than making the decisive save in a penalty shoot out --------nothing compares I would guess.

I bet Sturrock has explained his decision and diffused the issue already.

 

[Jam_Man]

Errrr, exactly the same.....insult to a crap keeper to bring on an equally crap keeper. If he's got no confidence in Smith like the rest of us then don't sign him and even more, don't start him....laughable from Sturrock!

Which bit arent you getting ?

He started him because he prefers him over Bentley, but he clearly thought Bentley would do better in a shootout.

Sturrock makes an amazing decision that wins us the game and its laughable. Oh boy....

 

[leeblue]

Weeks beginning I would imagine

if you could have a word and actually get it on mondays that would make my life easier as the wife works tues eves thanks in advance

 

[Shrimper95]

Apparently at least one leg will be televised so a bit of extra money coming in to the club.

 

[Chris Powell's mate]

I don't think it's because he doesn't rate Smith, I think it is more to try and get at Oxford mentally. They will know about Bentley's performance against Bury

Exactly! Clubs know every detail about their opponents - and it was purely a mind game that worked.
The idea is to win football matches fairly, and if Smith after 300 first class performances doesn't realise what went on, he never will...

 

[eastling]

Anyway apart from PS showing a crazy, ballsy side to his management style, let's congratulate all the players on a terrific win. Big congrats to our faithful at the Kassam this evening. :thumbsup:

 

[wiggy]

if he had brought on a striker who was a penalty specialist would you have the same opinion[/QUOTE
.............you'd all be crying ya eyes out if we'd have lost on penalties, the keeper situation here will cost us dear, neither are up to it........shoot from the hip you lot depending on results!

 

[Bratislava Blue]

Why would Smith need to calm down. Sturrock made a tactical sub like any manager would do , this just happened to be the keeper, one of the 11 players on the pitch.

Why is a keeper so different?

I'm not saying that Smith is not calm. I agree that it was a tactical switch that Sturrock thought needed to be made. But this will be a big test of Smiths character amongst the squad. Personally I do not have a problem with him being our No. 1. During the unbeaten run he made some vital saves and kept a number of clean sheets.

I'm just curious now how Sturrock will deal with it especially with 2 big away games coming up. You need both keepers playing with confidence. One of them has just had his knocked.

 

[leeblue]

Errrr, exactly the same.....insult to a crap keeper to bring on an equally crap keeper. If he's got no confidence in Smith like the rest of us then don't sign him and even more, don't start him....laughable from Sturrock!

You are going too deep, look at the bench and tell me where we could have made an impact sub, Sturrock made a crazy mind game call and bought bentley on as if to say to the oxford lot here comes our young keeper who saves pens for fun, chill out wiggy