Official Match Thread Oxford v Southend United

[Yorkshire Blue]

I would be very surprised if Sturrock has not already apologised.

Smith will start the next game and then hopefully everyone will see this for exactly what it was , a decision based on a set of 'unique circumstances*(having a Keeper on the bench who 'won' the last penalty shootout)' that paid off.

If Smiths confidence hits rock bottom and he plays crap and Dan takes over and is no better then we can all look back with hindsight and say Sturrock got it wrong- and it cost us promotion.
If Smith comes back and plays just as well, or if he is poor but Bentley gets his chance and is great then it was a success.

Only time will tell

I would have liked to have seen Smith stay on, but TBH if I can could go back in time and keep Smith on and re run the penalties again there is no way I would do it

Which is what happened last season when Sturrock backed Daniels over Morris. Of course Daniels is a vastly superior keeper to Morris, but it killed Morris' confidence and an average at best League Two keeper ended up playing like a very poor keeper and it ultimately cost us promotion.

 

[chapperzUK]

For once i agree with Yorkshire..... this was the ultimate humiliation for a keeper......worse than when Caplelton replaced Prudhoe at half time. Sturrock should be left with two choices of keeper on Saturday Bentley and Chambers, see how that works for the great messiah!

Isn't he still out on loan?

 

[wiggy]

I would be very surprised if Sturrock has not already apologised.

Smith will start the next game and then hopefully everyone will see this for exactly what it was , a decision based on a set of 'unique circumstances*(having a Keeper on the bench who 'won' the last penalty shootout)' that paid off.

If Smiths confidence hits rock bottom and he plays crap and Dan takes over and is no better then we can all look back with hindsight and say Sturrock got it wrong- and it cost us promotion.
If Smith comes back and plays just as well, or if he is poor but Bentley gets his chance and is great then it was a success.

Only time will tell

I would have liked to have seen Smith stay on, but TBH if I can could go back in time and keep Smith on and re run the penalties again there is no way I would do it

...he's not exactly a confident keeper as it is and you think this is good management to haul him off and then call him back Saturday.....damage has bin done i'm afraid...hope it's worth it!

 

[leeblue]

...he's not exactly a confident keeper as it is and you think this is good management to haul him off and then call him back Saturday.....damage has bin done i'm afraid...hope it's worth it!

Maybe sturrock has lined up a new keeper and will tell smith to do one, problem solved, smiths confidence becomes a non issue.

 

[wiggy]

Maybe sturrock has lined up a new keeper and will tell smith to do one, problem solved, smiths confidence becomes a non issue.

Hope your right....why didn't he get it right before the season though......only had 3 months!

 

[maninasuitcase]

I am not sure why this decision should 'destroy' Smith. He is afterall a grown man playing professional football. The manager is paid to make these decisions for the good of the team as a whole, not one individual.

Poole was subbed by O'Neill with a penalty shootout seemingly imminent in 1996. The decision didn't ruin Poole, he was still turning out for Burton 16 years later well in to his forties.

 

[leeblue]

Hope your right....why didn't he get it right before the season though......only had 3 months!

Depending on budget etc etc I just dont know, on paper smith looked like a good keeper, has played at a high level, experienced and all that, just to also say I dont think smith is as bad as many make out he has made some outstanding saves and from what i hear he made some good ones tonite, i said previously it was a crazy move by luggy and only time will tell (like the substitution itself)

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

We'll see how Sturrock handles it.

Hopefully he'll apologise to Smith, reassure him that he's still his no.1 and will be between the sticks on Saturday and will be when we get to Wembley, and tell him it was because Oxford had just equalised and the momentum was with them and he wanted to play with Oxford's minds and wasn't at all a reflection on his ability.

Alternatively he could have a go at Smith for not shaking Bentley's hand, in which case Smith's a dead-man walking at Roots Hall.

I've worked in some pretty cut-throat environments and when a colleague is shafted like that by management, even if it can be justified on the cold hard facts it doesn't do much for morale for the other team members when management is so ruthless like that.

That was Tilly's great strength. He was a player's manager as he'd have never made a move like that. The players knew they could trust him.

 

[leeblue]

We'll see how Sturrock handles it.

Hopefully he'll apologise to Smith, reassure him that he's still his no.1 and will be between the sticks on Saturday and will be when we get to Wembley, and tell him it was because Oxford had just equalised and the momentum was with them and he wanted to play with Oxford's minds and wasn't at all a reflection on his ability.

Alternatively he could have a go at Smith for not shaking Bentley's hand, in which case Smith's a dead-man walking at Roots Hall.

I've worked in some pretty cut-throat environments and when a colleague is shafted like that by management, even if it can be justified on the cold hard facts it doesn't do much for morale for the other team members when management is so ruthless like that.

That was Tilly's great strength. He was a player's manager as he'd have never made a move like that. The players knew they could trust him.

Spot on with most of this, Tilly had his 'favourites' though and to some this could be equally demoralising

 

[davewebbsbrain]

We'll see how Sturrock handles it.

Hopefully he'll apologise to Smith, reassure him that he's still his no.1 and will be between the sticks on Saturday and will be when we get to Wembley, and tell him it was because Oxford had just equalised and the momentum was with them and he wanted to play with Oxford's minds and wasn't at all a reflection on his ability.

Alternatively he could have a go at Smith for not shaking Bentley's hand, in which case Smith's a dead-man walking at Roots Hall.

I've worked in some pretty cut-throat environments and when a colleague is shafted like that by management, even if it can be justified on the cold hard facts it doesn't do much for morale for the other team members when management is so ruthless like that.

That was Tilly's great strength. He was a player's manager as he'd have never made a move like that. The players knew they could trust him.

1. Why does Sturrock need to apologize to Smith for making a tactical decision that won the game.
2. You are right, Tilly woulldnt have had the balls to make that decision and there would have been a big possibility we would have lost.

 

[A Century United]

YB - I think blaming Sturrock's handling of Morris as the ultimate reason we missed out on promotion is untenable. It might be a factor, but certainly not the main reason.

Bentley, quoted on Twitter:

I'm not a hero tonight. Paul did fantastically well for the 90 minutes. I'm pleased to have helped the team progress.

 

[Mr Plow]

Sturrock: "I had been mulling over using Dan if it went to penalties and in hindsight I wish I had told Paul now."

Bentley: "I'm no hero. Paul (Smith) was excellent tonight for 91 minutes and I'm just delighted to have helped the team progress."

 

[Gremlin]

Hope your right....why didn't he get it right before the season though......only had 3 months!

Yes, after all it's easy signing players on computer games isn't it?

 

[leeblue]

Sturrock: "I had been mulling over using Dan if it went to penalties and in hindsight I wish I had told Paul now."

Bentley: "I'm no hero. Paul (Smith) was excellent tonight for 91 minutes and I'm just delighted to have helped the team progress."

there you go all love and kisses in the dressing room

 

[eastling]

Sturrock: "I had been mulling over using Dan if it went to penalties and in hindsight I wish I had told Paul now."

Bentley: "I'm no hero. Paul (Smith) was excellent tonight for 91 minutes and I'm just delighted to have helped the team progress."

Well there you go. Thought PS should have told his keepers in advance. But of course we are now in an area final and the gamble paid off. It is a team game and EVERYONE played their part. UTB! Roll on Exeter.

 

[choggy]

Why should Sturrock apologise? He made the right call given that the young lad's save won us the game. Smith should be the one apologising for the way he conducted himself. He's 36 ffs. Grow up and take it like a man Smith.

 

[Bielzibubz]

Spot on......this lot only look at the result......wet em self when he gets lucky and slag him off when it goes pear shaped!

Whereas you just slag everyone off whenever you rear you're pessimistic head. I do wish you'd just **** off and support Wet Spam or some other club that's more deserving of your drivvel than us

 

[dingleydangley]

Sturrock: "I had been mulling over using Dan if it went to penalties and in hindsight I wish I had told Paul now."

He might have been stewing over it from 7.30 onwards if he had. Nah, keep 'em guessing, you crazy jock.

 

[Gremlin]

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!

It you jumping to your own conclusions that's laughable wiggy.

Perhaps everything is not quite so black and white. Was he saying he had NO confidence in Smith? I doubt it otherwise he wouldn't have started with him. Maybe, just maybe, he had a bit MORE confidence in Bentley when it came to the shootout.

Think of the message this change sent out to the Oxford players too. Probably added to their nerves by a few %.

 

[Pubey]

I think it'll blow over. I can understand Smith being ****ed off, and I can also understand Sturrock's rationale. It was a brave call and one that worked. Smith will know that his reaction to this over the next day or two could define his future career, and hopefully he'll do the sensible thing which is get it out of his system and then pull on his gloves on Saturday.

I'm sure the move will have had an effect on Oxford. I wonder if some of their strikers had been watching videos or reading about Smith and were wrong footed (pun intended) when Bentley came on as our pen-saving specialist!?!