Official Match Thread Oxford v Southend United

[chapperzUK]

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.

Actual he is 33, and IIRC some people were moaning on here because he didn't seem like he wanted to play, so if he did storm off then surely it shows he does. Can anyone blame him for what he did in the heat of the moment? What I will judge him on is his reaction in the next few days and the next game.

Two big games coming up against Exeter, who are a place above us in the league, and then the Brentford replay. We could potentially go 3rd if we win at the weekend.

 

[wiggy]

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 %.

Well if he isn't confident in his shot stopping for penalties then he may as well go now. General concensious of opinion is that this is the only thing that he is good at....next!

 

[leeblue]

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!?!

It was one of the best footballing blags ever attempted, here come Dan 'penalty specialist' Bentley, I would say the oxford players though 'hang on is this kid a bit tasty from pens' coupled with the majority of the oxford fans saying the same. It all changed the mindset of the oppo

 

[united we stand]

1. Why does Sturrock need to apologize to Smith for making a tactical decision that won the game.

Its called good man management , if you have to make a difficult or unpopular decision then explain it to your workforce. You don't apologise for the actual decision, you may even say that you would do it again but you can apologise for how it affects an individual

 

[Gremlin]

Well if he isn't confident in his shot stopping for penalties then he may as well go now. General concensious of opinion is that this is the only thing that he is good at....next!

Once again.....

Perhaps it's not that he isn't completely confident in Smith's shot-stopping for penalties AT ALL, but that he is SLIGHTLY MORE confident in Bentley's ability to do this.

If that's the case, and you have a substitution remaining, why wouldn't you make the switch?

 

[united we stand]

It was one of the best footballing blags ever attempted, here come Dan 'penalty specialist' Bentley, I would say the oxford players though 'hang on is this kid a bit tasty from pens' coupled with the majority of the oxford fans saying the same. It all changed the mindset of the oppo

I said earlier and I will say it again as it is being overlooked, it will also have given our penalty takers a boost in condidence which will have helped them (If I miss one, Dan will save at least one = pressure off )

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

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

For those not in the team, yes. It meant that injuries and suspensions hit us harder as the players coming in often didn't feel part of it. But it enabled us to get more out of his favourites.

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.

1. For the same reason you apologise to your girlfriend/wife even when it's not your fault.
2. There already was a big possibility that we'd lose.

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:

It wasn't the only reason, but it was a reason. It cost us a lot of points as Morris was abysmal in January.

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."

So Sturrock's admitting he got it wrong.

Or at least is publicly saying he did. He may feel as if he got it right (to have told Smith before hand might have been distracting) but the bigger thing now is man-managing his no.1.

Well done Bentley. I wonder if someone put it up to that?

 

[choggy]

Actual he is 33, and IIRC some people were moaning on here because he didn't seem like he wanted to play, so if he did storm off then surely it shows he does. Can anyone blame him for what he did in the heat of the moment? What I will judge him on is his reaction in the next few days and the next game.

Two big games coming up against Exeter, who are a place above us in the league, and then the Brentford replay. We could potentially go 3rd if we win at the weekend.

Even at 33 he's still old enough to know better though. My boss winds me up something rotten sometimes but I'd never throw my toys out of the pram in front of him.

The best response he can give is to show that he cares by playing a blinder for the next few games. And those people who reckoned his heart wasn't in it may have a point, hopefully he'll prove us all wrong in the best possible way. I hope he wakes up tomorrow and feels embarrassed at his actions and goes out there to prove a point. +1 to Sturrock's management skills for this one if he does.

 

[shrimperjon]

Lets face it who knows whether it was a master plan or not. Smith may have saved 1,2 or none. Bentley only got near one and he saved it, some would say its luck. Their keeper could or should have saved at least two of ours and then we would be having a completely different discussions. Ultimately we got through and that's what matters. Oxford are unbeaten in 11 so it was always going tough and really it should never have gone to pens. My concern is that we seem to be conceding some very sloppy goals at the moment.

 

[Swiss Tony]

My Missus sells hers on eBay. Give it a try, you never know...

Yours for a fiver sniffer.

 

[OldBlueLady]

I wonder if the score had settled to a 2-2 draw earlier on in the game, if the same substitution would have been made? I do tend to think that conceding that late goal to take it to pens must have been a factor in Sturrock's decision.

 

[davewebbsbrain]

Its called good man management , if you have to make a difficult or unpopular decision then explain it to your workforce. You don't apologise for the actual decision, you may even say that you would do it again but you can apologise for how it affects an individual

Does Sturrock apologize every time he makes a substitution then.

 

[onceknownasrab]

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

If thats an admission of a mistake well I.m sorry we are supposed to have such an experienced man as manager this kind of error should not happen. He made so many last season and as much admitted to them. I have been firmly behind PS this season but if this degenerates into the shambles we saw last term i will be very unforgiving. This whole scenario is absurd.

 

[stickyboy]

Sturrock made the right decision, it worked. If it ends as a problem then it only comes down to the spoil little child Smith himself, I am surprised he didnt walk off with the ball

 

[Neil 24]

smith will hold his hands up at training everyone will be pro about it and normal service will resume. well done boys bring on wembley

 

[McNasty]

Does Sturrock apologize every time he makes a substitution then.

If thats an admission of a mistake well I.m sorry we are supposed to have such an experienced man as manager this kind of error should not happen. He made so many last season and as much admitted to them. I have been firmly behind PS this season but if this degenerates into the shambles we saw last term i will be very unforgiving. This whole scenario is absurd.

Who cares, we won --- anyone would think we had lost.

 

[philtalkin]

If thats an admission of a mistake well I.m sorry we are supposed to have such an experienced man as manager this kind of error should not happen. He made so many last season and as much admitted to them. I have been firmly behind PS this season but if this degenerates into the shambles we saw last term i will be very unforgiving. This whole scenario is absurd.

Even the most experienced managers, in any business, make mistakes.I don't think he, or anyone expected Smith to act the way he did. So as he says it is 'in hindsight'.Who knows what would have happened if he had told him before the match, or if Smith would have stayed for the shoot out? Or if he'd stayed on for the shoot out?I always admire people who admit their mistakes, even if what he did ultimately won us the game.And please will everybody stop saying that if we fail to get promotion it is down to events like this. Good cup runs, in my experience, can help the team spirit. Plus, some fringe players will get the chance to show what they can do and get match fit, so they are ready if and when we need them in the run in.

 

[Massimo Giovanni]

Lets face it who knows whether it was a master plan or not. Smith may have saved 1,2 or none. Bentley only got near one and he saved it, some would say its luck. Their keeper could or should have saved at least two of ours and then we would be having a completely different discussions. Ultimately we got through and that's what matters. Oxford are unbeaten in 11 so it was always going tough and really it should never have gone to pens. My concern is that we seem to be conceding some very sloppy goals at the moment.

I'm with you on this one, who knows.
Also who knows if we kept BBBC and Woody on it might not have gone to pens as the 2 that came on were passengers/ out of focus and negative players although Benni had balls to take the last pen so calmly.

 

[RootsHallRoar]

If thats an admission of a mistake well I.m sorry we are supposed to have such an experienced man as manager this kind of error should not happen. He made so many last season and as much admitted to them. I have been firmly behind PS this season but if this degenerates into the shambles we saw last term i will be very unforgiving. This whole scenario is absurd.

Why 'absurd'? The managers' paid to do a job and that he did, making a tactical switch of goalkeeper immediately prior to the penaly shootout that at the least was distracting for the Oxford penalty takers and may have sown a few seeds of doubt.

I'm sure Smith will have got over it by now, Sturrock will have cleared the air with him again this morning and that Smith will be starting on Saturday.

Meanwhile, the treble is still on!

 

[davewebbsbrain]

Even the most experienced managers, in any business, make mistakes.I don't think he, or anyone expected Smith to act the way he did. So as he says it is 'in hindsight'.Who knows what would have happened if he had told him before the match, or if Smith would have stayed for the shoot out? Or if he'd stayed on for the shoot out?I always admire people who admit their mistakes, even if what he did ultimately won us the game.And please will everybody stop saying that if we fail to get promotion it is down to events like this. Good cup runs, in my experience, can help the team spirit. Plus, some fringe players will get the chance to show what they can do and get match fit, so they are ready if and when we need them in the run in.

That is a very good point. Knowing that could have put Smith in the wrong mindset or it could have made him play better to make damn sure it didn't go to penalties.