Just thought I'd post my thoughts on my day and also to refute claims from Dave that will be made on this thread later about me slagging off the players all game. :na:
Obviously I don't do things like that. :}
First of all i'll start by saying that today was my first visit to Oxford and to the Kassam and although I'm sure the city of dreaming spires is a splendid day out, the city's football stadium certainly is not. What an absolute dump. Not what I expected at all.
I somehow got there after my mis-navigation led me to discard my trusty £1.99 AA Road Map and just trust the brown tourist signs, "Follow (picture of football) for the Kassam Stadium. The only problem with this was that after the first one there weren't anymore until outside the stadium itself. F*cking genius.
Ok so it's another out of town lego stadium but this one is just appalling, a soulless means to an end for OUFC and quite how the locals can go and watch football there every other week God only knows. It's just like there are 3 huge stands just stuck there with open corners and the legendary 'garden fence' lining the end behind the goal to our right. Through one corner I could see the dilapidated Holiday Inn and the other corner actually gave me the best view of the afternoon, a beautiful Oxfordshire sunset over the fields beyond. Oh and the car park was a good view too, had fun trying to read number plates such was the atrocity that was being played out on the pitch in front of me.
Walking around the ground and it's just like walls of old blue corrugated iron. Grafitti, litter, it looks old and it felt like an Eastern Block ground but with seating. Maybe I was watching Ruch Chorzow v Cracovia Krakow and didn't know it? Sure as hell didn't feel like I was at a renowned stadium popular with businessmen for conferences and the like. Depressing sh*thole. If I'm being honest it has actually usurped Accrington in my opinion as being the worst place I've been too and I DEFINATELY won't be going back unless it's an absolutely critical game.
There was absolutely NOTHING to see or do within the vicinity other than walk round the ground so much that you get dizzy. I wanted to visit the club shop but couldn't find it so I asked the bloke who sold me my ticket where it was and he said it was over on the complex near the cinema and bowling alley. Bizarre and I couldn't even be arsed to go and look for it even though I had time to kill. Ridiculous.
I spoke to two OUFC officials, a bloke working in the car park and he was very friendly and also the steward behind us in the ground who was chatting to us all about bets all afternoon, seems his came in thanks to a Sergio Aguero hat-trick and good on him. Seemed a really nice bloke for a steward. My bet came in too!! Paid for my trip today! I spent £80.
Other than those two fine representatives of their club I have to say the other best bit about the day was admiring the Oxford Ox statue outside the ground. A lovely piece of sculpture and totally out of place. Such a shame. Maybe WE should have a seagull statue outside Boots? Oh and the programme was a hefty unit too. Well done Oxford on that if nothing else.
Anyway the game, awful. We had a good spell after half time and before the end but that was it. Second best to most stuff, looked way off the pace which was odd considering they played in midweek and we have had two weeks off, created nothing apart from a Benners shot which he should have done a lot better with and the Nico free kick which slammed against the bar at the death. Deserved better that but when your luck's out.
If Knill were in the dug out he would have got absolutely steamed for this performance I have no doubt but it wasn't Knill it was Chris. It is only his second game as a professional football manager, we were playing away at a team in the top half, the weather conditions were awful and so there are mitigating circumstances and we should really just forget today ever happened and plod on to the next game. I would hope that Chris has learned much from today not least to bring on subs a bit quicker when it is clear nothing is working. For all my criticism of Bodin I thought this may have been a game he might have given us options in and I would certainly have started Chappell.
Hawley and Benyon up top was a non starter. Nothing stuck and for all Benners tireless work they couldn't really get any joy in attacking areas. Maybe direct, quick wingers would have served us better against a seriously poor Oxford side.
Anyway, it's just my opinion. It is no criticism of Hargreaves. He is our last hope and we just have to get behind him and the lads WHATEVER happens from now until the end. Chris will be desperate to keep us up and I'm prepared to forget today as I know there will be better days around the corner. I didn't expect us to win 2 away games on the spin anyway so no great loss. One thing is for sure, this is going right to the wire for a lot of clubs and things will change every week. It's gritty stuff but interesting none the less.
Well back home now, got lost out of Oxford and drove through some awful weather but unlike the supporters coach I didn't run out of fuel. Chris needs our support more than ever because today he has had his first big wake up call and we need to give everything to help him and the lads get over the finishing line.
Finally credit to all the fans who made it today, I have to be honest and say that today was one of the least enjoyable days out watching Torquay I've ever had. Not only because of the game and the result but just everything about the place, for some reason I just didn't like it at all, I couldn't really get going and truth be told I just wanted to go home. Oxford was such a disappointment.
Great to meet Dave (SG) for the first time, great to see Taxilady and the lady that was with her plus I believe I was stood behind yellowsmiffy but I wasn't sure. Apologies mate if I didn't say hello. Also great to stand with Alex, Ben, Mark and another two blokes I don't know, one was Matt and the other bloke stood next to Ben I don't know the name of but great anyway. Also saw Matt (Ferrari err sorry Rangerover ) but you were sat right at the front mate and I just didn't have the legs to come and say hello so i'll do it now - HEEEEEEEEELLLLLLLLLLLLOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!
Also good to say hello to Steve Breed although I don't know him and also I had a nice chat at half time to a Lancastrian bloke who I believe drives the supporters coach but I didn't know who he was. Great bloke though. I think that's it. Other than to say COME ON YOU YELLOWS!!!
Over and out