Oxford United v Torquay United - 10/11/12

[stefano]

Looking forward to a convincing performance and win with at last some of the many chances we create ending up in the net this time. The omens are good. We always did well last season when big Rene was suspended!

[Dave]

Martin Rice will save a penalty, and Jarvis will bag a hat trick don't panic.

Samaritans have a 24hr help line always here to help

[AustrianAndyGull]

Martin Rice will save a penalty, and Jarvis will bag a hat trick don't panic.

Samaritans have a 24hr help line always here to help

Have you got a link for me then Dave?

[Yellow4life]

Rice confirmed to start tomorrow with new youth keeper Connor Thompson on the bench as he didn't play in today's U18 game against bristol rovers.

[Southampton Gull]

Glad for Ricey that he's getting his chance tomorrow. Also a chance for him to banish the demons hanging over him since he played against them for City in the play-offs.

[hector]

Not at all confident tomorrow. Not sure I would have been anyway, even if Rene wasn't suspended nor Rice in goal but with Poke and Howe missing, it really looks ominous tomorrow.

[Dave]

Here you go Andy..http://www.samaritans.org/

Totaly agree with Dave SG, Martin Rice has come back and worked his nuts off deserves his chance .

[ferrarilover]

Right, this has gone on long enough! Poke has been, by and large, absolute shite this year and the idea that Ricey, who virtually none of us has seen for what, 4 years, and those who have seen him have seen him look pretty bloody good at reserve level, is getting a battering on here is hugely unfair.

He won't be any worse than Poke has been so far this year, if we bollocks it up tomorrow, it will, as likely as not, be entirely not the fault of Martin Rice and an awful lot to do with the fact that, even with our only actual goalscorer on the field, we couldn't hit a cows arse with a banjo at the moment.

Give the boy a chance, he'll do just fine.

Matt.

[Dave]

Nice post, Matt, Matt, Matt, however if we conceed a goal tomorrow you know aswell as I do it will be fully down to Martin Rice no matter what, clocked in at work last night first person I saw was a lad who had gone to Barnet his first words were, Bloody Martin Rice totaly at fault for their goal .

My reply was, it does my brain in, why do us Torquay fans have to analyze, and over anallyze every goal conceeded by Martin Rice to whether it was his fault or not , just support him, possibly for the next two games he is going to be our keeper.

[royalgull]

yep it was almost hilarious to attach any blame on Ricey for the goal at Barnet.

I'm a bit nervous for him but just because I really want him to do well tomorrow, i'm sure he'll be fine. He's been waiting for this chance for AGES and he's been working his nuts off since Day 1 of being back at TUFC, giving the best support possible to the other keepers (including the youth keepers). It's his turn now and I know he's been chomping at the bit to have this chance.

[AustrianAndyGull]

Just incase anyone hasn't seen, there is a 'proper-ish' matchday thread on page 1 of the thread which i finally did if anyones interested and missed it. Cheers.

[stevegull]

Just incase anyone hasn't seen, there is a 'proper-ish' matchday thread on page 1 of the thread which i finally did if anyones interested and missed it. Cheers.

We do appreciate it Andy, and I'm sure many non-posters also enjoy your previews. But only do it if you like doing it pal! Don't make it a pressure!

I thoroughly agree with Matt's sentiments regarding Rice. It's likely most of the posters on here haven't seen him play for 4 years and he has deserved his chance. I just hope the fact he has waited SO long doesn't mean he becomes TOO eager to impress. With this I mean he could try and claim every ball in the area or exaggerate a dive to save the ball. It's difficult to maintain the right mental state for a goalkeeper, even more so for one who hasn't played competitively for 2 years, I just hope he stays calm then I'm sure he'll perform just fine.

[AustrianAndyGull]

No Steve, i did another proper thread further on down the first page if you have a look, the opening post was just a piss tek mate but thanks for the good words. I like doing them to be honest and if it's a place i know well or am fond of like Rotherham or York then i can write loads and i find it interesting to myself.

[AustrianAndyGull]

Oh and i've devised a cracking song for our Ricey in the yellow army section!

[bengull]

Well on paper it doesn't look good for us, but then Oxford aren't exactly setting the division alight are they?

Agree with ferrylover that Poke isn't as big a miss as everyone is making out, I have lost count of the amount of mistakes that have directly led to goals or near misses from our number one and on that basis we should not be afraid to give Rice (or Thompson for that matter) a chance. Ricey has waited patiently and shown excellent enthusiasm and dedication to his trade since being here, having trained every day with Olejnik and Veysey, and to a lesser extent Poke, he should have improved his skills markedly from the last time he played in an important match. Against Barnet he had little to do, but he was vocal and I noticed the defence responded to his instructions: they didn't give him any special protection. I think he could have a stormer.

Up front is a massive concern, not only has Rene scored the majority of our goals this term but his understanding and all-round contribution in the lone front man role is unparalleled in the football league as far as I am concerned. Clearly it is not a role that Jarvis thrives in, and he looks like a player shot of confidence. On Tuesday, Aaron Downes was moved further up the field than Jarvo when in search of a goal in the last five minutes, that speaks volumes about where Jarvis is at the moment. However when he started against Yeovil, he looked sharp and showed excellent instincts to bag a brace, before tiring woefully around the 60 minute mark. This suggests to me a player who struggles to make an impact from the bench, preferring to dictate play at his own pace from the start, not too dissimilar to my thoughts who Stevens who I would never start as a sub for the same reason.

To this end I would go with Yeoman up front. We need to see what the man can do otherwise it is pointless paying him a wage. He is far more direct than Jarvis and plays with a lot more confidence, keeping the 4-5-1 formation would then best utilise Danny and Billy down the wings, giving them the freedom we need from them to create the chances, just praying we can convert one of them today. Lets face it, we rarely have more than one goal in us, so we have to make sure that one goal is enough to win the game, which is why changing the formation is a no-go for me. With Nathan Craig's delivery getting more and more undefendable each week we will always have a chance of nicking a goal.

Oxford are no great shakes this season, and yes like other teams have the potential to rise the table should they get a win under their belts, however we shouldn't just go to the Kassam and hand it on a plate to them. That is the sort of defeatist attitude that left many fans eating humble pie after the Gillingham win, and on many occasions last season. Who knows, their keeper might get sent off in the first minute, or a comedy own goal might gift us the lead, we just don't know in Football which is why we should travel in the belief that we can win.

It doesn't look great on paper I will be the first to agree, two crap results on the bounce for us has set us back from what I thought we would be achieving, and with Rene out, our goal threat has been halved already. However, if everyone plays to their potential then I still believe we have enough matchwinners to nick a much needed win. Love watching football at the Kassam, even though it's cold and the lack of a fourth stand is tinpot, the view from the top of the stand lends to an excellent overall view of proceedings.