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Matchday Thread PNE v Oxford United | 06.03.26 | KO:8PM | Championship

Matchday Thread PNE v Oxford United | 06.03.26 | KO:8PM | Championship

JK

JK

In my mind, my dreams are real ...
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A game where I don't miss having a ST.

Will be tuning in on Sky although not sure why as don't expect it to be a classic.
 
Struggling to be motivated for this one. Hope the team aren't feeling the same haha! But I will be there regardless.

Our current form and the recent performances just aren't there. Oxford really have something to play for and have a possibility of dragging themselves out of it with Blackburn, Leicester and West Brom down there. We just can't get going at the moment.

Anyway, 3-0 to Preston 😆
 
Win takes Oxford out of the bottom 3 tonight before games against Rovers and Charlton.

West Brom have a rough run coming up and play away at Sheff Utd tomorrow followed by Hull and Southampton.

Can see Oxford really having a go tonight with a chance of going on a run.

Think our lot have already given up. It'll be a dogshit game but I think they will nick it by a single goal.
 
Oxford will park the bus tonight I'm sure. They've recently had goalless away draws to each of the top two sides and often seem to have around 25% possession away from home. So just the type of team we struggle against.

Somehow, Heckingbottom needs to come up with a selection and strategy to unlock their defence. What we certainly don't need is two defensive midfielders in front of the back 3/5!
 
Schemer said:
Oxford will park the bus tonight I'm sure. They've recently had goalless away draws to each of the top two sides and often seem to have around 25% possession away from home. So just the type of team we struggle against.

Somehow, Heckingbottom needs to come up with a selection and strategy to unlock their defence. What we certainly don't need is two defensive midfielders in front of the back 3/5!
Click to expand...
I think they'll see our recent home record and come at us to be honest. Spring a surprise, going long into Lankshear like Millwall did with Coburn. Might be a mistake but teams will see us as their best chance of 3pts right now.

Our only win in 10 was against Pompey and it was completely undeserved.

We need to set up to attack and score early, or this could be another shitter.
 
Schemer said:
What we certainly don't need is two defensive midfielders in front of the back 3/5!
Click to expand...

Very true which means one or other of Whiteman or McCann has to give way. But even then we don't have a midfield playmaker to bring in - whatever we do will be an improvisation. What are the options - play Devine in a deeper role, start Brady there or could Moran slot in to effect.

The fact that Armstrong did not return and the club's failure to bring in a replacement and/or PH's inability to fashion a remedy from existing resources have been the root causes of everything that has gone wrong since the New Year. But we aren't actually short of attacking resource so maybe PH will find a way to make proper use of them tonight.
 
ernest said:
Very true which means one or other of Whiteman or McCann has to give way. But even then we don't have a midfield playmaker to bring in - whatever we do will be an improvisation. What are the options - play Devine in a deeper role, start Brady there or could Moran slot in to effect.

The fact that Armstrong did not return and the club's failure to bring in a replacement and/or PH's inability to fashion a remedy from existing resources have been the root causes of everything that has gone wrong since the New Year. But we aren't actually short of attacking resource so maybe PH will find a way to make proper use of them tonight.
Click to expand...
You can get away with two sitters if you have attacking width and Devine in front of them. The squad is perfect for 4-2-3-1 right now.
 
SF said:
You can get away with two sitters if you have attacking width and Devine in front of them. The squad is perfect for 4-2-3-1 right now.
Click to expand...
The way Whiteman plays suits a back four more too.

He likes to come deep, and he's not particularly great when pressed or in tight spaces. So just play with a back four, he can drop in to make it a three in the early build up, and you're not too defensive as you've only got two CBs instead of three that we currently have with him doing that.

It's just such an unnecessary overload in these games where we're having more of the ball.
 
SF said:
You can get away with two sitters if you have attacking width and Devine in front of them. The squad is perfect for 4-2-3-1 right now.
Click to expand...

Not quite because though Offiah can play right-back in a back four we don't really have a left-back - Hughes is probably the best option but arguably he isn't quite mobile enough now while Small has the pace but not the positional sense. But as you say in the circumstances out best bet might be something like this:

Iversen
Offiah, Storey, Gibson, Hughes
Whiteman, McCann
Devine, Lang, Dobbin
Osmajic
 
ernest said:
Not quite because though Offiah can play right-back in a back four we don't really have a left-back - Hughes is probably the best option but arguably he isn't quite mobile enough now while Small has the pace but not the positional sense. But as you say in the circumstances out best bet might be something like this:

Iversen
Offiah, Storey, Gibson, Hughes
Whiteman, McCann
Devine, Lang, Dobbin
Osmajic
Click to expand...
Vukcevic. Hughes or Offiah could play there for the last 20 when he tires.
 
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