Oxford United 2 - West Bromwich Albion 1

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Ratings submitted so far: 9

Brendan Clegg:

Just when you thought we'd reached rock bottom, we found somewhere lower to go.

For some silly reason I was optimistic that we'd get a positive result.

That optimism was impacted when I saw the starting lineup.Phillips out for weeks. Clearly he has his limitations but he does stick his head on everything and is our first choice CB when fit... so that was a blow.

Elsewhere there were understandable choices.. don't change too much, just try and get at them and create a bit more. I saw a lot of people questioning Maja's inclusion but... if we are being brutally honest, even if he can't run he is our best finisher and neither Heggebo or Dike have looked anything like useful for months. I could see the logic in it.

And we did start as well as we have for ages... dominating it and putting them under pressure, winning corners and getting shots in.

Of course, we chucked all of that out of the window. A throw-in across our own back line, Styles went running up the pitch too early, Taylor played an awful pass into MJ who had no chance, we conceded a corner, defended it dreadfully and were one down.

Still it was so early and we were so dominant that it wasn't game over at that point.

But then MJ, trying to take the game to them and get us back in it, went down under no challenge and hobbled off. Bostock was a brave choice to replace, fair enough... but then we conceded another stupid free kick, defended that awfully too and were 2-0 down despite being so on top it was laughable. The loss of MJ combined with the 2nd goal did make it feel like game over.

The truth is we were simply awful in both boxes.

Bostock got us a deflected goal back simply by having a go... but for the majority of the rest of them, they wilted, passed the buck and showed little belief.

HT came without changes which was slightly surprising but also it's not like we are blessed with options. Wallace had been having one of the worst games I've ever seen a pro footballer have (He headed one attacking cross clear instead of at goal, he wasted a glorious situation on the left by slashing wildly at it and putting the ball out, his crosses overall were dreadful) but with the MJ injury you could understand not changing it.

It was more of the same and then I would say that Mozza did at least go for it... Price (who had largely passed the buck all game) made way for Jamma with Dike for Maja. Again I would say we struggled after these changes for a bit because Maja was at least holding the ball and Dike did not got going for 15 minutes and struggled to win anything. Heggebo and Imray came on to give us most attacking options with 15-20 mins to go.

We did create situations we should have done better with - A Bielik header, a Heggebo weird and weak spin backheel and probably the best of the lot before Price went off there was a passage of play where we broke with men over but Price and Molumby were so woeful they couldn't work it out to (I think) Bostock who would have been played in with a simple weighted ball in front of him.

We ran out of time. A dreadful result.

I think Mozza spoke for every Albion fan - whether it is wise or not it was certainly cathartic - calling out the individuals and then the overall lack of character. He was also searingly honest about the choices for the next game... tempted to make sweeping changes. In my view he did as well as he could in that game. He was clearly angry and let down.

• O'Leary - 6 I think he has improved us but I agree... you've got to come for that 2nd goal given where it was played in from and where it was headed.
• Cambell - 6 Okay but is never brave enough going forward... passed it backwards where he had to cross it.
• Bielik - 4 Stupid fouls and didn't win crucial headers.
• Taylor - 4 Just an accident waiting to happen. How bad must Gilchrist be (we know the answer)
• Styles - 6 At least had a go and moves it quickly... is very loose tactically though.
• Mowatt - 5 Had loads of the ball but how bad is he when he has to play it forward quickly?
• Molumby - 5 Ran about. No quality at all. We did dominate it though.
• MJ - 6 Looked really bright. Massive blow if he's crocked.
• Price - 4 ran about. created little but Wallace was so bad I'd have left him on for his running.
• Wallace - 2 Was just awful in everything he did. It wasn't an age thing, it was a basic quality thing. Not calm. Not controlled. Rubbish.
• Maja - 4 Not good but did get hold of it. The supply was so bad though... and we had situations where a basic pass would give him a chance.

• Bostock - 6 Did okay, didn't hide. Too many of them didn't pass it to him quickly enough.
• Dike - 4 Hasn't looked anywhere near scoring in any cameo. No pace, lost his strength.
• Jamma - 4 Couldn't get into it
• Imray - 5 We might have to give him a go and put Campbell in the middle. I'd start him on the right wing the way we are going.
• Heggebo - 4 Another poor showing

We looked doomed. Arguably a lower mid table team with Grant, MJ, Phillips and Mepham in our best 11... Mason blew so many games, Ramsay wasted a load more and a window, and now with injuries biting us it looks pretty desperate.

Kev Buckley:

Just watched a ten-minutes "highlights" package: oh dear.

Both their goals looked awful: pass picked off leading to the corner, and then a silly foul on a player well outside the box and going away from goal.

But then there's the marking, or rather the complete lack of it, inside our 6-yard-box, from both the corner and the free kick: just criminal.

At least if MJ is going to be out for a while, then OB will be able to reprise the former's main threat in an almost carbon-copy way: cutting across from the left side and letting one fly with his right foot. Even got the huge lucky deflection that probably prevented the shot merely ending up in the shots on target column.

As mentioned in another thread, our goal difference is the worst of the sides around us, so, should either of the sides below us catch us on points, they'll be ahead on GD.

At some point we're just going to have to cut loose, as I can't see that saving our best for Sheff Weds, on the last day of the season, is going to be enough.

Then again, if you think the wheels are coming off the Albion, watch the Thai MotoGP and see Ducati fail to get on the podium for the first time in five-and-a-half years - the tyre literally came off the rear of the one rider who might have prevented that happening!