His ball retention is poor. I don't know the stats but I would hazard a guess that he has lost/given the ball away more than any other player (although Dolan might run him close). He is too much of a luxury player for me which would be acceptable if he was doing the business but he just hasn't delivered what he was brought in to do. I was amazed he played the full game on Saturday given the way the game was going.

I have just about brought myself to watch the highlights (or lowlights in our case) and what on earth is Beck doing for the goal. He turns away from the free kick instead of standing up when he could have headed it away or at least get it in the face. Really weak from him and his body language as the ball hits the net tells me he knew it.

He did say something similar after he signed his new deal according to this. https://www.oufc.co.uk/news/cameron-brannagan-signs-new-contract-extend-his-stay

The best player on the pitch yesterday by a mile was Cameron Branagan. He absolutely dominated us. As I recall we were linked with him in the summer but, as usual nothing came of it. There are lots of players out there who will improve us but the way the club is run it's become a very difficult process to actually get them in. Step forward Suhail and Gestede.

It hasn't been a great start for Duru. Losing yesterday afternoon and his manager sacked in the evening.

Aside from his first couple of years at Norwich he has flattered to deceive. The last few games have pretty much proved this to me. His lackadaisical attitude is not what we need and I get the distinct impression that other players are thinking just that too.

A nice full English on the way down, a really comfortable drive and a parking spot three minutes walk from the ground - the day was good up to then and it went downhill very quickly after about 3.05 on when I was sure it was going to be a tortuous afternoon. And so it transpired. We were shockingly bad and for me only three players come away with any semblance of credit (Brittain, Hyam and Batth), the rest should be embarrassed. We lost too many individual battles all over the pitch and couldn't handle Oxford's movement as their players found space all over the pitch. In truth a 1-0 defeat was quite flattering to us and only in the last knockings did we apply any sort of pressure with a few corners and even then the delivery was poor. But a bigger blow could be losing Tronstad (a friend asked Eustace after the match how long he would be out and Eustace said 'a while' but he said Travis could be back for Bristol). With Buckley and Forshaw in midfield we were pedestrian and had no creativity whatsoever. My biggest frustration(apart from the result) was the performance of Cantwell. I don't like to hammer players but how on earth did he last the whole game today? He was shocking, a pouting show pony who simply wasn't anywhere near the standard I expect from a Rovers player. He looked lazy, lethargic and at times disinterested. Not a team player for me in a league where everyone needs to be. The number of times he lost possession and didn't seem interested in winning it back really riled me. His fancy flicks and little turns into trouble had me raging at times. Oxford fully deserved their win today and I'd be surprised if they haven't had a more comfortable game this season despite the narrow win. It's back to the drawing board now but Eustace isn't being helped by the lack of transfer activity as his frustration appears to be growing. Oxford gave three debuts to January signings today so it can be done. We just have owners, advisors and executives who can't see the urgency. Shame on them.

It was more a 4-3-3 but it was really fluid. Harrison Wood was playing more down the middle until we made the changes. Litherland and Rhys Doherty played at full back but in many games in the first half of the season they have been our centre back pairing.

Which Doherty? Personally I don't think either of the Doherty's or Mafoumbi are anywhere near ready yet.

I thought exactly the same. I was expecting a lap of honour with a blow up trophy and Flemming to put his shirt on a corner post and wave it around.

An excellent game of football was to be enjoyed tonight as both teams set about each other but Rovers came out the winners when a draw would probably have been a fair result. The early tempo was intense from both teams who moved the ball quickly and accurately. Rovers got an early breakthrough with a well worked goal but Middlesbrough scored a terrific goal to equalise. The pace understandably dropped off a little in the second half but both teams still looked to get on the front foot as often as possible. Rovers took the lead again only for Boro to equalise with a few minutes to go. Rovers were then reduced to ten as Baker collected two quick yellow cards shortly after coming on. At this stage the vast majority would have accepted the draw but Mafoumbi lobbed the keeper from twenty five yards for the winner. What made his goal even more special was that he had to hold off two defenders to get his shot away. Rovers dug in for the remaining period and showed some mature game management to see the game out. The delight from the players was evident at the final whistle and the effort from every one of them was first class. I saw Igor Tyjon As we were leaving and asked him why he wasn't with the first team of indeed playing in tonight's game. He said he was injured with a calf strain but should be back next week

I saw Oxford play at Plymouth last Tuesday and they were well organised and gave little away. They played a 3/5 at the back for in and out of possession and rely on their most creative player, Cameron Branagan to get on the ball and make things happen. They also have Will Vaulks who isn't particularly mobile but has a mean long throw. Dembele came on and played down the middle where his pace troubled Plymouth. Rowett is a pragmatic manager who will have a clean sheet high on his priorities. As ever the first goal will be so important. Edit. I have just seen that Michael Helik is having a medical at Oxford today. He scored against us for Huddersfield last season and has been a real aeriel threat whenever he has played against us. He will be dangerous from their long throws if he plays. Hopefully our set piece coach is aware of this and plans accordingly.

Sometimes winning games comes down to fine margins as last night ably demonstrated. The first half performance left me so frustrated as we were poor and played with a low intensity. I would have taken Cantwell off at half-time as his half arsed attempt to play infuriated me. The 'experiment'of playing Weimann as a centre forward failed miserably as we huffed and puffed. We did miss a couple of big chances but so did Portsmouth. Seeing Leonard and Gueye both doing a thorough warm up at half-time told me that Eustace felt the same way. The changes were made earlier than Eustace normally likes to do them and suddenly we had a focal point at the top end. The first goal was simplicity in itself. A cross to the far post, pace on the ball and a big centre forward on the end of it. Then the fine margins kicked in as Portsmouth were denied a clear penalty and with no time at art we were two up and effectively game over. The third goal was the icing on the cake as Portsmouth had thrown the towel in. Cantwell was a lot better in the second half (did anybody else notice he pulled his socks up - literally) as were the majority of the team. I have to say Brittain was once again outstanding. I have often been critical of him in the past but I'm delighted with him right now. And credit to Eustace too as he wasn't too proud to change what clearly wasn't working. Recent managers might have dug their heels in to try and prove themselves right. The big plus aside from the three points was the goal difference improving and no apparent injuries. With another three games coming up in the next ten days we can go into them confident of getting a positive result in them all.

The forecast is for a dry but cold day.

It pretty much non existent unless you get there really early. There is some parking on the road in to the ground but it's always been taken when I've got there. There is a huge car park pretty much behind where we are sitting but it's a nightmare getting off. In the two times we've been recently it's taken between 45 minutes and an hour to get off. The silver lining to that cloud is that it's free 😁. I was told of a residential area if you go past the ground but checking on Google it appears to be residents only.