| Greg Leigh on the move? 20:33 - Aug 20 with 13644 views | LukePenningVGP |
Seems a lot of interest and speculation from the Oxford United fan community on (X)
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| Greg Leigh on the move? on 09:51 - Aug 21 with 1893 views | NthQldITFC |
| Greg Leigh on the move? on 08:36 - Aug 21 by itfcjoe |
He did excellently for us when he played last season, really solid back up and deserves to start somewhere for me.
Issue we have is that we have 2 brilliant all round full backs who get us playing in different ways Leif Davis and Harry Clarke, but their back ups are super solid dependable players but they just totally stop us playing out and playing forwards like we want to do so and limit our play in Janoi Donacien and Greg Leigh.
But then how do you replace them? Presume it would be a loan signing from a PL club to do so as can't see we could sign players permanently of the right skill set to be back ups |
I'd personally rather pay the cost of having a less attacking but fully integrated and familiar full back on one side for a few weeks or months, than the potential cost of a loanee, with the potential integration problems that entails, and the lack of squad development.
A permanent semi-developed prospect in conjunction with in-house fallback options like Humphreys (plus the potential of Clarke or Donacien to play left) might be a different story for this season. Really don't want a loan though, I don't see the point in a loan this season, would rather be developing someone for a proper tilt at promotion next year. |  |
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| Greg Leigh on the move? on 09:52 - Aug 21 with 1884 views | BiGDonnie |
| Greg Leigh on the move? on 09:50 - Aug 21 by Naylorsrightboot |
Agreed. I'm surprised a Championship club hasn't come in for him. He is good enough. It makes no sense to let him go to me. But if he wants regular first team football then we cant stand in his way l guess. |
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| Greg Leigh on the move? on 09:54 - Aug 21 with 1843 views | Naylorsrightboot |
| Greg Leigh on the move? on 09:52 - Aug 21 by BiGDonnie |
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Hey there Sprucey  |  | | |
| Greg Leigh on the move? on 09:57 - Aug 21 with 1837 views | ITFCBlues |
| Greg Leigh on the move? on 09:50 - Aug 21 by Naylorsrightboot |
Agreed. I'm surprised a Championship club hasn't come in for him. He is good enough. It makes no sense to let him go to me. But if he wants regular first team football then we cant stand in his way l guess. |
He wasn't even playing for us in L1 last season, why would he go to a championship side?
He's an able deputy, but let's not make him into something he's not! |  |
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| Greg Leigh on the move? on 10:13 - Aug 21 with 1796 views | jayessess |
| Greg Leigh on the move? on 09:44 - Aug 21 by tractorboy1978 |
Hard sell though isn't it - even to get a Premier League loan of a youngster. Davis is going to play every week. You are going to do well to find a player that can play that role as Davis does who is willing to be a backup, which is why I wonder if you go with Donacien, Humphreys or even Clarke as your LB backup options if needed. |
It is, which is why I can't see us sanctioning it unless Leigh is desperate to go and we have a replacement lined up and waiting to sign on the dotted line.
I don't see that any of those options are adequate cover. Donacien's never looked comfortable at LB for us, Clarke playing there means weakening the team in 2 positions, not just one. I can see that Humphreys has a lot of the necessary attributes to play there, but probably isn't up to it defensively on the evidence of last season. |  |
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| Greg Leigh on the move? on 10:35 - Aug 21 with 1708 views | ArnieM |
I can’t see the point in allowing him to leave ( unless he’s adamant he wants to go of course), because he’s a really good player . If we let him leave we’d then have to find another left back. |  |
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| Greg Leigh on the move? on 10:46 - Aug 21 with 1682 views | Big_Jase |
| Greg Leigh on the move? on 09:57 - Aug 21 by ITFCBlues |
He wasn't even playing for us in L1 last season, why would he go to a championship side?
He's an able deputy, but let's not make him into something he's not! |
Agree on this, solid dependable player but nothing more than that.
I think a lot of our players are being over rated by our fans, as it’s the first time we have had success in a while we are too emotionally attached to some of our players. If we want to progress players will have to be upgraded. |  |
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| Greg Leigh on the move? on 10:56 - Aug 21 with 1630 views | BlueBoots |
My favourite player (who I've yet to see nearly enough of in a Town shirt), so desperate for one of Phil's "Been told there's nothing in this" replies...  |  |
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| Greg Leigh on the move? on 11:02 - Aug 21 with 1600 views | jayessess |
| Greg Leigh on the move? on 10:46 - Aug 21 by Big_Jase |
Agree on this, solid dependable player but nothing more than that.
I think a lot of our players are being over rated by our fans, as it’s the first time we have had success in a while we are too emotionally attached to some of our players. If we want to progress players will have to be upgraded. |
Damn right some of us are emotionally attached to some of our players! Why is that a bad thing? We've had years of fan-player relations in which contempt (probably mutual) was more or less the norm, it's great to have players with whom we feel a real connection.
For me, there's a genuine value in that, both in terms of how everyone feels about the club and in on pitch performance. Conor Chaplin talked before the Barnsley home game last season about how much the lack of loyalty he got there hurt him and for me performances do directly benefit from players feeling loved.
I think the manager believes that too and it's noticeable that since McKenna's come in we haven't generally been hasty in binning players off. We've been rewarded for that with excellent contributions from squad players who a lot had written off.
Yes, you've got to make signings to progress, but nothing wrong with a bit of emotional attachment and loyalty. [Post edited 21 Aug 2023 11:09]
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| Greg Leigh on the move? on 11:08 - Aug 21 with 1570 views | NthQldITFC |
| Greg Leigh on the move? on 11:02 - Aug 21 by jayessess |
Damn right some of us are emotionally attached to some of our players! Why is that a bad thing? We've had years of fan-player relations in which contempt (probably mutual) was more or less the norm, it's great to have players with whom we feel a real connection.
For me, there's a genuine value in that, both in terms of how everyone feels about the club and in on pitch performance. Conor Chaplin talked before the Barnsley home game last season about how much the lack of loyalty he got there hurt him and for me performances do directly benefit from players feeling loved.
I think the manager believes that too and it's noticeable that since McKenna's come in we haven't generally been hasty in binning players off. We've been rewarded for that with excellent contributions from squad players who a lot had written off.
Yes, you've got to make signings to progress, but nothing wrong with a bit of emotional attachment and loyalty. [Post edited 21 Aug 2023 11:09]
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McKenna cuddling Norwood after the Barnsley game shows what a great bloke he is, and that will pay off in terms of attracting new players too. | |
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| Greg Leigh on the move? on 11:15 - Aug 21 with 1510 views | itfcjoe |
| Greg Leigh on the move? on 09:57 - Aug 21 by ITFCBlues |
He wasn't even playing for us in L1 last season, why would he go to a championship side?
He's an able deputy, but let's not make him into something he's not! |
He's a soon to be 29 year old who can't get in the 20 man squad that played the equivalent of less than 5 league games last year (439 total minutes)
I like him, think he has done well when he has played bit for me pretty clearly isn't going to be a big miss |  |
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| Greg Leigh on the move? on 11:17 - Aug 21 with 1494 views | Big_Jase |
| Greg Leigh on the move? on 11:02 - Aug 21 by jayessess |
Damn right some of us are emotionally attached to some of our players! Why is that a bad thing? We've had years of fan-player relations in which contempt (probably mutual) was more or less the norm, it's great to have players with whom we feel a real connection.
For me, there's a genuine value in that, both in terms of how everyone feels about the club and in on pitch performance. Conor Chaplin talked before the Barnsley home game last season about how much the lack of loyalty he got there hurt him and for me performances do directly benefit from players feeling loved.
I think the manager believes that too and it's noticeable that since McKenna's come in we haven't generally been hasty in binning players off. We've been rewarded for that with excellent contributions from squad players who a lot had written off.
Yes, you've got to make signings to progress, but nothing wrong with a bit of emotional attachment and loyalty. [Post edited 21 Aug 2023 11:09]
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I’m not saying it’s an overly bad thing, it’s great that we like our team.
What I’m saying is, a lot of players who people may like are not going to be good enough to step up. I think that’s evident in the first few games where despite us winning, you can see we are a bit short.
Players like Evans, Edwards, Leigh, Ladapo are all players who are likely to be leave or be upgraded over the next 12 months, the way some of our fans talk about them you would think they would be leaving for multiple million pound fees. | |
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| Greg Leigh on the move? on 11:18 - Aug 21 with 1485 views | pointofblue |
| Greg Leigh on the move? on 10:56 - Aug 21 by BlueBoots |
My favourite player (who I've yet to see nearly enough of in a Town shirt), so desperate for one of Phil's "Been told there's nothing in this" replies... |
If Phil doesn’t reply with a “nothing in this” my assumption is that either he’s busy/missed the thread or there is something in the rumour.
No reply as of yet. Of course, it could be because he’s awaiting a response from sources. |  |
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| Greg Leigh on the move? on 11:31 - Aug 21 with 1427 views | jayessess |
| Greg Leigh on the move? on 11:17 - Aug 21 by Big_Jase |
I’m not saying it’s an overly bad thing, it’s great that we like our team.
What I’m saying is, a lot of players who people may like are not going to be good enough to step up. I think that’s evident in the first few games where despite us winning, you can see we are a bit short.
Players like Evans, Edwards, Leigh, Ladapo are all players who are likely to be leave or be upgraded over the next 12 months, the way some of our fans talk about them you would think they would be leaving for multiple million pound fees. |
No one's mentioned multi-million pound fees about any of those players. | |
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| Greg Leigh on the move? on 11:34 - Aug 21 with 1410 views | Big_Jase |
| Greg Leigh on the move? on 11:31 - Aug 21 by jayessess |
No one's mentioned multi-million pound fees about any of those players. |
I’ve seen plenty of people say they are all good enough to start for Championship teams, when at best they are all serviceable L1 players. Starting Championship players move for those sort of fees.
We are a good side, personally I think we are playing far greater than the sum of our parts and McKenna and the players are doing a fantastic job. But not many of our players would get in other top half teams, just my opinion. [Post edited 21 Aug 2023 11:37]
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| Greg Leigh on the move? on 11:40 - Aug 21 with 1386 views | jayessess |
| Greg Leigh on the move? on 11:34 - Aug 21 by Big_Jase |
I’ve seen plenty of people say they are all good enough to start for Championship teams, when at best they are all serviceable L1 players. Starting Championship players move for those sort of fees.
We are a good side, personally I think we are playing far greater than the sum of our parts and McKenna and the players are doing a fantastic job. But not many of our players would get in other top half teams, just my opinion. [Post edited 21 Aug 2023 11:37]
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Think the hyperbole mostly comes the other way for me. There's a desperation for transfers that fixates on players "who simply aren't good enough for this level", but isn't particularly aware of what squad depth looks like the majority of non-parachute teams at this level and thinks there's a hard and fast line between a League One player and a Championship one.
There's a difference between thinking those players could do a job for some of the teams at this level (including us!) and arguing they're multi-million pound players. | |
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| Greg Leigh on the move? on 11:43 - Aug 21 with 1382 views | PhilTWTD |
| Greg Leigh on the move? on 11:18 - Aug 21 by pointofblue |
If Phil doesn’t reply with a “nothing in this” my assumption is that either he’s busy/missed the thread or there is something in the rumour.
No reply as of yet. Of course, it could be because he’s awaiting a response from sources. |
Wouldn't surprise me if there might be, but nothing happening at the moment. And Town would need to find a very decent replacement to make it worth while. |  | | |
| Greg Leigh on the move? on 11:47 - Aug 21 with 1344 views | Lightningboy |
Think he'd be a better option on the left if replacing Broadhead in the latter stages of a game if we want to defend a lead - rather than Hutchison who doesn't seem to want to work & chase back. |  | | |
| Greg Leigh on the move? on 11:47 - Aug 21 with 1345 views | pointofblue |
| Greg Leigh on the move? on 11:43 - Aug 21 by PhilTWTD |
Wouldn't surprise me if there might be, but nothing happening at the moment. And Town would need to find a very decent replacement to make it worth while. |
Thank you. Can see all three parties being interested in the deal but we have to get someone in first. | |
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| Greg Leigh on the move? on 11:50 - Aug 21 with 1321 views | X0Y0 |
I would be sad to see him go. He's been a more than capable replacement whenever required and seems like a good character. But, if I had to pick a fault, I think he's not particularly versatile.
He's only really providing an option as a second-choice left back as others are likely ahead of him to cover centre back (e.g. Dom Ball). I wonder if we would look to replace him with a player that can offer more positional flexibility (e.g. left centre back or left wing as well).
As others have stated, given his age and the minutes contributed it would be smart to take the fees and reinvest. | | | |
| Greg Leigh on the move? on 11:59 - Aug 21 with 1283 views | jayessess |
| Greg Leigh on the move? on 11:50 - Aug 21 by X0Y0 |
I would be sad to see him go. He's been a more than capable replacement whenever required and seems like a good character. But, if I had to pick a fault, I think he's not particularly versatile.
He's only really providing an option as a second-choice left back as others are likely ahead of him to cover centre back (e.g. Dom Ball). I wonder if we would look to replace him with a player that can offer more positional flexibility (e.g. left centre back or left wing as well).
As others have stated, given his age and the minutes contributed it would be smart to take the fees and reinvest. |
Think it very rarely proves to be the case that you gain a lot of advantage in selling one backup player to go buy another. | |
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| Greg Leigh on the move? on 12:03 - Aug 21 with 1272 views | StokieBlue |
| Greg Leigh on the move? on 11:47 - Aug 21 by Lightningboy |
Think he'd be a better option on the left if replacing Broadhead in the latter stages of a game if we want to defend a lead - rather than Hutchison who doesn't seem to want to work & chase back. |
You're basing that on a few minutes football off the bench?
Extremely harsh on Hutchinson there, I actually think he was making an effort to track back at QPR.
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| Greg Leigh on the move? on 13:01 - Aug 21 with 1183 views | X0Y0 |
| Greg Leigh on the move? on 11:59 - Aug 21 by jayessess |
Think it very rarely proves to be the case that you gain a lot of advantage in selling one backup player to go buy another. |
I generally agree, unless you replace with a younger understudy with more potential.
You're assuming we go after a back up player though. Ashton spoke about upgrading the starting lineup and we could target a first choice LCB that also plays left back. | | | |
| Greg Leigh on the move? on 13:19 - Aug 21 with 1142 views | jayessess |
| Greg Leigh on the move? on 13:01 - Aug 21 by X0Y0 |
I generally agree, unless you replace with a younger understudy with more potential.
You're assuming we go after a back up player though. Ashton spoke about upgrading the starting lineup and we could target a first choice LCB that also plays left back. |
I assume we're looking for a 4th senior centre back regardless of what happens with Leigh.
Also, having versatility amongst your starters is great, but I don't think it's a great substitute for having a capable deputy. Assuming our back four is working well, it means you're one injury away from disrupting 50% of a well-functioning backline. | |
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| Greg Leigh on the move? on 13:23 - Aug 21 with 1119 views | Asa |
| Greg Leigh on the move? on 12:03 - Aug 21 by StokieBlue |
You're basing that on a few minutes football off the bench?
Extremely harsh on Hutchinson there, I actually think he was making an effort to track back at QPR.
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He did on occasions, but also a couple of times where QPR players went past him and he just let them go with no effort whatsoever to go after them.
I can't imagine it's something that McKenna will tolerate, but in fairness to the kid he's possibly been in a situation where he has limited defensive work to do coming into our system. It's going to take a while to build those habits.
I haven't been very impressed with him at all for the level I thought he might be at, even allowing for age and inexperience, but we also seem to have a very good record at choosing the right characters and don't see any reason why he won't be one that works hard, improves and looks a completely different player as the season progresses. Clearly he has the ability. | | | |
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