There's no more excuses
8:00am Saturday 30th August 2008
Darren Patterson is telling his Oxford United players today: "No more excuses".
The U's boss has had meetings with the team, collectively, and with individual players this week following Monday's poor performance in the 0-0 draw at home to Woking.
A number gave their versions of why they thought United have begun the season so disappointingly, and although it was probably good that everyone had the chance to air opinions, the manager believes too many are looking for other people, or other things, to blame.
Before the squad headed east this morning for Saturday's Blue Square Premier game at Ebbsfleet United, Patterson revealed: "We've had a few meetings with players this week and there have been several excuses thrown about - and I say excuses.
"I openly admit that our squad has been thin from day one and I, hand-on-heart, hoped for us to cope better than we have. That is not an excuse, it's just a fact.
"With the players we have available, we should be winning more games, and when the injured players get back and are available we should go on and be even stronger.
"The players have got to take responsibility now. I've looked after them and we've given them several chances - it's down now to the players to start performing."
Patterson admitted it was the first time since he'd taken over from Jim Smith that he and his assistant Mickey Lewis had sat down to have a clear-the-air discussion with the players to try to get to the bottom of why results haven't been as they had hoped.
He said: "I watched them on Monday and somebody made a great point: 'why do a lot of them look miserable when they play?' And I've got to say I agree.
"That was one of the questions I asked. Some of them look scared, worried, unhappy - and that's nothing we do. Everything we do when we train is with a smile on our face.
"A lot of them said it's the pressure. That's a load of nonsense.
"Confidence was mentioned and that's an excuse. Confidence is mental toughness.
"We put it to them that anybody can use that as an excuse. If our goalkeeper (Jake Cole) wasn't confident on Monday, we'd have been beaten, so what's his excuse not to be confident? What's their excuse?
"I highlighted Sam Deering's spirit, and Yemi (Odubade) last season after we got beat 3-0 at home. Confidence is the biggest excuse in football.
"I can tell them 'well done', which I do every single day. But if they don't start to dig deep when the going gets tough, to make angles, and to be brave enough to not worry about making a mistake, there's nothing anybody else can do for them.
"Everything they get from us is positive.
"The only thing they get negatively from us is if they're not working hard enough or if they keep making the same mistake, otherwise it's nothing but positivity."
Striker Jamie Guy, who had a short loan spell at Ebbsfleet earlier in his career, will link up again with James Constable in attack.
Guy, who has returned from a hamstring injury, is desperate to get his league goals tally up and running, after hitting seven goals in pre-season.
"It was nice to get back involved last week," he said. "I'm desperate for that first league goal.
"When I was 18 I went on loan to Ebbsfleet and made one sub appearance, then got recalled by colchester. But I was down there for a couple of weeks, and it was the same manager, Liam Daish, who's there now.
"It's been frustrating watching from the sidelines. No excuses, we should have done better than we have done. I went right up the top when doing well in pre-season to feeling right at the bottom with the injury. It's the worst feeling in the world when you're desperate to play and you can't, and I suppose I've got to try and make up for lost time, crack on and get on the goal charts to help us move up the table."
Luke Foster returns from his one-match ban and Joe Burnell could return to midfield after an ankle injury.
Ebbsfleet Utd: (from) Cronin, Ricketts, McCarthy, Charles, Opinel, Shakes, Stone, Barrett, Long, Gash, Moore, Akinde, Hand, Ibe, Mott, Hawkins.
Oxford Utd: (from) Cole, Clarke, Willmott, Quinn, Foster, Carruthers, Murray, Hutchinson, Burnell, Constable, Guy, Odubade, Haldane, Reid, Day, Fisher, Hinchliffe, Deering, Taylor, Groves.