Fitzhugh Fella Posted 19 February, 2011 Share Posted 19 February, 2011 Just working on Oakley's profile - for me he was another player like N'Diaye who I could never make my mind up whether he was good or not. Here is what I have come up with. If I have left anything out or have been too praising I am interested in being told. Were you one of those boo-boys? OAKLEY Matthew 1994-2006 b. Peterborough 17 Aug 1977 5’10” 12st 1lbs Career: Huntingdon Schools/Luton Town School of Excellence/Arsenal assoc school/St Neots Town/SOUTHAMPTON trainee Jul 1993, pro Jul 1995/Derby County Aug 2006/Leicester City Jan 2008 Debut: v Everton (a) 6 May 1995 as sub Last: v Sheffield Wednesday (h) 25 Feb 2006 A hard-working, stylish midfielder Matthew Oakley ticked most, if not all, the boxes modern day Premiership club bosses insisted upon. More than one Southampton manager admitted that Matt Oakley’s name was always the first written down on the team sheet and in his eleven years of stalwart service he never gave less than 100% through some tough battles, mostly fought avoiding the top-flight trap door. If he had a weakness it was perhaps a carelessness that was infuriating at times and it is probably fair to say that he was always more highly thought off by his managers and coaches than some supporters. The boo boys amid The Dell/St Marys crowd would often – rightly or wrongly - make him the scapegoat in a poor team performance, but he would always put in a full shift whatever the occasion and was one of those players who was never noticed until he wasn’t there. Under George Burley Matt had his full share of injuries which meant in the summer of 2006 he was only offered a one year contract and there being a host of offers from other clubs he reluctantly accepted his future lay elsewhere. He has stayed relatively fit since departing, has captained both his subsequent clubs and made nearly 200 appearances to prove there was a lot more life in him than George Burley envisaged. Off the pitch he never conformed to the usual stereotypical image of 21st century professional footballer. In 1999 he helped set up Nebuchadrezzar Wines Ltd, a company which buys, sells, lays down and invests in good quality wine. The business, in which he is heavily involved, is still going strong in 2011. There always was more to Matthew Oakley than first met the eye. Comp App Sub Gls Premier/ 238 23 14 FAC 22 3 4 LC 21 2 2 Europe 1 0 0 Total 282 28 20 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benjii Posted 19 February, 2011 Share Posted 19 February, 2011 Of course he was good. FFS he was clearly a Premier League quality player. How anyone can spend years of their life watching football and not be aware of that obvious truth is pretty painful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SuperMikey Posted 19 February, 2011 Share Posted 19 February, 2011 I thought he was a great player, we were lucky to have a loyal player like him. Wish he'd stayed with us instead of going to Derby and then Leicester, even if he did have injury problems. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NorthamSteve Posted 19 February, 2011 Share Posted 19 February, 2011 Not long ago he was taking a corner for Derby at SMS and about 200 fans started chanting 'wa*ker' at him. The look on his face was one that said, "why did I ever bother?" I always thought he was fantastic. His goal away at Millwall in the cup was superb and the celebrations were pretty good too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thedelldays Posted 19 February, 2011 Share Posted 19 February, 2011 he was a cracking player for us......you cant argue with that..probably deserved and England call up in his day Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
david in sweden Posted 19 February, 2011 Share Posted 19 February, 2011 I recall he was out for almost a year with a serious knee injury and it took him time to regain form, hence the cautious 1 year contract he was belatedly offered by GB. With hindsight, another manager with some knowledge of Matt's potential would have kept him. Judging by performances after he left ; (Derby and Leicester) having him in midfield might have made the difference in the following seasons and even helped keep us up in CCC. (own comment) the same might have been said of Andrew Surman had he stayed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fitzhugh Fella Posted 19 February, 2011 Author Share Posted 19 February, 2011 well I distinctly remember Oakley not being everyone's cup of tea and quite a few found him frustrating. Hence my post although so far everyone has been very pro. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Golden Balls Posted 19 February, 2011 Share Posted 19 February, 2011 Always rated him and thought he deserved an England call up. Seems like he's been around forever. I think this sentence sums him up prefectly was one of those players who was never noticed until he wasn’t there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benjii Posted 19 February, 2011 Share Posted 19 February, 2011 well I distinctly remember Oakley not being everyone's cup of tea and quite a few found him frustrating. Hence my post although so far everyone has been very pro. I remember a few gripes in his direction but I don't think there was ever a ground-swell of opinion against him? If I was him I would be a bit narked by the use of the phrase "boo-boys" I think! That should be saved for gash of the likes of Lee Todd. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leicestersaint Posted 19 February, 2011 Share Posted 19 February, 2011 I saw him many times - I would describe him as a solid journeyman footballer - but clearly he could hold his own in the PL. My criticisms would be he made too many unforced errors giving the ball away in dangerous positions - I have a recollection of him giving the ball away needlessly in the first PL match at SMS on 25 August 2001 which then led to a Chelsea goal. Also, i don't think he scored enough goals to be seen as a really good midfield player. However, he has kept going up here and is well regarded - again as a solid player. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leicestersaint Posted 19 February, 2011 Share Posted 19 February, 2011 PS - I assume that Nebuchadnezzar should be spelled like that with only one 'r'? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
positivepete Posted 19 February, 2011 Share Posted 19 February, 2011 (edited) I remember early comparisons between Matt and Steve Williams. I always liked him as a player, he kept possession of the ball better than most, but others around me in the crowd would criticise him for passing the ball sideways too often. I remember one of his early games at the Dell, I think he may have come on as an early substitute against a star studded Middlesbrough. He ran the game up against Juninho. Edited 19 February, 2011 by positivepete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lambertsrightleg Posted 19 February, 2011 Share Posted 19 February, 2011 something that I have come to notice on this forum is that if a player doesn't do everything then he's ****. Oakley was a great holding midfield player but probably because he didn't shout and scream and tear around the pitch like a maniac then he didn't get the credit he deserved Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VectisSaint Posted 19 February, 2011 Share Posted 19 February, 2011 OAKLEY Matthew 1994-2006 b. Peterborough 17 Aug 1977 5’10” 12st 1lbs 12st 1lb and 5' 10" on the day he was born, must have given his mother a hard time!! There is no enigma, Matt was a great player for us, in another era (like now) he would have got closer to the England midfield than he actually did despite what WGS said. Another one of Burley's major cock-ups, just when Matty was getting back to form after his horrendous injury Gormless George makes him feel unwelcome. He should have made him skipper and he would still be with us now and we wouldn't have needed Hammond. People who did not think he was good did not understand football and that there are different needs in midfield, Matty was nearly always asked to play the defensive role, breaking up play in front of the back 4. His tackling was as good as anyone and he was often the last defender keeping us in a game. On the rare occassions he was allowed a more attacking role he showed what he could do, Millwall if I recall was one such rare occassion. A very loyal player who was unfairly shown the door to all intents and purposes and we were the poorer for it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alpine_saint Posted 19 February, 2011 Share Posted 19 February, 2011 Never rated him, and extremely p*ssed to read that he has stayed fit since leaving, which along with other persistent treatment table blockers like Powell and Idiotkez leaves me wondering if we had a medical/physio team back in the Burley days that had a f**king clue about what they were doing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benjii Posted 19 February, 2011 Share Posted 19 February, 2011 Never rated him, and extremely p*ssed to read that he has stayed fit since leaving, which along with other persistent treatment table blockers like Powell and Idiotkez leaves me wondering if we had a medical/physio team back in the Burley days that had a f**king clue about what they were doing Did you ever see him play? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Minty Posted 19 February, 2011 Share Posted 19 February, 2011 Players like Oakley and Magilton were often viewed by some as being poor players, because the lack of movement and ability around them let them down. Midfielders can only do so much and these two in particular were often criticised for passing sideways to keep possession, and not forward, because we had lots of players who would not make themselves available for the ball, and/or our tactics relied on more direct play. Under someone like Adkins, Oakley would've been a well used and important player. Thankfully the majority of fans could see that they were good players, often in a poor team, but those who were too blind to see their ability were not insignificant in number sadly, and made themselves, and their tactical ignorance, known to anyone who would listen, and plenty more besides. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toadhall Saint Posted 19 February, 2011 Share Posted 19 February, 2011 Good player he needed to score more goals IMHO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benjii Posted 19 February, 2011 Share Posted 19 February, 2011 Good player he needed to score more goals IMHO. He scored plenty of goals when he got in forward positions but usually he was asked to play quite deep. His finishing was pretty good. An example that springs to mind was Norwich at home in that crazy match. Would Morgan, Hammond, Idiakez, Safri, Delap, Prutton, Svensson etc.. have finished that? Doubt it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suewhistle Posted 19 February, 2011 Share Posted 19 February, 2011 PS - I assume that Nebuchadnezzar should be spelled like that with only one 'r'? Yep! I also like the comment about noticing him when he wasn't there. Bit like Morgan but with a few more goals - although still reckon he should have had more even given his defensive role. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fitzhugh Fella Posted 19 February, 2011 Author Share Posted 19 February, 2011 I remember a few gripes in his direction but I don't think there was ever a ground-swell of opinion against him? If I was him I would be a bit narked by the use of the phrase "boo-boys" I think! That should be saved for gash of the likes of Lee Todd. Fair point re boo-boys Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fitzhugh Fella Posted 19 February, 2011 Author Share Posted 19 February, 2011 Yep! I also like the comment about noticing him when he wasn't there. Bit like Morgan but with a few more goals - although still reckon he should have had more even given his defensive role. Yep He and Morgan are similar Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benjii Posted 19 February, 2011 Share Posted 19 February, 2011 If Morgan turns out to be 75% of the player Oakley was I'll be pleased. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fitzhugh Fella Posted 19 February, 2011 Author Share Posted 19 February, 2011 If Morgan turns out to be 75% of the player Oakley was I'll be pleased. Yes inclined to agree. Have changed Boo-boys to "doubters" on the back of your observation and also included the fact he was indeed a defensive midfielder. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benjii Posted 19 February, 2011 Share Posted 19 February, 2011 Yes inclined to agree. Have changed Boo-boys to "doubters" on the back of your observation and also included the fact he was indeed a defensive midfielder. Thanks No problem! How about "largely emplyed in a defensive role but with the ability to put away chances that fell to him. He will be remembered by many for his goal in the 4-3 victory over fellow relegation battlers, Norwich, towards the end of the [2006/2007?] season in one of the most dramatic and atmospheric games in the St Mary's era." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gemmel Posted 19 February, 2011 Share Posted 19 February, 2011 Good player he needed to score more goals IMHO. Agreed. There was talk of an England call up at one point. I cant rememer against who or when, but England had a few midfielders out injured and a few commentators tipped for a place. It didnt happen of course, but a very decent player none the less. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gemmel Posted 19 February, 2011 Share Posted 19 February, 2011 No problem! How about "largely emplyed in a defensive role but with the ability to put away chances that fell to him. He will be remembered by many for his goal in the 4-3 victory over fellow relegation battlers, Norwich, towards the end of the [2006/2007?] season in one of the most dramatic and atmospheric games in the St Mary's era." And his two goals against Millwall in the replay of our cup final year Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beatlesaint Posted 19 February, 2011 Share Posted 19 February, 2011 I agree with everything you havent written on this one Duncan. Oakley was ok, nothing more, nothing less IMO. We have had better and we have had much much worse. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daren W Posted 19 February, 2011 Share Posted 19 February, 2011 Of course he was good. FFS he was clearly a Premier League quality player. How anyone can spend years of their life watching football and not be aware of that obvious truth is pretty painful. Very true. Very nice guy, very under-rated defensive minded midfielder with a sweet foot. A lot of people seemed to over-look his qualities, he'd be the man filling the gaps as other players went forward. He would have stayed here as well... shame.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guided Missile Posted 19 February, 2011 Share Posted 19 February, 2011 I remember Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VectisSaint Posted 19 February, 2011 Share Posted 19 February, 2011 which along with other persistent treatment table blockers Clearly showing one again your ignorance about Oakley. Had one very bad injury in his whole career, and worked his way back to fitness. To bracket him with the others that you did illustrates once again your knowledge of football knows no bounds. I suspect you never actually saw him play. If you were consistent you would at least be blaming Gormless George for his departure. Over 300 appearances for Saints would suggest he was in no way a treatment table blocker. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lordswoodsaints Posted 19 February, 2011 Share Posted 19 February, 2011 At his height he was very good and probably deserved a crack in the England team but he did have too many bad spells and long spells of injury. IMO he was treated badly which prompted his departure but that was probably down to our precarious financial position at the time. Anybody who booed him on his return should be ashamed of themselves. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saint Without a Halo Posted 19 February, 2011 Share Posted 19 February, 2011 I recall he was out for almost a year with a serious knee injury and it took him time to regain form, hence the cautious 1 year contract he was belatedly offered by GB. With hindsight, another manager with some knowledge of Matt's potential would have kept him. Judging by performances after he left ; (Derby and Leicester) having him in midfield might have made the difference in the following seasons and even helped keep us up in CCC. (own comment) the same might have been said of Andrew Surman had he stayed. One year contract for Matt and three years for Pullis? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulwantsapint Posted 19 February, 2011 Share Posted 19 February, 2011 Oakley's injury was 1 of the major turning points in our downward spiral was often the best player in midfield for saints Oakley should have been made captain as soon as we went into ccc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
corky morris Posted 19 February, 2011 Share Posted 19 February, 2011 I thought he was a cracking player. When Boozy Burley let him go & signed Idiakez & Jermaine Wright I knew that he was a very poor manager. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
um pahars Posted 19 February, 2011 Share Posted 19 February, 2011 One of those players that every half decent side needs, but someone who will rarely get any credit. Solid enough and the fact that a fair few different managers rated him means he must have been doing something right. I think his off the field, low key personality meant he also escaped the radar. Being honest, I also felt he never really lived up to his earlier promise, although would accept injury, a revolving manager's door, as well as often ebing in a struggling team may not have been the best help in fulfilling your potential. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gogo_saint Posted 19 February, 2011 Share Posted 19 February, 2011 I always rated him. Even in the premiership it was clear he was comfortable in possession, a rarity in english footballers. Anyone who thinks he wouldn't have been useful in these last 2-3 years has an opinion i'm not interested in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
70's Mike Posted 19 February, 2011 Share Posted 19 February, 2011 Always rated him but he needed the rest to perform to have a good game, rarely was he outstanding when we lost, could not turn a game around like really great midfield players Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
St Chalet Posted 19 February, 2011 Share Posted 19 February, 2011 Oakley was a solid player for us. I will remember him for an amazing performance against Millwall in the 2003 cup run and also that goal against the skates. It constantly amazes me that we would not give a longer contract to him, when clubs with no knowledge of him would offer him more. The sort of player like Hammond, everyone moans about him but we are a better team with him playing. I await the annual David Prutton thread with relish Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fitzhugh Fella Posted 19 February, 2011 Author Share Posted 19 February, 2011 Oakley was a solid player for us. I will remember him for an amazing performance against Millwall in the 2003 cup run and also that goal against the skates. It constantly amazes me that we would not give a longer contract to him, when clubs with no knowledge of him would offer him more. The sort of player like Hammond, everyone moans about him but we are a better team with him playing. I await the annual David Prutton thread with relish I dread the Prutton profile but I think in hindsight he was never the player we all thought he was. And his temperament is very questionable. I appreciate everyone's views on Oakley - just goes to show he was the sort of player you either appreciated or didn't. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John B Posted 19 February, 2011 Share Posted 19 February, 2011 Not long ago he was taking a corner for Derby at SMS and about 200 fans started chanting 'wa*ker' at him. The look on his face was one that said, "why did I ever bother?" I always thought he was fantastic. His goal away at Millwall in the cup was superb and the celebrations were pretty good too! Yes I remember listening to that goal on the Radio in Paris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alpine_saint Posted 19 February, 2011 Share Posted 19 February, 2011 (edited) Did you ever see him play? Frequently. Your point is what, exactly ? I find the comparisons to Schniederlin especially revealing; both had the habit of disappearing in games when the team was screaming out for them to stamp their authority on the midfield play. To be honest, I find this soul-searching over the likes of such a forgettable player rather pitiful. Edited 19 February, 2011 by alpine_saint Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ottery st mary Posted 19 February, 2011 Share Posted 19 February, 2011 Quality ..One of my favourite players for Saints..sad to see him go.. Would have him in the team before Spiderman any day of the week.. even now on one leg.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
norwaysaint Posted 19 February, 2011 Share Posted 19 February, 2011 For most of his time at Saints I relied on match reports on saintsforever to hear first hand reports. Every week a very large proportion of those reports criticised him for not working hard enough and often being a bit ineffective. Then he got injured and everyone then started saying he was great and did the important stuff nobody noticed. I'd never heard any of that until he was injured. then he eventually came back and everyone started saying he was largely ineffective again. then he left and everyone said he did all the important stuff nobody noticed. I have no idea how good he really was, but he seemed to be a better player when he wasn't in the team. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alpine_saint Posted 19 February, 2011 Share Posted 19 February, 2011 For most of his time at Saints I relied on match reports on saintsforever to hear first hand reports. Every week a very large proportion of those reports criticised him for not working hard enough and often being a bit ineffective. Then he got injured and everyone then started saying he was great and did the important stuff nobody noticed. I'd never heard any of that until he was injured. then he eventually came back and everyone started saying he was largely ineffective again. then he left and everyone said he did all the important stuff nobody noticed. I have no idea how good he really was, but he seemed to be a better player when he wasn't in the team. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Duckhunter Posted 19 February, 2011 Share Posted 19 February, 2011 I cant see it with Oakley, never really rated him. Nowhere near good enough for England and people who say he was are just looking through their red and white glasses.Just a journeyman run of the mill Premiership player. Would not make the top 10 of midfielders we've had in the past 40 years. Looked like a little boy lost in the 4-1 at fratton. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil the Saint Posted 19 February, 2011 Share Posted 19 February, 2011 Great player for us an unsung hero who did a lot of work that went un-noticed. First name on the team sheet for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thedelldays Posted 19 February, 2011 Share Posted 19 February, 2011 I cant see it with Oakley, never really rated him. Nowhere near good enough for England and people who say he was are just looking through their red and white glasses.Just a journeyman run of the mill Premiership player. Would not make the top 10 of midfielders we've had in the past 40 years. Looked like a little boy lost in the 4-1 at fratton. as did the players, fans, chairman, manager, whole of southampton Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
St_Tel49 Posted 19 February, 2011 Share Posted 19 February, 2011 well I distinctly remember Oakley not being everyone's cup of tea and quite a few found him frustrating. Hence my post although so far everyone has been very pro. For me Oakley was one of our most underrated players. I could not believe that some fans moaned about him. They did not seem to see his importance to the team. Fortunately a whole string of managers did. He had the capacity to look as though he had all the time in the world to pick a pass even when he was under heavy pressure (to me a sign of a seriously good player) and he always seemed to be available to help out team mates. He was accused by some fans of "not tackling" but his Opta stats showed that he came away from 50:50s with the ball 75% of the time. He usually stole the ball with timing rather than sliding in. Which way of getting the ball gives you most control of what to do next? No - Matthew Oakley was not given sufficient respect by Saints fans until he left. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
St_Tel49 Posted 19 February, 2011 Share Posted 19 February, 2011 I cant see it with Oakley, never really rated him. Nowhere near good enough for England and people who say he was are just looking through their red and white glasses.Just a journeyman run of the mill Premiership player. Would not make the top 10 of midfielders we've had in the past 40 years. Looked like a little boy lost in the 4-1 at fratton. Wasn't given a lot of support by his teammates there - was he? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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