Mark Robins makes Stoke City demand after goalless draw with Oxford
Mark Robins is urging his Stoke City players to shoot as they try to break a bet365 Stadium drought that dragged on through a draw with Oxford.
Stoke are still too precariously close to the relegation zone in the Championship after a match with few big chances on Saturday lunchtime. Andrew Moran and Enda Stevens went closest for Stoke while Ole Romeny almost stole it for the visitors when he nicked the ball from Viktor Johansson late on.
It was a second home 0-0 for Robins since taking over and he was encouraged by some elements of the build-up play while being frustrated by what happened in the final third.
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He said: “They've had a day's rest from us and it makes a big difference. I don't think people understand that. On the back of the game on Wednesday and the travel and the time that they've been in, I thought they put a really good shift in and I thought we played ok - to a certain degree. To a certain level. Especially in the first half. We had opportunities to play through them, play around them. I thought we played well in that sense.
"It's the final third work that then lets us down because we need to move the ball quickly in the final third and we need to run quickly in the final third. The more time you take on the ball from the middle of the pitch, higher up the field, you get the ball taken off you and chances go begging.
"When we do get there and turn the opportunity to shoot down, that's frustrating. There were elements of frustration but certain elements when you can see it's starting to come but it's still a way off because of decision making, because of game understanding from people. It's just the way it is, these aren't excuses, it's just what I'm seeing what the failings are we're experiencing at the moment but we're going through a process.
"It's really frustrating because you want them to be the finished article but they're youngsters. I've just said, it's not an academy. This is serious. It's men's football and it's about winning games and having the understanding to deliver what you need to deliver. If you're reluctant to shoot or reluctant to get into the positions when you can score or be hungry to score... There's only really Nathan (Lowe) who is hungry to score a goal and, again, he's a youngster that's learning his trade.
"Those are the things that are frustrating but we can't be frustrated by the fact that we've got young, young players in the team who are learning their trade in the final area of the pitch. We've got to give them all the encouragement we can possibly give them, while I can say I'm frustrated, and we are frustrated and probably the players are frustrated, they need to learn and learn quickly.
"We need players back from injury because that will give us a totally different look and feel and we'll start to win football matches but it's really difficult when you've been in a moment we've been or going through in terms of scoring goals and winning football matches, turning this around when you've got your senior players out.
"Although I have had Pearo (Ben Pearson) on the bench today and Gibbo (Ben Gibson) on the bench today, it's brilliant on paper but actually on the grass it's really difficult because they've not done enough just yet. Pearo is playing a game on Monday. I think Gibbo will train with me. Ben Pearson will play with a number of others who need some game time."
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