Back from the Newport game

[Selsey Bill]

Let's start this match report with a couple of positives. That's where it will end though!

1. Had a very delicious lunch before the game in Monoloco in Petersfield - would highly recommend it. Thank you Wids for the EXTRA large glass of Rioja
2. Got home (Egham) in record time today

On to the game. I'm not going to waste too much time on this as it was a very poor game of football. It reminded me a lot of some of last season's games - poor Pompey performance, poor opposition, shocking referee. It was deja vu from last season against Edinburgh's team. we should have learned from that, but evidently we haven't.

This is not sour grapes, but Newport are by far the worst team we've played against this season. They basically duffed us up and then mugged us with an extremely soft goal. Up until that moment, the game had a big fat 0-0 written all over it. It was a very silly free kick to give away by Robinson, but even then there is no way they should have scored from where it was taken.

Our shape didn't quite look right from the start, and but for a 10 minute spell mid way through the second half, we simply didn't play football. Our crowd's performance was nearly as flat as our team's - I think we just have to put it down as a 'bad day at the office'. I suspect we just thought we had to turn up. Newport did to us what we did to Northampton a couple of weeks ago. They completely outfought us on every ball.

If you asked me to name a Pompey man of the match I'd struggle as no one really stood out, though for me our two best players were Jones in goal and Dunne at centre mid. I think Awfs got it wrong today with our formation. Ricky Holmes doesn't look half the player he was last season and I think this must be because he is playing out of position. Hollands also had one of his poorer games, along with Taylor. It looked like Taylor was playing up in front of Westcarr. Wrong way round for me. I've been one of his critics, but I have to admit Westcarr actually played better than most today.

Yet again, I have to mention the referee. He was shocking and nearly lost complete control in injury time. Newport quite simply cheated their way through the game, and he bought most of it. Joke. I'm getting more and more wound up by players going down holding their heads when we have a very dangerous attacking opportunity. The ref completely fell for one in the second half, and to add insult to injury, he then gave them a free kick thanks to the linesman (NSL) who was equally inept.

I'm sure I'll get over it, but right now I am feeling very low having witnessed that load of rubbish.

[pompeygunner]

A few things to take from today. 1stly Big Nige IMO should've started, we badly missed his passing & guile. 2ndly Holmes had a complete mare I thought, looked lightweight throughout & didn't bother to bust a gut for that through pass 2nd half. I'd have taken him off @ HT. 3rdly Jed is no wingback, he needs to be further forward-he's having to run from the pen area @ times, we need him in the opposition half asap. 4th as much as I like the job Taylor does as i've said before he lacks anticipation & today was no exception.
I'm absolutely loath to criticize Andy, he's been superb thus far but today the subs should've happened @ HT IMO. Or @ the very least by 55mins.
Thought we looked lethargic & lacked cohesion which we must find because plenty more teams will come & do that @ FP.
The Ref-well thats to we've had that've been pretty bad. The other being Mr Sheldrake . Today it was like the Ref. thought I'll book you but I'll never send you off, the petty fouls & quite a few off the ball digs were all either completely missed or ignored by the officials. The bit by the NS was a bit like a Brian Rix farce-appalling officialdom.
Newport-well Selsey Bill summed them up well but when it came to it we lacked the necessary nouse to beat an extremely limited team. They did a job on us.

[Selsey Bill]

A few things to take from today. 1stly Big Nige IMO should've started, we badly missed his passing & guile. 2ndly Holmes had a complete mare I thought, looked lightweight throughout & didn't bother to bust a gut for that through pass 2nd half. I'd have taken him off @ HT. 3rdly Jed is no wingback, he needs to be further forward-he's having to run from the pen area @ times, we need him in the opposition half asap. 4th as much as I like the job Taylor does as i've said before he lacks anticipation & today was no exception.
I'm absolutely loath to criticize Andy, he's been superb thus far but today the subs should've happened @ HT IMO. Or @ the very least by 55mins.
Thought we looked lethargic & lacked cohesion which we must find because plenty more teams will come & do that @ FP.
The Ref-well thats to we've had that've been pretty bad. The other being Mr Sheldrake . Today it was like the Ref. thought I'll book you but I'll never send you off, the petty fouls & quite a few off the ball digs were all either completely missed or ignored by the officials. The bit by the NS was a bit like a Brian Rix farce-appalling officialdom.
Newport-well Selsey Bill summed them up well but when it came to it we lacked the necessary nouse to beat an extremely limited team. They did a job on us.

100% agree with all of that. I said at half time that we needed to make changes, and before kick off I suggested that Atangana should be playing. I also got shot down a little on this board last week for suggesting Ricky Holmes might be basking in the glory of last year, but he's not the player he was. That is either because he is unfit, is being played out of position, or is disappearing up his own rectum. I really hope it is not the latter. PS On the subject of the ref, and big Nigel, that decision was ridiculous - it was a bl**dy brilliant challenge.

[Bluesbro']

Best bit of the match was the Lancaster flying low over the ground to the Dambusters theme.

[Selsey Bill]

Best bit of the match was the Lancaster flying low over the ground to the Dambusters theme.

Couldn't agree more - was the 'highlight' of the day, and it came over twice. Someone said there was a Spitfire as well, but I didn't see it and reckon I would have heard it any way. PS How are you mate? Been fishing?

[pompeygunner]

[quote="Selsey Bill100% agree with all of that. I said at half time that we needed to make changes, and before kick off I suggested that Atangana should be playing. I also got shot down a little on this board last week for suggesting Ricky Holmes might be basking in the glory of last year, but he's not the player he was. That is either because he is unfit, is being played out of position, or is disappearing up his own rectum. I really hope it is not the latter. PS On the subject of the ref, and big Nigel, that decision was ridiculous - it was a bl**dy brilliant challenge.[/quote]

Dont know what to make of Holmes, I'm old fashioned & a tad follicly challenged but that girly hair do does him no favours. Looks very camp!! Ricky with the right opposition can be devastating but when the going gets tough he can dissappear

[Selsey Bill]

One other thing:

It annoyed me at Oxford last week when we started E I E I O up the football league we go just as the game started. Surely we should only sing that when we're winning?

[miltoninLA]

Thanks fellas, I imagine they must be easier to write when we've played well and/or it was an exciting game, so I appreciate the reports on bad results even more (I hope that makes cents )

[Mr Nuts]

One other thing:

It annoyed me at Oxford last week when we started E I E I O up the football league we go just as the game started. Surely we should only sing that when we're winning?

It annoyed me at first but then I thought 'Oh well. At least that song contains actual words'

[Purbrook Chimes]

It was as if we'd gone back in time to last year under whittingham, the bully boys turn up and rough us up a bit, refs are awful and our pretty football goes nowhere, I fear there's more of this to come especially as the team I described last year as the worst I've seen in my life are back in town and are unlikely to have changed

[Miss Tickle's bottom]

I mentioned last week that we don't really have the right players for a 3-5-2 system, and it appears that Awford didn't read my post. I'm a bit miffed about that, but I'm sure one of you will have a word with him. Last week Holmes was the unfortunate right wing-back; this week it was Wallace. This resulted in Wallace having a very quiet game (from an attacking point of view). The decision to play Holmes in a free role in front of the midfield just didn't work as Holmes was a passenger for most of the game. Not selecting Atangana for this position in this formation was a big mistake - my suspicion is that Holmes has been nagging Awford for a chance in 'the hole'. Ignore him, please - Holmes can only play as a winger.
Poor Hollands looks a little lost this season and I suspect Awford is trying to play him into form. It's not working. Rest him, play Dunne and Atangana in the centre of midfield and make Hollands earn a place in the team.
Summary: same as last week. Ditch 3-5-2 and play 4-4-2 or 4-3-3 and variations on that theme.

Final thoughts - even though we were poor and played the wrong formation, I'm confident we would have won but for the incompetence of the referee. Newport's tactics were pretty brutal and the referee just seemed to let them get on with it - he was happy enough to wave a yellow card, but I think there would have to have been a knife attack for a player to receive another yellow. At least two of their players should have been sent off. Oh, and in the second half he suddenly decided that he ought to even things up a bit so started booking our players for innocuous first time offences. And he had no idea when a player was jumping to win a header and when a player was jumping to simply stop the opponent from winning a header - sadly, Newport picked up on this quite quickly; we didn't.

[Pompey1985]

We might have the right players to play with wingbacks but both that probably suit that role are injured at the moment. Wynter and East.

[Selsey Bill]

I mentioned last week that we don't really have the right players for a 3-5-2 system, and it appears that Awford didn't read my post. I'm a bit miffed about that, but I'm sure one of you will have a word with him. Last week Holmes was the unfortunate right wing-back; this week it was Wallace. This resulted in Wallace having a very quiet game (from an attacking point of view). The decision to play Holmes in a free role in front of the midfield just didn't work as Holmes was a passenger for most of the game. Not selecting Atangana for this position in this formation was a big mistake - my suspicion is that Holmes has been nagging Awford for a chance in 'the hole'. Ignore him, please - Holmes can only play as a winger.
Poor Hollands looks a little lost this season and I suspect Awford is trying to play him into form. It's not working. Rest him, play Dunne and Atangana in the centre of midfield and make Hollands earn a place in the team.
Summary: same as last week. Ditch 3-5-2 and play 4-4-2 or 4-3-3 and variations on that theme.

Final thoughts - even though we were poor and played the wrong formation, I'm confident we would have won but for the incompetence of the referee. Newport's tactics were pretty brutal and the referee just seemed to let them get on with it - he was happy enough to wave a yellow card, but I think there would have to have been a knife attack for a player to receive another yellow. At least two of their players should have been sent off. Oh, and in the second half he suddenly decided that he ought to even things up a bit so started booking our players for innocuous first time offences. And he had no idea when a player was jumping to win a header and when a player was jumping to simply stop the opponent from winning a header - sadly, Newport picked up on this quite quickly; we didn't.

Spot on mate, especially the last paragraph about the ref. His performance was right up there as one of the worst ever. Very frustrating as I seem to find myself moaning more and more about officials. It doesn't need to be like that though:Our referee against Northampton Town (Gavin Ward) was very good, even though he only looked about 12.

[Mr Nuts]

Apparently the fans were just as bad as the players. There's a picture of a young Pompey fans with a nasty head injury on the news website. Trouble near the station after the game. Didn't see anything myself.

[Mr Nuts]

Apparently their fans were just as bad as the players. There's a picture of a young Pompey fans with a nasty head injury on the news website. Trouble near the station after the game. Didn't see anything myself.