A brave new world?

[pomp 'n circumstance]

I'd like to pose a question but I'll do that after this:

Paul Cook arrived last year and has built a team to his specification - his selection, his training schedules, our goodwill! He came to a club with a decent training ground paid for by the supporters, all debts paid off and a clean slate. By general consensus, we have more money and better facilities than any other club in League 2. In finishing where we finished, the managers of Northampton, Oxford, Bristol Rovers, Accrington, Plymouth and maybe Wimbledon if they beat Accrington in the other play off, have proved better than PC. In League 2 every manager has to build again at the end of the season - they all need Loans and they scrub around through the players being offered by Agents.

By popular acclaim we have played better football, but after a bright start, managers at that level rumble how to park the bus and apply the so called bully boy tactics. Looking at the Plymouth game yesterday, we got what we deserved - nothing and lucky to get nil. Good percentage of the ball, but on the counter attack , the Pilgrims always looked better. Centre backs (ours) played far too far apart, so that when counter attacks came, they poured through on Route 1. Worse than that, the have still not learnt how to contain the aerial bombardment - their big men were able to lose their markers at will and wouldn't you just predict it - 2nd minute of time added on? And I have to point out another disturbing factor - PC in the dug out. Behaving like a total prat in getting himself sent to the stand, appalling behaviour at Home Park berating the 4th official, getting involved in arguments which were none of his business. The ref had a good game by the way!

Pompey85 asks the question who we would get rid off - what nucleus we should keep is a better question:
The only decent keeper was the lad on loan from Liverpool.
Doyle and Bennett - keep
Webster, Whatmough and the left back Haup...forgot his name!
Chapman, Close, Tollett and the youngsters that we've just given contracts.

We need; 2 new fullbacks, a forward who can get 20 goals in a season

And now my question! If Paul Cook can get a team that can get us into League 1 can he take us any further? His pedigree says no - at the moment he looks like a League 2 Manager, he behaves like one and the chances are - he is one! In League 1 I'm not sure he can take us any further - you can't teach an old dog new tricks and he looks more and more like an old dog! Sorry about that, but that's what I feel.....

[richisbradders]

Can't complain about a lot of that. But fullbacks, Enda has been unsung hero for me. Most assists in the whole team and is so dependable. Plus he's still Fairly young. Davies has gone off the boil but if feel teams got wise to the fact our while attacking play was coming from the full backs.

[RubiconCSL]

I don't think any of us (not even with Gucci, diamond encrusted, Blue tinted specs) can be feeling too positive now. We got what we deserved in the end; a go at a play-off. Overall, pretty much the result we achieved. I only saw a handful of games, but other than Hartlepool at home, nothing I saw inspired me.

At the end of the day, the manager is the one that makes the decisions and the board back him or not. This squad has been put together by PC and the board have backed him - to what degree I don't know. So, PC has to take the credit and the blame and the board some responsibility too: they hired him and they bankrolled him (or didn't).

Fortunately, we don't have (on the whole) a Spurs / Newcastle mentality, where we expect to walk this league, because of who we are. However, we MUST have better resources than all of the other teams. We also must be able to attract the best available players at the start of a season: when it is us or another L2 team, surely we must be the more attractive option. So, without turning into Spuds/NUFC, we really should have no problem getting out of this league. So again, that has to some down to PC and/or the board getting something wrong.

I guess we are unlikely to find better for next season, plus we can't keep chopping and changing. But there has to have been something learned from this season. Almost every fan I talk to is of the same voice with respect to getting out of this league: you can't do it pretty. I hope the summer signings reflect this.

[Pompey1985]

What the hell is peoples problem with Enda? Not just pomp but plenty of others question what he does. Which is just about everything. Sure he has lapses at times that's why he is in league two.

[pompeygunner]

What the hell is peoples problem with Enda? Not just pomp but plenty of others question what he does. Which is just about everything. Sure he has lapses at times that's why he is in league two.

Was wondering this myself. Seen all but 2 home games & Stevens has been decent.

[Pompey Penguin]

Entitlement, entitlement, entitlement...

Loads of games this season (home & away) I have listened to Pompey fans telling me how we are going to beat this lot easy. Then we don't score early the crowd get frustrated and this transmits to the players. I hate hearing Pompey fans slagging off our (L2, maybe L1, level; many of them young) players at every mistake. Teams take time to build, and this team has done as well as expected, played some attractive (if sometimes frustrating) football, and has some good young talent. Teams finished above us with smaller payrolls, and below us with bigger ones (Notts County for one), that's the way it goes. I think we can all see where we need a few new players (goalkeeper, centre-forward, etc.), but we are not a million miles away, unlike this time last year when we were at least 8-9 players short. The huge ship SS Pompey has been turned round and we are moving forward.

Alternatively, sack the board, sack the manager (again) and get a whole load of new players. I think we know how that works out, but we can always try another random throw of the dice.

[Pompey Gary]

Let's see where we are in 12 months...

[The Cincinnati Kid]

Yeah....1st year for Capt. Cook but to be fair he inherited some dross and according to my readings, some dire behavior on the training front. Change of faces and methods need another year imo. From what I've seen/heard/read....we need a good bit of thuggery a la Mick Tait / Hermann in def, mid....someone that can captain the team, call the shots and make sure we stop conceding in the 90th minute. We'd have run away with the league if only that problem didn't exist. Captain Cook certainly needs that sorted.
Anyhoo....hard nut Def mid....solid CB and a reliable pair of hands that owns his 6 yd box ...don't think there are many 20 goal forwards hanging from the trees though.

[Fratton End Exile]

Enda was players player of the season that has to tell us something. Need t keep him. Not sure we should keep Davies & Roberts. Davies faded quite badly towards end of season & Roberts, hits deck too easily. Tries lots of tricks most don't work, too slow to be a front man. He is so frustrating to watch.
Think we're ok at CB just need proper coaching.
Need strikes & one of them needs to be a bully & a new RB.

[Fratton End Exile]

How about a cheeky offer to John Terry to be player/coach for us ?

[Earl Grey]

Entitlement, entitlement, entitlement...

Loads of games this season (home & away) I have listened to Pompey fans telling me how we are going to beat this lot easy. Then we don't score early the crowd get frustrated and this transmits to the players. I hate hearing Pompey fans slagging off our (L2, maybe L1, level; many of them young) players at every mistake. Teams take time to build,....

Very much agree with that, PP. It sickens me listening to all the moaners booing the instant a ball is passed backwards or a player tries something that doesn't come off. If we had Barca's squad they'd be moaning all game because that's how football is played. You create openings by pulling the opposition around and then trying something more risky to get a chance on goal.

Get rid of this un-Pompey like 'fan' and we'd have a more confident set of players doing much better because, as you point out, crowd negativity transmits to them.