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Well, that was another load of rubbish!!
If Mr J doesn't dip into the transfer market now something is wrong. I don't think I have seen a more disjointed Pompey side - ever. Apart from Ronan (sometimes Pitman) nobody seems capable of holding onto the ball. It's just one big 'hoof it down the other end' with the inevitable consequence it comes back very quickly. The problem is, even when Pompey get the ball they don't know what to do with it. Today they looked like a group of individuals that had just met up; no cohesion, no control and certainly didn't look a promotion chasing side.
This team must not get promotion anyway (not that they will) because they would be battered in the Championship.
Or is this a management ploy to keep us in Div 1 for at least another season - I hope so!!
Only been to one match this season (Bury) but if that was any sort of yardstick then our current league position flatters us. But I'm sure most of us would have settled for mid-table obscurity this year and that's what we look like getting. In fact, we don't appear to deserve more and, as you say, I'm not sure we could cope with more at present. Another 8 points and safe passage to the same division next season would do for me.
If you instruct your players to play hoofball then that's what you get.
The Ref was awful.
Kenny's tactics were awful.
Cannot believe he took Naismith off either...Lowe, yes, he wasn't in it but Naismith was our one hope of scoring.
I was hoping we'd play the same formation as we did before against Scunny with Thompson and Close midfield and three at the back but sadly it wasn't to be.
Stop looking for solutions to symptoms and start identifying the disease.
I agree EG, especially re Lowe. Thought he was dreadful today, not in it at all. Could not believe how slow the team was today. Admittedly Shrews hassled but the number of times we were caught/dispossessed was numerous to say the least.
What has happened to the neat, crisp pass ball we were playing last season? (oh, yeh - the manager took it with him to Wigan who are top of the league and just thrashed a Premier league side in the cup!!)
Wasn't at the game today so cant comment, but have seen the handball incident from Lowe's cross into the box. Absolute stonewall penalty. According to one of my boys, we were playing some of the better football, and he said the referee was dreadful.
Conditions weren't great with wind and rain blowing towards the Milton end. We lost the toss and attacked the Fratton end in the first half. They were a skilful team and knocked the ball around with purpose in midfield but our defence was good and they didn't have many chances. I thought that McGhee's distribution was really poor through most of the game.
From where I sit in the North stand about level with the Fratton end penalty area it looked an absolute nailed on penalty, and if the ref couldn't see it, the lino was standing right in front of us and had a great view. I think that Shrewsbury held and pulled our players more than any other team that I have seen this season and the ref consistently failed to pick up on it - he had a very poor game.
Their goal came from a set piece - again. We really need to sort this out.
I thought that Naismith was terrific with bags of energy and skill and had his best game of the season that I have seen, but then he was subbed, although to be fair Pitman, who replaced him had several chances that weren't converted. Jamal wasn't at his best, but I am convinced that he operates far better from the right side or even in the middle.
We had enough decent chances to win this match, never mind draw it, but yet again we failed to take them.
On an optimistic note we were doing much the same at this stage of last season, and then we went on our run, but we are playing better teams this year, and I can see us finishing mid table, which is probably not a disaster.
Adam May will miss next week after the red card - back three again with Thompson holding in front of them anyone?
Berkshire Blue wrote:Agree with most of the above.
Conditions weren't great with wind and rain blowing towards the Milton end. We lost the toss and attacked the Fratton end in the first half. They were a skilful team and knocked the ball around with purpose in midfield but our defence was good and they didn't have many chances. I thought that McGhee's distribution was really poor through most of the game.
From where I sit in the North stand about level with the Fratton end penalty area it looked an absolute nailed on penalty, and if the ref couldn't see it, the lino was standing right in front of us and had a great view. I think that Shrewsbury held and pulled our players more than any other team that I have seen this season and the ref consistently failed to pick up on it - he had a very poor game.
Their goal came from a set piece - again. We really need to sort this out.
I thought that Naismith was terrific with bags of energy and skill and had his best game of the season that I have seen, but then he was subbed, although to be fair Pitman, who replaced him had several chances that weren't converted. Jamal wasn't at his best, but I am convinced that he operates far better from the right side or even in the middle.
We had enough decent chances to win this match, never mind draw it, but yet again we failed to take them.
On an optimistic note we were doing much the same at this stage of last season, and then we went on our run, but we are playing better teams this year, and I can see us finishing mid table, which is probably not a disaster.
Adam May will miss next week after the red card - back three again with Thompson holding in front of them anyone?
Good summing up. Agree ref Naismith, 2nd half he really upped the ante & was looking like the player we know he is. Subbing him & bringing on Ronan killed us, not the young lads fault @ all. But sticking him out on the wing was crackers. Pitman was already on for Lowe.
I really do not get this doom and gloom. I was there on saturday we gave the second placed Team a good game. We had some good chances which on another day might have gone in. Yes some of the tactics were not the fluid style of last season, we were not as good as them in some areas of the game. The Lads gave their all, it was not enough because they were more savvy than we were. They have been at the top of the table all season, we are a Team in transition under a new Manager who still has some League Two players in his Side. Next season is the real measure, we cannot run before we can walk!
You can take the man out of Pompey
But you can`t take Pompey out of the man
Sorry, PL blue 20, I can't understand why we are hoofballing when last season (with, as you say, some/most of the players we had from div 2) we played some attractive, fluent passing footy which was both effective and pleasing on the eye. Now, for whatever reason, we are not producing that and I wonder why. Is it manager instructed? faster pace? panic? The thing is we don't posses a good CF who is both good in the air and can hold onto the ball so what is the point of punting it up the field when it will surely come straight back at you? Pitman is a good player and will score goals but he needs the service and currently he is not getting it.
I actually hope we don't get into promotion playoffs this season and think we need at least two more seasons in div 1 to consolidate. But can we play some prettier footy please?
Only two days left of the window. What lies in store for Pompey?
Yes it is very noticeable that we seem to clear out of defence to an opposition player whereas when Shrewsbury cleared it went to one of their own team. We were talking about this afterwards. Surely the answer is, to have a player whose job it is to position himself to receive the clearances where the defenders are instructed to clear to that location. However what do I know? Also the Training Staff need to concentrate on McGee`s distribution learning curve.
You can take the man out of Pompey
But you can`t take Pompey out of the man
Defensively, we have done pretty well this season, especially considering the injuries and the young age of the defenders and defensive midfielders. However, this does not make for exciting football, and the various combinations of a front four have done little of note to entertain or convince spectators that a goal is coming. It is telling that 45 minutes of a Wolves loan youngster was as innovative as we have seen all season.
To be fair to the present team and management, we were stodgy at times last season until we lost at home to Crewe on 4th March. Then, Naismith went on a run of a dozen games that carried us through to promotion. Unfortunately, this is increasingly looking like a small sample size fluke as he has produced nothing of comparable standard or consistency before or since. Everybody else has been equally uninspiring, especially when played from the start, and I think there will be a few departures over the summer.
Jackett has done OK at the first part of the job; consolidating us in L1 and establishing a base to move forward. Now he has a summer to do the difficult part; find a combination of the players we have and new signings to make us a consistent threat going forward.
BlueinPLtwenty wrote:Yes it is very noticeable that we seem to clear out of defence to an opposition player whereas when Shrewsbury cleared it went to one of their own team. We were talking about this afterwards. Surely the answer is, to have a player whose job it is to position himself to receive the clearances where the defenders are instructed to clear to that location. However what do I know? Also the Training Staff need to concentrate on McGee`s distribution learning curve.
I think this is a VG point tbh. If we can get say a mobile large CF who we can "find" when under pressure then half the problem would be solved as we should then be able to retain possession. Instead I think that both Burgess & Clarke are falling into the trap of hitting it long a lot when really its not always required.
pompeygunner wrote:Instead I think that both Burgess & Clarke are falling into the trap of hitting it long a lot when really its not always required.
One thing I did notice on Saturday was that our defenders hardly ever got forward. Burgess and (especially) Clarke are usually excellent at carrying the ball out of defence. This commits the opposition midfield and opens space for the attackers. Donohue is normally good going forward (particularly playing with Kennedy), but didn't get over the halfway line first half or much in the second. Thompson got forward a bit, but not in his usual driving style, and he and Evans were mostly crowded out. I don't know why this happened (the weather? not confident in the players ahead of them?), but it made the whole team very predictable on top of their other issues.
