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Blackpool v Pompey

Posted: Sat Aug 11, 2018 4:55 pm
by The Cincinnati Kid
Jingle Bells etc etc
Nice.....1-2 win, 2 games 2 wins and 2 from Curtis. Also, our GD is 2
It's all about the number 2 this week kiddies

Re: Blackpool v Pompey

Posted: Sat Aug 11, 2018 5:03 pm
by Jack_Tinn
really good win and a strong start to the season - glad Curtis has made a strong start. Always helpful to get an assist and a couple of goals to aid your transition.

Wimbledon and Oxford at home this week - all there to turn August into a hot month!!

Re: Blackpool v Pompey

Posted: Sun Aug 12, 2018 9:04 am
by eltorrro
But... it was another win ugly game against a not very good team, full of turmoil and bereft of a manager!! Admittedly, there were some good things about our play...Ronan Curtis and McGillivray shine out plus Whatmough and Clarke. Thought Hawkins had a good game but he needs to improve his heading ability in front of goal. Apart from that I thought our team was pretty average and at times dire and soon we will come up against a good team and we will be trounced. So far we have been very, very lucky to come away with wins but it cannot continue playing the way we do with the players we have. Mr J has got to recruit AT LEAST one very good mid fielder plus another striker...the question is..where from? Sorry folks...need to spend some money. 8)

Re: Blackpool v Pompey

Posted: Sun Aug 12, 2018 9:14 am
by Pompey1985
eltorrro wrote:But... it was another win ugly game against a not very good team, full of turmoil and bereft of a manager!! Admittedly, there were some good things about our play...Ronan Curtis and McGillivray shine out plus Whatmough and Clarke. Thought Hawkins had a good game but he needs to improve his heading ability in front of goal. Apart from that I thought our team was pretty average and at times dire and soon we will come up against a good team and we will be trounced. So far we have been very, very lucky to come away with wins but it cannot continue playing the way we do with the players we have. Mr J has got to recruit AT LEAST one very good mid fielder plus another striker...the question is..where from? Sorry folks...need to spend some money. 8)

I hope we get two in on loan. A more complete striker, and a decent midfielder someone who can pass the ball well.

Barnsley are looking very very good, fit and stong they are the team to beat from what I've seen so far of league one.

Re: Blackpool v Pompey

Posted: Mon Aug 13, 2018 10:47 am
by Selsey Bill
eltorrro wrote:But... it was another win ugly game against a not very good team, full of turmoil and bereft of a manager!! Admittedly, there were some good things about our play...Ronan Curtis and McGillivray shine out plus Whatmough and Clarke. Thought Hawkins had a good game but he needs to improve his heading ability in front of goal. Apart from that I thought our team was pretty average and at times dire and soon we will come up against a good team and we will be trounced. So far we have been very, very lucky to come away with wins but it cannot continue playing the way we do with the players we have. Mr J has got to recruit AT LEAST one very good mid fielder plus another striker...the question is..where from? Sorry folks...need to spend some money. 8)
I was at the game, and agree with your observations for the most part. We were 100% better than we were against Luton but, as you say, we still weren't great. However, I was encouraged by Kenny's post match interview as he can clearly see where our weaknesses lie. As far as the players were concerned, I believe we may have found an absolute gem in Ronan Curtis. He was outstanding, and is sure to become a fan's favourite. His 2nd goal celebration is worth a watch if you haven't already seen it. The passion he showed was incredible. He could have had a hat trick as he nearly scored an absolute worldy mid way through the first half. Both his goals were assisted by Hawkins who I thought played very well. He wins headers that Pitman can't, two of which led to the goals. His weakness is his ability to score goals which as a striker is quite important! He had four good chances, including two headers, which I reckon Pitman would have taken at least two of. Naylor looked better in a deep holding role. He is a very good tackler, but his ability to pass the ball is woeful. I'm hoping this will come with time in the team, getting to know his new teammates better. Whatmough and Clarke were great again, and Walkes did much better at right back, but I still don't rate him highly, the same can be said about Lee Brown. He's OK, but I think Dion Donohue could be better? On a positive note, Craig Macgillivray looks the real deal, a definite step up from Luke McGee. Jamal Lowe was completely overshadowed by the outstanding Curtis, and when he came on Danny Rose was very poor, the worst Pompey player on the pitch. He replaced Close who I thought played well, but looked knackered by the time he went off. Evans was OK, but that is about it. On the subject of meeting a better team and getting trounced, I think Luton are one of those teams. I'm sure they will be up there at the end of the season. Finally, my lads and I stayed up there on Saturday night - I won't be rushing back to Blackpool. We had a great night with loads of other Pompey fans, but we won't be rushing back. It is a right sh7thole.

Re: Blackpool v Pompey

Posted: Mon Aug 13, 2018 11:39 am
by PakefieldBlue
Thanks SB. It's seems to me that new players either start with a bang eg Curtis or take time to settle eg Brown and Naylor. Both Brown and Naylor were rated highly by their previous clubs so you hope that as the season goes on they'll come good.

Will Pitman be happy without a certain starting role? At his age with his record I'd think not, therefore I wonder if he'll be still with us by Sept?

Re: Blackpool v Pompey

Posted: Mon Aug 13, 2018 12:07 pm
by Pompey Penguin
Only two games in, but despite the fact that we have played "awful" and "meh" I am cautiously (and unusually) optimistic. Six points from two settling in games is more than I expected (probably DD or DW). Comparing our team to the start of last season...

MacGillivray/McGee is a clear upgrade on McGee/Bass, and puts us in a position where we don't have to panic about a goalkeeper injury or sending off.

Almost anything would be better than Drew Talbot, but I think Thompson/Walkes are solid at RB. Brown comes with a good reputation at LB, but looks to need some time to settle and build an understanding with the left-side attackers, and Haunstrup is a promising backup. Much better than the rotating LBs after TH-D got injured last year. Whatmough and Clarke are excellent, and if Burgess is reserve CB we aren't in bad shape, although all rather dependent on Whatmough staying fit for once.

Defensive MF is a strength; maybe an area of excess, even playing 4-3-3. Take your pick from six, but as at Blackpool I would expect to see a solid three away from home, and maybe something more attacking at FP. The main complaint is that there is not a lot of creativity, or someone to play in the centre of three if we go 4-2-3-1. I am concerned that this will be true all season (as it was last), but in many ways that's Jackett teams for you.

I can live with a rotation of Lowe/Curtis/Wheeler (or all three in that formation at home), which again is better than last year's pick-and-mix in the 10 and 11 positions, but an truly creative addition at 10 would be welcome. The CF issue is something we need to sort out: what is happening with Pitman? Can Hawkins score (or be an Olivier Giroud non-scoring CF)? Conor Chaplin false nine (doubtful)? By far my biggest concern at this point.

Overall, strong defensively, but struggling in attack, so not a lot different from last season, just with a few upgrades. Our season will probably come down to sorting out the main attacker problem, and there will lie the difference between being on the cusp of automatic promotion and flirting with/making the play-offs.

Re: Blackpool v Pompey

Posted: Tue Aug 14, 2018 11:38 am
by pompeygunner
Pompey Penguin wrote: Overall, strong defensively, but struggling in attack, so not a lot different from last season, just with a few upgrades. Our season will probably come down to sorting out the main attacker problem, and there will lie the difference between being on the cusp of automatic promotion and flirting with/making the play-offs.
I think struggling in attack is way off tbh. Curtis looks outstanding & we all know what Lowe is capable of. Plus Wheeler is a goalscoring winger. If Hawkins continues to do 2 assists per game then job done.
I think KJ needs to maybe play more football but hey ho we went direct sat & scored twice.

Re: Blackpool v Pompey

Posted: Wed Sep 05, 2018 9:17 am
by Pompey Penguin
Just bumping this up to note that the Blackpool v. Portsmouth game is the "match of the month" in the new issue of When Saturday Comes. It is mostly about Blackpool and their issues, but worth standing in WHSmith for a read.