Now it’s 7

[Portchesterblue2]

Very sweeping statement PB I can only assume Hughes sees something in these players that other clubs can’t. If they turn out to be better than expected it will be a bonus. Our sell on fees would also be profitable too! Also they may all have something to prove and play out of their skins? All this is wishful thinking I’m afraid but we are where we are on this one.

My thoughts too. We are looking in hope rather than confidence and I would have liked to have got players in with a bit of pedigree, which would have been grounds for confidence.

It’s just not our forum that are being negative regarding our signings I have been on other club forums and they are dismissing our promotion hopes, based on these uninspiring signings too. So I don’t think you can criticise our opinions if the consensus is the same these are the hard facts.

where is the fact that we have no hope of promotion???? how is signing a player that according to some fans isnt very good a hard fact that we wont win games ????

[Pompey55]

Very sweeping statement PB I can only assume Hughes sees something in these players that other clubs can’t. If they turn out to be better than expected it will be a bonus. Our sell on fees would also be profitable too! Also they may all have something to prove and play out of their skins? All this is wishful thinking I’m afraid but we are where we are on this one.

My thoughts too. We are looking in hope rather than confidence and I would have liked to have got players in with a bit of pedigree, which would have been grounds for confidence.

It’s just not our forum that are being negative regarding our signings I have been on other club forums and they are dismissing our promotion hopes, based on these uninspiring signings too. So I don’t think you can criticise our opinions if the consensus is the same these are the hard facts.

where is the fact that we have no hope of promotion???? how is signing a player that according to some fans isnt very good a hard fact that we wont win games ????

On this forum I don't think anyone has said we have no hope of promotion but certainly on other sites that has been said, what is very much true is that everywhere the comments regarding the apparent quality of the signing have been pretty consistent that our squad now is no better than that we ended up with last season.
I don't discount the chance we could get a top 6 position but with what we have at present compared to the likes of Barnsley, Derby Bolton and Peterborough an automatic promotion is unlikely without adding some more proven quality

[jam tomorrow]

Very sweeping statement PB I can only assume Hughes sees something in these players that other clubs can’t. If they turn out to be better than expected it will be a bonus. Our sell on fees would also be profitable too! Also they may all have something to prove and play out of their skins? All this is wishful thinking I’m afraid but we are where we are on this one.

My thoughts too. We are looking in hope rather than confidence and I would have liked to have got players in with a bit of pedigree, which would have been grounds for confidence.

It’s just not our forum that are being negative regarding our signings I have been on other club forums and they are dismissing our promotion hopes, based on these uninspiring signings too. So I don’t think you can criticise our opinions if the consensus is the same these are the hard facts.

where is the fact that we have no hope of promotion???? how is signing a player that according to some fans isnt very good a hard fact that we wont win games ????

I’m not saying that we won’t be winning promotion I’m saying the hard facts are the signings are perceived generally as very poor. Other club forums are writing off our promotion chances though which is due to this fact.

[Pompey1984+1]

What I find interesting is I keep reading we need some pedigree, and quality yet nobody offers up any options other than Whyte, Bernard and Tommy Leigh.

I can't say I know too much about Whyte, I though Bernard looked alright in the few games he played but he wasn't Matt Clarke stand out good in my opinion. Two of who we are looking at, and the third was relegated last season!

So I think pedigree and quality translates to players from higher up the league pyramid, or who we pay lots of money for - so I guess Freeman, Marquis and Harrison types...

[Pompey1984+1]

Very sweeping statement PB I can only assume Hughes sees something in these players that other clubs can’t. If they turn out to be better than expected it will be a bonus. Our sell on fees would also be profitable too! Also they may all have something to prove and play out of their skins? All this is wishful thinking I’m afraid but we are where we are on this one.

My thoughts too. We are looking in hope rather than confidence and I would have liked to have got players in with a bit of pedigree, which would have been grounds for confidence.

It’s just not our forum that are being negative regarding our signings I have been on other club forums and they are dismissing our promotion hopes, based on these uninspiring signings too. So I don’t think you can criticise our opinions if the consensus is the same these are the hard facts.

where is the fact that we have no hope of promotion???? how is signing a player that according to some fans isnt very good a hard fact that we wont win games ????

I’m not saying that we won’t be winning promotion I’m saying the hard facts are the signings are perceived generally as very poor. Other club forums are writing off our promotion chances though which is due to this fact.

The internet also said season ticket sales would be down this season... We have just passed the 14,000 mark.

[Selsey Bill]

Interesting, despite the doomers and gloomers who clearly know our signings will not help us achieve promotion, the bookies all have us to finish in the top 6. But what do bookies know eh?

I backed us at 20/1 the season we romped the Championship, so they don't always know

[Pompeymack]

My thoughts are Plymouth got promoted without spending cash and Ipswich got promoted by spending cash, so it can be done without breaking the bank. If we hadn't had such a poor run under Cowley we could have made the playoffs.

The Mous has picked these players and see them as being able to fit into the style he wants to play. It's his squad now and he should be given the opportunity to show what he and his players can do.

[StMonkton]

To be fair to the unimpressed among us, the only way we can assess Pompey at this stage is on the basis of the perceived quality of our recruitment.

We all know the real assessment can’t properly be made until we’ve played a few games.

Big question for me is ‘Where are we after 10 games’.

In the meantime, if we must comment on recruitment, my view is that it has been good so far. I deliberately use the word recruitment rather than just signings as I am impressed by the speed and decisiveness of our dealings. I see it as a sign of working to a plan which is a vast improvement on recent off seasons.

I want a management that recruits to build the team they want, not impress the fans.

Hope I’m right. We shall see. No doubt we will be picking holes in the manager for something else by the ten game mark.
Possibly ‘Not attacking enough’, ‘Too much playing out from the back’, ‘No width’"……………etc .

[BlueinPLtwenty]

There are 14,000 plus people that are impressed enough to buy season tickets, including apparently "new season ticket" purchasers. Come on Chaps be positive!

[Pompey55]

There are 14,000 plus people that are impressed enough to buy season tickets, including apparently "new season ticket" purchasers. Come on Chaps be positive!

14000 plus people bought season ticket’s primarily because they support pretty much any team put out also the majority bought those tickets prior to the transfer window opening as it was only 2 days before the early bird period ended.
So the signings good bad or indifferent had no relevance to most people’s decision to renew or buy them

[Sawbo Blue]

The Mous has picked these players

The difference to previous regimes is that recruitment now is led by Rich Hughes and his team. I'm sure Mous plays an important role in it but whether the signings set League 1 alight or ultimately disappoint won't be (or shouldn't be) seen as all Mous' responsibility.

[BlueinPLtwenty]

[quote=Pompey55


14000 plus people bought season ticket’s primarily because they support pretty much any team put out also the majority bought those tickets prior to the transfer window opening as it was only 2 days before the early bird period ended.
So the signings good bad or indifferent had no relevance to most people’s decision to renew or buy them
[/quote]

It`s amazing how easy it is to draw two different conclusions from the same facts

[Blue Walter]

The Mous has picked these players

The difference to previous regimes is that recruitment now is led by Rich Hughes and his team. I'm sure Mous plays an important role in it but whether the signings set League 1 alight or ultimately disappoint won't be (or shouldn't be) seen as all Mous' responsibility.

I don't know, of course, but I think you are right and all the signings are not down to Mousinho. I think he probably tells the recruitment team what sort of player he wants and what positions he is looking at. While the the recruitment team identify players who have potential or who they think would improve the team. Then, I assume, between them they decide which players to go for. Their recent record is, in my opinion, very good with bringing in Towler. Lane and Macey earlier in the year. I also think they pulled off a master stroke in getting Devlin as it appears that several clubs were chasing him. Apparently the way it was done impressed the player himself which was the decidng factor in why he chose our club. Obviously I hope their recruitment record stands up when it comes to some of the more uninspiring recruits in these latest signings. As I have said their record is good but the scrutiny will be when the window is closed and the season has started.

I am sure Mousinho knows how he wants his team to play and what he expects from his players. Those expectations will have been written into the recruitment policy of the type of players the club pursued. So hope is my byword rather than confidence or expectation.

[Blue Walter]

[quote=Pompey55


14000 plus people bought season ticket’s primarily because they support pretty much any team put out also the majority bought those tickets prior to the transfer window opening as it was only 2 days before the early bird period ended.
So the signings good bad or indifferent had no relevance to most people’s decision to renew or buy them

It`s amazing how easy it is to draw two different conclusions from the same facts
[/quote]

I think some people may have been swayed by Mr Eisner's comments regarding the transfer budget and his, apparent, confidence of promotion. I was certainly impressed with his comments but I had already decided to renew my ticket before then. Halfway through last season I had thoughts of not renewing and just going to the odd game. As it turns out the season ticket take up has made it that little bit more difficult for the casual spectator so, hopefully, I have made the right choice.

[Pompey1984+1]

There are 14,000 plus people that are impressed enough to buy season tickets, including apparently "new season ticket" purchasers. Come on Chaps be positive!

14000 plus people bought season ticket’s primarily because they support pretty much any team put out also the majority bought those tickets prior to the transfer window opening as it was only 2 days before the early bird period ended.
So the signings good bad or indifferent had no relevance to most people’s decision to renew or buy them

If that's the case why were you saying there wouldn't be as many season tickets sold this season because we were ****** last season?