The Pompey Chimes Forum

Im predicting a tough match today but i fancy us to win it - just

Rather predictably we have named an unchanged side.

0-0 half time. Both teams pretty much cancelling each other out. Pompey probably shading it on chances.

Within 5 minutes of the restart , Roberts has a pop from 10 yards out , Chaplin denied by the keeper and Bennett hits the post. Don't know what was in our tea at half time but it appears to be working.

Full time 1-1. After all our early pressure in the second half Cheltenham took the lead. Michael Smith toe-poked an equaliser with 8 minutes left.

rumourmonger wrote:Full time 1-1. After all our early pressure in the second half Cheltenham took the lead. Michael Smith toe-poked an equaliser with 8 minutes left.

1 - 1 draw against Cheltenham who are in the bottom half of L2. Is this all we can achieve?

It may only be November but I am already concerned about whether we will achieve automatic promotion this season. We have now slipped to fifth. It's not looking good imo.

It doesn't seem that we've really improved from last season, unless we can find some consistency in front of goal then looks like play-offs at best.

PakefieldBlue wrote:It doesn't seem that we've really improved from last season, unless we can find some consistency in front of goal then looks like play-offs at best.

I rather fancy that this may have been a banana skin waiting to happen - in fairness Cheltenham went to Crewe earlier in the week in the Cup and thumped them 4-1, so they may well have been on a high. I take the point you're making and from the sound of things we didn't play very well - but inconsistency exists in the Cook camp at present. Can he solve it? I have long held the opinion that the dressing room is not a happy place to be just now.......

Burgess gave away a needless free kick in the middle of the park.

We then missed a couple of headers and the effort went through Forde.

Creating chances isn't out issue, it's converting them. Oddly since Chaplin has featured more the goals from elsewhere seem to have dried up a little.

We brought the goal against us on our selves yesterday, I don't think you can blame cook for that.

Perseonally I'd drop Burgess for Davis, Chaplin for Smith or Main. We create so many chances we just need to take them.

Couple of signings in the window could be the turning point.

I really do beleive there is far too much hysteria around the results of late and the managment. I don't know what people expect.

We will get the play offs as a minimum.

Things we learned from the game...

We can't defend free kicks lumped into the penalty box.
We are dangerous when we get to the line and pull crosses back.

...alright, we learned nothing from the game we didn't already know.

Luton on Tuesday; home by bedtime!

There has to be a basic tactical reason why Pompey cannot easily turn defence into attack the way that the opposition do to us. When we are under attack there are only three options for us to regain possession, if they score, if they miss and if our Goalie claims it, any other option results in yet another attack building. We cannot clear our lines positively, there is no outlet and when end up in panic defensive situations. We just get hemmed in and there seems to be no plans in place to counter it. It certainly sounded as if we were hemmed in on several occasions against Cheltenham and yet they were breaking quite easily from our attacking forays.

Cheltenham are 21st in the league , Have 3 wins (home and away) for the season so far and a goal difference of -3 . I struggle to see anything positive or take any confidence from this match .

Its strange to say but I suspect its hard to get motivated for a game like that. Luton However, is a game we have to be up for . Win or lose we have to show the opposition in this league we are a team to be worried about .

Cheltenham are 21st in the league , Have 3 wins (home and away) for the season so far and a goal difference of -3 . I struggle to see anything positive or take any confidence from this match .

Its strange to say but I suspect its hard to get motivated for a game like that. Luton However, is a game we have to be up for . Win or lose we have to show the opposition in this league we are a team to be worried about .

POLPERO99 wrote:Cheltenham are 21st in the league , Have 3 wins (home and away) for the season so far and a goal difference of -3 . I struggle to see anything positive or take any confidence from this match .

Its strange to say but I suspect its hard to get motivated for a game like that. Luton However, is a game we have to be up for . Win or lose we have to show the opposition in this league we are a team to be worried about .

I think the fact that they are 21st, have only won 3 and only have a -3 GD demonstrates that they lose few and when they do it is only by a fine margin.

I'm struggling. We'll be fine