Signing number 6!

[Jack_Tinn]

I can see Pack and Stevenson as holding midfielders - with Morrell playing as an 8 - particularly away from home next season and also particularly against teams that are a little more physical.

[Jack_Tinn]

I also think that this signing, along with Shaughnessy's ability to play in central midfield too, does give Pompey some cover in case a decent offer for Morrell comes in during this window and he wants to leave (say for a Championship side).

Perhaps a few clubs have expressed an interest and his agent wants to explore them and Pompey wanted to move now for Stevenson to cover his departure.

[Jack_Tinn]

ffs so much for a promotion chasing team so we now have recruited a journeyman defensive midfield player who Hughes brought to Forest Green
Just what we really need
Moushino “we want to add more goals and assists to his game” good luck with that according to Wikipedia he has a scored 9 goals in his career
This suggests Morrell is going as why else sign this guy
So currently we have signed a decent keeper, 2 young players for the future so squad players, a journeyman central defender who is “versatile” and a pretty average left footed winger plus this waste of space

I can understand your point of view. I think this is a fair point about how you'd like to see a few more signings that excite. I have a legitimate question though which is: does your opinion change substantially if the next three signings for example are: D'shon Barnard (free), Gavin Whyte (free) and Tommy Leigh (Accrington)?

[Pompey1984+1]

I also think that this signing, along with Shaughnessy's ability to play in central midfield too, does give Pompey some cover in case a decent offer for Morrell comes in during this window and he wants to leave (say for a Championship side).

Perhaps a few clubs have expressed an interest and his agent wants to explore them and Pompey wanted to move now for Stevenson to cover his departure.

If we play 3 in the middle, and having 5 subs I think we need the depth we are staring to get - I think last season lack of suitable depth in midfield (and injuries) stopped us making changes when we needed to freshen games up.

[Pompey55]

ffs so much for a promotion chasing team so we now have recruited a journeyman defensive midfield player who Hughes brought to Forest Green
Just what we really need
Moushino “we want to add more goals and assists to his game” good luck with that according to Wikipedia he has a scored 9 goals in his career
This suggests Morrell is going as why else sign this guy
So currently we have signed a decent keeper, 2 young players for the future so squad players, a journeyman central defender who is “versatile” and a pretty average left footed winger plus this waste of space

I can understand your point of view. I think this is a fair point about how you'd like to see a few more signings that excite. I have a legitimate question though which is: does your opinion change substantially if the next three signings for example are: D'shon Barnard (free), Gavin Whyte (free) and Tommy Leigh (Accrington)?

If we sign players of that caliber then yes it’s totally different as in my view apart from the keeper and Scully I see all the other 4 as non starting squad players if we continue to play one striker and nothing better than the players we finished with last season

[Jack_Tinn]

ffs so much for a promotion chasing team so we now have recruited a journeyman defensive midfield player who Hughes brought to Forest Green
Just what we really need
Moushino “we want to add more goals and assists to his game” good luck with that according to Wikipedia he has a scored 9 goals in his career
This suggests Morrell is going as why else sign this guy
So currently we have signed a decent keeper, 2 young players for the future so squad players, a journeyman central defender who is “versatile” and a pretty average left footed winger plus this waste of space

I can understand your point of view. I think this is a fair point about how you'd like to see a few more signings that excite. I have a legitimate question though which is: does your opinion change substantially if the next three signings for example are: D'shon Barnard (free), Gavin Whyte (free) and Tommy Leigh (Accrington)?

If we sign players of that caliber then yes it’s totally different as in my view apart from the keeper and Scully I see all the other 4 as non starting squad players if we continue to play one striker and nothing better than the players we finished with last season

Fair. I am expecting Whyte and Barnard as the next two signings and at least one of these before Monday. Get ready for your happy dance

[Betelgeuse]

ffs so much for a promotion chasing team so we now have recruited a journeyman defensive midfield player who Hughes brought to Forest Green
Just what we really need
Moushino “we want to add more goals and assists to his game” good luck with that according to Wikipedia he has a scored 9 goals in his career
This suggests Morrell is going as why else sign this guy
So currently we have signed a decent keeper, 2 young players for the future so squad players, a journeyman central defender who is “versatile” and a pretty average left footed winger plus this waste of space

I can understand your point of view. I think this is a fair point about how you'd like to see a few more signings that excite. I have a legitimate question though which is: does your opinion change substantially if the next three signings for example are: D'shon Barnard (free), Gavin Whyte (free) and Tommy Leigh (Accrington)?

We need those players or types to mount a serious challenge.

[Pompey55]

Just one final point regarding Stevenson can anyone explain why he never featured in the match day squad after Ferguson took over at Forest Green as he was not injured and then released without being offered a contract?
I assume he either fell out with the manager or was not rated by him

[Blue Walter]

I also think that this signing, along with Shaughnessy's ability to play in central midfield too, does give Pompey some cover in case a decent offer for Morrell comes in during this window and he wants to leave (say for a Championship side).

Perhaps a few clubs have expressed an interest and his agent wants to explore them and Pompey wanted to move now for Stevenson to cover his departure.

You say if a decent offer comes in for Morrell that Stevenson will be cover for him. In my opinion we need to keep our best players and, whilst I admit that I don't know anything about Stevenson, I would think Morrell is a far better player. Forest Green Rovers were not good enough to stay in League One, their players were not up to the standard of football. Stevenson may well have been their standout player but his pedigree would suggest that League One is, at best, his level. Morrell is an international and an experienced player who is fully capable of playing at Championship level. A forward looking team aiming for promotion will not be selling players that not only thrive at this level but be capable of playing at the next level.

I would like to see Pompey playing attractive, exciting attacking football next season. I don't think that we are going to get that under Mousinho and we will get a hard working side which will be hard to beat. Possibly what used to be called a 'workmanlike' team, effective but unspectacular. If that gets us promoted then I could live with that. Some of hese signings, to me, are either squad players or a pointer to the workmanlike style if they are not seen ad squad back up players. I hope we can bring Bernard back here and maybe a couple of players that have a pedigree of being good successful players.

[Portchesterblue2]

we are going down this season, I mean signing 6 absolutely useless players within a week of the window opening, what were the board and manager thinking.
Now I havent seen these players in action, either for their old teams, or as part of a pompey team being coached by the mouse, however if their stats say they are sh!te well then they must be, after all stats dont lie do they

[PompeyinAnjou]

Get a grip lads. Hughes knows this guy and he was available, probably because of his relationship with blg Dunc. Their fans seem to think he was a good player. He's versatile, good in the dressing room and cheapish.

Or would you prefer another Scarlett who did SFA and cost 2 or 3 times as much and wasn't even our player?

We are building a decent squad. If they sell Bishop, then you can moan. But Morrell, I'd trade him for Tommy Leigh and a budget for a similar young player.

Hughes has a good track record and the Jauary signings were decent. A hard working team, with a bit of magic from the likes of Bishop, Scully, Devlin, Lane and even Leigh and we might be looking good.

[Portchesterblue2]

Just one final point regarding Stevenson can anyone explain why he never featured in the match day squad after Ferguson took over at Forest Green as he was not injured and then released without being offered a contract?
I assume he either fell out with the manager or was not rated by him

and of course any player who isnt fancied by a manager will never amount to anything and never play well for another club, just look at how badly Connor Chaplin has done at ipswich

[Blue Walter]

we are going down this season, I mean signing 6 absolutely useless players within a week of the window opening, what were the board and manager thinking.
Now I havent seen these players in action, either for their old teams, or as part of a pompey team being coached by the mouse, however if their stats say they are sh!te well then they must be, after all stats dont lie do they

A bit over the top response, if I may say. I am sure all the players that have been signed are competent, which doesn't turn us into relegation fodder. As I have said before this present regime have come up with some good signings and, from all accounts, the signing of Devlin in the face of opposition seems to be a bit of a coup. Conversely just because we have suddenly come up with a mass of signings doesn't make us world beaters either. It is the quality of the signings that make the difference. Judgement on the transfer activity can only really be judged when the window has closed and the performance of the new players. What am questioning is that the pedigree of some of the signings are not that exciting at the moment. That's not to say they are bad signings because I don't know much about them but they don't appear very inspiring just yet for a team that has an increased transfer budget with promotion in mind.

[Pompey1984+1]

we are going down this season, I mean signing 6 absolutely useless players within a week of the window opening, what were the board and manager thinking.
Now I havent seen these players in action, either for their old teams, or as part of a pompey team being coached by the mouse, however if their stats say they are sh!te well then they must be, after all stats dont lie do they

A bit over the top response, if I may say. I am sure all the players that have been signed are competent, which doesn't turn us into relegation fodder. As I have said before this present regime have come up with some good signings and, from all accounts, the signing of Devlin in the face of opposition seems to be a bit of a coup. Conversely just because we have suddenly come up with a mass of signings doesn't make us world beaters either. It is the quality of the signings that make the difference. Judgement on the transfer activity can only really be judged when the window has closed and the performance of the new players. What am questioning is that the pedigree of some of the signings are not that exciting at the moment. That's not to say they are bad signings because I don't know much about them but they don't appear very inspiring just yet for a team that has an increased transfer budget with promotion in mind.

Who should we have been singing?

I think one of the important points that gets swept under the carpet here is the fact they they are all on 2 or 3 year deals, mostly with club options. That means that for future years while sale changes become less, equally if these players kick on, we will see a return on them. Small but important details.

How many of the Plymouth players were / are names? Same for Barnsley, Peterborough and other teams that finished above us. Very few.

Before we signed Linvoy on a free he had made 90 ish appearances for Reading over 3 years - hardly inspiring... But look what happened there.

[Portchesterblue2]

we are going down this season, I mean signing 6 absolutely useless players within a week of the window opening, what were the board and manager thinking.
Now I havent seen these players in action, either for their old teams, or as part of a pompey team being coached by the mouse, however if their stats say they are sh!te well then they must be, after all stats dont lie do they

A bit over the top response, if I may say. I am sure all the players that have been signed are competent, which doesn't turn us into relegation fodder. As I have said before this present regime have come up with some good signings and, from all accounts, the signing of Devlin in the face of opposition seems to be a bit of a coup. Conversely just because we have suddenly come up with a mass of signings doesn't make us world beaters either. It is the quality of the signings that make the difference. Judgement on the transfer activity can only really be judged when the window has closed and the performance of the new players. What am questioning is that the pedigree of some of the signings are not that exciting at the moment. That's not to say they are bad signings because I don't know much about them but they don't appear very inspiring just yet for a team that has an increased transfer budget with promotion in mind.

Come on Walter, you know me well enough by now to know that my response was pure tongue in cheek sarcasm