Chewy

If it ain’t broke, break it anyway 😉

The morning after and the euphoria has ebbed some what so can try and be calmer about the whole experience. My main feeling is that the ten minutes before their first goal is why we won’t get promoted and why, if we did, we’d be murdered every week in the premier league. Having been gifted two soft goals by dreadful defending the game was done - we just needed to be solid and counter. But we persisted with 3 forwards playing fully on their back line, and didn’t ask the wide players to drop. We split Aribo and Smallbone wide, leaving one midfielder. Watford were high pressing with numbers and overran us in midfield. The gamble was if we broke through the press we’d be on them and on one occasion we were and nearly scored. Of course, the flip side of that gamble is we get overrun leaving every loose ball to be picked up by Watford which is of course where they scored from. This is why and where Russell is a total moron. This isn’t bravery, it’s idiocy. We were 2 up - why do we need to gamble? Block the midfield and we kill the game - they created nothing, they scored two goals from loose balls in our empty midfield. I don’t have an issue with having a philosophy or what it is. I’m not one of the plonkers that boo when we pass it along the back - I get it and it’s good football with a purpose. I also credit Russell with the coaching, with getting players motivated for him and the improvement in our mentality. I also accept Watford were a decent side (apart from their defence which gifted 3 goals). What I don’t get is the stupidity (and in my opinion arrogance) of not adapting to situations to manage a game. 2 up and for 10 minutes before they scored it was obvious what was happening, who was clearly going to score next, and how we needed to respond to kill it off. He and we did nothing. It wasn’t about the amount of running we did, it was the moronic tactic of having one central midfielder on his own being swamped. The one adaptation he makes is the length of passing, but he never changes shape to bring solidity. Giving away comfortable leads has happened too many times and Russell needs to learn to adapt. If Luis Enrique, Arteta, Tuchel and Xavi aren’t too proud to fiddle with tactics in game I’m not sure why Russell thinks it’s beneath him. Arrogant and stupid, not brave. Rant over Anyway, decent opposition, not many outstanding performers for us but good displays from most. Adam or Che probably my MOTM. Brooks was ineffective again and needs dropping, Stu was awful (and I’m a fan). Ryan surprisingly good. Jan did well when introduced. Baz still looked flappy but not at fault for the goals. Overall with the standard of opposition and the pressure of where the season is at (evidenced by the other 3) I’ll happily take a win, and the feeling of a last gasp winner is immense - brilliant emotions walking out. But yet again it should have been a comfortable win once we were gifted a 2 goal cushion, and yet again we were tactically outdone because the opposition know how we play and that we’re too thick to change it. It’s euphoria mixed with enormous frustration. Which is pretty much life as a football fan in a sentence.

I will spend this evening trying to retain the sense of euphoria at winning so late in the game. Then tomorrow morning I might come back here to talk about how fucking ridiculously stupid our tactics and game management at 2-0 up are. Again. RM is an idiot at times. Still, that’s for the morning. Back to the euphoria. Buzzing - best feeling leaving st Mary’s in years!

All very good, but you missed the most crucial bit that we all want to know; exactly how brave were we?

Sorry but that’s just not true. The specific “wanker” chant might have only been a few seconds but the whole incident lasted a good few minutes. “Getting sacked in the morning”, “don’t know what you’re doing” some other song … That entire corner were chanting at the stewards when Boro almost scored and would have missed it. Whole thing was bizarre and quite frankly tin pot. I’d expect that from Pompey fans, I’d hope for better from our own. The atmosphere was fine, that 5 minutes distracted the entire stadium and did filter onto the pitch. You probably didn’t notice because you were too busy being angry at people who had nothing to do with the actual game. You know, the game we needed to win, the game we should be supporting our players in. Fucking tin pot. To be clear, the stewards were probably wrong. And more relevant to our defeat were misses by Che, bit of bad luck and poor substitutions not managing the game well. But the incident in the corner didn’t help and added to the unease all around the ground at a critical stage in the game, and quite frankly our season. The game should have been over but it wasn’t and the crowd in the corner were a hindrance, not a help at this stage. Irrespective of whether the stewards were wrong. Grow up.

I’ve been banging on about the same thing for 4 years. It’s not Adams’ fault he’s a crap finisher, as horrible as yesterday’s misses were. Ever since Ings made it obvious he wasn’t staying we’ve desperately needed a quality striker and haven’t got one. It’s why we got relegated and it’s why we’re not getting automatic promotion. Adams, Mara and ArmA (as a 9) aren’t at the required standard. Broja was a kid and on loan - we were lucky he managed a brief purple patch. Tall Paul?? Literally wtf. And as for Stewart … not his fault he’s crocked but you’d have thought the club went for a better, safer, less risky option after 3 years of fuck ups. It is so obvious what our biggest problem is and has been for years and yet we haven’t resolved it. Someone like Ings 4 years ago can create a goal out of nothing, let alone finish a gilt edge chance. Adams can’t even do the latter. Simply not good enough from him or - much more culpably - the club.

On paper that’s an impressive 18. Assuming Fraser, Jan and Brooks aren’t quite ready it’s almost exactly what I’d go for. My only quibbles are a) Edozie has done far more to earn a starting spot over Sulemana and b) why no Charles on the bench in lieu of 3 wingers? Still should be enough … so I guess I’m going to be miserable in about 150 minutes 😂

Not really - I’m sure some will be very disappointed to be associated with them. Base themselves in Guernsey to avoid tax, but take advantage of British mail prices which heavily subsidise remote places (via stamp prices and government subsidies, so we the people in other words) so that sending post via a plane from basically France costs the same as sending it down the road. Great exploitation of a legally available system of government subsidies to maximise profits and lessen the tax burden, but still a bit … what’s the word … cunty? See! Can always find an angle 😉

Yeah, pretty terrible and unacceptable I have to say. Not that it would excuse anything, but the club would do well to put out a statement apologising

The Cardiff goal makes no difference to how important it is we win this game NO MATTER IF YOU PUT IT IN CAPITALS OR NOT. Or use excessive exclamation marks!!!!!!!!!

I just drove into the office in town and the smoke cloud is over Cumberland square/Bedford place. on that basis it’s a bl00dy big fire and will take hours to bring under enough control for anyone to declare it’s safe. May as well officially cancel now because we won’t be playing this evening imo

I know Arsenal are good but I wouldn’t expect a non-league side to be this off the pace in a cup match. This performance is completely embarrassing

Going to call it early … this could be the night to end our 9-0 record.

Looks like I would be made to move - and even then I’m in favour. We need a home end, the atmosphere is crap and I think this will help. Pain as I like my seat but it’s the obvious solution to a problem created the day we moved here.

Well I guess it gives him a nice rest ahead of the play-offs. And maybe an opportunity for someone else. Who knows, maybe we can try Jack Stephen’s up there - about the only position he didn’t try on Saturday