derry

What I found unforgiveable was his lethargic tracking back. He needed to sprint flat out to get goalside not trot. Up front his movement and physical challenges were equally lethargic and ineffective.

I thought the outfield team last night that played well should be started with the luxury of some good substitutes to use later. they deserve another go. If Jander not fit possibly Charles. Personally as there isn't an alternative I'd play Bazunu because the three centrebacks are more combative and Wood and Quarshie are far superior to THB and JS in defending an areial threat. Because of his incompetence if the ball is passed back, like Bambi on ice, unless 100% went long which it wouldn't, furthermore Middlesborough will be looking to exploit him I wouldn't want McCarthy.

Having watched McCarthy over the years there are several things that for me rule him out. A classic stupidity that having passed out to a Newcastle player who then crossed for Izak to score then last night to do exactly the same thing for Izak again to score. McCarthy might be a better shotstopper but he chickens out if he has to come out and block at a players feet alternatively on occasions pulls his head out of the way instead of trying to block at the near post, an example against Wolves a few seasons ago when the ball was blasted into the roof of the net as he got out of the way. If McCarthy is to play he would have to absolutely not play passes purely belt the ball upfield out wide every time. I think this play it out fad has really time expired, it causes more problems than it solves.

That mess up from McCarthy has been coming from the start. He's like Bambi on ice with the ball at his feet and his brain in what do I do now mode. He saved the first time, nearly got caught several times until he just passed it out for the goal. Shades of Newcastle last season. He never learned anything same player scored. The shame is that is the best we've played all season. Whoever thinks McCarthy can displace Bazunu is in cloud cuckoo land. It looks like Still has accidently found a team.

The problem I've got is firstly if McCarthy is the answer then it's the wrong question. Bazunu has unfortunately had a really rough time because the defence he is relying on is as porous as a colander. Defenders that don't attack the aerial ball, pass it around and invite pressure then push up and leave us wide open to being caught on the break. In a nutshell an incompetent clusterfuck. I'm not saying he's the answer but behind that incompetence he's like a cat on a hot tin roof. We need to sort the problem in front of him. I'm hoping that Wood and Quarshie have a decent game tonight.

A serial ball watcher along with the out of form THB gives us a porous back four. I'd drop them both. Bring in Wood and Quarshie and give the two Danes a go as full backs. Whoever does the coaching needs to be shot. Players standing marking space with the aerial ball coming in is stupidity. McBurnie had a running jump. The players needed to be attacking the ball not standing underneath being outjumped. Neither Stephens or THB do this defensively just spectating and ball watching just exposes the goal.

He plays like a pussy. Needs to knock a few over.

All he has to do is attack the high balls, and in possession hit the ball up the line and leave the forwards to press it. I'm sick of smartasses giving the ball away. Basic defending and a get out plan default.

For a start stop playing out from the back, just hit the corners and attack the ball. We're just contributing to our own failures allowing teams to defend deep and break.

Christie Wilkins Traynor McGowan Parker Elliott Flood Reeves Day Mulgrew Hoskins an average side in my first season. I was at the Saints v MU youth game.

Personally our back four was a clusterfuck. Apart from giving the ball away and for all three goals getting nowhere near the crosses THB looked negative and off the paceand along with Stephens and Manning need to be stood down. Give Roerslev another go and bring in Jelert, Quarshie and Wood. Charles and Jander in the middle with Fellows, Armstrong, Archer and Scienza. Azaz needs to step up his tempo and physicality. Cut out the sideways and backwards possession crap and get the ball out wide and up front quickly. I lost count of the times today a positive thirty yard pass into space was spurned and the ball rotated backwards or sideways. There has to be consequences. Playing the same garbage doesn't cut it. Players make runs, the ball goes square, players stop making runs.

That was garbage. Frazer played nearly every ball backwards. Loads of occasions when balls forward into space were on but ball played backwards and sideways. Time for the hairdryer shock treatment.

I'm surprised everybody is disappointed at what the game was like. Almost 100% of the membership here have been working themselves into a lather about the importance of not losing this match. The idiot management buy into that and import LeTissier and Benali to emphasise the importance of the game to the players. I bet most of them had the mindset any result except a loss. So Portsmouth played well, bollocks, from the kick off their main tactic was launch the ball into our area, very occasionly Murphy had a run but about half the times played the ball into the box from about thirty yards out. Most times it was the keeper launching the ball. We played four at the back and looked better for it, making the full backs more defensive was correct. The two midfielders weren't positive enough mostly sitting back whilst playing Archer on his own was counter productive. The two wingers really had no target. If Archer really wanted to help he could have marked the keeper because that would have stymied Portsmouth's back passing and then a launched ball . He'd have caused them a lot more problems than he did up between two big centre backs. That result was the predictable outcome of an overhyped game. Now we need to get these players incorporated and move up the table.

Last 98 years P28 W15 L6 D7

From Tuesday they have been working on shape. The video on the OS shows the new players fully involved.

Personally I wouldn't piss about. I'd put all the new signings in against Pompey. I've had enough of defensively poor wing backs. KWP was a myth, a dynamic winger but a liability as a defender, often never in position or wrong side of mark. Still has two weeks to integrate the new players. Azaz has already played so if we want to play wingers so we can play a back four there's no point in wasting time. All he has to do is decide who plays up top, who will play alongside Jander, (Downes is training), along with the two central defenders probably THB and Stephens. We've been substandard attack wise so now we can turn this around. Time to ditch the timidity and get on with it.

I think it has turned out to be a pretty good transfer window. We have shifted about £25m in salaries for a start. Lost a load of players that either weren't good enough or didn't want to be here, that alone was a result. As for the transfers in, they have been outstanding. The key for me is the new engine room, Fellows, Azaz and Scienza. They will put a whole new attacking output for the lucky strikers that are used, Downs should thrive as and when used now we have proper creators and scorers in attack. Jander will give us a new dimension from midfield with his passing and driving runs. Lastly providing we play four at the back the two full backs should improve us. Add that to the players that are still here and we have the basis of a cracking team.

Smallbone rejoins Ex Stoke manager Alex Neil who managed his previous loan. a good move, good luck to him.

Reported signed but now doing the media requirements.

Florian Plattenberg reporting deal now done, on his way for medical.

Reported waiting for a UK flight at Stuttgart Airport around one o'clock. Presumably to LHR or LGW

Unlikely that Scienza was on a/c from Munich as he was reported waiting at Stuttgart Airport around one o'clock for a flight to UK.

Citation just landed from Munich. If Sky has coverage we should know if he's on it.

Citation B now not arriving until about 1550. That was an amateur cock up this is a professional German corporate jet operator.

That's because it's over 100 miles to Munich and close to Stuttgart. Corporate jets do pick ups at the most convenient place although based in Munich.