S-Clarke

Cardiff probably did enough to score that day too, but pompey were very lucky... don't think it will ever go that far FF (as in removing their name), but i doubt many pompey fans will look back on that in about 20 years and remember that ''FA cup winning team - what hero's' It wont feel like our FA Cup win still does. They're still all heroes to us, achieved when no one expected us to and we did it fair.

Top end of midtable for me. Our slow start to the season has stopped anything remotely successful happening, but i can envisage us having a really strong end to the season and eventually finishing somewhere between 10th - 15th IMO. We've got too much to do to finish in a play off place (we need league winning form tbf) but top half midtable will be acceptable, as it will mean we have had a strong end to the season - ready to kick on for next year. Anything like bottom half mid-table, just above the relgation places will be awful IMO - as it will mean we've still been loosing games regularly.

Don't get me wrong, neither do i. I just want them to face the punishment as a club that they need to face. They've got themselves into this position through stupid spending, so they deserve no favors by the FA/FL to get themselves out of this. Apparently, the PFA can lend a grant/loan to troubled PL clubs.... that's just wrong isn't it?

If he was playing he would be scoring IMO, If saga played regularly, every week and got fit and started getting the balls from the middle he'd score. He had his hot patch here after he played a run of games (where he looked quite rubbish at the start tbh). Also, the balls and service he got from midfield (danny guthrie) were perfect for him. It's a waste of time having saga as a sub and playing the way we do around him - either use him from the start every week, or let him go.

I posted this on the main board, but i'll post it here too... Surley administration, or even insolvency is only around the corner now? What they have done is exactly what these points deductions have come into stop. Clubs spending above their means and still carrying on without further punishment. The FL set a precedent with Luton, now it's time for the FA and PL to set the standard at Portsmouth. I'm not saying similar points deductions etc - but they need to be punished for quite honestly, paying above their means for a year. This 50m is another load of woffle too apparently, as Dr Who is struggling to bring it in. According to their fans metting, the dr told the fans it would be within this week (which was last week). Anyway - that would only be a loan, with monthly repayments. Not exactly the way to go is it? Screwed, quite honestly. They could be heading to a worse place than we did, complete oblivion.

Surley administration, or even insolvency is only around the corner now? What they have done is exactly what these points deductions have come into stop. Clubs spending above their means and still carrying on without further punishment. The FL set a precedent with Luton, now it's time for the FA and PL to set the standard at Portsmouth. I'm not saying similar points deductions etc - but they need to be punished for quite honestly, paying above their means for a year. This 50m is another load of woffle too apparently, as Dr Who is struggling to bring it in. According to their fans metting, the dr told the fans it would be within this week (which was last week). Anyway - that would only be a loan, with repayments. Not exactly the way to go is it? Screwed, quite honestly. They could be heading to a worse place than we did, complete oblivion.

In a way, i kind of saw that passion and desperation on Tuesday in the 2nd half. We came out like a team possesed, i've not seen us do that for a long long time - we just couldn't finish those big chances. At the end of the day, i can see the right things are being put in place all over the club and on the pitch. I'm frustrated as anyone that it's not happening quicker, but i think we can all be confident that it will happen eventually. - these owners will not fail. They haven't achieved their reputations from failing previously.

I think whatever happens, as long as these guys are in charge (Cortese/ML) we will have success of some form in the next few years. It may be with Pards, or it will be with someone else - but these guys will do everything they can to ensure we win things - any supporters of any club would be absoloutley chuffed if their owners said the same. the difference from alot of other clubs though, is that these guys have the money and so far they have talked the talk and walked the walk...

I agree with what you're saying DD. I said after the game last night, that lessons have to be learnt from how Rovers used the ball and attatcked us down the flanks - it's amazing how many problems this casued. Our right-side is the main issue. We will look a completley different team once we have Murty back and we loan in a proper out and out RM - imo this has to be a priority, we cannot continue to play out of position players on the right trying to fill the gap - let's just go out and buy a player for that position. On the left, i'd bring Holmes back - he's got natrual width and he showed that last season. He's not the fastest, but he's nto the slowest either, but one thing he did offer us last season was pure width - he hugged that touchline which is what we need. Mills seems to want to cut in alot, im not sure why that is as he has a good left foot...but IMO holmes should be being beased back into the team now. He was a star for Walsall in this league a year or 2 ago.

You're right there - if you have a settled, confident hard-working team, then you can do good things in the lower leagues. Burnley are a good example, they don't have any ''stand out'' players, quite alot of journeymen and oldheads...but the most important thing was that they were a team and have an excellent captain in alexander. As odd as it sounds, in our team we probably had more technical ability - but as you say, it really means sod all outside the prem.

At the end of the day, what else can they say? It's part and parcel of football now, all the offical sites spout the same stuff every week - it's not just us. They have to publish something online, it's the standard post-match player/manager interviews.

I personally think its mental fatigue, especially from the likes of Adam/Morgan/James - who struggled to see out games last year, and again are the same this year. It doesn't matter if you have the hammonds/harding/jadi's in the team - if you're still carrying 3 players in key positions for the last 20mins of games, you'll struggle. That's what we need to address...the only way to address it is to either replace them for now, or get some wins on the bounce to get their confidence up. (which means scoring to make it 3-1/4-1 when we’re on top…!) They're still damaged goods from last year IMO.

IMO they were a constant threat, not from arial bombardment - but from width and pace, i lost count of the amount of times they got in behind us. They broke very well, and switched play brilliantly. Most of the time harding was chasing back and trotman had to come over to cover, which left our defence short - but Jaidi did well dealing with the crosses in. You can't really say they weren't much of a threat in the 2nd half though..

Depressing isnt it. no matter what ****ing league we're in, we still struggle at the bottom end. what is up with us?? these swiss guys have got their work cut out.....but because of the type of guys they are, im 110% confident they'll succeed in the end.

agree with that - fair assessment. if we're 10, or more points adrift in Jan - then it's game over for him. def. i think he'd resign if it was like that anyway.....but i honestly believe we'll be out of the bottom 4 before xmas.....

..and thats why fans should not run football clubs.

He's got pace and will therefore improve us. the players in this league aren't world beaters by any means, i mean bristol rover's wide men weren't amazing players at all, but if you have pace it causes uncertainty in defences. for this reason, i'd throw him straight in.

Lowe was trying to push Davis out too, that was the reason behind forecast signing...and was also the reason webster was put on gardening leave i believe. It was the same with Rudi, Safri, Davies, Rasiak...saga...john....euell. Ok they were obviously on a fair whack of wages, but it was too big a gamble to shut them all out – and it was also not the choice of Jan - what an awful situation he was in, if you think about it. Hockaday spoke up about it, he knew the kids as he had worked with them in the acamdy..he said to lowe it was too much too soon for them….but that was that and hoackady was put on gardening leave too. The plan was to get these young players doing well, and then sell them on for big bucks a season later - that's the only way lowe could possibly pay back the creditors and barclays. He was never looking for investment.

But we should not be moaning about being given 5mins time at home - it should be us, as the home team that is lifted by that. but it had the opposite effect, the players seemd to panic and worry even more - rovers senseed that, and went for a throats time and time again in those 5 added mins.

Spot on. What i've seen with lambert over the weeks though, convinces me we're trying to play him the wrong way. He tries hsi hardest with the long ball, and wins a fair few - but IMo he's more effective on the ground, dropping deep, spraying the ball to the channels. If we want him to get goals...that's what we need to do. Perfectly illustrated for Papa's goal, he worked it to the right channel with a good ball, james crossed it in and he headed it against the bar Thats how we need to play him IMO. You can see with rovers setup last night how he scored so many goals last season.

That tackle was shocking, saw that from the kingsland, the guy went straight in on him, studds up. Hammond was lucky. I've seen weaker tackles get red cards tbf. I don't like blaming the ref, as i think it's our fault we lost it - but he was weak.

He wasn't that good, he anticipated the goal well though - a yard before any rovers players were there. I had hopes for him as a winger to solve our right side problem, but not on last night's showing. Just ran like a headless chiken and did not keep wide at all. Was better when he was put through the middle IMO. He has pace, but like Jake...he doesn't use it correctly. I'm sure he'll get better though...esp his offside issues!

again - completely agree. We need pace off lambert, it's bleeding obvious to even a blind man. Dickson for them was excellent, he's only on loan from charlton and was one of pard's signings when he was there - possible target i'd hope after tonight.

I do agree with that, i saw the logic in the subs at the time. The game started to pass Morgan by...made sense to bring on someone to strengthen it (although id have preferred gillet on the bench tbf) Mills was another lgoical choice - Harding needed help, was obvious -b ut for some reason it just didn't work, kind of made it worse. Again, mills didn't really offer the support to harding i thought he was put on to do. Papa was never going to play 90 anyway, was knakcered after 60mins and Saga was the only option. Although he didn't really offer too much. So...the subs were logical and made sense to me at the right times, but they just didn't work out as they should have. I'm sure pard's is wondering why too. Lessons to be learned though, by everyone.

i agree with that, the 'team' is the key - we don't have that yet. Will we become one? it's hard to say...sometimes it just doesn't work with a group of players, no matter how hard they try. I really really hope this isn't the case here though. Mills, IMO, was brought on to help harding contain williams - but it actually made the situation worse, bizzarley.