S-Clarke

lol...fair point. he's the best CF in this league, awesome. Reminds me of Rob Hulse at Derby - that type of strong/leading CF. IMO lambo would still score plenty of goals in the championship.

From what i could see, it started with Mellis out on the left and Lallana through the middle. After 20mins, Mellis started wandering again - so Pard's stuck him through the middle and instructed Lallana to get out on the left to support/track back when needed - but adam was still given the license to roam and come inside when we attacked. We didn't really have any width down the left....but we didn't need it as our right side was so productive.

We did well today, first half was a bit hit and miss...their equalizer had us all thinking it was going to be another of those days, but we regrouped and did well to hit back as quickly as we did to pretty much end the game. 2nd half we were great, could have had 5 or 6 if we really had pushed it - but it was nice to see us comfortably closing a game out for once. The key area today was the attack (obviously..!), but not just lambert..Lallana/Papa and Mellis all interchanged brilliantly and made it ''busy'' around lambo (which is what pards has been asking for) Harding was back to his best again today, probably the best LB at this level tbh. I just hope that gives the lads the confidence that they need and we can kick on now. No more - points hanging over us...so no more reasons for that having an ''effect'' - it's an even playing field now and it's time for us to show what we're made of at this level.

Davis 7 - Not much to do really...couple of good claims. James 7 - was ok, got done a couple of times for being a bit slow (in his mind) in the first 20mins but really got to grips with the game in the 2nd half. Jaidi - 8 nothing got past him - man mountain Trotman 8 - ditto really - a really strong central partnership we have now. Harding 8 - Excellent i thought, bursting forward, cutting inside and running at defenders...and a good display defensively too. Love him Mellis 8 - was a bit skeptical about his inclusion after his team performance v Rovers, but he was excellent i felt. Always popping up in and around the box. He started out on the left...but then went to play through the middle after about 20mins with lambert - where i felt he was pretty good. Lively pacey and has good ability. Hammond 8 - Solid. A leader in the middle, keeps us playing and keeps the shape of the midfield 4. Wotton 7 - I thought he was good - don't underestimate his involvement in the score line today, kept harrying in midfield and pressuring their players. Ok...he's not a gifted player by any-means, but he gives you 100%. Papa 9 - Brilliant, after about 20mins. Had a slow start to the game..but then came alive. He has pace to burn and gave us that natural width down the right we've been crying for. He beat their man time and time again. It's great to actually have an outlet over the top...and we were a real threat on the break for once. Adam - 9 MOTM for me. Brilliant, he's really upped his game in the last month. You cannot fault his effort this season but now he's adding goals to his tally to. Crackling little player. Lambert 9 - The ultimate front man. He has everything for this level. Holds it up, can pass it, can volley it, can head it..can score......he's going to be a hero for us. Subs... Gillet 7 - did ok, didn't get long but did his chances no harm. Patto - n/a - was only on 2mins Holmes - n/a - again..really only got 2/3mins.

From a spurs ''ITK'' blog... '' Back in June the whole Bent Arry gig appeared to be on the wane as soccer agent Willie McKay and Amdy Fane were both released from bail. There were seven individuals arrested originally and they included David O'Sullivan, Karen Brady, McKay, Fane, Storrie and Redscnapps. Arry, you might recall was rearrested in relation to some tax issues along with Storrie and Brady. So fast forward to today and a member of Spurs Odyessy is today saying the following... 'Some very interesting developments on the case involving Redknapp, Peter Storrie and the Amdy Faye transfer imminent, lawyer friends tell me....' And when nudged along.. 'Without going into too many details, for obvious reasons, case files have been delivered to legal chambers, and there are some serious questions to answer.' If there is any truth to this, I've got just two words uh and oh.'' If this is true, Portsmouth should just go extinct now to save themselves the mess this could cause for them

Premier league ready to step in to stop Pompey going into admin... http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/premier-league-ready-to-take-control-as-penniless-pompey-crash-1796230.html what a load of ****, why do they get favours? just let them get the punishments they deserve for overpsending.

What do reading fans think of him? I can only think they have a bad memory of him because of the way he left for west ham - i thought he was quite a success there on the football side of things. ..and also West Ham, i know a few hammers and they really liked him and said to me personally that we've got a v good manager there...

and here http://www.dailystar.co.uk/football/view/101399/Soccer-lines/

Was in todays bbc gossip column

''Notts County are hoping to pip Sheffield United and Coventry to the loan signing of Birmingham winger Gary McSheffrey.'' Hope we're sniffing around too!

Well Volkes was supposed to join Cov last week, but it didn't happen and nothing has been in the media since.... Maybe we've put our loan on the table? He'd love to play for saints at St Mary's - he'd jump at the chance IMO. L1 or not.

Managed to speak to a Pompey fan a little earlier, not sure how true it is, but apparently the good old Dr is struggling to bring in the 50m, he may still manage it, but it's not going to be a cash investment - it's just a loan. Not surprised people are reluctant to give out loans to them at the mo tbf... I did wonder why it hadn't happen last week, when the dr himself told fans it would be within ''this week'' that the refinance would appear. ](*,)

Administration is a risk for anyone. For us, we're damn lucky to end up with what we have. but just think about how close we came to having nothing during the process? Administration attracts so many tyre kickers it's untrue, looking to make a quick buck on refinancing a club (the company who came in at the end looking for a quick deal are a good example...and then we have pinnacle) I wouldn't want to go through it again, it wasn't fun and at times you thought it was all over and we'd have to find something else to do on Saturdays. It's not a good thing to go through, but we're lucky we came out of it with a real positive future.

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.