sidthesquid

He is starting to win me over - part of the trouble was that our first two home games were against teams that refused to attack, so he was somewhat redundant as a defensive midfielder. The last two games you can see what he is about, and I thought his presence in midfield made a huge difference to us holding onto our lead against a combative and attacking team.

I'm just really disappointed that we have spent all this money yet have all the same faults as last year. We have played three very middling teams and got middling results - we never look like we are going to score, we churn possession as if it is the sole object of the game and move forward so slowly that the other team always has nine men behind the ball. We have spent £40 million on Ramirez, Wanyama & Osvaldo, but they genuinely look no better than Lallana, Cork or Rodriguez, just a bit less interested. MP has got to make some brave decisions in the coming weeks.....

We look like a very expensive mid/lower half team, beaten by an average Norwich team. Questions - is Wanyama better than Cork? Ramirez over Lallana, Osvaldo over Rodriguez? The answer for me is NO, never mind replacing Morgan with Davis. Cork & Schneiderlin were as good a pairing as I've ever seen us have - why break it up? Lallana playing well, why take him off? Reputation and fee winning over reality at the moment imo.

I thought JWP was MoM by a distance. Playing in a position that players mature into like that he is truly going far (hopefully with us!) Lallana was a close second - everything positive we did through him. This was not a JRod sort of a game - no space to run at people, all tight control with his back to goal. First half Wanyama was everywhere, second half he barely saw the ball. His physical presence will be great for a wet Tuesday at Hull, but we missed Cork's ability to seamlessly progress the ball forward without any fuss. Chambers looked amazingly assured for a kid in his second ever start. Osvaldo is a maniac - legend in the making I think Gaston doesn't deserve to make the current starting XI If we can truly maintain this form we will be fine despite today being immensely frustrating.

I thought he totally ran the game in the second half -MoM by a mile.

I do wonder how many they will take up there.....

Oh, and the Skates, obviously, but that goes without saying.

Does nobody hate Man U? I've loathed them since the age of ten, and at least back them they were perennial under-achievers. But under old Slapped-arse face I hated them even more. Everywhere I have ever been in life I have encountered plastic 'life-long' United fans who've never watched a live game in their lives.

http://www.portsmouth.co.uk/sport/pompey/pompey-talent-heads-for-shots-1-5355459 Cue another plea to the FL to be allowed to bring in a loanee or two from a bigger club because they are so short of numbers.

Sorry to be a pedant, but mathematics and the sceptic isle really are strangers.... The Pompey Supporters’ Trust chairman confirmed 350 fans who pledged to the scheme have yet to pay the additional £900 required to purchase a share. However, they have not asked for their initial £100 payments back, either. If they were to convert their pledges, an additional £350,000 would be made available to the Trust. NO IT WOULDN'T. 350 X £900 is £315000, NOT £350,000 A small point, but you wouldn't want them falling into debt for the want of a few basic sums would you? Who knows where that could end?

Wtf - I don't even know what gender that is....

Wtf - I don't even know what gender that is....

They just never let you down, do they? (It is just possible that it is a practical necessity, in order to fit in with your colleagues).

This is scarily subtle trolling from somebody or our favoutite son has gone over to the dark side or received a blow to the head.....

Call me Mystic Sid, but I have this premonition that Twittingham has, completely out of turn with his fore-runners, gone for a quality-over-quantity squad that will be tragically depleted by December, when Agent Connolly's hamstrings have gone again etc, and they will seeking dispensation to break their wage-cap agreement with the FL to bring in reinforcements.

That's not actually bad odds - I might ghet tempted by that

Can you get odds for them failing to get promoted? 15 or 20/1 would be good, even 10/1 might be worth a tenner.

I'm feeling quite sad about this thread - 6 days to fill a page. I mean! Even Rallyboy's sarcasm is struggling to raise a smile. And the relentless tub-thumping from 'Factless' sounds just that - a hollow sound born of desperation. This new Skate-world, with them at least vaguely attempting to live within their means, signing players who played last season for AFC Wimbledon ffs, of world tours of East Hants District Council wards - it's all mildly amusing, in a slightly cringey way, not laugh out loud as the lunatics take over the asylum sort of way. I'll keep visiting this dear old thread, like faithfully turning up to see your Nan in a home when you were a kid, aware that her best days are behind, old memories and a sense of duty dragging you there rather than a sense of excitement or hope, until one day she will be gone.....

My first boyhood hero - the one that got me into the Saints from my first game v Derby in September 1970 (4-0 Davies 2, Channon 2). I have never seen another player come close to his heading ability since. A true legend and a sad end.

When I saw the headline of Allen appointed assistant manager, I thought for one moment that all of old Factless's fawning sycophancy had paid off big-time. Hey ho....

Amazingly not. Gillingham want to keep him.

Seriously, what is wrong with those people. Calling them delusional is being rude to delusionists...... http://www.portsmouth.co.uk/sport/pompey/no-pompey-compensation-for-stoke-new-boy-grant-1-5086581 In addition, they could not see him getting regular football next season with Dan Butler and Adam Webster ahead at left-back and centre-back respectively. Sources close to Grant claim the youngster would have taken a drop in wages to stay, if it meant him getting more game time next year. It is a guarantee Whittingham could not make and the youngster has now gone to the Premier League.

I think he has the right level of delusion to fit right in down there http://www.newsnow.co.uk/A/644853510?-11209:804

Jusr read the items at the Tony Goodall Community Conference All very good and promising for the future. Just one point I find argument with - lifetime season ticket holders. As I understood the system, these were paid for over 10 years ago whilst Milan Manderic was in charge and cost about £1500. Once the Milan/Gaydamak era was over, I assumed the 'lifers' ended, having got a very good deal from their investment. Yet now, several owners later, it appears that they still continue to reap the benefits having paid barely £100 each year for a season ticket based on their original investment. These tickets are sold and passed around amongst friends and even inherited by relatives. If we are starting a new era of responsibility at Pompey, is it not time to say to the lifers - you've done exceptionally well from your upfront payment, but we are now a community club and there are no longer any free rides? I have this image of these tickets being offered as dowries as aged six-fingered dwellers of the Septic Isle try to offload their most unappealing shell-suited sister/cousin/daughters on the unsuspecting......