Saints 0-0 Skates - Match Thread

[Sidney Fudpucker the 3rd]

What happened to Will Still being one of the top tacticians in Europe? 
I'm yet to see any evidence. 🙄

[bpsaint]

Still been completely out thought today. New formation and faces required second half

[Secret Site Agent]

Tactics are all wrong.

Pompey know our game play.

We can't beat them with killer passes and long ball.

Will needs to shake it up in the second half .

They are playing like a team.

We are playing like 11 players.

[Toussaint]

As Strachan used to say, you have to earn the right to play football, we aren’t doing the tough stuff. Pompey are, they are playing the way we should have in the prem, bring teams down a notch by outworking them. 

[AlexLaw76]

They are a far better coached/drilled side

 

[benjii]

2 minutes ago, Chez said:

We are simply unable to pass the ball through the lines - leading to us passing across the back line. Azaz needs to work much much harder to be available, as do the two wingers. Might open up second half a little as they tire. Hopefully. 

Got to stop the ball to Murphy. He's the stand out player. 

Yeah, but the midfield and back 4 are condensed too deep and the forwards are too high.

Plus our work off the ball is pathetic so we never get to attack them when they're out of position.

[lambtiss]

Has Franny joined Dexys Midnight Runners?

[trousers]

1 minute ago, die Mannyschaft said:

Should be 4 down.

How does that work, given they've had 7 shots and none on target? (I'm not defending our woeful performance btw)

[macca155]

Pompey have really upped their game , whether they can they maintain that is the big question. They look very vulnerable at the back. Need to get in behind them.

Positives for me are Fellows, he's getting stuck in. Charles looks good. The defence is coping .... just but continue like this and they'll score eventually.

[Lone ranger]

Let’s face it Pompey have a good manager who knows how to get the best out of average players plus a couple of very good players. Of course we sold out good players. 

[Toussaint]

Just now, bpsaint said:

Still been completely out thought today. New formation and faces required second half

Outthought and outfought 

[benjii]

Just now, bpsaint said:

Still been completely out thought today. New formation and faces required second half

FFS

It's not the formation it's the tactics.

[SNSUN]

Bench looks decent though. And we've got late goals this season so fitness seems good. Hopefully they'll tire. 

Cross from Fellows for the Archer chance looked good. I only saw the second half of the first half but Fraser looked lively. I guess I was lucky to miss the first half of the first half. 

[ant]

The only thing I can possibly imagine is that we're trying to make them do the legwork and profit later on. But that's an incredibly charitable assessment. 

Zero cohesion so far, and support dropped right off after 20 minutes. When will folks learn that being loud in Spoons and quiet in the ground does no good? 

We can only improve. One hopes.

[JohnnyShearer2.0]

Been absolutely awful. Look like a bunch of strangers. 

[Toussaint]

Just now, lambtiss said:

Has Franny joined Dexys Midnight Runners?

He stole my shtick 

[benjii]

Just now, Toussaint said:

Outthought and outfought 

Not true at all. We're battling and getting stuck in. We are hamstrung by clueless tactics.

[qwertyell]

Terrible. A team that thinks it's premier league in all but name against a huff and puff league one rabble, and it's only the rabble that know what they're doing. 

Can't press. Defensive line is too deep, because our apparent first choice centre backs are deathly slow. The centre back we signed for his pace can't make the bench. Just panicky lumping the ball away upfield like it's a live hand grenade within seconds of gaining possession. No shape. No patterns of play. No sign of that playmaker from Boro. 

It's so poor across the board. That Russian owner was right - we're not good enough for his players. At the moment we look like we'd be a step down for some Portsmouth players. 

It can't get much worse in the second half, can it? 

Won the transfer window and ended up worse again. What a club. 

[Harry_SFC]

Azaz has been a passenger. Both fullbacks very poor. Downes hopeless. Feel for Archer.

Need control of the midfield and more passing options for the fullbacks. 

I'd get Jander on for Azaz and Stewart for Archer if we are going to continue with long balls. 

[lambtiss]

2 minutes ago, Toussaint said:

As Strachan used to say, you have to earn the right to play football, we aren’t doing the tough stuff. Pompey are, they are playing the way we should have in the prem, bring teams down a notch by outworking them. 

Nailed it

[Yozzman]

6 minutes ago, egg said:

Can't believe that's a serious call. Azaz is the only one moving and offering an option. 

Are you joking? 

[sockeye]

Still needs to drill cohesion asap or we will lose this one.

[Baird of the land]

1 minute ago, Sidney Fudpucker the 3rd said:

What happened to Will Still being one of the top tacticians in Europe? 
I'm yet to see any evidence. 🙄

Very depressing to have a manager watching that clown show and not doing anything to change it.

[saintant]

1 minute ago, Wade Garrett said:

Need to start playing through midfield instead of over it.  One or two need to take responsibility and play on the half-turn in our half.

They are brilliantly organised.  Time for Still to earn his money.

They are pressing higher, playing as a unit and in a compact shape. We are a shambles with no press, zero cohesion and just passing it backwards and sideways in our own half until, with no options, we lump it long to no one in particular. This is a big worry on Still's watch.

[coalman]

1 minute ago, Lighthouse said:

I get that a lot of people are still obsessed with Russell bloody Martin but love him or hate him, that was the least ‘Russball’ 45 minutes of football I’ve ever seen. Which game are you watching?

Agreed. If anything this represented the polar opposite of Martin. Get the ball, hit it long straight away looking for the killer long ball. Give ball away. Defend. Repeat.

Something in the middle where we can control the game and pass through midfield rather than constantly trying to bypass it might be nice. When we pass it about we have the better players and look better. But we're just playing head tennis then hoofing it.

[lambtiss]

1 minute ago, benjii said:

Not true at all. We're battling and getting stuck in. We are hamstrung by clueless tactics.

Rubbish. We've been second to the ball on almost every occasion. 

[hypochondriac]

I don't care about the performance if we win . Just sort it out lads seocnd half 

[AlexLaw76]

So far… sit deep, get ball, pass it about the back line, launch it forward to an isolated archer from about 40 yards out

should have got Sam Allardyce if this is all Still has

Edited yesterday at 12:06 by AlexLaw76

[Convict Colony]

Ok praying we cant be that shit in the 2nd half and portsmouth get tired.

[coalman]

1 minute ago, Harry_SFC said:

Azaz has been a passenger. Both fullbacks very poor. Downes hopeless. Feel for Archer.

Need control of the midfield and more passing options for the fullbacks. 

I'd get Jander on for Azaz and Stewart for Archer if we are going to continue with long balls. 

Maybe Jander for Downes. He's just not part of the game at all.

[Saint_clark]

I will say the ref isn't helping. We seemed to come into this game expecting a scrap but he put a stop to that pretty quick with very soft decisions. Can't have a soft referee in a game like this. 

[Gloucester Saint]

Mousinho has them much better organised, hate to say it. The football we are playing I reminds me of Sturrock’s final games.

[Sheaf Saint]

3 minutes ago, Chez said:

We are simply unable to pass the ball through the lines - leading to use passing across the back line. Azaz needs to work much much harder to be available, as do the two wingers. Might open up second half a little as they tire. Hopefully. 

Got to stop the ball to Murphy. He's the stand out player. 

This, but I have to give credit to Pompey (urgh, that didn't feel good to type) because they have been organised and have closed off the forward passing lanes well, which leaves us either the safe pass around the back or the long ball forward as options. I'm sure that's not actually how Still wants us to play.

I've been impressed with Fellows on the few occasions he's actually been fed the ball down the right though. Need to get him involved more in the second half.

[Gloucester Saint]

Just now, coalman said:

Maybe Jander for Downes. He's just not part of the game at all.

Keep him on, get Jander behind him. 

[tdmickey3]

What about that moronic decision by Harwood belies to get booked for that…. Prick

[benjii]

1 minute ago, lambtiss said:

Rubbish. We've been second to the ball on almost every occasion. 

Because of how the lines are set up with massive spaces and no proper pressing. Which is clearly what the manager wants for some reason.

[coalman]

Just now, tdmickey3 said:

What about that moronic decision by Harwood belies to get booked for that…. Prick

If you're going to push a Pompey player at least launch him into one of his team mates.

[SNSUN]

Ffs both CBs now on yellows.

[Sheaf Saint]

Both CBs on a yellow now. Great.

[egg]

6 minutes ago, Yozzman said:

Are you joking? 

Are you watching? 

[Saint Billy]

Two of our back line booked .......... Great!

[SNSUN]

I can see a sending off here if we don't score a goal or two soon. Longer it goes on the more a fight will ensue

[CB Fry]

Absolutely exceptional displays of knocking it between the keeper and the CBs.

[Baird of the land]

Is Still just inept or mad

[bangkoksaint]

Nothings changed then this half

[stknowle]

Fuck me he actually kicked the corner flag there. 😂

[John Boy Saint]

Where was everyone!

[SNSUN]

Aargh Archer! 

Better Saints

[adrian lord]

Better but we tend to run out of ideas approaching their box. 

[Lighthouse]

Better. Come on boys.