Saints 1-0 Pompey - Match Thread

[Patrick Bateman]

4 hours ago, Turkish said:

 

"Come on then, while I stand here and don't make an effort to move forwards" 

What a dinlo.

[Patrick Bateman]

Forgot about the dinlos of our own too. Guy behind me today, CONSTANTLY blurting out "run Lauren, run" ... "move Lauren, you're lazy"

Not sure what was more annoying, having a go at Larin or calling him Lauren. FFS.

[saintstowin]

Great to be there for this one. I thought the atmosphere was brilliant throughout, obviously some anxious moments for the crowd but it was positive all game. 

I guess the formation worked fine until the red card as we were winning and relatively in control despite a few break aways when they worked it well down our right.

However I would have preferred the usual set up but there was logic to it and we might need to use it again away from home, so good to practice.

Bragg was a bit unlucky with that terrible throw in to him but I assume he asked for it. The second one is poor control and then instinct did for him. He was probably lucky to start and will struggle for minutes for a while after his ban.

I loved the effort after the red. I was low in Northam so tough to see how they got in behind and put so many crosses in but can't fault the commitment, there were great performances out there. 

I was so pleased to see us keep the back four and not chuck Wood on. I'd like to think that was learning from Lincoln etc. But maybe it was due to us having 10 men too.

Best final whistle in many a game.

What a lovely day.

[Football Special]

15 minutes ago, Patrick Bateman said:

"Come on then, while I stand here and don't make an effort to move forwards" 

What a dinlo.

Good to see they took the defeat well at least. 

[OttawaSaint]

4 hours ago, Willo of Whiteley said:

 

More fingers than teeth!

[St Chalet]

Today was a tough wank.

In year's to come, we'll just remember the score.

[OneMrsWallace]

2 hours ago, Osvaldorama said:

People are being a bit harsh on Bragg imo. It was a bad one, but he’s young and the occasion got to him. 
 

Plus look on the bright side. We got to beat them with ten men. They won’t live that one down for a while. 

Speaking after the match it sounded like Tonda suggested he wanted to start Matsuki - but because he was called up by Japan in the international break, he was considered not quite ready after all the travelling. Bragg got the nod. So he got his chance but it just proved too much for him. Agree with others that he needs to bulk up a bit. 

Edited 10 hours ago by OneMrsWallace

[trousers]

😂😂😂

 

[CSA96]

 

[SouthWalesSaints]

6 hours ago, Sheaf Saint said:

He had no choice for the first one. That throw in from Manning was a real hospital pass.

Unfortunately he's got no-one to blame but himself for the second one. It was a stupid, instinctive thing to do and he knew instantly he was off. But that's another reason to be so grateful we held in to win because I shudder to think how gutted he would feel if we hadn't.

It was a bad throw but he still shanked the touch. He’s not at the level and shouldn’t have played. 

[JohnnyShearer2.0]

6 hours ago, SouthWalesSaints said:

It was a bad throw but he still shanked the touch. He’s not at the level and shouldn’t have played. 

I don't think this was the right game for him. Too emotive and highly charged with the visitors being desperate to put in quick challenges.

His game is good but think as others have said, he needs to bulk up a bit and realise that players will be on you in a second. So the passing game needs to be adjusted to the situation.

[Harry_SFC]

11 minutes ago, JohnnyShearer2.0 said:

I don't think this was the right game for him. Too emotive and highly charged with the visitors being desperate to put in quick challenges.

His game is good but think as others have said, he needs to bulk up a bit and realise that players will be on you in a second. So the passing game needs to be adjusted to the situation.

I thought Bragg was tentative up until the red card. Looked nervous on the ball and yeah I think the occasion got the better of him. 

[austsaint]

9 minutes ago, JohnnyShearer2.0 said:

I don't think this was the right game for him. Too emotive and highly charged with the visitors being desperate to put in quick challenges.

His game is good but think as others have said, he needs to bulk up a bit and realise that players will be on you in a second. So the passing game needs to be adjusted to the situation.

Hope I'm wrong but I'm not optimistic about Bragg being good enough at Championship level; nor do I think adding a bit of bulk is going to transform him into a better player.  Neat and tidy passing when not under pressure looks to be his main attribute.   Basically a recycling midfielder.    Yesterday, Tonda played a three man midfield and with JWP having a quiet game and Bragg out of his depth, it was left to Downes to carry the load.    It also meant we were an attacking player short....Matsuki, Fellows, even Dobbin would have added a running player in support of Leo and helped Larin be less isolated.     Pompey were there to be well beaten but the cautious selection approach kept them in it, even before the red card.    

[Football Special]

9 hours ago, bpsaint said:

Christ. Almost feel sorry for the bloke these days.

Genuinely when do you think he last had a bath?

I'm sure if analysed he'd be diagnosed with a personality disorder, during the week he wears a shirt and tie and runs his antique bookshop in leafy Petersfield, but come Matchday he puts on his Pompey nappy and wig and seems incapable of controlling himself

Makes out he's just eccentric but I remember at an England game around 1999 /2000 he was drunkly boasting he'd fight any scummer anytime anywhere 

[Jack]

12 minutes ago, austsaint said:

Hope I'm wrong but I'm not optimistic about Bragg being good enough at Championship level; nor do I think adding a bit of bulk is going to transform him into a better player.  Neat and tidy passing when not under pressure looks to be his main attribute.   Basically a recycling midfielder.    Yesterday, Tonda played a three man midfield and with JWP having a quiet game and Bragg out of his depth, it was left to Downes to carry the load.    It also meant we were an attacking player short....Matsuki, Fellows, even Dobbin would have added a running player in support of Leo and helped Larin be less isolated.     Pompey were there to be well beaten but the cautious selection approach kept them in it, even before the red card.    

I think Bragg will be a decent player at this level, he’s shown up in big games plenty of times before. But agree on the rest, really couldn’t understand going with the 3 in midfield against that lot. So many times we were missing another outlet and had to recycle it, especially on the right. Can’t fault them after going down to 10 but think Tonda overthought it and gave them more respect than they needed 

[Football Special]

18 minutes ago, austsaint said:

Hope I'm wrong but I'm not optimistic about Bragg being good enough at Championship level; nor do I think adding a bit of bulk is going to transform him into a better player.  Neat and tidy passing when not under pressure looks to be his main attribute.   Basically a recycling midfielder.    Yesterday, Tonda played a three man midfield and with JWP having a quiet game and Bragg out of his depth, it was left to Downes to carry the load.    It also meant we were an attacking player short....Matsuki, Fellows, even Dobbin would have added a running player in support of Leo and helped Larin be less isolated.     Pompey were there to be well beaten but the cautious selection approach kept them in it, even before the red card.    

I agree with most of those observations, certainly being an attacking player short meant we often lacked options.

I do think Bragg can develop into a good player though, had Romeu and now JWP as a mentor, he was brilliant in a few games last season including Arsenal and Man City in the FA Cup, dont think the system helped him yesterday,  with Jander back fit and needing minutes young Bragg will have to make do with a place on the bench for a while , there will inevitably be injuries and a Downes suspension that will need covering 

[The Wyvern]

6 minutes ago, Jack said:

I think Bragg will be a decent player at this level, he’s shown up in big games plenty of times before. But agree on the rest, really couldn’t understand going with the 3 in midfield against that lot. So many times we were missing another outlet and had to recycle it, especially on the right. Can’t fault them after going down to 10 but think Tonda overthought it and gave them more respect than they needed 

My reading of it was playing Bragg was to almost encourage the recycling of the ball, passing from him to CBs etc, was to draw Pompey out and encourage them to press, creating more space in their half.  Not a change I’d have made and a job Jander could have done even for 60 mins. 

[West end Saints]

2 hours ago, austsaint said:

Hope I'm wrong but I'm not optimistic about Bragg being good enough at Championship level; nor do I think adding a bit of bulk is going to transform him into a better player.  Neat and tidy passing when not under pressure looks to be his main attribute.   Basically a recycling midfielder.    Yesterday, Tonda played a three man midfield and with JWP having a quiet game and Bragg out of his depth, it was left to Downes to carry the load.    It also meant we were an attacking player short....Matsuki, Fellows, even Dobbin would have added a running player in support of Leo and helped Larin be less isolated.     Pompey were there to be well beaten but the cautious selection approach kept them in it, even before the red card.    

He is easily going to be good enough.

The majority of teams would have him as a starter.

Millwall, a top, physical championship side he was very good.

Young players are inconsistent.

With Janders return he can now be rotated as we have 4 very good CM for this level.

Edited 1 hour ago by West end Saints

[Sheaf Saint]

7 hours ago, SouthWalesSaints said:

It was a bad throw but he still shanked the touch. He’s not at the level and shouldn’t have played. 

He would have done exceptionally well to control that and pick a pass, given that it came at him at waist height and at speed. It was a terrible throw and a very poor choice from Manning.

But I do agree he probably shouldn't have started in such an important game. He's got great potential but needs to develop more before he's ready for the pressure of a derby.

[Yorkshire Saint]

9 hours ago, Patrick Bateman said:

Absolutely loved today. Atmosphere round the ground started off in the right tone, then bar 5 mins or so either side of halftime, the ground was great.

Personally I hate the fathers gun chant as it's usually sung when we aren't playing the prick, but today with what appeared to be all four sides of the ground singing it, that decent. 

Got stuck behind the escort on the avenue ... vile having to follow them.

 

As already mentioned, the pettiness of this scoreboard was first class. Well played club. 

I can not make out the picture between the scores .. what is it?

[Miltonaggro]

7 hours ago, trousers said:

😂😂😂

 

 

[Badger]

11 hours ago, Patrick Bateman said:

Absolutely lovedtoday…. Atmosphere round the the ground was great.

Got stuck behind the escort on the avenue ... vile having to follow them.

As already mentioned, the pettiness of this scoreboard was first class. Well played club. 

Agree on first point.

Surprised they took any coaches up Thr Avenue.

Yes, the scoreboard was a good one. 
 

The other thing I noticed and enjoyed was playing ‘The Liquidator’ before and after the game. Not heard that at St Mary’s before. They’ve dropped it at Wolves due to encouraging obscene chanting, so good game for us to bring it in, and many of the supporters around me rose to the challenge! 

[Saint Matty 76]

Schlotterbeck was an absolutely brilliant piece of business by the club. Really not feeling the THB loss at all (so far) as they're very similar profiles in terms of their passing from the back.

Delighted for Azaz who should hopefully get some of the weirdos off his back now after a quite ridiculous performance, especially late on. 

[Patrick Bateman]

2 minutes ago, Badger said:

Agree on first point.

Surprised they took any coaches up Thr Avenue.

Yes, the scoreboard was a good one. 
 

The other thing I noticed and enjoyed was playing ‘The Liquidator’ before and after the game. Not heard that at St Mary’s before. They’ve dropped it at Wolves due to encouraging obscene chanting, so good game for us to bring it in, and many of the supporters around me rose to the challenge! 

There were only 3 coaches, I was stuck behind the escort at the bottom of the M3 onto the Avenue, so I assumed they were the Winchester coaches. 

And yeah, The Liquidator went down really well, good choice - my son was humming it on the way back 😂  (and the Wolves management now seem boring as hell)

[Badger]

9 hours ago, trousers said:

😂😂😂

 

There’s so much wrong here.

The first two sentences are statements of fact ( or FACT for the internet age). But:

”creeping” confirmation - no, football being out of control (and spiralling further) is something most have realised for a couple of decades but not by him under his stone.

Cheats prospering - City and Chelsea might, and they won an FA Cup by spending out of control. But look at our penalty.

Leagues not governing clubs - should check how the EFL responded to our transgression. Knob.

Slippery slope - as above, been on this for years. 
 

But the farce for me in his comment is that for a nanosecond, if only in his own minuscule brain, he puts Pompey on the same platform as Liverpool !

[Badger]

A few responses to Joe M:

 

[Badger]

5 minutes ago, Patrick Bateman said:

There were only 3 coaches, I was stuck behind the escort at the bottom of the M3 onto the Avenue, so I assumed they were the Winchester coaches. 

And yeah, The Liquidator went down really well, good choice - my son was humming it on the way back 😂  (and the Wolves management now seem boring as hell)

The prison ? 

[Patrick Bateman]

9 hours ago, CSA96 said:

 

Hadn't seen that, brilliant, thanks for sharing - a really good reflection on the atmosphere, well done Sky. Good to see Ramsdale on the pitch too, I hadn't noticed him and then the slightly drunk older lady in the gillet wobbling around 😂

Proper day. 

Edited 31 minutes ago by Patrick Bateman

[skintsaint]

9 hours ago, CSA96 said:

 

Swanson mused....

[OldNick]

8 minutes ago, Patrick Bateman said:

Hadn't seen that, brilliant, thanks for sharing - a really good reflection on the atmosphere, well done Sky. Good to Ramsdale on the pitch too, I hadn't noticed him and then the slightly drunk older lady in the gillet wobbling around 😂

Proper day. 

Great to see Rambo celebrating as well, hugging the players

[OldNick]

1 hour ago, Miltonaggro said:

 

Hes not the face for TV ffs 

[Patches O Houlihan]

39 minutes ago, Badger said:

Yes, the scoreboard was a good one. 

The other thing I noticed and enjoyed was playing ‘The Liquidator’ before and after the game. Not heard that at St Mary’s before. They’ve dropped it at Wolves due to encouraging obscene chanting, so good game for us to bring it in, and many of the supporters around me rose to the challenge! 

My brother's wedding this weekend so no chance to make the game in person, but managed to get it on the TV. Loving 'The Liquidator' at full time.

Please tell me we were singing the words that I imagine we were (and during the Sky interviews) 😁

F**k off P*mpey - You C**nts!

Edited 26 minutes ago by Patches O Houlihan

[saintant]

2 hours ago, West end Saints said:

He is easily going to be good enough.

The majority of teams would have him as a starter.

Millwall, a top, physical championship side he was very good.

Young players are inconsistent.

With Janders return he can now be rotated as we have 4 very good CM for this level.

This gives Tonda a nice headache because he likes to play two midfielders plus Azaz as the link man. I'll be amazed if Downes and Jander aren't the two so JWP and Bragg will both be on the bench most games barring injuries/rotation.

[Badger]

1 minute ago, Patches O Houlihan said:

My brother's wedding this weekend so no chance to make the game in person, but managed to get it on the TV. Loving 'The Liquidator' at full time.

Please tell me we were singing the words that I imagine we were (and during the Sky interviews) 😁

F**k off P*mpey - You C**nts!

Around me in the Northam it was “Fuck off Pompey. The Saints “. (Or We’re Saints .. but it got the message across)

[Badger]

24 minutes ago, skintsaint said:

Swanson mused....

Were the Pompey players getting abuse and stick from their bestest most faithfulest fans at the end yesterday? 
 

From the Northam it looked as if the players and manager were just stood there motionless. No sign of clapping or usual motions in either direction. Apart from those who’d fucked off leaving empty seats 

[Patches O Houlihan]

3 hours ago, Jack said:

I think Bragg will be a decent player at this level, he’s shown up in big games plenty of times before. But agree on the rest, really couldn’t understand going with the 3 in midfield against that lot. So many times we were missing another outlet and had to recycle it, especially on the right. Can’t fault them after going down to 10 but think Tonda overthought it and gave them more respect than they needed 

2 hours ago, The Wyvern said:

My reading of it was playing Bragg was to almost encourage the recycling of the ball, passing from him to CBs etc, was to draw Pompey out and encourage them to press, creating more space in their half.  Not a change I’d have made and a job Jander could have done even for 60 mins. 

On the midfield three. I don't know if it is the reasoning - it's a hypothesis;

When you have quality players you want them to be on the pitch and playing. 

We have some stand out players for the league and from a midfield perspective Azaz, Downes, JWP and Jander are all class. Playing 4-3-3 means that we have them all on the pitch from the start: So perhaps getting more value from great midfielders than we did by bringing on Shea Charles as a sub last year.

You could also say that without Stewart and Archer we are also lighter in our attacking talents, and so by moving to three rather than four pure attackers we have a distilled, higher talent average amongst those players.

But then it may just be a good alternative tactic to give us an unexpected advantage for the first 15-20 mins in potentially tough games - like the one against Coventry last year.

Edited 10 minutes ago by Patches O Houlihan

[Saint Matty 76]

Also loved Manning’s reaction at full time. Wish him and Stephens were a bit better at football because they’re exactly the kind of players you want in your team.

[skintsaint]

10 minutes ago, Patches O Houlihan said:

On the midfield three. I don't know if it is the reasoning - it's a hypothesis;

The three were bossing the game after the first 10mins when Pompey came out quick as expected. We went one up and just playing around them, Aziz was just starting to thread through balls through which nearly came off a few times, then the red changed the whole game. Probably made a game of it as I feel Saints would have won at a canter with 11. We still even created a better chance with 10 men (keeper saved well) than Pompey did with their numerous half-chances.

[Patrick Bateman]

25 minutes ago, Patches O Houlihan said:

My brother's wedding this weekend so no chance to make the game in person, but managed to get it on the TV. Loving 'The Liquidator' at full time.

Please tell me we were singing the words that I imagine we were (and during the Sky interviews) 😁

F**k off P*mpey - You C**nts!

We were singing "Fuck off Pompey, we're Saints"

Whatever, it all worked 😂