We are strange to watch as when we have the ball from the back, we often build like a Premier League Side. But it seems to be style over substance at the moment.
I think when we’ve had a good spell we’ve mixed it up a bit. Long balls to Taylor when pressed, or balls over the top. I don’t care how we do it tomorrow so long as we win.
I think the movement and speed of pass can be terrific, until the final third when decision making is dire. Also, our midfield who look so good with the ball, don't win enough second ball. But it is probably why quite a few opponents are impressed with us. Doncaster fans said we were the best team they have played but maybe should have beaten us. Mind you it dates back to KR. I recall going to Oxford and walking back to the car some Oxford fans were raving about our football, and I was thinking, we drew the game 1-1 and could have lost it.
Taylor and Grant were very good at running the channels and stretching teams, especially Grant on the left, whose pace was too much for League 1 defenders to handle. That gave us more of an ‘out’ ball and made teams wary of pressing us too high. That opposition concern has now abated, following Roland’s January sale.
Vetokele or Parker do not have that kind of pace, so I think that has contributed to more neat but ponderous, non-penetrative play in midfield. I’m sure that Bowyer and Jacko have been assessing the best alternative combination(s) up front, including from the bench, and working hard on that in training.
Losing Grant's pace has been such a big factor. His pace and clever movement pushed defences deeper and pulled players out of position creating space. The likes of Aribo, Taylor, Fosu, and Reeves, at times, had ridiculous amounts of time and space to work in. The killer ball is a lot easier to find when you're not being rushed by a defender. When teams did try to squeeze us then he was great outlet into the channels and provided a number of assists himself with pull backs and crosses from the byline. He didn't get nearly enough credit for it when he was here, received wisdom was that Taylor made him look good, but if anything it's looking like Grant made Taylor look better.
It's still early days though, the front line has been so unsettled in the last 6 weeks, Grant leaving, Taylor suspended, Parker injured/ill, Igor back from a long spell out, Reeco not being ready, and failed experiments like Marshall up front. I think we're just writing off our goalscoring threat by extrapolating and drawing conclusions based on too little data. Unless I am mistaken, Taylor has started one game with Parker and one game with Igor - nowhere near enough to properly judge what they can do together and not much time for Bowyer to figure out how we need to play to get the best out of the new front pair.
It is true, but a sniffer type striker may have given us a different attribute that could have been as effective or even more so. We won't know because Grant wasn't replaced, which was criminal. I think we are short of players who make runs into the box where it hurts. We absolutely have to give Fosu a run, because he is an attacking player that can give defences real problems. The problems we give defences needs to be raised a few levels with what we have got if possible.
I think he does as selling the club has to be easier, it is just he doesn't understand that a player he is paying £7.5k a week might not be that good anymore. I hope he is right on that, but we haven't seen any evidence he is. Even if by some miracle Vetokele gets back to something like he was before his injury, it was always too much of a gamble not to cover the fact he might not.
We played some excellent football in the first 10-20 against Donny. The first 70min were full of very good football from us and we kept going at them. Pompey, I believe, like to hit teams with pace on the counter. At times we've seen Cullen, Bielik, and both fullbacks get caught too far upfield leaving our center backs completely exposed. Love Bielik, an absolute classy player, but hopefully this week in training Bows and Jacko have been talking to him about stay close to his center backs when we're in possession.
Agree with your team FA. No clue on the result though.
We played some excellent football in the first 10-20 against Donny. The first 70min were full of very good football from us and we kept going at them. Pompey, I believe, like to hit teams with pace on the counter. At times we've seen Cullen, Bielik, and both fullbacks get caught too far upfield leaving our center backs completely exposed. Love Bielik, an absolute classy player, but hopefully this week in training Bows and Jacko have been talking to him about stay close to his center backs when we're in possession.
Agree with your team FA. No clue on the result though.
re the full backs .. I would have said often caught in no man's land rather than too far upfield .. neither are over blessed with pace and like to hover around the half way line .. as to covering the defence, Pratley, the forgotten man does that job well .. but who to omit to find a place for him ?
EDIT .. just seen the injury Pratley picked up against Mansfield is 'worse than at first thought' .. hence he can't play the role I'd like him to ((:>)
On the dreaded Sky Sports with a live game meaning we miss our 3pm traditional slot. Think the gap to 7th will be closer come 5.30pm and I cannot see us closing it. 1-0 Portsmouth and not a pretty match.
Seven members of the grumpy clan will be in the east stand Block F to cheer the boys on to an historic victory and the breaking of the 300 year old Sky curse.
3-1
So you're the culprit that's booked all the tickets in our row.....had to buy a ticket 2 rows further forward than normal. !!
Game on Sky.....Pompey starting to fire again (2 successive wins, 7 scored & 1 conceeded)....we are in the doldrums.
1-2.
My sincere apologies but I never like to sit any further forward than row H because you get soaked if it rains.
Will keep an eye out for two angry wet people, a few rows in front.
Portsmouth throughout the season have rarely moved away from their 4-2-3-1 formation. Getting the ball wide, putting in the crosses and getting runners from midfield to play off the main striker. They have good options up front, signing Bogle and Vaughan during January boosts them in a way where we are now far weaker. Interestingly, for a team who have been top for large parts of this season, until their recent slump in form, their top goal scorer is Jamal Lowe with 11, closely followed by Ronan Curtis with 10. Both players are their wide men. This suggests they're not afraid of shooting on site or drifting in from out wide, they're not afraid of getting in at the back post from crosses, and they're not afraid of taking on their man and shooting rather than crossing. Solly and Purrington must be on their game and solid, they'll need to be cautious of the runs to the back post and getting goal side of the attackers. Bielik at the base has an important role not only stopping Evans, their number 10 from getting on the ball and influencing play, but supporting our full backs when needed. Unless Portsmouth have picked up any injuries since playing Bradford last weekend, it would be a good bet that they'll be unchanged following the 5-1 win, which was actually their first win in the league since New Years Day, at home to AFC Wimbledon.
Portsmouth's recent form has been poor, one which actually would resemble a team fighting to survive rather than fighting to get promoted. With only two wins this calendar year, and picking up only 11 points, Portsmouth have started to fall away just at the wrong time. You could say that that form coincided with the loss of Ben Thompson going back to his parent club, Millwall. Winning once, drawing five, and losing three. There is of course another way of looking at it, Portsmouth are unbeaten in six having drawn five in a row and winning last weekend against lowly Bradford City. But overall, if you analyse them since our win away at Fratton Park back in the middle of December, Portsmouth have picked up 18 points from 14 games. Scoring hasn't been a problem though for Pompey, 25 goals in that time in comparison to our 17. However, 10 of those goals for Portsmouth have included scoring 5 twice - away at Fleetwood where they were actually losing 2-1 until Fleetwood were reduced to ten men, and of course, at home to Bradford City last weekend, a side who have conceded 18 goals in their last 9 league games. For Portsmouth, it is the ball going in the net at the other end which has been causing them much trouble since we beat them away. 20 goals have been conceded in the 14 games, which has only included one clean sheet too, a 0-0 draw at home to Barnsley at the end of last month.
Focusing on Charlton. If we were to look at our form since the first meeting in December, we have picked up 23 points in the 14 games, winning only 6 though. However, two of our three defeats since have been away at Coventry and Barnsley duiring the Christmas period where we were always going to struggle with injuries, suspensions and general lack of squad depth. The other defeat was away at Fleetwood, the first game of the season where we no longer had Taylor and Grant either available or at the club. Our problem has been different to Portsmouth's. We generally have a very good defensive record, conceding only 10 goals in 14 games, including 6 clean sheets. It is scoring goals which has been our biggest trouble. Losing Grant was always going to hurt us and that topic has now been discussed and done to death, but we have only scored 17 goals in 14 games, three of which we failed to score in and only scored more than once five times, and more than two only once. Expect a tough and tight game. This isn't going to be high scoring, it's going to be aggressive and difficult.
Personnel wise, I cannot see much change from the Doncaster game last weekend. Fosu and Parker could have a case of coming in for Williams and Vetokele, but Williams has played every match since coming to the club so I can't see him being dropped for a game as big as this. Bowyer also knows his quality could be the difference in a game like this. One change I have been thinking that Bowyer could make is bringing Dijksteel in for Solly, just as he did at Fratton Park. With playing Tuesday night as well, is this a game where Solly will be rested, or will that be saved for another match? Overall, I don't think there will be much change to the team and squad from last weekend, but at least one will be made with Parker being in the squad, so possibly a central midfielder or Marshall will be the one to miss out. I do think this is going to be a tough game, separated by a single goal.
I wonder if Taylor's dipped form is because he is trying to play without getting a yellow card
Quite possibly . Personally I think it's due to losing Grant. They had a very special and successfull partnership .Taylor has not looked the same since Grant left.
Interestingly the only people to benefit from Grant going have been Grant (higher salary) and Roland (£2m in his pocket). From a footballing point of view, none of Charlton (struggled for goals), Taylor (no goals), Hudders (struggled for goals, 2 scored and 4 defeats in 5)and Grant (no goals except a fake goal) have benefited at all.
Would be good to see the goals start to flow from us. Tomorrow would be a good game to start. I really believe Fosu needs to be starting to give us a chance of that being a regular event though. I know his form has not been great but we can look a class apart and not get the goals we should so many times, that you have to change approach. I know we are doing ok in the play off places, but goal scoring is an issue and we have to try to address it, not carry on as we are.
After tomorrow I'd be okay with giving that a go, at least at home, but I think that midfield is too lightweight and lacks the required defensive responsibility against a tough opponent, and Kenny Jackett sides are always physical.
Bielek is also very important to our level of defensive solidity - with him, Bauer and Sarr in the team we look a big side. Take him out and we suddenly look quite small overall.
Don't like going against the grain but Pompey have been scoring of late and if they can get two I think they win it 2-1. The late kick-off will give them another couple of hours drinking time which is not good news. I walked down Floyd Road during the match against them last season and have never seen so many pissed fans outside the ground for whatever reason.
This is our problem. If a team gets one it is probably a draw and if they get two they probably beat us. Despite us being a decent side. It won't be solved without trying to get some more goals in the side.
Comments
I don’t care how we do it tomorrow so long as we win.
Vetokele or Parker do not have that kind of pace, so I think that has contributed to more neat but ponderous, non-penetrative play in midfield. I’m sure that Bowyer and Jacko have been assessing the best alternative combination(s) up front, including from the bench, and working hard on that in training.
It makes you wonder if Shitweasel wants us to go up or not.
Agree with your team FA. No clue on the result though.
EDIT .. just seen the injury Pratley picked up against Mansfield is 'worse than at first thought' .. hence he can't play the role I'd like him to ((:>)
Will keep an eye out for two angry wet people, a few rows in front.
Portsmouth's recent form has been poor, one which actually would resemble a team fighting to survive rather than fighting to get promoted. With only two wins this calendar year, and picking up only 11 points, Portsmouth have started to fall away just at the wrong time. You could say that that form coincided with the loss of Ben Thompson going back to his parent club, Millwall. Winning once, drawing five, and losing three. There is of course another way of looking at it, Portsmouth are unbeaten in six having drawn five in a row and winning last weekend against lowly Bradford City. But overall, if you analyse them since our win away at Fratton Park back in the middle of December, Portsmouth have picked up 18 points from 14 games. Scoring hasn't been a problem though for Pompey, 25 goals in that time in comparison to our 17. However, 10 of those goals for Portsmouth have included scoring 5 twice - away at Fleetwood where they were actually losing 2-1 until Fleetwood were reduced to ten men, and of course, at home to Bradford City last weekend, a side who have conceded 18 goals in their last 9 league games. For Portsmouth, it is the ball going in the net at the other end which has been causing them much trouble since we beat them away. 20 goals have been conceded in the 14 games, which has only included one clean sheet too, a 0-0 draw at home to Barnsley at the end of last month.
Focusing on Charlton. If we were to look at our form since the first meeting in December, we have picked up 23 points in the 14 games, winning only 6 though. However, two of our three defeats since have been away at Coventry and Barnsley duiring the Christmas period where we were always going to struggle with injuries, suspensions and general lack of squad depth. The other defeat was away at Fleetwood, the first game of the season where we no longer had Taylor and Grant either available or at the club. Our problem has been different to Portsmouth's. We generally have a very good defensive record, conceding only 10 goals in 14 games, including 6 clean sheets. It is scoring goals which has been our biggest trouble. Losing Grant was always going to hurt us and that topic has now been discussed and done to death, but we have only scored 17 goals in 14 games, three of which we failed to score in and only scored more than once five times, and more than two only once. Expect a tough and tight game. This isn't going to be high scoring, it's going to be aggressive and difficult.
Personnel wise, I cannot see much change from the Doncaster game last weekend. Fosu and Parker could have a case of coming in for Williams and Vetokele, but Williams has played every match since coming to the club so I can't see him being dropped for a game as big as this. Bowyer also knows his quality could be the difference in a game like this. One change I have been thinking that Bowyer could make is bringing Dijksteel in for Solly, just as he did at Fratton Park. With playing Tuesday night as well, is this a game where Solly will be rested, or will that be saved for another match? Overall, I don't think there will be much change to the team and squad from last weekend, but at least one will be made with Parker being in the squad, so possibly a central midfielder or Marshall will be the one to miss out. I do think this is going to be a tough game, separated by a single goal.
Maxwell, Dijksteel, Pratley, Lapslie, Reeves, Fosu, Parker
Charlton Athletic 1-0 Portsmouth
Taylor
Phillips the hero to prevent any goals against.
Phillips
Solly Bauer Sarr Purrington
Cullen
Williams Aribo
Fosu
Taylor Vetokele
5:4 Charlton
Have we ever kicked off this late at the Valley on a Saturday ?