TrueBlueArmy Forums

Doesn’t seem to be doing much at Doncaster does he, never rated the bloke

I'd already forgotten about him. Seems he's league 2 bound. Perhaps that's his level.

(03-01-2022, 02:08 AM)Cowespompey Wrote: [ -> ]Doesn’t seem to be doing much at Doncaster does he, never rated the bloke

Are you basing that on any knowledge of his form up there ? or just making a lazy sassumption based on the fact that the team is struggling and you never rated him ? 

 A quick google reveals he was playing every week until he got injured in November, and one article described him as the 'mainstay in a struggling side' 

Played OK in the game against us.

Whatever DP he was and still is average , nice lad but L2 does seem his limit.

I think you're forgetting he scored some pretty vital goals for us.

Also used as a defensive midfielder wasted when he was better at playing a more attacking role.

decent attacking midfielder played as a defensive type.
Decent young man
good luck to him

Yeh agreed Hammie. If you split his game into 4 characteristics: 2 good, 2 bad you get:

2 good: Skill, Vision for a pass. Easily championship level.
2 bad: Physicality, Aggression (mentality) both lacking.

The first 2 are arguably more important because to me it seems easier to add the other 2 to your game as you develop. Its down to Ben to add these to his game and if he can, I wouldn't be surprised to see him at the top end of the championship.

As Deep Blue says he hasn't played since Nov 27th when he was subbed at half time in a 2.0 defeat at Burton. Donny really need him and others, they look sure to go down the way things are there.

(03-01-2022, 10:55 AM)DeepBlue Wrote: [ -> ]

(03-01-2022, 02:08 AM)Cowespompey Wrote: [ -> ]Doesn’t seem to be doing much at Doncaster does he, never rated the bloke

Are you basing that on any knowledge of his form up there ? or just making a lazy sassumption based on the fact that the team is struggling and you never rated him ? 

 A quick google reveals he was playing every week until he got injured in November, and one article described him as the 'mainstay in a struggling side' 

Played OK in the game against us.

Why can’t you ever admit  when you’re wrong , you rated him when he was here but I didn’t . He’s gone to Doncaster who are bottom of the league and despite your spin he’s not ripping up any trees

Donny fans have worked out that he is better as an attacking midfielder but can't tackle, which is the same as the confluence on this post https://www.drfc-vsc.co.uk/index.php?topic=282490.0

(03-01-2022, 10:41 PM)Cowespompey Wrote: [ -> ]

(03-01-2022, 10:55 AM)DeepBlue Wrote: [ -> ]

(03-01-2022, 02:08 AM)Cowespompey Wrote: [ -> ]Doesn’t seem to be doing much at Doncaster does he, never rated the bloke

Are you basing that on any knowledge of his form up there ? or just making a lazy sassumption based on the fact that the team is struggling and you never rated him ? 

 A quick google reveals he was playing every week until he got injured in November, and one article described him as the 'mainstay in a struggling side' 

Played OK in the game against us.

Why can’t you ever admit  when you’re wrong , you rated him when he was here but I didn’t . He’s gone to Doncaster who are bottom of the league and despite your spin he’s not ripping up any trees

Probably because he's not wrong (and I never thought I'd say that about a Deep post...).

What is it with you lot over on the Isle?  There's you with your manic depression, then there's Wight who I don't think has ever drawn out an ounce of enjoyment supporting Pompey.  Whatever's in the water over there I don't think I want to drink any of it!

In my case Rick it’s nothing to do with the water but everything to to with the dross that’s been served up for the last 5 seasons !

You see Rick, I was brought up to something infinitely better than the current crap…the great football served up by the Pompey side of the late ‘40 and early ‘50s and a very honourable mention to ‘Arry’s Premiership sides (especially the golden period)

The seemingly never ending seasons in the lower divisions when we crashed out of the top flight were made easier by the terraces and their very considerable opportunity for banter with kindred spirits and the ability to move away from people you didn’t like (you could have moved elsewhere if you had found yourself next to me Rick).

I eventually moved into the Centre Section of the North Stand so my kids could join me, really missed the atmosphere of the terraces but stuck it out for 25 years until Jacket's second season finally broke my spirit (and, as I spend from New Years Eve until 1st May in Palm Springs every year, my season was somewhat wasted anyway).

I So Rick, in a nutshell, I have a great yearning for the wonderful football of ‘the good old days’ of Pompey’s heyday and regard the current offerings as like watching a Pompey tribute band - wearing the clothes, going through the motions but not much more (perhaps it’s being into my ‘80s which makes me so demanding).

I reacquaint myself with Fratton Park once a year for one of those corporate days, for the rest of the season its iFollow, if Pompey start to play the way the game should be played, to quote General Douglas McArthur “I shall return”.

With regard to Isle of Wight water, it’s fine….especially when diluted with Laphroaig 10 year old.

Fair play to you for admitting that your patronage is not unconditional. I learned the same thing about myself no thanks to Jackett

I must admit, the last 5 years have also been a struggle, thank goodness I now qualify for a seniors ST and no longer have to pay full price for ( as Wightblue suggested) a Pompey tribute ‘team’.

(04-01-2022, 10:42 PM)Wightblue Wrote: [ -> ]In my case Rick it’s nothing to do with the water but everything to to with the dross that’s been served up for the last 5 seasons !

You see Rick, I was brought up to something infinitely better than the current crap…the great football served up by the Pompey side of the late ‘40 and early ‘50s and a very honourable mention to ‘Arry’s Premiership sides (especially the golden period)

The seemingly never ending seasons in the lower divisions when we crashed out of the top flight were made easier by the terraces and their very considerable opportunity for banter with kindred spirits and the ability to move away from people you didn’t like (you could have moved elsewhere if you had found yourself next to me Rick).

I eventually moved into the Centre Section of the North Stand so my kids could join me, really missed the atmosphere of the terraces but stuck it out for 25 years until Jacket's second season finally broke my spirit (and, as I spend from New Years Eve until 1st May in Palm Springs every year, my season was somewhat wasted anyway).

I So Rick, in a nutshell, I have a great yearning for the wonderful football of ‘the good old days’ of Pompey’s heyday and regard the current offerings as like watching a Pompey tribute band - wearing the clothes, going through the motions but not much more (perhaps it’s being into my ‘80s which makes me so demanding).

I reacquaint myself with Fratton Park once a year for one of those corporate days, for the rest of the season its iFollow, if Pompey start to play the way the game should be played, to quote General Douglas McArthur “I shall return”.

With regard to Isle of Wight water, it’s fine….especially when diluted with Laphroaig 10 year old.

Wight, all fair points but just to point out my tongue was in my cheek when I wrote that last post.

I started watching in '72 when the club was arguably in decline, have since watched everything from Ballie's teams, Harry's teams through to Richie Barker and even kept my season ticket going when I lived in Scottsdale so I could sit with friends on my visits home.  Jackett did for me, too, and I stopped renewing in 2019, now choosing when to take the almost 400-mile round trip to watch games at FP.  Call it what you will (madness, stupidity, lunacy, etc.) but I still look forward to watching Pompey, albeit just not as often as previously, and it's an opportunity to have a beer with friends, see family and just enjoy being at FP.  I don't think I'll ever lose that and the only negative as time rolls on is that my son is in his 30s, moved out years ago and football doesn't feature as highly for him, so tends not to watch many games nowadays.

Enjoy Palm Springs (do they still have the aerial tramway there?) and keep taking the Laphroaig.

But back to the OP - Close was a better player than many gave him credit for, has played well at Doncaster and I strangely agree with Deep's reply to Cowes.

(04-01-2022, 10:57 PM)scumslayer Wrote: [ -> ]Fair play to you for admitting that your patronage is not unconditional. I learned the same thing about myself no thanks to Jackett

Me too.

It is much harder to go when you cannot go regularly, family members have found other things that need doing. Going and sitting on your own away from your football "buddies" takes a lot of the fun out of it.

(03-01-2022, 10:41 PM)Cowespompey Wrote: [ -> ]

(03-01-2022, 10:55 AM)DeepBlue Wrote: [ -> ]

(03-01-2022, 02:08 AM)Cowespompey Wrote: [ -> ]Doesn’t seem to be doing much at Doncaster does he, never rated the bloke

Are you basing that on any knowledge of his form up there ? or just making a lazy sassumption based on the fact that the team is struggling and you never rated him ? 

 A quick google reveals he was playing every week until he got injured in November, and one article described him as the 'mainstay in a struggling side' 

Played OK in the game against us.

Why can’t you ever admit  when you’re wrong , you rated him when he was here but I didn’t . He’s gone to Doncaster who are bottom of the league and despite your spin he’s not ripping up any trees

I asked you a question ... noted that you made no attempt to answer it. 

Admit it, you have absolutely no idea how he is doing up there.

Always like to see local lads do well but the reality is that Ben Thompson is a far better player than Ben Close and struggles to get a game in the Championship. Not sure Ben Close has the presence to grab a game by the scruff of the neck and dictate play at league 1 level so looks as though he is destined to bounce around Leagues 1 and 2. Happy to be proved wrong but can't really see it.

(05-01-2022, 11:08 AM)The Realist Wrote: [ -> ]Always like to see local lads do well but the reality is that Ben Thompson is a far better player than Ben Close and struggles to get a game in the Championship.  Not sure Ben Close has the presence to grab a game by the scruff of the neck and dictate play at league 1 level so looks as though he is destined to bounce around Leagues 1 and 2.  Happy to be proved wrong but can't really see it.

Yep, I always thought if he could add aggression and physicality to his game he'd play at a much higher level than Pompey.  Would agree that in a box-to-box role Thompson would be the better player, but he'll be on Championship wages and that would, I imagine, be a key reason why he hasn't moved on from the 'wall.

Contracted wages are going to be a big issue I would imagine. All players must expect a pay cut due to the Covid related income reduction for pretty much all clubs.
So can we really expect to see Harrison, Marquis, Downing and Jacobs move on this window?
Are Pompey going to be prepared to pay a large chunk of wages which would remove the incentive to move them on anyhow? Especially as they are likely to move to a competitor in the same league as us.

You know you're a poor player when you turn down regular football to stay on a temporarily inflated wage.

(05-01-2022, 12:41 PM)scumslayer Wrote: [ -> ]You know you're a poor player when you turn down regular football to stay on a temporarily inflated wage.

I might accept being poor for twice the money

(03-01-2022, 10:55 AM)DeepBlue Wrote: [ -> ]

(03-01-2022, 02:08 AM)Cowespompey Wrote: [ -> ]Doesn’t seem to be doing much at Doncaster does he, never rated the bloke

Are you basing that on any knowledge of his form up there ? or just making a lazy sassumption based on the fact that the team is struggling and you never rated him ? 

 No he’s just a thick cvnt.