This first half v. Bolton has been a perfect example of whats stopping us challenge for the play offs/promotion. We have played well but everything falls down in the last third where we are so sadly lacking up front with Hirst in particular not showing the strength, the touch, the vision or the finish. We won't achieve anything next season if we can't find at least two skilful and experienced strikers.
Hard to argue with the above!
I'm not even sure its the strikers. For all the 80% pass completion we rarely play a ball into the box for someone to get on the end of. And including the strikers, we cannot pull the ball back successfully when on the by line. Sums up most modern football. tip tap nothing to excite the fans or keep the 'keepers awake.
although that does seem one striker who suits us!
two mid table sides tonight, looking like cancelling each other out.
Been a long time since we had such a tedious end to a season. Is it fair to say we have made no progress at all this season?
(05-04-2022, 08:59 PM)ForeverPompey Wrote: [ -> ]Been a long time since we had such a tedious end to a season. Is it fair to say we have made no progress at all this season?
We’ve gone backwards
(05-04-2022, 09:48 PM)Pompeyg100 Wrote: [ -> ] (05-04-2022, 08:59 PM)ForeverPompey Wrote: [ -> ]Been a long time since we had such a tedious end to a season. Is it fair to say we have made no progress at all this season?
We’ve gone backwards
Results have gone backwards. Performances have edged forwards a bit. Squad has gone hugely backwards
Defensively, have looked much better than last season and would pick this seasons midfield over last all day long. Its the top end of the field where we have gone backwards. Defensively, the stats and displays say we should comfortably be in a play off place but going forward we are definitely a bottom half of the table side. Think I was more despondent watching the gutless displays of last season.
Interesting. Valid points.
We have to stop trying to walk the ball in to the net and start shooting on sight. Then follow up for any rebound.
Its absolutely critical for our prospects next season that Cowley manages to recruit two strikers who can be relied upon to get into double figures goal scoring wise. If it costs money then its got to be found if we are not going to be floundering in this division for yet another season. Hirst is clearly not the answer and Walker most certainlyi isn't. O'Brien's goal scoring record does not suggest he is the answer either.
Not sure backwards is the paradigm, stating over is perhaps more apt. There was virtually nothing of salvagable value in the Jackettball squad.
The problem is, come the summer, we don't build on this year, we start over yet again. We have about 10 players on the books come July 1st.
(06-04-2022, 09:14 AM)scumslayer Wrote: [ -> ]Not sure backwards is the paradigm, stating over is perhaps more apt. There was virtually nothing of salvagable value in the Jackettball squad.
The problem is, come the summer, we don't build on this year, we start over yet again. We have about 10 players on the books come July 1st.
Perhaps the positive is that the expensive players are now gone, giving a bit more flexibility on recruitment.
We've gone from one of the top scorers who kept lots of clean sheets to one of the lower scorers who keep few clean sheets. At the same time we seem to be paying higher wages.
(06-04-2022, 10:15 AM)Hammie Wrote: [ -> ]We've gone from one of the top scorers who kept lots of clean sheets to one of the lower scorers who keep few clean sheets. At the same time we seem to be paying higher wages.
Really ??
So far this season we have kept an impressive 17 clean sheets in 39 games, compared with 14 in 46 last season.
And our goalscoring is only down by a very small amount 1.38 per game compared with 1.41 last year, offset by goals conceded being better this season (40 so far this season compared to 51 last season).
I'd have to look at a full season under one manager compared to a whole season under another, so last season does not really make a good comparison
(06-04-2022, 03:14 PM)Hammie Wrote: [ -> ]I'd have to look at a full season under one manager compared to a whole season under another, so last season does not really make a good comparison
the debate was whether or not we had gone backwards this season, surely that can only be compared with last season.
My view is that we have gone slightly backwards, but it was a necessary step to clear the decks of those that failed before. If Cowley is any good he now has the opportunity this summer to create the team he wants for the first time.
He deserves a chance to do that, but I suspect he has to get it right first time or else the pressure on him before Christmas will see him off.
Yes agree with that. It might be unfair on him but most of us are fed up with league one so yes he will only get one shot at this in my view.
(06-04-2022, 03:32 PM)DeepBlue Wrote: [ -> ] (06-04-2022, 03:14 PM)Hammie Wrote: [ -> ]I'd have to look at a full season under one manager compared to a whole season under another, so last season does not really make a good comparison
the debate was whether or not we had gone backwards this season, surely that can only be compared with last season.
My view is that we have gone slightly backwards, but it was a necessary step to clear the decks of those that failed before. If Cowley is any good he now has the opportunity this summer to create the team he wants for the first time.
He deserves a chance to do that, but I suspect he has to get it right first time or else the pressure on him before Christmas will see him off.
The new team time to gel excuses won’t get him to Christmas. If he spends his budget like he has this season we’ll go backwards again.
Agreed. He's made several idiotic short term decisions relating to squad planning and will live or die by those choices.
Hes getting his 3 transfer windows and we bloody well expect to see improvement in that time.
Gosh Deep, with such impressive goals for and against that you quote, absolutely gobsmacked that we are only 10th in the table although, to be fair, we are only 22 and 23 points behind the top two.
It’s also disappointing that your stats only result in a Goal Difference of 14, clearly, with such outstanding performances we are surely more deserving of the GDs of Rotherham (29) and Wigan (35), just bad luck do you think ?
Better luck next season perhaps, with the current set-up we will probably need all the luck going !
If we win all of the games DC thinks we deserve to we’ll be in the Prem in 3 years.
(06-04-2022, 05:56 PM)Wightblue Wrote: [ -> ]Gosh Deep, with such impressive goals for and against that you quote, absolutely gobsmacked that we are only 10th in the table although, to be fair, we are only 22 and 23 points behind the top two.
It’s also disappointing that your stats only result in a Goal Difference of 14, clearly, with such outstanding performances we are surely more deserving of the GDs of Rotherham (29) and Wigan (35), just bad luck do you think ?
Better luck next season perhaps, with the current set-up we will probably need all the luck going !
Where did I say the goals for stats were impressive ?? I specifically didn't. My point was that they are pretty much the same as last season so we haven't really gone backwards in that respect.