Over a decade outside the championship which is ridiculous for a club of Pompeys size and history. Another sellout of 18,000 plus today and yet our amazing support won't be rewarded with promotion yet again.
We are 4th now but everyone with any football knowledge can see how this season will play out for us.
Promotion by any means is a success, not just getting into top 6. Failure to achieve promotion automatically or via the playoffs will mean another disastrous season.
Here's why we won't get promotion:
1) The management are not tactically good enough, and often play players out of position. Why is Swanson not starting with Rafferty out for example?
I like the Cowleys but they have brought in too many loan players and our bench isn't very good either. Their job is to achieve promotion, and to be honest they may scrape us into the playoffs but they aren't tactically good enough to guide us through them.
The owners must take responsibility too for not backing the Cowleys enough. There's no loyalty in football, so if someone offered the Cowleys more money elsewhere they'd be off. I still maintain we should have got an experienced manager to get us out this division.
2) The defence and keeper are not very good. To achieve any success, you need a solid backline and good keeper. Neither inspire confidence, infact they will cost us many points over the season. Especially against against the top 6 or so teams. I cannot for the life of me understand why we didn't sign better centre backs in the summer and a decent keeper. It's actually ridiculous we are persisting with these defenders.
3) We can't handle big games. Does anyone think that Sheff Wed or Ipswich would have failed to beat Fleetwood today? I don't. Our record against the top 3 has achieved 2 points this season and we were second best in all 3 games. Perfect opportunity to bounce back today after losing last week and we blew it. We may scrape into the playoffs, but this team will fold in the playoffs.
This is not kneejerk. We often start well but we can see how this season is going to play out. We will fail in the playoffs, if we reach them of course.
(08-10-2022, 06:19 PM)BlueArmy Wrote: [ -> ]Over a decade outside the championship which is ridiculous for a club of Pompeys size and history. Another sellout of 18,000 plus today and yet our amazing support won't be rewarded with promotion yet again.
We are 4th now but everyone with any football knowledge can see how this season will play out for us.
Promotion by any means is a success, not just getting into top 6. Failure to achieve promotion automatically or via the playoffs will mean another disastrous season.
Here's why we won't get promotion:
1) The management are not tactically good enough, and often play players out of position. Why is Swanson not starting with Rafferty out for example?
I like the Cowleys but they have brought in too many loan players and our bench isn't very good either. Their job is to achieve promotion, and to be honest they may scrape us into the playoffs but they aren't tactically good enough to guide us through them.
The owners must take responsibility too for not backing the Cowleys enough. There's no loyalty in football, so if someone offered the Cowleys more money elsewhere they'd be off. I still maintain we should have got an experienced manager to get us out this division.
2) The defence and keeper are not very good. To achieve any success, you need a solid backline and good keeper. Neither inspire confidence, infact they will cost us many points over the season. Especially against against the top 6 or so teams. I cannot for the life of me understand why we didn't sign better centre backs in the summer and a decent keeper. It's actually ridiculous we are persisting with these defenders.
3) We can't handle big games. Does anyone think that Sheff Wed or Ipswich would have failed to beat Fleetwood today? I don't. Our record against the top 3 has achieved 2 points this season and we were second best in all 3 games. Perfect opportunity to bounce back today after losing last week and we blew it. We may scrape into the playoffs, but this team will fold in the playoffs.
This is not kneejerk. We often start well but we can see how this season is going to play out. We will fail in the playoffs, if we reach them of course.
Sigh, I'm only going to say this once more:
https://youtu.be/RgV-MHk8eD4
What a cůnt, never anything positive to say.. definitely not a Pompey fan.. just an irrelevant scummer troll spending SO much time repeating the same old sh1t ad nauseum.. bring back 1Teaminants, Grumpy and Stu Romsey... at least they admitted being scummers.
our goal difference suggest top 4
I don't fully agree with B.A. on this but we are all entitled to our own opinions.
He does make some good points however including playing Swanson from the start with Rafferty injured.
Also, from what I've seen so far the defence needs tightening up & Pack had a go at Morrison & Ragget for their goal. Another case of bad defending at the back post similar to Ipswich winner ball not clered by either keeper or defender.
Tactics could be better & maybe we could have played 3-5-2 yesterday with Swanson & Hume as the wingbacks?
Also, we used 5 subs & Jacobs our playmaker wasn't one of them supposedly because D.C. couldn't fit him in to his formation! He can play left mid or No. 10 in behind the 2 strikers. I'm convinced we could have won yesterday with him playing at least 25 minutes or more. He really needs to have a more flexible approach maybe see what Graham Potter is up to.
We still stand a chance of promotionI believe & DC needs back financially in the January transfer window with at least 3 signings. Regarding B.A.s point about too many loans that's because he hasn't been given enough cash for permanent signings.
It remains wide open at the top. Every team will have the occasional bad run - Ipswich and Plymouth have suspensions mounting up - and both are due a drop in form! Pompey have the best disciplinary record in the division with a game or two in hand. 22 points from 11 is automatic promotion form. Anyone can beat anyone in this division - Barnsley lost at home yesterday, Bolton have lost two on the trot against Cheltenham and Forest Green, Derby lost at home to Port Vale and Peterborough were held at home by Burton.
We're missing Rafferty and Lowery, but injuries are part and parcel of the game and our squad remains virtually intact. I agree that playing Ogilvie at right back severely limits our attacking options via overlaps and exposes us defensively so the sooner he returns to left back the better! Overall, I'd say we're doing better than expected being outplayed just the once (at Ipswich). We've been unlucky with some appalling refereeing decisions in the last couple of home games that have cost us victories, but hey, luck should even itself out over the season.
Would love a decent run in the FA Cup - ideally starting with a game against Havant & Waterlooville at Fratton in the first round! So, summing up, I believe we have plenty to look forward to over the coming months.
PUP
Certainly much too early to suggest our season is all but over.
Yes, we've had a bit of a blip recently, however, we have not had one game where we didn't create good chances, but our friend lady luck not on our side recently - yesterday being indicative of that.
Anyway, we don't want to push for the top two too early. And it could well be that we will be playing Championship football next season, and maybe even get some decent Refs, who are not obsessed with their whistle and can of shaving foam!
And .... I wonder if that does happen, which team/s we could be facing ?? !!
I would say look at the big picture. If we are struggling to convince the owners to buy well for League 1, what kind of season are you expecting if we go up?
We all want promotion but look at the state of the rest of the club. Try and enjoy it game by game.
Not knee jerk? A week ago you said we would go all season unbeaten!!
Cock.
As to which teams we might face if we go up... as much as I would like to say Scummers I think they'll just about escape again. My money would be on Forest, Leicester and Wolves with Scum and Brentford as outside bets and Villa as a wild card.
Not winning against a team that has only lost twice is hardly the end of the world. The unneeded international brak is proabably more of an issue for me.