TrueBlueArmy Forums

Before Saturday I forecasted a victory against Cheltenham and defeat against Bolton. Hope I'm wrong and we get 4pts from both.

Not exactly a crazy prediction. Win against the lower team and lose against the playoff team. 

Just saying...

We’re gonna beat em.

Tunnicliffe to get a hat trick. A penalty, an overhead kick and a 60 yard screamer. .He’ll also clear two balls off the line to preserve our commanding lead.

I’m obsessed!

They'll bring more fans than Cheltenham and provide a much sterner test. I'll go for 1.1

It's a huge if, but if we do find a way to beat Bolton & Cambridge this week then the momentum would give us a genuine chance of the 7 or 8 more wins from 13 games to reach the play-offs that everyone has given up on.

Rafferty's return has transformed our displays so I'm hoping that continues and we can keep our key players fit. Jacobs in the 10 role and hopefully Bish gets his magic hat back I'm going for a sneaky 2-1 win .

For our sins we are forced to focus on League One. I've been doing it now for some time...funnily enough for six years!
I'm sure I'm not alone and if you look at the Bolton team/squad they are nothing special. Indeed on paper they're not as strong as us.
The difference is that they have been well managed, they have a sound tactical plan and are not prone to unnecessary team changes. In short, they have a consistent approach to lower league football and it's working brilliantly for them.
My view is that our squad, if they were ever fully fit, is much stronger them and we should be able to field a team that is more than capable of dealing with them and delivering another home win. Over to you Mouseman!

We are a team who can draw at home and lose away to the promotion contenders. It'll most likely be a draw. Bolton pulled our pants down so I'm expecting some sort of reaction from the players. Here's hoping.

As it goes in Phoenix Nights parlance.... We'll shit'em!

Yup, the real test is Tuesday. If we can't beat any of the teams in the top six, it just goes to confirm that we are a mid-table side. A perfomance like that first half yesterday, however, should be handful for anyone.
So far Mousinho has stopped the rot and found performances and wins. Can he go a step further and prove against Bolton and Sheffield Wednesday that he can raise this squad to a level required to escape this league? And it has to be about more than just good performances. Gallant defeats don't win points.

(26-02-2023, 11:04 AM)bluetagagain Wrote: [ -> ]Rafferty's return has transformed our displays so I'm hoping that continues and we can keep our key players fit. Jacobs in the 10 role and hopefully Bish gets his magic hat back I'm going for a sneaky 2-1 win .

Agreed. I've always said that Jacob's best position is at No.10. Best passer of the ball & Set piece taker.

Fitness has been his main problem but Not really down to him more our Medical Team.

They seem to have improved of late also getting Thompson, Rafferty & Morrell back to full fitness.

Just need the long awaited return of Lowery & Swanson.

This is certainly one area the club needs to improve dramatically & Jon Harley will know from Chelsea how to improve this.

How do you it’s the medical teams fault? I sit beside friends of Jacobs ( they travel down from Northampton for games) and they reckon he does have medical problems although there where times when he was fit and Cowley didn’t play him. Also they reckon Jacobs will return to Northampton at the end of the season to finish his career. You’ll have to pick someone else for your bromance Mikey.

(26-02-2023, 02:46 PM)mikey393 Wrote: [ -> ]

(26-02-2023, 11:04 AM)bluetagagain Wrote: [ -> ]Rafferty's return has transformed our displays so I'm hoping that continues and we can keep our key players fit. Jacobs in the 10 role and hopefully Bish gets his magic hat back I'm going for a sneaky 2-1 win .

Agreed. I've always said that Jacob's best position is at No.10. Best passer of the ball & Set piece taker.

Fitness has been his main problem but Not really down to him more our Medical Team.

They seem to have improved of late also getting Thompson, Rafferty & Morrell back to full fitness.

Just need the long awaited return of Lowery & Swanson.

This is certainly one area the club needs to improve dramatically & Jon Harley will know from Chelsea how to improve this.

If our medical team is to blame for Jacobs getting injured how did they manage to do that when he was at Wigan, where his injury record was comparable to now. But I agree that is his best position, IMO the only position where we can afford his lack of pace.

Swanson has only been out for a three weeks .... hardly long-awaited. And with Rafferty back and on form not one to be rushed anyway. 

And WTF has Jon Harley got to do with the medical team either here or at Chelsea ??

(26-02-2023, 02:54 PM)bluetagagain Wrote: [ -> ]How do you it’s the medical teams fault? I sit beside friends of Jacobs ( they travel down from Northampton for games) and they reckon he does have medical problems although there where times when he was fit and Cowley didn’t play him. Also they reckon Jacobs will return to Northampton at the end of the season to finish his career. You’ll have to pick someone else for your bromance Mikey.

Thanks for the info Bluetag. Good on them as he's certainly worth the admission money.

I don't feel they managed his recuring hamstring injury very well.

Remember Charlton away lossing 2-0 he came on & started running the game for a shortwhile then went off with the same injury.

Even D.C. admitted they needed to manage his injury better by playing him back in gradually.

Well that's up to his agent & him I guess also the club. But will be a big loss to Pompey.

We all know our Mediacal team haven't been up to it for some time as we always seem to have a lot of players out & taking ages to recover.

We need to find someone decent to replace him & that will cost but maybe Minghi could play that role?

Mikey I'm not being rude but do you watch Pompey or just write the first thing that comes into your head lol.
Mingi is never a number 10 or a winger - Jacobs is. You keep saying there's something up with our medical team, why? It's been almost the same medics for 3 managers and if they were to the detriment of our players ( who are our main 'sellable' assets ) then I'm sure Tornate or the Eisners would be very worried.

All the injuries in training might be looked at perhaps?
I still wonder if the high press thing might add to injuries too, especially when you sign players with a history of being injured.

Interesting comments about buying younger players form the mouse, might be one way of avoiding some of the inuries/scar tissue that many older players must be carrying after years of professional football.

(26-02-2023, 04:57 PM)bluetagagain Wrote: [ -> ]Mikey I'm not being rude but do you watch Pompey or just write the first thing that comes into your head lol.
Mingi is never a number 10 or a winger - Jacobs is. You keep saying there's something up with our medical team, why? It's been almost the same medics for 3 managers and if they were to the detriment of our players ( who are our main 'sellable' assets ) then I'm sure Tornate or the Eisners would be very worried.

Agreed ... there is no evidence that there is much wrong with our medical team. All clubs get injuries, it is part of the game, and we don't necessarily get more than anyone else.  I think this reputation has all come from the extended injuries to Rafferty and Lowery which have both been very unusual, rare situtations. Basically bad luck, and dealt with by specialists outside of the clubs control anyway. 

And no-one ever mentions the success stories like getting Thompson fit to play regularly when he joined, and getting him back from a broken leg in remarkably quick time. 

Signing players with a history of injury can be a contributing factor, but we have only signed two of those recently. Both players that would not have been available to the likes of us but for that weakness. Jacobs, which hasn't worked out well injury-wise, and Robertson, who has not suffered any recurrence of any previous injury, just been unlucky to pick up new ones. But in both cases I would argue we have been better off for having players of that quality in the squad even if they are only available for 70% of the time.

Just curious where you do see the problem Deep.

There is no problem with our owners
No problem with the manager
No problem with the recruitment
No problem with the players
No problem with the academy
No problem with the medical staff

Any yet, we are miles behind where we need to be in ANOTHER season of mediocrity, with none of the above to blame.

(27-02-2023, 04:26 PM)Pedalo_menders Wrote: [ -> ]Just curious where you do see the problem Deep.

There is no problem with our owners
No problem with the manager
No problem with the recruitment
No problem with the players
No problem with the academy
No problem with the medical staff

Any yet, we are miles behind where we need to be in ANOTHER season of mediocrity, with none of the above to blame.

It must be a curse then. Probably some Scummer with voodoo dolls of our players. Can't be any other explanation

TBH other than the academy taking too long to get established /improved, I have no problems with rest of that list. Can't really blame Hughes or JoMo for anything. We've bought good players they just weren't always played in their proper roles, blame Cowley and most of all Jackett for being too obstinate and over complicated.

(27-02-2023, 04:26 PM)Pedalo_menders Wrote: [ -> ]Just curious where you do see the problem Deep.

There is no problem with our owners
No problem with the manager
No problem with the recruitment
No problem with the players
No problem with the academy
No problem with the medical staff

Any yet, we are miles behind where we need to be in ANOTHER season of mediocrity, with none of the above to blame.

When have I ever said there is no problem with the players or the academy. 
The academy is the one promise the Eisners have not met yet ... although they have made some progress. 

For me our failure this season (if we fail , there is still a third of the season left)  lies mainly with underachievng players on the pitch because I still believe  our squad is play-off material, and has been all season.  

We have also been very unlucky with injuries both in numbers and in medical seriousness,  but also in timing - e.g. losing all three right backs at the same time cannot be planned for.

(26-02-2023, 04:57 PM)bluetagagain Wrote: [ -> ]Mikey I'm not being rude but do you watch Pompey or just write the first thing that comes into your head lol.
Mingi is never a number 10 or a winger - Jacobs is. You keep saying there's something up with our medical team, why? It's been almost the same medics for 3 managers and if they were to the detriment of our players ( who are our main 'sellable' assets ) then I'm sure Tornate or the Eisners would be very worried.

Apologies,my post came over badly. What I was trying to say was who else in the current squad could play that role? You're right about Mingi more of a  box to box midfielder driving forward. O.k. about the medical side but others have highlighted this problem as well. It may be down to the high pressing game or the manager demanding a player back before he's been 100% ready.

"blame Cowley and most of all Jackett for being too obstinate and over complicated."

I most definitely blame Cowley for being over complicated.
Jackett spent a great deal less and achieved a great deal more with a simple team set up. Not to everyone's taste but for most of his reign very effective at getting to play offs and raising cash through cup runs. I think his biggest problem was the January transfer windows.

Jackett spunked £1.5M on Marquis and Harrison.

Biggest problem the January transfer windows?

I haven't forgotten the Dinosaur that quickly. His biggest problem was his handbrake and not going for a second goal.

It did for him at Orient too.

Now shuffled upstairs in a DOF job at Gillingham.