TrueBlueArmy Forums

With Stevenson and Sparkes coming good, having had the chance to shake off the rust, who, of the incoming players, over the summer, counts as a dud. Whyte appears to be the only one, but even that might be an early judgement.

None of them.

Scully. It is a risk I think was worth taking though.

Whyte is getting better all the time.

Whyte is improving, Scully was carrying an injury.
Both will come good, Whyte soon (and looking at the number of assists he has already added more to the team than some recent loans)
Scully looked very good against Exeter for half the game, if he was injured then we will not have see his best, but his record says he will do a good job.
Hopefully one of them will pick up when Kamara needs a break. Looking at his goal last night, he seems to be yet another modern winger who is better at cutting inside than getting crosses in. But even then, he has set us enough goals to make his mark.

Scully & Whyte should both come good, they have been very good elsewhere. 

The only one not to have convinced me so far is Schofield.

(11-10-2023, 05:10 PM)DeepBlue Wrote: [ -> ]Scully & Whyte should both come good, they have been very good elsewhere. 

The only one not to have convinced me so far is Schofield.

Schofield has a long gap between games, which is not easy for a keeper.

Scully and Whyte have been the ones who have delivered the least relative to the expectation abut both have time to turn it around this season and beyond. Schofield has at times looked iffy, I don't think many were expecting much from a backup keeper though.

Stevenson had been given the least opportunity I would say until Pack's injury got him a league start. Devlin is one for the future and has shown glimpses. Given there were 14 summer additions, it is pretty impressive that so many have contributed.

A much better striking rate than in the past.

Schofield only brought in as a back-up and, significantly, only on a one-year contract. Don't believe he will see that extended, with Steward doing well at Gosport and the hope that next season we will be in Championship. Not sure that Olly will be around next season either.

(11-10-2023, 05:53 PM)TBP Wrote: [ -> ]A much better striking rate than in the past.

getting on for 100% better for modest spending.

Although we should bear in mind how many of our "rejects" have gone on to higher leagues or success in this one.

Actually we seemed to either reject good players or keep players who went out of the league completely after leaving us.

I could see promise in Schofield too, yesterday. You could tell he hasn’t played much but he was doing a lot of things right.

(11-10-2023, 06:22 PM)Hammie Wrote: [ -> ]

(11-10-2023, 05:53 PM)TBP Wrote: [ -> ]A much better striking rate than in the past.

getting on for 100% better for modest spending.

Although we should bear in mind how many of our "rejects" have gone on to higher leagues or success in this one.

Actually we seemed to either reject good players or keep players who went out of the league completely after leaving us.

Yes, it's amazing, watching the EFL show, how often a Pompey reject turns up playing for a Championship side.

Sometimes it’s just not the right club rather than the player. I’m sure it happens at all clubs.
As regards transfers I suppose Schofield for me. Can’t see him here next season, especially when we go up.

The player I most regret was the young left back who performs consistently well at this level, in fact is in the team of the month for the league right now. But got hounded out by the boo boys when he was trying to make his way as a youngster in a poor team in the 4th tier.

(11-10-2023, 09:07 PM)Hammie Wrote: [ -> ]The player I most regret was the young left back who performs consistently well at this level, in fact is in the team of the month for the league right now. But got hounded out by the boo boys when he was trying to make his way as a youngster in a poor team in the 4th tier.

Buttler?  Always thought he was a tidy player who gave his best for Pompey. The same idiots also abused Webster and look where he is now.

I wish Chaplin had stayed with us but he just didn't fit a Kenny Jackett team. It's also only really last season that he started scoring an absolute bucketload of goals I suppose but I still see him as one that got away. Jamal Lowe is another, I'm convinced that if we didn't monumentally choke promotion in 18/19 then we'd have kept him.

Ben Thompson going back to Millwall that January was a kick in the bollocks. Although he is a player that hasn't really pulled up any trees since that great loan spell for us.

The difference this time around is the recruitment wasn't panicked, was planned months in advance and executed, in most cases, early.

Fair play to Rich Hughes and Phil Boardman and the owners for backing them.

(12-10-2023, 07:22 AM)teeftwo Wrote: [ -> ]The difference this time around is the recruitment wasn't panicked, was planned months in advance and executed, in most cases, early.

Fair play to Rich Hughes and Phil Boardman and the owners for backing them.

Exactly, did we have any trialists in preseason?

The recruitment has been as close to perfect as possible, done early and top of the league unbeaten.

Probably the best recruitment season since Harry turned us from bottom to top in one window.

Cook's was pretty good too actually, so good he could not much improve on that initial team in subsequent windows, til he signed Forde.

Can't point my finger at any dead wood just yet. I'd say sculley has been the biggest disappointment so far, given what his potential is.

If we can get Scully fit then he already suggested that he could've been a star man in this side.
However in his absence, step forward and take a bow Paddy Lane!

(12-10-2023, 07:44 PM)Hammie Wrote: [ -> ]Probably the best recruitment season since Harry turned us from bottom to top in one window.

Cook's was pretty good too actually, so good he could not much improve on that initial team in subsequent windows, til he signed Forde.

I think Cook's was good but we lacked a striker. We had a fair few on loan but never seemed to find one of the right quality. That run to the L2 title had Naismith up top who was brilliant tbf

(13-10-2023, 03:51 PM)bluebollox Wrote: [ -> ]

(12-10-2023, 07:44 PM)Hammie Wrote: [ -> ]Probably the best recruitment season since Harry turned us from bottom to top in one window.

Cook's was pretty good too actually, so good he could not much improve on that initial team in subsequent windows, til he signed Forde.

I think Cook's was good but we lacked a striker. We had a fair few on loan but never seemed to find one of the right quality. That run to the L2 title had Naismith up top who was brilliant tbf

Chaplin played in 44 games that season and scored a few, but one of the strengths of the team was that they spread the goals around the likes of Roberts, Baker, Evans all contributing well. And Eoin Doyle may not have scored many but his signing improved the team no end.  [

I do always see a lot of nostalgia for that League Two title winning side on whatever they are calling Twatter these days, more so in the recent struggle seasons. It's quite funny because I remember quite a lot of moaning as well (including from some of the same accounts getting all bleary eyed). There were boos at half time when we were leading at home against Mansfield I think. Complaints about just passing it around 'aimlessly'. We lost 11 games too.

I do though think that style would have paid off a bit better in League One. We'd have likely been better off had Paul Cook stayed rather than having to make an abrupt switch to hoofball. Chaplin would have made so much more impact too.