Pompey Game rearranged to 5th of April
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- Worthy4England
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Pompey Game rearranged to 5th of April
According to the official site. As (I think predicted by DSB) International call-ups.
- GhostoftheBok
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Re: Pompey Game rearranged to 5th of April
Interesting state of affairs. Two uninterrupted weeks to prepare for Wigan. Regardless of the state of the league, Evatt will want to win that one to prove a point.
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Re: Pompey Game rearranged to 5th of April
I see that the kick-off time for the Wigan game's been brought forward to 12:30
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Re: Pompey Game rearranged to 5th of April
Given he has a habit of referring to them as “that lot down the road” I suspect you might be right.GhostoftheBok wrote: ↑Thu Mar 17, 2022 12:21 amInteresting state of affairs. Two uninterrupted weeks to prepare for Wigan. Regardless of the state of the league, Evatt will want to win that one to prove a point.
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Re: Pompey Game rearranged to 5th of April
I'd hope that we'd want to win every one...officer_dibble wrote: ↑Thu Mar 17, 2022 9:42 amGiven he has a habit of referring to them as “that lot down the road” I suspect you might be right.GhostoftheBok wrote: ↑Thu Mar 17, 2022 12:21 amInteresting state of affairs. Two uninterrupted weeks to prepare for Wigan. Regardless of the state of the league, Evatt will want to win that one to prove a point.
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Re: Pompey Game rearranged to 5th of April
Regardless of what we'd like to be true, no team shows up every week and there are loads of example of sides that are night and day depending on the opposition.
Evatt will want to prove that his side isn't one that shrinks from the big games. Even if he no longer believes we can go up this season, it will be important psychologically for next season. If we took another pasting against Wigan it'd be in their minds for a while. If we beat Wigan it'll undermine the "then and now" mentality that most people around the club have had about the business we did in January.
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Re: Pompey Game rearranged to 5th of April
Sunderland, MKDons, Oxford, Ipswich and Plymouth were all more important games, for me, recently. Our planning and desire to win should be no different which isn't to say that'll always translate to success...GhostoftheBok wrote: ↑Thu Mar 17, 2022 3:35 pmRegardless of what we'd like to be true, no team shows up every week and there are loads of example of sides that are night and day depending on the opposition.
Evatt will want to prove that his side isn't one that shrinks from the big games. Even if he no longer believes we can go up this season, it will be important psychologically for next season. If we took another pasting against Wigan it'd be in their minds for a while. If we beat Wigan it'll undermine the "then and now" mentality that most people around the club have had about the business we did in January.
You've lost me on the last sentence. What's the "then and now" mentality that would be undermined by a win?
Re: Pompey Game rearranged to 5th of April
I suspect that's an autocorrected "underline"
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Re: Pompey Game rearranged to 5th of April
Wigan (uncatchable) Sheffield (possible) and and Portsmouth (eminently catchable) in seven days is a tough schedule. None will be handing us Easter eggs, but we could make a real start if we can beat the Pies. Catch them we can't, but we can gain three precious points if we beat them. If Isgrove makes it back in time and we don't suffer any more ill-luck from injuries, who knows?
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Re: Pompey Game rearranged to 5th of April
Good point this, Tango. And IMO it's not just about this season. If we want to have serious aspirations to promotion next season, they are very good benchmarks against which to judge ourselves.TANGODANCER wrote: ↑Tue Mar 22, 2022 10:58 amWigan (uncatchable) Sheffield (possible) and and Portsmouth (eminently catchable) in seven days is a tough schedule. None will be handing us Easter eggs, but we could make a real start if we can beat the Pies. Catch them we can't, but we can gain three precious points if we beat them. If Isgrove makes it back in time and we don't suffer any more ill-luck from injuries, who knows?
Pompey are on course for 71pts, which more often than not isn't enough for the play-offs, but Sheff Wed are on course for a hair under 80pts, which almost always is. Wigan are set for 98, which would be a total astonishingly unlucky not to clinch the title. (Here's hoping, though.)
Obviously we're not the real deal yet, and individual games are rarely a trustworthy microcosm of a season. But by the above rationale we have to be better than Pompey, at least as good as Sheff Wed, and strive to be as good as Wigan. That first week of April 2022 should give us some clues as to how happy we're likely to be in April 2023 – and if the answer is tracking toward "not happy enough", it should give the management some ideas on how to correct course.
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Re: Pompey Game rearranged to 5th of April
Let's talk about Wigan.
I've taken the rose-tinters off for this..With two games in hand and having won 24, drawn seven and lost just six and a points total of 79 (just one behind Rotherham,) jokes about pies and Wigan Pier fall a bit flat against their mightily impressive form sheet. To even think about getting anything to boost our 58 points needs a leap of faith that is a bit "sharp intake of breath" and our recent form of won two lost two drawn one puts the harsh reality of losing to The Dons and Plymouth and the Morecambe ( LLLDL )-draw into focus.
Wigan just about wins the miles distance over Blackburn as a local Derby and there really is no place to hide now. In short, Wigan are no joke. We really must win this. Yes, a no-shxt Sherlock post, but no laughing matter either.
I've taken the rose-tinters off for this..With two games in hand and having won 24, drawn seven and lost just six and a points total of 79 (just one behind Rotherham,) jokes about pies and Wigan Pier fall a bit flat against their mightily impressive form sheet. To even think about getting anything to boost our 58 points needs a leap of faith that is a bit "sharp intake of breath" and our recent form of won two lost two drawn one puts the harsh reality of losing to The Dons and Plymouth and the Morecambe ( LLLDL )-draw into focus.
Wigan just about wins the miles distance over Blackburn as a local Derby and there really is no place to hide now. In short, Wigan are no joke. We really must win this. Yes, a no-shxt Sherlock post, but no laughing matter either.
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Re: Pompey Game rearranged to 5th of April
Be nice to win but in reality another late equaliser to put a spanner in their season and I’m a happy man.
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Re: Pompey Game rearranged to 5th of April
Worth remembering that Wigan just about avoided the drop last year.Dave Sutton's barnet wrote: ↑Tue Mar 22, 2022 11:16 amThat first week of April 2022 should give us some clues as to how happy we're likely to be in April 2023 – and if the answer is tracking toward "not happy enough", it should give the management some ideas on how to correct course.
We should go into next summer with a reasonably settled situation and for the first time Evatt will be able to spend money in a summer window.
As you say, if they need to make corrections then they certainly can.
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Re: Pompey Game rearranged to 5th of April
And they signed a new squad in the summer? They won’t hold onto Leam Richardson much longer IMO.
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Re: Pompey Game rearranged to 5th of April
True. And Plymouth finished 18th.GhostoftheBok wrote: ↑Thu Mar 24, 2022 5:38 amWorth remembering that Wigan just about avoided the drop last year.
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Re: Pompey Game rearranged to 5th of April
Precisely the point. It's possible to go from top to bottom at this level in a single season. We've seen the transformation Januaries have had under Evatt. This will be his first proper summer recruitment window and I expect our squad to be very impressive next season, at least on paper. Then it's about whether Evatt can convert a good squad into consistent performances.
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Re: Pompey Game rearranged to 5th of April
Consistent performances require building a squad with the right blend of qualities. We can look at the promoted sides to see where we lack stuff compared to them.GhostoftheBok wrote: ↑Thu Mar 24, 2022 7:46 amPrecisely the point. It's possible to go from top to bottom at this level in a single season. We've seen the transformation Januaries have had under Evatt. This will be his first proper summer recruitment window and I expect our squad to be very impressive next season, at least on paper. Then it's about whether Evatt can convert a good squad into consistent performances.
We have a lot of attacking qualities but this league demands that on top of the ability to grind out results at times. Sometimes on bad pitches. You can’t go up if your only plan is to dominate the ball. So we need players with the requisite ability to deal with those situations. If you don’t have that there is only so much a manager can do. So summer is critical. We’ve had a year to see the leagues demands. We are close. But still miss that efficiency and variety.
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Re: Pompey Game rearranged to 5th of April
Yeah but they had the squad space (and money) to do it, whereas by my reckoning we've got 20 players contracted to at least summer 2023. That's no bad thing - I like pretty much all the players we have contracted beyond this summer, and the ones I think need to prove themselves are lapsing next summer - but it doesn't give us the elbow-room for a soup-to-nuts rejig. Not that we need one.GhostoftheBok wrote: ↑Thu Mar 24, 2022 7:46 amPrecisely the point. It's possible to go from top to bottom at this level in a single season. We've seen the transformation Januaries have had under Evatt. This will be his first proper summer recruitment window and I expect our squad to be very impressive next season, at least on paper. Then it's about whether Evatt can convert a good squad into consistent performances.
Like I say, I see the rise of Plymouth – relegated to the Fourth in 2019, promoted 2020 under progressive young manager, finished 18th last season - as a more likely parallel. Last summer they turfed out a dozen – for us it's probably only be half that (Baptiste, Greenidge, Edwards, Gordon, Tutte, Delf).
But they signed four free transfers who have already topped 30 games for them this season – even if they weren't perhaps initially all that exciting on the surface. Right-sided centre-back James Wilson was 32 and released by Ipswich. Left-sided centre-back Macauley Gillesphey had gone to play for Robbie Fowler in Australia after being released by Carlisle. Defensive midfielder Jordan Houghton had been released by MK Dons, who’d just finished 13th. Dominant centre-back Dan Scarr hadn’t broken out of non-league until he was nearly 23 and had just left fourth-tier Walsall. After signing Scarr, Lowe said “"The main priority was the back lads,” saying he wanted “three solid defenders who we feel can compete in this league and keep the back door shut.”
It's worked. Last season they conceded 80 in 46 league games - the division’s second-worst defensive record. This season they’ve conceded 39 in 39. Only three teams in last season’s League One, and only four in this season so far, conceded fewer than a goal per game.
It’s not all about improving defending, obvz - they’ve upped the goals-scored from last season’s 53 to 66 so far (on course for 77) - but it’s halving the goals-against column that’s shot them up the standings. I dare say last season’s Argyle would have conceded the other weekend at the Unibol, and therefore probably lost.
Put it another way: us and Rotherham have each edplayed 39 games. We've scored 60 to their 64. But we've conceded 49 to their 25.
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Re: Pompey Game rearranged to 5th of April
I think we still need to note, we've not done too bad since 1st Jan...Obviously need another look when we get to end of season...
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