So good they want to play us twice...Home to Portsmouth, Football League Cup Tues 10th Jan 7-45.

[irie Cee Bee]

I hope Evatt goes strong. We want to win the trophy. Not about giving someone a game rotation. My team would be:

Traff
Bartley Toal Santos Jones Beck
Morely MJ
Dempsey
Dadbod Charles

Rest Lee and Johnston who has taken a few heavy knocks recently if he hasn't fully recovered. If he has, he starts. We need a settled side.

[The_Gun]

I hope Evatt goes strong. We want to win the trophy. Not about giving someone a game rotation. My team would be:

Traff
Bartley Toal Santos Jones Beck
Morely MJ
Dempsey
Dadbod Charles

Rest Lee and Johnston who has taken a few heavy knocks recently if he hasn't fully recovered. If he has, he starts. We need a settled side.

Pretty sure he left us about 15 years ago, pal.

[Worthy4England]

Whew - I just spent 30 minutes looking for the new signing announcement

[Worthy4England]

Dempsey might be a doubt for tomorrow...

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/sport/footbal ... 7bf29d513f

[Bruce Rioja]

Since it's 250 miles from the Unibol, might I be right in thinking the Pompey squad wold stay local rather than make the journey twice in five days? I might b entirely wrong, but the travelling would hardly help matters.

Flights from Southampton to Manchester (and vice versa) only take just over an hour, Tango. I'd have thought that that'd be far more cost effective overall than coach + hotel rooms + meals etc. Also, getting your players home and training as per normal must, I'd have thought, be of benefit to them, when measured against having them stay up here for the duration.

That said, if they shape themselves on the new manager front, then he might want to get them away together as a group for a few days.

[GhostoftheBok]

Flights from Southampton to Manchester (and vice versa) only take just over an hour, Tango. I'd have thought that that'd be far more cost effective overall than coach + hotel rooms + meals etc. Also, getting your players home and training as per normal must, I'd have thought, be of benefit to them, when measured against having them stay up here for the duration.

That said, if they shape themselves on the new manager front, then he might want to get them away together as a group for a few days.

When we were higher up the leagues and not at immanent risk of collapse we used to fly to the south coast games, because it was more cost efficient.

Except when the financial reality hit someone actually bothered to check and it turned out it was way more expensive. Not least because you still need the team coach down there to go from the airport to the game and back again, so someone had to drive it there and back. Empty or full it's basically the same cost. There was a lot of moaning when the switch was made.

[Bruce Rioja]

When we were higher up the leagues and not at immanent risk of collapse we used to fly to the south coast games, because it was more cost efficient.

Except when the financial reality hit someone actually bothered to check and it turned out it was way more expensive. Not least because you still need the team coach down there to go from the airport to the game and back again, so someone had to drive it there and back. Empty or full it's basically the same cost. There was a lot of moaning when the switch was made.

Ahh, my mistake. I thought someone would've had the gumption to ring Ellison's (or whoever) and have them lay a different one on at the other end.

Football really does operate on the economics of the madhouse!

[irie Cee Bee]

I hope Evatt goes strong. We want to win the trophy. Not about giving someone a game rotation. My team would be:

Traff
Bartley Toal Santos Jones Beck
Morely MJ
Dempsey
Dadbod Charles

Rest Lee and Johnston who has taken a few heavy knocks recently if he hasn't fully recovered. If he has, he starts. We need a settled side.

Pretty sure he left us about 15 years ago, pal.

[GhostoftheBok]

Ahh, my mistake. I thought someone would've had the gumption to ring Ellison's (or whoever) and have them lay a different one on at the other end.

Football really does operate on the economics of the madhouse!

Premier League football clubs are very, very indulgent. Southampton started a thing where every player had their own mattress that was shipped to hotels, so they always slept in "their" bed. A number of clubs followed suit, but it remains utterly mental.

[Prufrock]

It's what happens when you mix an obscene amount of cash with desperation to find "marginal gains"!

Quite a lot of the top teams fly to games, but then get the coach back too. And those fancy coaches have a little kitchen inside where the club chef cooks them all good for the way back.

Not sure if Tyrers offer that!

[GhostoftheBok]

It's what happens when you mix an obscene amount of cash with desperation to find "marginal gains"!

I believe very firmly in marginal gains, I just think people go off the deep end looking for them and there has to be someone who says, "No, lads. That's bollocks."

[Worthy4England]

It's what happens when you mix an obscene amount of cash with desperation to find "marginal gains"!

I believe very firmly in marginal gains, I just think people go off the deep end looking for them and there has to be someone who says, "No, lads. That's bollocks."

Aye. Can we start with odd coloured boots and hair-gel and work it all forwards from there? Preferably bypassing Alice Bands on the way

[GhostoftheBok]

There's the other side, though - with Evatt only half joking when he said he felt dirty using Williams' long throw as a weapon.

There's such a thing as managers who ignore marginal gains on "purity" grounds and they can also get in the bin.

You do everything you can to win games. Purity is for Disney princesses and mineral water.

[Prufrock]

It's what happens when you mix an obscene amount of cash with desperation to find "marginal gains"!

I believe very firmly in marginal gains, I just think people go off the deep end looking for them and there has to be someone who says, "No, lads. That's bollocks."

Oh absolutely. But then that's where the money comes in right? The cost of transporting a bunch of mattresses around for a Prem team is so insignificant that they think "f*ck it, on the off chance, why not?". Mixed in with a cottage industry of pseudo-science and quacks looking to make a quick buck from those with more money than they know what to do with.

[Bruce Rioja]

There's the other side, though - with Evatt only half joking when he said he felt dirty using Williams' long throw as a weapon.

Or having a bunch of plans for set-pieces, but that's another discussion.

[TANGODANCER]

There's the other side, though - with Evatt only half joking when he said he felt dirty using Williams' long throw as a weapon.

Wonder how dirty Oxford's manager feels? Ciaron Brown can throw a ball like a Howitzer.

[Mar]

Surely being 2 games away from Wembley, we've got to be putting out a strong side.

I'd expect to see changes however, with the returning Rico and Jones into the starting line up. They're more than competent and have been first choice previously so I don't think we weaken the squad, but we would end up unsettling a solid back line.

Trafford
Jones Santos Toal
Bradley Williams Morley Dempsey Randy
Charles Dapo

Wouldn't be surprised to see Baka or Kacha in the starting lineup, nor would I be disappointed. Either way I'd expect to see Dad Bod and Charles featuring at some point.


Would be surprised to see John or Isgrove. Baka's an interesting one if he's being touted elsewhere and not wanting to get injured.

Any idea on whether Isgrove is in contention? Suspect that injury is still causing problems?

[TANGODANCER]

Any water-polo players in our squad? I got up to raining at about 8-0'clock this morning ; it's still raining quite heavily. hoping we don't have a Zenit St Petersburg fiasco on our hands.

[The_Gun]

Any water-polo players in our squad? I got up to raining at about 8-0'clock this morning ; it's still raining quite heavily. hoping we don't have a Zenit St Petersburg fiasco on our hands.

Chance of it being called off, you reckon, Tango?

[truewhite15]

Any water-polo players in our squad? I got up to raining at about 8-0'clock this morning ; it's still raining quite heavily. hoping we don't have a Zenit St Petersburg fiasco on our hands.

Chance of it being called off, you reckon, Tango?

Nah. Rain's lessened now. Pitch will be very slick underfoot, but I don't see there being any issues with waterlogging.