Going for the full Nelson? Away to Portsmouth Mon, 11th Dec, 8-o'clock.

[boltonboris]

Santos was absolutely abysmal tonight closely followed by Toal and Sheehan.

Santos and Sheehan at least wanted to play.

Sheehan struggled with two men pressing him, because Pompey targeted him. I can forgive that.

Santos came up against another unit and lost the battle. I can forgive that.

I can forgive Toal getting skinned one-on-one, but I can't forgive him AGAIN giving up on the game in possession - just like against Barnsley.

The lad does not want to ball at his feet when there's any pressure at all. That's not acceptable.

Santos and Sheehan played us into trouble with lazy poorly executed straight balls. All the time.

So let’s not pretend they were trying to tiki taka it.

The only player tonight who I felt knew how to beat Portsmouth was Thomason and he knew the space was in behind not short, Sheehan is out now anyway but it’s typical of him, I don’t trust him when the heat is turned up.

This yengi fella…can we find one like him in January? He was very good I thought and made Santos look bang average first half and a clown second half.

Jesus Hare Krishna and Joseph. Talk about reactionary

Santos & Sheehan have been of our top performers in a season that saw us top of the league in December. After 1 blip, they're shite. On the other hand, Mr 2nmd start of the season and no goals plays out of his skin because he's a big lump is suddenly the player we need instead.

It was ONE sub-standard performance in a tough tough game away from home. Let's not throw our toys out of the pram and call out our most (usually) consistent performers. You sound like you couldn't wait for this moment and you're pleased you can revert to type.

[Mar]

Decent first half. Piss poor second half.

Overawed by the occasion. Heads gone. Keeper trying to pass out the back, midfield hoofing, strikers left stranded.

Strange decision starting with Bod who was performing striker tonight but it looked like we were disjointed. It's a gamble that didn't pay off.

Plenty in that first half to suggest that we're going to challenge at the top.

Most maddening thing is that we just seemed to pull another Wigan game. Shock and awed. It's not the bolton side that we've become accustomed to.

Plenty of positives, just not that second half.

I could see the sense in starting Bodvarsson. 5 goals in 2 games. If you don't reward performances with starts in the league it sets a dangerous precedent and gives a sign to fringe players that there's no pathway into the league XI - Then people think 'what's the point'

Totally get that. But I think of all the pairings we've got in our squad, they're the ones that have been paired the least. Ten minutes here, ten minutes there. It might not be enough for it to be fluid. That being said, Charles' effort goes in, we likely kick on and win that fixture last night. One of those games I guess.

Maybe Evatt's decision was to put pay to the idea that Bod should be starting over Vic and that the role of super sub Bod was the way to go. Maybe Evatt's game plan was disrupted with N'lundulu's injury and you could see him trying to mix it up.

[boltonboris]

Personally, I would have started Vic. Bodvarsson did well for the chance Charles missed, but he didn't really press and certainly didn't beat their defenders up like Vic does (or at least can), but that's with the beauty of hindsight!

Not sure Dion's effort going in would have affected the game, or the result. Portsmouth wouldn't have changed how they played, but we may have (to our detriment). Who knows, though

[GhostoftheBok]

Hindsight is a glorious thing. I'd not have started Bod either (foresight is also a wonderful thing), but I don't think Vic being on turns that into a winning display. Yes, it let's the midfield cover the defence more and yes he'd have pressed, but I think the back three would still have got slaughtered on transition. Maybe it gets us a draw? Who knows?

What I will say is Bod should probably keep his spot for Bristol. More his kind of game and you can't give a guy a go and then drop him when the entire team fluffs.

[HMX]

Had the huge Charles chance gone in, I still don't think we'd have won it. Never know if we'd have ground it out for a draw though.

We still don't have a way of dealing with narrow pitches and effective pressing. Maghoma is a decent solution but there's only so much he can do, and his race is run by 60 minutes. No good replacement for him off the bench. Add to that Santos struggling with their centre-forward, Yengi, who had a great game and was somehow allowed 143 fouls, without a booking, on the former.

The high and fast press squeezes us to release the ball early – it gets intercepted – now there are huge gaps for their midfield to step into. Repeat ad nauseum because our confidence is taking a battering and we don't trust the pass.

BUT Portsmouth are a solid, solid team and well worth the win. It's not all our failings but it is the shadowy side of Evatt ball – like that game vs Barnsley – that still gets found out by quality teams. Still... better teams do win. Fair result.

[TANGODANCER]

To balance the scales and stop Pompey disappearing over the horizon, we just have to win our games in hand. Two home fixtures a week apart against bottom half teams can make a much better picture than right now. Nobody lives forever (at least not in the physical world) and neither will the Pompey's. It's about us, not them. If we put pressure on them by our results they might no be so high and mighty when they look over their shoulders..

Ref last night, those who saw Jon-Bod as wanting have probably never played up front. Point men need space and crosses , not pass the hot potato in a crowded box. Bod will show his worth against teams who play differently to Pompey etc. We could do with an Alan Thompson, a Kevin Nolan, or better still, a Luca Modrich to put some teeth in our midfield. We're not a million miles away, from a good side, but we're too hit and miss at times; a box of fireworks with too many Roman Candles and Catherine wheels instead of Jumping Jacks and Thunder flashes. Consistency is the name of the game. Get at it..

[BWFC_Insane]

Hindsight is a glorious thing. I'd not have started Bod either (foresight is also a wonderful thing), but I don't think Vic being on turns that into a winning display. Yes, it let's the midfield cover the defence more and yes he'd have pressed, but I think the back three would still have got slaughtered on transition. Maybe it gets us a draw? Who knows?

What I will say is Bod should probably keep his spot for Bristol. More his kind of game and you can't give a guy a go and then drop him when the entire team fluffs.

We could have played Vic and watched the ball bounce off him at all angles. I think it would have made us worse personally. Our good play mainly came from bod actually being able to trap and control a football and Thomason understanding where space on the pitch was, coupled with Maghoma’s early burst.

The problem with our press is even if the more mobile Victor plays Pompey had an out with their striker and that negated our press and I don’t think Vic would have magically solved that.

[dave the minion]

On the end of a closely fought defeat against the best team in the league. Had to lose at some point. I'm not too disheartened. It happens. What we don't need as the players who been in great form for so long suddenly being thought of as sh*t, soft, lazy, etc etc on the back of last night.

Pompey played with an intensity and hunger you normally see in play-off matches and it certainly took me by surprise that they were able to continue it all night long. Fair f'in play to 'em!

A night to forget, but let's move on and take at least some of the good spells as a positive to build on to start a new run

This. 1 million percent.
We were on an extraordinary winning run, and one which no team can sustain for ever and had to come to an end somewhere.
I'm personally and weirdly quite pleased it came to an end against top of the table & away from home, rather than limping to another Carlisle situation.

Lets see what Saturday brings before we call for the entire starting 11 and management team to be hung, drawn and quartered and dragged through the town by horses.....

[DJBlu]

Same is true today as it was yesterday, we only have to beat those below us to go up.

[GhostoftheBok]

Wasn't disappointing enough to stop me taking the lad to Lincoln for boxing day, so there's that.

This is a great time to be a Wanderer. At our best we are unplayable and our worst doesn't happen very often.

Even as bad as we were last night, they couldn't put us to bed until the very end and their first goal was a corner.

Wigan at home was worse.

[GhostoftheBok]

Same is true today as it was yesterday, we only have to beat those below us to go up.

Our biggest issue this season was losing to Reading and Carlisle, both in the bottom 3.

If we'd showed up for those two we'd be joint top with a game in hand.

It's not always the games against those around you that define your season.

[Worthy4England]

Same is true today as it was yesterday, we only have to beat those below us to go up.

Our biggest issue this season was losing to Reading and Carlisle, both in the bottom 3.

If we'd showed up for those two we'd be joint top with a game in hand.

It's not always the games against those around you that define your season.

Tough to disagree. We should probably have come away with 2 additional points from Oxford on the second half, but overall wasn't complaining about a point. Next time we play them, we're at home to both...

[irie Cee Bee]

We wilted under the intense pressure put on us in front of thousands of screaming fans and lost our belief as the game went on. I Hope we can return the complement at our place with a bigger pitch that suits us. They are a proper team and I was very impressed with Yengi. It was a great battle between him and Santos which he won. I thought Santos held his own most of the time but eventually Yengi's movement and matching pace was too good, and Santos had no one covering him due to the system we play at the back. Dont know if Yengi plays this well consistently but was class and if the Australian Manager was watching, would have seen him as the type of quality he wants in his team and not Jones and Iredale who were well below his quality, and who we need in January. I wish we had a forward like him who would compliment Charles who unfortunately missed a sitter. He will play that over in his head over and over and wonder how he missed that. There is no explanation but hope he brushes off himself and scores a brace next match. Dont think it would have changed the result had he scored. They were well prepared for us. Lets get on with it and get back the 3 points from them when they come to Toughsheet.