Pompey Game rearranged to 5th of April

[TANGODANCER]

Put it another way: us and Rotherham have each played 39 games. We've scored 60 to their 64. But we've conceded 49 to their 25.

Very relevant comment D.S.B.And some of those were embarassingly soft goals to say the least. It might be said they were the reason we got left a bit behind, a point I'm sure I.E has made to the team.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Put it another way: us and Rotherham have each played 39 games. We've scored 60 to their 64. But we've conceded 49 to their 25.

Very relevant comment D.S.B.And some of those were embarassingly soft goals to say the least. It might be said they were the reason we got left a bit behind, a point I'm sure I.E has made to the team.

Kachunga's making it for him in today's paper: "We still have to work together and make sure at first we don’t concede. If there is no goal then you can win it at the end, so we have to keep up that performance.”

in 20 away games, we've conceded first 16 times. The four we didn't - Lincoln, Shrewsbury, Gills and Crewe - we won. I've usually got faith in us scoring, but it's a lot harder when the oppo have something to hold on to.

As Worthy's table shows, we've been comfortably "thereabouts" since January. It's not major surgery.

[Mar]

Random curiosity has led me to find this, Bakayoko does start for Sierra Leone vs Togo:
https://youtu.be/YfXIdRTDkFU

comment in the chat was 'Goin Loko Amadou Bakayoko'

[BWFC_Insane]

Put it another way: us and Rotherham have each played 39 games. We've scored 60 to their 64. But we've conceded 49 to their 25.

Very relevant comment D.S.B.And some of those were embarassingly soft goals to say the least. It might be said they were the reason we got left a bit behind, a point I'm sure I.E has made to the team.

Kachunga's making it for him in today's paper: "We still have to work together and make sure at first we don’t concede. If there is no goal then you can win it at the end, so we have to keep up that performance.”

in 20 away games, we've conceded first 16 times. The four we didn't - Lincoln, Shrewsbury, Gills and Crewe - we won. I've usually got faith in us scoring, but it's a lot harder when the oppo have something to hold on to.

As Worthy's table shows, we've been comfortably "thereabouts" since January. It's not major surgery.

It’s the right point. If you concede more than a goal a game you aren’t going up in the top two. Clean sheets more often than not are the bedrock of promotion.

[TANGODANCER]

Bolton's ticket allocation for the Wigan game ( 4098) is sold out already according to the Bolton News..

[GhostoftheBok]

We've seen far fewer "Oh my god, what are you doing!?" goals since the squad upgrades and system switch in January.

6 clean sheets in 15 since mid January and conceded more than 1 goal in only 3 of those matches.

We can definitely improve in that area, as we can in all areas; but we're a long way from a regular defensive shambles these days.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Fewer, certainly, but they're still there, and they often still have serious ramifications.

Poor old George Johnston's brainfart against Morecambe cost us two points - quite possibly three, considering it allowed them to camp and if we'd scored first the game would have been very different. Four days later against Plymouth he was outmuscled at a set-piece for what turned out to be the match-winner by (checks notes) left-sided centre-back Macauley Gillesphey. Again, had we scored first, we might have won that game; instead, that one-point week ended our promotion hopes.

The first goal is the sort that shouldn't be a regular problem. The second is harder. I like George and I'm not picking on him, but it does feel like he's somewhat symptomatic of our lack of power. Interesting to read back those Ryan Lowe comments from last year. (Interesting also that Will Aimson was one of the defenders he released.) We aren't as bad as Plymouth were last season, so we don't have to raise the bar as much, but their improvement proves it is possible without abandoning principles. The fact they've done it with two different managers - albeit one promoted from under the other - is yet more impressive.

[The_Gun]

George Johnston needs some serious strength and conditioning work over the summer if he's going to take his game to the next level, in my opinion.

At 23 he's not going to get any taller, and yes, as Insano would point out, you ideally would like your centre backs to have a bit more height than he does. However, if he could put on a few kilos of muscle he'd surely be better equipped to deal with the rigours of League One, and there are models further up the pyramid for him to follow. Marc Guehi, for one, is of a very similar stature, and is likewise an excellent ball player (obviously significantly more excellent than George), but he's also very strong and does not tend to get bullied.

I'm sure this has already been considered by Evatt and his staff, but to my eye GJ looks pretty scrawny for his position and it's something I would really be looking for him to work on in the off season.

[GhostoftheBok]

Johnston is fine. Yes, he's somewhat stuck between a fullback and a centre back; but in those wide positions that's kind of what you're after. The lack of size and power is why I felt Curtis Tilt would be so useful to us. I think it's more of an issue because we have Jones on the other side who similarly lacks that aerial ability. It should be the case that MJ could make up the difference, but in reality he's not great at defending his box in the air either. He doesn't read the flight of the ball all that well and he can't shift his feet quickly enough to recover.

I'm not in the least concerned about Johnston making errors, given his lack of experience. He will get better and more consistent over time.

I'd like to see us add more presence in both boxes, as well as more aggression in terms of lads willing to smash through brick walls to meet the ball in the air.

Our delivery from set pieces has improved massively and one or two more lads who know how to meet a ball would see us score a few. At the other end we are much better organised than we have been and our issues are now down to individual errors/qualities.

I think we're very much heading in the right direction....if the players could do the same that'd help too.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

I think we're very much heading in the right direction....if the players could do the same that'd help too.

[Worthy4England]

Johnston might be fine in the future. He's not at the moment, for me. His heading ain't great, his defensive positioning questionable. As others suggest he looks lightweight. He's frail under pressure.

He's good on the front foot, going forwards in lots of space, helping create overload and looks like he can generally produce a decent pass. I reckon there was a reason Wigan didn't put up an offer he couldn't refuse.

[BWFC_Insane]

Johnston is fine. Yes, he's somewhat stuck between a fullback and a centre back; but in those wide positions that's kind of what you're after. The lack of size and power is why I felt Curtis Tilt would be so useful to us. I think it's more of an issue because we have Jones on the other side who similarly lacks that aerial ability. It should be the case that MJ could make up the difference, but in reality he's not great at defending his box in the air either. He doesn't read the flight of the ball all that well and he can't shift his feet quickly enough to recover.

I'm not in the least concerned about Johnston making errors, given his lack of experience. He will get better and more consistent over time.

I'd like to see us add more presence in both boxes, as well as more aggression in terms of lads willing to smash through brick walls to meet the ball in the air.

Our delivery from set pieces has improved massively and one or two more lads who know how to meet a ball would see us score a few. At the other end we are much better organised than we have been and our issues are now down to individual errors/qualities.

I think we're very much heading in the right direction....if the players could do the same that'd help too.

Wigan fans were clear that Johnston wasn’t great defensively. And so it’s been seen. If you have any ambition of troubling the top few spots next season he can’t be in the team. We need better. The defence has been poor and for me an overhaul is required in that area. Johnston it’s less pure height and more that he isn’t a good enough reader of the game or strong enough to compensate for that.

I worried about signing him at the time. Young defenders without experience or a real test who’ve mainly looked ‘nice’ on the ball raises red flags. And so it transpired.

Look at the sort of defenders in Wigan and Rotherham’s team or MK Dons and model it on that.