Pompey and Circumstances...V. Portsmouth away Sat 30th Oct 3.O'clock

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Re: Pompey and Circumstances...V. Portsmouth away Sat 30th Oct 3.O'clock

Post by irie Cee Bee » Sat Oct 30, 2021 7:24 pm

Without Jones and Sarce we are now a very average L1 team. We are now a one man team (Dapo), hoping for his magic to draw a game as we will always concede. I saw nothing encouraging today. Up front we had nothing, Delf, Hachunga and Doyle were all on vacation. Dapo could not manage the #10 position. Aimson wasnt bad and John had a decent game. Isgrove was the only one willing to attack and he was at RB. We are in a relegation scrap. We need a massive overall in January to help this team.

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Re: Pompey and Circumstances...V. Portsmouth away Sat 30th Oct 3.O'clock

Post by BWFC_Insane » Sat Oct 30, 2021 7:38 pm

GhostoftheBok wrote:
Sat Oct 30, 2021 6:38 pm
There's nothing wrong with Sheehan, but we knew when we signed him that he was the lad to dictate attacking patterns in a more robust side. At Newport he had Labadie with him and legs/power in front of him.

His best games for us have been with Williams and Sarce, he struggles with Lee in there because they are both finesse players. He was especially good when he also had Baka and John giving him options.

As the team gets more lightweight he gets less and less effective. Not sure that's something you can fix, you just have to accept that he needs a platform.

The reason he's not a 10 for us is, again, we've no physicality up top to make space for him.

*edit*

This is another reason why losing Sarce was a kick in the balls. His running made Lee and Sheehan better.
You put those players round Sheehan he has to be outstanding to warrant being carries. He’s not that good for me. If we are protecting quality in midfield I’d rather have Dapo as a number 10.

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Re: Pompey and Circumstances...V. Portsmouth away Sat 30th Oct 3.O'clock

Post by GhostoftheBok » Sat Oct 30, 2021 7:47 pm

BWFC_Insane wrote:
Sat Oct 30, 2021 7:38 pm
You put those players round Sheehan he has to be outstanding to warrant being carries. He’s not that good for me. If we are protecting quality in midfield I’d rather have Dapo as a number 10.
He's not being carried, he's offering something not many players at this level do - which the ability to both dictate play and take up good positions in both boxes. He has 3 goals this season, it could be 5 or 6 from the openings he's had. If you can find a player who can do that AND is a powerful athlete, outside the top of the Championship and above, then fair enough.

He has qualities we need. If we want to use them he also has weaknesses that his team mates need to make up for.

Players being carried don't have his work rate, his ability to spot danger and his willingness to tackle. He tackles more, intercepts more etc than Lee and we don't call him a luxury player. It's a false narrative.

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Re: Pompey and Circumstances...V. Portsmouth away Sat 30th Oct 3.O'clock

Post by GhostoftheBok » Sat Oct 30, 2021 7:50 pm

For clarity, we're also not carrying Doyle - but he's not doing much this season either. He needs the right structure around him too, which he doesn't have.

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Re: Pompey and Circumstances...V. Portsmouth away Sat 30th Oct 3.O'clock

Post by DJBlu » Sat Oct 30, 2021 7:57 pm

We hit the bar twice. Dodgy keeping gave them their goal.

We played well in the first half.

No right wing due to injuries.

It will get better.

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Re: Pompey and Circumstances...V. Portsmouth away Sat 30th Oct 3.O'clock

Post by officer_dibble » Sat Oct 30, 2021 8:11 pm

Aye - we kept a clean sheet first half and got stronger after first twenty as a result of not being 2-0 down!

I would play the same team against Rochdale and aim to get some rhythm in them. I can’t see any changes to it for the next couple of weeks so let’s try and build some confidence.

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Re: Pompey and Circumstances...V. Portsmouth away Sat 30th Oct 3.O'clock

Post by BWFC_Insane » Sat Oct 30, 2021 8:40 pm

GhostoftheBok wrote:
Sat Oct 30, 2021 7:47 pm
BWFC_Insane wrote:
Sat Oct 30, 2021 7:38 pm
You put those players round Sheehan he has to be outstanding to warrant being carries. He’s not that good for me. If we are protecting quality in midfield I’d rather have Dapo as a number 10.
He's not being carried, he's offering something not many players at this level do - which the ability to both dictate play and take up good positions in both boxes. He has 3 goals this season, it could be 5 or 6 from the openings he's had. If you can find a player who can do that AND is a powerful athlete, outside the top of the Championship and above, then fair enough.

He has qualities we need. If we want to use them he also has weaknesses that his team mates need to make up for.

Players being carried don't have his work rate, his ability to spot danger and his willingness to tackle. He tackles more, intercepts more etc than Lee and we don't call him a luxury player. It's a false narrative.
Sorry but I entirely disagree. I’ve watched him. He flits around the edge of games desperately trying to look fancy. In space he often plays a fancy looking but ultimately safe pass. He struggles on transition more than any other player we have. You can see he’s not physically going to cover the ground Lee or Sarcevic did. Not a chance in hell of that.

He’s a luxury. You need more to your game than he’s got for the lack of running he’s got to his game. He was sat in front of Newport’s back four for a reason.

Sarce was a better athlete took up the positions and could score goals. A better player. He’s now at Stockport.

I think Sheehan would need a different sort of team round him rather like Crawford did and you will need to go some to convince me either are good enough to warrant that.

I would like to see him playing on the right hand side of a front three. Just to see how he goes there. It’s worth a try as Kachunga is bobbins.

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Re: Pompey and Circumstances...V. Portsmouth away Sat 30th Oct 3.O'clock

Post by GhostoftheBok » Sat Oct 30, 2021 8:52 pm

BWFC_Insane wrote:
Sat Oct 30, 2021 8:40 pm
Sorry but I entirely disagree.
I'm fine with that. As I've said before, most transfers fail and he'll need a platform to succeed. We'll see where we are at the end of the season. What's clear is we've not put together a functional 11 as yet. I'm not going to judge any of the new lads until we do.

As for Sarce, he's been absolute garbage in plenty of games this season. His ability to waste the ball in superb positions was verging on magical at times. There's only Lee and Dapo I'd give a full pass so far this season.

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Re: Pompey and Circumstances...V. Portsmouth away Sat 30th Oct 3.O'clock

Post by Prufrock » Sat Oct 30, 2021 9:15 pm

You've had a weird obsession with him for a while tbf. He's not playing well at all now but he was excellent in our early season run. Athleticism isn't his strength, but you can say the same for MJ and to a lesser extent Lee.

I don't know how you could watch those early season performances and not think there's a league one player in there.

And he is consistently always one who never hides on the ball. He's not perfect at all, but I can see how Evatt likes him and I'm pretty confident he'll come good again.
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Re: Pompey and Circumstances...V. Portsmouth away Sat 30th Oct 3.O'clock

Post by BWFC_Insane » Sat Oct 30, 2021 9:58 pm

Prufrock wrote:
Sat Oct 30, 2021 9:15 pm
You've had a weird obsession with him for a while tbf. He's not playing well at all now but he was excellent in our early season run. Athleticism isn't his strength, but you can say the same for MJ and to a lesser extent Lee.

I don't know how you could watch those early season performances and not think there's a league one player in there.

And he is consistently always one who never hides on the ball. He's not perfect at all, but I can see how Evatt likes him and I'm pretty confident he'll come good again.
He doesn’t cover ground. He’s not a central midfield player in this system. He isn’t lazy he just doesn’t have the ability to cover the ground necessary. Compare him to another diminutive midfield player in Stuart Holden. Holden covered every blade of grass. Sheehan just doesn’t have that in his locker and it’s an essential to make this team work. His early season performances worked because we let two number 8’s run rampant without worrying too much about the other direction. But that’s gone now. We can’t do that.

Sheehan might be a front three player if he can up his end product but he’s not a central midfield player in my view. Not of the type we need at least.

His career track record would suggest that as would his role for Newport. You don’t need to look much further than ask why he sat in front of their back four given he’s not a holding player. I strongly suspect because he simply can’t cover enough ground. That role suited his passing. But we aren’t playing like that.

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Re: Pompey and Circumstances...V. Portsmouth away Sat 30th Oct 3.O'clock

Post by LeverEnd » Sat Oct 30, 2021 11:09 pm

BWFC_Insane wrote:
Sat Oct 30, 2021 5:58 pm
4 points off the drop zone. Seriously time to start fighting and grinding results out. Can’t keep giving goals away. Start with clean sheets then try and nick some goals. Open and expansive football is not where we are at right now. This is a fight and we are being sucked under.
Literally just looked the table up and was about to post the same. 4 points is nothing given the state we're in, and no amount of bullishness will disguise it. There's no way we have a January like last time. We just need to hope that we can get enough in to scrape staying up. I was fine a few weeks ago and expecting a slump to mid table, but this is something else. Anyone shrugging the sarcevic thing off now is deluded. (Ian, are you reading 😁).
None of the summer signings have made our starting 11 better. After the Sarcevic debacle we're now weaker than at the end of last season.
Are there 4 worse teams than us as it stands? That's the question now.
I never thought we'd make playoffs, but thought we'd be close enough to keep it interesting until very late in the season. I feel like there's something badly wrong, Hope it's just paranoia based on recent years.
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Re: Pompey and Circumstances...V. Portsmouth away Sat 30th Oct 3.O'clock

Post by officer_dibble » Sat Oct 30, 2021 11:15 pm

Crewe, Cheltenham and Donny at home in November. 9 points, happy days. Anything fewer than 6 and I think we are in trouble (Wycombe is the away game). Here’s hoping the daft bastard doesn’t fall out with anyone else before January.

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Re: Pompey and Circumstances...V. Portsmouth away Sat 30th Oct 3.O'clock

Post by TonyDomingos » Sat Oct 30, 2021 11:44 pm

LeverEnd wrote:
Sat Oct 30, 2021 11:09 pm
BWFC_Insane wrote:
Sat Oct 30, 2021 5:58 pm
4 points off the drop zone. Seriously time to start fighting and grinding results out. Can’t keep giving goals away. Start with clean sheets then try and nick some goals. Open and expansive football is not where we are at right now. This is a fight and we are being sucked under.
Literally just looked the table up and was about to post the same. 4 points is nothing given the state we're in, and no amount of bullishness will disguise it. There's no way we have a January like last time. We just need to hope that we can get enough in to scrape staying up. I was fine a few weeks ago and expecting a slump to mid table, but this is something else. Anyone shrugging the sarcevic thing off now is deluded. (Ian, are you reading 😁).
None of the summer signings have made our starting 11 better. After the Sarcevic debacle we're now weaker than at the end of last season.
Are there 4 worse teams than us as it stands? That's the question now.
I never thought we'd make playoffs, but thought we'd be close enough to keep it interesting until very late in the season. I feel like there's something badly wrong, Hope it's just paranoia based on recent years.

I don't know anything about football, but I'd be very surprised if we went down. Think we're lower mid-table.
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Re: Pompey and Circumstances...V. Portsmouth away Sat 30th Oct 3.O'clock

Post by GhostoftheBok » Sat Oct 30, 2021 11:51 pm

As an aside and because I am not sure where to ask, do we have any information on when we can expect Amaechi to make a matchday squad?

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Re: Pompey and Circumstances...V. Portsmouth away Sat 30th Oct 3.O'clock

Post by Dave Sutton's barnet » Sat Oct 30, 2021 11:57 pm

GhostoftheBok wrote:
Sat Oct 30, 2021 11:51 pm
As an aside and because I am not sure where to ask, do we have any information on when we can expect Amaechi to make a matchday squad?
Evatt quoted a couple of days ago:
He’s doing well. He’s having to build-up slowly. His attitude and application to his rehab has been first class. He’s very fit. Now it’s just about building it up, building up his sharpness.

We’ve not had him back in training yet but I think that will probably be the first week in November, and then from that getting him fully up to speed and ready to play again.

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Re: Pompey and Circumstances...V. Portsmouth away Sat 30th Oct 3.O'clock

Post by GhostoftheBok » Sun Oct 31, 2021 12:02 am

Dave Sutton's barnet wrote:
Sat Oct 30, 2021 11:57 pm
GhostoftheBok wrote:
Sat Oct 30, 2021 11:51 pm
As an aside and because I am not sure where to ask, do we have any information on when we can expect Amaechi to make a matchday squad?
Evatt quoted a couple of days ago:
He’s doing well. He’s having to build-up slowly. His attitude and application to his rehab has been first class. He’s very fit. Now it’s just about building it up, building up his sharpness.

We’ve not had him back in training yet but I think that will probably be the first week in November, and then from that getting him fully up to speed and ready to play again.
Cheers.

It'll be difficult for the lad. He'll essentially be starting in the full flow of the season as though he's going into preseason.

I hope our fans show their usual levels of patience and understanding...

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Re: Pompey and Circumstances...V. Portsmouth away Sat 30th Oct 3.O'clock

Post by Dave Sutton's barnet » Sun Oct 31, 2021 12:13 am

GhostoftheBok wrote:
Sun Oct 31, 2021 12:02 am
It'll be difficult for the lad. He'll essentially be starting in the full flow of the season as though he's going into preseason.

I hope our fans show their usual levels of patience and understanding...
Well, quite. Doesn’t seem long since we were assured having Bakayoko back would solve our problems.

I don’t know the lad at all but I fear the expectation levels have been ratcheted up to the point where he’s a king over the water. But he’s a 20 year old who’s played 18 senior games and will be coming into a team on a terrible run.

Or maybe he won’t. As noted, November’s fixtures look a lot more winnable. I bloody hope so. And maybe he can give us a boost when we need it. I still think we’re in that 8th-16th third of the division, but I’m starting to worry a little.

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Re: Pompey and Circumstances...V. Portsmouth away Sat 30th Oct 3.O'clock

Post by GhostoftheBok » Sun Oct 31, 2021 12:26 am

Dave Sutton's barnet wrote:
Sun Oct 31, 2021 12:13 am
Well, quite. Doesn’t seem long since we were assured having Bakayoko back would solve our problems.
It's the horrible "balance" word, isn't it?

Maybe Bakayoko would have changed things up enough if we had a 10 who could assist, but we don't. Because we don't have that, we need a right winger who creates and we don't have one.

Dapo scores amazing goals and wins loads of "field position" as the yanks would say, but he doesn't make clear chances very often. Nobody is going to fix things until we have someone in the team who reliably does that job. Dapo is a really important piece in the puzzle if we want to go up, but we need more.

Sheehan is a director of play, not a scalpel. Lee is closer, but not there.

Baka, Kachunga, Doyle etc will all look considerably better if we can add some guile to the side.

If Amaechi is a magic bullet then great. Unfair to expect it of him.

*edit* Worth adding, what Dapo does is slow play down. It's really valuable when we need to dictate the tempo of the game. We need a player on the other flank, or in midfield, who can do the other thing. Turn and get directly at the heart of things at a million miles an hour to take advantage of errors and spaces. That's my take anyway.

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Re: Pompey and Circumstances...V. Portsmouth away Sat 30th Oct 3.O'clock

Post by brommers95 » Sun Oct 31, 2021 1:02 am

Was Gethin Jones the glue that was holding it all together?

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Re: Pompey and Circumstances...V. Portsmouth away Sat 30th Oct 3.O'clock

Post by GhostoftheBok » Sun Oct 31, 2021 1:21 am

brommers95 wrote:
Sun Oct 31, 2021 1:02 am
Was Gethin Jones the glue that was holding it all together?
I think some people on twitter and such are trying too hard, to be honest.

We are bedding in Johnston and Dixon. Having three other lads in the back four who knew the system helped a bit, but even then we were ropey. Still, the lads in front were okay with that was behind them and the supporting runs worked so we carried a threat.

Then we get injuries and suddenly we are bedding in Dixon and Johnston AND carrying Gordon and Brocky as they learn their trade. So at that stage we are going to get pasted by good sides. The fullbacks are vital so when those runs aren't good our attacking play is way too slow and we can't cut butter.

The dressing room was sold as a big reason we were doing well last season, then the captain is suddenly gone in a firestorm. So we're in trouble again. In losing him we also lose our only real mobility in the middle.

We take on Pompey with a bizarre set up that we'd never usually try and it's a bit better than the previous few games, but we still can't cut butter - not least because nobody in the final third can thread a pass.

We've gone up a level and not improved the 11 much, we've lost leaders we've not replaced, our captain has walked, we've had players missing and we've not added a single real goal threat (in fact, one of our main ones just went). Of course we're struggling.

P.S I am aware I'm posting too much tonight, but I just adopted 4 cats and they need babysitting whilst they settle in.

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