pommpey
THE FUTURE ... AS IT USED TO BE
- Banned
- #1
A point is a point and its not three given away. But even the most happier of clappers might concede that although we remain top of the league for tonight at least, one feels that the momentum gained in the game last Saturday was somewhat lost. We'd made some chin-stroking changes - dropping Anel to the bench for Bash, Flecky now joining the long term injured, no Khadra and McAtee coming in to get his first start and one would hope we'd get hold of Luton Town in our teeth and shake the fuckers in the way a terrier shakes a farmyard rat to break its spine and neck and kill it early.
But the first half was unimpressive to be honest. We didn't seem to have a system and were effectively bossed and bullied in areas of the pitch where we should have had more effect. Ex-Blade Luke Freeman, a seemingly past-it benchwarmer/treatment table wage stealer had a decent game and bossed our midfield almost single headedly showing flashes of skill and vision maybe we have lacked for too long. When Luton offered him a home when we released him I thought, 'good luck with that fucker'. Now he's in some sort of resurgence and found buckets of time to thread balls, make runs and put Sander Berge in the front row seats (fairly as well) and run off with the ball. Our midfield three could cope with him or his fellow midfielders.
Their goal was one bit avoidable but three bits bad marking. The replay shows Morris plonked firmly between Norwood and Basham and completely unchallenged, which if you are defending a cross from the zone is unforgivable. TO be able to leap and touch the ball like that and steer it into the net is a lesson of touch-tight-marking. I doubt Anel would have let him get away with that. Again, we are weak at defending the cross and again, we pay for it. It's notable - when opposition teams cross the ball into our six yard box there always seems to be a player or two who has bags of time to attack the ball and get it toward our goal yet when we cross it, the opposition penalty area is congested and packed and they (usually) deal with our ball easily.
Our midfield again today was the outcome of the result. In the first half, Berge couldn't find effective ways forward and didn't like being pressed and robbed and McAtee looked well over his head in a man's game. Norwood didn't do too badly but he again was sometimes profligate so without those options and settled pattern of play, our impetus was on McBurnie and NDaiye who at times looked on a hiding to nothing despite a lot of effort. McBurnie's goal was deserved and very, very welcome, but the post-equaliser ten minutes were not capitalised upon and we did spend a lot of time tentatively defending Luton's breaks whilst offering nothing much in return.
Foderingham 6/10: Decent game with a good, if pointless, save. Hope he recovers quickly.
Baldock 7/10: Enjoyed his performance and unlucky to be booked. I would like him to cut in diagonally at times and head toward goal, Bogle-style. Some decent defensive interventions
Basham 6/10: Sometimes a shaky return and other times consummate and composed with some decent defensive headers. Should have been a lot tighter marking for their goal, however
Egan 6.5/10: Once again marshalled the defence well when needed and put in his usual dogged spirit but he doesn't like the old ball over the top, does he?
RND 5/10: He works hard does Rhys, but I maintain - he's NOT a Centre Back. His shortcomings and tactical nous in effectively defending are made up by liability-wresting and 'mixing it up' which is okay when you are Chris Morgan or Virgil Van Dyk. He defends as a CB like he's playing LWB still and tonight he was bullied to fuck
Lowe 5.5/10: A quiet, practically vanilla game for him. Didn't see him in advanced positions much which told me all I need to know about his game and the fact that tonight he played like a flat-four LB rather than a marauding LWB in a 3-5-2
Berge 5.5/10: Thought he was outplayed and outmuscled most of the game, and vanished for long periods, even more so after taking a seat in the stands
Norwood 7/10: Another improved performance even if error prone at times. Good efforts on goal
McAtee 2/10: Very poor and our weak link in that first half. There were too many periods where he was outran, showed poor control, shite distribution and looking like an academy player blooded too early. Let's not get too bone hard on the hype on this lad, or we'll be back in Woodburn territory. If he is that magical, we need to see it materialise, because tonight, he was pretty dogwazz.
NDaiye 7/10: Again a great, grafting outing where he is the only point to deliver to and goes and gets it at all costs. We got another 15 out of him tonight as well which was good
McBurnie 7/10: Drops a whole mark for me because although we have a new McBurnie in the team now, the old one comes through like a stubborn skidmark. Just wish he'd get on with the game and stop the shithousery (the diving, the wrestling, the arms-up-appealing-to-the-ref because, as we have seen, he lurks in the shallows and can give us that bite we need. Fucking epic goal from him and deserved celebrations. Thank fuck he is off the mark now and hopefully ... there's more to come.
Doyle 6/10: A considerable upgrade on McAteer. Much more endeavour however not a great deal to show for it
Amissah 7/10: Giant of a keeper and looks commanding, taking his first cross with ease and producing a quality stop late on from Jerome
Anel 6/10: Looked a lot more solid with him at the back
Brewster 6/10: Still underfed and reliant on digging out his own chances. Scuffer of a shot late on, one of three for us
As said, a point is a point and all that. But we lack at times that 'gets you out of your seat' capability and spend a lot of time either doggedly defending or simply passing it about like in a practice match. Again, the midfield is guilty of not carrying it up the pitch and doing what MGW used to do with aplomb, namely put them on a the back foot and afraid to tackle. Khadra was (I believed) the answer to this but tonight he wasn't anywhere near the squad. Without that capability and potential on the pitch we will see a lot of games like this one tonight.
pommpey
First
pommpey
But the first half was unimpressive to be honest. We didn't seem to have a system and were effectively bossed and bullied in areas of the pitch where we should have had more effect. Ex-Blade Luke Freeman, a seemingly past-it benchwarmer/treatment table wage stealer had a decent game and bossed our midfield almost single headedly showing flashes of skill and vision maybe we have lacked for too long. When Luton offered him a home when we released him I thought, 'good luck with that fucker'. Now he's in some sort of resurgence and found buckets of time to thread balls, make runs and put Sander Berge in the front row seats (fairly as well) and run off with the ball. Our midfield three could cope with him or his fellow midfielders.
Their goal was one bit avoidable but three bits bad marking. The replay shows Morris plonked firmly between Norwood and Basham and completely unchallenged, which if you are defending a cross from the zone is unforgivable. TO be able to leap and touch the ball like that and steer it into the net is a lesson of touch-tight-marking. I doubt Anel would have let him get away with that. Again, we are weak at defending the cross and again, we pay for it. It's notable - when opposition teams cross the ball into our six yard box there always seems to be a player or two who has bags of time to attack the ball and get it toward our goal yet when we cross it, the opposition penalty area is congested and packed and they (usually) deal with our ball easily.
Our midfield again today was the outcome of the result. In the first half, Berge couldn't find effective ways forward and didn't like being pressed and robbed and McAtee looked well over his head in a man's game. Norwood didn't do too badly but he again was sometimes profligate so without those options and settled pattern of play, our impetus was on McBurnie and NDaiye who at times looked on a hiding to nothing despite a lot of effort. McBurnie's goal was deserved and very, very welcome, but the post-equaliser ten minutes were not capitalised upon and we did spend a lot of time tentatively defending Luton's breaks whilst offering nothing much in return.
Foderingham 6/10: Decent game with a good, if pointless, save. Hope he recovers quickly.
Baldock 7/10: Enjoyed his performance and unlucky to be booked. I would like him to cut in diagonally at times and head toward goal, Bogle-style. Some decent defensive interventions
Basham 6/10: Sometimes a shaky return and other times consummate and composed with some decent defensive headers. Should have been a lot tighter marking for their goal, however
Egan 6.5/10: Once again marshalled the defence well when needed and put in his usual dogged spirit but he doesn't like the old ball over the top, does he?
RND 5/10: He works hard does Rhys, but I maintain - he's NOT a Centre Back. His shortcomings and tactical nous in effectively defending are made up by liability-wresting and 'mixing it up' which is okay when you are Chris Morgan or Virgil Van Dyk. He defends as a CB like he's playing LWB still and tonight he was bullied to fuck
Lowe 5.5/10: A quiet, practically vanilla game for him. Didn't see him in advanced positions much which told me all I need to know about his game and the fact that tonight he played like a flat-four LB rather than a marauding LWB in a 3-5-2
Berge 5.5/10: Thought he was outplayed and outmuscled most of the game, and vanished for long periods, even more so after taking a seat in the stands
Norwood 7/10: Another improved performance even if error prone at times. Good efforts on goal
McAtee 2/10: Very poor and our weak link in that first half. There were too many periods where he was outran, showed poor control, shite distribution and looking like an academy player blooded too early. Let's not get too bone hard on the hype on this lad, or we'll be back in Woodburn territory. If he is that magical, we need to see it materialise, because tonight, he was pretty dogwazz.
NDaiye 7/10: Again a great, grafting outing where he is the only point to deliver to and goes and gets it at all costs. We got another 15 out of him tonight as well which was good
McBurnie 7/10: Drops a whole mark for me because although we have a new McBurnie in the team now, the old one comes through like a stubborn skidmark. Just wish he'd get on with the game and stop the shithousery (the diving, the wrestling, the arms-up-appealing-to-the-ref because, as we have seen, he lurks in the shallows and can give us that bite we need. Fucking epic goal from him and deserved celebrations. Thank fuck he is off the mark now and hopefully ... there's more to come.
Doyle 6/10: A considerable upgrade on McAteer. Much more endeavour however not a great deal to show for it
Amissah 7/10: Giant of a keeper and looks commanding, taking his first cross with ease and producing a quality stop late on from Jerome
Anel 6/10: Looked a lot more solid with him at the back
Brewster 6/10: Still underfed and reliant on digging out his own chances. Scuffer of a shot late on, one of three for us
As said, a point is a point and all that. But we lack at times that 'gets you out of your seat' capability and spend a lot of time either doggedly defending or simply passing it about like in a practice match. Again, the midfield is guilty of not carrying it up the pitch and doing what MGW used to do with aplomb, namely put them on a the back foot and afraid to tackle. Khadra was (I believed) the answer to this but tonight he wasn't anywhere near the squad. Without that capability and potential on the pitch we will see a lot of games like this one tonight.
pommpey
First
pommpey
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