pommpey
THE FUTURE ... AS IT USED TO BE
- Banned
- #1
A deserved three points tonight. Not the cleanest, tidiest or most commanding of victories, but who gives a fuck? We have achieved Objective #1 of this season's relegation mission. The next, finishing 'not bottom of the league' is within reach and although it is far from clear where our next points will come from, in honesty, we might do it.
The line up was set up for the draw at most and yeah, Wilder's options are limited due to our sick list. The only changes from last time out in swapping Billy and Pubby for Didsy and Brewy seemed to make sense on paper but it was still apparent that 'poor kid' is still way, way not PL standard. I think he touched the ball a handful of times in a huff-and-puff first half where we couldn't even blow the straw house in. He just seems to be playing in a completely different league to the team around him who to a man are pretty fragmented themselves. Our attack was based on chance rather than guile and Lundstram's timid layoff to Furious epitomised how weak we are in chance creation and execution. That chance itself was begging for a cultured foot to roll it into Baldock's advancing path and for him to almost break the fucking net the way Pele laid Carlos Alberto off in 1970 versus Italy. Dream on.
George did really well however to find Didsy lurking at the back stick for his goal and it was richly deserved for our new top scorer, a player who couldn't hit a cows tits with a baseball bat last season. But the rest of the game felt like the inevitable 'when are we gonna give this lead up' for too long. Lundstram and Norwood playing their usual games of failing to impose when critically needed, poor old Jags having to deal with a nimble Watkins (and coming a cropper in the end to a decision which was fucking appalling in it's outcome for VAR, once again) and when at ten men, us having what looks more like Oscar fucking Pistorious in a 14 shirt telling us all we need to know about shit attackers.
The last ten was park the bus, and I may have flirted with sticking a tenner on us giving a free kick away late on and capitulating to a shabby, avoidable equaliser, Brighton stylee. It nearly happened except for Ramsdale who for me is slowly climbing out of his 'fucking hell, Ramsdale!' cellar and starting to hold his own (a bit)
But overall, I am not complaining how we went about our business, 4-4-1 and lockng things down (the midfield looked a hell-of-a-lot better with four in there, even if they were all largely out of position) Even bringing McBurnie on at the end to try to shithouse things up seemed to make sense (rather than witness Burke make a donkey's helmet out of yet another half chance, or stupidly pass to the fresh air next to Baldock) We fought for that three points and all the players should be proud of that they achieved. Well done. Except Stevens.
Ramsdale 7/10: Some good saves, catches, claims and punches. The point blank one at the end is another addition to his showreel to balance against the fuck ups and howlers he has made as mitigation to him staying next season
Baldock 6/10: Again, involved, busy and usual Baldock fayre. Great threaded pass for Didsy's goal.
Bryan 8/10: Thought he had a cracking match to be honest. Did think his challenge on Watkins was a penalty, but on balance with Jag's red, I am not complaining. He made some critical tackles and got stuck in
Jags 5/10: Bless his old bones and thickening trunk. He had Watkins to deal with and he's old enough to be his granddad. When me and him were discussing if I have 'license to kill people' in Trinidad over a beer (he was genuinely interested and fascinated, readers), Watkins was being packed off to Newton Abbott Primary School with his potted meat sarnies, a couple of bags of Monster Munch and a flick knife. Did not deserve to be redded
Ampadu 6/10: Quiet, steady game from him. No real high points. He did his job, especially better at 4-4-1
Stevens 2/10: Still woefully out of form. Clumsy, error filled and an area teams now know is struggling and play the ball purposefully into his area, knowing how vulnerable he is
Lundstram 5/10: Obviously has incriminating evidence against Wilder. Thought he had spells where he was passably acceptable, and others where he was laughably dogshit with matchsticks shoved into it. Kennomeat flavoured, too.
Norwood 5/10: More of the same. Much less space to mark and much more time on the ball with four in the midfield, so much more effective. Started the game in an inverted V midfield. Why?
Fleck 6.5/10: Better for a return of John tonight. Much more involved and showing the bite we need tin that area of the pitch. Another one better in a four man midfield.
McGoldrick 7.5/10: Again, more 'World of David McGoldrick' football from him. Well taken and well deserved goal which didn't deserve to be cancelled out - thanks to the team it wasn't
Brewster 1/10: Poor kid
Burke 1/10: I have said it all. He's fucking rubbish, isn't he? Let's do away with the 'he has pace' crap. So does a Hippopotamus, when aroused, and chasing Mrs Hippopotamus. He can't hit the goal. He couldn't at WBA either. Why have we got him? What sniggering went on when Wilder rang Bilic for an update on Robinson and Bilic said, 'we could give you Oliver ... snort ... Burke?' and everyone in the manager's office silently fell about laughing?
Osborn 5.5/10: Usual, expected Billy Smart's chaos mixed with genuine determination to do one's best from the little un. At one stage deal late on, we were actually playing a 5-3-1 with him really deep, outside of Stevens
McBurnie (unmarked)
Wilder can be pleased about the industry and graft his players showed out there tonight to get the three points they earned. It says nothing about any success of 'his system', if anything, if we'd have stuck with 5-3-2, I reckon Villa would have eventually punched a hole through and equalised, if not won. We changed shape and defended, properly, in two lines of four and if we had the proper skill and players in the right positions, could have broke out and attacked in numbers. Shame we didn't capitalise on some clear chances and opportunities.
The stream was disgracefully crap at first - buffering and had hidden links to porn sites aplenty. Not good if kids are watching. Then it changed to French. I heard the commentators say 'wanquer', 'Sheffeeeld Wednesday' and 'merde' soon after, pronounce Didsy's name as 'Mac-Geurdlrique', I assume 'crochet' is 'foul' and wanted them to say 'Attention! Trois! Duex! Un! Peep!' No sign of 'le record nermbeur erf les defeats avec la anus est extrellment pounded pour les opponents de la League Premier daccord resemble un drawstringue bague de sports, sur tout la stringue pas et ne pas la lubricant fricasse et un aprroachment mais ne pas 'un, deux, tros' et sous.'
Fourteen points. Europe still on.
pommpey
The line up was set up for the draw at most and yeah, Wilder's options are limited due to our sick list. The only changes from last time out in swapping Billy and Pubby for Didsy and Brewy seemed to make sense on paper but it was still apparent that 'poor kid' is still way, way not PL standard. I think he touched the ball a handful of times in a huff-and-puff first half where we couldn't even blow the straw house in. He just seems to be playing in a completely different league to the team around him who to a man are pretty fragmented themselves. Our attack was based on chance rather than guile and Lundstram's timid layoff to Furious epitomised how weak we are in chance creation and execution. That chance itself was begging for a cultured foot to roll it into Baldock's advancing path and for him to almost break the fucking net the way Pele laid Carlos Alberto off in 1970 versus Italy. Dream on.
George did really well however to find Didsy lurking at the back stick for his goal and it was richly deserved for our new top scorer, a player who couldn't hit a cows tits with a baseball bat last season. But the rest of the game felt like the inevitable 'when are we gonna give this lead up' for too long. Lundstram and Norwood playing their usual games of failing to impose when critically needed, poor old Jags having to deal with a nimble Watkins (and coming a cropper in the end to a decision which was fucking appalling in it's outcome for VAR, once again) and when at ten men, us having what looks more like Oscar fucking Pistorious in a 14 shirt telling us all we need to know about shit attackers.
The last ten was park the bus, and I may have flirted with sticking a tenner on us giving a free kick away late on and capitulating to a shabby, avoidable equaliser, Brighton stylee. It nearly happened except for Ramsdale who for me is slowly climbing out of his 'fucking hell, Ramsdale!' cellar and starting to hold his own (a bit)
But overall, I am not complaining how we went about our business, 4-4-1 and lockng things down (the midfield looked a hell-of-a-lot better with four in there, even if they were all largely out of position) Even bringing McBurnie on at the end to try to shithouse things up seemed to make sense (rather than witness Burke make a donkey's helmet out of yet another half chance, or stupidly pass to the fresh air next to Baldock) We fought for that three points and all the players should be proud of that they achieved. Well done. Except Stevens.
Ramsdale 7/10: Some good saves, catches, claims and punches. The point blank one at the end is another addition to his showreel to balance against the fuck ups and howlers he has made as mitigation to him staying next season
Baldock 6/10: Again, involved, busy and usual Baldock fayre. Great threaded pass for Didsy's goal.
Bryan 8/10: Thought he had a cracking match to be honest. Did think his challenge on Watkins was a penalty, but on balance with Jag's red, I am not complaining. He made some critical tackles and got stuck in
Jags 5/10: Bless his old bones and thickening trunk. He had Watkins to deal with and he's old enough to be his granddad. When me and him were discussing if I have 'license to kill people' in Trinidad over a beer (he was genuinely interested and fascinated, readers), Watkins was being packed off to Newton Abbott Primary School with his potted meat sarnies, a couple of bags of Monster Munch and a flick knife. Did not deserve to be redded
Ampadu 6/10: Quiet, steady game from him. No real high points. He did his job, especially better at 4-4-1
Stevens 2/10: Still woefully out of form. Clumsy, error filled and an area teams now know is struggling and play the ball purposefully into his area, knowing how vulnerable he is
Lundstram 5/10: Obviously has incriminating evidence against Wilder. Thought he had spells where he was passably acceptable, and others where he was laughably dogshit with matchsticks shoved into it. Kennomeat flavoured, too.
Norwood 5/10: More of the same. Much less space to mark and much more time on the ball with four in the midfield, so much more effective. Started the game in an inverted V midfield. Why?
Fleck 6.5/10: Better for a return of John tonight. Much more involved and showing the bite we need tin that area of the pitch. Another one better in a four man midfield.
McGoldrick 7.5/10: Again, more 'World of David McGoldrick' football from him. Well taken and well deserved goal which didn't deserve to be cancelled out - thanks to the team it wasn't
Brewster 1/10: Poor kid
Burke 1/10: I have said it all. He's fucking rubbish, isn't he? Let's do away with the 'he has pace' crap. So does a Hippopotamus, when aroused, and chasing Mrs Hippopotamus. He can't hit the goal. He couldn't at WBA either. Why have we got him? What sniggering went on when Wilder rang Bilic for an update on Robinson and Bilic said, 'we could give you Oliver ... snort ... Burke?' and everyone in the manager's office silently fell about laughing?
Osborn 5.5/10: Usual, expected Billy Smart's chaos mixed with genuine determination to do one's best from the little un. At one stage deal late on, we were actually playing a 5-3-1 with him really deep, outside of Stevens
McBurnie (unmarked)
Wilder can be pleased about the industry and graft his players showed out there tonight to get the three points they earned. It says nothing about any success of 'his system', if anything, if we'd have stuck with 5-3-2, I reckon Villa would have eventually punched a hole through and equalised, if not won. We changed shape and defended, properly, in two lines of four and if we had the proper skill and players in the right positions, could have broke out and attacked in numbers. Shame we didn't capitalise on some clear chances and opportunities.
The stream was disgracefully crap at first - buffering and had hidden links to porn sites aplenty. Not good if kids are watching. Then it changed to French. I heard the commentators say 'wanquer', 'Sheffeeeld Wednesday' and 'merde' soon after, pronounce Didsy's name as 'Mac-Geurdlrique', I assume 'crochet' is 'foul' and wanted them to say 'Attention! Trois! Duex! Un! Peep!' No sign of 'le record nermbeur erf les defeats avec la anus est extrellment pounded pour les opponents de la League Premier daccord resemble un drawstringue bague de sports, sur tout la stringue pas et ne pas la lubricant fricasse et un aprroachment mais ne pas 'un, deux, tros' et sous.'
Fourteen points. Europe still on.
pommpey