My take ....

[tyke1889]

Good report and what was that with their manager watching from the camera gantry and having some nerd with him constantly checking the laptop for god knows what with a camera on a tripod too. The weirdest management style I have ever seen. SUTV cameras were a bit obsessed too with him.

I guess you didn't know that their manager was in the 2nd match of a 2 match touchline ban?

 

[Sheffsteel]

Pompey,
Think giving player ratings is becoming quite difficult because we now have players who can produce bits of magic.
So they can be having crap games then have 5 minute spells where they play a major role in helping us take all 3 points.

Thought Berge was having yet another very quiet game (like he tends to do away from home)
then he‘s capable of going on runs brushing off defenders and either scoring or creating.

N’Daiye works hard but can be ineffective but he’s a rare talent that can produce moments of magic from no where.

McBurnie works hard and his quality seems low compared to the others but these days he tends to be effective
and an important cog in the team.

Brewster makes good runs with some quality touches and link play but he still can’t seem to score.

Regards the match, thought it was a strange one,
Preston did most of the attacking, controlled midfield and looked really good…..until they reached our box.
They tried to create clear chances but to no avail because our defence was superb. Fodders only made 1 save all match.
We didn’t attack as much but looked far more dangerous and could have won by more…we had all the best chances.

 

[Wandsworth Blade]

I sat in the home end today with an ex-work colleague and long suffering Preston fan. The Berge Norwood partnership in the centre doesn’t work to our strengths and we were definitely found out a couple of times down our left in the first half. But what shone through was the absolute desire from the team not to concede. Norwood’s tackle rate was exceptional and Bash made some great last ditch blocks. Can I also say that United fans were amazing. Just listening from a different stand to the support was brilliant. Go and soothe your vocal chords please. They must be killing you all.

 

[raul]

Hear me out on this.... a novel experience today.

Prepping my Paella and winning 1-0 on 75 mins with Jeff Stelling on, the last thing you want to hear is ... ' GOAL' from the bloke in the studio covering our game.

Knowing it was Clinton Morrison on our game - to hear ' GOAL' proclaimed with such abject misery, I was in ZERO doubt who'd scored.

Lovely feeling.

Rice a bit al dente though, gentle complaints received.

What happened to you???

 

[metalblade]

One of those games where you match the other teams work rate and eventually the quality shines through.

 

[Varkanoid]

I guess you didn't know that their manager was in the 2nd match of a 2 match touchline ban?

No I didnt but it was still weird. Although I did a search and he did the same thing 2 years ago so I guess thats his spot. They lost on that day too.

 

[highgreeninjapan]

Cheers Pompey. I really liked Norwood’s performance. Most passes and most tackles in the match, and won most of his duels. Gave it away a few times, but mostly when trying to make things happen higher up the pitch.

Think the RND grade is maybe a bit generous. He wasn’t involved much today, but he’s probably been the best player the last month, so reckon it’s fair enough.

Don’t think Hecky’s formation change worked too well, but we won 2-0 away against a tough side, so what the hell do I know?!

Cheers

UTB

 

[El Volví]

I watched it on my mobile, sat in bed in the hotel in Sydney.
I also encountered some buffering but thought it was shite WiFi!
Good picture quality and the commentary was much improved.... even with Gage!

 

[Edgar Allan Poo]

Norwood seems to play better without fleck

Sadly, so do the rest of them too.

 

[blade too long]

I have always loved Fleck his input has been immense. The fact though is we appear to be more solid and better at getting the ball back and winning games without him now.
He will struggle to get back into this team with the young lads staking their claims for inclusion.
He will have to knuckle down and raise his game back to his best to force his way back in. Competition to get in a winning side is fierce and long may that continue

 

[Stevo]

I have always loved Fleck his input has been immense. The fact though is we appear to be more solid and better at getting the ball back and winning games without him now.
He will struggle to get back into this team with the young lads staking their claims for inclusion.
He will have to knuckle down and raise his game back to his best to force his way back in. Competition to get in a winning side is fierce and long may that continue

He could still be used at the end of games disrupting and breaking down play etc, as good as he's been for us this is now the beginning of the end for him for us

 

[blade too long]

He could still be used at the end of games disrupting and breaking down play etc, as good as he's been for us this is now the beginning of the end for him for us

I never said get rid , but nothing less than his A game will get him back in with this squad

 

[Stevo]

I never said get rid , but nothing less than his A game will get him back in with this squad

The issue is that his A game is a rarity now, the future ,alas is not fleck

 

[blade too long]

The issue is that his A game is a rarity now, the future ,alas is not fleck

all players lose form during their career , at 31 hes still got time to refind that touch
I think he is still capable of proving hes still got enough about him to get back on track

 

[Bashamed]

Norwood 8/10: Good game for him. Some very intelligent - forward - passes into space which put players in or turned PNE on their heels and some tough, dogged tackling in midfield. ANother daft yellow card though

 

[Constantly Optimistic...]

Thanks for the summary, can't really add a comment. Spent most of the afternoon trying to find a stream as Securely went awol and no game ticket. You and I both moaned a bit at the beginning of the season, we both felt there was better to come from this team. Now it seems to have arrived. Just feel like I am dreaming a bit, never felt this confident and satisfied for as long as I can remember. Yet again we face momentum stopping breaks, I really hope it doesn't affect us. If you could PM me about the firestick I'd be eternally grateful. Roll on the Blades!

 

[cahill]

Very very positive report pommpey, fair made my Sunday that. Oh well back to MournHub

 

[Grappler]

That was a great day out, you would have thought it was a home game with all the noise we made.

Credit to PNE though, I thought they played some good football at times, they just don't have a clinical finisher, because if they did, they would be a top 6 team by now.

Also, hats off to pnealefan for his pub recommendations. I can tick all off, except Plau, which we passed but never made it in to, ah well, there is always next time.

Preston has some great pubs, and the food we had at Bistro Pierre was top notch.

Up the Blades!

 

[John Street West Terrace]

Solid professional away performance yesterday , yes PNE had the better of first half but never troubled us too much & Fodders never had a shot to save until late in the second half .
I thought the back line were superbly marshalled by Egan & 5 clean sheets in a row including 3 away wins tells the story of while sitting top of the pile . MOTM for me was Norwood thought he was superb , though I do think the midfield looks better with Doyle’s energy in there . Illy took goal so well , quick feet , a dummy & an instinctive finish , I thought once we got that first goal there was only one team coming away with the points . McBurnie looks a different player nowadays , playing with aggression & confidence a glad he notched again , after some great pressing by Berge and co .. McBurnie made a nuisance of himself all the game and held the ball up well & looks like a player reborn .
All in all another good away day & great following & vocal support from the travelling Blades . As for the opposition, any team that plays 451 at home & can only fashion 1 chance in 90 mins you deserve what get .
Anyway time to set off back to Sheff nursing a celebratory headache in Blackpool . Well done Blades

 

[blade too long]

 

[Booker4]

Another fantastic win for us on the road. Although PNE put us to the test for much of the game, it was so pleasing to see us resolute and strong in defence and not allowing them much traction, even though they had the lions share of chances. Our setup looked a bit iffy if anything and we appeared to be a bit wanting in the middle of the park. PNE definitely bossed us but not in any productive way. Berge and Norwood still managed to disrupt their pattern and get N'Daiye involved and not concede too much. Our first goal cam out of nowhere - a typical Illiman show of capability with firstly him robbing Whiteman blind then running on with them too afraid to get a Basham in and he knocks another one in off the upright.

Second half I was expecting PNE to come right at us and yes, they still pressed and dominated somewhat but failed to get anywhere. They have the mark of a mid table set of triers but with zero end result. I watched on my recently set up Firestick (cheers Ainsley) which I cannot recommend enough and even the PNE commentators were a bit biasedly bemused how they came away from the game with nowt, having put so much in. Truth was, we are at such a stage now we take any punches on the forearms and gloves and manage to wait for the opposition to tire or drop its guard. So it was with the second, Berge showing great composure and McBurnie just doing the shitliners job. Job done.

Two home games after the international break and no reasons why we should either change a winning formula even with players returning from injury but we must rotate when ahead, especially with a game changer like Khadra, who can unlock more goals.

Foderingham 7/10: Would have been 5.5/10 given he had nowt much to do (their shots on target were either high, wide and handsome or blocked but pulled off a worldie late on to his left
Baldock 7/10: Good industry from him now that Anel drops right into a kind of 'behind the RWB' role, pushing him further up the pitch. He managed to threaten more today even with his saucepan full of Fernandez who in truth faded out during the second half and was subbed
Anel 7/10: Another solid performance and uncharacteristically one without a goal! Picked up a daft yellow
Egan: 7.5/10: Coming back into form I though. Pretty solid today with headers and blocks aplenty and some sound jockeying
Basham 6.5/10: A better second half than the first again for Bash. uncharacteristically sloppy with passing at times but in the second half grew more into the unfavoured LCB billet
RND 8.5/10: Again a towering match for him. He's gained mass, presence and confidence in equal measures and did a good shift today
Berge 7/10: Again, large periods in the game where he seemed like he was sat in trap six curling out a log and at other his usual, pleasing, playmaking self. If we had 90 minutes of the latter, we'd win every game 8-0
Norwood 8/10: Good game for him. Some very intelligent - forward - passes into space which put players in or turned PNE on their heels and some tough, dogged tackling in midfield. ANother daft yellow card though
N'Daiye: 7/10: Superb run through their backline to score but was for much of the time bag carrying and trying to set up chances, sometimes a bit clumsily. Still a reyt player.
McBurnie 7/10: Denied a lot of action because we sat so deep to cushion PNEs advances but was johnny on the spot with a brilliant centre forwards goal
Brewster 6/10: Not really at the game today, sadly

Doyle 7/10: Good few minutes from him. Got stuck in straight away and did a lot of tracking and blocking off of passing channels
Sharp 6/10: Great to see him back but by then we were managing the win and not looking at him for outcomes
McAtee 5/10: Not on for long

HJ&SMcC 9/10: Another valuable, hard-won three points from them. Needs focus not during this break to come back for the two home games in front of big crowds to keep our excellent momentum going. They are two games we MUST win to ensure we are very much in the bag into the WC break and into next year if we are to suffer a three/four game barren spell.

Fans 10/10: Fucking ace!

pommpey

On Brewster, that slashed miss twenty yards over the bar sums up Brewster. I like Brewster as a bloke from what I see onntge social media, he clearly is desperate to succeed but he lacks composure, almost every shot from him is at the keeper or slashed over the bar. He's a good finisher in training I seem to recall one of the players saying but in matches it's like he wants to hit his shots as hard as he can into the top corner but just doesn't have the composure. It's possibly because he hasn't scored in a while but I've never been convinced on him sadly. If we go up, big if right now as its early, I think he'll be loaned back to the championship, possibly forest if they come down with Cooper a big fan.

For me I'd have Billy over Brewster every week and with all due respect to Billy, he's 36, Brewster should be in his prime.