foxinsox

Hilarious, just need to keep it up.

L1 wasnt so bad last time. Indeed after a few Championshipbseasons it was great to be winning again and regaining our Mojo. Winning L1 was the turning point that drove us up the league.

I don't think that true. He was constantly urging his players to move upfield and they were attacking rather than defensive subs. The players were being pegged back by their own caution.

Isn't it a loan with an obligation to buy? Presumably constructed that way to keep the transfer fee off this years budget.

Its likely to be Aluko and Choudhury, or alternatively 3 at the back with wingbacks in place of fullbacks. Ricardo had a poor game and we also need to rest him a bit. He isn't up to another game so soon. Vesty as captain. I reckon Patson and Stephy get the start but possibly BCD in place of Abdul. Skipp has had a good couple of matches, So I would start him over Winks with James.

Monga was sensational in his first few matches, but far from convincing more recently. It's probably just "too much too young" and using him carefully this season.

The other highlight of the match was when JJ had his pants pulled down, literally. No skidmarks on his boxers.

Stoke started well, but were nothing special apart from their number 10. Great to see Stephy and Patson score, hopefully be the start of a run for each of them. Both goals were from difficult angles. I think Daka benefited from it being instinctive. If he had time for thought he might have missed. Ricardo and Thomas were both poor, unusually so, and Skipp had a good game. Begovic did a couple of great saves. We played far too deep second half. Marti was urging them forward but seemed to be ignored. It was a dumb goal to concede and there could easily have been more. We rode our luck but got away with it. The other point to note is that we conceeded a lot of corners and free kicks but have got a lot better at defending these. Daka's smile at the end could be seen from space. I hope it sets off a good streak.

A striker on loan please, someone not getting games in the prem perhaps. Shift what we can in terms of players on big wages. This season is about damage limitation, and a mid table finish. Shift some costs and spend very little. We were never looking likely to do better than that. Marti was one of the few managers willing to come on that basis. We are not in a position to buy our way to promotion. I would like to see some progress on the pitch in terms of youngsters coming through and more ambitious tactics.

We won a game. That's good.

Yes, though that's not going to happen this side of August.

There were a few positives last night. Great to see Ben Nelson have a good game. Okoli did well as right back. There was much more effort from the team generally. We were lucky with the penalty and a draw was a fair result. We have no striker that can score, and that is a major liability. Playing Carranza is like playing with 10 men. Even Daka is better. Considering the team that we have and the clubs finances it was probably as good a performance as any manager could muster from that team. That is the grim reality. Ideally we get a striker in in January, perhaps a loan of an out of favour, or young striker from the Prem is the most realistic option. I think we have enough to avoid relegation even with a points deduction, then have a clear out next summer of the over paid and underperforming. Without that we don't have the budget to sign either players or ambitious manager.

Yes, it was way more than 18 000. I would guess at abut 26 000.

I clapped them from the East stand. It was a pretty shocking performance by some, but Fatawu, James, Vesty and a few others deserved a clap. I mostly blame the manager for the shocking performance. Neither players nor I seemed to have a clue about the formation after the subs. Abdul was visibly upset by the chants of "you're not fit to wear the shirt". He is still very young, and that sort of reception is not likely to motivate him or encourage him to stay at the club. Indeed it wouldn't surprise me if he left in January. That won't improve the team. I also appreciated that the players and Marti didn't go straight down the tunnel and faced the fans. It couldn't be comfortable to do so.

Is Big Nige willing?

Its not exactly enticing for a manager, and who is out there who would work for peanuts?

Not for Middlesborough please, but after that.

He overlapped once in the second half, but I am sure is just playing the way Marti wants, remaining in a back 3 while the other full back moves to midfield in possession. He can bomb forward when instructed to do so. Personally I dont like this inverted fullback system as it leaves the wingers too unsupported. I prefer the system where the full backs overlap in support of the wingers, with the defensive midfielders covering breakaways. Luke is fine at this level, and I can see why he keeps his place. The reality is that we are skint and aren't going to be spending a lot of money in January unless we shift a lot of the deadwood, so we have to play the players that we have got.

Both Daka and Ayew were just back from Africa on international duties, we have 3 games in 8 days and need to try Carranza at least a few times before declaring him a complete dud. I think that's why Carranza started.

Yeah, It was just in front of me and I thought so too. Not that it made a difference anyway, and not uncommon in the modern game.

Ricardo was the inverted fullback, so LT had to play deep. I only saw him go on the overlap on Monga once as a result. We need the overlap on both wings a bit more often, otherwise Monga and Fatawu just get marked to oblivion.

Credit to Pompey, always have had good away support. Poor finishing for both teams tonight, but much better half time switch of tactics.

No Vardy or El Kannous so significantly worse than the previous season.

Very much a game of two halves. I think that was the best starting 11 we could have fielded, with Daka and Ayew just back, and in any case we have to try Carranza at some point as a starter. The first half was as good as I have seen this season, not least because Pompey were giving us time on the ball and standing off Fatawu in particular. The second half was chalk and cheese, as bad as I have seen this season. Clearly Pompey changed gears at half time. They pressed us much harder and dominated the midfield and we didn't really have a counter plan. We needed a bit more bite in midfield and Ayew to hold the ball up. Instead we let them get a breakaway goal and it could have been a loss. Once again poor finishing let us down in both halves though Fatawu's cross for Ramsey's goal was a beauty. So frustrating as we should have put that game away first half. But some perspective is needed. We are 4th in the League after 10 games and that is far better than I expected after the horror show of a summer window. We are drawing rather than losing games and it would only have taken slightly better finishing to have made those 5 wins. If we can be there or thereabouts in January then a couple of signings could make us a promotion side.

If anything the subs were too late.