[Archived] Portsmouth 3 Blackburn Rovers 0

[Ozz]

It's no surprise that BabyBel cheese is so expensive, first they have a waxy sealed individual casing, then each one is then covered in a red plastic wrapper with more expensive sealing labels on. Goodness me.

[G Somerset Rover]

Having watched footie first I think that we're going to conceed alot of goals from set pieces and crosses this season. I know that it's pretty easy to say that after Kanu's headers yesterday (who btw Ive never ever seen score a header before), but I think that it's apparent that were one of, if not the, smallest teams in the prem. Defending from set pieces could be a real issue this year.

[Cheeky Sidders]

I was so deeply unhappy (massive understatement) with yesterday's result I was unable to bring myself to watch MOTD or read the reports in this morning's papers, but reading this thread has eased my troubles and brought a smile to my face.

Presumably this heavy defeat will put an end to the mindless expectations of some that we will be challenging for the Champions League, while those you think we can buy new players with fresh air in the bank vault will perhaps realise we aren't the most attractive club to join and we can get down to more sensible discussion.

Yesterday we lost because Pompey strengthened their team, albeit at the eleventh hour, while we replaced one star striker with a journeyman (sorry folks, but he is) and a player with a modest European reputation and no experience of this league. The midfield and defence are no stronger and given that each of them is a year older it's hard to see how some of them will be any better. Furthermore, Pompey wanted to win, the crowd were behind them and, as ever, certain members of our team lost their heads when under pressure. They've done it before, repeatedly, and they'll do it again but on other days they'll play a blinder for us. Some you win, some you get stuffed. We lost. It's not the end of the world so all of you erstwhile members of the we-could-get-to-the-champagne-charlies-league brigade don't see this defeat as a cue to form the we're-going-to-get-relegated-at-this-rate society.

[greggyk]

I think people need to get real ffs!How can you tell we're gunna let in a lot from set pieces after 90mins?!! Crazy! It's the first game of the season, Reading lost 2-1 at home to Plymouth on the first game of the season last season and we know what happened next.

I remember people after the first game of last season saying we were unable to play 442.

We'll put up a better performance on Wednesday for sure which should be enough to take at least a point from the game

[grizfoot]

We need to grow Todd taller then maybe he could have beaten Kanu the Lanky to the header

and why is Mokoena in the team? so that Benni as a pal

[BrianPotter]

Todd may not have pace, but he can pass a ball a million times better than either Nelsen or Zurab.

Our best pairing is Nelsen and Todd

Not for me. Zurab and Nelsen every time. Todd maybe able to pass the ball, but his prime reason for being in the team is to defend - which for me both Nelsen and Zurab do a lot better.

[Uxbridge rover]

I just find it amusing how Rovers fans completely and utterly over react after a defeat, especially after the first game. I was at West Ham last year and the second half performance was one of the most abject performances I've ever seen, yet we had a great season. People need to calm down and not come out wiith stupidly over blown booming statements like:

"SORT IT OUT HUGHES, SORT IT OUT NOW!"

or

"Forget about Europe, it's the Championship next season"

Somebody dig up the West Ham thread from last season, It's an exact copy of this one.

Sorry if you think my comment was Stupidly over blown ???? , but last time I looked this was a forum enabling the likes of you and me to express ourselves about all things blue and white.Hypothetical situation, you are a Rovers player and its the first game of the season, would you ponce about half arsed like we did yestreday?I know we will play better and that the shower on display yesterday was by now means a typical Hughes team performance.Living in London/Kabul I have no one to vent my frustration on and this is the only means by which I can do it - with other members of the Rovers family.Hope you understand

[BrianPotter]

Having watched footie first I think that we're going to conceed alot of goals from set pieces and crosses this season. I know that it's pretty easy to say that after Kanu's headers yesterday (who btw Ive never ever seen score a header before), but I think that it's apparent that were one of, if not the, smallest teams in the prem. Defending from set pieces could be a real issue this year.

Remember neither Zurab or Nelson were playing yesterday - the defending should improve ten fold when they return. Neil and Todd as a central defensive pairing is not good enough at this level - just think ourselves lucky its not our first choice central defence or we really would be in trouble !

[blue phil]

We need to grow Todd taller then maybe he could have beaten Kanu the Lanky to the header

Height had nothing to do with it . If he had positioned himself better and put in a bit more commitment Kanu would not have scored . Not the only time yesterday he was lacking in commitment and positioning . Not that he was the only one .

It's a sad indication when our only decent player is Savage and I hope he spoke his mind in the dressing room afterwards . I have to say I feared for us yesterday when I saw both Pederson and Bentley in the midfield . Both are lightweight and tend to drift out the game for the odd hour or so and neither have the quality of Tugay to create space and time for themselves . Maybe if Mokoena had played in front of the back four rather than in it ....

[Fife Rover]

hahahaha how pathetic it's not a bloody English exam, you muppet. Get a life if you have to comment on someones typing

Hey you, newboy! Just be careful what you say when speaking to a lady! And remember that not everyone on this site is a spotty games consul playing teenager. There are a majority on here of intelligent and seriously interested football supporters and we don't take kindly to being spoken to like that by you.

And for the record, I too had no idea what on earth you were talking about. :ph34r:

Edited August 20, 2006 by Fife Rover

[blue phil]

Hey you, newboy! Just be careful what you say when speaking to a lady!

That's what Jan said to Souness..........just after he turned her offer of a date down

[AggyBlue]

that was the worst ever away game ive been to

we didnt try at all

To me, this was the most worrying aspect of the defeat.

Not trying would be the last thing I'd expect from a Hughes team.

I expect there will be a vast improvement in the effort department for the toffees visit.

Got to laugh at the over reaction to our first loss, it seems too many expected us to go through the season undefeated.

[Jan]

That's what Jan said to Souness..........just after he turned her offer of a date down

Sad obsessive

[American]

Yes, yes you are...

[Neil Weaver]

Glad Capt K saw the same game as me. Couple of comments cos most things have been said : bit of a concern that Roberts and McCarthy didn't get a look in, the only time we won one of the long punts forward and looked like doing anything in the final third was when Kuqi came on. And maybe I'm getting acclimatised, but I thought Gray was one of our better players, perhaps that's a comment on the rest of the performances.

[SAS]

To me, this was the most worrying aspect of the defeat.

Not trying would be the last thing I'd expect from a Hughes team.

I expect there will be a vast improvement in the effort department for the toffees visit.

Got to laugh at the over reaction to our first loss, it seems too many expected us to go through the season undefeated.

people will think the worst when we had a great chance of putting some points on the board and didnt even show up to try

despite having took a good number of fans on a 10 hour round trip

[Hannah]

United leading 4-0 25 mins gone

No longer bottom of the league, which is nice

Ian Peace scores an own goal to take former club off bottom of the league

[Anti Euro Smiths Fan]

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times," wrote Portsmouth-born Charles Dickens.

Yesterday, in this tale of two football clubs down at the coast where Dickens was born, it was definitely the worst of times from a Rovers perspective - shocking, spineless and utterly inept. Rovers were off the pace and second to the ball all afternoon. It was quite disgraceful.

The warning signs had been there prior to Todorov's opening goal. The defence couldn't cope with simple balls played over the top. In particular, there was acres of space on the left-hand side of our defence. For Portsmouth's first goal, Lucas Neill made a complete hash of things. From the Portsmouth cross, Todorov scored a simple tap in. I thought Andy Todd should have got tighter to Todorov in the box. The defensive shambles continued for the rest of the match.

Lucas Neill was guilty of a bad tackle for his first yellow card. From the resulting free-kick, Sol Campbell nearly scored with a header. For the second goal, another ball over the top caused havoc on the left-hand side of our defence. Pompey had time and space to cross from the by-line and Kanu headed in.

The third goal came from a diagonal ball lumped in from the right, which was again headed in by Kanu. We were incapable of dealing with balls played into the box. It could have been 4 or 5 nil to Pompey. As well as the penalty miss from Kanu, one of their other strikers missed a sitter towards the end.

Mark Hughes prides himself on having a strong defence, but our defending yesterday should set alarm bells ringing. Indeed alarm bells should have been ringing after losing 5-0 to Olympiakos in pre-season. Olympiakos are not Barcelona - they have never been beyond the quarter-final of a European competition. They were thrashed 7-1 on aggregate by Graeme Souness's Newcastle in the last 16 of the UEFA Cup in 2005. So the Greeks aren't exactly world beaters.

Without Ryan Nelsen at the back our defending is far less secure. Hughes likes to pride himself on the fitness of our squad, but worryingly Rovers were lacking in sharpness and speed compared to Portsmouth. Not for the first time, Bentley and Pedersen went missing in a match.

Two dollopers up front who offered nothing , fair enough there was hardly any decent balls to them but they did absolute bugger all when they got the ball, didn't win one header and couldn't control a ball for toffee.

A case of tripe and black pudding up front Captain ? :ph34r:

To be fair to them though, the service they got against Pompey was woeful. It just would have been nice to have seen a bit more movement from them. A couple of weeks ago Jason Roberts ludicrously suggested that Rovers could finish in the top four this season. Welcome to the real world Jason.

Yesterday's shambles illustrated the weaknesses in our squad. We lack strength in depth in vital areas. We lost the services of Bellamy for £6m, but only spent around £5.5m on Roberts and McCarthy - spending less money than we received. The LET suggested we had £10m to spend this summer. It's looking rather less than that. How can we hope to compete at the highest level if Mark Hughes doesn't have any decent funds to work with?

I blame the Walkers...

Edited August 20, 2006 by Anti Euro Smiths Fan

[Karembeu]

Bad start for Blackburn. Although I don't have a chance to watch the match, but I believe we play very badly, at least MH did say that. Nevertheless, I still have faith in this team, hope we will maintian a good standing in this year premier league, at least 8th position. Any other higher to me is a bonus. What I really hoping to see was we get to lift the UEFA cup trophy. If that ever happen, is a dream come true to me!

[kevinyip]

Yes, We have beaten 1-3 last year by West ham. But we play more match this year than last year. Even in that match we control the match in first half. But for yesterday, portsmouth control the whole match. So when comparing with last year, our loss to portsmouth is much more "ugly" than we loss to west ham last year. And please don't forget, as we will play more match this year, the chance for our player to get injured will be much higher than last year. And the chance of using todd/neill/ mokoena as DC is very high. So, do you think that our defence yesterday is good enough? This setting may not be the last time this season.

[Presty On Tour]

gutted with the 3-0 loss to pompey.

we didn't show up, the team looked all over the shop at the back, savage done well in midfield and roberts never stopped running.

fairplay though we were pasted, they neturalised our fullbacks as our weakness and punished us.

without friedel it could have been alot worse.

neill lost his head and todd did win the ball though looking through sober eyes it is a tackle from behind.

hughes said it's a wake up call, he could have been alot more harsh.

[CAPT KAYOS]

A question for those at the game...did Lucas really seem disinterested like some have suggested?

FLB - the answer to this is a big resounding YES - laborious passes, effortless swings at getting the ball away and a total lack of concentration.

kevinyip Posted Today, 08:06

But for yesterday, portsmouth control the whole match. So when comparing with last year, our loss to portsmouth is much more "ugly" than we loss to west ham last year.quote]

And this is the point I was trying to make - its not the defeat that is the problem its the manner of the performance - we where absolutely awful.

You can accept 1 or two players not being with it but not nearly a whole team - there is no excuse and especially with it being the first game of the season.

I truly don't feel people who didn't go can fully comprehend how bad we where, i have been going for long enough to understand its only the first game but this was probably as bad as I have felt for a long time .... ABBEY knows how bad Palace was in the play offs and taht had something riding on it, this felt just as bad if not worse.

[Ozz]

I went to WBA and Goodison last season, I can fully understand how bad it could be!

[den]

A question for those at the game...did Lucas really seem disinterested like some have suggested?

I don't think so. It is something he's going to be charged with by his detractors though. As well, or as bad as he plays.

[ace]

I went to WBA and Goodison last season, I can fully understand how bad it could be!

Don't wish to make a mountain out of a molehill, but to me Saturday's defeat was much worse than WBA away! Pompey could easily have had 6. Something has gone missing from the team..and I don't mean Bellamy..that collective spirit we had, wasn't visible on the team coach before the game, they looked as miserable as prisoners on the way to court; wasn't visible on the pitch , never seen so many collisions between team-mates and certainly wasn't visible in the tactical adjustments required because of Neill's failings.

Even Pompey fans in the pub after the game were amazed at how bad we were!