[Archived] Portsmouth V. Blackburn

[DP]

He was very very very poor going forward.

Defensively as usual he was half decent. Solid second left back he has turned out to be this season...

Claptrap

Over the whole 90 minutes he was our best player. Granted, RSC stole the show in the 2nd half but Gamst was battling away all game and made it very difficult for Johnson (often lauded on here as a great right back prospect).

[Russ]

Claptrap

Over the whole 90 minutes he was our best player. Granted, RSC stole the show in the 2nd half but Gamst was battling away all game and made it very difficult for Johnson (often lauded on here as a great right back prospect).

I believe I had this discussion earlier, I think the people who criticise him don't watch the games, and just believe what half the fools with an agenda on here say.

He won almost everything in the air, closed down players in possesion and put his body on the line bravely in a few challenges.

Oh, and he also set up the goal with a 'killer through ball' which people seem to think we're not capable of without spending a fortune in summer.

Yet still no credit for him from some.

Yes we do need a playmaker, but the other mids do their share at times.

He has improved recently and especially over the last couple of games, when bents has been in the middle, the play used to concentrate down the right and gamst wouldn't get a look in. now it's a bit more balanced, he couldn't impress without seeing anything of the ball previously.

Well done Gamst I thought you played well anyway, and clearly I'm not on my own.

Some people need to stop being typical blackburn fans and moaning for the sake of it (and yes I was born there and have my moments too!!)

Rant over

[AggyBlue]

I believe I had this discussion earlier, I think the people who criticise him don't watch the games, and just believe what half the fools with an agenda on here say.

He won almost everything in the air, closed down players in possesion and put his body on the line bravely in a few challenges.

Oh, and he also set up the goal with a 'killer through ball' which people seem to think we're not capable of without spending a fortune in summer.

Yet still no credit for him from some.

Yes we do need a playmaker, but the other mids do their share at times.

He has improved recently and especially over the last couple of games, when bents has been in the middle, the play used to concentrate down the right and gamst wouldn't get a look in. now it's a bit more balanced, he couldn't impress without seeing anything of the ball previously.

Well done Gamst I thought you played well anyway, and clearly I'm not on my own.

Some people need to stop being typical blackburn fans and moaning for the sake of it (and yes I was born there and have my moments too!!)

Rant over

Football is all about opinions. My opinion is that my opinion is more valid than you're opinion.

Pederson doesn't offer enough. He's steady when he's at his best, that's not enough for a top club.

Attacking midfielders should put in 'outstanding' performances every now and then. Pederson hasn't put one of those in for years.

He's too timid and too slow.

[Hasta]

With regard to recent discussions.

Roberts - Did little first half. Was very good second half and give their defence a lot of problems. He's never going to play fancy football with cute layoffs and flicks but I feel he currently contributes more to the team than Benni did in the first half of the season.

MGP - was OK. A few of his now trademark sloppy passes and dribbled out of play a couple of times. However saw a lot of him and did cause problems in the air. Not our best player but also not our worst.

Reid - Not good again. Worries me at full back. Positionally poor at times and his crossing is shocking for a midfielder. Not his fault though as it's Sparky thats playing him there. If we are to play Emerton in the middle then personally I'd play Ooijer at full back..

[1864roverite]

I do think some of the criticism is a little harsh fellow members.

Rovers have just won 1-0 away at the FA Cup finalists and a team that currently sits 2 points above us in th Premiership.

Its some serious feat for a team like ours that we have inly lost 9 games this season, have won 7 away from home and are only going to be doubled by WHAM. Not one of the big clubs has managed to beat us home and away.

To slate us now is to undermine the achievement of what has been a good season.

Europe is NOT the be all and end all for us this season(although it would be nice of course). If it comes then great if it doesnt then for me, the new season will see Rovers progress without too much distraction in the league as they seek a top 6 spot.

[Tango]

Interesting statistic, that was only Blackburn's second win against a top half team this season. Well, according to the Mail anyway...

[Cocker]

Can anyone tell me the new rule that seemed to have come into place today? The one I am talking about is where a player gets fouled 30 yards out from goal and then instead of being awarded a free kick the ball is carried back by the ref to the opposing goal keeper? This happened twice today and I couldn't explain what the hell he was doing.

Anyway, again looking at the way we were set up at the start made me put my head in my hands. There is no way that our leading striker should ever be brought back into the midfield to try and accommodate their big lads. It made things worse when Santa was crossing the ball in and all I could think was that I wish he was in there to receive it. While thats bad I also say that Bentley should ALWAYS be on the right wing no matter who we are playing. When will Hughes learn that putting him in the middle just doesn't work.

I will say that I thought Roberts worked really hard today and I thought that he was unlucky not to be given more from the ref than he did.

Good result against a strong Pompy side

[tcj_jones]

What today's game clarified for me is that the 4-2-3-1 formation only works to frustrate the opposition. We don't have the pace or quality to counter attack effectively and there isn't enough attacking intent behind the formation to score goals, while Bentley and Roque are largely wasted in roles to which they are not entirely suited.

As soon as we changed to a 4-4-2 and actually utilized the qualities of Bentley and Santa Cruz - our two best players - we looked far more threatening and the game became far more open. In particular I feel we benefitted from Bentley's crossing, which might not have created too much, but certainly posed a danger and gained us several corners. In the end Roque, who I don't feel offered too too much in the first half, scored the winner in the second.

I don't like us playing this new formation. It's too nitty gritty and doesn't create many attacking opportunities. Saying that, the defence were superb today while Vogel and Emerton did a good job of screening them.

However, besides a couple of good forward passes, Vogel's game only seemed to suit that of a formation seeking to frustrate and counter-act the opposition. He floated around the middle of the pitch looking for the ball like Tugay might, but all he really seemed to do with the ball was pass it backward to the centre halves. I'll reserve judgement, but I don't see his utility in a 4-4-2.

I'm pleased with the result, obviously, but today was anotehr instance where we've scraped a win, when perhaps a draw was a fairer reflection of the proceedings, and never really excelled. Again, we find ourselves relying on Roque. This team really needs heavy investment and a real injection of pace.

[USABlue]

Well played Rovers...cant ask for anymore than that hard fought win!

Roque.....what a super signing!

Agreed on both points BUT. Can someone explain why Hughes had him out on the wing, our best goal scorer, in the first half. Sparky does the same with young Matty a natural finisher. I can't get me head around that if one of you super footy sleuths can educate me to the reasoning behind this I'd surely appreciate it.

Anyone else find Mike Riley an irritating iconsistant ref, and I am not just whining about Rovers. The man in the first half was stoppin the game for every little infringement except in the last third where he would give nothing. Second half was a bit better and the game sprang to life a bit but he does not even follow his own standards he sets. One time it's a foul next time it's not and I am talknig about it going that way for both teams. Tell you what I still wish we'd have got Defoe. Great result, thought Roberts looked good even showing some nice touches of control and skill along with his power. Rocky though, player of the season for me.

[den]

Agreed on both points BUT. Can someone explain why Hughes had him out on the wing, our best goal scorer, in the first half. Sparky does the same with young Matty a natural finisher. I can't get me head around that if one of you super footy sleuths can educate me to the reasoning behind this I'd surely appreciate it.

'cause it worked last week?

[grizfoot]

Emerton & Vogel again looked a good combination in midfield. Vogel did a brilliant job in the holding role, shows you don't need to keep lunging into needless tackles in the role like a certain other holding midfield we have. Bert was also decent again makes a change to see someone who can carry the ball foward from central midifeld, sometihng we've seen desperately little of this season.

Our defense did well to limit Pompey to few chances. Friedel had little to do, one dodgy moment unusually for Brad but he dealt with it in the end. Warnock had some surigng runs down the left side which helped us build attacks. Nelsen & Samba were both rock solid on today's performance, some important blocks and dealt with the aerial threat of Kanu well. Reid again was probably our weak link although I reckon he played slightly better than he did against Man Ure the other week. Still to sloppy with his passes and a little to rash in some of his tackles.

On the attacking front though Roberts did a decent job against Campbell & Distin who for me are probably the best central defensive pairing in the Premiership. Bentley showed some neat work but tried to do to much at times and cost us the ball on numerous ocassions. MGP also had a better game actually seemed a little more intent on trying to take people on and never stopped working, got some rough treatment from Johnson at times. Santa again popped up with the goal, much more effective in the second half when playing down the centre.

On the whole another impressive performance from Rovers and well worth the win. Let's hope we continue this good form and put on a show against Derby next weekend.

[Hasta]

Roque's goal

[joey_big_nose]

What today's game clarified for me is that the 4-2-3-1 formation only works to frustrate the opposition. We don't have the pace or quality to counter attack effectively and there isn't enough attacking intent behind the formation to score goals, while Bentley and Roque are largely wasted in roles to which they are not entirely suited.

As soon as we changed to a 4-4-2 and actually utilized the qualities of Bentley and Santa Cruz - our two best players - we looked far more threatening and the game became far more open. In particular I feel we benefitted from Bentley's crossing, which might not have created too much, but certainly posed a danger and gained us several corners. In the end Roque, who I don't feel offered too too much in the first half, scored the winner in the second.

I don't like us playing this new formation. It's too nitty gritty and doesn't create many attacking opportunities. Saying that, the defence were superb today while Vogel and Emerton did a good job of screening them.

I just don't agree with that.

If we had lined up 442 from the start Pompey would have played a different game entirely. they would have packed the midfield, over powered our players and hurt us on the counter using their pace. This is what they do. In the first half we caused them problems by sticking our wide men on their full backs. They had to adapt, they did not really know what they were up against. They resorted to driving up the pitch to keep the wide players away from dangerous areas which is almost the exact way that Pompey do not play - they like to sit deep and counter.

Then, to capatalise on this change, we stuck Cruz up the middle on 60 odd minutes with acres of space there and they got caught by him and Roberts combining frequently. They would never have got the space apart from the fact pompey were suprised by the change. Cruz and Roberts have played up top together for ages now and it hasn't worked. Today it did.

4231 is vital for our future. It suits our lack of "proper" midfielders and large amount of attackers. And, crucially, it makes opposition managers think differently about us. It was painfully obvious that everyone in the league know how to deal with our 442 - look at our post October results. To survive in away games we were having to retreat behind the half way line and hope for a fluke goal. We need to make them worry - we did that by consistently having 3 or four players in the oppositon half. I am sure Harry was soiling himself over how Lauren would cope with Cruz when they lined up. We need to stretch the opposition minds as well as their legs.

It is a flexible formation which we need to add to our arsenal. It is not the be all and end all of course, just a very very useful option. I am more than willing to admit that Cruz in particular is wasted (despite what people have said on here I actually thought Bentley did better in a 4231 than a 442 today) but then he would be nowhere near as good as the "spearhead" in a 4231 either. Roberts is much better at that hustling thing. I now think he actually has a future at Ewood.

4231 is here to stay. Bring it on! I wish we had used it in this format earlier in the season. We might be in with more of a chance for Europe.

[S15]

I would be willing to put good money on us playing 4-4-2 10 games into next season.

Though today was a poor game it was a very good win, and I can't help but feel silly dropped home points have stopped this been a very good season without us ever leaving third gear.

[RibbleValleyRover]

I also think we will revert back to a 4-4-2 system next season for pretty much most of our games. Though the 4-2-3-1 is a nice option to have in order to use against teams that pack the midfield with for example a 4-5-1 system.

[joey_big_nose]

I also think we will revert back to a 4-4-2 system next season for pretty much most of our games. Though the 4-2-3-1 is a nice option to have in order to use against teams that pack the midfield with for example a 4-5-1 system.

It depends what players we have. The fact is for me that in a 4231 you have three players in that space between midfield and attack and two player isn the space between defence and midfield. We have, to my mind, six players who like the most to play in that attacking midfield space: Bentley, Dunn, Pedersen, Derbyshire, Cruz, McCarthy. All those players either drive forward from midfield or drop back from attack. They are not completely happy in a traditional midfield or striking area.

In that formation it also accomadates two holding midfielders sitting back which is good for Vogel and Emerton has been decent as a stand in. They do a huge amount of running in front of the defence and let the front four get forward. I actually think Mokoena could come in and work alongside Vogel well too and Emerton move to right back. But we will see.

In a 442 we don't have any players who can play those "proper" central midfield roles comfortably. Too far forward for Vogel or Mokoena, too far back for Dunn or Bentley. Reid is the only naturally suited player but he has been very poor in the centre since coming back. Tugay is old, Savage is gone.

So for me this formation suits our players well. It is a shame to see Cruz out wide but it is part of the jigsaw at the moment. Potentially if we could persuade him to bully the back two and run the line without dropping deep then he could inherit Roberts role in the cente and add more technique and aerial power. But you feel its not really his game. So he is a victim of the system for now.

All that said however if we go out in the summer and buy Bradley and a pacy winger we could easily move back to a 442.

It is always nice to have options, I am glad we are exploring this one.

[RibbleValleyRover]

With the current players and most importantly their form you are probably right a 4-4-2 isn't the best formation to use. However I believe Hughes will look to strengthen the midfield, bringing in at the very least an attacking midfielder and another mid to replace mokoena and will revert to playing a 4-4-2. We may bring in another striker, though i can't see that happening unless one of our current one goes.

[Anti Euro Smiths Fan]

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I will discuss the game shortly in due course, but firstly I'd like to talk a bit about bells and drums - something which gets me rather hot under the collar.

I forgot they had that idiot with bell, it's annoying me already.

I find him even more irritating than the drummer we've got in the Blackburn End.....

The tattooed lunatic above ringing his bell was formerly known as John Anthony Westwood. In the 1990s he changed his name by deed poll to John Anthony Portsmouth FC Westwood.

As well as being a complete pain in the backside with his constant bell ringing, he's also, I gather, a thoroughly unpleasant character who has previously been in trouble with the police and has regularly been thrown out of away grounds for being a drunken yob.

I'm surprised their fans put up with it to be honest.

A significant number of Portsmouth fans do not like him and feel that he's an embarrassment to their football club. (I also happen to believe the bespectacled drummer we've got at Ewood Park is an embarrassment to our football club, but I suppose at least he's not a thuggish drunken yob like Mr Westwood.)

The short article below from a Portsmouth fans website explains that this heavily tattooed drunken lout has become an embarrassment to Portsmouth F.C.

Link: "We don't need fans like Westwood."

It gets worse, ladies and gentlemen. I hesitate to say this on a family messageboard which is read by young and old alike - but this vile creature Mr Westwood has also been thrown out of away matches for urinating on his seat. Disgusting individual. And to think that this man was once named "Premiership Fan of the Month".

Link: CCTV cameras catch Westwood urinating on seat

I feel it is the duty of all supporters to express their disgust that this vile drunken man is allowed into Fratton Park to literally create misery with his bell ringing.

Please write to Chief Executive Peter Storrie, Portsmouth Football Club, Fratton Park, Frogmore Road, Portsmouth, PO4 8RA. Or telephone the club on (02392) 731204 to let them know how much you despise this man ringing his bells.

As for our own drummer, I dearly wish we could get rid of him, but John Williams seems to be under the mistaken impression that most Rovers fans enjoy the drums. There's even a rumour that the drummer/ drummers get free tickets at Ewood Park. If that rumour is true, I find it quite appalling.

I'm convinced that the majority of Rovers fans would happily dump the drummer given half a chance. But Mr Williams and the powers that be at Ewood appear to think differently.

Onto the game....

The first half was a fairly dull affair. The tempo was slow at times and it resembled a pre-season friendly rather than a Premiership match. Defoe came close with a couple of chances and Rovers were perhaps fortunate not to go into the break a goal down.

Rovers improved a bit after the interval when Santa Cruz was moved from the right-hand side to his more natural role as a striker. Jason Roberts, lurking just outside the box, set up Roque, who fired a low left-footed shot past the Pompey keeper. David Bentley was quiet during the match and there was a brief (rare) moment of madness from Brad which could have cost us a goal.

A welcome three points, but not a match that will live long in the memory. Any neutrals watching it on Sky would probably have been bored by the spectacle. I can't help agreeing with a post last week from Tris when he talked about "the recent garbage which has been served up by Rovers" and that even getting maximum points from our last few matches could be too little too late for the Intertoto, because Villa are currently four points ahead of us with a better goal difference.

In March we dropped silly points at home to Fulham, away to Reading and against West Ham at Upton Park. After that it was always going to be difficult for us to qualify for Europe. I'm sick of Rovers being beaten by West Ham. We've gained no points from our last four matches with The Hammers and we've got an abysmal record at Upton Park.

I agree with those who have said we lack pace in certain areas and are not quick enough on the counter-attack.

Fun/pointless fact: If James had been on the pitch instead of Ashdown, Portsmouth's entire starting XI had been black.

It's a sign of the times my friend. I daresay that it's going to be a regular occurence in the years ahead, so we have to get used to it. As Bob Dylan sang: "The times they are a-changing."

One thing I will never get used to is the drunken vile idiot with the bell at Fratton Park. I'd like to send him along with Robert Mugabe on a rocket launcher to outer space.

[Ozz]

JHC.

I would like to have seen a Smithy rant after we won the leaguel

"Jammy Rovers win league despite darkie equalising before son of bent manager wins it at home of robbery and theiving."

[tcj_jones]

LOL Amazing post!

[JAL]

Interesting to hear Redknapp commenting on the lack of fans at the game.

How big are Pompey how big can they get, a big new ground, your having a laugh.

[modes98]

Reid is doing well in an unfamiliar position and MGP plays as well as anyone.

That's no excuse. When you have Emerton, who was top notch in the centre btw, and ooijer who can do the job a million times better. Reid was put there to do the job which he proved unable to do again and again and again. All the pompey attacks down there left resulted in a cross into the box which should have resulted in at least 1 goal but for some awful finishing.

Roberts had an amazing second half, looked like a striker possessed. Rocky is just a legend.

Had a great weekend in Pompey, went to a robborover's wedding, the stadium is a hole though.

[roversmum]

Interesting to hear Redknapp commenting on the lack of fans at the game.

How big are Pompey how big can they get, a big new ground, your having a laugh.

Looking at their prices I am not surprised. Their season ticket prices are between £925 and £600, Junior prices between £415 and £190, they have grandiose ideas of building a state of the art training ground to say nothing of the new stadium and wasn't it rumoured recently that their owner wanted to sell? Their current crop of players will be well on the way to their sell-buy date before long warranting new investment. Having said that, they have a large catchment area with virtually no competition and I wouldn't be surprised if quite a few of their fans come from surrounding districts other than Portsea Island.

The new stadium talk has been going on for so long that the one they've got will probably have fallen down by the time something happens. Wait......

Only good thing about their prices is that men and women - take note, Rovers are counted as Seniors at the age of 60.

[Hughesy]

Think Roberts isnt getting his fair of free-kicks from the refs - again today Campbell fouled him when through on goal but not even a free-kick, never mind a yellow.

He worked extremely hard, but i also felt that all the team worked very hard today. Good tactics by Hughes. Go and frustrate them, calm the crowd and then come out and play your own football. A win at portsmouth is very good. A clean sheet is also very good. and two wins in two at Fratton park this year is even better. Good result.

MOM between Cruz, Vogel or Samba. (P.s. Hope the big mans ok)

[thenodrog]

4 points gleaned from MU home and Pompey away, 3 more points than last seasons total with 2 matches still to play and still some of out members feel fit to whinge about it! What more do Hughes and his team have to do to satisfy some people?