[Archived] ROVERS v Portsmouth

[blueboy3333]

HELLO SAILOR!

I've always liked Portsmouth FC. A proper football club from a rough arsed town. Like us really. I liked their teams in the 80's, especially the likes of hard nuts Mick Kennedy and Noel Blake. Kevin Dillon was another I always wished would come to Rovers. And the fleet-footed Vince Hilarious. And ex-army turned goalscorer Guy Whittingham.  But could they handle Stoke on a wet Tuesday night in February? Well, yes...but what they couldn't handle, the big Southern jessies, was Jim Branagan in a white skirt,  and a well-intentioned, but slightly late challenge from Glenn Keeley.  

Give it a rest Jimmy!

As for Saturday it should prove a stern test. They've had 2 wins away this season, at Dons and Gillingham, and have won 3 of their last 4 without conceding.  A 2-1 defeat at home to Oldham was their most recent defeat. They currently sit 8th but we could go above them on Tuesday if we beat Plymouth on Tuesday and they fail to win at Doncaster

.https://www.sportsmole.co.uk/football/portsmouth/2017-18/fixtures-and-results.html

They are currently managed by Kenny Jackett and have ex-B@sturd Robbie Blake amongst the coaching staff.

Up front they've got the free-scoring Brett Pitman

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/league-one/top-scorers

Other players of note are ex-Accy forward Kai Naismith, brother-of-Alex Christian Oxlade-Chamberlain and brother-of-Elliott Kyle Bennett. Rev will be overjoyed!

After being fan owned from 2013-2017, Pompey are now under the control of the ex-CEO of Walt Disney https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Eisner.. ('What's the difference between Bing Crosby and Walt Disney' a Scottish man once asked me. 'Don't know' I said. 'Bing sings but Walt Disney' he chortled)

To end on a nautical theme befitting our visitors, let's hope our rubber dinghy men (2017 vintage) are left on the sub(mariners) bench come 3pm Saturday.

Let's silence the chimes!

ROVERS 1 Pompey 0

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

That looked to be a tasty game. Can you see any of our current team fancying their chances ? Smallwood excepted.

[blueboy3333]

We could certainly do with a Keeley and a Branagan...and a Barker and a Brotherston.  Here's the complete highlights (and some blasts from the past) from that game in two parts:-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKZIOZ4SLaQ  (Part 1)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TwR_ZKfaIC8   (Part 2)

 

[Mercer]

Happy memories!

Likes of Branagan and Keeley are exactly what we need now.

Smallwood is a pussy cat in comparison.

 

[Waggy76]

Thats when it was played by men !

[Mercer]

Just now, Waggy76 said:

Thats when it was played by men !

and men who played with a real pride in the shirt!

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

Just now, Waggy76 said:

Thats when it was played by men !

When I watch that and then think back to big guys going down like nine pins yesterday - it's another game these days.

Having said that,  from personal experience the rough stuff always looks worse from the sidelines, out in the middle you just get on with it.

[JPTSwindon]

Following our recent 'performances' I fully expect TM to adopt an 8-1-1 formation to try and sneak a 0-0.

[blueboy3333]

If we can sneak a 0-0 at home and play like that all season we are probably going to get a spot in the top 2.

                     

[tomphil]

Rovers 1 Pompey 2

Wheels coming off just as Wigan away is around the corner, always happens it's written in the stars !

[Skiptonrover]

Tony's project a solid 3-0 win don't ask me why but that's what I will be doing at WH.

[chaddyrovers]

My team for this game is

Raya; Caddis Downing if fit(Nyambe otherwise) Mulgrew Williams; Smallwood Whittingham; Bennett Dack Antonsson; Samuel. 

[Swanson]

Why play Nyambe there if Wharton is injury free? Makes no sense. I would also drop Bennett and Williams.

[blueboy3333]

5 hours ago, chaddyrovers said:

My team for this game is

Raya; Caddis Downing if fit(Nyambe otherwise) Mulgrew Williams; Smallwood Whittingham; Bennett Dack Antonsson; Samuel. 

The same players that couldn't beat bottom of the league. The same players YOU said were to blame for that.

Good thinking.

 

[Bigdoggsteel]

6 hours ago, chaddyrovers said:

My team for this game is

Raya; Caddis Downing if fit(Nyambe otherwise) Mulgrew Williams; Smallwood Whittingham; Bennett Dack Antonsson; Samuel. 

So the exact same team bar Graham?

Not for me. Chapman needs to start instead of Bennett. Downing to center back and Nyambe to right back 

[blueboy3333]

In fairness to Graham he actually did what was expected of an immobile bloke stood up front on his own having balls fired at his head with two big Centre Halves for company.

 

[RV Blue]

Raya

Travis Wharton Mulgrew Doyle

Smallwood Whittingham

Bennett Dack Chapman

Nuttall

Johnson caretaker manager.

Why not give the young lads a do, when the seniors are failing miserably?

[Garage Flower]

Would like to see Nuttall on the bench coming on for half an hour.. Haven’t seen him with my own eyes so curious to see what he’s like. If we’re creating chances and he’s bagging for fun in the reserves surely he’s backing himself to take the chances. 

 

[Dreams of 1995]

This isn't a game to be throwing lots of youngsters in. We had our opportunity for that at home to the bottom of the league. Stupendous Tony didn't do that, instead going for nothing-to-prove old head Graham.

My team would be as follows:

GK: Raya.

RB: Caddis

CB: Downing

CB: Mulgrew

LB: Williams (pains me to say, one of my most disliked Rovers players in history)

CM: Smallwood

CM: Evans if fit if not then Bennett, think he defends well and will cover the full backs.

ALM: Chapman - balls to this 'impact player' thing, give the man a go at attacking.

AM: Dack

ARM: Antonsson

CF: Samuel.

 

I'd have Nuttall on the bench and he'd get a game. You can't be scoring as many as he is and not get a bloody game eventually.

[Bigdoggsteel]

1-3 

We are going to get bullied in this one folks. The atmosphere will be poor, we will concede and the wheels will come off big time. 

[BlackburnEnd75]

 

Team I'd go with would be: 

GK: Raya

RB: Travis

CB: Downing

CB: Mulgrew

LB: Williams

CM: Evans

CM: Smallwood

RW: Chapman

CAM: Dack

LW: Antonnson

CF: Nuttall

Bench: Leutwiler, Nyambe, Whittingham. Bennett, Conway, Graham, Samuel

[Bigdoggsteel]

24 minutes ago, BlackburnEnd75 said:

 

Team I'd go with would be: 

GK: Raya

RB: Travis

CB: Downing

CB: Mulgrew

LB: Williams

CM: Evans

CM: Smallwood

RW: Chapman

CAM: Dack

LW: Antonnson

CF: Nuttall

Bench: Leutwiler, Nyambe, Whittingham. Bennett, Conway, Graham, Samuel

I like that team

However , with all line-ups, I imagine we would lack fluidity. Mowbray would then say he hadn't worked with the younger players. 

[SIMON GARNERS 194]

Christ almighty do we need three points for all concerned.

1-1 

[chaddyrovers]

7 hours ago, blueboy3333 said:

The same players that couldn't beat bottom of the league. The same players YOU said were to blame for that.

Good thinking.

 

or the same players who created chances after chances and with Samuel up front to put them away

8 hours ago, Swanson said:

Why play Nyambe there if Wharton is injury free? Makes no sense. I would also drop Bennett and Williams.

would 2 left footed centre back work? 

6 hours ago, Bigdoggsteel said:

So the exact same team bar Graham?

Not for me. Chapman needs to start instead of Bennett. Downing to center back and Nyambe to right back 

2 changes. Downing and Samuel

[Athlete]

2 hours ago, chaddyrovers said:

or the same players who created chances after chances and with Samuel up front to put them away

would 2 left footed centre back work? 

2 changes. Downing and Samuel

Portsmouth will be a different proposition than Plymouth.. Think we're in for a much harder game than our last few matches