[Archived] Portsmouth v Rovers

[tomphil]

9 minutes ago, Glosrover said:

Yep - for some reason there has always been a bit of niggle and more than a few kamikaze tackles flying around.  Can still picture Glenn Keeley sitting up on a stretcher pointing at a Pompey player and reminding him what to expect when they next met.  They always seem to have had a few self-professed 'hard-men', Mick Kennedy, Mick Tait, Noel Blake and a few other nutters, and Rovers weren't shrinking violets either - in some ways young Travis is keeping up traditions, but then again football is now a non-contact sport.........

Someone described it as a Flitcroft like tackle I thought fair play we could do with a new Flitty, hope they don't drum it out of the lad he'll learn himself.

Seem to recall a game v Pompey I think it was in the cup at Ewood that there was also fisticuffs and possibly a sending off, they scored a thunderbolt out of the blue and I think won one nil. Kicked off good style outside afterwards as well, don't think it was that Keeley game may have been a few years after with away fans in the DE enclosure although I could be wrong.

But yes they've always seemed rough highly competitive affairs both home and away for some reason but then again so did games v Swindon

[ruggles1995]

we need a new keeper. Raya great shot stopper.. but cant command his area. Goalkeepers all save shots, what makes a top keeper is them demanding there area, collecting crosses and taking pressure off the back 4. Raya can save a shot and is very agile, but unfortunatley you either need big centre halfs cleaning up everything in the box, or you get a keeper thats comfortable enough to take control himself of balls in the box. Its not the first time this season hes been flapping. I sat right behind Rayas goal when we played burnley in the cup and he came into no mans land then to gift them a goal. You can see a mile off he never looks sure. In this league dealing with balls into the box is very key, this is being our downfall atm. If we dont make play automatic this season it will be down to the defence and goalkeeper that have cost us.

 

On the positive though! it was a good win!

[Bigdoggsteel]

Just now, ruggles1995 said:

we need a new keeper. Raya great shot stopper.. but cant command his area. Goalkeepers all save shots, what makes a top keeper is them demanding there area, collecting crosses and taking pressure off the back 4. Raya can save a shot and is very agile, but unfortunatley you either need big centre halfs cleaning up everything in the box, or you get a keeper thats comfortable enough to take control himself of balls in the box. Its not the first time this season hes been flapping. I sat right behind Rayas goal when we played burnley in the cup and he came into no mans land then to gift them a goal. You can see a mile off he never looks sure. In this league dealing with balls into the box is very key, this is being our downfall atm. If we dont make play automatic this season it will be down to the defence and goalkeeper that have cost us.

 

On the positive though! it was a good win!

Did you not watch us last season? 

[ruggles1995]

Just now, Bigdoggsteel said:

Did you not watch us last season? 

lol! he hasnt exactly improved on it though, tbf he is a youngster that got given the chance. Hes improved in shot stopping, but still not crosses. Tough being a keeper thats small.

[Bigdoggsteel]

Just now, ruggles1995 said:

lol! he hasnt exactly improved on it though, tbf he is a youngster that got given the chance. Hes improved in shot stopping, but still not crosses. Tough being a keeper thats small.

I meant Steele. Raya is a huge improvement.

Ya, he is small for a keeper, but i don't think its going to stop him playing in the Premier League at some point. 

[EgyptianPete]

7 minutes ago, ruggles1995 said:

we need a new keeper. Raya great shot stopper.. but cant command his area. Goalkeepers all save shots, what makes a top keeper is them demanding there area, collecting crosses and taking pressure off the back 4. Raya can save a shot and is very agile, but unfortunatley you either need big centre halfs cleaning up everything in the box, or you get a keeper thats comfortable enough to take control himself of balls in the box. Its not the first time this season hes been flapping. I sat right behind Rayas goal when we played burnley in the cup and he came into no mans land then to gift them a goal. You can see a mile off he never looks sure. In this league dealing with balls into the box is very key, this is being our downfall atm. If we dont make play automatic this season it will be down to the defence and goalkeeper that have cost us.

 

On the positive though! it was a good win!

Mmm Tim Flowers letting the ball hit a rut near the penalty spot and bouncing over his arm for a Liverpool goal,  all at a very slow pace, god knows what you lot would make of Raya doing similar give the lad a break and stop the pelters. Overall he has done us proud.

[tomphil]

Raya is a rookie learning his trade, we got relegated and so were obviously not very solid at the back yet they replaced the average at very best keeper with a raw youngster who'd wasted a season or two sat on the bench when he could have been out on loan ironing out the rough edges.

I personally would've gone for an experienced keeper if you want to build a promotion side on solid footings but in truth he's no worse, in fact probably better already than the more experienced Steele who if Grayson hadn't had a rush of blood would surely have been no 1 still at Rovers.

We are where we are so we have to stick behind him, on an aside to that I just watched a dvd Rovers season 2010/2011 highlights ( nightmare I know ) and in the first few games on there Tim Howard and Joe Hart both made monumental cock ups to literally gift Rovers a goal each.

The commanding all round keeper is a thing of the distant past I think.

[Bigdoggsteel]

7 minutes ago, tomphil said:

Raya is a rookie learning his trade, we got relegated and so were obviously not very solid at the back yet they replaced the average at very best keeper with a raw youngster who'd wasted a season or two sat on the bench when he could have been out on loan ironing out the rough edges.

I personally would've gone for an experienced keeper if you want to build a promotion side on solid footings but in truth he's no worse, in fact probably better already than the more experienced Steele who if Grayson hadn't had a rush of blood would surely have been no 1 still at Rovers.

We are where we are so we have to stick behind him, on an aside to that I just watched a dvd Rovers season 2010/2011 highlights ( nightmare I know ) and in the first few games on there Tim Howard and Joe Hart both made monumental cock ups to literally gift Rovers a goal each.

The commanding all round keeper is a thing of the distant past I think.

Probably?? 

[Blue blood]

2 hours ago, chaddyrovers said:

my team for the Bury game would be

                       Raya

      Lenihan  Mulgrew Williams

Bennett    Evans   Smallwood   Bell 

                        Dack

             Graham Armstrong

I think Mulgrew would be fine in 3 man defence and with Lenihan and Williams with him it would be good back 3 IMO. Mulgrew could still come forward as we still have 2 centre defenders at the back. Bennett and Bell are wing backs and Bell has been playing this role for Fleetwood for most of the season for them. 

It would allow us to play Armstrong up front with his pace and allow him to give us an option in behind which we don't have if he plays wide. Graham plays as the target man and Dack plays the 10 role. 

exactly, why ive been suggesting us playing 3-5-2 as we don't have proper wingers or wide players to play 4-2-3-1 to its best. when Chapman and Antonsson back I would be very tempt to play the formation again 

cant think of many teams within the premier league, championship and League 1 this season from all the games I've seen this season. 

its very outdated formation. 

Couple of points/problem with the line up - and our squad in general - is there's very little cover there and there are a few weaknesses Imo.

Evans - no way he impacts the game or will be fit often enough Only partner for Smallwood who's been better than average is Bennett but then he is needed at rwb. Likewise not too convinced by Williams quality either.

Then there's the question of how often we can play it - we've not got a glut of centre backs tl play a back 3, plus bo cover for lwb and Nayambe and Bennett and Williams covering numerous positions. We also lack decent cms bar Smallwood. One possibly 2 wrong injuries and the system falls apart.

I like how Armstrong and Graham are up front together in it and without wingers I can't see another way of doing it. But it looks hard to maintain over the season. There's also no Payne who arguably has enough quality to be in there.

Think best bet is 4-2-3-1 with Bennett in the 2 and a 3 of Dack, Payne and Armstrong. A lot rests on Nayambe and Bell to get forward but I think they have the energy to do so.

As for the game - good 3 points hopefully shaking us out of this rut. And as for the keeper - last year we had Steele. Raya may be promising /ok but is streets ahead of what we had last season.

[tomphil]

3 minutes ago, Bigdoggsteel said:

Probably?? 

He's a better shot stopper and more agile imo but they are very similar in other traits at the min, kicking, catching etc. He'll be better in the long run I think although Steele was turning into an average Championship keeper 3 or 4 years ago but as soon as they replaced John Keeley he went backwards rapidly.

[AAK]

Walsall allocation of 2100 sold out, we've asked for another 500 tickets

[alcd]

8 hours ago, DE. said:

 

Off the top of my head I can only think of Rotherham and Walsall at home where we really looked strong and dominant. There are probably a couple of others but yeah, by and large we tend to win games basically because we have a few of the division's top players. A fair few of our players would walk into any team in this league so it's to be expected that we would win otherwise even contests. It's similar to how Bowyer was winning games during his first couple of seasons as manager - the likes of Rhodes, Gestede and Cairney would often win matches for us that were otherwise 50/50. Once those players were sold off and not adequately replaced we tumbled pretty fast. Fode Koita was no Rudy Gestede and Like Varney was no Jordan Rhodes. 

   

A very good summation of what this team is about. A huge improvement in team structure and an upgrade in several positions (pacy, wide attacking, centre midfield and striker/targetman  for starters) would be required in the event that promotion is achieved.

[Stuart]

4 hours ago, FGS5635 said:

Portsmouth are 5th in the home form table and also have the 2nd highest average attenbdance in this league. Its not an easy place to go, especially midweek in crap weather.

We can disect how we played, but which ever way you spin it, its a damm good 3 points

No doubt. It was a brilliant three points.

Don’t get me wrong, I was delighted when the second goal went in. It was just a huge get out of jail moment - taking into account the previous game.

We need to make these games count though by beating teams like Bury at home.

[DavidMailsTightPerm]

3 hours ago, JHRover said:

Well a nightmare journey down, only arriving in Portsmouth 30 minutes before kick off, and not getting home until 3am, whilst taking a days holiday all worth it in the end with 3 points to bring back. We've had a lot of fruitless long midweek away trips and soul searching 5 hour drives back from Norwich, Ipswich and Brighton on Tuesday nights in recent seasons so I'll always be very grateful when the 3 points come.

Thought we did ok last night. I felt we were a better side than them and I just had a feeling in the second half that we would get a chance to win it even though it looked unlikely at times. Portsmouth a typical Kenny Jackett side. Hard working and organised but not much quality in their ranks. It would have been a travesty had we lost and a point was the least we deserved.  Some concerns - Played some good stuff and had lots of possession but seem to struggle to turn that into goalscoring opportunities and more than a few concerns about our defence when under pressure, particularly on the counter attack or when the ball is in the air - but a good result is all that matters and it doesn't matter how it comes. If we win our next few in the 87th minute having looked unlikely to do so then I'll be more than happy.

Put simply I think we can see that we have far more ability within our ranks than the likes of Portsmouth, but our difficulty is at times putting that into practice as a consistent and ruthless performance.

Need to find a way to overcome bottom of the pile Bury on Monday night and heap more pressure on the top 2.

Did we look any better defensively when Lenihan came on and we went three at the back ?

[den9112]

Having done all the long away trips in the past and driven home the same night i now choose to stop overnight when i can and take it all in and make a day of it , also a chance to meet up with friends who have since moved all around the country.

I arrived nice and early booked in the hotel and went for a wander, struggled to find a pub selling food but was eventually pointed in the right direction from one of the guys selling programmes.

I found last nights atmosphere a lot better than the Plymouth match for some reason , not sure why it just felt a lot better, on the game i felt confident we would get a few chances but on the same side i also  felt they would also get a few ,we don't help ourselves sometimes  especialy at the back and i also think CM as not  been as sharp this last couple of games  and i was certain that linesman had it in for Williams ,the amount of soft free kicks he was giving them was becoming embarrassing, great to see DL back and he should have scored from a CM free kick ...so relieved to hear the final whistle as this was a big win , but a win it was and 3 points to go home with...Now on another matter , i am not what you would consider a drinker , maybe a glass of wine or a cider with a meal or the odd pint of Guinness , anyway as i was not driving home i decided to take a bottle of cider and a bag of peanuts to my hotel room as a little celebration  , no work in the morning and all that ,now just across from the ground was a large Tesco so after the match i picked up a small can of cider and a bag of peanuts and went to the self-service checkout ,i got the usual  red light were the assistant had to check my age ,but on this ocassion he refused to serve me because he could see my football shirt just at the top of my coat and believed that because of this i had been to the match,of course i have i said I was in the away end and i am stopping just across the road at the Hotel ,Tesco policy not serve alcohol 2 hours before and 2 after the match ,so disapointed i couldnt celebrate with a can of cider but to be honest i felt a little embarrased ,especialy at 56 years old ,i did tell the young assistant this ,OK he was just doing his job but a bit of signage would have saved me the trouble ,Orange juice it was then to celebrate the win ...

 

[darrenrover]

3 hours ago, Glosrover said:

Yep - for some reason there has always been a bit of niggle and more than a few kamikaze tackles flying around.  Can still picture Glenn Keeley sitting up on a stretcher pointing at a Pompey player and reminding him what to expect when they next met.  They always seem to have had a few self-professed 'hard-men', Mick Kennedy, Mick Tait, Noel Blake and a few other nutters, and Rovers weren't shrinking violets either - in some ways young Travis is keeping up traditions, but then again football is now a non-contact sport.........

If only we had a Glenn Keeley to call on.

 

[darrenrover]

1 hour ago, Stuart said:

No doubt. It was a brilliant three points.

Don’t get me wrong, I was delighted when the second goal went in. It was just a huge get out of jail moment - taking into account the previous game.

We need to make these games count though by beating teams like Bury at home.

I agree, hopefully we don't do a 'Rovers' again and slip on the banana skin! (again)

[Guest]

5 hours ago, chaddyrovers said:

my team for the Bury game would be

                       Raya

      Lenihan  Mulgrew Williams

Bennett    Evans   Smallwood   Bell 

                        Dack

             Graham Armstrong

I don't know if you saw the game last night, but I think Williams could do with a game or two out of the picture; he's been out of sorts, lately. I also think it's unwise to omit Downing, who had a decent game last night in comparison to his rocky stint over the last month.

Regarding Evans, he is quite simply the most disappointing player at the club. In the very short periods where Evans isn't injured, he rarely lives up to the quality of player that I often thought he could be. I just get the feeling he's in a comfort zone at the club, because whenever he's been on the pitch, his focus seems to be elsewhere.

[rigger]

3 hours ago, AAK said:

Walsall allocation of 2100 sold out, we've asked for another 500 tickets

luckily I got my tickets this morning.

[47er]

4 hours ago, EgyptianPete said:

Mmm Tim Flowers letting the ball hit a rut near the penalty spot and bouncing over his arm for a Liverpool goal,  all at a very slow pace, god knows what you lot would make of Raya doing similar give the lad a break and stop the pelters. Overall he has done us proud.

How many more points would we have if Brad was between the posts? Nostalgia eh?!

[darrenrover]

1 minute ago, 47er said:

How many more points would we have if Brad was between the posts? Nostalgia eh?!

and Keeley and Fazackerly in central defence, nowt wrong with nostalgia!

[JacknOry]

4 hours ago, EgyptianPete said:

Mmm Tim Flowers letting the ball hit a rut near the penalty spot and bouncing over his arm for a Liverpool goal,  all at a very slow pace, god knows what you lot would make of Raya doing similar give the lad a break and stop the pelters. Overall he has done us proud.

haha - remember that. 

[JacknOry]

2 hours ago, den9112 said:

Having done all the long away trips in the past and driven home the same night i now choose to stop overnight when i can and take it all in and make a day of it , also a chance to meet up with friends who have since moved all around the country.

I arrived nice and early booked in the hotel and went for a wander, struggled to find a pub selling food but was eventually pointed in the right direction from one of the guys selling programmes.

I found last nights atmosphere a lot better than the Plymouth match for some reason , not sure why it just felt a lot better, on the game i felt confident we would get a few chances but on the same side i also  felt they would also get a few ,we don't help ourselves sometimes  especialy at the back and i also think CM as not  been as sharp this last couple of games  and i was certain that linesman had it in for Williams ,the amount of soft free kicks he was giving them was becoming embarrassing, great to see DL back and he should have scored from a CM free kick ...so relieved to hear the final whistle as this was a big win , but a win it was and 3 points to go home with...Now on another matter , i am not what you would consider a drinker , maybe a glass of wine or a cider with a meal or the odd pint of Guinness , anyway as i was not driving home i decided to take a bottle of cider and a bag of peanuts to my hotel room as a little celebration  , no work in the morning and all that ,now just across from the ground was a large Tesco so after the match i picked up a small can of cider and a bag of peanuts and went to the self-service checkout ,i got the usual  red light were the assistant had to check my age ,but on this ocassion he refused to serve me because he could see my football shirt just at the top of my coat and believed that because of this i had been to the match,of course i have i said I was in the away end and i am stopping just across the road at the Hotel ,Tesco policy not serve alcohol 2 hours before and 2 after the match ,so disapointed i couldnt celebrate with a can of cider but to be honest i felt a little embarrased ,especialy at 56 years old ,i did tell the young assistant this ,OK he was just doing his job but a bit of signage would have saved me the trouble ,Orange juice it was then to celebrate the win ...

 

man i hate to be the grammar police but...

was a great read nonetheless when i was able to catch my breath 

[Gav]

Just now, JacknOry said:

man i hate to be the grammar police but...

was a great read nonetheless when i was able to catch my breath 

Capital letter start sentances.

[Bigdoggsteel]

2 hours ago, den9112 said:

Having done all the long away trips in the past and driven home the same night i now choose to stop overnight when i can and take it all in and make a day of it , also a chance to meet up with friends who have since moved all around the country.

I arrived nice and early booked in the hotel and went for a wander, struggled to find a pub selling food but was eventually pointed in the right direction from one of the guys selling programmes.

I found last nights atmosphere a lot better than the Plymouth match for some reason , not sure why it just felt a lot better, on the game i felt confident we would get a few chances but on the same side i also  felt they would also get a few ,we don't help ourselves sometimes  especialy at the back and i also think CM as not  been as sharp this last couple of games  and i was certain that linesman had it in for Williams ,the amount of soft free kicks he was giving them was becoming embarrassing, great to see DL back and he should have scored from a CM free kick ...so relieved to hear the final whistle as this was a big win , but a win it was and 3 points to go home with...Now on another matter , i am not what you would consider a drinker , maybe a glass of wine or a cider with a meal or the odd pint of Guinness , anyway as i was not driving home i decided to take a bottle of cider and a bag of peanuts to my hotel room as a little celebration  , no work in the morning and all that ,now just across from the ground was a large Tesco so after the match i picked up a small can of cider and a bag of peanuts and went to the self-service checkout ,i got the usual  red light were the assistant had to check my age ,but on this ocassion he refused to serve me because he could see my football shirt just at the top of my coat and believed that because of this i had been to the match,of course i have i said I was in the away end and i am stopping just across the road at the Hotel ,Tesco policy not serve alcohol 2 hours before and 2 after the match ,so disapointed i couldnt celebrate with a can of cider but to be honest i felt a little embarrased ,especialy at 56 years old ,i did tell the young assistant this ,OK he was just doing his job but a bit of signage would have saved me the trouble ,Orange juice it was then to celebrate the win ...

 

Jesus,you think they could have made an exception