12 pages added in 13 hours. Who have we signed?

Plymouth gave Oxford quite a chasing at Home Park but Oxford were clinical with their chance. Here's looking for our defending to be strong again and having the belief we can score on the turnovers and when on top. As for selection, the back 4 and Tronstad pick themselves, Cantwell undroppable after his second half display and put the rest into a random number generator. Fortunately, Eustace will be watching them going in training and done much more homework on Oxford so will be a bit more scientific.

Seen the extended highlights. Pears undoubtedly conceded a penalty immediately prior to our second but Bishop had been (and continued) diving in the box and wasn't carded for it. The build up from the goal line clearance was sublime, particularly Cantwell not only getting away from two Pompey players tight to him but the pass he played through them was inch and weight perfect.

Although they have had an extra day recovery and it wasn't a bruiser by all accounts, at least Oxford also had a midweek game.

Well it is the first rational reason I have sén for their continued ownership. How old is the son? What is he doing currently?

Asante - Thomas has pace. We need pace. He needs confidence and career rebuilding. We have a boss who is good at that. Venkys can apparently afford him and the link has come early enough in the window to screw up the paperwork and get it corrected. If we had had him on the pitch in place of Hedges the first half probably wouldn't have been as awful and boring as everyone says it was.

We can point to the ref homing and them hitting the bar but it should have been academic had we taken the two chances in the first 15 minutes

Just looked at extended highlights of recent Portsmouth games. There is no doubt that their defence bring gifts and have become expert at last ditch emergency rescue! Callum Lang is a very good winger who comes inside and scores regularly. Josh Murphy looks as quick as his brother at Newcastle. Almost all Pompey goals have come from the sort of opposition mistakes we are suffering less frequently this season (except at Coventry) aided by Pompey deploying a very effective high press. If we suck them in and pass the ball quickly and accurately through midfield we should have joy this evening. If we trap ourselves playing it around too much at the back with Pompey pressing us we will be inviting trouble. If in doubt, find Row Z and regroup. Too many recent teams playing Pompey haven't done that and paid the price.

Given the way Eustace has us set up, pace is what we need above all else. Even a headless chicken who can stay onside would give the other 10 (including keeper's option of the long punt against a high line defense) new possibilities. Rover having pace would change the whole dynamics of how teams set up against us. Oppositions are comfortable deploying a multiple player high press knowing there is nobody from Rovers who can simply run away from them and not be caught. None of our forwards is capable of breaking clear of a Championship back line. We have seen all our forwards get out sprinted when they have had a clear run at goal, most notably ACD v Hull and Gueye at Boro recently. If Asante is genuinely quick, he could be what we need. I cannot remember specifically when he's played against us but my recollection of associating his name with being a real threat in games we have faced him in.

Half way through the window with a couple of el cheapo cover players signed and some evidence we are trying to do something up front. Problem is a variant of Groucho Marx "I wouldn't want to join a club that would have me in it." Supporters are so cheesed off with how the club is run we wouldn't want a player we could reasonably sign.

Josh Maja out at West Brom for 12 weeks for surgery on a lower leg injury. Dikes out for the foreseeable with a second hamstring injury too. Not going to be much left if they also need to sell to balance the books.

I presume our two new signings are available tonight. What about Pompey's new trio of Atkinson, Isaac Hayden and Waddingham for them?

Rovers first team kicks off at home to Pompey 45 minutes after the women kick off at home to Pompey. Going to be fun seeing 44 players on the same pitch in the first half...

I'd hope we would be hovering around West Brom- they have some very good players who have under performed this season. Josh Maja who we tracked for an eternity is single handedly keeping them in the hunt.

I had a good record attending in person at the Manor- one defeat (3-0 I think) and the rest were wins. I listened to that FA Cup tie on the Radio lying ill in bed with tonsilitis. Didn't get any better! We should have a decent chance of getting all 3 points but we should have beaten Hull at Ewood...

Leonard hit woodwork four times last week and missed that easy chance straight after we scored at Boro. So he has the ability to get in the right place at the right time. Have to hope he gets his barings a bit better when he is there. Oh and beef up a bit so he doesn't lose out 100% of the time for aerial balls when competing with a central defender. With Ohashi out for six more weeks and an attacker likely to be a sweating on Pune job at the last minute of transfer deadline day, we have no option but to continue with Harry.

Pompey have two very different but very effective wingers but the rest of the team is ordinary and the defence can be got at. I am less concerned than I was at the time of the original fixture because Pompey were in the run lifting themselves out of relegation places then but have stuttered since including a couple of humiliations. That said, our record of blowing the opportunity presented by playing our game in hand at home is horrendous.

On BBD, if he gets his self belief back, we have seen him scoring at better than a goal every other game in the Championship.

BBD is a question of can JE sort out his mental issues. One thing Ben didn't do was down tools at Ewood as someone has erroneously posted. Mowbray was extremely clear about that. Even if there was £20m on the table to spend, we'd still be buying flawed goods so whoever we sign will be a big risk. I'd far rather blow some money on an expensive loan which can make promotion a bit more than a pipe dream than buy a solid Championship player who will keep us where we are.

I increasingly suspect we are looking at PL level loans both here and abroad.

Waiting for...

Absolutely deflating nothing draw when it came out of the hat but we can only play each game for a win. The quality of our defending was outstanding and Toth looks a proper keeper even though he got away with two horror pass outs at the end of the first half. The second was miscontrolled by the Boro player and nicked by Beck to set up the excellent move from which Leonard made it 4 woodwork hits in a week (3 for the under 21s against Preston I believe). Harry matched that foursome with 4 offsides in the first half too. Tronstad was as excellent as Buckle was, shall we say, frustrating. That said, Cantwell for me looked easily the best outfield player (even ahead of Beck who had some dodgy moments early on) and I would really like to see him alongside some seriously capable forwards as I think he would thrive and shine. Gueye was very good when he came on and the ball started being touched if not won when he came on whereas Leonard had no stickability whatsoever. Some of Gueye's ground work was exceptional. So it's off to the dingles in Round 4 I foresee ..

I think they have got Wicky haven't they?

Adam Wharton should have added to that list for us... Also significant Chelsea and City only overtook us last year.

So a Plymouth reject is coming to rescue our season. I was dead set against Marker coming to us from Plymouth after he broke Ardiles' leg but in fairness he did OK for us.