Ian Buxton's Bat

Or a right footed player, playing as an inverted winger who gets a sitter on his weaker foot?
Call me old fashioned but....next season, if we still have PW - with his get it wide and get crosses in philosophy - I'd like to see a left footed left winger and a right footed right winger a) for getting decent crosses in and b) for scoring back post sitters!

Or a right footed player, playing as an inverted winger who gets a sitter on his weaker foot?
Call me old fashioned but....next season, if we still have PW - with his get it wide and get crosses in philosophy - I'd like to see a left footed left winger and a right footed right winger a) for getting decent crosses in and b) for scoring back post sitters!

Whatever we were playing resulted in 2 great chances being created and squandered so it was effective to some extent.
But as @DavesaRamand @Ellafellahave alluded to it was another game where the clear plan was to avoid playing on the deck through midfield which I just don’t understand.
The ball from Smith to NML was a beauty but suspect he was off-script.
Yes, missed chances but PW to blame overall tonight imo.
 

Whatever we were playing resulted in 2 great chances being created and squandered so it was effective to some extent.
But as @DavesaRamand @Ellafellahave alluded to it was another game where the clear plan was to avoid playing on the deck through midfield which I just don’t understand.
The ball from Smith to NML was a beauty but suspect he was off-script.
Yes, missed chances but PW to blame overall tonight imo.
 

Looked. Nobody there 

Safe journey to those going tonight.
I'm veering between the completely nervous and phlegmatic.
Nervous that we've had some horror shows on the road against mid table mediocrity.
Phlegmatic, in that we've got 2 games against teams that are dreaming of reaching the dizzy heights of mid table mediocrity....plus Orient (which in my brain has already been filed in the just turn up and win category) plus tonight.
Fundamentally, if you'd offered me these 4 games left with promotion still in our hands at the start of the season, I'd have taken it.
Barnsley have gone, win the next two and I think the wind exits Bolton and Posh's sails.
Don't hate Wycombe but hate their chairman for what he did during our admin. Give him plenty.
COYR

I think he plays Smith and Adams if he anticipates a battle - both are very good at breaking up play and getting back quickly to shield the defence.
However, if you look at Who Scored stats, neither of them have anywhere near the number of touches that Hourihane has in a game. Hourihane is capable of dictating play if - and only if - we decide to play through midfield.......and he's better in a 3.
Personally, I'd play all three of them if we intend to try and control a game - with NML, CBT and Collins ahead.
If we intend to sit back and play on the break, or have a 90 min scrap then Smith and Adams are currently the best bet imo.

1Wildsmith 5.5.......overall not great but made 2 very good saves
2Wilson 6.5.........defended well, didn't get forward much 
35Nelson 7.......under serious pressure throughout in horrible conditions. Not his best game but decent.
6Cashin 7.5.......same as Nelson but marginally more composed.......apart from an awful cross to unmarked Collins at the back stick
17Sibley 7........did well against a very good winger
23Ward 8........goals get headlines but a very good performance overall
16Thompson 6.........did OK 
12Smith 7.......a bit of a midfield Nyambe. Gets in defensive positions and jockeys players very well. Also a good organiser - one very obvious rollicking of CBT
4Hourihane 6....no time
32Adams 8.....another very good performance
27Blackett-Taylor 7.5......getting much better going forward. He must be very, very quick - for the first goal he looked like a bone idle stroller.....as he left about 4 of their players in his wake!
14Washington 6......no time
11Méndez-Laing 6......taking one for the team by playing up front. Not his best position and won't see him at his best until he goes out wide again imo.
9Collins 7.5........brilliant first half - genuinely excellent. Faded in second but you can see Warne's pecking order when Wash and Wag are kept on the bench until 80+ mins
10Waghorn 6......no time
Good game. Great point. Means Pompey won't be on the beach when they visit Bolton.
Watched on Sky TV. Interesting that, apart from Sir Curtis, the coverage - and commentary/co-comms - was inferior to Rams TV imo.

Whaaaat?
Pompey to beat Bolton all day long.

Proper game of football. Pompey very decent but we just about matched them. Nerves were shredded at the end.
Another tough watch where we sat back on a lead but doing otherwise could have cost us what could be one of the best points of the season.
Hopefully that’s the last time we go full park the bus this season.
4 or 5 nil vs Ambulance Chasers FC please.
How good was Collins for someone with 20 mins under his belt? 

Proper game of football. Pompey very decent but we just about matched them. Nerves were shredded at the end.
Another tough watch where we sat back on a lead but doing otherwise could have cost us what could be one of the best points of the season.
Hopefully that’s the last time we go full park the bus this season.
4 or 5 nil vs Ambulance Chasers FC please.
How good was Collins for someone with 20 mins under his belt? 

Whaaaat?
Pompey to beat Bolton all day long.

Proper game of football. Pompey very decent but we just about matched them. Nerves were shredded at the end.
Another tough watch where we sat back on a lead but doing otherwise could have cost us what could be one of the best points of the season.
Hopefully that’s the last time we go full park the bus this season.
4 or 5 nil vs Ambulance Chasers FC please.
How good was Collins for someone with 20 mins under his belt? 

Whaaaat?
Pompey to beat Bolton all day long.

Whaaaat?
Pompey to beat Bolton all day long.

Whaaaat?
Pompey to beat Bolton all day long.

Whaaaat?
Pompey to beat Bolton all day long.

Whaaaat?
Pompey to beat Bolton all day long.

Fair result altough they scored one offside goal and one after an obvious handball...

It's on Rams TV I think

Nice one.
Hope your defence tonight has as many gaps in it as your message !

ATG
1Wildsmith 6.5…one v good save. Would like to see him come for crosses in corridor of uncertainty 
2Wilson 8.5…my MOTM. Just always wants to make things happen
35Nelson 8.5…..apart from one sliced clearance, utterly commanding
6Cashin 8…..another top performance 
17Sibley 7….did OK in the game. Did very well considering he’s not a left back 
23Ward 7……couldn’t work out if he’d got a free role or was failing to hold position but he did OK
10Waghorn 6…..no time
32Adams 8…..another great game. Goal looked very good from west stand. Just seen highlights from north stand camera and it’s sensational 
12Smith 6.5…..gets in good defensive positions but hardly gets involved on the ball. A good selection on the basis we chose to give Blackpool the ball and watch them play
4Hourihane 6….no time
27Blackett-Taylor 6.5…..more threatening on the ball than previous games. Takes him an age to twig that he has to do defending. Don’t know if it’s attitude or lack of awareness but he’s strolling when others have reacted immediately and are already busting a gut to get the ball back or back in position. Left Sibley exposed 
16Thompson 6…..strange that he came on instead of Waghorn. Did OK
11Méndez-Laing 6…..not his best showing but his presence was  huge lift and probably a huge disappointment to Blackpool 
22Fornah 6…..did OK. Good to see him back
14Washington 5…..tried hard. Battled well for some stupid high long balls he didn’t have a chance of winning. Sorry to say it but not surprised he didn’t score the 1 on 1
9Collins 7……showed what we’ve missed. Hold up and link up was good. Wardrobe-esque foul in our half was a thing of beauty 
PW knows what he’s doing and may well get us over the line. I just wish he’d stamp our style of play on the opposition rather than changing so much and making games bitty. Thought we played pretty well first half but no idea what the formation was!
But…..it’s the business end of the season and I was very happy with the result…..and results elsewhere were a right bonus.

Not sure about ‘we’ but I have…..but then maybe I’ve been looking for the good in him as I think he’s a decent player.
5 goals, 7 assists plus lots of good deliveries e.g Cashin’s header that hit the post v …was it Reading?
Granted, he’s not scored any worldie free kicks as far as I can remember 

A clock for, say, 60 mins playing time that stops literally every time the game stops is the best solution……goal kicks, throw ins, subs….the lot.
Doesn’t stop the antics that stop momentum but it renders time wasting a waste of time.
It would take a load of pressure off the refs and 4th officials 

RTV
1Wildsmith…..6.5 largely a spectator again. No chance with the goal
35Nelson…..6 looked a bit shakier than usual under the high ball. Did OK
5Bradley…..4.5 poor for their goal, edgy on the ball and utterly unprofessional with the red card, knowing that Fozzy is injured 
6Cashin….6.5…..did OK, tried to make things happen
2Wilson….6.5...played well first half
32Adams……5….missed that sitter and thought he had a poor game overall 
12Smith……6…..tidy enough
4Hourihane…..5.5….haters will hate him but offered a lot more than Adam’s today. Should play in a 3 though 
17Sibley….5….not a lot happened for him today
20Elder…6….OK
23Ward….6…Ok
10Waghorn…..5…missed a good chance and offered very little 
16Thompson…..5…played out of position and did little 
27Blackett-Taylor…6….did OK and made a few things happen 
11Méndez-Laing….6.5….lively….will be a big miss
14Washington…..6…..looked better than Waggy to me. I’d start him on Friday if Collo not fit
Wrong formation imo and too many players off colour.