kash_a_ram_a_ding_dong

From a Pompey perspective, we acknowledge Derby are an outstanding team with quality players such as Mendez Laing, Sibley, Collins etc.
To beat Derby, we will have to be at our best. We have a lot of injuries still but will be able to field a competitive side.
I think 92 points will probably guarantee automatic promotion, so we probably need 6 more points. Still lots of work to do for both sides.
No outcome would surprise me here. We are capable of winning this, and you're more than capable of beating us too.
In the end, we might just cancel each other out for it to end in a draw.
 

Match Thread: vs Portsmouth (a)
Tuesday, April 2nd, Kick-Off – 8.00pm
Head to Head:
Two grand old clubs who first met way back in 1902 in the FA Cup, a game that resulted in a rather unsatisfactory 0-0 bore draw. The replay at saw us winning the replay 6-3 which doubtless gave the early Rams faithful a little more to cheer. Since then, there’s not been a deal between the two sides, with Derby edging the charts with 42 wins to Pompey’s 35.
Games won: 42
Games drawn: 23
Games lost: 35
The Status Quo:
Well, it’s looking good right now my fellow rams. Likewise for Pompey, who do look near to uncatchable now, though there doubtless remain some happy clappers like yours truly who will still be hoping Portsmouth slip up and what better place for them to begin their demise than in front of their own fans on Tuesday evening? That said, Portsmouth have arguably been THE most consistent side in the division, steadily accumulating wins after a minor, mid-season wobble. It’s fair to say that while they’ve continued their good form, our post-Xmas wobble saw us fall back a little, though if we look at the last half dozen games, we’ve actually outpointed them, indeed only Lincoln, who seem to lay waste to every team they meet right now, can claim to be in better form than our own beloved Rams.

The Key Threats:
There’s little doubt that Cody Bishop is their main striking threat with 16 goals and 2 assists to his name this season, but Pompey can boast other threats, none less than Paddy Lane who has netted 11 times this season, also weighing in with 6 assists. Abu Kamara and Marlon pack have 8 assists a piece, so it’s fair to say that Pompey have multiple attacking threats and they promise to provide us with our toughest game of the season and one in which Nelson and Cashin will need to be absolutely on their A-game if we are to leave with Fratton Park with anything to show for the game.
Team News:
Like most, I was delighted to see Collo return to the fold so swiftly and he looked pretty damn sharp to be honest. Perhaps the ‘rest’ has actually done him well! This is critical as for me, Wash and Waggy look some way off their peak and I suppose, given their lack of games this year, that’s easy to understand.
I was also delighted to see Korey Smith start and for me, he has to stay in the starting 11. He’s not entirely dissimilar to Hourihane, but his mobility gives us more stability, though that said, we did again leave gaps between the press and our back line against Blackpool and if we do so again against Pompey, we might find ourselves in some bother.
With a considerable injury list still hampering his efforts, Warne will again need to marshal his troops carefully and I’d expect a cagey performance from both sides where moments of quality will likely settle the game, rather than one side establishing outright dominance. I’ll drop another update on injuries etc, on this thread nearer the game, but I’d be looking at something similar to what we saw yesterday, with a couple of tweaks:
Firstly, I’ve assumed Elder is once more broken and that we’ll therefore need to use Sibbo in the LB role again. I’d have preferred him starting higher up the pitch, but we have so many missing that it’s a case of needs must. In so much, the back 4 pick themselves.
I’ve kept the same midfield as last week, with Smith again taking the starting role and Conor set to figure later in the game. Adams remains on fire and simply has to start every match now. The only other tweak I’d use would be to play Wash in behind Collo, assuming Jimmy is able to manage 60 minutes at this point in his return. That gives us something like the line-up below, but I do expect this to change, as I very seldom guess Warne’s selection correctly and I’m also hopeful we’ll have one or two more to pick from. CBT, now with some minutes under his belt, appears to be finding some good form and despite our injury situation, we'll have some interesting bench options all the same and perhaps he might even earn a start?


The Game:
I don’t think there’s any doubt that both sides have sufficient quality to punish any errors made and I think this will simply come down to which side best executes their game plan and who is most clinical with the chances they fashion. I’m going for a 1-1 draw with Nate to re-find his scoring touch and secure us another vital point. I think with both clubs and sets of fans riding high, it ought to be a great atmosphere though at present, there is some rain forecast. For anyone making a mini-break of it, please see some 'Things To Do' suggestions and links to some decent eateries below, as suggested by TripAdvisor:
https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attractions-g186298-Activities-Portsmouth_Hampshire_England.html
https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restaurants-g186298-Portsmouth_Hampshire_England.html
Enjoy the game my fellow Rams fans and safe journey to and fro.
COYR
BE MORE B4

When you are at the game and compare to comments on here…. Can be quite remarkable…… enjoyed the game against opponents wanting to play football. Hope Blackpool make the play offs . Entertaining game for me. Wasn't even that bladdered so have a considered opinion…. Wild far too few mentions for his excellent performance. Left me a content Ram not just  the victory but back on tract. We can do this. Keep the faith Rams 

Warne played these tactics to suit the game,he will no doubt be looking to counter Portsmouth in a different fashion on Tuesday.

Actually I thought first half the game was very even in terms of football, passing chances. I enjoyed it. We did sit back with a view to countering second half which I didn't enjoy but currently the team are very good at it. 

Thought sibs was quality yesterday his tracking back and tackling was paramount on a few occasions especially considering he isn’t a left back and could easily not get his positioning correct. 
 
draw at pompey would do me and then win 3 of the last 4 

Warne played these tactics to suit the game,he will no doubt be looking to counter Portsmouth in a different fashion on Tuesday.

Agree with everything you say about Cashin but in his quiet way Nelson was just as fab. So hope Fozzie makes a comeback. Those 3 could be the best defence in the championship 

If Gayle had been fit we may have won 3 nil...
But he wasn't and neither was Rhodes.
We won 1-0 on the day with the players we had,Blackpool lost by the same metrics.

If Gayle had been fit we may have won 3 nil...
But he wasn't and neither was Rhodes.
We won 1-0 on the day with the players we had,Blackpool lost by the same metrics.

What a win!! What an atmosphere- not Bolton but still good. I was buzzing post game and still am today with the win and the results going in our favour. Must say yesterday a few beers in i thought it was decisive and we’re definitely going up. On reflection there is still some potential squeaky bum time yet. Bolton could be 3 points behind by the time we play Pompey. A loss to Pompey then Bolton have the opportunity to draw level with us if they beat Bristol before we play again. That would really put the pressure on. 
But I’m convinced we’ll get over the line. Last 2 home performances are evidence we’re shithousing our way to the finish line and I don’t care at all. At this stage it’s all about getting results however you get them, and I think Warne has tactically got the better of Evatt and Critchley in the last 2 home games. For all Blackpool’s play they didn’t look like scoring and we nullified their threats. I have no issue with us playing like this at this stage of the season especially with our injuries, challenge will be if we’re midtable in the championship playing like this every week then pressure would rightfully mount on Warne if not next season then definitely the season after.
Right now though let’s just enjoy the results and being in a promotion race!! 

A win was everything yesterday and it was warne and the players job to get that win ,,, bugger all else mattered, it was a tight first half where we edged it and got the lead ,
second half started and boy was I frustrated for a while , said to my wife that we seemed to want to play like we are 3-0 up and game over , we gave them space to play and like everyone else I was shouting at them to wake up and press on to them but soon got the nagging feeling we were happy to let them play and have space in areas they wernt hurting us , get in our shape and not chase everything, dive in and get played round then hit them on the break , we may not like it at times , we may wrongly feel we are being massively outplayed at times but by god it was a mature performance, free from the naivety that has plagued us at times ,
paul warne ? ,,,,like him or not ( i really like him and want him to be given the chance to see how much more he’s got) those who come on here and call him a clown , a kick and rush merchant without a clue or even a thought on tactics are very very wide of the mark ,
warne and his team may not always get it right ( who does ) but make no mistake, there’s a lot of hard work and thought going into how to beat each team we come up against , they are not clueless kick and rush merchants, you can’t and don’t have to get it right every time , you have to get it right more often than not and enough times over a season to do well and even get promoted,
at the end of games Paul warne is the one I have a main eye on going round the ground to applaud fans and hope he’s really enjoying it , I want to see him start the bounce if and or when we are promoted with the biggest smile on his face as I’m pretty sure he will when he feels he’s achieved something, the target promotion not a fleeting moment of a good win , that’s for us fans and the players ,he’s got a job to finish ,, you can bet he isn’t taking the players out for a wallet busting pxss up when the job is nowhere near done yet ,,, that’s what I see and like in warne and his team,
oh and another day I really enjoyed in a season im really enjoying,,,, live in the now folks is my advise🤷🏻‍♂️

It's been a good afternoon if that's all we've got to complain about! 

Don’t think Warne will get the credit he deserves for this one, but was a bit of a masterclass imo (and huge credit to the players for executing). Wasn’t a vintage performance but you could see at every turn the players letting the least threatening player have the ball and talking and pointing to each other to get into position and be organised, instead of a relentless closing down approach that we don’t have in us at this point of questionable fitness and squad depth. Wash and NML, especially, clearly not fully fit and we played accordingly, with another tough test on Tuesday. Not sexy, but exactly what we needed at this point of proceedings. 5 more cup finals, and no doubt more twists and turns, but we’ve got a chance.

Just a comment on the substitutions of people playing quite well - we have a rather important game on Tuesday evening. Particularly in respect of CBT, he hasn't had much game time and was hobbling a bit.
And on the attendance - if she had already got a ticket, then she would have been counted in that total @MackworthRamIsGod. We cleared that up at SCG earlier this month.
Oh, and I believe! 

Makes last week's utter meltdown by many seem a trifle overstated.

Thought we deserved to win well done everyone including Warne 👏

It's been two years with warne and attendances are outstanding...what are you factually basing your drop in attendances on?
 

It's been two years with warne and attendances are outstanding...what are you factually basing your drop in attendances on?
 

Pride Park: Friday March 29th - 15.00 Kick Off
Friday night we get a chance to eradicate the bad dream that was Northampton away, but I think we've ridden our luck a little longer than just the last game and we simply must deliver a performance, or we risk succumbing to the lottery that is the play-offs. It's a sobering prospect by any measure. As it stands, we remain masters of our own fate, but potentially only by a single point and GD. Suffice to say, we can ill afford any further slip ups, or the chasers will be on us. 
On paper, this is a tougher game than the last one, with Blackpool having notched wins against Bolton, Peterborough and Shrewsbury as well as a draw against league leaders Pompey in their last 10 league games. Chief goal threat would be Jordan Rhodes who has notched 15 this season, with Jake Beesley and Karamoko Dembélé chipping in with 8 amd 7 respectively. Dembélé also has a very respectable 11 assists, with CJ Hamilton next best with 7 for the season to date. Keeping those two quiet might be key.
Squad News: Injury report might perhaps be a better heading! With Nate now joining an ever-growing list of crocked players, it's safe to say that having had a pretty healthy squad a mere few weeks back, we're bang in trouble again on that front and we'll need to marshal resources in a clever and effective manner if we are to get anything from this game. We are told that the one good piece of news on this front currently is that Collo may play a part, but whilst the man's a Spartan, he'll surely not be sharp enough to start. 
A last thought, until we have more news on who is actually fit enough to play, would be that while I want us to beat Blackpool, I do recall their kindness and solidarity during our troubled recent past. They're a proper club with a proper set of fans and I hope we make them as welcome at our place as they always seem to make us at theirs. 
May the best team win, but may that team be Derby, please! 
COYR
BEMOREB4

What about the huge gigantic positive we’re a net 2nd whatever happens with games in hand with 6 games left!!! That’s an excellent position to be in, let’s face it had we won today some fans would literally be popping the champagne corks thinking it’s done. Today is hugely frustrating but nothing more given the position we were in before the game, it’s in our hands.
Injuries are a blow and hope NML isn’t too bad but positives, CBT looked good, Collo is soon to be back, and injury/suspension means he probably has to play a back 4 now for the final few games.

Thought a nights sleep may have calmed me down. No. I still hate this team and manager

Here we go, the world has caved in for some after today’s defeat, just as it did after back to back defeats and awful performances to Barnsley and Charlton just a few weeks ago. How did we respond? By winning 4 in a row, including our 3 best performances of the season back to back before Bolton. We’re still in a fantastic position, it’s in our hands with 6 games to go and we have enough winnable games to get over the line. 
We were never going to win all these games points were always going to be dropped and will be dropped by other teams. Frustrating as it’s an opportunity missed just like Barnsley and Charlton were but that would’ve been a ridiculous run of wins at this stage in the season. 
That said other than 15 minutes in the first half before they scored when we couldve scored 3 we were poor today, one of those days where you need to take your chances and hopefully sneak a win. We barely conceded a chance and the ref played a huge part in their goal so while we didn’t play well I certainly don’t think we deserved to lose. 
Massive weekend ahead as it was always going to be. 4 points would be good and set us up well for the final 4 games. Think todays result means we need to beat Wycombe away now which will be tricky but it’s ours to lose. Hope we can get enough forward players fit to get us over the line, although thought CBT was a bright spark today and this could be his time. We need him.
COYR!! 🐏🐏🐏🐏

He is a weak link, but no need for the brain dead remark surely.

I’d argue he’s not even been given a proper chance yet. 
 
If the argument is he doesn’t track back, I question why we even bought him in the first place and what’s the point of putting him on the bench?
 
This line up doesn’t shout goals - and goals win games. At least with CBT and NML you in essence give them a free pass to create.
 
Now our attacking centre mids appears to be Thompson. Jesus.