norwichram

Shakespeare got it about right when he said "Xg or not Xg? Stat is the question"!

I’m very proud of our club, team and fans for the part they all played in a really good advert for football. Great professionalism and respect for the opponent and both sides and fans were committed. 
DTID 
 
 

I’m very proud of our club, team and fans for the part they all played in a really good advert for football. Great professionalism and respect for the opponent and both sides and fans were committed. 
DTID 
 
 

I moved to Canada in June 2023. It's been a great move for me, but apart from family my connection home has been through Derby County. I wish I saw more games during this season, but I've done a lot of hungover early starts to watch us grind out the wins that got us into this position.
And here we are. Portsmouth away seemed very significant. It's poetic in my own personal way that Derby will get promoted in the first season I can't go to any games. But from thousands of miles away, I finally feel a bit of confidence.
Long story short - This Wycombe car park ambulance chasing lot made me hate a lot of modern football, and I'd love to turn these over and tell the football world we are back.
As a Brit now in Canada following on and loving every second of this season...
We're going to win this one. Quote me, screenshot me, @ me.
And we're getting f****** promoted.

Wycombe going to have issues with the EFL now too. Can't believe they scheduled their cup final just a few days after a cup final.

Would be lovely. I think Bird maybe, but I think Dwight will struggle and with Collo back in the fold, I'd be tempted to Gayle more time. I am wondering though whether he might be someone we look to secure for next season. On what I've seen of him, he still has the quality to be effective at Championship level and he seems to have taken to the club and vice versa. 

I’m very proud of our club, team and fans for the part they all played in a really good advert for football. Great professionalism and respect for the opponent and both sides and fans were committed. 
DTID 
 
 

What you’re saying is you’ll choose to use whatever metrics you want to create and make up to suit your narrative.
I’m sorry but I’m really struggling to understand how any fan can go to such lengths to try and justify why their team shouldn’t win/draw/get a positive outcome from a match.

Trying to remember when / if football was a sport where you always got what you think you deserved , never mind by what metric you choose to decide what is deserved and what isn’t ,
Say you win a match one nil with a wonder goal and your keeper makes 3 fantastic saves , why don’t you deserve to win ?
you play a game where you are happy to let the opposition have the ball more but in non threatening areas , you defend well and let them do bugger all with the ball then attack with purpose when you have the ball and score more goals ,,,, you don’t deserve to win?
frankly for me there is also an enjoyment in seeing a team set up so well that they work as a unit and hardly need to tackle with the opposition keep turning back with nowhere to go ,, let’s be honest we admire defenders with that type of positional and game reading skill, it’s a gift every bit as much as a natural finisher ,
football is a game with many differing skills and tactics 🤷🏻‍♂️

I call it what it is, we have scored more and conceded fewer than last year. It’s factual. So as I originally stated, we’ve done better this season against the teams around us. It’s led to more wins and more points. Which has us second in the league close to securing automatic promotion. At this stage I’m not even sure you know the point you’re painstakingly trying to prove.
 
“Sampling variability”…. I’m starting to wonder if Football isn’t for you friend 🤔
Yes, statistics have their place in analysing performance and trends no doubt, but without the “variability” that comes from someone smashing in a screamer from 20 yards, or pulling off a wonder save against all probability then what’s the point? It’s a sport, an entertainment, if all you care about is statistics try monitoring stocks and shares, or the footfall of your local town centre, or the weather or something.

I remember when Phil Gee and Trevor Christie scored against Rotherham. My celebrations were tempered by the sampling variability of that season up to that point so it took the edge off somewhat. Same after Robbie Van Der Laan scored against Palace; it really ruined all the beers afterwards. 
Maybe, and this is just me, you need to lighten up and enjoy the ride of a promotion race otherwise perhaps football is not for you. 

Regarding whether the league is weaker this year, that may be so of the best teams (us, Portsmouth and Bolton are probably not as good as Ipswich, Plymouth and Sheff Wed last season), but at the end of last season a lot of dross was relegated out of this league (Forest Green, Accrington, Morecambe), and they have been replaced by teams that are mostly comfortable in mid-table this year (Stevenage, Leyton Orient, Northampton), so the mid- and lower-rated teams I think are actually stronger this season than the season before.

Just landed back in Leeds thoughts - overall, really pleased with that point & an enjoyable away day even if it absolutely hammered it down throughout. Obviously would've liked us to have held onto the lead but that was a big dog contest in front of one of the most vociferous home crowds in the country in atrocious conditions. It was vital we didn't get beat - mission accomplished & our destiny is in our own hands which with only 4 games to go, is a fantastic place to be.
Was impressed with how we handled the conditions & after a ropey first 10 mins, we definitely adapted better than Pompey - shifting the ball with purpose & seemed to relish the physical nature of the contest. It felt like a breakthrough game for Blackett-Taylor - he was electric at times & Pompey struggled to keep him under control. Obviously his run led to the first goal but he made a couple of breaks second half which nearly yielded a breakthrough, one of which needed excellent speed & control to retrieve an overhit ball from Wilson(?). Liked him rousing the away fans too & he deservedly got a rapturous ovation as he walked past the away end after being subbed. Same could said of Joe Ward too, another lad with serious potential & last night he stepped up with one great finish & one great hit that got the luck it deserved. The conditions screamed out for potshots at goal & Ward was intelligent & gifted enough to capitalise.
If I'm being ultra-critical, I thought Collins was on the field maybe 10 mins longer than he should've been - the lad had run himself into the ground but overall a pleasing pragmatic performance by management & team. Also bit confused by criticism of Mendez-Laing - he's coming off a recent injury, has had a long season & was always going to find it difficult on a pitch like that. I really like him & CBT as twin options - Pompey struggled with our counter attacking threat & I'm confident our remaining 4 opponents will do too.
Thought our away support was excellent - certainly made plenty of racket throughout & traded well with an excellent home support. Am pleased for Pompey finally going up after so many years in the bottom 2 divisions & whilst Fratton Park has its limitations, its a true football theatre with all the magic of a big game under the lights that you'd want.
A much needed 8 day break before we face the Waitrose parasites. Come on Derby 💪🐏

I’m not a statistician, I’ve no interest in whatever any of that means. Although it looks to be something to do with the chances we created against the top sides last season, so if anything your collection of numbers is backing up my “misguided opinion” that THIS season, as in the 2023/24 League One season, we have had more success (you know….actual results in football matches) against the other “top” sides in this league.
Derby County, the club I support, are second in the league in the current season. With a very realistic chance of sustaining that league position and winning automatic promotion to the championship 2 years after the club almost went bust. If you’d rather pour over random statistics to belittle that at every opportunity then that’s your choice but I’ll be quite content with the results we’ve achieved thus far and the ride towards possible promotion….cause for me that’s what football is about. 

Was at the game last night , left the ground a very proud Ram , thought the lads gave us everything, big shout out for Korey Smith , he’s got back in the side and his application and tenacity has been first class a very underrated player imo

I look on our opponents sites to gauge what people think on their games with us and general points of veiw. A common phrase is 'how are they (Pompey) top ot the league' which is sometimes what we ask ourselves, but this is taking into account our injuries this season. How we have managed to keep competitive when, at one point, we had 13 players out who would normally be in the match day squad. Most clubs will obviously get injuries and I understand Derby have had their fair share as well. I don't think opposing supporters take that into account when assessing their games with us.
Most fans sites seem to think we are up and, I suppose, it's fair to say that looking at the table it is definitely ours to lose. I note the words 'keeping Pompey honest' is used by yourselves and supporters of Bolton. As  a Pompey supporter I worry that we could still mess up and we still need to win more games.
I also note your discussions on how your team would fare in the Championship, much the same sort of discussions we have. I think we have several players out who will be able to make the step up but I do feel the club have signed players this season with League One very much in mind. My feeling is that we would need to sign at least 4 or 5 experienced Championship players should we get there.

Hi, Pompey supporter with our take on lasts nights game. I think the weather made the game less of a spectacular affair but the players, from both teams, put on a really good display. I thought Derby adapted to the conditions better than Pompey where the conditions negated the effectiveness of our wingers Lane and, especially, Kamara. I suppose you could say the same for Blackett-Taylor & Mendez-Lang, both players I would have liked Pompey to have signed. I think Derby quite possibly had the greater attacking threat on the counter in the first half whereas ours was a little laboured due to not being able to adapt to the conditions. I read with interest of the disagreement with your managers choice of the tactics in the second half. However, without a wonder goal he may well have got it right. Closing players down in those conditions was risky as slipping on the surface could let players in. Portsmouth usually play a closing down game but not so much last night. I think overall a draw was a fair result last night which probably benefits us more than your lot. 
I think the controversial situations were fairly evenly spread out. There was a handball leading up to our equaliser and I think VAR might have ruled out our first goal. Handling the ball by the keeper is a sending off offence normally but I think the ref got it right by allowing for the conditions. I don't think it was a 'nailed on penalty' because I think our player was looking to go down anyway, but on another day it could be given.
I thought it was a proper game of football from two famous old clubs. It was good to see the ground full with a decent away following that made themselves heard, which is normally difficult at Fratton Park. The game, allowing for the conditions, was a good advert for League One where both teams look ready for the Championship. 

That’s two good/determined and disciplined games in a row after Northampton.
lots to be happy with and relieved  Collo can play 60 mins plus we will need him against Wycombe  
CBT is helping the team whilst NML goes through a spell of less impactful form 
if we can get those two performing well at the same time 
The only posts that have distracted me from feeling good about the point gained tonight have been those that have been a little bit OTT
one poster in particular i felt over did it with the expletives. I like that our forum doesn’t really have swear words .. at least not aggressively directed at another poster anyway 
Bris hasn’t dampened any of my enjoyment and I’m surprised others have allowed him to seemingly dampen there’s. I don’t like censorship and I don’t like .. self appointed policing (not talking about mods)
whilst I don’t agree with all he says @Caerphilly Ram is an example to us all regarding staying polite/ respectful and objective (most of the time 😂)when messaging with those who propose a view that he doesn’t share.
 
Ebou Adams well played
Corey Smith really good input over the past 5 or so games since his return
great that I’m feeling a touch of disappointment with a draw when I would have bitten your arm off for a point pre kick off
Please let us go up via the automatics and please let it not go to the last game of the season (I think we all know it will!) 
nelshin player(s) of the season for me 
 

I've slept on it and will probably get pelters but I still feel last night is 2 points dropped. And I'll elaborate.
All if buts maybes granted, but Bolton win their game in hand then win another that we lose there's still a good chance we miss out on autos by 2 points.
You can pick any time through the season we could've gained 2 points, most will look at Northampton and say the massive Derby County should be rolling over Northampton and that's where we went wrong.
But I'll still be more disappointed In last night and the reason is we never turned up at Northampton, we could've played for a month and never scored. Last night we turned up, first half was one of the best attacking performances I've seen all season. Pompey looked rattled and couldn't deal with the pace. Yes they had more chances first half could've gone in 3-2 down, but we didn't we took the lead. Second half they couldn't get anything going, we gave them too much respect because of the position they're in, played too defensively, didn't make the Collins sub when we should've. These tactical decisions on a day when we turned up and imo could've gone on to score more had we carried on as we did in the first could be more costly than a game we didn't turn up in.
I don't post on here enough to know the beef some posters seem to have with having a positive or negative opinion on decisions by the manager, I'm not strongly for or against Warne, for what he's been dealt finances injuries etc he's doing a good job yes but I still think everyone's opinions should be considered and not ridiculed, would be a boring world if we all thought the same after all.

Everyone, and Paul Warne has said this many times, knows we need better players in the Championship. If we get promotion, I think we will get sufficient to compete next season. 
Everyone would like us to play free flowing football but there are times when you just need to show hard work and desire. If we are a mid- table side next year, that will do for me. Just gradual improvement, which is all we should expect after nearly falling into the abyss.
i think that Warne and his coaches have shown over the last few months that they are tactically more aware than people think. If we can get some more energetic, quicker, aggressive players in (Adams-like) I think we could be ok.
unfair to judge Warne on his Rotherham experiences. We are a totally different animal (as he has learnt).

Will we struggle next year? With this exact team, yes of course but it's going to be another big off season for recruitment, so I really don't think it's worth even mentioning until we know what league we are in.
On the game...
Thought it was a really exciting advert for League 1 (I wish all games were that standard) Two teams going for it, albeit with slightly different approaches. The quality on show was impressive considering the conditions and magnitude of the game.
We absolutely held our own, possibly conceded too much possession and territory in the second half but I don't think it was the wrong tactic given the circumstances.
Think the criticism of Wildsmith is unfair, tricky conditions and a couple of decent stops. Also responsible for points in the last few games. We look better with him in the sticks than Vickers for me.
We absolutely have to back it up now with a win against Wycombe, hopefully the walking wounded can get some rest and fitness back in their legs. Huge 4 games.
COYR

By any metric that was a good point away against the top team in this division. We didn’t look outclassed and it took a wonderstrike for them to get level. Yes we played well within ourselves second half and perhaps could have been a bit more attack minded but not many other teams have gone there and taken points recently so I’m happy.
It’s in our hands now. Bolton/Peterboro/Barnsley are going to drop points before the end of the season so keep the faith.

Pompey were on a decent home run and it took a very good goal to beat us. Well done Derby.

I think the reason why @Bris Vegas post has rubbed people up the wrong way is 2 fold. 
1) the timing of it
2) deep down people know it’s accurate
 
We have done well to get ourselves into this position with 4 left to play despite the injuries. The recent run we went on to completely turn it around and go from play offs to automatic hopefuls was really impressive. 
 
BUT our performances against the better sides this season will see us struggle in the championship. The gulf between this league and the one above is huge. Warne comfortably got Rotherham up 3 times to then be relegated 3 times. We need probably 12 new signings to even compete up there and none of us truly know where we stand financially and what our budget will allow. 
 
I don’t think Bris is wumming I just think his opinions came at a time people wanted to celebrate. It’s acceptable to say this would be a relegation scrap next year in a higher division. 
 
I like Warne but he’s done nothing to show he can be successful in the division above despite going up with the best team in league 1. We’ve not even got that luxury!! 
 
Anyway up the rams! A nervy last 4 but put ourselves into a great position. I hope it’s wrapped up before Carlisle so we can have a party atmosphere. 

I think Bris has been very consistent this season that we will go up. He was saying it around November iirc.