Chester40

Me too... I'm just hoping the cushion is doing all its hiding of me from my excited midrift, rather than my face.

If you can't even spell 'actual' correctly then I think you may struggle anyway ... 😜

It's just so important to start well tonight. Get on top out the gates ...out battle /work them and let them feel it means much more to us. We do that sometimes but if we don't score early there is then a lull and we can give the opposition confidence and start giving the ball away very easily. Intensity is massively needed, moving the ball quickly, energy all over the pitch and make it a cup final they aren't that bothered about participating in. Hopefully get an early goal and then sweep them away. If not I feel it could be a long night where we give them too much respect and something to play for. Wildsmith Wilson Nelson Cash Sibley CBT Adams Smith NML Washington Collins

I find him similar to Jordan Pickford, where he's generally really good in all areas, integral to the team's success... and then he will throw in a really terrible performance and/or make a particularly spectacular error of judgement. I know that's an issue for all keepers but both his highs n lows are more than eg Vickers. It makes it harder to drop him as his level doesn't ebb and flow it just occasionally drops off a cliff and promptly returns to his normal high standards. However, recently I have felt his kicking in particular has been poor. He has also looked a bit shaky from crosses. So I'd be tempted if that's been similar in training, but it would be a big call.

Pretty much how I saw it. Billy Bob was great in particular. Didn't enjoy the 4th series.

Waghorn is strong as an ox. Other of our more skilful players are also able to mix it, NML, Wilson, Ward are all able to get stuck in. Possibly only Bird, Hourihane are more 'technical' without that bite, which is why (Fornah and then) Adams were recruited, as eg Thompson, Smith just couldn't do it all. Shame we couldn't do that successfully earlier in the season.

I just dreamt I watched us lose 1-0 in a travesty of a s***housing match against Wycombe. I was then watching a news report with Bolton fans being interviewed saying they were now favourites and didn't want the play offs. It took me about 5mins of feeling miserable before I realised it had been a dream. Come on Derby .... win tomorrow, thrash Orient at the weekend and Portsmouth to grab a draw and we are almost there. Really don't fancy the play offs.

I think there is an awful lot of '20-20 hindsight' that even then you still aren't sure about. Could also be argued that is what a manager does. He changes horses for courses, plays people who are in form and gives players the chance but doesn't just persist with them if they aren't doing it. If we finish 2nd he's been proved right on all counts in my opinion. It's also inevitable that if we don't go up the inquest will begin and everyone will do what you've done and say 'Hourihane and NML played too much', and various other players didn't play enough. Possibly that he didn't get the right striker in and signed too many injury-prone players and kept going to a back 5. Whereas if we go up then everyone will say he did what was expected and move on. Tis the way of the world. Having come so far now I'd probably give him next season regardless- obviously if be Xmas we are struggling in whatever league we are in, then he'll be gone.

Well explained. I'm guessing that stats don't really give any context.. So if you score 2 early goals - from a goal keeping error from a corner and a deflected shot from distance, and you spend the rest of the game defending behind the ball, launching it out, running down the clock, letting the keeper make 5 or 6 routine-ish saves. No fan would think you had been lucky ...but the stats would suggest you were?

I second all this. Plus lots of other comments. You won't know for sure what the right decisions are, as we don't know the future or what would have happened if you had taken another path. All you can do is think carefully, be honest in your reasoning and then stick to it together, enjoy the positives and not spend your life wondering what might have been. Don't feel you have to keep updating everyone but do know that if you do want to ..people want to hear what you're saying and care, and have everything crossed it works out eventually.

I'm not sure I want the modern phenomenon of everyone being upset about every little thing and using it as an excuse to be offended is a spirit I subscribe to! @Bris Vegasknew what he was doing, is a serial offender who is well able to take any reaction - and possibly welcomes it. It's a oft repeated opinion of his that was delivered at that moment that was always going to p*** on a few people's chips. Anyway....! Interesting debate if we had stood off them less 2nd half, would we have won. We will never know but it does shred the nerves watching us put no pressure on the ball and just sitting in with no one really giving us any outlet. The defence looked solid apart from Wildsmith who looked a bit unsure all game. Wilson in particular looked good. Adams and Smith both worked their socks off. NML the only disappointment- seems to have lost the afterburner that make him such a threat. CBT looked really good going forward but lazy defensively. Collins never stopped working and his touch was improved. Great point and keeps Portsmouth honest at least for the Bolton game. 8 days to get everyone fit and then go again.

Pompey on top. Derby defence resolute. Not holding onto the ball long enough.

Wildsmith Wilson Cashin Nelson Sibley Smith Adams Ward NML CBT Collins As good as we could hope for....

Well it resembled two drunks at kicking out time for periods... but damn they went for it. They also looked like a Rocky film, swinging, swaying and looking out for the count before rallying again. Wardley especially had pretty poor technique. But sooo much heart. Think you're right, neither looked they could mix at the very top level. But hats off to them for standing and fighting, emptying the tank and then going again.

Seriously... In the build up Clarke seems respectful and quiet. Wardley is the cocky one.?

I thought yesterday was one of his better performances. But I do agree he can appear more clumsy and liable to make a really sloppy pass than other players. When he not playing well, he's really one-footed, not great in the air, not lightening quick...and for me, he doesn't 'look' like a footballer at times. Out wide, he doesn't suddenly shift like NML or able to really 'trick' his way past a man like Wilson. Yesterday he utilised what he has got...a decent football brain, desire, aggression, a sweet left foot and a strong engine. I'm not sure he's quite 'good' enough to be a number 10 at a higher level. But if he set his mind to it, I think he could be a dynamic Le Saux /Cole/Hinchcliffe type attacking full back who gets a few goals too. He could definitely do Hourihane's job in centre mid now though, take the ball off the center backs, pass it 5 yards and take all the freekicks!

And that's the nub really isn't it... especially next season with no restrictions, no excuses about them not being his players etc... if we continue to play that way every week without the results he won't last long. Can he genuinely change? Tbh I doubt it.... so its whether we keep on winning games or not.

I find it a bit cringe tbh. West Ham fans were singing constantly in Europe... that was a bit naff... singing it against Blackpool in League 1 is worse. Very little chanting about promotion etc... think no one wants to dare say it as we seem to have a self destruct button we daren't tempt into action.

@Comrade 86you need to be quicker with the new match threads if you're leading us all the way to the promised land 😜

Agreed. It's obvious there are clear tactics being employed all over the pitch, when to press, when to turn back and pass, where the full backs move to at goal kicks, etc etc. Most of them are quite defensive in nature for me. There isn't a lot of free-flowing football, much individual flair. It's a resolute, strong, structured team. I won't look back on this as a season where we smash lots of teams on the way to promotion, by design there haven't been many games where we have coasted to victory...so it feels similar to the Billy promotion. And when we are bad we are dire. Ultimately I don't care, I can't face the play offs. It would be nice to at least have 1 game where we are already promoted to actually soak it in...but the way we play I'm sure it will go to the wire!

This was in response to me...and I've been 'pro' Warne all along. Plus I was at the game, willing us on! Sibley was only that side when taking corners which is where my confused comment came from. So...your 'some folk' rant may still be true, but it's totally misplaced in relation to the origin of that comment. I was with a couple of 'casual' fans at best and they found the game pretty uneventful. The couple of us who are regular fans found it gut-churning and ultimately enjoyable but it was the context that gave most of the emotion. The blocking of shots, desire to get a head on a cross etc was great to see. But we rarely committed ourselves, no one really went beyond the striker, Wilson stayed solidly in position and generally passed it backwards rather then take on his man or overlap. The victory was everything. My observations are though that we make it hard for ourselves by constantly taking a pretty pragmatic approach. When you're winning that's fine but it makes for quite stressful viewing at times. Blackpool looked pretty toothless and we generally handled them well but they had a decent chance at the end poorly struck/bravely blocked and if that had gone in then this thread would be twice as long.

It felt like a corner somehow!

Real Warne-ball victory. Score from a corner, dig-in and sit back and win. Not really much 'long ball' today but pretty negative in not committing players forward. Not seeing all this 'great football' from Blackpool. They were similar to how Derby can be, lots of passing across the backine but no idea how to create an actual chance. One great chance near the end when Derby heroically threw themselves in the way of a flurry of shots. Derby shaded it, tough watch at times. Not aided by a ref who blew for every tiny bit of contact on a Blackpool player.

Nelson and Cashin were immaculate. Ward really good today, tenacious with decent passing. Wilson was quite conservative but solid. Smith hard working and did the simple stuff. Adams MoTM again, great goal and all-action as always. Sibley played better than recently and looked more composed. CBT started to look a danger but final ball wasn't great. NML didn't beat his man once really but always looks a threat still.

Total agree mate. I thought Washington did nothing. He just jogged from one defender to another kinda closing them down. Obviously he was under orders to not commit himself and get beaten but he had no intensity or change of pace and didn't work back if they worked it round him. He didn't hold the ball up and had one golden chance that he fluffed. Collins instantly came on and worked harder, held the ball up better and was smarter with his passes.