Match Thread: vs Portsmouth (a)

[Steadybreeze]

4 hours ago, AGR said:

If there was VAR we would be fighting for the title with Ipswich and Leeds, having drawn with Sheff Wed last season

Good job we didnt have it back in the European Cup days with a few of of the decisions in the Real Madrid game, how far do you want to go back?

[silverback]

just caught the highlights

We were worth a draw well done all

PS

When did Pompey sign a fox?

NML was in acres of space heading for goal when he sneaked on.

Hate Foxes

[PuP]

35 minutes ago, angieram said:

Lots of questions there! 

Yes, a bit weaker, as you say, it's about the amount of money available.  Despite some opposition fans' views, we have spent virtually no money on our team, instead picking up players with something to prove, often following injury. This has worked better for some than others, and is partly the reason for our lengthy injury list again now.

We've bought a mix of players to get us out of League One, and a few with potential to deliver in the Championship - Ward, Wilson, Blackett Taylor, Adams (if we can persuade him to stay as only on loan). 

I think our current squad would have been top six last year but possibly not top two. We've definitely strengthened in some key areas for the type of football Warne wants us to play.

Like you, though, we would have to strengthen big time if we went up - and let some of our older players go. Luckily, most are out of contract anyway.

I always felt we would play football against you, regardless of conditions,  because you do too. It's the teams who set up to spoil the game we struggle against at times.

So, to answer your final question, I do think teams are playing up against us, home and away. We are a big club with a proud history like yourselves and for some teams they could only have dreamed of playing us even a few seasons ago. We also have a stadium those fans love to come to, but we have seen some awful gamesmanship by some teams against us, that completely spoils the match as a spectacle. Give me a good, honest, end to end competition against you or Blackpool anyday, even with the threat of us losing, than watch the Shrewsburys, Wycombes, of this league. 

Thanks for your reply. I think clubs like Portsmouth, Derby, Charlton & Bolton are at an advantage in certain ways and disadvantaged in others. I think that players who play at this level will prefer to play for a club with a 'name' as opposed to the Shrewsbury's & Northampton's of this league, where it is financially acceptable of course. On the other hand the big clubs are seen as 'scalps' by opposition players and supporters. I know when we were in League Two supporters & players would look up dates they were playing at Fratton Park and their place as a 'special' day. Subsequently they would up their game which meant our team had to be that much better. Thankfully there is less of that in League One as there are more bigger clubs in this division and, of course, Derby are the ones to be shot down.

[DE56Ram]

Four things I took from Tuesday’s cracking night at Fratton Park 

I appreciated the atmosphere generated there back in the day but Derby lost heavily that day and were never in it and our away end was fairly quiet. Last night’s atmosphere around three sides of the ground was rocking 👏 Pompey fans ✊ 

The away end last night was full on it was an amazing experience to be in it and singing my lungs out with every other travelling Ram 🎶The Rams are going up Ole ole 🎶 has been with me all day 👏🎶🚗🐏

Paul Warne and his coaching staff had Rams set up splendidly and the plan was executed almost to perfection. JW in that false 7 position was ‘suits you!’ CBT was outstanding and together I think they can carry us over the final stretch. Collo coming back for 90 mins of that quality too Wow! 

Two Giants of the EFL went head to head and it was a fabulous game of football. I hope we both go up. That’s some special sets of fans. 

post script. That was the mangiest 🦊 I’ve ever seen 😊

 

[Foreveram]

11 hours ago, Archied said:

Was gonna do my usual morning after post on the game but what’s the point , better to quietly enjoy it and try to ignore the derby / warne are rubbish posts🤷🏻‍♂️

I’m doing exactly that 🙂

[Wolfie20]

5 minutes ago, Foreveram said:

I’m doing exactly that 🙂

Some noticeably absent posters on this thread since last night  😉

[Foreveram]

10 hours ago, Barney1991 said:

Mendez needs a rest. First half didn’t know he was playing. Second half didn’t run at his man and passed the ball out of play or to their players more than us. I’d rest him vs Wycombe and bring him on later 

It’s 8 days between our last and next game, surely that’s enough rest.

[ram59]

6 hours ago, Animal is a Ram said:

 

The handball one is a little more egregious to me, wrong side of the pitch for the lino, but the ref has a decent view of it.

If you look a bit closely at the photo, you'll see the lino is on that side of the pitch, very close to their player. Unfortunately, he seems to be looking across the back line, looking for offside and not looking at the player with the ball.

[Van der MoodHoover]

46 minutes ago, Foreveram said:

It’s 8 days between our last and next game, surely that’s enough rest.

In some ways that's a shame as I feel we had generated some momentum. In the past, longer gaps seem to have caused us to "reset" rather than kick on.

Oh well, it is what it is. A bit like @sages derriere in a Heanor expose......

[CBRammette]

1 hour ago, silverback said:

just caught the highlights

We were worth a draw well done all

PS

When did Pompey sign a fox?

NML was in acres of space heading for goal when he sneaked on.

Hate Foxes

Yes NML mentioned he hated it too on instagram! But yes def worth a draw - looked so good streaming forward at times - was really encouraged for run in. Cant bear to think about it! 
 

🦊also searching for the the fox emoji this came up 👨‍🦳 - @iRam is it you?!

[europia]

5 hours ago, Crewton said:

Cheers. I'm sure all Derby fans winced when it happened, because we've seen Wildsmith get sent off in a key promotion battle at Bolton this season for merely chesting the ball outside his area!

Despite the various claims over offsides, hand-balls etc, I think the officials did a decent job on a difficult night and the result was a fair one.

Agree with that, difficult conditions for both players and officials, but all contributed to what was a really watchable game and a fair result. 

[1of4]

Walking away from the game last night I couldn't make my mind up to how I should be feeling about the result.

Before the game I'd have been happy with a point. After watching us put in a good team performance and going in front twice, I didn't know wether I should be happy with the point or disappointed that we couldn't hold on for the three.

24 Hours later and I still can't decide if I should be happy or disappointed with the one point.

Hopefully these feelings will be alleviated in 8 days time, after another good team performance and hopefully with the reward of three points.

 

[Eddie]

10 hours ago, Ken Tram said:

but at the same time, lots seem to be criticising Warne for taking a defensive position.

I think that the usual suspects are criticising Warne because there's a 'Y' in the day.

[Crewton]

https://twitter.com/IanDarke/status/1775406927742124152?ref_src=twsrc^google|twcamp^serp|twgr^tweet

 

Edited April 3 by Crewton

[DB83]

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.

[Eddie]

6 hours ago, ap04 said:

I am not dismissive of the club, I am dismissive of misguided opinions.

 

22-23 chances vs 3 best rivals
Ipswich h 4-4
Ipswich a 0-4.5
Weds h 1.5-1
Weds a (4-6) red-adjusted 5.5-4.5
Posh h (6.5-3.5) red-adjusted 5.5-4.5
Posh a 4-5.5

23-24 chances vs 3 best rivals
Portsmouth h 4.5-6.5
Portsmouth a 2.5-5
Posh h 4-8
Posh a 5.5-7
Bolton h 3-4.5
Bolton a (2.5-6) red-adjusted 4-4.5

22-23 total: 20.5 for 24 against (with Ipswich much tougher but Weds away dead rubber)
23-24 total: 23.5 for 35.5 against

Opinions are important, and it's equally important to be free to express them.

My opinion, duly expressed here, is that you are more likely than not to be a Gump on a wind-up. As for the actual content of your posts, I feel that they lack any substance or coherence whatsoever. Your resorting to the use of xG statistics demonstrates nothing, apart from a complete misunderstanding of the subject, which seems to be a common trait in your posts.

At least you are consistent - consistently wrong, that is.

Please continue posting. You are comedy gold.

Edited April 3 by Eddie

[NickPFC]

4 hours ago, silverback said:

just caught the highlights

We were worth a draw well done all

PS

When did Pompey sign a fox?

NML was in acres of space heading for goal when he sneaked on.

Hate Foxes

PMSL!!!  Thought I was only one who shouted..'Get that Leicester b*****d out of here!'

[NickPFC]

1 minute ago, NickPFC said:

PMSL!!!  Thought I was only one who shouted..'Get that Leicester b*****d out of here!'

Hayden Foxe - Wikipedia

[CapeTownRams]

15 hours ago, TINMANTED said:

Moving position to fit cbt on the wing,making Nat less of a threat

Gotcha. And fair point- I agree.

So, guess the question now is how we play them both in their favored positions,,,??😎

[ap04]

16 hours ago, Caerphilly Ram said:

I’ve no interest in whatever any of that means.

In other words that we have scored more and conceded fewer than would normally be due for our play (the opposite of last year). You call that skill, I call it sampling variability.