Away Match Day Thread +++ 25/03/2018 PORTSMOUTH v OUFC +++

[Lundinsponytail]

Bonkers game - thought we gave them an absolute football lesson for an hour.

Mowatt let down his teammates.
Thomas - unspeakably bad performance.

We showed spirit and ability today - but let down badly by certain individual players .

Portsmouth - nothing much but Pittman can finish.

Yes - but defending and scoring are pretty major elements of the game.
We have some good players in central midfield, but are weak defensively and weak upfront.
If a golfer is good with his irons, but a poor driver and putter he will not often score well.
I didn't see this game that we dominated. The possession stats are marginally in our favour, but shots on and off target significantly in their favour.
I think that overall it was reasonably encouraging, in that if we play that way for the rest of the season we should get the odd ball bounce go our way and get the couple of wins we need. But we are due to play four of the top five sides - three away - so we are not 'there' yet. Which, at Easter time, is a bit disconcerting.
Reassuring afterwards to hear Robinson so passionate. I never bought into Pep's bizarre management speak (And nor, I think, did the players).

 

[Osleroad]

We desperately need leadership both on and off the field. I'm very confident that Robinson will provide the latter, not so sure where the former is going to come from.

Agree with many of the comments here today that we outplayed Pompey for large parts, but with no real penetration when it was really needed. Absolutely lamentable marking for their first and a moment of madness from Moet contributed to a very frustrating afternoon.

In many ways, this season can't finish soon enough. In others, I'm interested to see what impact Robinson cab have in the remaining games...just hope and pray we're safe before the last couple of games......

Moet [emoji23]

Moet is no good without Chandon!

 

[Joey]

Despite the result today I feel fairly positive. We should get the points required to stay up, although we can't take anything for granted in that respect. It was a good performance until then, bring Rothwell in and that's a competitive midfield at this level and a good building block for next season providing we keep him. Desperately, desperately need a couple of strikers and most of a new defence but Eastwood, Nelson and Dickie together should be a decent base.

 

[m]

For all the Mowatt bashing if we weren't on the telly then he would have been very unlucky to have been sent off.

That said he's been a waste of space and to consider signing him for next season would be utter madness.

Thanks for the occasional free kick, Alex.

 

[Peterdev]

I couldn’t believe that having watched this game, I thought Portsmouth were average and we were better for many spells in the game. Our Achilles heel as ever is set pieces. Our defence was in tatters. Their left side was always a threat.
On another day we might have gone in 2-1 up.
Had Mowatt scored the penalty I think Portsmouth would have lost. I don’t understand why Ledson didn’t take the penalty.
Thomas was ineffectual up front. Not one of Eastwoods better games but obviously not helped by the poor defensive showing.
On a positive note Napa has a great future and will improve the more he plays. It shouldn’t have been 0-3 and we should pick up points to be safe.
To,think back in January we were thinking of promotion

 

[moomooland]

My only complaint about Mowatt is the girly slap he dished out. He should have proper chinned him!

 

[Foley]

I thought that we played well but....

We seem to let in ridiculous goals every game (even recently at Wimbledon, v Posh and today). Robinson has to work on that as his first priority)
We were unlucky not top score a couple - Henry, Mowatt and Dickie.
Agree that Robinson showed a really passionate side to him afterwards.
And how the hell did their defender not get sent off with Mowatt? Dreadful refereeing.

 

[Pompeyyellows]

How I saw it first 20 mind we were very poor next 25 we dominated. First 15 second have we battered them. Then that penalty score that and we win the game. Mowatt should not of reacted but I can understand why he did. The pompey lad made so much of it they even gave him man of the match. Which was a total P**s take cos he was shite. After that it just got worse. A lot of positives from the game can be taken. 3:0 flattered them. K R will get it right loved the way he was very vocal on touch line. A bit confusing concerning the yellow card that was shown to the pompey keeper as I was sure that the defender git shown it while he was on the floor which would of been his second yellow. COYY

 

[Foley]

My only complaint about Mowatt is the girly slap he dished out. He should have proper chinned him!

If he was to hit him he should have had a proper go- 3 game suspension regardless ...
And the guy deserved it-

 

[m]

Strikers are our biggest problem?

Yeah, it's not like we're the 7th top scorers in the league having scored more than the leaders is it?

Yeah, we can hugely improve our frontline, but let's not pretend scoring goals is our biggest problem - it really isn't!

 

[Navegante]

Sick as a parrot after today's game. Big Karl will turn it around mind, no doubt.

 

[bazzer9461]

Have you really been saying that all season Bazzer? I hadn't noticed

But o appear to be right though ?

 

[Lundinsponytail]

We

I couldn’t believe that having watched this game, I thought Portsmouth were average and we were better for many spells in the game. Our Achilles heel as ever is set pieces. Our defence was in tatters. Their left side was always a threat.
On another day we might have gone in 2-1 up.
Had Mowatt scored the penalty I think Portsmouth would have lost. I don’t understand why Ledson didn’t take the penalty.
Thomas was ineffectual up front. Not one of Eastwoods better games but obviously not helped by the poor defensive showing.
On a positive note Napa has a great future and will improve the more he plays. It shouldn’t have been 0-3 and we should pick up points to be safe.
To,think back in January we were thinking of promotion

Were we? Speak for yourself. A comfortable majority of the rest of us were struggling to see how a side averaging a point a game over a 20 game period, and coming off the back of a record defeat could do anything better than use the cushion of a good start to the season to survive narrowly. And so it has proved.
The Posh game gave us breathing space, but we are now back in the territory of one bad weekend away from a real dogfight. Scunny is massive. If we keep on putting it in, though, at some stage we will get a bit of (probably deserved over the last few games) luck.
But no-one should get complacent. The last time we got relegated we were seemingly ok, got a decent result and a new manager. A month later we were down.
Another thing just to keep an eye on is our goal difference. Given that we have Wigan and Blackburn (And shrewsbury) away to come, we probably don't want to go leaking a hatful again too many times in the next few.

 

[makv]

We were unlucky not top score a couple - Henry, Mowatt and Dickie.

And Napa

 

[bicesterox]

I think, and so did the Pompey fan who gave us visitor parking permits, that if that penalty goes in, and we keep 11 on the pitch, we could of gone on and won that game.

The early goal we conceded from yet another set piece obviously didn't help us but I thought we were coming right back into it at the time of the pen incident ?

 

[Peterdev]

Have to agree, Charlie. We might not get too many points in those three games. Can’t see us winning at Wigan or Blackburn.
Good fortune certainly deserted us today with three really close efforts, but then nothing gained for near misses.
I’m pleased Robinson took a chance on Napa as he certainly offers something different, very unlucky with his effort on goal.
It is certainly not a time for complacency. Scunthorpe won’t roll over either. Probably have a new manager in place. Steve Cotterill might do a job there

 

[Grumpy Git]

Odd substitutions. Napa and Henry both had a go at goal. Thomas did nothing, absolutely nothing, yet he stayed on.

 

[Berliner]

My take on the game, for what it's worth.

Defensively an absolute house of cards. Even when we were in the ascendency there were hearts in mouths whenever it came down our way. Defending of free kicks, corners and crosses abysmal. Dickie and Mousinho guilty of tracking the same man on a few occasions. Mousinho a good ball player and works the ball out nicely but defensively all over the place. Dickie ever present at front and back and still young, I am happy we have him. The two loanees neither "Fisch" nor "Fleisch", little rapport with the players around them and not decisive enough going forward or backward. Dickie plus Nelson (if not sold) and two new boys in for next season.

Midfield actually looked good. Bossed it between the boxes until Mowatt's brain fart. Like the way we are moving the ball one touch with a clear forward motion instead of sideways and back. Doesn't always work but was fine today. Lego hamstrung by the yellow (dark yellow it was too) but overall good. Brannagan needs to play further forward. Henry played well, probably my MOM. Mowatt in and out of the game and then cost us dearly. Only thing I would complain about is the final ball, especially when played at head height. As if Napa is going to conjure something out of that. Think, gentlemen! Glad that Rothwell is back fit again.

Up front Napa with bright spells, very nippy. Thomas a couple of nice touches facing away from goal but absolutely toothless as a striker. Shame GvK was on international duty as I'd liked to have seen him have a go at the Pompey back line.

Pompey neither here nor there to be honest, caught us cold, sucked up what pressure we could build and would have been in trouble if the penalty went it. Brett Pitman just your typical lower-league unit sh*thouse goalhanger, but my word it would be nice if we had one.

Robbo animated on the bench, taking notes, showing emotion. Wins you nowt of course but good to see, he will have seen immediately what needs to be done.

A word for the ref. If indeed he did book their guy twice then it is of course inexcusible. That said I actually thought he had a fairly good game apart from that and got the other decisions all correct.

 

[Oslernorth]

Mowatt's reaction was never going to keep him on the pitch.
But I thought the ref clearly booked Thomson. It felt to me that the keeper only ended up with his yellow (confirmed some minutes later) so the ref could save face.
Unfortunately the pundits didn't replay the yellow card being shown

 

[Gary Baldi]

KRs post match rant absolutely stitched up the Ref and FA. Something Clotet didn't do enough. This is the 2nd away game in a row we've been screwed over by a mistake by the Ref. It happens and they are human, but it's proving to be the margin that is materially tipping the scales to the opposition.

I'll be interested to see if KR changes the team around to make us bigger. We need some beef in the team.