Considering the first home game I thought we played quite well in the first half without creating too much. Kinda fell away in second half, didn't understand the Kilkenny substitution but did the Adomah one. Thought Wilson, Macca, klkenny, Nyatanga played well and Taylor looked quite strong when he came on. And hey it was a clean sheet at the Gate how often does that happen. Sorry should have said CRJ had a good game as well.
I thought Liam Lawrence was their best player, kept them ticking over! I read a post on OTIB that the Portsmouth fans were very quiet, well from where I was sat in the Dolman I could only hear the Portsmouth fans! what has happened to the atmosphere in the East end? there is no noise coming out of there at all. I've heard all the excuses about poor football etc, but when we were doing well these are the super fans who were so say the best fans in the ground? (and were never shy in telling us all!)
We need to get our prioritys right and be aware that staying up is the most importent thing, firing Millen will not make us a better side, if his replacment is great it could make us better, but if he is not it could make us worse. Before you jump out and say "how could it be worse?" loads of people were getting on Johnson's back when he was keeping us well clear of relegation and keeping the outside hope of the play offs alive. We are for now a mid table side at best, and I am backing KM to keep us up while balancing the books, before we can move on we need to be rid of the high earners who are not involved, its no wonder they wont let us bring in anymore players with LJ,Clarkson, Hunt, Stewart, and now James all taking top doller out of the pot without putting anything back in. As for the game it was as dull as they have been in recent years, I cant agree with playing one up top at home , but if ths is what we need to do to see out the season in the middle then so be it. It is also worth noting that there was absolutly nothing wrong with the "goal" we scored midway through the 2nd half. I saw it from level in the ground and thought the gk just dropped it but you will never get that if Kilkenny knocked him in to the goal. After watching it ten times on the SKy+ in slow mo I can confirm NK didnt make any contact with Ashdown at all. The keeper fumbled the ball and then brought it down right on NK's head bouncing it out of his own hands. Ashdown then inexplicably jumped back in to his own net unprompted to suggest that he had been shoved? Do keepers practice that? It was very jammy. If we had sneaked a win and a clean sheet the whole thing would look so much rosier, we will just have to hope we get given something next week.
FYI the East End you wont get the same noise out of the East End until you let people paying on the day in there, the season ticket holders are down. The reason it is so loud is because there are no numbered seats and its easy for pockets of friends to get together and sing. I banked on nobody sitting next to my season ticket mates at the back of the dolman this week and got away with it. They need to go back to reserved stickers on ST seats and let everybody else find their seats, people will soon make singing sections in each stand in the ground.
The same Pompey who get 13,000 supporters for a local derby vs reading??? Sounds like they really stick with there club through thick and thin...
What on earth has a match between Derby and Reading got to do with us Red and White Barny Army ? Boy, oh Boy, you certainly put the thick in thick and thin don't you ?!
Its not exactly local is it, not sure its even a derby game. You dont hear much about the bitter rivalry between Portsmouth and Reading.
You are quite right Lummiepie - it is not a local derby at all ! This is just the usual nonsensical crap we have to put up with, from the minority of Saints supporters who are bored during their school holidays. Thank the good lord they go back soon, is all I can say !
Lots of money indeed, but now Markus is no longer alive, it's only a matter of time before his daughter/family want their money back - the only way is by selling the club. Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear. Only a matter of time...............
