I was amazed that Portsmouth would have been beaten so comprehensively in the opening fixture. Listening to Radio Solent on the way to the Den Plan it was interesting to hear to the pre-match build up which certainly gave the impression that this was going to be a promotion season. I still think you will finish top but it would have been a good lesson for a new team with little playing experience. This has been a constant problem for Portsmouth over the last few seasons for you as PFC always seem to have to scrape around for the usual has-beens and journeymen in order to field a team for the opening fixture. it takes a while for a team to gel in these circumstances and whilst the result surprised most people, perhaps it should be too unexpected. The post-match report suggested the dodgy red card and an inability to adapt tactically made things difficult for Portsmouth and during the first half hour you are supposed to have performed well. All in all, I don't think this is demonstrative of what you can expect for the rest of the season even if it was one of the surprise results of the opening day of the FL. The fact that you have the best home support in the league will be a bonus. Whittingham is a good manager and things will ultimately work out. It will be funy next week when James Beattie comes up against you again and gives you another tonking but I would imagine everything will stabilise by September. Full credit to the fans for turning out in such numbers - I think Saints would have struggled to match that number in the circumstances.
A well thought out and balanced post as ever, Ian. As much as I'd love to be proven wrong I can't see us winning the league this season, as although we have (on paper) a very good squad they'll need a good amount of time to gel - hopefully they'll take yesterday's result as a learning curve and dig in for a long season. In terms of this season's aspirations, I think the playoffs would be a good aim for this team. Touting a young group of players as league champions isn't going to help anyone; the pressure associated with such a demand would hinder their development more than help them, however the playoffs are an attainable position come the end of the season. It allows for mistakes to be made, and even if we don't go up at the end of it, the core group of players will have matured, developed and will be fresh and ready for a charge next time out.
For those of us old enough to remember, it's 1978 all over again. I'm pretty sure too, we had bigger crowds for some 4th division games than yesterday. There was 20000+ against Aldershot and maybe Bradford?
I believe the record refers to League 2? Regarding the Bournemouth game, do they think it's a derby? It's cute when they think they have a rivalry with you.
League 2/Div 4 it's still the 4th tier no matter how it's dressed up. Bournemouth should start a rivalry with someone in the opposite direction, Yeovil?
The problem with Bournemouth having a rivalry is that no one dislikes them. As a Saints fan, I bear them no anamosity and I know of many Saints fans who go to Dean Court when we aren't playing. Southampton are the nearest professional team yet we have rarely played them in the League. I think when we drew them in the League Cup in the 1980's it might have been one of the few times we had played them competitively. With regard to Dorset rivalries, I think the one between Weymouth and Dorchester is probably the biggest.
Yesterday was a bit of a bump it must be said. We were very comfortable for 30 minutes and then allowed Oxford back in with one well worked goal and one that we really should have prevented, then after half time we looked like we could get back into it. Sending off and game over. Maybe it was was blessing in disguise, nobody is going to roll over this season and if anything will raise their game when facing us. Some of the new guys looked good particularly Ferry and Padovani, Bradley had a reasonable game but distribution was awry a couple of times. Thought we needed to move the ball quicker. So despite a long old journey home was glad I was there. Some focus and concentration at the back and we'll do OK.
Honestly if teams are gonna keep 'raising their game' cause they're playing us then it's gonna be a long old season because we're simply not good enough to cope with that
Hey the paint pot is totally serious business. Still it's only day 1 so no need for a meltdown yet, although it's a bad result the red card was mainly responsible for that. You have some interesting young players so they will take a few matches to find their feet, plus Davo Connolly and Ag for a bit of awesome up front. And if that doesn't cheer you up, at least your problems are on the pitch for a change.
As others have said......it was just a bad day at the office! The score line may have flattered Oxford.......looking at it another way though. Once you go behind in a game you have two choices you either accept it or you try and even out the deficit and then snatch a winner. If the opposition have more goals than you they will win whether it is by 1 goal or 4 so you just as well go for it. The same thing happened in your last game with us at St Mary's Once you had gone ahead we had no choice. It is no good sitting back just to keep the score line down! You will bounce back......you will have your good results as well as your bad. You have a youngish team they will learn and eventually come good.
Very true Ted. Rewind to 2009-10. League One. Norwich lost their opening game of the season 1-7 at home to Colchester. They won the league by 9 points!
Having only just about recovered now from drowning my sorrows, I am back to continue with a phase of predictions for the next week or so. Given my appalling record I will go as follows; 1. We will get beaten by a reserve Bournemouth side in the CAPITAL CUP- you see what I did there 2. We will lose narrowly away to a team that also struggled at the weekend , Accrinmgton, but who did not have their Captain sent off for such a 'nothing' challenge.i.e they finished with 11 players on the pitch. 3, The Scummers will win their opening match at a canter! And just for Laparas I will go further next week............................lets hope my record continues! PUP ( at least its 'ours' now
SB3 = Tongue in cheek! Can't really comment on point 1 and 2 but let's hope Bournemouth win!! As for number 3 I cannot see that happening. Saints beating WBA at the Hawthorns?? All I can say can I have some of whatever you are smoking???
Ryan Bird was man of the match - when that was announced the 3 of us who went together looked at each other - didn't even realise he was on the pitch.
Simon Ferry was MOTM - showed some promise with some nice long passes. It was the first game of the season - I don't understand the panic from some fans. The team showed some nice footie in the first 30 mins and the sending off ended the game. It was nice to see GW go for it when down to 10 men though - a loss is a loss, so why not go all out! At this point in the season, GD doesn't matter one bit. They will come good - just need to gel, but the quality needed is there for certain.
Bird didn't play did he? I'm not sure I even heard his name on the bench when the teams were announced
