When Andy took over from Barker last season, from the very beginning I was saying don't hire him permenantly, it'll be like Paul Hart all over again. Just let him stay til the end of the season and then get someone experienced. Though after our run of 5 wins in a row, I admit I began to mellow out on this regard, I began to buy into the hype and, despite my better judgement, I began to think actually, maybe this is the manager for us, maybe we have finally found someone who can keep us from a relegation battle and maybe even challenge from promotion. Since the end of August, my initial feelings have been proven correct, with one league win in 9 games (and plenty of those weren't against the Bury's of the league). I will not make the same mistake again. Though as Awford is manager I will of course support him and the team, but it's increasingly looking likely that he was the wrong choice, something which deep down I knew all along.
Andrew Moon ‏@mrandrewmoon 33m33 minutes ago Worst #pompey performance for sometime today. Bury completely outplayed them from the 1st whistle and could have scored more
AA has made the point several times now that he's a new manager and still learning. If this was a proper job then he's only had 3 months of a probationary period. Even Alan Knight was saying that some of the players need to be shifted out, they flatter to deceive, wouldn't mention who obviously.
There seems to be a virus within PFC! Because every manager we have had since Michael Appleton has had the same disease: stubbornness. Everyone can see that 3-5-2 is not working as we do not have the right players for it. We are overrun in midfield every game. That we persist in playing this system is a mistake, yet I don't think this is the only, or even the main, reason for our poor performances. It is the continual tinkering with team selections that annoys me. I read the other day that Bally's promotion winning team of 1987 was built around 12 players and only changed when injuries dictated. That was in the days of 1 sub so the match day squad knew each other and what their jobs were. They had that sixth sense of each other's position and were a proper TEAM. They played a similar number of games, and on pitches that were quagmires compared to today's lush surfaces. I don't accept all this tiredness b****x, they are professional athletes and should be able to withstand the rigours of daily training and one or two games a week. Our squad is far to big; ludicrously so for a fourth division club (I refuse to give it the credibility of calling it League2). Injuries notwithstanding, we should have a constant starting eleven and play the system to which they are best suited, which is not 3-5-2. We are not going to succeed in or get out of this league by playing fancy Premier League or continental systems, much as most of us would prefer to watch that than a lot of the agricultural stuff that most teams serve up in this division. Keep it simple, get back to basics and then pick your team and keep it. That might just work.
You might find this interesting. [video=youtube;ecldIwP1zQA]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ecldIwP1zQA&list=TLDImYNi1l0x-5pi-Rqp_DOH-ov5PnzsgX[/video] If you want to find any others from this guy then search You Tube for We Are Pompey
And this one - an analysis of the goals conceded at Bury. [video=youtube;j81YlSVmMxc]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j81YlSVmMxc&index=1&list=TLDImYNi1l0x-5pi-Rqp_DOH-ov5PnzsgX[/video]
Agree with everything LFiH says. PFC play "nice attractive football" and the players get kicked up in the air by the opposition, with not much protection from referees and linesmen. So what should we do ? Bring in a few more James Dunne type players and kick three colours of s**t out of the opposition in return ?! Or, do we persevere with trying to play the game properly ? Nah, let's start "outbullying the bullies", and get the word out to the other teams in the division, that we aren't a soft touch. Secondly Awfs, bring David Connolly back in from the cold. We don't know what has gone on in the past, but at the end of the day, we need a goalscoring striker, and we need him now. PLEASE !
It seems certain that Connolly will never wear a Pompey shirt again Wooperts. He has been offered a pay-off but talks broke down and DC won't enter into any more discussions. So he's coming in and training but is not in AAs plans. What some ITK people are saying that he was interviewed for the manager's job and threw his toys out when Barker was appointed, and that he's upset too many people around the club now and he's just doing what he has to do on the training field. Intransigence. It's a very bad trait.
If he has any pride, then he should at least go out on loan, and earn his salary. By the way, the two videos you posted sum up our current problems completely
It'll be interesting to see if AA goes back to the 4231 formation tomorrow. Ertl gets a lot of stick but he was much better placed in this formation as a holding midfielder, he really isn't a CB, although he isn't likely to start tomorrow as Robinson should be be back. As far as Connolly is concerned I do know he is a very highly qualified coach, much more than Barker was/is. He offered to stand in as temp manager when Guy was sacked but was told no as he was needed as a player. Maybe he upset AA at that point because he's persona non grata at the club now. He can only go out on loan if another club wants him, I think they should all get over themselves and bring him back as a player, he can still do a job for us.
Back in 79-80 Pompey got out of this division playing sublime football but I have to admit that squad of players was vastly superior to anything at FP now!!!!!
AA is a great coach, very knowledgeable but inexperienced at this level. I get concerened that he is introducing kids into the squad when we have a big squad so called men, that are physically bigger and stronger that should be capable in this league This league is known as a tough league, players dont hold back, sides playing pompey are told to up their game to cope with us, a so called big club! Quite simply, AA needs to pick his strongest side to deal with the game in hand, players need to man up and between them they should be able to get on with the job in hand! PUP
In football at all levels a team needs the 50-50 ball winners. That said, I am always suspicious when there is complaint that 'we are getting knocked off the ball' and therefore cannot play good football. Getting knocked off the ball usually means not being quick enough to the ball. The league 2 rough boys would be kicking thin air against premiership players. They would be left standing and out of the game. If we are constantly being beaten to the ball I am afraid it is indicative of lack of quality.
I'm trying to think of a way to word my response to this. I couldn't think of a way when I saw the post originally so didn't respond but I feel I must now. Expectations are too high with some people. Portsmouth were never going to be challenging for the title this season, we were always going to struggle at times and be around mid-table. To complain then that the Awford isn't good enough and should leave - at the end of the season or otherwise - betrays the unrealistic expectations that some people came into this season with. Awford is still a young manage and is still learning his trade. He has to be given time to do this. If this season is spent safely in the mid-table neither flirting with relegation or challenging for promotion then he will have done well in his first full season in charge. As it stands we have hardly been out of the top-half of the table all season and we have the fifth best home record in the league - only three points of the second best one. I dont see a reason to say Awford isn't good enough - he's had good patches, he's had bad patches, but we're still in a respectable position, only four points off the playoff zone I will remind you. Getting this kind of reaction whenever the team has a bad patch is something that really annoys me and make me despair of fans of modern football. Have a Guinness and remember - good things come to those who wait.
ewww, Guinness is disgusting Though good things come to those who wait is the mantra when it comes to this girl I really like. I suppose it could be applicable to football too.
I think you will find that this topic was started in a particularly baron run, with some increddibly poor decisions and performances............there has been moderate improvement since........excluding the result at Tranmere
