Cracking team performance today. Graft and guile in equal measure. Obvious stand out performances from Mehmessi, Scowen and Mawson, but season best showings from Taff and Grimmer.
oh, I'm well aware of the context and certainly not trying to suggest that those that it may provoke are sweet angels. I just wondered why start it now.
Prob best Taff, Alfie game yet. Very promising. Cowley moaning at ref at the end about time wasting I think but was actually pretty confident that we'd be most likely to score next if they'd have added more time.
We deserved to win that today, much better across the pitch and looked pretty solid at the back whilst remaining threatening going forward.
Still concerned about lack of depth on the bench in key positions- we looked a little leggy towards the end without really having anyone on the bench who’d be strong enough defensively to keep up the standard we’d set. Feels like Thompson will be a welcome return to come off the bench in the second half of games that we’re winning as Freeman / Horgan / Kaikai / McCarthy isn’t a set of options you look to when trying to keep a lead.
Key thing now is to back this up with some consistency. Too many times this season we’ve followed up good results with an off-day, but if we can string together a few results before Christmas we’ll be in good shape for the second half of the season.
I don’t know how we replace someone like Mehmeti in League 1, and chasing it would just see us blow a lot of the £££ we’d get for him.
Paul Smyth has been on fire in League 2 for Orient and could play the Mehmeti role, but how affordable he’d be is questionable.
I’m sure Ainsworth may have put the squad together on the assumption Mehmeti could leave at some point, so it could be a reason why players like Horgan and Kaikai have been kept around without being used much.
Yeah, I really don't think we've seen the best of Hanlan since his return from injury, although it doesn't help that it's been typically in cameo form and also when we're chasing the game under pressure.
I will say he's a lot better with ball to feet than being a focal point up top, I know he had Wheeler up top in support on the aerial side but still. But, the change in tactic of not starting with Vokes certainly seemed to upset Pompey's preparation, so all good from that side.
I think one mark of our confidence in getting a result was that that was one of the first games I can recall since he joined where Stryjek didn't develop an attack of The Mystery Cramps at any point. Congratulations on your improved muscle resilience, Max.
Really was a typical Ainsworth performance. The first half we tried to get it to Hanlan to run on to, despite Pompey playing 3 men fairly deep. Worked around it and he linked up pretty well
Comments
Could do with adding a bit of pace
Meh-messi indeed, come all with your wheelbarrows of cash, add some zeros
Yes Mehmeti is fantastic, but why on national TV?
Cracking team performance today. Graft and guile in equal measure. Obvious stand out performances from Mehmessi, Scowen and Mawson, but season best showings from Taff and Grimmer.
Grimmer was exceptional today. Anis will rightly get the headlines but Jack was fantastic
His sale is key to us balancing the books this season and not falling back in July to a wage bill of 2-2.5 million, half what it is now.
oh, I'm well aware of the context and certainly not trying to suggest that those that it may provoke are sweet angels. I just wondered why start it now.
Great win that. We're right in contention, but this next run will certainly define the season.
Prob best Taff, Alfie game yet. Very promising. Cowley moaning at ref at the end about time wasting I think but was actually pretty confident that we'd be most likely to score next if they'd have added more time.
This is important. You just want there to be a succession plan for a player who has dragged us through games this season
Cafu was playing right back for us today. Jack Grimmer returned to his Championship form today. Superb.
We deserved to win that today, much better across the pitch and looked pretty solid at the back whilst remaining threatening going forward.
Still concerned about lack of depth on the bench in key positions- we looked a little leggy towards the end without really having anyone on the bench who’d be strong enough defensively to keep up the standard we’d set. Feels like Thompson will be a welcome return to come off the bench in the second half of games that we’re winning as Freeman / Horgan / Kaikai / McCarthy isn’t a set of options you look to when trying to keep a lead.
Key thing now is to back this up with some consistency. Too many times this season we’ve followed up good results with an off-day, but if we can string together a few results before Christmas we’ll be in good shape for the second half of the season.
Great team performance, in fact better than I hoped we would be.
Only negative was how poor, despite the tap in my 85 yr old mum could have scored, GMac was today.
Spot on - Jack was superb. Another million on Anis' price tag now, though.
3 points off the play-offs with 26 games left
Should keep the bedwetters quiet for a few days at least
Sky waxing lyrical about Anis. The crazy thing is that we’ve all seen him play equally as well if not better 10+ times. What a player.
Grimmer was so dangerous on the right today, made so much happen. Mehmeti just so good, dancing around the box, you can just feel the anticipation.
More of that please.
definitely, he was class today.
Vokes did more in 5 minutes than Hanlan did all game.
Much better performance today, shame Anis was so good in front of the cameras.. or was it ?
I don’t know how we replace someone like Mehmeti in League 1, and chasing it would just see us blow a lot of the £££ we’d get for him.
Paul Smyth has been on fire in League 2 for Orient and could play the Mehmeti role, but how affordable he’d be is questionable.
I’m sure Ainsworth may have put the squad together on the assumption Mehmeti could leave at some point, so it could be a reason why players like Horgan and Kaikai have been kept around without being used much.
Hanlan provided the assist
Yeah, I really don't think we've seen the best of Hanlan since his return from injury, although it doesn't help that it's been typically in cameo form and also when we're chasing the game under pressure.
I will say he's a lot better with ball to feet than being a focal point up top, I know he had Wheeler up top in support on the aerial side but still. But, the change in tactic of not starting with Vokes certainly seemed to upset Pompey's preparation, so all good from that side.
That's the first non-World Cup match I've watched in two weeks, so I almost went and wrote the result on my wallchart 🤦
Hopefully whoever signs him next month lets us keep him on loan until the end of the season.
And that was it
Magnificent result. If I stopped watching games we’d be champions by Easter.
I think one mark of our confidence in getting a result was that that was one of the first games I can recall since he joined where Stryjek didn't develop an attack of The Mystery Cramps at any point. Congratulations on your improved muscle resilience, Max.
MOTM up shortly. Missed this one for the early hour. You're welcome!!!
Can we have 3 choices this week. Going to be a tough one.
Really was a typical Ainsworth performance. The first half we tried to get it to Hanlan to run on to, despite Pompey playing 3 men fairly deep. Worked around it and he linked up pretty well