Season 24/25 | The Official Match Thread | Portsmouth 4 Swansea City 0 | The EFL Championship

[sainthelens]

Yep. We've never (to my remembrance) been in the bottom six either.

Our squad is pretty bog standard for a bog standard division. Nowhere near the best, nowhere near the worst. Capable of punting for the playoffs if well coached and organised, capable of dicing at the lower end if poorly coached and organised. That's been the case since we came down.

Much the same as most other clubs in this division. Lacking the resources of the recently relegated, having more about us than the strugglers. Every season is basically the same.

Precisely what I meant. We never get to play our best 11 in every game, if we could we'd be top 8. And if we played our thin squad like today every week we'd be bottom 6.
Not difficult to follow really.

 

[Dr. Winston]

Precisely what I meant. We never get to play our best 11 in every game, if we could we'd be top 8. And if we played our thin squad like today every week we'd be bottom 6.
Not difficult to follow really.

It's not just about the players and who is available though. Franco was a loss today, but was he really a 4-0 defeat at Portsmouth loss? We shouldn't have been as bad as we were, even without him available.

For all people rag on Fulton, his primary role in the team today seemed to be to deflect blame from Grimes. Fulton wasn't the one who abrogated responsibility and hid between the centre backs. Strong management deals with that. Weak management doesn't.

 

[sainthelens]

It's not just about the players and who is available though. Franco was a loss today, but was he really a 4-0 defeat at Portsmouth loss? We shouldn't have been as bad as we were, even without him available.

For all people rag on Fulton, his primary role in the team today seemed to be to deflect blame from Grimes. Fulton wasn't the one who abrogated responsibility and hid between the centre backs. Strong management deals with that. Weak management doesn't.

For all that your correct, it's annoying we ain't far off with strengthening in the window. Our fringe players are nowhere near, all said, if we did strengthen in the window, can we trust Luke ?
He's not for me if we did.

 

[Andrew - North Hill]

For all that your correct, it's annoying we ain't far off with strengthening in the window. Our fringe players are nowhere near, all said, if we did strengthen in the window, can we trust Luke ?
He's not for me if we did.

Forget the coach. It could be Potter, Williams, Cooper, Duff, Martin or a.n.other, it doesn't really matter.

The bottom line is, it will take us at least three windows to ship out the crap in the squad, and in those windows we'd need a >75% success rate on new signings as well. Lisa's post earlier on covers the gaps we need to fill very nicely.

Do you trust the new regime and the football setup, as it stands right now, to get all of that right?

I'll be quite honest with you - I have very little confidence in them to be able to do what's required.

 

[Bluenile]

Wow. That was dreadful.
Missing Franco not only allowed Fulton to play (absolutely dreadful) but also showed quite how much Franco shields grimes.

We are at the very at least one, probably two, central midfielders, one winger, one full back and one striker away from mounting any sort of challlenge on this frankly mediocre league. And hoping none get injured.

Two hours I’ll never get back.

BTW - if Williams is going to go, do it now, and if not, make it clear now.

Same with the Darling contract.

Happy New Year all. May 2025 bring all health and happiness.

Well said, Lisa!

 

[CygnusX1]

Looking forward to my first visit to Fratton Park. Weather looks like it’ll be shite though

Turns out the shite weather was better than the football. Absolute shambles.

 

[FelindreJack]

In more positive news, Callum Robinson misses the derby. Only one in their team that scares me slightly.

 

[Cinio Dydd Sul]

In more positive news, Callum Robinson misses the derby. Only one in their team that scares me slightly.

No he doesn't - the scum have 3 games before they play us.

And it was an extremely soft red, absolutely nothing compared to what happened to Franco, so it'll probably get overturned anyway.

 

[NEATH JACK 8]

After the way we've performed this season. And only Franco was missing today and he doesn't start every game. How can anyone say with our best 11 we're a top 8 side is beyond me ? Each to their own opinion but I find it us this rose tinted glasses (I prefer the phrase deluded) Outlook is part of the Swansea disease. Nothing changes if people are relatively happy with the status quo.

 

[WentToSchoolWith]

Missed all of the game yesterday as I was out with the family, and only just watched the highlights now.

What a strange looking game. Every single one of their goals was hugely preventable, but the 2nd and 3rd are embarrasing.

Naughton switching off for the first, but Tymon gets completely overloaded anyway.

Don't need to comment on the 2nd, horrendous. Worst goal I can remember us conceding in a long, long time.

Fulton for the third is inexcusable. The ball is nearly 20 yards in front of the Pompey player, he could have just sat down and watched it go through to Vigs. Judging from the highlights, we were actually looking dangerous before half time and until the 3rd goal, so this one really is the killer.

Christie is obviously shocking for the 4th, but that doesn't need saying. Not going to concede many goals like that in a season, write it off and move on.

The one positive (from highlights, again), was that Eom looked pretty good?

 

[FelindreJack]

Ah never? Shame