| We had a real chance to make a statement last night 07:59 - Apr 15 with 1220 views | Steve_M |
To get a win that would go a long way to cementing us in second place and making it very hard for any of the other three teams to catch us. Instead - as so often away from home this season - we let the intensity drop after 20 minutes and gave the game away.
That 20 minute drop off has been my biggest frustration this season, Oxford, Leicester, Sheffield United, Stoke and again last night. Not only that but, for the fourth time this season, we tuned a manageable 1-0 deficit into a 2-0 one by switching off just before half-time.
Rotation isn't a problem per se, we've done it all season and it's very much necessary for the run in. Changing the defence around though definitely didn't help, Kipre had a performance as poor as the ones at Oxford and Stoke, got very lucky to get a soft free kick when he was far too weak in the first half (the Frank de Boeresque pass to Nunez was magnificent though).
Too many players in front of the defence weren't on it last night though, Neil was a disappointment and Nunez's passing was about as good as his tackling on Saturday. With Matusiwa below full fitness, those two needed to do more and they didn't. Clarke started brightly, out biggest threat for 20 minutes and then got exceedingly casual on and off the ball. The bit before the second goal was as pathetic as the defending that followed.
Portsmouth played well, weathered our first 20 minutes and then played a sensible, direct game. Had we got to halftime goalless then maybe we could have reset, even at 1-0 down, but we didn't and, at 2-0, they could sit back and hit us on the break. It's probably telling that their three most recent wins have been against us, Millwall and Middlesbrough as they have upped the performance level a bit for those.
Promotion is still very much in our hands, we just made it a bit harder last night. Instead of going into the Boro game bouncing from the Norwich win we now go into it nervously and with the pressure back on us where as it should have been all on them. Southampton will drop points somewhere but we can't afford to be as poor as we were last night again if we want to finish second. |  |
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| We had a real chance to make a statement last night on 08:21 - Apr 15 with 1119 views | Herbivore |
Yep, a win last night would really have turned the screw and while the job wouldn't have been done, we'd have had one foot in the Prem for me. 5 points clear with a game in hand when your rivals are wobbling (Saints aside) and they've only got 4 games left to catch you is the sort of position you don't often see thrown away. All we had to do was turn up and play with the same focus and intensity we did at the weekend.
Unfortunately we've seen far too often this season displays like this away from home. Stoke we at least managed to turn it round after half time but earlier in the season there were several similarly poor performances. For me it seems like a mentality issue, we can get up for playing at Coventry or Norwich and maintaining a high level for 90 minutes but against the 'lesser' sides we turn up okay for 20 minutes and if we don't convert a chance we seem to lose interest and start getting ridiculously sloppy. That 20 minutes before half time last night was terrible, Clarke was actively harming us giving it away constantly and cheaply in dangerous areas, nobody could trap a ball or play a simple pass to a Town player.
It's all still in our hands and generally we've not gone back to back with those kinds of performances this season. After our last loss we went unbeaten for 8 or 9 games and if we can do similar now then we'll be fine. But more broadly it's a worry that with the group having been together all season and having finally started to find a bit more consistency, we're back with some of the same old issues that have plagued us for most of the season. |  |
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| We had a real chance to make a statement last night on 08:47 - Apr 15 with 1020 views | IpswichToon |
As much as I love the guy, the thing that struck me was Jack Clarke lost the ball at least 3 times in the minutes leading up to their first goal. One very nearly led directly to a goal where he let the ball run through him to try and catch their player out, but just led to them countering on us instead. These mistakes in culmination just invited and built their pressure on us. |  | | |
| We had a real chance to make a statement last night on 08:48 - Apr 15 with 1015 views | Mullet |
Yeah can only say McKenna got it wrong again last night really. Shifting the whole defence along etc is a decent marker of that.
That said, it’s not over. I think we will do Boro and don’t think saints away is a loss necessarily either. We seem to be making it far harder than it needs to be this season and I don’t know why. We really should have walked this league if we’d have performed like this once or twice, not once or twice a month. |  |
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| We had a real chance to make a statement last night on 08:58 - Apr 15 with 970 views | Herbivore |
| We had a real chance to make a statement last night on 08:47 - Apr 15 by IpswichToon |
As much as I love the guy, the thing that struck me was Jack Clarke lost the ball at least 3 times in the minutes leading up to their first goal. One very nearly led directly to a goal where he let the ball run through him to try and catch their player out, but just led to them countering on us instead. These mistakes in culmination just invited and built their pressure on us. |
He was a liability from about 20 minutes onwards. His repeated sloppiness with the ball directly contributed to us going in two goals down. | |
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| We had a real chance to make a statement last night on 09:01 - Apr 15 with 957 views | JakeITFC |
| We had a real chance to make a statement last night on 08:48 - Apr 15 by Mullet |
Yeah can only say McKenna got it wrong again last night really. Shifting the whole defence along etc is a decent marker of that.
That said, it’s not over. I think we will do Boro and don’t think saints away is a loss necessarily either. We seem to be making it far harder than it needs to be this season and I don’t know why. We really should have walked this league if we’d have performed like this once or twice, not once or twice a month. |
The etc doing a lot of heavy lifting there really - it was an enforced change and he had two not perfect options and went for the one that had served us well in away games before and gave us more aerial presence against a direct team.
The side he picked and the way we started the game was good enough to win it - at some point the blame has to lay at those on the pitch who were asked questions by a very up for it Pompey and couldn’t find then find the answers. It was a night of lacking guts and willing rather than a tactical disaster. |  | | |
| We had a real chance to make a statement last night on 09:06 - Apr 15 with 908 views | Mullet |
| We had a real chance to make a statement last night on 09:01 - Apr 15 by JakeITFC |
The etc doing a lot of heavy lifting there really - it was an enforced change and he had two not perfect options and went for the one that had served us well in away games before and gave us more aerial presence against a direct team.
The side he picked and the way we started the game was good enough to win it - at some point the blame has to lay at those on the pitch who were asked questions by a very up for it Pompey and couldn’t find then find the answers. It was a night of lacking guts and willing rather than a tactical disaster. |
You could say the side was good enough in all the games where we’ve sh1t the bed though. I agree the players bear some responsibility but when we rotate so much and our subs are often preordained it’s liable to come unstuck sometimes.
Ultimately McKenna carries the can for that. | |
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| We had a real chance to make a statement last night on 09:09 - Apr 15 with 890 views | hype313 |
Can't see Southampton faltering, they are a machine at the moment, we just need to match their results, easier said than done, West Brom worries me.
Thought Portsmouth wanted survival more than we wanted promotion last night night.
Insipid performance overall, but kind of to be expected, it was a bit after the lord mayors show. |  |
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| We had a real chance to make a statement last night on 09:10 - Apr 15 with 862 views | Reuser_is_God |
| We had a real chance to make a statement last night on 09:09 - Apr 15 by hype313 |
Can't see Southampton faltering, they are a machine at the moment, we just need to match their results, easier said than done, West Brom worries me.
Thought Portsmouth wanted survival more than we wanted promotion last night night.
Insipid performance overall, but kind of to be expected, it was a bit after the lord mayors show. |
They’ll drop points. Can’t see that FA cup semi not being a distraction for them.
Also don’t forget they went about 683 games unbeaten in 23/24 & still finish below us. |  |
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| We had a real chance to make a statement last night on 09:14 - Apr 15 with 835 views | portmanking |
| We had a real chance to make a statement last night on 09:09 - Apr 15 by hype313 |
Can't see Southampton faltering, they are a machine at the moment, we just need to match their results, easier said than done, West Brom worries me.
Thought Portsmouth wanted survival more than we wanted promotion last night night.
Insipid performance overall, but kind of to be expected, it was a bit after the lord mayors show. |
Your second paragraph is the biggest concern and sums last night up nicely.
Our motivation to play in the biggest league in the world was lower than a hotch-potch side looking to stay in the second tier by its fingertips. |  | | |
| We had a real chance to make a statement last night on 09:17 - Apr 15 with 821 views | RonFearonsHair |
Ironically, had the Portsmouth match happened when originally planned and we lost it, we would be in exactly the same position but still buzzing and positive from the weekend. |  | | |
| We had a real chance to make a statement last night on 09:24 - Apr 15 with 787 views | cbower |
| We had a real chance to make a statement last night on 09:01 - Apr 15 by JakeITFC |
The etc doing a lot of heavy lifting there really - it was an enforced change and he had two not perfect options and went for the one that had served us well in away games before and gave us more aerial presence against a direct team.
The side he picked and the way we started the game was good enough to win it - at some point the blame has to lay at those on the pitch who were asked questions by a very up for it Pompey and couldn’t find then find the answers. It was a night of lacking guts and willing rather than a tactical disaster. |
^^^This. The team was good enough on paper, the players let themselves down. In terms of McKenna, you have to question the substitutions for me. Like throwing $hit at a wall and hoping some sticks. |  |
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| We had a real chance to make a statement last night on 09:37 - Apr 15 with 732 views | Swansea_Blue |
I was convinced after Saturday that KM would keep them 100% focused and in it and we’d not have another performance like that. I got that one wrong lol. It’s back to one game at a time and not getting carried away by a possible promotion for me. It’s still in our own hands, so I wouldn’t swap with anyone else. S’ton are on one hell of a run though. That game could end up being key, whereas we could have been up by then with good results against Pompey, Boro and Charlton.
Bloody football eh? |  |
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| We had a real chance to make a statement last night on 10:50 - Apr 15 with 605 views | franz_tyson |
I really thought that was such an important game. Win that... 5pts clear and a game in hand. That just sends such a big message to the rivals and dampens their hopes of the autos. And now, the opposite..... just opens the door and gives renewed hope and heaps more pressure on us. That's football and Pompey were never going to be a pushover.
But, why, why, why.... mess with the team so much in crucial areas and where the season is close to ending. Just keep Greaves at LCB and play Johnson at LB. Are we bothered about Johnson needing a break after spending most of the season not playing? Are we wanting to keep Kipre happy so we bring him in? Bad decision.
And we needed Taylor to start alongside Matusiwa. Matusiwas running on empty and Neil is not in good form. Just play Taylor and bring in some energy to help Matusiwa.
That was a massive game as a win would have been an extra nail in the coffin for the other's auto hopes. Fair play, never an east fixture, but I think we could have done less overthinking and gone with a more obvious line up. | | | |
| We had a real chance to make a statement last night on 13:21 - Apr 15 with 455 views | tractorboy1978 |
| We had a real chance to make a statement last night on 09:01 - Apr 15 by JakeITFC |
The etc doing a lot of heavy lifting there really - it was an enforced change and he had two not perfect options and went for the one that had served us well in away games before and gave us more aerial presence against a direct team.
The side he picked and the way we started the game was good enough to win it - at some point the blame has to lay at those on the pitch who were asked questions by a very up for it Pompey and couldn’t find then find the answers. It was a night of lacking guts and willing rather than a tactical disaster. |
A bit of both for me. I definitely thought we lacked guts and willing but whilst it was far from being a tactical disaster, I cannot help but feel in too many of these away games we try to be too controlled. Which means we don't take enough risks on the ball and lack enough early urgency. We had a couple of moments where we punched a ball in behind for McAteer and then Kipre did so for Clarke and we won a corner but they were few and far between and we didn't sustain any pressure.
Feels like the mantra is very much 'win it in the last 30 minutes' rather than 'win it in the first 30 minutes'. Maybe I am wrong, but that is how it feels to me. | | | |
| We had a real chance to make a statement last night on 13:43 - Apr 15 with 369 views | Ralphinho |
It really is swings and roundabouts, for me, the statement was beating an in-form Norwich away. A lot of us (me included) thought that we'd be lucky to come away with a point.
Its obviously all in our hands still. I think a point on Sunday and at Saints will go a long way to keeping our edge ahead on them.
We NEED to keep playing our strongest side though, I think we went into yesterday with a weakened side expecting to win comfortably.
Leif obviously had other priorities last night, but I think we should be lining up with the following for every game now until the end of the season unless we have injuries:
Walton
Furlong, O'Shea, Greeves, Leif
Taylor, Matusiwa
McAteer (Burns when fit), Nunez, Jaden
Azon |  |
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| We had a real chance to make a statement last night on 14:42 - Apr 15 with 259 views | Steve_M |
| We had a real chance to make a statement last night on 13:43 - Apr 15 by Ralphinho |
It really is swings and roundabouts, for me, the statement was beating an in-form Norwich away. A lot of us (me included) thought that we'd be lucky to come away with a point.
Its obviously all in our hands still. I think a point on Sunday and at Saints will go a long way to keeping our edge ahead on them.
We NEED to keep playing our strongest side though, I think we went into yesterday with a weakened side expecting to win comfortably.
Leif obviously had other priorities last night, but I think we should be lining up with the following for every game now until the end of the season unless we have injuries:
Walton
Furlong, O'Shea, Greeves, Leif
Taylor, Matusiwa
McAteer (Burns when fit), Nunez, Jaden
Azon |
"the statement was beating an in-form Norwich away. "
Yes, but to then build on that with a second good win and we would have been a good way towards having a week like Peterborough and Barnsley three years ago.
FWIW, Norwich were never going to be that special, the teams they had beaten showed that but I was concerned they would want it more than us and/or get the sort of lucky breaks they usually do at CR> | |
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