Portsmouth (H)

[Willlow]

Just watched the BBC highlights and it was embarassing to hear the boos when Yakubu missed his shot. It is amazing how fickle fans are, we clearly had several good chances and didnt manage to take them.

The play offs might be out of our reach now, but from where we started this season I can only be happy with how things have turned out since Sven has taken over.

He has got an average team playing some good football and given a summer to improve the squad I have no doubt he would lead us to the Premiership.

As fans I feel it is our job for the last 8 games, whether we win or lose, to show our support for Sven and what he has done/trying to do with the club. I feel the worse thing that could happen is if Sven did leave us during the summer, so as fans we need to convince him (if he needs convincing) to stay.

People can carry on moaning about Ricardo, Yakubu and Bruma now!

 

[TommyK]

My two cents...

I thought we were bullied out of it today. They closed us down, kicked us and generally didn't let us play. And we weren't physical enough or creative enough to do anything about it. Portsmouth are not a good team but came here with a plan and it worked. Saying that we still created enough chances to win the game. Gally should have scored although the keeper did well. Yak should have had two. King missed a good header in the first half.

I thought the referee almost lost control of the game in the second half. But then it all just went flat. Lost count of the amount of fouls Kitson gave away today without a card.

Frustrating in the first half with Gallys free kicks. How many free kicks has he scored this season? The sun is in the keepers eyes and he tries some shit training ground move not once but twice. Completely wasting two free kicks. He's got a great right foot - have a fecking shot.

I thought Yak did OK in the first half and looked quite up for it. But got more and more frustrate and his two 'shots' sumed up his second half.

Mee. You were rubbish today. (Although not always helped by quick balls out to him by Richardo with no support whats so ever). But a couple of school boy mistakes in the first half particularly.

Hard not to blame Richardo for the goal. If he stays on his line then he safety catches that shot. But who was marking Nugent? Totally free on the box.

Last game for a year and not a great one to sign off too.

 

[spionfox]

My two cents...

I thought we were bullied out of it today.

Is that what happened on Saturday as well?

 

[H T B]

TommyK, you seem to like to blame Ricardo. (Like more than a few others)
For the goal it was a shite header from Bamba that went straight to Nugent.
As for Mee, he was after the early ball, the fact he got no support was NOT Ricardo's fault.

 

[TommyK]

TommyK, you seem to like to blame Ricardo. (Like more than a few others)
For the goal it was a shite header from Bamba that went straight to Nugent.
As for Mee, he was after the early ball, the fact he got no support was NOT Ricardo's fault.

This is the first time i've blamed Richardo for everything and he was mostly to blame. If your a keeper and you come to catch the ball. You have to catch the ball. No messing around. You've got to call for it so everyone knows your coming and then catch the ball no matter who's in the way. He didn't do that. Yes Bambas header should have been better. So should the marking of Nugent. It was a cluster **** of defending.

As for the early balls to Mee. In one the examples I'm thinking of Portsmouth has a free kick on the right side of the penalty area. It came to Richardo who straight away gave it to Mee while all the other players are on the other side of the pitch in our half trying to get back into positions after being in the wall. This left him with no support. Richardo should have thought about it a little more than simple bowling out a ball as soon as he can. If was not directly Richardos fault he had no support, but in giving him the ball when he did he put Mee under undue pressure.

IMO, to be fair.

 

[Cate Fox]

This is the first time i've blamed Richardo for everything and he was mostly to blame. If your a keeper and you come to catch the ball. You have to catch the ball. No messing around. You've got to call for it so everyone knows your coming and then catch the ball no matter who's in the way. He didn't do that. Yes Bambas header should have been better. So should the marking of Nugent. It was a cluster **** of defending.

As for the early balls to Mee. In one the examples I'm thinking of Portsmouth has a free kick on the right side of the penalty area. It came to Richardo who straight away gave it to Mee while all the other players are on the other side of the pitch in our half trying to get back into positions after being in the wall. This left him with no support. Richardo should have thought about it a little more than simple bowling out a ball as soon as he can. If was not directly Richardos fault he had no support, but in giving him the ball when he did he put Mee under undue pressure.

IMO, to be fair.

Yes, but what about Ricardo? :icon_wink

 

[Redditch Fox]

TommyK, you seem to like to blame Ricardo. (Like more than a few others)
For the goal it was a shite header from Bamba that went straight to Nugent.
As for Mee, he was after the early ball, the fact he got no support was NOT Ricardo's fault.

A goalkeeper has to know that he will get the ball if he opts to venture that far out. Ricardo never looks in control.

I just think that its impossible to have a confident defence with him in goal. His continuing place in the side is one of several dubious selection choices made in recent weeks....and its costing us. It's beginning to look like Sven has a number of favourites who get picked irrespective and others won't get picked in the starting eleven whatever they do.

 

[SJN-Fox]

A goalkeeper has to know that he will get the ball if he opts to venture that far out. Ricardo never looks in control.

I just think that its impossible to have a confident defence with him in goal. His continuing place in the side is one of several dubious selection choices made in recent weeks....and its costing us. It's beginning to look like Sven has a number of favourites who get picked irrespective and others won't get picked in the starting eleven whatever they do.

Ricardo has played in the last 8 league games and has conceded 9 goals.

In Weale's last 8 league games he too conceded 9 goals.

So who do we put in goal then?

 

[TommyK]

Yes, but what about Ricardo? :icon_wink

damn it! :icon_bigg

 

[Redditch Fox]

Ricardo has played in the last 8 league games and has conceded 9 goals.

In Weale's last 8 league games he too conceded 9 goals.

So who do we put in goal then?

Weale.

Basically, we don't have a good enough keeper on the books so this is not an easy call.

As they say 'you can prove anything with statistics' and my opinion is based on the fact that we were doing just fine until Ricardo happened to become the established keeper - and my impression that the rest of the defence don't have as much confidence as they had before.

I don't think that Ricardo is by any means the only issue and I feel a bit sorry for him because he must know that a large section of the support don't like his style. Ricardo seems to me an example of the alleged ills of the stereotyped 'continental' keeper of years ago. Whatever it is it isn't catching! So in the absence of any other alternative I think Weale is the safer choice.

 

[TommyK]

Ricardo has played in the last 8 league games and has conceded 9 goals.

In Weale's last 8 league games he too conceded 9 goals.

So who do we put in goal then?

The one who runs around the most and works for the team.

Obviously.

Duh.

:icon_wink

 

[Filthy Rich]

I don't think that Ricardo is by any means the only issue and I feel a bit sorry for him because he must know that a large section of the support don't like his style. Ricardo seems to me an example of the alleged ills of the stereotyped 'continental' keeper of years ago. Whatever it is it isn't catching!

It's also clear that other teams are targeting this apparent weakness.....

http://www.thebluearmy.co.uk/news/R...weak-link/article-3354820-detail/article.html

Time for a change.

 

[camberwell fox]

Ricardo has played in the last 8 league games and has conceded 9 goals.

In Weale's last 8 league games he too conceded 9 goals.

So who do we put in goal then?

Also dropping an international keeper for someone who is a second string keeper is madness.

From the highlights though it was 100% Ricardos fault. He came for the ball and didn't get there, if he had got to the ball and caught it the ball wouldn't have ended up in the net. Simples.

 

[H T B]

From the highlights though it was 100% Ricardos fault. He came for the ball and didn't get there, if he had got to the ball and caught it the ball wouldn't have ended up in the net. Simples.

Absolutely nothing to do with Bamba heading the ball straight to Nugent?:icon_roll

 

[Biffa Bacon]

Can we get Almunia in on an emergency loan, then everyone could agree who the worst keeper in the squad was.

 

[Granite Fox]

Absolutely nothing to do with Bamba heading the ball straight to Nugent?:icon_roll

... or nobody marking Nugent, or Yak and Gally missing golden opportunities to score?

It appears that a whole load of the team made vital mistakes, but we will let them off shall we?

 

[camberwell fox]

Absolutely nothing to do with Bamba heading the ball straight to Nugent?:icon_roll

No, errors will always happen around the penalty area, unfortunately when a keeper makes one it can lead directly to a goal.

If he comes for it he has to get it. He didn't: result = goal.

 

[Miles Away]

Weale and Ricardo? They are both shit and I doubt either will be on the books next season.

Sven knew he needed a keeper, missed out on several and ended up with Ricardo.

We are arguing about which is the lesser of two evils. One of those evils is an international with a wealth of experience and a diminishing skill set, the other is an extremely average championship keeper (he's propah English tho).

Take your pick. I'd rather just chuck a kid in goal at this stage.

 

[Granite Fox]

No, errors will always happen around the penalty area, unfortunately when a keeper makes one it can lead directly to a goal.

If he comes for it he has to get it. He didn't: result = goal.

That is true, but what if Bamba had headed it clear - would it have been a goal? What if someone was marking Nugent and got a good tackle in, would it have been a goal?

What if we had taken two of our good chances, would we be so bothered?

 

[fitz]

Weale and Ricardo? They are both shit and I doubt either will be on the books next season.

Sven knew he needed a keeper, missed out on several and ended up with Ricardo.

We are arguing about which is the lesser of two evils. One of those evils is an international with a wealth of experience and a diminishing skill set, the other is an extremely average championship keeper (he's propah English tho).

Take your pick. I'd rather just chuck a kid in goal at this stage.

Well said that man

"Giant Douche" or "Turd Sandwich"?