ianofcleveleys

I might be wrong, but when Phil Brown took over for that short spell of six games, think he had the New Radicals song put in as a pre-match, maybe not the walk-out but just before. There aren't loads of good and suitable tunes and not easy to avoid using ones other clubs use. One such I did like was Sunderland's use of U2's Elevation Bit of Primal Scream's Rocks might get the WSL knitting brigade to put their needles down for a minute

Some howlers, though the Charles one at Pompey the biggest of all. Hard to say it's the most significant when it happened before Christmas but still pretty damaging

If we go up, without Evatt having a real lightbulb moment over Summer we'll be the Championship's Burnley

We've given very similar goals away previously this season, with all our bodies in a crowd scene around the 6 yard box and no obviously designated charger and blocker if the ball drops to their bloke on the edge. It's either stubbornness of approach or, as Evatt's alluding to regarding that goal, players not taking personal responsibility for jobs explained to them and being alive to what's emerging in front of them There just looked to be a bit of general fatigue / malaise about our defending last night, tiring minds as well as bodies. The efforts to prevent their first goal were pretty lame

Our wing backs not having a defensive bone in their bodies has been being exposed as far back as the Wigan home game. They'd be better described in the old parlance of 'wing forwards'

Not trying to be a smart arse after the event but I haven't seen us getting autos for a couple of months and we've only still been in with a sniff till last night because of the others continually stumbling. Our stumbling started in Jan and has continued throughout the last few months. Lots of factors, all discussed already. The run of injuries has been a bad one for sure, both (at the time) first choice strikers, main CB and No1 keeper difficult for most sides to absorb. Ultimately though, we have had too many occasions where individuals or the group haven't shown they have the bollocks, in specific situations like Ogbeta's last night and in whole game situations against sides who are fired up and know we're easily fucked about with. That's down to Evatt's laudable but too stubborn belief that playing a certain way and recruiting purely to do that will win out in the end. It may still do of course, and he'll be entitled to dig his receipts out and spray them over the pitch at Wembley like confetti, if we don't succeed in the play offs though there'll need to be some hands held up and clear evidence of a will to change before we go again in August

Sat in most stands over the years since we moved to Reebok, longest stint prob in NSU in first decade or so, in WSU now (old fart though no Superdry), up at back, level with edge of box at North end, great view of the action, my main criteria these days. Turnstile location also very handy for darting for the 17.01 train home

It's a tricky site in the current climate, would realistically have to be a food-led offering that folk might go to on days / nights other than in football season, and most of the national operators are already in the vicinity

I'd be starting with Bod and Collins, which is working well as a partnership, and easing Charles back in with 25-30 min bursts as the 'finisher'

As the away side, who'd probably have been happy with a point at kick off, Derby did what they had to do pretty well, while Portsmouth had an off night. Ponderous on the ball and couldn't handle Blackett-Taylor's ball carrying runs. Slug fest of a game in horrible conditions.

Derby were good tonight, dangerous on break, solid at back, Pompey were huffing and puffing till that worldie. All we can do is try to go into play offs playing better than we were last season and use the last few regular games to hopefully get some of the crocks back up to speed

His reading of game was really good yesterday, nipping in to win the ball and move us forward. Got involved high up the pitch quite a bit too

Know what you're saying though there's a flaw in it, what if they don't bother coming out? Stalemate as last week while Stevenage wait for us to make a basic fuck up, which we eventually did and they should have punished.

The way our recent fixtures have fallen (and will continue to), and the way we've been playing makes the adage 'take each game as it comes' make sense. We've had a run of tough game-cannon fodder, tough game - cannon fodder, so all I'm doing, rightly or wrongly, is enjoying days like today for what they are without reading much into them. It was great entertainment today, lots to enjoy, onto Sat though now and another tough away game. Can we buck the trend and win one?

Madcap entertainment, some great football, could have had 8 with a bit better luck in their box but they could have had 3-4 as well. JDB and Collins are great foils for each other, two games together, hateful of goals and chances. Much preferred the approach today too, much quicker up to those two, a lot less of the walking football in our third. Guess what, more pressure on a porous opposition defence and wobbly keeper, who'd have thowt it? Maghoma and Sheehan really enjoyable to watch, class acts at this level. Tomo a bit hit and miss first half but kept driving us forward in second half looking for more goals. Worth a dash back from Northumberland for 👍

That's the bit where, if we don't go up, Evatt would need to show some of the learning he sometimes admits he needs to do. He's acknowledged in those tales about Holloway how mentality and mindset was a key part of Blackpool's success in getting up and making a fair fist of the Prem. I'm not convinced he's placed enough emphasis on it in his recruitment over the last couple of seasons, too many being signed based on data and numbers, some of which can paint a misleading picture of a player's suitability to stay the course of a promotion campaign over 46 games and 10 months. I know it sounds simplistic and old hat but all the successful passing stats in the world won't tell you whether a player will turn 40-60 tackles into 60-40s on a cold wet night at Barnsley, and whether he'll push, pull and cajole team mates to do the same.

I'm not an expert on it but think it'd be a bit tricky to introduce the way out ground is set up. It'd probably best suit North Lower but not sure many people would want to move to there for it. Putting it in last block or two of East Lower would be awkward in terms of impact on those in the next block who don't want to stand. Creating a South Lower block to do it in would cause GMP some furrowed brows I imagine. No issue with it myself but practicalities will be a challenge I reckon

I've been looking at it long term for weeks, haven't thought we had enough for autos so how would we get through play offs. Stating the obvious I suppose but its all about finding a way to do better in the two leg semi than last year then, whoever we play in the final, at Wembley, I'd fancy us

That 'keeping the receipts' quote might have been better saved for 5.00 on the day we clinched auto promotion....

I'll see how they're fixed next time they're up 😄

I enjoy a night game once I'm there but the sheer number of them this season has been a challenge. I have to rearrange or cancel coaching that I do on a Tuesday, something I don't really like doing so will only usually do the league games unless it's a really juicy cup tie. Have ended up missing an odd night league game as my athletes have been at important stages of their seasons and I didn't want them missing vital work while I'm sat at the football. Commute has been a ball ache for a few years, for similar reasons to Ani's, never ending works to create a by-pass near Poulton plus the three year job to make a junction on the M55, constant closures and detours meaning regularly landing home past 11, sometimes to be up again at 6.30 to be out to work A lot of ST holders bring kids, which is great, but totally get why they might not come midweek if those kids are younger. Some ST's (fair play to them, plenty on here no doubt) cough up for one but live many miles away so just do the weekends. The small row I sit on in West Upper a good example, a lady who brings a lad of about 6 and a couple who come from Devon. FWIW I wouldn't stop having my ST, as long as I only miss 2-3 league games a season it's still value. If I stopped I wouldn't keep finding the money for match day prices.

Some great atmospheres at Burnden in the 70s (one of the earliest a League Cup win against Man C when Garry Jones hit a hat-trick, that Newcastle FA Cup tie and 'Supermac'), some dire ones for a decade in the 80s, great ones again in the 90s (cup wins en route to that final v Liverpool, Wolves at home in league, last home game v Charlton). Lots of days and nights at Reebok where it's been noisy and passionate, again plenty when it's been grim, especially during chunks of the last decade. Leicester (H) in Prem, home v Boro that ensured safety, European nights, bloodying Arsenal, Liverpool noses and the Stuart Holden night v Blackburn a few that come to mind. Posh and Forest homes to get up / stay up perhaps best of the last few years. I think by and large it's been good over last couple of seasons, the way we play sometimes doesn't lend itself to a rousing atmosphere but, often when we've hit a bit of adversity or been hard done to (Peterborough when down to 10 men, Derby, Blackpool), our crowd have risen to the demand

I'd also agree with this, times a month or two back where his body language within games wasn't great at times, maybe through trying too hard to do things that would establish him in the side and show what he was about, then those things not coming off or team mates not seeing the same pictures as him The run of games, goals and good performances has given him security that he's a big part not a bit part and he's expressed himself more game by game, backing up what he can do with the ball with an increasing realisation of the graft required off the ball

Something I noticed and liked last night was the energy levels, they all looked like they'd had a big sugar rush and were moving about with much more zip. One sprint from Jones to beat their forward to a ball was very sprightly. They didn't look last night that they were out on their feet as a squad yet. Also, as Mounts said, we played through the lines more rather than along the back and round the edges, and did it more quickly, enabled by either Bod or Collins being able to come for it, control it and pop it off more effectively than Vic and Dion can. Positive signs that these last eight games might not be as much of a grind as we might have thought.

Tremendous performance from start to finish, 1-11 and subs. Bod and Collins a very good partnership, both intelligent enough to see what each other was trying to do. Not everything came off but a lot did and the pictures they could both see were superb. Top performances all over, Sheehan masterful, Ogbeta with a super goal and glorious ball for 4th. Defenders all miles more on it and doing their jobs, good to see.