We need to still believe Derby will not win their last two and win this comfortably which I think we will.

i would rest Santos until either POSH away if we still have a chance of automatic because we should be comfortable against these and Vale.

3-1 Us

We're just such a weird team. I'd back us to beat anyone, and we look unplayable when we get going.

Yet I have such little confidence in this team when the going gets tough, it's a real shame.

To get out of this league you need 3 things in my opinion: Skill, Ruthlessness and a bit of luck We are definitely missing the latter 2 and that's why we've come short.

I've not read anyof the above, but no doubt it's been said many times, damage wasn't done tonight.

Well it’s probably saved me a trip to Peterborough. Fuck that if there’s nowt riding on it 

Also with Evatt, there's definitely some things he could do better, he's not perfect by any means.

But at the end of the day, his tactics has given us the ability to dominate most matches, even against the league leaders.

It's down to the players who are not putting them away from 2 yards out. 

2 minutes ago, Lostock Whites said:

Also with Evatt, there's definitely some things he could do better, he's not perfect by any means.

But at the end of the day, his tactics has given us the ability to dominate most matches, even against the league leaders.

It's down to the players who are not putting them away from 2 yards out. 

Shouldn't need 3 goals to beat Shrewsbury at home though 

3 minutes ago, Lostock Whites said:

We're just such a weird team. I'd back us to beat anyone, and we look unplayable when we get going.

Yet I have such little confidence in this team when the going gets tough, it's a real shame.

To get out of this league you need 3 things in my opinion: Skill, Ruthlessness and a bit of luck We are definitely missing the latter 2 and that's why we've come short.

Definitely not had any luck/bounce of the ball/ rub of the green etc.   In the last 2 games we have hit the woodwork 5 times , had 3 cleared off the line, denied a stonewall penalty & conceded 3 goals from 4 shots all by giving the ball away high up. 

Saving our luck for the play-offs when it really matters.  The rest of the teams in there are bobbins . we will walk the play-offs with an amzing home performance , an average away one and a blistering win at Wembley and all is right with the World again. 

23 minutes ago, Casino said:

The second

Looked like a bullet with a big deflection?

Reet, having seen the highlights its not an easy one but the deflection now looks like it was off him, so maybe he shouldve done better

Their first, take him down george, ffs

Ogbetas chance, wtf

Any mention of why Sheehan was left on the bench?

He pulls the strings in our midfield and makes us tick, on his day he’s the best midfielder in this division, we just don’t look the same without him.

Too many players not at it tonight, Forrester, Iredale, Dacres Cogley,Dempsey, Collins and Charles when he came on.

When we play well, everyone plays well.

When we have half a dozen not playing well,it all goes tits up.

Edited April 17, 20242 yr by Burndens Bogs

Good interview from IE.

At least he looks like he’s up for the fight ahead.

 

2 minutes ago, captainmed said:

Good interview from IE.

At least he looks like he’s up for the fight ahead.

 

Agreed . We fear nobody and no better place to get promotion than Wembley , much more satisfying than finishing second. 

25 minutes ago, Burndens Bogs said:

Any mention of why Sheehan was left on the bench?

 

He was patched up for saturday and not right for tonight

Think he was stuck on the bench for an emergency but tried a run and called it off

16 minutes ago, Casino said:

He was patched up for saturday and not right for tonight

Think he was stuck on the bench for an emergency but tried a run and called it off

Need to rest Sheehan, Santos, Charles and Jones until the playoffs which is 2 1/2 week off. Hopefully they will be fit by then.

2 hours ago, noxid said:

Really missed Santos at the back

The above quote is not the first comment to say this, but the absence of Santos was nowhere near the biggest of our problems tonight.

The first Shrewsbury goal was almost a carbon copy of the Portsmouth goal on Saturday … when Santos played.

The second goal came from a focus on defending our penalty area with all 11 players and ignoring everything outside the box … which is what we do for every corner, with or without Santos. He’d have been involved in the push and shove around the six yard box that all three defenders were tied up with. Nothing would have changed.

By far the biggest problem, on the pitch, was the midfield setup and, specifically, Thomason’s woeful attempt to play the Sheehan role. Morley has been unfairly criticised for not being up to Sheehan’s standard, when he’s deputising. In my opinion, Morley in the role, is light years ahead of what we saw from Thomason, tonight.

However, the overall biggest problem was off the pitch: Ian Evatt. The midfield problem (I don’t want to call it the Thomason problem; it was a tactical mistake) was evident within the first quarter of a hour. I was willing it to be changed by half an hour, and it had to be changed at half time.

But it never changed. Was Morley injured, as well? If so, the formation could have been changed. But Evatt did nothing.

The second major issue was the final substitutions. I far prefer Ogbeta to Williams, but I’m going to pass over Williams’ minimal contribution when he came on. This was always a 40-60 call, to try something different.

The most unbelievable decision was to replace Dempsey with Nlundulu. First of all, Dempsey was almost the last player I thought should have been replaced. Admittedly, he didn’t have a great first half; Jerome, aside, who did? But in the second half, we saw a lot of the old Dempsey and, for me, he was behind or involved in most of our creative stuff.

However, Nlundulu was never going to offer anything. In his loan last season, he offered nothing, and I was amazed (and annoyed) when we then paid significant money for him.

in the first half of the season he showed nothing to change my (very low) opinion, before injuring himself in a bizarre and inept attempt to score a penalty. Why would be any different after his absence? He wasn’t, though all the front line weren’t helped by the loss of Dempsey from the midfield.

ian Evatt: tonight and previous poor performances are on you.

4 hours ago, TroySwoosh said:

shows how big of a miss Santos is. if he was playing they wouldn't have scored 2

Maybe we should have taken him off against Bristol when he went down injured. Instead of keeping him on when it was progressively getting worse, then losing him for games further down the line.

20 mins with Forrester when already winning versus (at least) 1 full game when we were starting level.

3 hours ago, DazBob said:

Felt sorry for Maghoma tonight. He was so much better than everyone else on our team it was quite embarrassing.

Bang average.

6 hours ago, dusan nikolic said:

Bod confirmed out for the season with a calf injury 

Probably the last we will see of him 

Glad we took Derby to the wire. 
 

Saying that I think it’s better it’s done and we have a couple of league games to feel sorry for ourselves and get ready for the play offs.

Form guide on all is pretty shit but that’s us included. I’d want Oxford over  2 legs as opposed to Barnsley. That said second half of the season the only team I’d wanna play is Cambridge home and away😂

Ill be honest, I’m not confident. Let’s hope It’s misplaced.

 

Shrewsbury were everything which pisses me off about league 1.

Time wasting from the kick off, taking an age to come back after scoring and rolling round like they were playing best man falls.

We really need to find a way of beating shit like this. We need to find a way of being mentally tougher away or we end up like Oxford - a fluffy team who are nice to watch but going nowhere. Derby and Pompey have found ways to win ugly.

Dion didn't look fit to me at all last night, hope he was just feeling his way back in to it.

Maghoma our best player by a mile - possibly his best game for us

6 hours ago, Casino said:

Reet, having seen the highlights its not an easy one but the deflection now looks like it was off him, so maybe he shouldve done better

Their first, take him down george, ffs

Ogbetas chance, wtf

Plus Toal stands of him for the first

Results by the top 3 against the top 6 

Us P9 W2 D5 L2 

Pompey P10 W6 D4 L0

Derby P10 W4 D4 L2 

throw in your wigans, Carlisle, Leyton Orient, Northampton, Bristol rovers and it’s exactly the same trend as last year. Don’t win enough against your competition and too many under par performances where we should’ve been getting more. Where does the buck stop? 
 

looking ahead to the play offs and that record shouldn’t really give us much hope either.. “on our day…” but we don’t have our day over the course of 2 or 3 games in a row

16 minutes ago, barrycowdrill said:

Results by the top 3 against the top 6 

Us P9 W2 D5 L2 

Pompey P10 W6 D4 L0

Derby P10 W4 D4 L2 

throw in your wigans, Carlisle, Leyton Orient, Northampton, Bristol rovers and it’s exactly the same trend as last year. Don’t win enough against your competition and too many under par performances where we should’ve been getting more. Where does the buck stop? 
 

looking ahead to the play offs and that record shouldn’t really give us much hope either.. “on our day…” but we don’t have our day over the course of 2 or 3 games in a row

That’s because we’ve been chopping and changing to rest players, get our best 11 out and we are much more consistent, could do with Victor back before play offs to give us extra physicality, also a shame Johhston ain’t ready a back 3 of santos, Toal and Johnston would help the goals against. We’ve got to pull together, play our best 11 for 3 games and I think we’re favourites to go up via playoffs. 

14 minutes ago, Mounts Kipper said:

That’s because we’ve been chopping and changing to rest players, get our best 11 out and we are much more consistent, could do with Victor back before play offs to give us extra physicality, also a shame Johhston ain’t ready a back 3 of santos, Toal and Johnston would help the goals against. We’ve got to pull together, play our best 11 for 3 games and I think we’re favourites to go up via playoffs. 

No it’s because the other 2 have been better over the season. We’ve no complaints. I’ve banged the drum about derby being shit all season but they are better than us.

16 minutes ago, Mounts Kipper said:

That’s because we’ve been chopping and changing to rest players, get our best 11 out and we are much more consistent, could do with Victor back before play offs to give us extra physicality, also a shame Johhston ain’t ready a back 3 of santos, Toal and Johnston would help the goals against. We’ve got to pull together, play our best 11 for 3 games and I think we’re favourites to go up via playoffs. 

Pompey had just as many if not more injuries to key players I’d have to say 

5 minutes ago, barrycowdrill said:

Pompey had just as many if not more injuries to key players I’d have to say 

But their second string is better than our second string.

Your Bods, Jeromes, Dempseys are getting nowhere near even a depleted Pompey team.

So poor recruitment then