Home Match Day Thread 18/4/2023 L1: OUFC v Portsmouth

[Joey]

RadOx were pretty sure we wanted to make the change but the fourth official wasn't ready.

I should have said, I did wonder if there was an outside influence as it seemed to make no sense with Bodin ready to go. Regardless of that it was still far too late though, he was a passenger for a good while.

 

[Wallop]

They didn’t have a chance all game expect that free kick we are so unlucky

Er.....unless I'm about to be whooshed - one of their headers hit Eastwood and was cleared in a panicked fashion and we cleared another one off the line.

 

[Paul Cannell]

Someone’s got their thesaurus out. Why’s this post Panglossian?

Because, my dear, you regard any leader as the best of all possible leaders and remain in thrall despite the most onvious evidence to the contrary, supporting them long after any rational person has concluded they are a fool, fraud, or incompetent.

 

[PottersRightBoot]

Because, my dear, you regard any leader as the best of all possible leaders and remain in thrall despite the most onvious evidence to the contrary, supporting them long after any rational person has concluded they are a fool, fraud, or incompetent.

I’m getting the Leonard Sachs ‘ Good Old Days’ vibe again.

 

[IsleofWightYellow]

Player Ratings:

(Attended the game, sat on the front row of the SSU, near the halfway line)

Eastwood: 7 - Didn’t have much to do but made some good catches and bowled it out well a few times as well. Don’t think he could have done anything for the goal

Brown: 6 - Didn’t do anything massively wrong but I felt he wasn’t quite as good as he usually is, but certainly not a bad performance by any means. Didn’t offer a huge amount going forwards, as ever

Findlay: 7 - I thought that was one of his better performances for us and a time where he outpperformed his centre back partner. Still not great on the ball but solid and combative.

Moore: 6 - I’m not fully convinced by him, he’ll never be a Nelson/Dickie/Atkinson/McNally, but he’s solid enough in L1/L2

Long: 5 - I’m surprised at the praise for him as I thought he was only ok. He looked shaky on the ball for me and low in confidence. He still worked hard and tried things

Brannagan: 6 - Worked hard, busy. Not all of his long passes came off.

McGuane: 6 - He certainly saw a lot of the ball, but as so often it was usually in a deep area which couldn’t hurt the opposition. I’d love to see him play in the AMC role that Browne has.

Browne: 7 - I thought he was decent; ran at people, got them booked, should have had more protection from the referee if anything. Awful shooting though and needs to learn to pass better/quicker. I was impressed by his workrate and pressing though, he really seems to have bought in to the new regime, long may it continue

Joseph: 7 - Not everything he tried came off but his work rate was exceptional and he harried and closed down with aplomb

O’Donkor: 6 - It’s a hard one to score as he did so much right, held the ball up well, ran at them, won free kicks and got players booked, but missing those gilt-edged chances drops him down for me. Very promising still, but should have come off earlier when he was clearly shot. Subbed on the 83rd minute when the 70th would have been far more suitable.

Goodrham: 6 - Barely touched the ball in the first 15 mins or so but grew into the game and still seemed fresh and sharp when he came off. Likeable character and good with the ball at his feet

Subs:

Wildschut: 4 - I don’t understand why Manning keeps bringing him on as a left winger. He isn’t a winger. He has no pace, no agility and can’t dribble. I’d be happy to see him as a central striker as he is strong and can hold the ball up and play a pass, but he noticeably weakened the team when he came on and we looked less threatening down that side than before

Bodin: 5 - Had some nice touches and got into some good positions but his shooting was poor.

Anderson: 7 - Didn’t have much time but absolutely terrified their left back when he ran at them and put a couple of decent balls in.

 

[Jaxon]

Not read the rest of this but my thought are that was a much better performance all round, Long man of the match tonight but it could have been a few different players.

We can't keep saying "if we play like that every week we'll be fine", at some point we need to win a game. We're all fart and no s**t at the moment and the decision to loan out Taylor looks even worse now and it looked completely cretinous to begin with.

G'OD showed some excellent flashes but also showed why he should have spent this season on loan lower down the pyramid. As good as some of his play was if that were Tyler Smith putting in that performance we'd all be pissed off and talking about the chances he missed to turn a draw into a win. Madness we waited so long to take him off when he was clearly blowing.

Brilliant header by Long. Marking was non existent, I've not watched it back but will be interested to see if this was fortune or as a result of some blocking of defenders.

Portsmouth picked up Moore and Brown
They were both double marked leaving Long free
Mous not that good eh!

 

[Jaxon]

Player Ratings:

(Attended the game, sat on the front row of the SSU, near the halfway line)

Eastwood: 7 - Didn’t have much to do but made some good catches and bowled it out well a few times as well. Don’t think he could have done anything for the goal

Brown: 6 - Didn’t do anything massively wrong but I felt he wasn’t quite as good as he usually is, but certainly not a bad performance by any means. Didn’t offer a huge amount going forwards, as ever

Findlay: 7 - I thought that was one of his better performances for us and a time where he outpperformed his centre back partner. Still not great on the ball but solid and combative.

Moore: 6 - I’m not fully convinced by him, he’ll never be a Nelson/Dickie/Atkinson/McNally, but he’s solid enough in L1/L2

Long: 5 - I’m surprised at the praise for him as I thought he was only ok. He looked shaky on the ball for me and low in confidence. He still worked hard and tried things

Brannagan: 6 - Worked hard, busy. Not all of his long passes came off.

McGuane: 6 - He certainly saw a lot of the ball, but as so often it was usually in a deep area which couldn’t hurt the opposition. I’d love to see him play in the AMC role that Browne has.

Browne: 7 - I thought he was decent; ran at people, got them booked, should have had more protection from the referee if anything. Awful shooting though and needs to learn to pass better/quicker. I was impressed by his workrate and pressing though, he really seems to have bought in to the new regime, long may it continue

Joseph: 7 - Not everything he tried came off but his work rate was exceptional and he harried and closed down with aplomb

O’Donkor: 6 - It’s a hard one to score as he did so much right, held the ball up well, ran at them, won free kicks and got players booked, but missing those gilt-edged chances drops him down for me. Very promising still, but should have come off earlier when he was clearly shot. Subbed on the 83rd minute when the 70th would have been far more suitable.

Goodrham: 6 - Barely touched the ball in the first 15 mins or so but grew into the game and still seemed fresh and sharp when he came off. Likeable character and good with the ball at his feet

Subs:

Wildschut: 4 - I don’t understand why Manning keeps bringing him on as a left winger. He isn’t a winger. He has no pace, no agility and can’t dribble. I’d be happy to see him as a central striker as he is strong and can hold the ball up and play a pass, but he noticeably weakened the team when he came on and we looked less threatening down that side than before

Bodin: 5 - Had some nice touches and got into some good positions but his shooting was poor.

Anderson: 7 - Didn’t have much time but absolutely terrified their left back when he ran at them and put a couple of decent balls in.

Don’t agree with many or any of your marking

 

[IsleofWightYellow]

Don’t agree with many or any of your marking

Ok, what are yours?

 

[Jaxon]

Firstly, what an enjoyable game that was! I was nervous throughout but for the first time in a long time really enjoyed the way we went about it.

Key points like missing chances, Pompey being very average (or did the way we play make them look average?) have already been made but one thing I noticed from my seat high in the North Stand was it is obvious who is comfortable on the ball in our team and who isn't.

For me Findlay and Long were excellent defensively, but at times the quality of the passing wasn't as good as others. Passes were hit too firmly, out of play etc. I do think we'd be a totally different team if we didn't have 4 centre backs across the back line, last night we created a number of chances despite that but normally I think we will need more composed perfromances in the full back area. That might be slightly harsh on Ciaran Brown who does offer something, but overall if we want to challenge then we need to improve in those areas.

If Long, Moore, Findlay and Brown were the 4 competing for 2 or 3 centre back spots next year then I would not be unhappy. I like Findlay's commitement but think he is the wrong sort of centre back for us at this moment in time, swap him out for a ball playing centre back and let those 4 fight it out then we'd be in good shape.

It was so nice to really enjoy the football we played. Credit for the team for keeping going, those that missed chances did not shy away.

ps I love the way Tyler Goodrham buzzes around players, nicks the ball and then travels with it. Looks a real player to me!

You have to remember that Brown plays outside of Findlay that can’t pass a 5 yard pass

 

[MiddleBartonYellow]

Player Ratings:

(Attended the game, sat on the front row of the SSU, near the halfway line)

Eastwood: 7 - Didn’t have much to do but made some good catches and bowled it out well a few times as well. Don’t think he could have done anything for the goal

Brown: 6 - Didn’t do anything massively wrong but I felt he wasn’t quite as good as he usually is, but certainly not a bad performance by any means. Didn’t offer a huge amount going forwards, as ever

Findlay: 7 - I thought that was one of his better performances for us and a time where he outpperformed his centre back partner. Still not great on the ball but solid and combative.

Moore: 6 - I’m not fully convinced by him, he’ll never be a Nelson/Dickie/Atkinson/McNally, but he’s solid enough in L1/L2

Long: 5 - I’m surprised at the praise for him as I thought he was only ok. He looked shaky on the ball for me and low in confidence. He still worked hard and tried things

Brannagan: 6 - Worked hard, busy. Not all of his long passes came off.

McGuane: 6 - He certainly saw a lot of the ball, but as so often it was usually in a deep area which couldn’t hurt the opposition. I’d love to see him play in the AMC role that Browne has.

Browne: 7 - I thought he was decent; ran at people, got them booked, should have had more protection from the referee if anything. Awful shooting though and needs to learn to pass better/quicker. I was impressed by his workrate and pressing though, he really seems to have bought in to the new regime, long may it continue

Joseph: 7 - Not everything he tried came off but his work rate was exceptional and he harried and closed down with aplomb

O’Donkor: 6 - It’s a hard one to score as he did so much right, held the ball up well, ran at them, won free kicks and got players booked, but missing those gilt-edged chances drops him down for me. Very promising still, but should have come off earlier when he was clearly shot. Subbed on the 83rd minute when the 70th would have been far more suitable.

Goodrham: 6 - Barely touched the ball in the first 15 mins or so but grew into the game and still seemed fresh and sharp when he came off. Likeable character and good with the ball at his feet

Subs:

Wildschut: 4 - I don’t understand why Manning keeps bringing him on as a left winger. He isn’t a winger. He has no pace, no agility and can’t dribble. I’d be happy to see him as a central striker as he is strong and can hold the ball up and play a pass, but he noticeably weakened the team when he came on and we looked less threatening down that side than before

Bodin: 5 - Had some nice touches and got into some good positions but his shooting was poor.

Anderson: 7 - Didn’t have much time but absolutely terrified their left back when he ran at them and put a couple of decent balls in.

Wildschut is played as a winger because that’s what he is. He was signed as a winger and as far as I know has played his whole career as a winger. He made us weaker when he came on because basically he isn’t very good.

 

[Jaxon]

Ok, what are yours?

All players deserved at least 7
Moore and Long and Brown and Brannigan played well
Defense was tight including Findlay apart from his passing
Midfield were more creative
Attack put it all in but we can’t score in a br**thel

 

[IsleofWightYellow]

All players deserved at least 7
Moore and Long and Brown and Brannigan played well
Defense was tight including Findlay apart from his passing
Midfield were more creative
Attack put it all in but we can’t score in a br**thel

Majority of players I gave at least a 6 so not that different to a 7. There was a lot of effort and some good play but ultimately we were held at home to what seemed to me to be a poor Portsmouth side

 

[Jaxon]

Majority of players I gave at least a 6 so not that different to a 7. There was a lot of effort and some good play but ultimately we were held at home to what seemed to me to be a poor Portsmouth side

We were not held at home we can’t score
Portsmouth were so poor but we had at least 4 chances that most of the crowd could have scored from

 

[Scotchegg]

I appreciate that football is all about opinions, but honestly don't know how much more anyone was expecting from Sam Long.

I can't think of a single time Pompey got down his side with any real purpose, he contributed to defending most set pieces against us really well against a team much taller than us, he scored a really good goal (directing his header across goal in a crowded box), played the ball of the game to put it on GO'Ds head, and a decent effort blocked, and put in a few other decent crosses.

Yes, he made a couple of dodgy passes, but so did Cam and others. He also passed back and sideways at times, but that has been coached into them from LM and we actually did much better at recycling play again rather than just passing back and lumping the ball forward.

That was as solid a games as I've seen from Sam all season, and I'm not sure what more anyone could have reasonably expected.

 

[East Stand Fan]

Ain't done one of these before so as my memory is still fresh and last night was half decent, I'll give it a go:-

Eastwood: (7) Didn't have many saves to make but was good in the air and didn't stand a chance with their goal
Brown: (6) Solid enough. Didn't have too much work to do on the wings and got forward when possible
Findlay: (8) Bit shaky early on but absolutely solid throughout. Read everything, won plenty and was very composed as the game wore on
Moore: (7) Worked well with Findlay and was rarely troubled. Moved the ball from the back well
Long: (7) Scored a great goal and set up GOD's header which should've made it 2-1. Didn't get forward that much though especially in the first half
Brannagan: (7) Reliable as always. Good corner for the goal and caused plenty of issues from set-pieces. Just lacked that killer ball in open play
McGuane: (6) Gave away their free kick and was quite sloppy on the ball at times. Set up GOD first half on a plate and worked hard though
Browne: (7) Another strong display in that role but his finishing is letting him down. Two decent games from him though and something to build from
Joseph: (7) worked very hard and although he didn't get into many dangerous positions like Saturday, he caused lots of problems for their defence
O’Donkor: (6) Missed two very good chances. Was spent after 70 and wasn't making effective runs. Did well getting into the key positions though and goals will come
Goodrham: (7) Played well and was always a threat on the edge of the box. Nearly scored too

Subs:
Wildschut: (4) Came on, looked more exhasted than some that had started the game. A few bursts of energy but largely ineffective
Bodin: (6) Good to have him back and his link-up play has been sorely missed. He will be vital during the closing games
Anderson (5) Feet ahead of his brain half the time. If he is to come on, it has to be around the 65th minute mark because it takes him a while to adjust

 

[IsleofWightYellow]

I appreciate that football is all about opinions, but honestly don't know how much more anyone was expecting from Sam Long.

I can't think of a single time Pompey got down his side with any real purpose, he contributed to defending most set pieces against us really well against a team much taller than us, he scored a really good goal (directing his header across goal in a crowded box), played the ball of the game to put it on GO'Ds head, and a decent effort blocked, and put in a few other decent crosses.

Yes, he made a couple of dodgy passes, but so did Cam and others. He also passed back and sideways at times, but that has been coached into them from LM and we actually did much better at recycling play again rather than just passing back and lumping the ball forward.

That was as solid a games as I've seen from Sam all season, and I'm not sure what more anyone could have reasonably expected.

I suppose it depends if your ratings are contextualised against a backdrop of how players have been so far this season, the position we’re currently in, and how the team is doing; or just general ratings where 5 is average, with as much good as bad, and 6+ is above average, irregardless of the situation. I’d say mine are more the latter.

I’ve seen Sam Long at right back absolutely terrorise defences, getting goals and assists galore (unfortunately not so much this season) so if you’re giving his performance last night a 7/8 out of 10 then those previous performances of his form earlier seasons would have to be a Spinal Tap turn it up to 11.

 

[brassmonkey]

For those wishing we had Taylor back have you forgotten the amount of guilt Edge chances he missed? God puts in a hell of a lot more effort and challenges than Taylor ever did this season.

 

[SirAndyOfCrosby]

God puts in a hell of a lot more effort and challenges than Taylor ever did this season.

God  loves is a trier.

 

[Symp59]

Sadly I can see Accrington getting something at Portsmouth. And it's quite funny how our fans were going on about Mous when he got the job and You can see him not lasting there much past the start of next season after the chairman's comments last night and there fans they don't rate him at all.

 

[East Stand Fan]

Sadly I can see Accrington getting something at Portsmouth. And it's quite funny how our fans were going on about Mous when he got the job and You can see him not lasting there much past the start of next season after the chairman's comments last night and there fans they don't rate him at all.

Portsmouth fans are an incredibly entitled bunch who fail to appreciate any circumstance they find themselves in even after slumming it in League Two in recent years. Mous took over a shambolic squad with no real depth and had barely a week to muster new signings with limited finances. They've got 33 out of 57 points under him which is better than Cowley's 31 out of 66 this season. They really need to give him a chance in the summer and he did well to get them mounting a late playoff challenge this year alone.