Away Match Day Thread 02/03/2024 L1: Portsmouth v OUFC

On train back to london.

First things first, great away day. Really good atmosphere from both sets of fans and a really good, feisty game of football. For me, the most enjoyable day at the football since Leyton (away!).

I think you’d have to be very churlish not to admit that that was an excellent performance. Comfortably our best under Des, and arguably even, given the context, all season. We restricted Pompey to very, very little - other than that slightly freak second goal, did they create any clear cut chances? - and created some very threatening attacking situations ourselves. I know certain posters won’t want to hear it, but on another day we win that by two or three goals. Des set the team up very well - he can’t be blamed for us not making the most of promising positions or our keeper letting one in through his legs. It was everything we’ve been missing in the last few weeks - playing out quickly from the back, some slick midfield passing, and pace in behind down the wings. We’ve said before with some previous performances that there have been glimpses of what a DB team looks like, but this felt like the first time we’ve really put in 90 mins of that. To my eyes, comfortably the better team, away at the side top of the table.

Dale was my MOTM. Where did that come from?! Looked excellent, and very defensively strong, too. Harris did really well as hold up man in a difficult role and RR had his best game for a while. Played with good pace and got stuck in in midfield. Not quite sure where I stand on Murphy - he looked threatening at times, but did drift out of the game, and had pretty poor end product. Moore adds so much to our defence, and I think Stevens suits Buckingham’s style of play much more than Long - much more mobile and comfortable in possession.

On the flip side, I think MacGuane, while better today, still isn’t quite reaching the levels of earlier this season, and Leigh too I don’t think is quite the same player as pre-injury. Looks a little sloppy. Not going to lay into Cumming, as mistakes happen, but (as I mentioned at the time when he left), while Beadle could have done better for a couple of the goals he conceded, he never made complete clangers, and I think we took that for granted. Very rare for a keeper at this level. I wasn’t sure why Harris was taken off - he didn’t look leggy and he was getting much more joy than Goodwin, who offered little.

An increasing bugbear is our impotence from corners and set pieces. We had so many today, and only really made one count - the Moore chance cleared off the line. With Moore, Brown, Leigh and Goodwin on the pitch, we should be dominating sides in those situations - but so many seem to be floated harmlessly in or into the keeper’s hands. Something to work on.

I take the point that the last couple of weeks have been a very disappointing sequence of results, and I’m not by any means saying Des has done a great job so far writ large. But I don’t think anyone can deny that that today was a vast improvement on what we’ve seen before. We’ve gone to Fratton Park, against a Pompey team in top form, in a game everyone (myself certainly) expected us to get battered in, and conceded a clanger early goal, and still scored one, hit the woodwork twice, had a couple cleared off the line and restricted them to, basically, one lucky break. That is progress.

The trick now will be building on it. Need to see the same again against Cheltenham. Play like that next weekend and we’ll win comfortably. Season’s not dead yet.

Afraid we are "stuck " with Des until at least October/November time. I'm equally worried that we will be stuck with a £400k player who cannot play 90 minutes and who has an ongoing serious injury problem. Wonder if he will be "risked " against Cheltenham?

Victor1986 said:

Wonder if he will be "risked " against Cheltenham?

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Gentlemans agreement incoming...?

Same team on Saturday for me if we go on a run we could still beat Stevenage for 6th

Carpy said:

Click on their name, press ignore, done

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Done. Life is too short for any more of this stuff.

On coach back, not read any posts yet but have to say we were so much better today.
So unlucky with the ones that hit the post, especially Murphy 2nd half, and a couple cleared off the line , and a good save from there keeper.

Result didn't go our way but carry on playing like that and it has to change soon surely

OX14 said:

Agree. Some are dressing this up as the turning point but Des has had 24 games including cup games in charge and one decent performance against Pompey even though we lost doesn't change my feeling he was the wrong choice to takeover from Manning.

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If I'm honest, MApp was my first choice to replace KR, then Des was my 2nd choice, as he seemed to be a well considered, young up and coming manager.

But it hasn't worked, and I really don't think we'll make the playoffs now, we're 3 points off, and all the teams in the playoffs have at least one game in hand over us, and we're simply not winning games, so I can only see us being cutting adrift now.

I hope he proves myself and others wrong though, and manages to turns things around enough between now and the end of the season, that maybe we see enough that we feel he can be given a full summer transfer window after all, but as things currently stand, I really don't see that happening.

Shame

We need 6 wins and a draw in the next 10 ,we've won 1 out of the last 10 , Des was cheerful in his interview, had he checked the Results.

Just clicked on 'JimSmith2' ignore and life feels so much lighter now.

We were lucky to get anything out of todays game. Thought Oxford played well and we were poor. A draw would have flattered us tbh. Referee had a shocker.

Sam_Brown said:

We were lucky to get anything out of todays game. Thought Oxford played well and we were poor. A draw would have flattered us tbh. Referee had a shocker.

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Fair play, one of the most sensible posts on this thread and it comes from the opposition.

Correct me if I’m wrong but it seems like you haven’t been playing that well for a while but still managing to dig out results. A sign of a good team but you will need to be better next season to stay up.

Carpy said:

Click on their name, press ignore, done

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Thanks so much, Carpy.

I can stomach only so much mindless crap!

2 huge errors and not being able to convert chances cost us. Deja vu. (No matter who the opposition)

chromeyellow said:

Yes bringing in a third manager is definitely going to get us in the playoffs

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Today is meaningless until we play like this and win.

BrockBuster said:

That is how you close out a game ladies and gentlemen. Reason they are where they are.

Lots of positives on our side, but luck hasn't been on our side for a while now. Need to start making our own.

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You get what you deserve, unless your not good enough

Victor1986 said:

Afraid we are "stuck " with Des until at least October/November time. I'm equally worried that we will be stuck with a £400k player who cannot play 90 minutes and who has an ongoing serious injury problem. Wonder if he will be "risked " against Cheltenham?

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Harris has been playing well and his goals have picked up. Goodwin will get his chance.

Sam_Brown said:

We were lucky to get anything out of todays game. Thought Oxford played well and we were poor. A draw would have flattered us tbh. Referee had a shocker.

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Ref was weird. Gave random bookings like against Harris for your goalie running into him then didn't book your cd for poleaxing Rodriguez when Harris went through (if not we could have had a 2 v 1. Similarly one of your players who got subbed and booked did about 10 fouls. Didnt book your cd for the pen either. Freekick to you at edge of box when your player fouled rodriguez. Definitely a homer ref. Weird you were booing him

JimSmith2 said:

Exactly, but those fooled by Des can be happy even with a loss if the performance isn’t too bad.

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What exactly do you mean by 'those fooled by Des'?

To whom are you referring?

QR said:

Today is meaningless until we play like this and win.

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I don't think today was meaningless. We showed that we can compete with the team very likely to be champions. We saw the importance of having Elliott Moore back. And we saw how Des wants to play with out and out wingers, and Murphy and Dale were excellent. All of these things are huge positives that we can build on for the remainder of the season.

We also saw that not taking your chances and making mistakes at the back will cost you. And it is just as important to focus on this as to look at the improvements.

10 games to go and 6 wins and a couple of draws will probably be enough, and there was plenty to show that this is possible but by no means guaranteed.