Portsmouth vs THE SUPER CLARETS - Match Thread

[Swizzlestick]

He is absolutely terrified of losing. It’s incredibly tedious to watch. Feel sorry for those that travelled as we’ve just white flagged that one. Why, only Scott can answer.

[Stonehouse]

It’s about results not performances. Another clean sheet away from home.

Yes but it’s when your 2 rivals are winning the result isn’t good enough.

[gandhisflipflop]

Out of 30 games this season we have had 10 (TEN) 0-0 draws. Whichever way you dress that up it is nowhere near good enough.

[Plissken]

We’ve scored eight goals during the record setting run of eight consecutive clean sheets.

Kompany was setting historic records and Scottie P is doing the same. So I can’t see what the problem is.

[dsr]

Yes but it’s when your 2 rivals are winning the result isn’t good enough.

19 0-0s and 2 penalty shootouts, and we'll be fine.

[willsclarets]

I'm not quite as downbeat as some, but I do think parker needs to be braver. Sarmiento has done very little for a long time whether starting or coming off the bench. To have not even tried Foster up top with flemming in sarmientos place once is a bit baffling to say the least.

[Stonehouse]

Draw and it remains in our hands, with Sheff Utd at home to come and a worse GD. Certainly not worth being reckless yet. Bad though I accept.

Reckless?,If SP even dreamt of being reckless he’d wake up in a cold sweat.

[IanMcL]

Watching Burnley is a struggle. Nothing offered up front, unless we get lucky early.

[Woodleyclaret]

Benny ,even for last 10 may have helped us to 3 points

[fidelcastro]

Yes, and we had the superior stats. But we were restricted to long balls from the back, which is not our game.

Agreed, but the opposition aren't there to make our game easier for us.

[123EasyasBFC]

Can’t believe he didn’t move Foster up top

[ksrclaret]

Out of 30 games this season we have had 10 (TEN) 0-0 draws. Whichever way you dress that up it is nowhere near good enough.

That’s absolutely astonishing. A 1 in 3 chance of each game being 0-0.

I’ve never known a Burnley side look so clueless beyond half way.

[fidelcastro]

Out of 30 games this season we have had 10 (TEN) 0-0 draws. Whichever way you dress that up it is nowhere near good enough.

Defensively it is!

[warksclaret]

I streamed some of the game and witnessed an inability to take a number of chances-almost powder puff efforts. Our finishing in the majority of games has been very lacking.I got excited about the bench but really struggle why changes not made with another game in 3 days

[BigGaz]

For the first time in a long time, not even at our worst in the PL last season did I not turn up, but absolutely like **** am I doing a two hour round trip to sit in the cold and watch that for 90 mins on Tuesday night.

[Colburn_Claret]

I'm surprised at people's surprise. It's been atrocious for months.
I said Oxford was the last chance saloon, I'll give him the one more. If we do t change our style or improve our attacking intent, then he has to go. Put him and the spectators out of their misery.
He's a nice bloke, and done a sound job in difficult circumstances, but he just isn't a manager, as the last run of games shows.

[Devils_Advocate]

I can defend Parker because he was dealt such a bad hand in the last window.

This is a myth. We had a crazy week when it felt like all our team were going to be sold be we actually lost very few. The only two players in the team from the 5-0 win against Cardiff we lost was Vitinho and O'Shea and against Luton we just had Odobert playing as well

Berge was always going and didnt play, Amdouni was always going and made one 88 minute sub appearance and JBG went came back and went making only a 92 minute sub appearance so this idea the squad was ripped apart is nonsense

When we went down last team we lost Pope, Mee, Tarks, Collins, McNeill and Cornet but we brought in cheaply or on loan Muric, Beyer, Matsen, Harwood-Bellis, Cullen, Zaroury, Tella and Benson.

Parker has taken probably the best squad in the league, made average signings to replace the players we lost and coached the life out them to turn us ino a team trying to grind out results

The narrative that Parkers had it tough and been hard done too is ludicrous and anything below automatic promotion is below par. What Parker had to deal with the week of the Sunderland games was horrendous and its fair to blame that result on the transfer window but beyond that there is no excuse

[mkmel]

Two minimum attacking signings needed in the last 2 days of the transfer window

[Hedontplayforyou]

For the first time in a long time, not even at our worst in the PL last season did I not turn up, but absolutely like **** am I doing a two hour round trip to sit in the cold and watch that for 90 mins on Tuesday night.

I was going to go midweek but I am contemplating staying home too. I feel sorry for this who went today

[Hedontplayforyou]

Two minimum attacking signings needed in the last 2 days of the transfer window

I don’t disagree but when your midfield can’t get the ball to them it won’t matter much. Laurent should have been swapped for Shelvey . Someone who is more comfortable in possession….something I was hammered for by a couple suggesting that I’d said Shelvey is coke sort of saviour the other day Well the incompetence on the ball currently suggests that a change would do us good.

[JohnDearyMe]

Absolute garbage

[firebfcfire]

Just got back to car. People might call it negative but we are playing 21st in the league. There was only one team who looked like scoring - it wasn't us. His subs are Hannibal and Barnes. What is the point in having Shelvey, Koloesho and Benson on the bench. Guaranteed the interview is going to be the point is fantastic, but at the end of the day the negative tactics are going to cost us promotion. Why not take off Laurent and put Barnes and Flemming up top... What a long way to go for that performance

[Steddyman]

Can’t believe he didn’t move Foster up top

Probably didn't want him blocking Flemmings shots

[ralph8]

Rather than begging up the unbeaten run it should be the Ten Nil Nils which dominate any discussion on the team performances under SP.

[Steddyman]

Just got back to car. People might call it negative but we are playing 21st in the league. There was only one team who looked like scoring - it wasn't us. His subs are Hannibal and Barnes. What is the point in having Shelvey, Koloesho and Benson on the bench. Guaranteed the interview is going to be the point is fantastic, but at the end of the day the negative tactics are going to cost us promotion. Why not take off Laurent and put Barnes and Flemming up top... What a long way to go for that performance

Koloesho wasn't on the bench

[Goody1975]

Two minimum attacking signings needed in the last 2 days of the transfer window

That's all well and good but they have to be utilised in a way that gets the best out of them.

We are close to the two points per game required in every season for automatic promotion. There is a fair chance that it won't be enough this season.

We have played Leeds, Sunderland, Blackburn and Middlesbrough twice, that's everybody other than Sheffield United and West Brom from the top seven. We have to have the belief (even arrogance) that we are better than just about every other team we'll face between now and the end of the season and go for nothing but three points from here on in.

Sod the clean sheet/goals conceded record, it'll mean the square root of **** all if we are in the Championship next season. A season that will see us without Trafford, Esteve and others.

[willsclarets]

Koloesho wasn't on the bench

That totally passed me by. Odd one

[TsarBomba]

Can’t defend this anymore.

10 0-0’s is simply unacceptable.

There’s absolutely zero point having this defensive record if it means not getting promoted.

I don’t get the signing of Barnes. I don’t get the lack of subs.

Second spot is there for the taking, and if we miss out, then it’s on Parker. There’s no excuses from now.

[JohnDearyMe]

Frustrating but an exciting game to be fair, unlike other 0-0.

Pompey were well up for it, felt like a cup game away to a lower league side.

I felt we had the hardest of the top three’s games today. Sheff Utd and Leeds haven’t beaten them either, and Leeds were at home.

Exciting?? What bit of that game got you up off your seat? Yet another instantly forgettable game from Parker.

[jojomk1]

Two minimum attacking signings needed in the last 2 days of the transfer window

But he won't know how to use them

[Dark Cloud]

I honestly think Parker isn't always trying to deliberately set us up not to lose and simply take the point. I think he's working with the players he's got, most of whom he inherited or were brought in in a total rush when the mass exodus happened. It so happens that out of the players he's got available, by far the best ones are the defenders and the defensive midfielders. The offensive players are decent, but they're simply not good enough, consistently enough and you can shuffle that pack as much as you like, but that won't change. They've huffed and puffed up front all season, especially against the also rans and have struggled to break them down. The main reason isn't Parker, it's because they're not good enough. I've felt all along that a top two finish is beyond this team/squad and even after the odd excellent result I still hold to that view. Days like today show precisely why. Good, but not good enough. We'll finish 3rd (or even 4th).

[KernowHouseClaret]

Yet we're still 3rd in the league, have a +27 GD, and 3pts off second... Doesn't seem too bad to me,ets see where we are at the end of February.
I'm sure Sunderland, Rovers, etc would happily swap places with us

[JohnDearyMe]

Yet we're still 3rd in the league, have a +27 GD, and 3pts off second... Doesn't seem too bad to me,ets see where we are at the end of February.
I'm sure Sunderland, Rovers, etc would happily swap places with us

I'm sure they'd happily swap our wage bill and transfer budget.

[Murger]

I honestly think Parker isn't always trying to deliberately set us up not to lose and simply take the point. I think he's working with the players he's got, most of whom he inherited or were brought in in a total rush when the mass exodus happened. It so happens that out of the players he's got available, by far the best ones are the defenders and the defensive midfielders. The offensive players are decent, but they're simply not good enough, consistently enough and you can shuffle that pack as much as you like, but that won't change. They've huffed and puffed up front all season, especially against the also rans and have struggled to break them down. The main reason isn't Parker, it's because they're not good enough. I've felt all along that a top two finish is beyond this team/squad and even after the odd excellent result I still hold to that view. Days like today show precisely why. Good, but not good enough. We'll finish 3rd (or even 4th).

Nonsense. Out of the front 4 from today, only Flemming who hasn’t got a promotion.

[KernowHouseClaret]

I'm sure they'd happily swap our wage bill and transfer budget.

Yet, some people on here keep telling us we've got no money

[Dark Cloud]

It comes to something when I find I'm actually fearing the visit of Oxford on Tuesday night!

[Murger]

Yet we're still 3rd in the league, have a +27 GD, and 3pts off second... Doesn't seem too bad to me,ets see where we are at the end of February.
I'm sure Sunderland, Rovers, etc would happily swap places with us

‘See where we are at the end of feb’. Then march, then April.

[TsarBomba]

Yet we're still 3rd in the league, have a +27 GD, and 3pts off second... Doesn't seem too bad to me,ets see where we are at the end of February.
I'm sure Sunderland, Rovers, etc would happily swap places with us

Thing is we’ve been saying ‘let’s see where we’re at after..’ for a few months now.

I think we’ve got to the stage where we can’t keep saying that.

We’re NOT seeing an improvement in results and/or performances.

Our wide players especially have shown zero improvement over the last 30 games, despite Parker saying they are working ‘relentlessly’ in training to improve our attacking output.

[JohnDearyMe]

Yet, some people on here keep telling us we've got no money

We've clearly got a lot more money than most of out competitors but we keep churning out such boring and dreadful football

[expoultryboy]

You can bring as many forwards in as you want , it doesn't mean he'll play them !! We pass it around at the back going nowhere , because our very slow/average midfield never find space . We take free kicks and throw- ins in the opposite half and within 6 passes it ends up at Traffords feet . It's so negative/boring.

[KernowHouseClaret]

Thing is we’ve been saying ‘let’s see where we’re at after..’ for a few months now.

I think we’ve got to the stage where we can’t keep saying that.

We’re NOT seeing an improvement in results and/or performances.

Our wide players especially have shown zero improvement over the last 30 games, despite Parker saying they are working ‘relentlessly’ in training to improve our attacking output.

Yet we're still 3rd and within touching distance of 2nd, I'm sure we a said "let's see where we are after Xmas and NY and we did pretty well. So why not see where we are after Feb, if we're still within touching distance at the end then what's the issue, 2nd place is fine for promotion.

[Dark Cloud]

Nonsense. Out of the front 4 from today, only Flemming who hasn’t got a promotion.

I've watched them all season, at home and frequently away (as I'm sure you have) and whatever they've achieved before counts for little. Our attacking options simply aren't good enough and that doesn't matter how you shuffle them or rotate them. We're making 2/3 chances per game and relying on taking one. That's a big ask. Teams who are serious top two contenders can create chance after chance against almost every other team they play and therefore will often put 2 or 3 away and win comfortably. We've all seen promotions in the past, not least the last one and how teams give that air of invincibility and just steamroller the opposition. This team don't. Because they haven't got it. The players aren't good enough.

[TheFamilyCat]

This is a myth. We had a crazy week when it felt like all our team were going to be sold be we actually lost very few. The only two players in the team from the 5-0 win against Cardiff we lost was Vitinho and O'Shea and against Luton we just had Odobert playing as well

Berge was always going and didnt play, Amdouni was always going and made one 88 minute sub appearance and JBG went came back and went making only a 92 minute sub appearance so this idea the squad was ripped apart is nonsense

When we went down last team we lost Pope, Mee, Tarks, Collins, McNeill and Cornet but we brought in cheaply or on loan Muric, Beyer, Matsen, Harwood-Bellis, Cullen, Zaroury, Tella and Benson.

Parker has taken probably the best squad in the league, made average signings to replace the players we lost and coached the life out them to turn us ino a team trying to grind out results

The narrative that Parkers had it tough and been hard done too is ludicrous and anything below automatic promotion is below par. What Parker had to deal with the week of the Sunderland games was horrendous and its fair to blame that result on the transfer window but beyond that there is no excuse

Add to that, he was appointed 2 months before the window shut. Plenty of time to work out who didn't want to be here, ship them out and replace them.

[KernowHouseClaret]

‘See where we are at the end of feb’. Then march, then April.

If we're still 3pts away from 2nd then yes

[CoolClaret]

Parker has taken probably the best squad in the league, made average signings to replace the players we lost and coached the life out them to turn us ino a team trying to grind out results

The narrative that Parkers had it tough and been hard done too is ludicrous and anything below automatic promotion is below par. What Parker had to deal with the week of the Sunderland games was horrendous and its fair to blame that result on the transfer window but beyond that there is no excuse

SP had 7 days to build a team and I think his only signings really were Laurent and Anthony ust to get bodies in. The rest is on the recruitment team.

[Murger]

I've watched them all season, at home and frequently away (as I'm sure you have) and whatever they've achieved before counts for little. Our attacking options simply aren't good enough and that doesn't matter how you shuffle them or rotate them. We're making 2/3 chances per game and relying on taking one. That's a big ask. Teams who are serious top two contenders can create chance after chance against almost every other team they play and therefore will often put 2 or 3 away and win comfortably. We've all seen promotions in the past, not least the last one and how teams give that air of invincibility and just steamroller the opposition. This team don't. Because they haven't got it. The players aren't good enough.

The manager. His risk averse style is the main issue. We could have Messi, Ronaldo and Mbappe up top. But the managers insistence on pass ad infinitum is what’s killing us.

[Murger]

If we're still 3pts away from 2nd then yes

But we won’t be 3 points away if we continue as we are.

[Dark Cloud]

The manager. His risk averse style is the main issue. We could have Messi, Ronaldo and Mbappe up top. But the managers insistence on pass ad infinitum is what’s killing us.

I don't actually agree. I actually think he just hasn't got the offensive players at his disposal to break down decent, well organised, athletic Championship defences. It takes better players. Ironically our defenders are bloody brilliant. It's when we get beyond that.

[CoolClaret]

Nonsense. Out of the front 4 from today, only Flemming who hasn’t got a promotion.

Foster barely contributed to our promotion, Sarmiento was a bench player with 3 goals for Ipswich in theirs last season. Anthony yes, big player for Bournemouth during their promotion season, but come on, Obafemi scored more goals than Foster did for us in the 22/23 season.

[KernowHouseClaret]

But we won’t be 3 points away if we continue as we are.

But continuing as we are is what we've done all season and we've picked up 58pts, +27 GD, I'll happily continue as we are, it seems to be keeping us in the top 3