Very poor performance v Burton

[Mangosmate]

Awford clearly doesn't know his best 11 and his meddling with systems and shapes is undoing a solid start to the season. Atangana was missed badly today imho.We were out muscled all over the pitch.Holmes is a trier,but is very limited and Hollands looks a shadow of the player last season. Storey should have started the game and big pat looked decent enough when coming on.I hope he gets more game time as i still think hes better than taylor.Although tbf, Taylor was isolated cos of the system Awford played. We seem unable to stop these big back to front hoof teams,which is a shame as this league has at least 20 more like that.

[pompeygun]

[quote="Mangosmate" date="14:09 on 07 Sep We seem unable to stop these big back to front hoof teams,which is a shame as this league has at least 20 more like that.[/quote]

Harsh on Burton I feel, they were far more than a hoof team IMO. Indeed in posession they looked far more dangerous than we did. Plus their top two were excellent whereas Taylor today had a mare along with Holmes who looks like a girl with his soppy hairdo & today played like one(sorry ladies).
Awfs changed it around for peterborough, Northampton & Yeovil & won all three so I dont necessarily think thats the problem. We are better than last season but still have a way to go before we can say we look like a promotion side. Key to an improvement for me is Danny Hollands, he's started the season very slowly but he's too good to not improve. Also we needed a big physical presence im midfield today & Nige is out atm sadly. Also allowing for how decent I thought Burton were our finishing was absolutely woeful tod

[midhurstblue]

It was poor today, we've now lost the last 2 league matches without scoring a single goal.I hope AA gets somethiung sorted before Tue evening.

[pompeygun]

Midhurst, our next game is Saturday away to Saafend. Home the following tuesday to the Daggers.

[Mangosmate]

Yes probably a bit harsh on Burton PG. But i just think our side is okay football wise,but as for the physicality we are way short for this tough league.

[jon6_1999]

Hopefully the formation experiments will end, and we review which games we have looked good and done well and try and stick with that.

I think one of the biggest complaints we hear is how slow we are to start, and I think a lot has got to do with us not only trying to work out what the opposition are doing, but also what we're doing. We just look sluggish and confused.

Losing games is part of football and there's no need to panic, but I am confused as to our actual style of play. What are we attempting to do?

Long ball to target man, and runners off him? Long ball and target man flick-ons?
Passing through the middle of the park?
Wide men cutting in or supplying crosses for runners?

Part of his success and why AA got the job was last season he came in, he told the players they were better and would win, told them to attack and enjoy it...and they did.

I hope he sticks with that simple but very effective philosophy.

[bluechimes]

To slow out of the gate. Burton took the game to us from the KO and we paid the price for ball watching.

The cross should have been cut off and then two defenders who should/could have cleared miss the ball and froze in that order

Full marks to Burton who then had us on the back foot for the next 30 mins before we showed any signs of even getting into the game. They were sharper/faster first to the ball and crowded around any Pompey player who had possession

The 2nd goal killed it. Yes we played pretty neat passing football that won praise from Burton fans we spoke to after the game but if you can't put the biscuit in the basket

Playing one up front anytime does my head in All this safety first we hold what we have strategy fails when you give up early goals

We need to go at teams from the KO in stead the players looked like they were still on the bus or worse in bed :/

Out and out snipers up front are what we need the ones we have aren't our goals mainly come

[midhurstblue]

So used to Tuesday games I just automatically assume that that after a Sat a Tue game is next.

[lovedeanblue]

It will be after this Saturday

[pompeygun]

BTW McGurk played at Aldershot a couple of seasons ago
BC

Another one who played for the Shots now plying his trade @ Oxford is Danny Hylton, decent pedigree @ this level who nearly always causes us problems. We should've got him when he was available or Reid @ Argyll. Either would have been a major boost to our forward line IMVHO.