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xavi6 wrote:

Vhero wrote:

xavi6 wrote:

Douglas Higginbottom wrote:I think we can safely say that Ireland was taked off due to injury rather than not being brilliant.
As for Robinho not playing is that really a problem? Not for a second do I think Bellamy had a great game but the team won't stay the same for every match and this seemed to me an ideal time to leave Robinho out.

Spot on Doug.

I think Bellamy was chosen for his ability to track back. Pompey is a horrible place to go at the best of times and we couldn't afford to leave one of our full backs exposed. Van Den Borre is quick and fit and I doubt Robby would have been too arsed tracking him back.

No problems with the decision.

Bellers certainly didn't backtrack much today.

Can you honestly say Robinho would have done a better job defensively?

Robinho ain't a defender I don't expect him to mate but unlike Bellamy he can do amazing things with the ball and he's great for that. Bellamy's okay on the ball and gets extra points for backtracking. They are completely different types of players. See you guys give Bellers brownie points for tracking back but he should be fucking doing his job on the left wing instead I mean that's his position FFS. If we had nobody else for that position then fair enough but we do and I'm clueless as to why Hughes started him on the wing he isn't exactly our fastest player.

Vhero wrote:Robinho ain't a defender

Which is why he would have been useless in a 4-4-2 away to Portsmouth

They are completely different types of players.

100% agree, and Bellamy's type was more suited to today's game.

See you guys give Bellers brownie points for tracking back but he should be fucking doing his job on the left wing instead

Correct me if I'm wrong but a left winger has defensive duties, and lots of them. If it was a 4-3-3 we were playing then it'd be different.

I'm clueless as to why Hughes started him on the wing he isn't exactly our fastest player.

I'd say he's quicker than Robbie anyway

City are certainly a better side to watch when Robinho's playing.
I hope this isn't a regular thing of playing Bellamy in front of him.

saulman wrote:City are certainly a better side to watch when Robinho's playing.
I hope this isn't a regular thing of playing Bellamy in front of him.

I agree with that. Bellamy is great great player but he's no Robinho.

We have two important games after the international break, in which robbie will play two hard games , one against Argentina. Resting him isn't a bad idea. Plus I think the knock he had last week was a factor. All good I say.

King Kev wrote:

OhDannyBoy wrote:Ireland was injured, surely that was clear to see?

It was very clear to see mate, I even mentioned it in this thread when the players came out for the second half!

Ireland wasn't marked out of the game by Brown, he was kicked and stamped out of the game by him!

That tackle was horrendous from Brown, and you could see Stevies ankle bend to the point of snapping. What got me was the fucking ref who let it go until the 2nd tackle.

Good game from the boys today who got a very good work our froma clogging team. We should have been clear well before those last awkward 10 minutes, and if the ref had anything about him, a certain ex player should've been sent off; twice.

4 games, 4 wins (3 away from home), 9 points on the board, through to the next round of the cup and no goals conceded. All in all, a very good start to the season.

Roll on Arsenal!!!

Douglas Higginbottom wrote:Yuck. Amazing isn't how we can moan about winning away at Portsmouth. We have come quite a way in a short time and have just won another match with a clean sheet without playing well.

No doubt we gave the ball away too often and in bad areas. I kept hearing Eddie Niedzvieki shouting pass the ball / keep the ball but we were not very good today. Pity the second goal was chalked off as I think we might have had 4 but I will take the 3 points and hope that we keep getting that little bit of luck all teams need.Pity all teams won't have Nugent on the end of such great chances.

I wonder if Micah would have headed that ball away before it got to Nugent instead of Zabba running around it?

I'm sure he would but Zabba's mistakes are invisible & Micah is the whipping boy so it's only completely crap defending that nearly cost us 2 points if Micah does it.

3/3 in the League and no goals against is the great start we needed. We're fortunate that we had nobody of note against us and we've had the chance to bed in a little. Still not gelled but I'm happy with our progress.

The next two games will be good tests and a measure of our progress. Do well and it will be a great confidence booster.

I don't hear the rags complaining that they a scraping through with luck and reffing decisions. We've not got a lot to moan about.

john68 wrote:I don't hear the rags complaining that they a scraping through with luck and reffing decisions. We've not got a lot to moan about.

Well said. Whilst we were not that good today and a bit lucky that Nugent is piss poor we still won and on another day it could have been 4-0.

Barry was great, Given is a presence at the back and Bellamy worked hard. Otherwise not that much that stands out.

Niall Quinns Discopants wrote:

Dameerto wrote:Nope, it was aimed into the six yard box, not at any one player

Jeezes. It's not line mans duty to speculate who it was aimed at, it was going straight at Barry who was offside.

You boys need to learn the offside rule. I'm just as pissed off it didn't count but it was right call by ref. Simple as that.

I can't believe you stuck to your guns on this one mate. You are completely wrong and it suprises me that you think that the player who the ball was aimed at has anything to do with it. Barry had nothing to do with that attack - he wasn't interfering with the passage of play.

The linesman made a mistake and I'm sure when he looks back at it, he'll be the first one to say so. It was a very understandable mistake because as Andy Gray and the others said, from his angle he has no concept of depth and could not see how far away from Richards Barry actually is. Therefore, he presumed that Barry interfered the passage of play. Again, it was definitely a WRONG decision, but like I say I'm sure he now knows that. FFS everyone knows it.

And I really really hope you do to.

Ted Hughes wrote:

Douglas Higginbottom wrote:Yuck. Amazing isn't how we can moan about winning away at Portsmouth. We have come quite a way in a short time and have just won another match with a clean sheet without playing well.

No doubt we gave the ball away too often and in bad areas. I kept hearing Eddie Niedzvieki shouting pass the ball / keep the ball but we were not very good today. Pity the second goal was chalked off as I think we might have had 4 but I will take the 3 points and hope that we keep getting that little bit of luck all teams need.Pity all teams won't have Nugent on the end of such great chances.

I wonder if Micah would have headed that ball away before it got to Nugent instead of Zabba running around it?

I'm sure he would but Zabba's mistakes are invisible & Micah is the whipping boy so it's only completely crap defending that nearly cost us 2 points if Micah does it.

You might well be right Ted!

Douglas Higginbottom wrote:

Ted Hughes wrote:

Douglas Higginbottom wrote:Yuck. Amazing isn't how we can moan about winning away at Portsmouth. We have come quite a way in a short time and have just won another match with a clean sheet without playing well.

No doubt we gave the ball away too often and in bad areas. I kept hearing Eddie Niedzvieki shouting pass the ball / keep the ball but we were not very good today. Pity the second goal was chalked off as I think we might have had 4 but I will take the 3 points and hope that we keep getting that little bit of luck all teams need.Pity all teams won't have Nugent on the end of such great chances.

I wonder if Micah would have headed that ball away before it got to Nugent instead of Zabba running around it?

I'm sure he would but Zabba's mistakes are invisible & Micah is the whipping boy so it's only completely crap defending that nearly cost us 2 points if Micah does it.

You might well be right Ted!

However, Neddy would've been better than them both!

Thats the first away game iv been to in ages where we have won!! Think the last one befor that was against Oxford! Great day out. Much better than last season. Fratton needs some seriuos work though. Couldnt even get to the toilets at half time. I dont know why they dont extend the walk way over that concrete ledge at the other side of the fencing. Be looking at those pen shouts again later. Seemed like good shouts to me. The Tevez one looked as clear as day!

irblinx wrote:

Douglas Higginbottom wrote:

Ted Hughes wrote:

Douglas Higginbottom wrote:Yuck. Amazing isn't how we can moan about winning away at Portsmouth. We have come quite a way in a short time and have just won another match with a clean sheet without playing well.

No doubt we gave the ball away too often and in bad areas. I kept hearing Eddie Niedzvieki shouting pass the ball / keep the ball but we were not very good today. Pity the second goal was chalked off as I think we might have had 4 but I will take the 3 points and hope that we keep getting that little bit of luck all teams need.Pity all teams won't have Nugent on the end of such great chances.

I wonder if Micah would have headed that ball away before it got to Nugent instead of Zabba running around it?

I'm sure he would but Zabba's mistakes are invisible & Micah is the whipping boy so it's only completely crap defending that nearly cost us 2 points if Micah does it.

You might well be right Ted!

However, Neddy would've been better than them both!

Hmmm not so sure. I do think Ned is a top player but he isn't , or wasn't , a top full back. He might get a chance there though if Micah has a bad injury.

well done lads out total away win total for the season after three games. was boring as fuck but i'm quite happy to give the boys a few more games before i start moaning about the performances, not only have you got several new players who need to gel, but we're also playing a new system from last year that the likes of ireland, robinho et al need to get used to. highly confident we'll be well up for it against arsenal and will see much more flowing and attacking football. thats going to be a fantastic game whatever happens.

Douglas Higginbottom wrote:

irblinx wrote:

Douglas Higginbottom wrote:

Ted Hughes wrote:

Douglas Higginbottom wrote:Yuck. Amazing isn't how we can moan about winning away at Portsmouth. We have come quite a way in a short time and have just won another match with a clean sheet without playing well.

No doubt we gave the ball away too often and in bad areas. I kept hearing Eddie Niedzvieki shouting pass the ball / keep the ball but we were not very good today. Pity the second goal was chalked off as I think we might have had 4 but I will take the 3 points and hope that we keep getting that little bit of luck all teams need.Pity all teams won't have Nugent on the end of such great chances.

I wonder if Micah would have headed that ball away before it got to Nugent instead of Zabba running around it?

I'm sure he would but Zabba's mistakes are invisible & Micah is the whipping boy so it's only completely crap defending that nearly cost us 2 points if Micah does it.

You might well be right Ted!

However, Neddy would've been better than them both!

Hmmm not so sure. I do think Ned is a top player but he isn't , or wasn't , a top full back. He might get a chance there though if Micah has a bad injury.

He didn't do too bad against Barca!

The problem with Micah and Zabba are that they can't resist diving in which against a decent player has the potential to leave you on your arse with the attacker running in on goal, Neddy is more intelligent (literally) than them and understands that

colonel_muck wrote:well done lads out total away win total for the season after three games. was boring as fuck but i'm quite happy to give the boys a few more games before i start moaning about the performances, not only have you got several new players who need to gel, but we're also playing a new system from last year that the likes of ireland, robinho et al need to get used to. highly confident we'll be well up for it against arsenal and will see much more flowing and attacking football. thats going to be a fantastic game whatever happens.

Top post that mate couldnt agree more.

Well happy with another three points - job done again and apart from the Nugent chance, Pompey created bugger all - NOTE have been on the lash since the final whistle so details maybe sketchy...

We looked solid at the back again and although we didn't go through the gears, we have come away with three points - you never know, we may get a positive mention at some point especially seeing as though we're the only team not to concede so far...