Match Thread: Lincoln City v Portsmouth | Page 16 | Vital Football

Match Thread: Lincoln City v Portsmouth

Thought Pompey deserved the win, when you have no shots on target, it is hard to expect three points. They were well drilled and to be fair I thought they deserved credit for the football they played. Raggett and Burgess were excellent at the back maybe leading to the reason we had zero efforts on goal.
Also thought the number 7 looked a class act.

We are a team in transition and i hope and suspect we will finish lower mid table as long as we keep Morrell and Walker, though Morrell is one booking away from a two game ban if before Feb 23rd, stand to be corrected by Scotimp.
For me I would like to see Lewis given a game or two instead of Eardley, he has always looked good with loads of energy when he has played.
 
Luke Imp said:
A young side will have good days and bad days. They'll be inconsistent and more often than not, struggle against the more seasoned pros of an Ipswich or Portsmouth.

Our season isn't going to be defined by the last two results, but will be with the next two - Southend and MK - before we hit another tricky one in Rotherham.
Click to expand...
It wasn’t down to the young players! Mainly down to the tactics and Shackell!
 
StrangelyBrown said:
I said after Saturday's game that we would have more days like Saturday- perhaps I wasn't expecting it quite as soon as tonight.

This team is building it's way to next season- developing a style and method which suits them. Sometimes it is painful and sometimes it is excellent.

Don't underestimate Pompey's role in tonight- they have an experienced team which had won 6 on the bounce and knew how to control a game, slow it down or accelerate.

They set up (almost as we did on Saturday) to counter attack and absorb our pressure and they did it very very well.

I have no doubt we will have L1 football next season at the Bank and also have no doubt we have some tough games coming up which may be a challenging as tonight.
Click to expand...
What pressure?
 
sedgleyimp said:
You are being harsh on young players replacing those who have many games under their belts for us. To consider that Melbourne should be at Toffolo's level after his third career start is unfair on him
Click to expand...

Well maybe. Except then that implies he's not good enough and we are down to 10 players before a ball is kicked.
Now, he actually had a more than decent full game vs Blackpool. Which was a surprise to me, as he had been fairly poor in the Trophy games.

Hope he can get more reliable and soon as otherwise, we are stuffed at LB.
 
buckielugger said:
Well maybe. Except then that implies he's not good enough and we are down to 10 players before a ball is kicked.
Now, he actually had a more than decent full game vs Blackpool. Which was a surprise to me, as he had been fairly poor in the Trophy games.

Hope he can get more reliable and soon as otherwise, we are stuffed at LB.
Click to expand...

Not exactly. Toff is a Championship standard left back who has earned his move to a higher division based on his great performances with us but it took him a few games to settle at first. To expect us to be able to replace him with a left back at his level immediately is a little unrealistic. Melbourne has now started 3 league games in his career and they have been the last three with us. He will be good enough but he's not going to reach Toff's very high standards overnight. Give him time
 
Missed the game on I-Follow and haven’t read the thread, so I’m not going to make any detailed comment until I’ve watched it, but I had a quick look at the ‘highlights’ on I-Follow. The two glaring things that stood out for me were Melbourne and Bolger making similar mistakes to what we have seen previously, which is failing to control the ball and being closed down and having the ball taken off them. One cost us a goal and the second almost did. Lesson - do not try and control the ball when you have quick opposition players within a few yards, and you have a history of being caught in possession. Row Z is a good option sometimes.
 
sedgleyimp said:
Not exactly. Toff is a Championship standard left back who has earned his move to a higher division based on his great performances with us but it took him a few games to settle at first. To expect us to be able to replace him with a left back at his level immediately is a little unrealistic. Melbourne has now started 3 league games in his career and they have been the last three with us. He will be good enough but he's not going to reach Toff's very high standards overnight. Give him time
Click to expand...

Oh wasn't saying he'll reach Toff's levels.
and wasn't saying he isn't good or won't be good enough.
I did say he played very well against Blackpool.
 
Waiting a little bit of time has taken the edge off the disappointment of todays performance. We are a team in transition with a view to next season and it does take some time for new players to find their feet. We have also just played two teams that will be playing for the promotion places, so no easy task for us at the moment. Playing a club like Portsmouth in League 1 with a packed stadium is something to remind us of how far we have come in recent seasons.
 
syimp said:
Yes, but Shackell and Bolger were chipping it down the channels to no-one in particular throughout. Perhaps he thinks, given Shackell's pedigree in the upper echelons, he would be able to adapt to a passing game, more than most?

What do you suggest as an alternative? Hoof it up to the big man? What big man and it ain't going to get the best out of Tyler Walker.
Click to expand...

As with most things it’s a happy medium
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Brendan Bradley said:
When you go to your place of work tomorrow Imps2018 you can do your job without having to contend with someone else opposite you whose job it is specifically to prevent you doing yours.

I never like to criticise a perceived lack of effort, it's very hard to say that's happening, often it's just a lack of confidence, and I don't believe that will have been the case tonight.

Portsmouth were just better and their performance was very similar to the type of showing Lincoln often put in under the Cowleys. Unspectacular but solid, energetic and with enough quality to make sure they came out on top.
Click to expand...
You’ve obviously never met an auditor.
 
libertine said:
Unpopular opinion - Morrell is not as good as everyone makes out. Decent league 1 player but not Championship at the moment. The passing around the back before launching it comes from a lack of options through the middle.
Click to expand...

He could be playing at the elite international level in the summer; not bad for a decent league 1 player.

Didn’t think he was at his best last night, but I still rate him alongside Peter Gain as the best midfielder I’ve seen in the red and white.
 
79imp said:
He could be playing at the elite international level in the summer; not bad for a decent league 1 player.

Didn’t think he was at his best last night, but I still rate him alongside Peter Gain as the best midfielder I’ve seen in the red and white.
Click to expand...

I agree, he’s definitely Championship standard and has looked at ease playing alongside his more established Welsh counterparts in the games I’ve seen him play lately.

Last night we were outmuscled and out-thought by a disciplined side, backed by the best visiting set of fans seen at SB/LNER for many a year, and credit to them.
 
bristolimp said:
The most obviously penalty

Appleton we have average footballers (at best) stop trying to get them playing stupid football.

We need more Sean Raggetts and less Jason Shackle
Click to expand...

Are you kidding? Raggett is equally as bad playing from the back as bolger and shack and that is quite obviously they way MA wants to play.
 
Second game running beaten by a team that hasn't needed to get out of first gear. This is the time of the season where you usually start to get some separation between better teams and the average and Portsmouth are certainly improving.

Run a risk when rebuilding a side mid season. Looked like a bunch of players that had been thrown together recently who were not quite sure of the game plan.
I would have thought with two two mobile forwards, who for the most part were making good runs, you should get the ball forward quickly. Did do that a little better at times in the second half but Appleton does seem to have confused the defenders a little as to what to do when.
Morell didn't have such an influential game as usual but that was because the opposition didn't allow it.
Also doesn't help when you have essentially no wide threat. The left back easily dealt with Anderson and Grant needs an overlapping fullback and the understanding isn't there yet.

There are enough poor teams in this league to keep picking up enough points though and I guess the medium to long term plan is coming along ok
 
tell_it_like_it_is said:
There are enough poor teams in this league to keep picking up enough points though and I guess the medium to long term plan is coming along ok
Click to expand...

I like many am guilty of getting carried away when we win but you are spot on and the remaining 3 months of this season will be the building blocks for the summer recruitment and next season. Mid table mediocrity is great for our first season in L1
 
Nothing screams knee-jerk comments more than reading around (not just on here, I'm talking LCB, social media etc) than comments like:

'Hopper was crap', 'Hopper did well'.
'Melbourne was terrible', 'Melbourne had an ok game'
'Bolger had a mare', 'Bolger did ok'

The difference in opinion is usually poles apart when people get all keyboard happy.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.