Up The Bahrainian Tics v Up Pompey | Page 5 | Vital Football

Up The Bahrainian Tics v Up Pompey

I appreciate that following the Lang injury there player also got injured and substituted, but should that mean that he goes unpunished his challenge was extremely dangerous and has possibly cost us our best chance of a goal for the next few matches!
 
Only difference today was a goal threat...im not going to be too harsh on them because we more than matched a play off certainty. Its the final 3rd that will undue us but let's not throw um all out because the back 4 are showing some ability bringing the ball out.
 
Need more from Evans, I thought him & Massey coming back from injury would shoot us up the table...... Hang on, did I heck, Knew Massey would be injured again soon & knew Evans just hasn't got enough good games in his tank.
 
These new owner might say they are not bothered about league 2. But I’m sure they will be. If we don’t get out at the first time of asking.

No matter what any one says. A stay longer than one season in league 2 will be a disaster.

John, why exactly would 2 seasons in League Two be a disaster but one season wouldn't ? Yes, the crowds will be crap, but so what ?

You are very much doom and gloom at the moment. You assured us all that "no one would pay full price" for weeks. They did. Now you are continually banging yet another "misery" drum but I simply can't follow your logic, unless your definition of "disaster" is more akin to my definition of "a bit inconvenient".

Please define disaster so that I can at least understand your concerns. I think we've just avoided a disaster in that we could have been liquidated, what's your definition ?
 
Can I also add that if ( big if ) we had a reliable goalscoring centre forward we would be comfortably out of the bottom 4.

It's not all gloom it's just the end product missing.
 
Only difference today was a goal threat...im not going to be too harsh on them because we more than matched a play off certainty. Its the final 3rd that will undue us but let's not throw um all out because the back 4 are showing some ability bringing the ball out.

You are right Hindley, for the first 45 we were comfortable playing the ball out from the back and both Ojo and Evans were influencing the game.

The problems came when they scored !!

Once ahead they switched to five across the middle and stifled our play, so our back four then lost the out ball to midfield and went long, Evans in particular had no influence in the second half and we struggled to break them down.

We are desperately missing a wide right player and, although he is much maligned, we looked a more balanced side with Massey on the wing. Callum Lang is wasted playing out wide and his goals have dried up since he started playing there. He needs to be more central and running the channels turning CB's and playing to his strengths. I would try Gardner out there for a game or two, I know it's not his preferred side but I am sure he could do it and that would free Lang up to get back to what he is good at.
 
Can I also add that if ( big if ) we had a reliable goalscoring centre forward we would be comfortably out of the bottom 4.

It's not all gloom it's just the end product missing.

I tend to agree Hindley, although I'd take it a step further and say if we just had a bit more composure in front of goal we'd be OK, but the current players are snatching at chances and making poor decisions. Such is life at the wrong end of the table, if we were near the top end with confidence flying high and minimal pressure Proctor sticks that miss against Gillingham away every time and Evans hits the target instead of the corner flag from outside the box every time.
I genuinely think that the players desperately want to get us out of this after everything that has gone on and unfortunately they are "trying too hard" and it's affecting the quality.
 
You are right Hindley, for the first 45 we were comfortable playing the ball out from the back and both Ojo and Evans were influencing the game.

The problems came when they scored !!

Once ahead they switched to five across the middle and stifled our play, so our back four then lost the out ball to midfield and went long, Evans in particular had no influence in the second half and we struggled to break them down.

We are desperately missing a wide right player and, although he is much maligned, we looked a more balanced side with Massey on the wing. Callum Lang is wasted playing out wide and his goals have dried up since he started playing there. He needs to be more central and running the channels turning CB's and playing to his strengths. I would try Gardner out there for a game or two, I know it's not his preferred side but I am sure he could do it and that would free Lang up to get back to what he is good at.

Yip...Good spot mate regarding their shuffling the pack 2nd half. That Cowley is a clever manager.
 
I tend to agree Hindley, although I'd take it a step further and say if we just had a bit more composure in front of goal we'd be OK, but the current players are snatching at chances and making poor decisions. Such is life at the wrong end of the table, if we were near the top end with confidence flying high and minimal pressure Proctor sticks that miss against Gillingham away every time and Evans hits the target instead of the corner flag from outside the box every time.
I genuinely think that the players desperately want to get us out of this after everything that has gone on and unfortunately they are "trying too hard" and it's affecting the quality.

You can't coach that snatching at chances out though Arthur. It is what it is.
 
You are right Hindley, for the first 45 we were comfortable playing the ball out from the back and both Ojo and Evans were influencing the game.

The problems came when they scored !!

Once ahead they switched to five across the middle and stifled our play, so our back four then lost the out ball to midfield and went long, Evans in particular had no influence in the second half and we struggled to break them down.

We are desperately missing a wide right player and, although he is much maligned, we looked a more balanced side with Massey on the wing. Callum Lang is wasted playing out wide and his goals have dried up since he started playing there. He needs to be more central and running the channels turning CB's and playing to his strengths. I would try Gardner out there for a game or two, I know it's not his preferred side but I am sure he could do it and that would free Lang up to get back to what he is good at.

Have to say I thought Gardner put the best 2 crosses of the game in today in the first 5 minutes he was on, one from each side. I really think we need to address the issue of our wide players, either with a personnel change or a formation change.
 
Can I also add that if ( big if ) we had a reliable goalscoring centre forward we would be comfortably out of the bottom 4.

It's not all gloom it's just the end product missing.

Or even if we'd have had Lang for the whole season ... or hadn't lost Joseph for the biggest part of it.
 
You can't coach that snatching at chances out though Arthur. It is what it is.

Agree you can't coach it out but I believe it's symptomatic of confidence more that (just) technique.
I played up front for a decade for a very bad Sunday League team. When I was on form the game was easy, almost in slow motion and I could do no wrong. When I was off form (more often than not) I could barely kick the bloody thing.
 
I really, really can't get worked up about today's loss. Not too long ago, it was more than possible that we were going to be playing as a Phoenix club in the National League ... or even NW Counties !!!

For me, the question is "were they trying?", and the answer (maybe apart from Evans's "chase" for their goal) was obviously, yes. However, there was no improvement in the quality of the shooting, and that's what's pissing us all off.

In January, Richardson and Rioch had an impossible job - entice players to come to Wigan, on a contract till the summer, with very possibly, no chance of a further one. They did their best, and we got who we got ... numbers being just as important as quality, given the rate we were losing people to injury.

On reflection, it may well have been better to stick with more of the kids, though that would have been a massive gamble.

But, as the saying goes, we are where we are, and for me, that's a far better place than I was hoping for much of February. The new management team don't sound despondent about the likelihood of League 2, so why should we?

Nail, head.

Our season has been successful, we’ve been saved from oblivion. We shouldn’t lose sight of that.
 
You can't coach that snatching at chances out though Arthur. It is what it is.
Exactly. They just aren't good enough players, it's as simple as that. We can overanalyse all we want as fans, but the fact is that Pep Guardiola wouldn't keep this group of players in the league. They are simply not good enough, which is why they ended up playing for us in the first place whist we were in admin, because no one else at this level wanted them.
 
I genuinely believe that a season in L2 would be better for us long term than staying in L1. We'll have our pick of the best players for that level unlike L1 where the likes of Sunderland, Sheffield Wednesday, Ipswich, Portsmouth, Horwich will all be competing for the same talent pool. Build a brand new team like Caldwell did and do what the likes of Luton and Lincoln have done in recent years. Win L2 and bounce to the top of L1. There is very little in both leagues.

We have to get promoted at the first time of asking mind...
 
When we was kids, we would draw a circle with a piece of chalk on a brick wall
and we would take it in turns and kick a ball to see,
how many times we could hit inside the circle.

I think this should be brought back into our training schedule,
but instead of a 'chalk circle' they should draw a Barn Door!
 
Exactly. They just aren't good enough players, it's as simple as that. We can overanalyse all we want as fans, but the fact is that Pep Guardiola wouldn't keep this group of players in the league. They are simply not good enough, which is why they ended up playing for us in the first place whist we were in admin, because no one else at this level wanted them.

I think Cook probably would've kept this squad up quite comfortably if he stayed let alone Pep!

While the players obviously aren't a great squad by any means they are no where near as bad as some are making out and seem to be taking all the flack so Richardson doesn't have to take his share. He's made some mistakes in tactics and team selections as bad as any howlers the players themselves have committed.
 
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Nail, head.

Our season has been successful, we’ve been saved from oblivion. We shouldn’t lose sight of that.

2 things can be true at once though, the priority was to save the club off the field which was succesfully achieved, but it doesn't mean what is going on the field is also successful.

I don't think anyone is taking the takeover from granted if they are critical of a disappointing result.