Playoffs 2020 Thread

[Fedora Dale]

We sometimes beat Wycombe, Fleetwood and Oxford.

We never beat Portsmouth. Even a few years ago, when they were crap.

Come on, Pompey, get thissen promoted!

 

[eric read]

Going to peer over the fence for this one?

The whole area already has barriers erected and there will be stewards and OB in all over it, so no chance of anyone getting near the fence or the stadium. The club have already sent out a warning to fans to stay away.

I suspect the smelly Pompey bell ringer will probably still try to put in an appearance. The bloke turned up at Fratton with a drum after the game while Karl Robinson was being interviewed. He's a fucking embarrassment!

 

[K-Win]

The bloke turned up at Fratton with a drum after the game while Karl Robinson was being interviewed. He's a fucking embarrassment!

So is the smelly bloke with the drum.

 

[Super_horns]

Penalties at Oxford looming ?

 

[DearneValleyRover]

Pompey best not let Marquis take one

Must have spent 12 months practicing

 

[Indian Dan]

That was dire.

 

[K-Win]

Oh well. At least we've found a new way to lose in the play-offs. Score the other team's goal for them and lose on pens.

Congrats Oxford and good luck in the final.

 

[That Fat Centre Half]

Really dreadful game, no quality in it at all. Pretty shocked at how poor Portsmouth looked on the ball, nobody seemed comfortable with it all and far more happy to get rid wherever than actually play. Bit shocked to see McGeehan miss, was always decent on them for us if i recall.

Must be time for a freshen up at Portsmouth manager wise? Look like they needed some new ideas.

 

[K-Win]

Jackett's had three years with us now in League One. He's had a pretty good budget available, particularly this season. Not sure that the owners are the sacking kind though so he might be given another go.

His football has never been attractive though. People are always shocked see us not playing little triangles through the middle, for some reason. We've not done that since the Paul Cook days.

 

[GeneralLee]

My word, we were awful. Pompey weren’t much better.

I don’t know how we won that, but heck I’ll take it! Very unlucky on Portsmouth.

 

[Bucket_]

Well we've had some tough playoff watches in the last few years, but that might have been the most dire. Never felt like we'd get there after that sickener at half time.

Congrats to Oxford though, think you're the better side despite the deadlock and I'll be rooting for you lot in the final.

 

[That Fat Centre Half]

Jackett's had three years with us now in League One. He's had a pretty good budget available, particularly this season. Not sure that the owners are the sacking kind though so he might be given another go.

His football has never been attractive though. People are always shocked see us not playing little triangles through the middle, for some reason. We've not done that since the Paul Cook days.

I know you aren't necessarily a little triangle in midfield side but thought by and large you looked genuinely not comfortable on the ball - like no one wanted to do something positive with it whether that be pick a decent long ball out or otherwise.

The amount of times the ball was loose and a Pompey player just thumped it without looking, like it was a hot potato rather than get a foot on it, was what surprised me.

 

[Indian Dan]

Pompey spent £2m on Marquis?

Fuck me, who sanctioned that signing

 

[DearneValleyRover]

Pompey spent £2m on Marquis?

Fuck me, who sanctioned that signing

He only plays well in a Donny shirt but his Mrs, wears the trousers

 

[codaplenty]

After the shambolic 1st leg Fleetwood gave it a really good go and it was crackin game between the teams. Congratulations to Wycombe the dream continues for you lads

 

[thewwfc]

well that was absolutely dire to watch, attack v defence, but hey, gameplan executed and we have a final on our hands.

Fleetwood were unlucky with the penalty shout, but maybe that equalled out their soft penalty in the first leg. And they just didn't get the rub of the green with the chances falling for them in general.

 

[Don Tonberry]

That was fucking dreadful wasn't it? Calamitous goal to concede and we were always going to bottle penalties.

Not winning promotion with the squad we have and the piss weak division this is has been unacceptable. Jackett has lost the fans now as the football we play is dire and we need a younger, more progressive manager.

If the Eisners keep him on you watch our season ticket sales drop like a stone next season. It's awful to watch and we're not even playing winning football now. So many players are out of contract/returning to parent clubs so this would be the ideal time to bring someone new in with fresh ideas.

 

[Meadow]

Heart says Wycombe. Friendly club gracious in defeat when we've beaten them, former Dons playing for them/managing them. The purists spitting feathers if they make the Championship would be really funny.

Head says Oxford. Can't stand the manager but they're probably the best team we've faced in the last year. We have an appalling record against them going back 11 years and I'd be glad to see the back of them.

 

[Kenneth E End]

Friendly club gracious in defeat when we've beaten them, former Dons playing for them/managing them. The purists spitting feathers if they make the Championship would be really funny.

Hang on a cotton picking minute...

I think I'd actually be sick if we were replaced by them lot... akin to Crawley, Stevenage and Fleetwood getting promoted ahead of us in the Conference.

Their style of football may actually suit the division above - as has proven on a number of occasions this year, if you play expansive football, you get a spanking. Its quite weird that you need to play totally different than the league below. Many teams start slowly in games (perhaps the continental influence) and up the ante after half time.

 

[Indian Dan]

So, you’re saying hoofball is the way out of L2 and to stay in the Championship but the more measured approach is fine in L1?

All 3 auto promoted teams in L2 play what would be described as ‘good’ football.

Pompey looked on the cusp of hoofball, Wycombe deffo are, Sunderland reckon that’s the way to go for them to get out of L1. The problem with that is whatever manager implements that style, and gets promoted, won’t get sacked and the club is stuck with hoofball plus, obviously, hoofball players. Time comes when hoofball comes unstuck or the fans get bored shitless watching it and you become Stoke when Pulis got the boot. Progressive football must be the way forward for clubs - not hoofball for a quick fix.

Surely, clubs aren’t regressing back to that?

 

[Kenneth E End]

It is quite a strange one that really surprised me this season. Budget counts even more than every division other than the Premier League.

Leeds and Brentford up the top play fantastic football; but they have the budget accordingly. Brentford are a club of a similar size to our own, but they also have an owner who has pumped in £100m+++. Mitrovic earns more than our whole squad combined.

West Brom under Bilic play simple football, but at the same time didn't give us even a sniff in both games.

Between the top 6 and the bottom 6, it is very even - you see this in the points tallies. There aren't many teams that play expansive football; most play effective, rigid, slow and structured. It is much of a muchness. But teams are far, far more effective goalscoring wise and any mistakes are pounced on.

 

[Super_horns]

Stoke fans probably wish Pulis was stlll there now..

Wouldn't be in danger of dropping down to League One I suspect.

They are another club who went for the bigger names in terms of managers and players and have suffered.

You are right - to play that way you certainly need the players and results to go with it and if you try to change it too soon then things can go wrong.

Mind you nothing worse than being 1-0 down with not long to go and your defenders are still trying to play it around the back thinking they are Barcelona or Man City.

Obviously the successful sides don't have to worry about that too often.

 

[Millerbri]

I think a lot depends on the way fans perceive their clubs and their traditional way of playing football and what has been successful for them.

We seem to have fans that demand total effort rather than silky skills, some of the best players to play here were never appreciated in the same way that Stewart Talbot, Gerry Gow and Dave Watson were.

I guess some will see us as a hoofball team, a lot of our players are 6ft plus so that gets us a negative "land of the giants" tag. But we play 2 wingers most of the time and we tend to play football in the other teams half.

We do have players who can pass out from the back but we are more likely to get it out to the wings quickly or go direct to Smith, Ladapo or Vassell and play from the half way line.

We had Alan Stubbs who tried to play out from the back which at first looked pretty, but it wasn't long before the opposition worked us out, we lost the ball in dangerous positions and it cost us a lot of goals.

Warne was part of Ronnie Moore's back to back promotion team so he understands what the Rotherham crowd want.
He was also fitness coach during Steve Evans back to back promotions,

Most of our successful teams have had the same way of playing so I guess that's why we tend to prefer it.

There is room for all types of football, two of the best games we had this season were against Oxford. At NYS they totally out footballed us and won pretty comfortably. At the Kassam we totally bullied them by pressing high up and taking the ball off them in their own half.

 

[That Fat Centre Half]

So, you’re saying hoofball is the way out of L2 and to stay in the Championship but the more measured approach is fine in L1?

All 3 auto promoted teams in L2 play what would be described as ‘good’ football.

Pompey looked on the cusp of hoofball, Wycombe deffo are, Sunderland reckon that’s the way to go for them to get out of L1. The problem with that is whatever manager implements that style, and gets promoted, won’t get sacked and the club is stuck with hoofball plus, obviously, hoofball players. Time comes when hoofball comes unstuck or the fans get bored shitless watching it and you become Stoke when Pulis got the boot. Progressive football must be the way forward for clubs - not hoofball for a quick fix.

Surely, clubs aren’t regressing back to that?

We played an open style with 2 fullbacks who were primarily in the team to attack rather than defend in League 1 and won the league.

In the championship the money disparity is so vastly different even if we hadn’t sold those 2 players I doubt we could have played that way as the footballers in the championship are just that much better technically as well as there understanding of underpinning tactics as well I think, that we’d get picked a part with ease. Whenever we have had a game the season where we have tried to be a bit more on the front foot and play a bit more open, we have been punished. It’s become increasingly clear we cannot out “football” teams at this level.

Our best bet has been sitting deep and looking to steal something on the counter and I think that’s a tactic a lot of teams employ at this level now. Forrest who are right up there rarely have a game where they have more possession than the opponent. There’s Brentford and Leeds, WBA to an extent but most other sides play a more conservative style. Not necessarily hoof ball but certainly not committing bodies to attack.

 

[DearneValleyRover]

We don’t play hoofball but we have come unstuck against teams that do

 

[Indian Dan]

We played an open style with 2 fullbacks who were primarily in the team to attack rather than defend in League 1 and won the league.

In the championship the money disparity is so vastly different even if we hadn’t sold those 2 players I doubt we could have played that way as the footballers in the championship are just that much better technically as well as there understanding of underpinning tactics as well I think, that we’d get picked a part with ease. Whenever we have had a game the season where we have tried to be a bit more on the front foot and play a bit more open, we have been punished. It’s become increasingly clear we cannot out “football” teams at this level.

Our best bet has been sitting deep and looking to steal something on the counter and I think that’s a tactic a lot of teams employ at this level now. Forrest who are right up there rarely have a game where they have more possession than the opponent. There’s Brentford and Leeds, WBA to an extent but most other sides play a more conservative style. Not necessarily hoof ball but certainly not committing bodies to attack.

Not being pissy, here, but could a better manager/coach not be relatively successful - i.e not getting relegated - with similar players?

 

[Luke Imp]

The Oxford/Pompey game was definitely a difficult watch.

I think Wycombe probably need promotion from a financial point of view more than Oxford.

 

[Indian Dan]

The Oxford/Pompey game was definitely a difficult watch.

I think Wycombe probably need promotion from a financial point of view more than Oxford.

Can’t agree there. It could well cripple them - either of them potentially.

Think Yeovil a few years ago. Tbh, yo-yo-ing between the Championship and L1 ain’t too bad. Ask Barnsley.

 

[Luke Imp]

It could do, but I suspect Wycombe are probably more likely to have to significantly cost cut than Oxford would.

 

[That Fat Centre Half]

Not being pissy, here, but could a better manager/coach not be relatively successful - i.e not getting relegated - with similar players?

Yes probably but I doubt they would be looking to play open and attacking game when making the leap from league 1 to the championship if they had sense. The players you are up against are by and large simply better technically than anything on offer in League 1. The step up in quality was marked. If we had replaced NJ with a better managers who was a bit more pragmatic I firmly believe we could have done better with the same group.

Graeme Jones was very naive in his approach, it took far too long for him to go to that more conservative/counter attack style that led to our upturn in form around the end of January. If we had learned those lessons earlier we may be a better position, as it was it’s too little to late and we are coming back here next season with what I think will end up looking like a fairly unbalanced squad with NJ starting from square 1 again and potentially be financially difficult circumstances given the wider stresses of getting promoted caused (having to spend 1 Million plus on the stadium etc)

I don’t think a side coming up from League 1 will be able to play an open and attacking brand of football without some fairly significant changes to their 11 but a better manager could have amended us to a counter attack side and got better results.