Portsmouth (H)

Chicksen got done initially and didn't choose to take a yellow for the team. He was woeful, not steady.

 

We deserved a draw. O’Brien stood out in a poor game where there was little between the teams. Still way to much aimless long ball that hasn’t benefitted our strikers all season. Worrying that we never really look like scoring and we are now effectively 3 wins away from safety, as many wins as we have mustered in 17 games. I admire you’re enthusiasm but only a miracle would pull City out of this.

 

Yeah it was Chicksen not getting a tackle in early that set up the goal. Better left back on the bench.

 

I know I'll get slaughtered for this but why are we playing long high ball to the likes of Doyle and Miller they both tried today but Pompy's two CB had it so easy, now here's the controversial bit when Kia came on he gave both CD a bit more of a hard time, I was screaming for width but it looked like he played Seedorf down the middle playing a similar Nahki role along side Kia.
If we are going to continue playing long I would play Kia up top (I know I'll get pelters) but we weren't good enough today to play any sort of quality into the front two so lets go back to basics big lad up top and play off his scraps, or have I finally lost it .

 

You're wanting a team with our 2018 record to suddenly turn it on. It's not going to happen overnight. So I'll "happy clap" the small positives like the rest of the crowd did, in the belief that we need to support the players.

My standards are whatever the target is for the club and right now it's surviving relegation. Hence getting "stuck in" against the league leaders to such a degree they were not as free flowing is actually all we can expect, right now, given our recent run

 

No mate, you haven't lost it, it was exactly what Gary Jones was saying as well. Don't get me wrong, I'd much rather we played the ball on the floor and didn't resort to the long ball all the time but it seems that Hopkin is determined to stick with it so if that's the case, lets either stick Brunker up there or Clare if/when he is fit.

 

Wright played better than normal but thats more of an indictment of how bad a player he is. Akpan started off alright and moved the ball about but in the end he was worse than Wright, tinning out of tackles. And as for that miss at the end....

 

Great points and I agree. Kai actually panicked them a bit. Hilariously, totally missed the ball once, but it was enough to deceive the player marking him and a chance was created

Now I'm going to get in the neck. I could see Hanson coming back in January

 

We certainly looked fitter than of late, Wright and Akpan 2/3rd games back, what a good bit of football in the build up that Seedorf putting Akpan clear if the lad had scored it would not have been an injustice.

 

I can see the O'Brien's and Akpan, been good enough to protect the defence and so 40 points from 29 matches, isn't a pipe dream just yet

 

Akpan looks a unit and I think with Hopkin in his ear, he'll end up been a very good signing. Loved his despair when he didn't score. Missing that chance should hurt and it did

 

Chickson was poor today because he has been out for so long. To be fair to Hopkin had no choice but to play him, in any other situation he would have been eased back in over a few games but needs must.
If Akpan had scored at the end the comments tonight would have been different.
We desperately need a midfielder to create us some openings to create some clearer scoring opportunities and a striker to put them away!

 

Has Hopkin done any post match interviews this week and if so, does anyone know what he's said?

 

I thought Akpan tired. I didn't think he shirked tackles, more that he got caught flatfooted which is to be expected

He was in our box cleaning up an NKP mess towards the end and then nearly scoring at the other, so I think he did fine

I actually can't see Wright been a Hopkin type player

 

He could have stuck with Wood who I thought was unlucky to lose his place today.

 

Why did Hopkin have to play Chicksen? Wood was on the bench and should've played.

And as for that midfielder you're after, we already have one in Payne. But for some reason he was also on the bench.

 

It was a better performance and we kept going, no capitulation today. Akpan was missing for the first 20, but then started to tick, Josh Wright was playing a different role today did ok. The service to the front two was poor quality. Doyle just cannot play the Hanson role, he just can’t, we just need to try something else. Young Lewis was a star as usual. We were desperate for some width, maybe we should try Seedorth, but we have no chance with two big lads at the back like they had, pace would be the only thing that might work.

We still have massive gaps in midfield, which means any knocks down are being mopped up by their defence.

When we have been so flat, it takes time to climb out of the pit, which we don’t have, but nevertheless we just have to keep going. We need to build on that performance.

 

Yes. He was quite positive. Main highlights were his veiled criticism of Reeves and his on going injury issues (very similar to what Klopp said a year or so ago a out Daniel Sturridge) and free agents taking the mickey

 

're Chicksen not his poorest but still bad and as you say culpable for their goal. Hopkin though was praising him during the pulse interview!

 

I'd suggest that immediately going from 0.58 points per game to 1.37 points per game is a sure fire pipe dream.