Match Thread Coventry City - Portsmouth FC Match Thread - Wednesday 9th Apr (5 Viewers)

[SleepyGinger]

No way Simms should start over EMC, especially in a home game where you’d expect us to have most of the ball.

 

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[shmmeee]

Cant get the idea this will be a frustrating draw out of my head

 

[David O'Day]

Portsmouth's away record is horrendous. 9 defeats in the last 10 away matches.

Take our nerves away from the conversation, this fixture is the best opportunity we could've hoped for after the last 3 games. It has to be be 3 points, no excuses.

this

only thing that stops us winning tomorrow is ourselves

 

[SBT]

Atmosphere will be lacking without the drum and the game has been made much tougher without Lampard being on the touch line. What a ridiculous and immature sending off it was. Hope it doesn’t cost us the play offs come the end of the season.

Seems like the solution here is for Lampard to borrow the drum and stand in Block 15 for the night

 

[TomRad85]

Cant get the idea this will be a frustrating draw out of my head

Frustrating as in 0-0 or frustrating as in 3-3 with our keeper throwing all 3 in?

 

[Gint11]

I would stick with Collins. We need to distribution from the back is going to play a big part in our game plan (yes I know Collins blah blah blah...)

I wouldn’t. I don’t care if Collins is like pele with his feet. We need him to make saves and as least mistakes as possible.

He should be nowhere near the starting line up.

 

[Chicken Mcgraw]

Seems like the solution here is for Lampard to borrow the drum and stand in Block 15 for the night

He would fit in well with the crowd after observing both his and the fans moronic abuse of officials that gave us a free goal on Saturday.

 

[Warwickhunt]

hoping TATS is buzzing from his contract extension and scores a couple.

 

[edgy]

hoping TATS is buzzing from his contract extension and scores a couple.

He is due one. Back post header from a Rudoni cross, I reckon.

 

[Earlsdon_Skyblue1]

Wilson
MVE Thomas Kitching Bidwell
Rudoni Grimes Torp
Saka Wright EMC

The shape is not to scale, but that is the personnel.

Too many of you are eager to change it because we have lost to two of the best teams in the league. Torp, Grimes, Rudoni are our best three in midfield, so they play. Likewise I do not see how Collins can go in after the weekend. Wilson is surely the better of the two options.

We went on a mad run with a similar side to the above, and I think we should stick to it for the remaining games. I am confident we can win tomorrow.

 

[Marty]

3-1 more in hope than expectation. Collins clanger.

 

[Marty]

Where's drummer boy gone?

 

[Nick]

If they try shithousery we need to be at the ref.

 

[peteCCFC]

Where's drummer boy gone?

Been caught beating his drum to the wrong sort of music.....

 

[Chicken Mcgraw]

Wilson
MVE Thomas Kitching Bidwell
Rudoni Grimes Torp
Saka Wright EMC

The shape is not to scale, but that is the personnel.

Too many of you are eager to change it because we have lost to two of the best teams in the league. Torp, Grimes, Rudoni are our best three in midfield, so they play. Likewise I do not see how Collins can go in after the weekend. Wilson is surely the better of the two options.

We went on a mad run with a similar side to the above, and I think we should stick to it for the remaining games. I am confident we can win tomorrow.

Ah yes, ‘too many are eager to change’ yet you’ve suggested that our best midfield trio is a midfield that have never started in a three together. Brilliant

 

[Chicken Mcgraw]

If they try shithousery we need to be at the ref.

Yes because getting cards for dissent really helped us on Saturday didn’t it. We should be more like Burnley who managed to surround the ref and get our goal disallowed on Saturday… oh wait

 

[SkyBlueSoul]

Where's drummer boy gone?

Rumours/accusations of an Adam Johnson nature doing the rounds on social media

 

[TomRad85]

Where's drummer boy gone?

Been transferred to drum for the u15s at his own request.

 

[Sbarcher]

Where's drummer boy gone?

With Dovin out, think he's between the sticks.

 

[shmmeee]

Frustrating as in 0-0 or frustrating as in 3-3 with our keeper throwing all 3 in?

More 0-0 can’t break them down but maybe 3-1 up with two mins to go and Collins throws a couple in.

 

[WhoGotTheAssist]

If Collins distribution is as good as some people seem to think lets stick him in midfield.

 

[Great_Expectations]

On paper a Sheaf/Grimes central midfield has to be one of the strongest in the division and certainly one of the best technically and ball playing wise.

However I don’t think it works in the current set up, neither are really a natural 8 and the limited times they’ve played together they occupied the same space.

To get them both in we’d have to revert to two holding CM’s and a 10, which doesn’t get the best out of Rudoni in my view.

It would be a big plus if FL found a way to make it work and to maximise his three best midfielders.

EMC has also dropped off recently but against “weaker” opponents he tends to step up. So I’d start him in the hope he finds his confidence again.

 

[shmmeee]

I think against weaker opponents we can get away with Rudoni and Torp, against stronger opponents I might be tempted to put Rudoni out wide and put another CM like Sheaf or Allen in.

 

[oakey]

Posters naming Sheaf in their predicted / desired line up is really baffling.

 

[Sky Blue Goblin]

Posters naming Sheaf in their predicted / desired line up is really baffling.

For me it comes to the lack of high ball recoveries in the opposition third ( we were 17th in the league a couple of weeks ago)

With us playing a high line we have to start winning the ball up the field which is why I’d play Sheaf if fit but if he’s not 100% better to play Allen

 

[mmttww]

naming Sheaf in their line up is really baffling.

Lampard said more than he once he'd like Grimes working higher up the pitch. Sheaf tends to sit more than him, and we've been broken on too easily too often. I want to see what Sheaf sitting deep and Grimes plus another higher up looks like. Think tmrw night is a less risky game to trial it.

 

[Earlsdon_Skyblue1]

Ah yes, ‘too many are eager to change’ yet you’ve suggested that our best midfield trio is a midfield that have never started in a three together. Brilliant

This is very poor trolling.

One was injured for a few games, but they have all started together.

Grimes, Torp, Rudoni are our best three midfielders and all have made significant contributions in our best run of form.

 

[Sky Blue Pete]

No way Simms should start over EMC, especially in a home game where you’d expect us to have most of the ball.

He’s wasted all the ball he’s had the last two games id be fine with wright wide left and Simms down the middle

 

[David O'Day]

He’s wasted all the ball he’s had the last two games id be fine with wright wide left and Simms down the middle

Someone wasn't at their best vs Sheffield United and Burnley so drop them? Nah

 

[fatso]

He’s wasted all the ball he’s had the last two games id be fine with wright wide left and Simms down the middle

He's not been good against Derby or Burnley, but did well against Sunderland.
I'd start him tomorrow, as Portsmouth have a number of injuries in defence, so it's a good time for him to step up.

 

[Chicken Mcgraw]

This is very poor trolling.

One was injured for a few games, but they have all started together.

Grimes, Torp, Rudoni are our best three midfielders and all have made significant contributions in our best run of form.

In what games did we start a midfield 3 of Rudoni, Torp and Grimes?

 

[Sky Blue Goblin]

Ah yes, ‘too many are eager to change’ yet you’ve suggested that our best midfield trio is a midfield that have never started in a three together. Brilliant

Got super bored and was interested to see if they had played together under Lampard as I thought they did.

The three of them have only started once together against QPR in the 3-4-2-1

 

[Chicken Mcgraw]

Got super bored and was interested to see if they had played together under Lampard as I thought they did.

The three of them have only started once together against QPR in the 3-4-2-1

Yet @Earlsdon_Skyblue1 wants to not change and stick with our regularly used 3 of Grimes, Rudoni and Torp. Bizarre hey.

 

[Sky Blue Pete]

Someone wasn't at their best vs Sheffield United and Burnley so drop them? Nah

It was the amount of ball he had and didn’t use

 

[napolimp]

On paper a Sheaf/Grimes central midfield has to be one of the strongest in the division and certainly one of the best technically and ball playing wise.

However I don’t think it works in the current set up, neither are really a natural 8 and the limited times they’ve played together they occupied the same space.

To get them both in we’d have to revert to two holding CM’s and a 10, which doesn’t get the best out of Rudoni in my view.

It would be a big plus if FL found a way to make it work and to maximise his three best midfielders.

EMC has also dropped off recently but against “weaker” opponents he tends to step up. So I’d start him in the hope he finds his confidence again.

Grimes likes to play as the deepest player on the pitch, picking up the ball at the back and looking to move play forwards. I think Sheaf likes to play in the space between opposition midfield and forward line.

I don't think Ephron has been at the races since his injury unfortunately. I'd be tempted to drop him and see if his form improves off the bench.