COLUMNIST KEN BUCKLEY
From my seat: Portsmouth (A)
Comments (15) : For 20 minutes I thought we did ok and nothing more as goalmouth action at either end was at a premium. Pienaar took a sore one in the back from the massive Kahbul and the back-four had to improvise to counter Pompey ariel pressure.
It was now becoming clear we were very light in midfield as too many balls were getting into the back-four which was giving Pompey confidence. Try as I could, I could not quite figure out what Fellaini's role was as he spent so much time up with Saha and Jo leaving Osman and Pienaar to variously play the creative role with Neville mopping up. Osman and Pienaar may have many good qualities and both bring something to the team but centre-mid strength and dominance just isn't one of them.
The equalizer on 20 minutes was the result of unrelieved pressure that saw Pompey gain a corner and then just bad defending firstly failed to complete a clearance and when the ball was returned in our defenders tried to out-head much taller men instead of the more savvy blocking runs mode and both provider Johnson and scorer Crouch easily out-jumped their marker and we were all square.
The rest of the half went much the same way with the manager trying all manner of reshuffles to try to get some control in mid-field and Jo making a horrible mess of a shot when well-placed. You could almost hear the manager yell 'At least hit the target lad'.
Half-time and with very little room for manouver from the creche, I was hoping for a resolute defence and a touch of magic from one of our more skillful players to see us through. Sadly it was Pompey again who pressed us back, early on Crouch put a tame header at Howard when well placed. The Pompey midfield now ruled and but for stirling work from the excellent Neville we could have been comletely over-run.
Crouch put Nugent through one-on-one but Howard was quickly out to block his shot for a throw-in with his legs. Jacobsen on his debut was doing ok but is no Hibbert when it comes to defending in the Prem and I could see the manager's reasoning in playing Jags right-back whilst Hibbert recovers.
Pompey pressed, we repelled them the best we could and I wondered if we could once again snatch an unlikely one at the death... but it wasn't to be as on 75 mins a regulation corner saw Crouch run on to it, rise highest and net, again no-one tried to block his run and with his height advantage it proved very costly.
Pompey still had time to hit a post with Howard beaten before running down the clock. Right at the end, Jo went off injured and replaced with Rodwell and then Gosling was given a few minutes in place of Jacobsen but the changes the manager had at his disposal were cosmetic because of our very small squad ? the wrong players were out injured.
With the manager saying he needs money to progress us and the chairman saying that the way the club is structured they don't have the money required, then these sort of games may become the norm. With all fit, we are a match for anyone, and can gain points... but with injuries in key positions, without natural cover, we will stuggle.
Today I thought only three players played with class and consistancy over the piece: Lescott, Baines and my Man of the Match, Neville. Today wasn't a day for having a go at individuals as the teams plight is the club's plight.
We have two weeks now to lick our wounds and hope for good news from the treatment table... UP THE BLUES
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PS. But I?m fucking gutted about our result.
Although fourth is maybe too much to ask after Arsenal's win over Newcastle, fifth is looking good considering the way Villa are rapidly deteriorating, which will be brilliant considering the start we had to the season.
ps: lay off Pienaar, he is a cracking little player and very important to our team. He had one bad game and everyone is on his back!!! We?ve got a brilliant team just now and the team will come again and regroup against Wigan after the international break.
And, sadly, none of our last summer?s additions have set the stage on fire - Fellaini, Jacobsen, Castillo, Saha. OK, some can argue that Fellaini and Saha have chipped in with crucial goals. Fine, but is that good enough for us ? We needed at least one of our summer signings (or Jo, our winter loan signing) to have a storming 1st season. Unfortunately for us, that did not happen.
Anyway, hopefully Cahill will be back soon (and does not play in the international for Aussies next week) along with Hibbo and Vaughan and Yobo. We desperately need some bodies to see us over the finishing line in 6th.
I am also wary of David Moyes sending out mixed messages in the previous week. On the one hand he is challenging his players to claim a CL place and on the other he is saying we need to invest in the team or we could struggle to stay in the top 10. Hardly the best way to motivate players asking them to do something that clearly Moyes believes they are incapable of achieving.
I do hope that the Moyes syndrome ? which so badly affected our start to the current campaign ? has not returned to damage our final fixtures of the season. If David Moyes does not think we have the cash and he doesn?t believe that the current squad is good enough, what are his remedies to fix the problem?
He clearly doesn?t have the abilities to improve the players we do have, so does that mean we have to cash in on our better players in order to raise the money to buy new ones?
Everton FC can wait until the last day of the transfer window for my season ticket money as I?m not paying up front to watch the rubbish that has been served up in the last 5 or 6 matches. We have to find some sort of form in the next month or we could be really found out at Wembley, like Villa were today at the other place.
Despite the omission of several players from Redknapp's FA Cup-winning team last May, they still have enough players to cause problems and so it proved. Take for instance Crouch, I haven?t measured the man but yesterday the long streak of piss was the difference after such a bright opening.
The 4th place looks dead in the water and as I listened in on Villa?s continued demise this afternoon it looks like Arsenal are now in the driving seat for the last remaining Champions League place. It looks like the season may be catching up on us as we near the end, but still in 6th place and a real shot at silverware (place at Wembley) to look forward to, it?s far from doom and gloom.
I have to mention also that it feels a wee strange talking about an Everton defeat. After all,this does not happen very often.
The ref, easy I know to go for him when you lose, but he missed and/or let too much go, starting with Kaboul on Pienaar, he seemed to go out of it then and was hardly seen on the left, where for 20 mins he and Baines had bossed it. And ending with the little karate kick flick on Jo?s knee. Then there was the no-contact corner for the 1st goal.
We got a dose of our own medicine and Pompey will do over more than us with that attitude. So fair play to them.
Jacobsen is a right-sided Baines, yes I know he does not have Hibbo?s snap in the tackle and 'they shall not pass' mentality, but it?s swings and roundabouts. Baines is in the England squad and he can?t tackle like Hibbo neither. What Jacobsen needs is a right-side Pienaar. Baines and he are as near as we will get to wingbacks. We went 3 at the back at the end. I see Jags, Yobo and Lescott as our 3.
We have had 4-6-0, why not 3-7-0 or a variation thereof? It maybe all a bit too radical for Davie.
4th is gone, 5th or 6th makes no difference; as the Semi draws near I can see this looming larger and larger in the minds of all concerned.
1. I have been one of his biggest critics in previous seasons but for me, Phil Neville has been up there for Player of the Season this year. He has been a class above.
2. Fellaini.... worrying.
You?ve got to be kiddin?.
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1 Posted 22/03/2009 at 17:23:02
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Not hitting on TWers, but wish this is said more on TW. It's our team, our team is injury ravaged / down to bare-bones and still have made it a really decent season... COYB!!