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Post by riochforthereebok on Mar 14, 2024 12:08:32 GMT
I think, with Peterborough now closing the gap to just 3 points and a game in hand on us (how the hell did that happen) it makes this game at Pride Park MUST NOT LOSE .. Especially when we face Peterborough for our last game of the season.
I really hope those losses at Blackpool an Wigan and draws against Northampton, Barnsley, Charlton, Exeter and Barnsley again, don’t affect our chances
On to Derby.. We can all remember THAT horror kick from that dirty barstuard Gabbiadini on Si Coleman all those years ago at The Baseball, when football was a delight to watch (1995) but if Bruce had boots on that day, he’d have kicked shit out of Gabbiadini back then, he was that incensed
Also, back then, there were a few Bolton - Derby connections (not that it makes a difference) with ex Derby player Rioch, Coleman who used to play for Derby, Russell Hoult, Roy MacFarland
Warne likes his 3-4-2-1 system but has also gone 4-4-2 with Gayle pairing up front with Mendez-Lang
It’s going to be a tough game as we know but there’s a win here for us if we apply ourselves in the right way Also, I think Warne’s given us a clue on how to beat his team “Reading are young and athletic and keep going, it caused us problems ”
,
I’ll back off calling Evvat if he pulls this off
COYWM We can do this Can’t we??? ⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️
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Post by davidm on Mar 14, 2024 12:58:00 GMT
I’ll back off calling Evvat if he pulls this off Do you promise? Just joking! Did anyone watch Peterborough v Stevenage last night? What an awful standard of football.
Peterborough were really average except for a 15 minute purple patch where they scored 2 decent goals. They got a lucky soft penalty and spent most of the time trying to combat Stevenage’s “up and at em” tactics. Stevenage were awful – just kick and rush. We need to get our defenders ready for heading duties on Good Friday. Looking at the poor standard last night, we are considerably better than these two teams.
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Post by kenglowhite on Mar 14, 2024 14:08:52 GMT
Yes, I watched that dreadful match last night. I remembered Stevenage running us close at 3-2 at The Toughsheet and wondered how tough they would be at home. They actually offered very little except physicality last night.
Peterborough's best player in my opinion is Mason Clark, but last night he was used as a left winger, instead of as a number 10, where he played in our home game. If we keep moving fast, running off the ball and pressing for the second ball, I don't fear them on the last day of the season, when, maybe our fate will already have been decided.
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Post by whitesince63 on Mar 14, 2024 18:43:05 GMT
I honestly don’t think we need to fear anyone in this league home or away if we just play our A game. We’ve literally thrown so many points away unnecessarily and we should be way in front by now. After Tuesday though I really do believe that we may have accidentally arrived at our best eleven. Up front the ball never bounced off our strikers as it does with Dion and Vic as Bod and AC were just so much more integrated with our midfield making it all look fluid and smooth. Play like that at Derby and they won’t live with us. We have to win this and try to get some distance between us and the others. Pompey could still be very influential for us if they can beat our competitors on the run in and not lose to them so even if we don’t win the title as long as we make second I’ll be more than satisfied.
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Post by whiteofthesouth on Mar 14, 2024 23:50:42 GMT
Portsmouth still have to play Derby, Barnsley and Peterborough, as well as ourselves. How those results go is going to make all the difference.
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Post by OohMac on Mar 15, 2024 6:56:40 GMT
Our goal should be 24 points from now. Handbrake off. And as difficult as that sounds its easier than the prospect of going again next season and trying to get 30 wins in L1 with a deflated squad. Perhaps depleted it some choose to seek championship football. Sheehan now will be on people's radar. Maghoma will more than likely want a championship loan. We know Charles was being watched, Santos, Toal. Does GT turn down a move again?
We probably don't get JDB extending.
Does Sharon stick around and for that matter Ian? I sort of see a bust up if we accepted a bid of £1M for Santos. He probably leaves over it.
Anyway that bleak dystopian future is easily fixed by not losing and winning 6 from 8. 20 points. Just shade over 2pt per game. Not impossible.
The POSH away game could be a dead rubber with nothing to play for so not worrying about that just yet. But tomorrow is certainly not that. In a mini season of finals this feels like the final. They've been edgy and they've not been amazing by any stretch. Good start from us and they'll buckle. Genuinely believe we can get at them and have a historic win. Put those "baseball ground/pride park" demons to rest and come out 3 or 4 winning margin.
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Post by riochforthereebok on Mar 15, 2024 9:58:43 GMT
Our goal should be 24 points from now. Handbrake off. And as difficult as that sounds its easier than the prospect of going again next season and trying to get 30 wins in L1 with a deflated squad. Perhaps depleted it some choose to seek championship football. Sheehan now will be on people's radar. Maghoma will more than likely want a championship loan. We know Charles was being watched, Santos, Toal. Does GT turn down a move again? We probably don't get JDB extending. Does Sharon stick around and for that matter Ian? I sort of see a bust up if we accepted a bid of £1M for Santos. He probably leaves over it. Anyway that bleak dystopian future is easily fixed by not losing and winning 6 from 8. 20 points. Just shade over 2pt per game. Not impossible. The POSH away game could be a dead rubber with nothing to play for so not worrying about that just yet. But tomorrow is certainly not that. In a mini season of finals this feels like the final. They've been edgy and they've not been amazing by any stretch. Good start from us and they'll buckle. Genuinely believe we can get at them and have a historic win. Put those "baseball ground/pride park" demons to rest and come out 3 or 4 winning margin. Just to go back on my post above “On to Derby.. We can all remember THAT horror kick from that dirty barstuard Gabbiadini on Si Coleman all those years ago at The Baseball, when football was a delight to watch (1995) but if Bruce had boots on that day, he’d have kicked shit out of Gabbiadini back then, he was that incensed Also, back then, there were a few Bolton - Derby connections (not that it makes a difference) with ex Derby player Rioch, Coleman who used to play for Derby, Russell Hoult, Roy MacFarland” How ironic, had we beaten Derby back then, we’d have gone second.. Some jaw dropping thoughts there OoooM, plenty of ‘what ifs’ reality being that any failure tomorrow could be the start of your predictions Like WOTS says above, there’s still plenty of football left to be played and let’s not ignore the fact that whilst we’re all concentrating on the top, there’ll be plenty unexpected defeats against the lower teams fighting to stay up alongside those difficult frustrating games against the teams with nothing to play for COYWM Let’s make tomorrow a SUPER SATURDAY ⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️
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Post by whitesince63 on Mar 15, 2024 10:06:30 GMT
I don’t expect anything like the Armageddon you’re proposing there if we don’t go up OM, which I firmly believe we will one way or the other. Obviously one or two might leave but would that be a bad thing? If this group didn’t make it maybe a clear out would help, especially if it brought some cash in to rebuild again. Neither do I think Ian or Sharon would leave, probably more likely Sharon if we did go up as deeper pockets come in? We can beat Derby tomorrow, absolutely no doubt about that but not if we mess about with the team and revert to the slow stuff again. If we do that Derby will eventually break through and then we’re chasing the game and whilst we did that well at Barnsley we fluffed it at Blackpool. It’s very much what team turns up, what mentality they have and most importantly for me that instead of trying to appear clever Evatt just starts with the same team and mindset as for Oxford. We don’t have to be frightened of Derby, or intimidated by their enthusiastic crowd, just play to our strengths and there’s no reason we shouldn’t win comfortably. Unfortunately we all fear we won’t show up because we’ve done that so many times but tomorrow might just be different and if we can do it and Pompey can beat Posh it could be a very profitable day for us. 😎
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Post by OohMac on Mar 15, 2024 15:39:18 GMT
Well Whites I didn't mean it to be doomsday. In fact after Oxford I've started to think we could win via the play offs if needed. I always thought that if we went to playoffs it would be Same as last year.
I do get the sense that the next chapter is coming with Sharon seemingly giving away shares. Funny Rioch after all these years whenever I picture Derby the first thing I think of is Simon Coleman and Gabbradini. I still feel like it's a bad rule that says a red card for a disgusting tackle warrants the same punishment as one of those fake head butts or a shove above the shoulders. I do think the Cosgroves and Gabbradinis deserve to go to panel. Take the medical reports into consideration
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Post by riochforthereebok on Mar 15, 2024 18:09:05 GMT
The BN are already running a thread from snippets of comments from the ‘top 5 managers’
Summat tells me there could be a surprise inclusion to that top 5 if Lincoln carry on the way they have been. Can’t see Stevenage Blackpool or Oxford having much of an impact, but you never know.
I just don’t see the top 6 staying as is and I can see Stevenage drop out
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Post by davidm on Mar 16, 2024 10:43:56 GMT
Not necessarily a must win but definitely a do not lose game. Despite all the "never win at Derby", I have seen us win there twice. Both in the league cup. Winning goals from Willie Morgan and Michael Johansen so let's hope today is the time to win a league game. I was there for the dreadful Gabiodini leg break which more or less finished Coleman's career. I expect more or less the same team but might tighten up the defence and include Iredale Always the optimist I will go for a 2-1 win
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Post by chip on Mar 16, 2024 11:31:56 GMT
I have had my fair share of defeats at Derby including a 4-0 defeat in a pre-season friendly but our fortunes have got to change sometime I would like to know how many times we have played Derby at Pride Park in the league and lost it might not be that many. It's the same with Blackpool we haven't won there since 1977 but to be honest I don't think we have played them all that often, it might be time to go wild and win COYWM
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Post by OohMac on Mar 16, 2024 11:39:05 GMT
Always 4-0. Think it was out first stint in the prem we lost 4-0 on Easter weekend which all but relegated us. Then we seemed to make that a tradition.
Well my goal for the team is no goal. 8 clean sheets. As Big Sam says if they don't score you can't lose. Or similar.
0-0 will do me today. 0-3 even better.
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Post by chip on Mar 16, 2024 11:49:14 GMT
Our last point was 11th March 2014 0-0 in the championship since then we have lost five on the bounce at there place so it is time to change that as my mate always says it’s a home banker for them but fingers crossed not today COYWM
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Post by whitesince63 on Mar 16, 2024 12:00:06 GMT
Always 4-0. Think it was out first stint in the prem we lost 4-0 on Easter weekend which all but relegated us. Then we seemed to make that a tradition. Well my goal for the team is no goal. 8 clean sheets. As Big Sam says if they don't score you can't lose. Or similar. 0-0 will do me today. 0-3 even better. Well 0-0 won’t do me OM, it’s got to be a win if we really want the automatics.
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