Monty13

It was objectively terrible. No one is arguing there wasn’t mitigation.

There is a difference between understanding there will be periods of mediocrity and accepting it when it does. The cycles of good and bad are the result of decisions and actions. I don’t think any reasonable person thinks there will only be good, but it’s what’s being done in the bad that comes into focus.

Top 26 team was and is very reasonable ambition. Think any idea we can achieve much higher on average or accomplish the mythical established PL club is a step too far. Does explain why those of us in our 40s and younger have a reasonable expectation of that top 26 though, yes there’s been ups and downs but that’s what we’ve known.

There’s definitely recency bias. However there’s also good reason for that in some ways and depends how you apply it. I don’t think being in the playoffs can be seen as a failure. However I do think failure to make them in two successive seasons given our recent financial advantages could be seen as so, although it’s based on the context of the last decade or so. Let’s not forget Alex Neil was sacked and a new regime and strategy implemented due to the failure of finishing 8th. I think there’s an argument to look at our entire history and where our natural place may be. I think there’s also an argument to look at things from the beginning of the PL and the massive changes that have occurred and judge our position on that average which ,without crunching the numbers, I’d assume even with a season in League 1 and some purgatory mid table Champ years is better.

I believe Bailey said that Farke wanted fewer players of better quality and the disagreement was Webber was worried about training methods and squad strength. I don’t think he got into specifics about players, but I think the suggestion was Rashica was a player Farke wanted. However I do agree this story is likely lazy journalism.

Like you say, evened itself out by those two decisions but I feel sorry for Barnes as it was a great run and finish.

While this of course true the question is not will we find other players, it’s will overall the team be a bit stronger, a bit weaker or about the same. Also how long will that take, it’s entirely possible we sell Rowe and Sargent for bucketloads in the summer and end up with a stronger overall squad because of it but it takes time for that to show. When you lose stars there’s (understandably IMO) a distinct lack of patience from supporters when their replacements fail to immediately deliver. Not the players fault obviously, they didn’t sell the last guy or buy themselves but the weight of expectations still sits on them. I’m not sure if we don’t go up and we do make big money sales this summer there will be much patience to wait and see. Webber to be fair played a blinder in convincing everyone a team that finished 8th after a stint in the PL needed gutting and in shielding Farke that first season.

Not defending him I agree, just naive really.

Of course we miss him, he’s just not as crucial to how we play as Sargent. Lose Rowe you lose a guaranteed goal threat, this team loses Sargent it loses cohesion. Replacing Sargent is going to be so much harder than replacing Rowe, despite how good a player he is.

That pass was sublime, chefs kiss 👌

I work with Pompey fans too, they are absolutely raving about him and desperate to get him again next season (if we both go up might be a possibility I guess). They think he’s easily their best player now (they weren’t sure on him at the start) and got PL potential which is obviously to be taken with a big pinch of salt but great to hear.

It’s all I remember hearing since I was a kid until recently. I associate that tune so much with us scoring, hearing something else has been weird, like it just feels wrong to me, especially as someone who only gets to a handful of games a season now.

The camera focussed in on his ankle on second half kickoff and it looked like it was pretty heavily strapped.

He’s 19, he’ll learn. On loan is the best place to do it. I think in fairness he was trying to bodycheck the guy and got it all wrong.

I love this video so much, the manic “we’re going to do it, we’re going to do it” at the start, Then just the ****, ****, ****, ****, **** countdown to the goal is amazing lol

I think personally what I’ve learnt across the season is we have a talented but fragile squad and an equally fragile system. In that both are very dependent on Sargent. When he’s playing the rest of the team look elevated and the system looks spot on. However without him it’s like a key component is missing. The summer in standard Webber form was a mixed bag IMO. Stacy is a really good signing. Duffy was and is good competition for Hanley. Sainz looks a real special player, raw material there is very reminiscent of Emi (in terms of attitude and potential, they are different types of players). Fisher seems a good cheap punt on potential and low risk as backup given how uber fit Stacy seems. Barnes is good when he plays with Sargent, I think that’s how you have to judge his signing. Fassnacht is difficult, I really like him, flashes of top quality but otherwise can be quiet but pops up with goal contributions still which is surely the important thing much like Rowe (but less effective) who also drifts in and out of games. Long is what he is, a backup keeper who’s probably 1st choice in a league 1 team. Think that’s the reality of our current position. You’d need a replacement if we get promoted and definitely a new no1 if Gunn leaves but I think people are quite harsh on him, he’s nowhere near as good as Gunn or Krul, but that’s kind of the point. Batth was a pointless signing, as was Forshaw, absolute waste of finances. I think how we end up viewing last summer ultimately depends on the rest of the season. This team is more than good enough to be top 6 IMO. It’s all subjective but I genuinely think when fully fit we have arguably the 4th best 1st team in the league. Everyone outside the top 3 doesn’t look like they have noticeably more quality than us and that’s why it’s so tight. I think the issue is we don’t have a good enough ball playing CB, Kenny has been a revelation there and Wagner deserves credit for that move, but it also highlights the lack of that player especially given we signed two CBs. The other issue is we have 2 CM slots and need the talents of three players (with Kenny at the back) to make this system work really IMO because no one player can provide the screening, ball running (of McClean) and passing range (of Nunez) that we need alongside Sara to be fully effective. I think if Sargent stays fit we should finish in the playoffs, no doubt about that in my mind. I like Wagner too and I’m glad to see him turning it around, but I don’t think he’s punching above his weight. I think his system is too reliant on Sargent (not necessarily his fault) and it took him a while to figure out how to make things work in that key central area for the way he wants to play with the players we have.

100% agree, yet at the same time the way we are playing we shouldn’t be scared of any of these teams. We want to finish top 6 need to improve on our poor away form.

I think you’re right, he’s not got the finishing skills to play as an inverted winger IMO. He's far better getting past his man and looking to pick someone out. Especially with us playing two Strikers who can both head a ball. The acceleration and cross for Barnes against Watford was top class wing play.

Yea exactly, terrible decision. There’s a line literally drawn perfectly at the point of play and McCallum and that defender are clearly in front of him even if he wasn’t level with the other two.

That was cut above from Fassnacht and great decision making from SVH. Fassnacht has shown real top class IMO but admittedly fleetingly. I hope it’s just adjustment to England and he kicks on even more next season like previous foreign players. However even if he doesn’t he’s contributing with goals.

Thought it at time but that’s on side for me. Denied a great goal.

I remember the time it was very uncool to like Sargent on here. When he got good it felt like a coming out party to be able to say you liked him lol

No you’re not getting mine and others. It’s not about who the better player is, it’s about how key they were/are to the team’s ability to play their way. Emi was almost essential for Farke’s system and we constantly struggled to find an alternative. Rowe is a very good player but not essential to Wagner’s.

Rowe is not equivalent to Emi. He has a knack of scoring and is a very good player but he’s clearly not as vital to this team as Emi was. Pretty much everything good went through Emi, much like the Hoolahan years. He was the heartbeat of that team, it’s clear Rowe’s contribution isn’t like that. I’d far rather see Sargent stay than Rowe given the choice, it’s not even close and that says it all. This team can survive without Rowe, that team couldn’t survive without Emi.

Would like to see the Barnes disallowed goal again, looked marginal to me.