Post Portsmouth Thoughts

[Silvio Dante]

The thing with today, arguably unlike other friendlies, is it was a real test. Going into a sides home patch who are one of the favourites to go up, and by their fans consensus, played the side that was likely to be their first choice.

And if you assume 7 of the first half side are likely/guaranteed to be our first choice (King the midfield exception and the front three god knows), then what you’d have to say is that it was totally passed. It was 0-0 at half time but we were so much in control of the game it was ridiculous - Max had no shots to save and we looked incisive, and played with pace. Second half was a bit more disjointed but again, thought we shaded it. Few more specific (player) thoughts:

- Conway. By god he’s bulked up, and without losing pace. He’s an absolute unit now, and is my first choice up top

- Cornick. The work rate here is immense and there was a fantastic piece with a flick and long range shot that deserved a goal. You can see exactly why he was signed - type of player who his teammates appreciate more than the fans do

- Roberts. Hugely feisty and competitive, more often than not coming away with the ball. Looks a player and Cam under more pressure than I’d have thought

- Wells - pick of the front three first half for me. Work rate again huge and won so much ball back. I think he’s competing against Conway so will start sub but he has a great case to be in the team

- Vyner - small negative here. Think he was hesitant and got bullied a bit by their front man. Not a horrible performance but not at his best by any means

- Mehmeti - I’ve been critical of end product but he was far more of a team player today. There was one incident where he feigned to cross right footed and did it left that was fantastic. The six months look to have aided integration hugely

- Bell - probably weakest of the front three first half. Again, not terrible but a notch below Cornick and Wells

- Knight - great work rate and good ball usage. Must be a nightmare to play against

- Regan Poole - Pompeys MOM and rightly so. Looked a cut above the rest of their team.

Overall we looked a team who would be a mare to play against - always on players, with pace, great in transition. This wasn’t a mug team and we dominated before the subs. A very good day at the office.

As for next week, my gut feel is it’s O’Leary, Tanner, Vyner, Dickie, Pring, James, Scott, Knight, Conway, Sykes, Mehmeti - but I’d not be shocked to see Cornick in either.

 

 

 

 

Edited July 29, 2023 by Silvio Dante

[Loosey Boy]

7 minutes ago, Silvio Dante said:

The thing with today, arguably unlike other friendlies, is it was a real test. Going into a sides home patch who are one of the favourites to go up, and by their fans consensus, played the side that was likely to be their first choice.

And if you assume 7 of the first half side are likely/guaranteed to be our first choice (King the midfield exception and the front three god knows), then what you’d have to say is that it was totally passed. It was 0-0 at half time but we were so much in control of the game it was ridiculous - Max had no shots to save and we looked incisive, and played with pace. Second half was a bit more disjointed but again, thought we shaded it. Few more specific (player) thoughts:

- Conway. By god he’s bulked up, and without losing pace. He’s an absolute unit now, and is my first choice up top

- Cornick. The work rate here is immense and there was a fantastic piece with a flick and long range shot that deserved a goal. You can see exactly why he was signed - type of player who his teammates appreciate more than the fans do

- Roberts. Hugely feisty and competitive, more often than not coming away with the ball. Looks a player and Cam under more pressure than I’d have thought

- Wells - pick of the front three first half for me. Work rate again huge and won so much ball back. I think he’s competing against Conway so will start sub but he has a great case to be in the team

- Vyner - small negative here. Think he was hesitant and got bullied a bit by their front man. Not a horrible performance but not at his best by any means

- Mehmeti - I’ve been critical of end product but he was far more of a team player today. There was one incident where he feigned to cross right footed and did it left that was fantastic. The six months look to have aided integration hugely

- Bell - probably weakest of the front three first half. Again, not terrible but a notch below Cornick and Wells

- Knight - great work rate and good ball usage. Must be a nightmare to play against

- Regan Poole - Pompeys MOM and rightly so. Looked a cut above the rest of their team.

Overall we looked a team who would be a mare to play against - always on players, with pace, great in transition. This wasn’t a mug team and we dominated before the subs. A very good day at the office.

As for next week, my gut feel is it’s O’Leary, Tanner, Vyner, Dickie, Pring, James, Scott, Knight, Cornick, Sykes, Mehmeti - but I’d not be shocked to see Cornick in either.

 

 

 

 

Do you mean you’d play Conway up front, rather than Cornick?

[Silvio Dante]

2 minutes ago, Loosey Boy said:

Do you mean you’d play Conway up front, rather than Cornick?

Ah yes thanks - edited

[Lavington Robin]

I pretty much agree with your assessment. Before today I would have agreed with your “PNE side”  with Bell instead of Mehmeti but he didn’t seem at it today so that would be my only reservation. Also my player of last season Pring 100% but now watching Roberts I am impressed. Would like to see more of him defending to be sure but going forward & dead ball kicks definitely adds something we’ve been missing. 
Vyner hmmm always said the same, I never criticised last season but when we have the 2 Rob’s available I wonder if he will feature in the 2nd half of the season… will he sign another contract ?

Poole probably saved them at least 1 more goal conceded.

For me today Roberts & Knight were another level.

[WECANDO]

My only comment would be that according to Tinnion the pressing was better by our lads in the first half. I also felt Wells did a bit more of that than Conway.

Edited July 29, 2023 by WECANDO

[Davefevs]

26 minutes ago, Silvio Dante said:

Mehmeti - I’ve been critical of end product but he was far more of a team player today. There was one incident where he feigned to cross right footed and did it left that was fantastic

This is something I know the coaches and Rennie have been working on specifically.

 

As for the Bell / Mehmeti debate, I was just chatting (DM’ing) to @Graham c about this.  Bell is great when we are knocking balls over / inside the full-back, but the rest of his game isn’t very mature…he is a bit one-dimensional.  Mehmeti contributes to patterns much more than Bell but is a bit inconsistent with his product.

It’s a good problem for Nige.  Opponents style,  defensive line, home or away might play into selection more for these two than anyone other selections.

[stephenkibby.]

My thoughts after reading the Preston matchday thread is don't read it.

To a man after 28 pages they are doomed, Lowe will be the first manager sacked.

Well we know what that means.

[Silvio Dante]

6 minutes ago, Davefevs said:

This is something I know the coaches and Rennie have been working on specifically.

 

As for the Bell / Mehmeti debate, I was just chatting (DM’ing) to @Graham c about this.  Bell is great when we are knocking balls over / inside the full-back, but the rest of his game isn’t very mature…he is a bit one-dimensional.  Mehmeti contributes to patterns much more than Bell but is a bit inconsistent with his product.

It’s a good problem for Nige.  Opponents style,  defensive line, home or away might play into selection more for these two than anyone other selections.

Yeah I’m still not totally buying shares in Bell. I’d hate to face him in a foot race but I’m not 100% sure he’s a consistent starter at this level at this time (with the caveat that the more experience he gets the better he gets)

Anis as you know I’ve been more cautious of than most. That cross was great but two moments stood out to me that shows his “maturing/integration” - one where Weimann was retrieving a ball and Anis (who’d have chased like a puppy before) held his run back to recieve the back heel. There was also one where about 18 yards out he delayed until TC made a great run (ruled offside though iirc!). Last season he blind alleys that one.

[stephenkibby.]

11 minutes ago, Davefevs said:

This is something I know the coaches and Rennie have been working on specifically.

 

As for the Bell / Mehmeti debate, I was just chatting (DM’ing) to @Graham c about this.  Bell is great when we are knocking balls over / inside the full-back, but the rest of his game isn’t very mature…he is a bit one-dimensional.  Mehmeti contributes to patterns much more than Bell but is a bit inconsistent with his product.

It’s a good problem for Nige.  Opponents style,  defensive line, home or away might play into selection more for these two than anyone other selections.

Love the look of Mehmeti, got all the skills but seems so keen to impress and become a real team player.

Two or three times he seemed to go against his instinct against Cheltenham when facing up his full back.

Instead of taking him on played the short pass or created an angle and clipped the ball in. not always the best but if he can learn when to turn the defender he's gona be a real player.

[Puckle_red]

Interesting observations. 

I feel Bell is way ahead of Mehmeti at the moment, he's a threat and a finisher, albeit his all round contribution needs improving. Mehmeti definitely has skill and work rate but has some work to do to get ahead of Bell at the moment, good competition for places. Personally if not Bell, I'd have Weimann left forward currently.

Wells looks sharp, I'm one of Conway's biggest fans, but I'd start Nakhi vs PNE. 

[cityal]

1 hour ago, Silvio Dante said:

Yeah I’m still not totally buying shares in Bell. I’d hate to face him in a foot race but I’m not 100% sure he’s a consistent starter at this level at this time (with the caveat that the more experience he gets the better he gets)

Anis as you know I’ve been more cautious of than most. That cross was great but two moments stood out to me that shows his “maturing/integration” - one where Weimann was retrieving a ball and Anis (who’d have chased like a puppy before) held his run back to recieve the back heel. There was also one where about 18 yards out he delayed until TC made a great run (ruled offside though iirc!). Last season he blind alleys that one.

Unless you are a sprinter my guess is the "facing him" part lasts around a second, the rest of the time you will be watching his back

The options and combos on the left side look very interesting.

[mozo]

2 hours ago, Davefevs said:

This is something I know the coaches and Rennie have been working on specifically.

 

As for the Bell / Mehmeti debate, I was just chatting (DM’ing) to @Graham c about this.  Bell is great when we are knocking balls over / inside the full-back, but the rest of his game isn’t very mature…he is a bit one-dimensional.  Mehmeti contributes to patterns much more than Bell but is a bit inconsistent with his product.

It’s a good problem for Nige.  Opponents style,  defensive line, home or away might play into selection more for these two than anyone other selections.

I'm gonna gamble on Bell being the pick on the left. I'm a Mehmeti fan, but I think Nige likes the zip that Bell has both on and pff the ball, and the threat he has with his pace. He also plays an absolute peach of a low cross in the corridor. 

The question then is does Nige pick the height and size of Cornick or the selfless industry of Sykes?

I'll guess Bell, Conway, Sykes... but any of the three could be wrong! 

[BarnzFM]

Didn’t fancy putting this into the massive match thread then?

[Silvio Dante]

3 hours ago, BarnzFM said:

Didn’t fancy putting this into the massive match thread then?

Nope.

As a OTIB supporter I think I’ve earned the right to make that call. It’s only £5 a season, and as you care about the etiquette here I’m sure you’d like to sign up. Unless you don’t fancy it…

[Major Isewater]

9 hours ago, Silvio Dante said:

The thing with today, arguably unlike other friendlies, is it was a real test. Going into a sides home patch who are one of the favourites to go up, and by their fans consensus, played the side that was likely to be their first choice.

And if you assume 7 of the first half side are likely/guaranteed to be our first choice (King the midfield exception and the front three god knows), then what you’d have to say is that it was totally passed. It was 0-0 at half time but we were so much in control of the game it was ridiculous - Max had no shots to save and we looked incisive, and played with pace. Second half was a bit more disjointed but again, thought we shaded it. Few more specific (player) thoughts:

- Conway. By god he’s bulked up, and without losing pace. He’s an absolute unit now, and is my first choice up top

- Cornick. The work rate here is immense and there was a fantastic piece with a flick and long range shot that deserved a goal. You can see exactly why he was signed - type of player who his teammates appreciate more than the fans do

- Roberts. Hugely feisty and competitive, more often than not coming away with the ball. Looks a player and Cam under more pressure than I’d have thought

- Wells - pick of the front three first half for me. Work rate again huge and won so much ball back. I think he’s competing against Conway so will start sub but he has a great case to be in the team

- Vyner - small negative here. Think he was hesitant and got bullied a bit by their front man. Not a horrible performance but not at his best by any means

- Mehmeti - I’ve been critical of end product but he was far more of a team player today. There was one incident where he feigned to cross right footed and did it left that was fantastic. The six months look to have aided integration hugely

- Bell - probably weakest of the front three first half. Again, not terrible but a notch below Cornick and Wells

- Knight - great work rate and good ball usage. Must be a nightmare to play against

- Regan Poole - Pompeys MOM and rightly so. Looked a cut above the rest of their team.

Overall we looked a team who would be a mare to play against - always on players, with pace, great in transition. This wasn’t a mug team and we dominated before the subs. A very good day at the office.

As for next week, my gut feel is it’s O’Leary, Tanner, Vyner, Dickie, Pring, James, Scott, Knight, Conway, Sykes, Mehmeti - but I’d not be shocked to see Cornick in either.

 

 

 

 

Pretty much agree with your post but I thought Scully was a real menace for them. 
I still think Towler will have a good career and Tinnion said he told him that we like him and if he progresses then in four years time we could buy him back. 

[BarnzFM]

3 hours ago, Silvio Dante said:

Nope.

As a OTIB supporter I think I’ve earned the right to make that call. It’s only £5 a season, and as you care about the etiquette here I’m sure you’d like to sign up. Unless you don’t fancy it…

No thanks, I’d do it if everyone didn’t flood the forum with multiple threads about the same thing 

[RedM]

I think the Bell/Conway/Wells combo seems to work the best. Take any one player out from that and no matter who replaces them the other two don't seem to play as well.

But he'll what do I know, I expect there will be room for all and players rotated based on need, fitness etc

[Red Skin]

1 hour ago, BarnzFM said:

No thanks, I’d do it if everyone didn’t flood the forum with multiple threads about the same thing 

We obviously differ.  Match day threads are fine if you want to follow the play as it unfolds, but it's usually full of emotional and reactionary post after the final whistle.  Having a more considered thread a couple hours after then of the match makes for better reading for me, once everyone has calmed down. 

[Gimme Shelton]

1 hour ago, Major Isewater said:

Pretty much agree with your post but I thought Scully was a real menace for them. 
I still think Towler will have a good career and Tinnion said he told him that we like him and if he progresses then in four years time we could buy him back. 

We could buy him back but only if Nige thinks he can handle Champions League knockout stages.......

[1960maaan]

10 hours ago, Silvio Dante said:

Yeah I’m still not totally buying shares in Bell

 

10 hours ago, stephenkibby. said:

Love the look of Mehmeti

 

10 hours ago, Davefevs said:

As for the Bell / Mehmeti debate, I was just chatting (DM’ing) to @Graham c about this.  Bell is great when we are knocking balls over / inside the full-back, but the rest of his game isn’t very mature…he is a bit one-dimensional.  Mehmeti contributes to patterns much more than Bell but is a bit inconsistent with his product.

Chatting to a mate who knows a guy in recruitment for a Prem side. The player he flagged up as being watched was Bell. Said there are a few teams keeping an eye on him. I think this year will be big for him as a learning curve for his development . 

I could see why he started ahead of Mehmetti in games, his willingness to go outside the full back gave a little more balance, where as Anis was too reliant on cutting inside. I've always liked players making FBs think , not knowing which way they will go. Gives you a yard start at times.
I've not seen any of the games but I was pleased when I saw a Dave post this.

11 hours ago, Davefevs said:

This is something I know the coaches and Rennie have been working on specifically.

Something I was critical of last year, and will make him much more of a threat this coming season.

I hope Bell develops quickly as he can be a real threat. He has pace, he is one of the best finishers at the club, happy to use either foot and just needs better game management maybe.

[1960maaan]

19 minutes ago, Red Skin said:

We obviously differ.  Match day threads are fine if you want to follow the play as it unfolds, but it's usually full of emotional and reactionary post after the final whistle.  Having a more considered thread a couple hours after then of the match makes for better reading for me, once everyone has calmed down. 

I tend to stay off the MDT for a while after a game, points can get lost in a flurry of posts. I agree it can be better to discuss specific points later, in a separate thread .

 

[johnbytheriver]

What came out of today's game for me? Can we play Haydon Roberts and Cam Pring in the same team? Two highly  talented individuals!

[INCRED]

2 hours ago, 1960maaan said:

 

 

Chatting to a mate who knows a guy in recruitment for a Prem side. The player he flagged up as being watched was Bell. Said there are a few teams keeping an eye on him. I think this year will be big for him as a learning curve for his development . 

I could see why he started ahead of Mehmetti in games, his willingness to go outside the full back gave a little more balance, where as Anis was too reliant on cutting inside. I've always liked players making FBs think , not knowing which way they will go. Gives you a yard start at times.
I've not seen any of the games but I was pleased when I saw a Dave post this.

Something I was critical of last year, and will make him much more of a threat this coming season.

I hope Bell develops quickly as he can be a real threat. He has pace, he is one of the best finishers at the club, happy to use either foot and just needs better game management maybe.

Bell is still a bit raw in some aspects but I can see why he is being watched. Conway is one I believe could be a top player and if he continues his development and looking at how his physique is developing I quietly fancy he will be a real star for us this season

Whats exciting is that we have 5-6 players that are going to make us a really attractive team to watch and a nightmare for teams to play against 

The last 3-4 seasons have been full of inconsistency and at times disappointments but I just feel a lot more hopeful and even excited at seeing what we can do this season 

PNE next Saturday will be a decent crowd and full of expectations so I just hope we hit the ground running and get amongst the front runners as our first 4 games in my opinion are all games we should be looking for maximum points from 

Edited July 30, 2023 by INCRED

[lenred]

8 hours ago, Silvio Dante said:

Nope.

As a OTIB supporter I think I’ve earned the right to make that call. It’s only £5 a season, and as you care about the etiquette here I’m sure you’d like to sign up. Unless you don’t fancy it…

Love it

[italian dave]

11 minutes ago, INCRED said:

Bell is still a bit raw in some aspects but I can see why he is being watched. Conway is one I believe could be a top player and if he continues his development and looking at how his physique is developing I quietly fancy he will be a real star for us this season

Whats exciting is that we have 5-6 players that are going to make us a really attractive team to watch and a nightmare for teams to play against 

The last 3-4 seasons have been full of inconsistency and at times disappointments but I just feel a lot more hopeful and even excited at seeing what we can do this season 

PNE next Saturday will be a decent crowd and full of expectations so I just hope we hit the ground running and get amongst the front runners as our first 4 games in my opinion are all games we should be looking for maximum points from 

I agree on Conway. If this is the season when he fulfils the promise of last year then we’ve got another £25m player on our hands. Nothing is worth more than goals in football.

He’s one of those players who can get a goal out of nowhere, even when he seems to be having a quiet game. Priceless. 

Last season I often felt that he looked at his best alongside Wells. Clearly that’s not how NP sees it, so will be interesting to see what they’ve been working on in the summer and how that starts to pan out next week. 

[Davefevs]

22 minutes ago, italian dave said:

I agree on Conway. If this is the season when he fulfils the promise of last year then we’ve got another £25m player on our hands. Nothing is worth more than goals in football.

He’s one of those players who can get a goal out of nowhere, even when he seems to be having a quiet game. Priceless. 

Last season I often felt that he looked at his best alongside Wells. Clearly that’s not how NP sees it, so will be interesting to see what they’ve been working on in the summer and how that starts to pan out next week. 

I bloody love Conway….but it’s testament to Nahki Wells and his brilliant pre-season form that there’s even a question as to who will play CF next week.

[italian dave]

3 minutes ago, Davefevs said:

I bloody love Conway….but it’s testament to Nahki Wells and his brilliant pre-season form that there’s even a question as to who will play CF next week.

Are we past playing them both as a front two? Does that have too many implications for how we’re now set up? 

[Davefevs]

3 minutes ago, italian dave said:

Are we past playing them both as a front two? Does that have too many implications for how we’re now set up? 

I posted this on another thread last night:

[chinapig]

3 minutes ago, italian dave said:

Are we past playing them both as a front two? Does that have too many implications for how we’re now set up? 

Nigel said last season that he prefers to play two up front with one behind them. So they can and did play together. Whether that is still on remains to be seen.

[1960maaan]

4 minutes ago, italian dave said:

Are we past playing them both as a front two? Does that have too many implications for how we’re now set up? 

I loved those two as a pair , and I think it was as threatening a pairing we have had for some time, but ....
I think Nige likes the (sort of) front 3 ( though he has also said he likes a 2 ) and even I think Wells is wasted as that left side forward.  
There will probably be times we may go back to the 2, we are very flexible , but I believe to start we will see one of TC & NW.