FA CUP

[gs50]

Very surprised not to see Kelly in the squad is he injured.

[Frattonchris]

Just like to add my twopennorth.

Very sad that there were no spectators.  Having said that, I remember being away at west Brom. once and we were 4-0 down at half time.  And glad it was ONLY 4-0!  It was snowing that afternoon and I was in the uncovered part  of the away section.  So being there is not always the most enjoyable of experiences.

I thought Kings Lynn did not give up and fought to the end.  Huge respect for that as it was not the most comfortble experience for your players.  If they dig in like that in all your remaining games this season you should finish well.  (Althogh, as a few of you have said, a little more practice defending corners is probably in order.

All the best, guys and here's to the second time we meet.

[dillydilly]

Ye Godz, I think we’re all more or less in agreement.  I particularly agreed with KES and Jackdaw.  kenny r - you were right about the Dilly team having 12 players.  Well spotted.  I thought it was our best chance, if no one noticed !  My only thing, and apols for banging on about it, is that having a team capable of attacking them is a better way of defending than picking 3 CHs and defensive “ coverers” in front.  It was as though Chorley were told to shoot on sight and ours were told to shoot whenever we crossed the half way line !  But look, we’re all on the same side.  Let’s go, in the league.

[Spreston7]

Hopefully we can be more like Chorley who were relegated from our league and are bottom of the north. I think we can forgot about this result and put it down as a great day out for the football club, as we wont face any one nearly as good as Pompey again this season.

[Mallard]

With regard to Mair a lot will depend on his Keeper coach at Norwich.    If it’s drilled him to him to let defenders deal with corners then that’s what he is going to do.  Keepers coming for corners in a crowed box ain’t always easy if there is traffic in his way.  An opponent can quite easily ‘pin’ a keeper to stop him getting out in amongst.

Just saying it’s not as simple as some are suggesting.

[Blue_and_Gold]

And of course "learning", is exactly what he's here for!

[dillydilly]

Sacrilege coming up, but I suspect Alex Street’s “spirit” might have saved some of the goals we’ve been losing.  He had a brave and determined way that may not have gone as far as Mair’s might take him, but he often kept us in games.  We didn’t lose the 2 games he played in this season .....and I think he wouldn’t have been grounded with some of the high balls yesterday.  No, Portsmouth were very good, but we didn’t play well, overall.  But we are good enough to stay in this league - the main thing.

[KES80]

Agreed Dilly...I think that's the thing...Alex had grown as a keeper, while those defending in front were growing.
Alex got to know their weaknesses and they his.
He often sprinted out to cover the lack of pace in front of him.....he often came for crosses, appreciative of the lack of height.

Mair is presumably being coached to play with the defences at Norwich and not with the Lynn line up, for at least some of the week.

[Mallard]

Think the Street/Mair issue has been done to death.  Mair is out new no 1.   Alex did a fantastic job taking over from Danny Gay.  A grew as a keeper with each level wee moved up to.   Sadly he decided he didn’t fancy the fight for the no1 shirt and wanted A regular spot.  Who can blame him. 

Time we moved on, the same as Alex.

[KES80]

We weren't opening the debate again Mall in who should be behind the sticks......just that there is a need to get the defending from set pieces sorted...that requires the keeper and defence to be close knit and on the same page.
To use an oft used word from IC, we have a different type of transition going on.....defence getting used to keeper and vice versa. Effectively a full time keeper with a part time defence and different expectations as to who should be doing what.

[Mallard]

KES it’s like saying IF we had Norman at right back and Blake-Tracy at left then these crosses wouldn’t be coming ( not re starts obviously).  If Ryan Fryatt was onboard he would be dealing with these aerial balls more effectively.    Fact Is they ain’t there.

Saturday two centre half’s had ‘freebies’ from re-starts.   No challenge, no one attempting to check or block their runs.   Let’s hope the new lad McFadden can get things organised at the back.

Saturday we would have got beat, no doubts. Far superior side.  However the margin of defeat could have been at more acceptable level.   We are still not making teams work hard enough for their goals.

[gs50]

What you have to remember Mallard is that a goalkeeper can use his hands.

[Spreston7]

Ryan Fryatt's absence is most certainly not the reason we are conceding from set plays. You only have to look at the few games he played last year to see that and Kettering's games this year and see how many goals he is at fault for. I think we improved our record from set plays since we went to a zonal marking system but the strong full time athletes at Portsmouth obviously were always going to cause us problems in that department.

[Blue_and_Gold]

I think a problem we have at the moment is that we are capable of conceding 5 goals no matter what team we play against. 

I suppose as long as we score more than the opposition, then that problem is not so important.

 

[TonyM]

I think a problem we have at the moment is that we are capable of conceding 5 goals no matter what team we play against. 

and with very little scope to change personnel from within the current squad.  Hopefully with time we can build on the last couple of league clean sheets (albeit a fortunate one against a very poor Dover side) and maybe rebalance the squad (one forward out, one defender in?)