First, a word on ifollow. In the final week of the transfer window when we signed 2 players and various stories came out of the club which were reported in the newspapers, it took until 21:45hrs yesterday (Thursday) for the first video to appear and then there was nothing from the 2 new signings. It is quite clear that other clubs put up more material and do it much sooner than the DRFC media team who are failing in their job.
We shall be hoping that the football team do a good deal better tomorrow. At least, unlike the media team, we can be sure that they will turn up to play.
However, will it be another exhibition of defensive confusion and missing the target by up to 90 degrees?
I really do hope that the two new defenders do not confine themselves to shadowing attackers; we have enough of that already. We have lost Butler, Baudry and Wright who recognise that you cannot dispossess players simply by running alongside them as we have seen so often this year, not even forcing attackers into less advantageous positions for a shot, but just running with them. McCullough will physically engage so let’s hope Anderson and Boyle understand that too.
And let us pray that Reaction-Man Lawlor will make up his mind when to come out and when to stay back. For the first goal of Bristol’s three he made a late charge only to be obstructed by Mason and got nowhere near the ball, finishing up out of play beyond the bye-line, the goal wide open. For the third he was half way between his goal and the player. I wonder whether there is too much separate training for goal-keepers and that the vital co-ordination between defence and keeper is neglected.
For the forwards vital coordination between feet and brain needs attention.
Portsmouth at Portsmouth has been a relatively happy hunting ground in the past, but it is a formidable venue, feeling like you are playing a Premier League team.
We will need some good fortune and far more efficiency in all departments if we are to succeed there and I hope for a creditable performance even if we do not get anything out of it. So let’s try and hit the target from 5 yards if the opportunity comes along and not concede goals via comedic misunderstandings. 1-3 to them and 17,500 chiming in – well most of them.
DPL - Portsmouth
posted on 3/2/18
1-1
Beestin
17400
posted on 3/2/18
Marquis to score mason not starting
posted on 3/2/18
Pompey 2-1 Rovers
Marquis to score.
Crowd 17.824
posted on 3/2/18
2-2 Marquis to score and 17777 there 🔴⚪🔴
posted on 3/2/18
2.2 Beeston first goal. 16823.
posted on 3/2/18
Strewth! Nerve-wracking enough to monitor the game on Twitter. Can't imagine what it was like to be there, particularly in the final minutes playing against 9 men, including a stand-in goalie. Good point.
posted on 3/2/18
Happy with the point always tough place to go. Some positives in Marquis getting another goal. Copps rolling back the years with a fantastic display. McCullough and Kiwomya making appearances back from injuries. We just need to work on set pieces still! Tight as a ducks back end from 10th downwards still plenty to do but id rather have the points than games in hand. Let's put Charlton to the sword next week 🔴⚪🔴
posted on 3/2/18
I agree with DF that we did not really deserve more than a draw - although we should have stolen it in those last minutes. A little more power on Whiteman's attempt and it would have been a goal.
On iFollow you could not see if Marquis was offside, but as no-one in the Rovers complained, I assume he was! If it had counted, I think we would have run away with the game as Pompey were nowhere in it until they equalised.
I was surprised DF took Copps off as he seemed to having his best game in a long time.Also as Azza says, we still need to work on set pieces!
posted on 4/2/18
Good point and well done err Jame@....oh yes 26
posted on 4/2/18
A curious game; an unexpected early lead and initial dominance followed by predictable pressure, another surprise goal and then the more traditional effort to sustain the advantage which failed and finally the unlikely reduction to 10 and even briefly 9 vs 11 which according to DF caused us (not them) to “panic”. With more composure he felt we could have won it by passing the ball and taking advantage of the extra man. But we didn’t. There was even criticism of 1 or 2 players needing to step up to the mark (or lose their places).
DF blamed one our players (unnamed) who lost the man he was marking in the box for the second goal and it was clear that the crosser of the ball was unhindered as was the man who got the first header on the cross. To be kind to Lawlor I might say that he chose to leave it others and finished up just having a close-up view, not intervening with it all happening too quickly for him to do anything but watch. Someone needs to organise on the spot with Butler absent. Hopefully Anderson and Boyle who obviously did very well will develop and co-ordinate an improvement. This talk of improving set-piece discipline has been around for almost a year now and progress is indiscernible. So, either the players are incapable of learning, which is unlikely, or the coaching is bad and sadly after such a long time one has to question the latter.
Congratulations to Copps, the new signings and the change of formation by bringing on McCullough and Kiwomya which confused the opposition and led to the second goal which was very well taken, Despite the “poacher” label, Marquis seems to take the more difficult chances better than the easy ones; is this the “Time to think” syndrome again perhaps?
On to the results and I and several others had our lack of faith exposed. As a goal-scorer Copps has lost favour amongst the Predictors and I hope he is not too hurt. We all got fairly close with the big crowd which as we know makes the attendance more of a guessing game.
Portsmouth 2: Rovers 2 (Coppinger) 17364
………………..….Crowd Scorer Score Result Bonus Total Pts B/F Cumltve
Donaldo ………… 4 ……. 0 ……. 0 ……. 0 ……. 0 ……. 4 ……. 111 ……. 115
PDXMickey ……. 2 ……. 0 ……. 0 ……. 0 ……. 0 ……. 2 ……. 128 ……. 130
Yorks Lad …….. 4 ……. 0 ……. 0 ……. 0 ……. 0 ……. 4 ……. 84 ……… 88
BVZ. ……..…….. 0 ……. 0 ……. 3 ……. 3 ……. 0 ……. 6 ……. 95 ……… 101
Crazy …….……… 0 ……. 0 ……. 0 ……. 3 ……. 0 ……. 3 ……. 88 ……… 91
Uthred …….…… 0 ……. 0 ……. 0 ……. 3 ……. 0 ……. 3 ……. 124 ……. 127
Mooligan …..…. 1 ……. 0 ……. 0 ……. 0 ……. 0 ……. 1 ……. 101 ……. 102
King Chmprr …. 0 …… 0 ……. 0 ……. 0 ……. 0 ……. 0 ……. 58 ……… 58
Small Azza ……. 5 …… 0 ……. 0 ……. 3 ……. 0 ……. 8 ……. 85 ……. 93
Aussie Lad. ……. 0 …… 0 ……. 0 ……. 0 ……. 0 …… 0 …….. 5 ……… 5
Azza ……..…..… 1 ……. 0 ……. 3 ……. 3 ……. 0 ……. 7 ……. 88 ….. 95
Cheltenham …. 0 ……. 0 ……. 0 ……. 0 ……. 0 ……. 0 ……. 0 ……… 0
Nookie ……….… 2 ……. 0 ……. 0 ……. 3 ……. 0 ……. 5 ……. 48 ….…… 53
Selby …….……… 0 ……. 0 ……. 0 ……. 0 ……. 0 …... 0 ……. 86 ……… 86
Lanza …….….. 0 …….. 0 ……. 0 …… 3 ……. 0 ..…... 3 ……. 13 ……… 16
……………..……. 19 …….. 0 ……. 6 ….. 21 ……. 0 …... 46 … 1114 ….. 1160