ben_the_beast

Agreed. Even if there isn't much backing for the boycott, it essentially puts a title to what half our fanbase is already doing. The media/other clubs often look at our attendances with disdain. As you say, this now brings it into the public domain WHY they are so low. Even if the immediate success of the boycott is negligible, its still worth doing for this very reason. Many fans have been boycotting for years. Season ticket sales will be at an all time low next season due to the continued watering down of the club. So whether this sees an immediate drop or not it sends a message to both the media and the owners. We know from Waggott that one of the few metrics they pay any attention to is season ticket sales. "Pasha, why are season tickets sales so low" "Its those pesky fans boycotting." I hope what Glen says is accurate and they'd consider selling. What we've been deprived of all these years is an adult conversation of the clubs ownership and direction.

My take on yesterday. Pompey dominated the ball in the first half without doing a thing with it. We contained them and were very happy to do so once we got our goal. Second half we came out and were playing some great stuff. The crowd was just turning on the manager and the team. Whether it was tactical or a bit of panic they all of a sudden started hitting long balls and we didn't deal with any of them. Not a surprise when the back three is a short right back, a short left back, and a fella Hull practically gave away. Any header we won went about 5 yards and they easily picked up the second ball. Most of the time our back three didn't get first contact. All of a sudden Pompey were up in our final third and we caved in an instant. Its the story of our season. We have no defence at all. Miller is really poor. McLoughlen gets bullied by any half physical forward. Ribiero is to small to be playing there. We've got half a team. He's no world beater but we miss Dom Hyam so much. A fit, championship standard centre half. Overall, Pompey were crap, we played some good stuff in spells, they put some pressure on, we folded. And this'll keep happening on repeat.

There'll be a literal tide at Ewood soon.

He's a big downgrade on Travis for me. But I agree. I'd sign him on a cheap deal. He gets through a lot of work off the ball and can hold his own. He's one of the worst passing central midfielders I've seen in a while though.

I thought he was tidy if unspectacular when he came on against QPR. By this i mean his 10 yard passes were finding a man which shows how far our standards have fallen.

The game reminded me of one from years ago late in the FA Cup under Appleton I think it was. We were playing Millwall (was it to reach the semis and a first Wembley appearance?) and we spent the entire game launching the ball straight onto Danny Shittu's head. Definition of insanity doing the same thing on repeat and expecting a different result. We must have had launched almost 20 long throws into their area along with around 15 corners without making first contact once. Derby on the other hand had about 3 corners and scored from one of them. Clueless.

As far as back up goalies go, Pears isn't too bad. I'm pleased he's still here if Toth is out for an extended period. Pears is just one of those confidence players. He does have the basic skill set but the problem is in his head. When he's on form he's a Championship level goalkeeper, but as soon as something goes wrong the indecision is there for all to see and he becomes woefully inadequate. I think it was David James who once said all good goalkeepers are a bit weird. Its such a pressure position that it takes a very specific personality to instantly forget about a mistake you've made, and Pears just doesn't have that in him. If his tail is up whilst Toth is out he'll do a job, however my biggest worry is, even taking mentality out of the equation, technically speaking Toth is just so much better. He's by far one of our most valuable players and regardless of Pears form or mindset, he'll be a downgrade. There have been fine margins in two of our recent wins where if Pears were in net, I don't think we'd have won.

Mind is made up. Out, out, out. The bloke cannot organise a defensive unit.

My take is we've got a limited squad but we're looking a semi-cohesive outfit for periods in the majority of games. But its just become the expectation now, that we'll concede ridiculously soft goals. We're disorganised at the back and its making getting any kind of result nigh on impossible. That's on the manager. The players are poor but Ismael is worse. He's a dud. He needs to go. A half decent manager could organise this poor bunch of players and we'd be in with half a chance of survival. With Ismael in charge, we're done for.

Really need a reaction today. We were terrible first half against Swansea but the performance did improve in the second half once we pressed them a bit more. Think I was in the minority in thinking Gudjohnson showed some good link up play. He just had that one awful moment when the ball rolled under his foot. My biggest concern is even at times when we look a little more coherent, i feel as though we could concede at any moment. I'd have been more comfortable with Wharton starting.

I also thought Gudjonson played okay without massively imposing himself. Upgrade on Ohashi or Gueye. Shame the one time he got it in and around the box he let it roll under his foot.

We were the better side second half. Hope to not see Kargbo again for a while. He cost us the game. Tracking back after he lost the ball probably wouldn't have rectified it but at least bloody try. Biggest issue is though that for some of the endeavour we look soft at the back and we're not clinical up top. Guess thats what happens when you sell your main center back on deadline day.

Seems like a common sense approach to me. I don't think the EFL will do common sense though. They will hide behind their (inadequate) rule book.

If the EFL were actually semi organised they could have announced there and then, that the remaining 10 minutes would be played behind closed doors on Sunday morning, 11 vs 10. As it stands some stupid suits in a room will deliberate for God knows how long before making a stupid, unfair decision. Whatever happened to common sense?

The thing which actually has annoyed me more than anything with all of this is McKenna being a total prick. Sooner the bloke gets the sack the better. Just as we're able to assess what was a good performance on our part, the Ipswich hierarchy will have watched that with a lot of concern.

I'm not expert but surely the club buying 20 of those massive squeegee sticks would help considering we know the state of the drainage. Give one to each of the ball boys and I'd bet they'd have seen another 10 minutes out of the pitch. One bloke walking around with a tiny fork is just embarrassing. If Gestede has learnt anything from Waggott he could hail his new squeegees as a dynamic state of the art emergency drainage system. It'd be his version of Waggott championing a rented coach.

Toth winning his first competitive cap for Hungary tonight. From memory of what others have mentioned that should go a fair way towards him no longer taking up one of our ESC slots.

I'm sorry but that's not a red and a penalty. I could accept one or the other but applying the double jeopardy rule for something which is essentially a dive is ridiculous. Game ruined for such a minor infraction is insane.

He frustrates me. I think he's got all the ability to be a great striker at this level. We've seen him do it. When he goes off the boil though, it's dramatic and sustained.

I think the common denominator is how much heat Pasha is getting. Its no coincidence we reinvest money from sales at a time when there are rumours his position isn't as secure as it once was. Whilst Venkys own us, this club will always be about power struggles.

After Moroshita, Gudjohnsen is the first player we've been linked with who I'm a little excited about. Admittedly I've been very disillusioned with all things Rovers this summer. I think he could be exactly what we need though. Powerful, good in the air but with more craft than Gueye. Looks quite intelligent in his link up play too and for some reason the fact he is Eider's son makes me quite excited. He was an unbelievable player. Even if he's got half the technique and footballing intelligence his Dad did, he'll be a cracking player. I'm not sure where this leave Gueye though. A player with a similar physique and traits could mean very limited minutes for him.

I guarantee if we had an exact mirror situation as Sheffield Wednesday and we were unable to pay our players, some of our fans would still say its because of FFP restrictions.

It would beg the question for any sane club, what incentive is there to ever sell at all. Utterly ludicrous statement.

Agreed. The fact we have spent a bit on fees this summer is rather deceiving (even though I'm sure outgoings will still end up seeing us turn a profit). The deception is the guise of investment though. We've slashed our wage budget again massively. Surely De Neve can't be on more than 5k per week. Henrikson and Alebiousi the same. We're recouping the fees and more with the slashing of wages, let alone the incoming transfer fees.

Only watched the second half. Was all Birmingham after we went ahead, but Toth wasn't being made to make a save. I've seen a few replays of the pen and there is absolutely no contact. An absolutely terrible decision by the ref. Then the corner which led to their counter attack and goal should have been a penalty to us. The balls travelled 50 yards and blatantly strikes the arm of one of their players unchallenged. Whys the ref not giving that. All the players appealed. They all saw it. Yes players appeal for everything these days, but typically that's when there's a challenge. Not a random event like a player misjudging the flight of the ball and handballing. Stings even more when he's given a non existent one to them. Worried about our quality though. Could have sworn I was watching us under Big Sam. We put some pressure on at 1-1 but it was pure physicality and lumping it. We're going to run out of steam at some point this season with a small squad and that level of physicality. And we're not even picking up points whilst we're at full fitness.