7 days

Is a long time in football.After a very competent display against Bristol we then lapse in to 2 very poor performances.We've got to hope the next 7 days will give us the time to get back on track to start picking points up again.Sollbauer might also be better judged after he's had a weeks training instead of flying in having half a hours training then travelling down to Portsmouth.Fingers crossed.

 

I'm hopeful that a week on the training ground Sollbauer will look better vs Charlton. We should have beaten them at Oakwell, so there is hope.
It really is a game we need to win, if we are going to catch them.

 

Why would you play a player who had just arrived in the country and had half hours training with then lads. We have got to hope we pull something out of the bag before the window shuts but looks like we have gone for quantity over quality again.

 

Premier league/possibly top end championship loans are the only way I can see us getting in players that have enough quality for the championship. Not confident we’ll get that though.

 

I suppose GS's hand was forced to some degree, with the Diaby situation, especially if we were going to play Halme at the base of the diamond. Thankfully was only a cup game, i'm going to reserve judgement to next week.

 

I agree it was a big ask but I suppose it was better throwing him in at the deep end in a cup tie than straight in against Charlton next week.At least now he has a full week to get to know his team mates.

 

A big target man needed urgently, over to the board to see if they can deliver.
Struber also needs to start showing he's adaptable and can change the system, style etc. It would appear Stendel was unwilling to compromise on this part.

 

I personally haven't got a problem with sticking to a system as long as things are improving, not necessarily game on game but overall

 

I think it was only forced by his own stubbornness. Halme is able to play centre back, he is after all a centre back. Struber didn't have to play him out of position and leave dougall on the bench but he chose to to play his new signing. The proof that he didn't have to play halme in midfield is that just a few days earlier he didn't.

Can't blame the player for not knowing what he's doing but you can definitely blame the manager for shoehorning him into the starting 11 at such short notice and with no idea what he's doing.

 

Possibly. I think Halme has looked better at the base of the diamond & our best results have come with him in this position. I don't really care about the cup this season, getting a result at Charlton is all important & hopefully lessons will be learned from the Pompey debacle. For me they have a very experienced manager, with good tactical awareness & they did a job on us in terms of our formation. We also played very poorly too. Collins, who I thought was OK had a nightmare, which did not help the back 4.

 

I really can't see this happening. I agree with changing formation, but a no brainer is a 4-4-2, with our two high scoring strikers with Woodrow & Chaplin in the box & Thomas & Brown wide. We could switch that in a game from the diamond with no change of personnel. They tend to cross low & fast, so a big man isn't the answer for me. It is at set pieces, where if you have Halme holding, you can put the other two centre backs in the box too & have an aerial threat that the said too could capitalise on. A few of our goals in our wins have come this way for Chaplin. Our big problem is our defence, we need a settled back 4. Assuming Sollbauer is going to be partnering Andersen in defence they need to build a partnership. Andersen has been hopeless so far in most games, I wish it had been Sollbauer & Diaby, but we've no idea what the outcome of his charge will be. Diaby looked the best of a bad bunch for me. I reckon he won't feature this season, but no one on here has an idea what he has tested positive for as far as I'm aware. I'd add I'm a fan of Kenny Dougall, but if we are to persist with the diamond formation, Halme looks the better option, for reasons quoted above.

 

Surely with regard to Diaby if he's protesting his innocence the FA needs to get on with things as quickly as possible.

 

I get what your saying but if bristol had took more of their clear cut chances that could have been another game where we conceded 3+ goals, granted we actually looked like scoring ourselves in that game. Apart from Huddersfield i think wev been poor for a while now..... Critical week ahead.

 

I don't particually think we've been poor.Prone to silly errors but not poor apart from yesterday and Tuesday night.

 

Signs his mate on Monday
One comes from Wolfsberger on Tuesday
Another Austrian added by Wednesday
And on Thursday and Friday and Saturday
We're doomed on Sunday

 

Making love on thursday, friday and Saturday..... No wonder their nackered on match day

 

I think you are overreacting a bit. I get your general point though.

 

I don't actually care where they come from if they're good enough. I don't think they are though because our owners don't want good. They want cheap

 

That is a different issue in some respects & our budget is tight.

I'd have been happier with an experienced championship player, but clearly on coming in GS has negotiated his terms. He'll be judged on those, no doubt, I'm just glad we are not sticking to the spreadsheet totally. Most of the problems for me were letting Pinnock go for peanuts in the summer, but what's done is done. Brentford laughing all the way to the bank & we have a marginal interest, which if we do down will be more peanuts. I have a peanut allergy as it happens. A Satay is no way.

 

I think the next two games will pretty much determine our season. Charlton because we have to win. Wednesday because if that results in another humiliation in front of that lot, Struber and the players will be dead in the water.
Unfortunate, because that is not where the major blame should lay IMO.