19/11/11 Championship Watford 2-0 Portsmouth

The 1st game back after the international break, lots of talk about working hard in training and another international goal for Marvin Sordell. I've not heard anything about the fitness levels of Eustace and Doyley, so I'm assuming that they are still sidelined for now. My starting line-up for Pompey is:

GK - Loach
RB - Hodson
CB - Nosworthy
CB - Mariappa
LB - ****inson

RM - Yeates
CM - Hogg
CM - Buaben
LM - Forsyth

CF - Iwelumo
CF - Sordell

I was all for Deeney starting against M'boro but after reading about how he feels playing out of position on the wing, I feel that Forsyth would be of much better use to us on the left flank. Maybe we could try Deeney upfront in the role that Iwelumo plays?

 

GK - Loach
RB - Hodson
CB - Nosworthy
CB - Mariappa
LB - ****inson

CDM - Hogg
CDM - Eustace

RAM - Yeates
CAM- Buaben
LAM - Forsyth

CF - Sordell


However I wouldn't really change the line up we had as it worked. I'd like to see that used at some stage though.

 

GK Loach

CB - Hodson
CB - Nosworthy
CB - Mariappa

RB - Doyley
LB - ****inson

CM - Hogg
CDM - Eustace
CM - Bauben

CF - Sordell
CF - Igloo

If it isnt working at HT drop one of the defenders for Deeney and go back to 442.

 

Hodson CB!? Doyley RB?!

 

I can see these two swapping roles. Doyley does seem to get forward a lot. He's hungry for his 2nd goal:sign15:

 

Only issue is, your system doesn't play wingers so relies on full backs getting forward to support the attack. Doyley isn't anywhere near enough comfortable on the ball for that, and Hodson has a much better delivery than him (and nearly everyone else in the squad for that matter), plus Doyley is better at defending than Hodson.

 

The team selection will be interesting. Personally I would keep it the same, the last two home games have been solid and so the line up should be the same. That is the logical thing to do though so I would expect that to not be the case.

 

I'd leave the team the same with the exception of bringing in Kightly if he's fit for Deeney.

 

Loach
Hodson Nosworthy Mariappa (c) ****inson
Yeates Hogg Buaben Kightly if fit, otherwise Forsyth
Sordell Iwelumo

 

Am I the only one who doesn't really rate Buaben? He had one good game, and then has just gone forward and left Hogg to pick up two opposition players without creating a lot.

 

It should be:

GK - Loach

RB - Doyley
CB- Nosworthy
CB- Mapps
LB - ****o

RM - Yeates/Deeney
CM - Hogg
CM - Buaben
LM - Kightly

CF - Iwelumo
CF - Sordell

 

my team for tomorrow.

Loach

Hodson
Nosworthy
Mariappa
****inson

Kightly
Eustace
Bauben
Yeates

Sordell
Iwelumo/garner

 

Don't think anyone believes that the prince is our saviour, or anything exceptional - just that Hogg / Eustace is too defensive and leaves a big gap between defence and attack; that being the case, who else is there to fill that role?

 

Fully agree with this, good post.

 

The Watford manager said: "John Eustace has been training well so far this week and unless anything happens on Friday, then he will be considered for the squad.

Look like Eustace is fit and ready for the game on Saturday. If he is going to play I don't think he should feature from the start, maybe give him a half depending on how Watford perform.

 

Loach
Hodson Marriappa Nosworthy ****inson
Yeates Hogg Prince Kightly
Iwelumo Sordell

Bench: Gilmartin Thompson Eustace Deeney Whichelow (Whichelow would never be picked so realistically it will be Garner or Beattie)

 

One good game, compared to the rest of our midfield should automatically make him a starter!

 

After the last fortnight, this is simply a must win game. Anything less than 3 points spells disaster.

 

I thought Kightly was going back to Wolves during the international break!?

 

Eustace starts on the bench while Kightly replaces Deeney on the wing. A bold move by Dyche to leave Eustace out of the starting 11 and a decision which I believe could be the making of a great manager. Come on you horns! 3 points today!!!!!

 

Fishal

HORNETS: Loach; Hodson, Mariappa (c), Nosworthy, ****inson; Yeates, Hogg, Buaben, Kightly; Sordell, Iwelumo. Subs: Gilmartin (gk), Deeney, Eustace, Mirfin, Beattie.

POMPEY: Henderson; Ward, Pearce, Rocha, Ben-Haim; Huseklepp, Mullins, Halford, Norris (c); Kitson, Varney. Subs: Ashdown (GK), Mokoena, Razak, Benjani, Kanu.

 

arty2:arty2:arty2:arty2:arty2:arty2:arty2:arty2:arty2:arty2:arty2:arty2:arty2:arty2:arty2:arty2:

 

:sign15::sign15::sign15::sign15::sign15:

Clean sheet too. Wahey!

 

3rd win on the trott at home and also a clean sheet, fantastic!

 

Great result lads! Let do the business in the next two games now

 

All the doom and Gloom lifting...and only 8 points off the play off's..

 

About bloody time. I've never thought this was a bad squad of players. Just a lame manager in charge.

 

3 wins in 4
1 goal conceded in 4 (which was offside)

No need to say other than Dyche out rarara!!!! Dribblers.

:boo::boo::boo:

 

Good win against a truly bad Portsmouth side. Another penalty shout waved away too.

New PA system is a bl**dy nightmare, I'M NOT F***ING DEAF! Yellow Order appear to have morphed into 15 ten year olds.

 

I would say that was Kightly first game when he was fully fit and having quality like him made the difference. I am not too sure about the performance to be honest as Pompey were absolutely diabolical, did they make us look all right or were we just that much better than them?

Along with Kightly, Boss Hogg was MOTM for me, he was everywhere again. I think Bauban alongside him means Hogg knows he can go for every challenge without a similar player in Eustace getting in his way and Hogg showed a good sense of passing ability by putting a lovely ball in behind their defence for Gibbs, sorry Hodson (they must be related somehow, he is a carbon copy!) to get in.

As Moog said, we do have a decent-ish squad it was just waiting for the manager to play the right team all these weeks.

Also big praise for Scott Loach, He is looking so much self assured in goal. At one point I actually heard him call for the ball from the Rookery when he was defending the Vicarage Road end, he is definetly become more vocal and made a good assured stop towards the end of the game. Obviously Dyche has had and still does have his critics but was it a great bit of management by dropping him and giving him a kick up the backside.

There is still some concerns. Was that Kightly's last game? He was feeling the hamstring again towards the end but without him, we still have the question of who would come in on the left if he goes back. Though he has obviously not made the same impact as Johnson did when he came, I still feel we need to find a consistent performer in that position. If we can keep him for another month or 2, absolute bonus!

 

Bas has definitely been busy, was the first time I had heard the PA for a few years having been sat in the top right of the Rookery. Still couldn't help build up an atmosphere though! RIP the Yellow Order!

Interesting to see the Red Lion being worked on as well. I was hoping it was just talk, still can only see it being a drain on club finances. Unless the much hyped Watford darts night in February will be there!