| I'm not complaining, but do you know who I feel sorry for? 11:19 - Apr 3 with 3707 views | Meadowlark |
Sone Aluko.
He hasn't t done much wrong has he?
Also. I know this is controversial but we haven't missed Evans. |  | | |  |
| I'm not complaining, but do you know who I feel sorry for? on 11:22 - Apr 3 with 3066 views | Herbivore |
I feel like both Aluko and Evans slow us down too much. Evans has an excellent range of passing but he doesn't use the ball that quickly and he's not very mobile. Aluko is lovely to watch but he likes to have several touches of the ball before he uses it and he also lacks pace, which is understandable given his age. The way we are playing now we still usually dominate the ball but there is a tempo to our play that doesn't suit Aluko's game, and possibly not Evans' either. |  |
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| I'm not complaining, but do you know who I feel sorry for? on 11:27 - Apr 3 with 3002 views | blueislander |
| I'm not complaining, but do you know who I feel sorry for? on 11:22 - Apr 3 by Herbivore |
I feel like both Aluko and Evans slow us down too much. Evans has an excellent range of passing but he doesn't use the ball that quickly and he's not very mobile. Aluko is lovely to watch but he likes to have several touches of the ball before he uses it and he also lacks pace, which is understandable given his age. The way we are playing now we still usually dominate the ball but there is a tempo to our play that doesn't suit Aluko's game, and possibly not Evans' either. |
It seems that Aluko is being prepared for a coaching role. |  | | |
| I'm not complaining, but do you know who I feel sorry for? on 11:40 - Apr 3 with 2920 views | Coastalblue |
| I'm not complaining, but do you know who I feel sorry for? on 11:22 - Apr 3 by Herbivore |
I feel like both Aluko and Evans slow us down too much. Evans has an excellent range of passing but he doesn't use the ball that quickly and he's not very mobile. Aluko is lovely to watch but he likes to have several touches of the ball before he uses it and he also lacks pace, which is understandable given his age. The way we are playing now we still usually dominate the ball but there is a tempo to our play that doesn't suit Aluko's game, and possibly not Evans' either. |
I'm not sure we'll see much more of Evans, which is harsh as he was one of our better players in the first half of the season but we've evolved into a much more dynamic side now and I'm not sure it suits him, or him us, much as you've said. |  |
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| I'm not complaining, but do you know who I feel sorry for? on 11:45 - Apr 3 with 2879 views | BigCommon |
Thought we missed Evans through Feb. Our flakiest run of the season. Luonogo is a Godsend though...Dont care what anyone says, Humphreys was not ready for the task..You can pretty much marry up our turn in form, with Luongos inclusion to the team... Obviously , it's not a one man show out there. But we are as strong as our weakest player. Atm, none of them are weak. And our bench is strong, too.
Think Aluko has some kind of analytics role behind the scenes.(podcast talk?) Would love to see him have a run out, should things go well and everything is mathematically sorted before the final game. |  | | |
| I'm not complaining, but do you know who I feel sorry for? on 12:00 - Apr 3 with 2789 views | Darth_Koont |
| I'm not complaining, but do you know who I feel sorry for? on 11:22 - Apr 3 by Herbivore |
I feel like both Aluko and Evans slow us down too much. Evans has an excellent range of passing but he doesn't use the ball that quickly and he's not very mobile. Aluko is lovely to watch but he likes to have several touches of the ball before he uses it and he also lacks pace, which is understandable given his age. The way we are playing now we still usually dominate the ball but there is a tempo to our play that doesn't suit Aluko's game, and possibly not Evans' either. |
Agreed. And Luongo and Broadhead have collectively more than covered their absence. In fact they’re an upgrade.
Luongo is more of a physical presence and breaks up the opposition play better than Evans. While Broadhead covers Evans’s quality right foot in and around the box.
Luongo gives us the stability that sometimes we lacked and needed Aluko to supply. But with Broadhead we have more pace, directness and threat in that forward position.
It also seems that Harness, Edwards and Ball can give us alternative roles and options from the bench that are much more clearly defined.
None of which detracts from Evans and Aluko as players. More testament to how strong the team and the squad are that they are borderline to even get in the match day squad nowadays. |  |
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| I'm not complaining, but do you know who I feel sorry for? on 12:09 - Apr 3 with 2680 views | clive_baker |
| I'm not complaining, but do you know who I feel sorry for? on 11:22 - Apr 3 by Herbivore |
I feel like both Aluko and Evans slow us down too much. Evans has an excellent range of passing but he doesn't use the ball that quickly and he's not very mobile. Aluko is lovely to watch but he likes to have several touches of the ball before he uses it and he also lacks pace, which is understandable given his age. The way we are playing now we still usually dominate the ball but there is a tempo to our play that doesn't suit Aluko's game, and possibly not Evans' either. |
I don't really rate Evans for the reasons you mention. He's frustrating to watch at times, he's a good passer of the ball but seems to take that extra second and compromises the speed at which we can build our attacking plays. He'll be handy to have back fit as a bench option, but Luongo is a big step up IMO.
Aluko I don't see as a starter, he's perhaps a player you might look to bring on to help protect a lead and look after the ball, he's probably as close to the McGoldrick mould we have, but as you say lacks the pace and athleticism now to complement the system and style we play. |  |
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| I'm not complaining, but do you know who I feel sorry for? on 12:10 - Apr 3 with 2678 views | BuffaloBill |
| I'm not complaining, but do you know who I feel sorry for? on 11:45 - Apr 3 by BigCommon |
Thought we missed Evans through Feb. Our flakiest run of the season. Luonogo is a Godsend though...Dont care what anyone says, Humphreys was not ready for the task..You can pretty much marry up our turn in form, with Luongos inclusion to the team... Obviously , it's not a one man show out there. But we are as strong as our weakest player. Atm, none of them are weak. And our bench is strong, too.
Think Aluko has some kind of analytics role behind the scenes.(podcast talk?) Would love to see him have a run out, should things go well and everything is mathematically sorted before the final game. |
I do think we have a weakness though. However it really won't be a factor I doubt. When we bring on Freddie I can't ever see him look like scoring. Harsh I know but if we were to be behind after say 70 mins I just can't see the "impact subs" making an actual impact.
Sure I'll get shot down but as I sat we really don't need to worry about such things! |  |
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| I'm not complaining, but do you know who I feel sorry for? on 12:11 - Apr 3 with 2674 views | Basuco |
| I'm not complaining, but do you know who I feel sorry for? on 11:45 - Apr 3 by BigCommon |
Thought we missed Evans through Feb. Our flakiest run of the season. Luonogo is a Godsend though...Dont care what anyone says, Humphreys was not ready for the task..You can pretty much marry up our turn in form, with Luongos inclusion to the team... Obviously , it's not a one man show out there. But we are as strong as our weakest player. Atm, none of them are weak. And our bench is strong, too.
Think Aluko has some kind of analytics role behind the scenes.(podcast talk?) Would love to see him have a run out, should things go well and everything is mathematically sorted before the final game. |
Aluko played a big part in retaining possession with 15 minutes to go, in games we were winning to run the clock down. He is superb at that, great skill on the ball and vision for defence splitting passes as well, great option to have. |  | | |
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| I'm not complaining, but do you know who I feel sorry for? on 12:40 - Apr 3 with 2494 views | cressi |
| I'm not complaining, but do you know who I feel sorry for? on 12:11 - Apr 3 by Basuco |
Aluko played a big part in retaining possession with 15 minutes to go, in games we were winning to run the clock down. He is superb at that, great skill on the ball and vision for defence splitting passes as well, great option to have. |
Both goals Saturday and 1st goal at Bolton we went up the pitch in seconds not like when it took us fifty passes we have changed our style a bit and it is far more effective. Having 70% possession in the wrong areas count for nothing we are much more destructive now against good and poor sides and seem much more Street wise. | | | |
| I'm not complaining, but do you know who I feel sorry for? on 12:47 - Apr 3 with 2419 views | NthQldITFC |
| I'm not complaining, but do you know who I feel sorry for? on 12:11 - Apr 3 by Basuco |
Aluko played a big part in retaining possession with 15 minutes to go, in games we were winning to run the clock down. He is superb at that, great skill on the ball and vision for defence splitting passes as well, great option to have. |
Absolutely perfect in that role. Also ideal if you wish to take the piss out of Premiership-level teams.
https://www.tiktok.com/@ipswichtown/video/7198215037658451206 |  |
| # WE ARE STEALING THE FUTURE FROM OUR CHILDREN --- WE MUST CHANGE COURSE # | | Poll: | It's driving me nuts |
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| I'm not complaining, but do you know who I feel sorry for? on 12:48 - Apr 3 with 2408 views | pointofblue |
I’d much prefer to have Aluko on the bench over Harness at the moment. Harness has been very poor in his last few appearances.
I agree, Ladapo doesn’t look like an impact player from the bench, but then neither did Hirst. Again, can’t complain, but not many teams leave a striker who has scored 16 goals by the end of March kicking his heels on the bench.
Luongo is a step up on Evans but not sure if Ball is. | |
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| I'm not complaining, but do you know who I feel sorry for? on 12:49 - Apr 3 with 2399 views | Herbivore |
| I'm not complaining, but do you know who I feel sorry for? on 12:10 - Apr 3 by BuffaloBill |
I do think we have a weakness though. However it really won't be a factor I doubt. When we bring on Freddie I can't ever see him look like scoring. Harsh I know but if we were to be behind after say 70 mins I just can't see the "impact subs" making an actual impact.
Sure I'll get shot down but as I sat we really don't need to worry about such things! |
Not sure why Ladapo can't be effective off the bench, he scored when coming on a few weeks back, think it was Forest Green. His more recent bench performances have been in games we're winning where we've not necessarily been looking to really push on and score, it's more him giving us a presence and outlet up front and leading the press, all of which he can do well. If we're pressing for a goal then the game state will be very different to what it's been in his recent sub appearances and I don't see why he wouldn't be effective in those circumstances. | |
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| I'm not complaining, but do you know who I feel sorry for? on 12:54 - Apr 3 with 2354 views | clive_baker |
| I'm not complaining, but do you know who I feel sorry for? on 12:40 - Apr 3 by cressi |
Both goals Saturday and 1st goal at Bolton we went up the pitch in seconds not like when it took us fifty passes we have changed our style a bit and it is far more effective. Having 70% possession in the wrong areas count for nothing we are much more destructive now against good and poor sides and seem much more Street wise. |
The speed of those counter attacks was delicious. 1st goal there's about 10 seconds between Walton throwing the ball out and it ending up in the back of the net. 2nd goal similar between Burns playing the ball to Morsy inside our box and Wesley getting his shot away at the other end. | |
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| I'm not complaining, but do you know who I feel sorry for? on 12:58 - Apr 3 with 2323 views | NthQldITFC |
| I'm not complaining, but do you know who I feel sorry for? on 12:49 - Apr 3 by Herbivore |
Not sure why Ladapo can't be effective off the bench, he scored when coming on a few weeks back, think it was Forest Green. His more recent bench performances have been in games we're winning where we've not necessarily been looking to really push on and score, it's more him giving us a presence and outlet up front and leading the press, all of which he can do well. If we're pressing for a goal then the game state will be very different to what it's been in his recent sub appearances and I don't see why he wouldn't be effective in those circumstances. |
I think he's starting faster, and getting physically involved more quickly (when coming off the bench) than he was a few months ago. Just a bit more fine tuning well done by the coaches. | |
| # WE ARE STEALING THE FUTURE FROM OUR CHILDREN --- WE MUST CHANGE COURSE # | | Poll: | It's driving me nuts |
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| I'm not complaining, but do you know who I feel sorry for? on 13:02 - Apr 3 with 2286 views | Herbivore |
| I'm not complaining, but do you know who I feel sorry for? on 12:58 - Apr 3 by NthQldITFC |
I think he's starting faster, and getting physically involved more quickly (when coming off the bench) than he was a few months ago. Just a bit more fine tuning well done by the coaches. |
The improvement in his game over the course of this season has been excellent. Hirst has come in and got better each with each game and now he's scoring he looks to be first choice, but with our packed schedule Freddie will still have a big impact on our season whether that's starting games or coming off the bench. | |
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| I'm not complaining, but do you know who I feel sorry for? on 13:03 - Apr 3 with 2278 views | Ryorry |
| I'm not complaining, but do you know who I feel sorry for? on 12:11 - Apr 3 by Basuco |
Aluko played a big part in retaining possession with 15 minutes to go, in games we were winning to run the clock down. He is superb at that, great skill on the ball and vision for defence splitting passes as well, great option to have. |
Exactly & precisely that, you saved me the trouble of writing it myself (actually, probably said it much better than I would have!) thank you :)
I think it likely he still has an on-field role to play this season. |  |
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| I'm not complaining, but do you know who I feel sorry for? on 13:09 - Apr 3 with 2228 views | Asa |
| I'm not complaining, but do you know who I feel sorry for? on 12:48 - Apr 3 by pointofblue |
I’d much prefer to have Aluko on the bench over Harness at the moment. Harness has been very poor in his last few appearances.
I agree, Ladapo doesn’t look like an impact player from the bench, but then neither did Hirst. Again, can’t complain, but not many teams leave a striker who has scored 16 goals by the end of March kicking his heels on the bench.
Luongo is a step up on Evans but not sure if Ball is. |
Harness is a very limited player and he's been well below the standard of the rest of the squad in his last few outings, but thought he did a great job on Saturday.
His work rate alone is going to see him ahead of Sone. Aluko can hold the ball up so much better but it's Harness' enthusiasm and work rate which is what is needed at 70-80 minutes in matches like Saturday. They both suit seeing the game out but for different opposition. Harness better suited to teams that offer us more of a threat building from the back, Aluko for teams that don't need quite so much pressing.
I was never convinced by Harness from the off. Even when he had 5 in 10 or whatever it was, he wasn't playing at the level of others and often caused us issues by being very prone to trying silly things in the middle of the park that leave us in trouble. Charlton away was a classic example. Saturday he got lucky twice doing the same with a bounce that went his way when he had a pass on.
It's a shame because on Boxing Day he looked every bit a top Championship player and was a large part of why we tore Oxford apart, but more often that not he looks like a limited League One player that works hard but has poor decision making, is limited technically and offers no threat apart from when he's in a purple patch.
His last goal was Exeter in November. No goal in 8 starts and 11 sub appearances since.
Interestingly, that Oxford game was his first game back after injury. So he had a few good games and scored. Then a long run of not scoring. Then a good game on his return followed by 19 games without a goal.
He is pretty much what Pompey fans said when we signed him, that he does well for a bit and vanishes. He's now the one player that looks considerably weaker than the player he is playing back up to. [Post edited 3 Apr 2023 13:20]
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| I'm not complaining, but do you know who I feel sorry for? on 13:13 - Apr 3 with 2175 views | TalkingBlues |
Aluko was never going to get a look in with a fully fit squad, but he provided great cover and gave us something different going forward.
Evans is the only player in our squad with what really has to be described as premier league vision and execution of a pass, but he is old, slow, frequently injured and lacks mettle in defence, great for kicking someone up in the air, but second best to a lot of 50/50 balls that require some mobility. We'd like a 5+ year younger version, but then he'd probably be playing 2 leagues above us and unobtainable, it is what it is, it's a coup to have him in League 1 tbh. Have we missed him? Yes and No, probably not as much as I expected tbh; we've missed that pass execution which gets our wide players in great positions and of course the quality from dead ball situations, but in this league, there's also a lot to be said for having physicality in the midfield, especially when you have a possession based style of play and Luongo has given us that and let's face it, both he and Morsy are capable of playing a lovely pass. |  |
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| I'm not complaining, but do you know who I feel sorry for? on 13:16 - Apr 3 with 2153 views | Westcountryblue |
I'm going to have to disagree. Aluko is a technically competent footballer, but not an effective one. He hasn't scored or assisted this season in all competitions and i feel he drops too deep to be of any attacking influence on the game. Does some lovely things with the ball though. | | | |
| I'm not complaining, but do you know who I feel sorry for? on 13:20 - Apr 3 with 2099 views | Westcountryblue |
Evans needs to move on. Central midfield is such an important position and we can't bring any continuity when he is injured 2-3 times a season with similar knee injuries. I also don't think he is mobile enough, certainly not at Championship level. | | | |
| I'm not complaining, but do you know who I feel sorry for? on 13:37 - Apr 3 with 1986 views | Darth_Koont |
| I'm not complaining, but do you know who I feel sorry for? on 13:09 - Apr 3 by Asa |
Harness is a very limited player and he's been well below the standard of the rest of the squad in his last few outings, but thought he did a great job on Saturday.
His work rate alone is going to see him ahead of Sone. Aluko can hold the ball up so much better but it's Harness' enthusiasm and work rate which is what is needed at 70-80 minutes in matches like Saturday. They both suit seeing the game out but for different opposition. Harness better suited to teams that offer us more of a threat building from the back, Aluko for teams that don't need quite so much pressing.
I was never convinced by Harness from the off. Even when he had 5 in 10 or whatever it was, he wasn't playing at the level of others and often caused us issues by being very prone to trying silly things in the middle of the park that leave us in trouble. Charlton away was a classic example. Saturday he got lucky twice doing the same with a bounce that went his way when he had a pass on.
It's a shame because on Boxing Day he looked every bit a top Championship player and was a large part of why we tore Oxford apart, but more often that not he looks like a limited League One player that works hard but has poor decision making, is limited technically and offers no threat apart from when he's in a purple patch.
His last goal was Exeter in November. No goal in 8 starts and 11 sub appearances since.
Interestingly, that Oxford game was his first game back after injury. So he had a few good games and scored. Then a long run of not scoring. Then a good game on his return followed by 19 games without a goal.
He is pretty much what Pompey fans said when we signed him, that he does well for a bit and vanishes. He's now the one player that looks considerably weaker than the player he is playing back up to. [Post edited 3 Apr 2023 13:20]
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I think Harness is underrated. He gives us energy, defends high up but can help out the midfield and gets into great positions in and around the box.
There’s no-one else who gets through more effective work on and off the ball in that central attacking midfield area. So even though he’s unlikely to dislodge Chaplin or Broadhead, he’s certainly a great option coming off the bench, either to offer us something different when we’re not enjoying as much space or to help us protect a lead. | |
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| I'm not complaining, but do you know who I feel sorry for? on 14:14 - Apr 3 with 1823 views | The_Romford_Blue |
For me Luongo and Morsy are the first two names on the teamsheet. They’re lethal together |  |
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| I'm not complaining, but do you know who I feel sorry for? on 14:18 - Apr 3 with 1812 views | norfsufblue |
| I'm not complaining, but do you know who I feel sorry for? on 13:02 - Apr 3 by Herbivore |
The improvement in his game over the course of this season has been excellent. Hirst has come in and got better each with each game and now he's scoring he looks to be first choice, but with our packed schedule Freddie will still have a big impact on our season whether that's starting games or coming off the bench. |
The thing is ..since this recent run of form we have not really been in the position of really needing a goal..... should this occur we now have sn option where we could actually chuck Freddie up alongside Hirst should we need to go into route one nutcracker mode..... would it work , who knows but it is now an option we can consider and I wouldn't be surprised if our intelligent young manager hasn't already got it up his sleeve. |  | | |
| I'm not complaining, but do you know who I feel sorry for? on 15:00 - Apr 3 with 1659 views | SlippinJimmyJuan |
Love to watch Aluko and would probably have him on the bench over Edwards or Harness. If it was down to me, I'd have him for another season, although he is somewhat of a luxury despite his incredible ability to look after the ball. Probably the best lockpicker at our disposal, but we haven't needed one of late.
Think we did miss Evans, but not since Luongo came in. Will be good to have him back and available but don't see him starting again without an injury or suspension playing a part. I'd say he is still ahead of Ball and Humphreys though. My biggest criticism of him is that he can dwell on the ball and takes largely underwhelming long shots. Still, at times he was the only one buying a ticket to the raffle so hard to knock him too much.
Will be really interesting to see what we get up to in the summer. All seven mentioned could easily be playing their football somewhere else next season, even if only on loan. | |
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| I'm not complaining, but do you know who I feel sorry for? on 15:00 - Apr 3 with 1652 views | BloomBlue |
Broadhead has made all the difference. At the weekend, even when he didn't have the ball Derby constantly put 2 players on him and that's creating space for other players. Evans would be fine in this team with Broadhead playing as he would get more space because of Broadhead.
Broadhead is the reason we've had this fantastic run, he is the difference, he is that special spark in a solid team. I genuinely believe if we didn't have him we would be following the same pattern of too many draws.
I'm still struggling to understand how we got him and yes he obviously cost a bit but quality always costs. |  | | |
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