Starting the season

[pompeyred]

Last year we drew our 1st league game 1-1 then lost the next 4. Overall P5 W0 D1 L4 F4 A12.
2007/2008 was better drawing our 1st (ever) league 2 game 0-0 but overall P5 W3 D1 L1 F9 A5, however Newby, Baker and Tomo got 5 of those goals (and of course we had big Jo in goal) and personally I dont think we have ever replaced these 3 players. Also we scored 59 goals with Newby, Baker and Tomo getting 10, 11 and 8 respectivly (with Newby only starting 11 league games), or about half our goals from that season, last season we got 53 but in both of the last seasons we have finished with a negative goal difference. Also last season Howe (who has gone) and Drummy were the only 2 players to get into double figures in the league (10 each), the next closest were O'Carroll(gone), Curtis and Stanley (5 each). IMO I think that we need to get some pace at the back and a "20-a-season" striker. Its good that everyone chips in with a few goals but you need a reliable constant source of goals and we really have to do something to shore things up at the back as in the last 2 seasons we have kept just 15 clean sheets (7 at home) out of 108 games which means we will concede in 86% of games but with just 78 games scored in thats 72%.

[campdave]

IMO I think that we need to get ...... a "20-a-season" striker.

I don't think you'll find any disagreements on that - however, there aren't lots of them around, and those that do can afford to be choosy about where they go. Regretably, I doubt Morecambe is high on their lists.

[james456]

I think our attack is a strong as it can be to be honest - although not in depth perhaps.

[parceldave]

IMO I think that we need to get ...... a "20-a-season" striker.

I don't think you'll find any disagreements on that - however, there aren't lots of them around, and those that do can afford to be choosy about where they go. Regretably, I doubt Morecambe is high on their lists.

And a back four of :-

Johnson ...........Ferdinand ........Terry ............Cole

[The Fury]

IMO I think that we need to get ...... a "20-a-season" striker.

I don't think you'll find any disagreements on that - however, there aren't lots of them around, and those that do can afford to be choosy about where they go. Regretably, I doubt Morecambe is high on their lists.

We have two '20-goal-a-season-strikers' in our squad at the moment. In 2004/2005 Phil Jevons scored 29 goals in all competitions for Yeovil at League Two level. The same season, Michael Twiss scored 27 goals for us at the level below.

It has become clear from our play early this season that goalscoring and creativity (for once) isn't a problem. Throughout Sammy's tenure here I've always felt we've adopted a more cautious style of play than we did under Harvey (even with Baker and Thompson). However, the signings of Jevons and Craney have altered Sammy’s instructions, I think, and we’ve begun to play more offensively with less emphasis placed on keeping it tight. Yesterday, we were well in the game until our heads dropped in the second half. Had our luck been in with Twissy’s two rasping strikes, we could have scored four away goals which is more than admirable. As it was, we were bit unfortunate and Burton were able to exploit our rather stretched defence.

Regrettably, the only way forward is for Sammy to revert to our previous cautious approach as this will ensure our survival in the division, which is essential. The early games so far this season have been really entertaining and in all I think we’ve given a decent account of ourselves (yesterday was no Gillingham). It’s a little sad, but necessary, that we will have to return to the borefests.

[Keith]

Inkeeping with the Fury's analysis, we played some lovely football against Hereford and until the last eight minutes, it looked like a third goal was coming our way. If it had gone 3-1 up Hereford would have crumbled. If we'd gone 1-0 up by scoring from the spot at PNE, who knows how different things would have been? I don't think we are that far away. A few soft errors at the back have made it look like a worse start than it actually was. Far too early to press the big red panic button BUT we did need to vent some frustration after yesterday!

[Gnasher]

What was wrong with yesterday's result? A point away to Burton isn't that bad!

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/footba ... urton.html