Weekend Review: Solent Woe

Weekend Review

Not an awful lot to report from the footballing world this weekend as there were only two English divisions in action, so we've condensed this post to comprise a quick review of a couple of talking points and a match review from Fratton Park.

Tranmere survived an almighty scare as they battled back from two goals down against Yeovil to win 3-2 and extended their lead at the top of League One to seven points. Ronnie Moore is clearly loving life at the top of League One and has since commented that this is the best squad he has ever had in his managerial career. I suppose that wasn't exactly going to be difficult given he has managed Southport, Rotherham, Oldham and Tranmere in his career as a boss.

Notts County romped to an impressive 4-0 away win at Carlisle to send them into fifth. Under Keith Curle they have looked a really good side and frustrated in equal measure. The team itself looks decent, with Alan Judge, Jordan Stewart, Jeff Hughes and Jamal Campbell-Ryce all players that wouldn't look out of place in a Championship side. Perhaps this season they'll be challenging in the upper echelons of League One.

Bruno Andrade enjoyed an excellent debut for Wycombe in the JPT midweek at Portsmouth and followed this up with the only goal of the game in his League Two debut away at Fleetwood. This looks to be an inspired signing from Gareth Ainsworth who clearly knows Andrade well from his time at QPR and looks able to act as a great mentor for him, especially as he played in the same position in his playing days. C will be hopeful this early promise continues and that the loan spell takes Andrade's career to the next level after the youngster's success at youth team level for QPR.

Match Review: Portsmouth 2-0 Crewe Alexandra

Crewe Alexandra were rolled over on the road for the third time in the league this season as opponents Portsmouth bullied them off the park to go above them in the table. C&J were both in the Milton End for this one.

The once famous Fratton Park façade, no longer famous because they aren't famous any more!

One look at the two teams on the back of the programme would give any neutral the impression that this was a cup tie. The sheer gulf in class on paper was embarrassing. How can it be that a club supposedly on its knees can have a squad containing the likes of QPR legend Akos Buzsaky, Barnsley's hero of Anfield Brian Howard, former Watford and Sheffield United midfielder and free-kick specialist Lee Williamson, former Chelsea, Fulham and Burnley left back Jon Harley, and League Two's top goalscorer last season Izale McLeod?! These players are supposedly on rolling monthly contracts meaning sides could get them for free when the month is up; yet the fact no-one has done this for some players who are clearly too good for League One indicates they must be on quite high wages that the majority of teams at this level can't afford (Pompey included!).

Contrasting conditions before the match and at half time

There were a couple of hundred Crewe fans who'd made the long journey to the South coast and their spirits were immediately dampened by not just the weather, but also Portsmouth scoring after just 2 minutes. Portsmouth terrorised Kelvin Mellor on their left all game and the cross came in from that side and went all the way to the back post where on-loan Bournemouth striker Wes Thomas stole in to head home. Alex goalkeeper Alan Martin kept the side (relatively) in the game in the first half and he made a couple of saves from Thomas and Izale McLeod who were just too quick, powerful and cunning for the Crewe defenders. After the game Michael Appleton said he told the strikers to come out of the traps hard and fast and it showed.

The early pressure continued and the margin was kept at one by a string of saves from Alan Martin in the Alex goal. But it wasn't long before Pompey added a second after 14 minutes, when Wes Thomas outrageously dived over Andy Bond's half-hearted challenge in the box. Mellor again was at fault backing off Thomas allowing him to run into the box and Thomas went over on a very soft looking challenge. Watching the replay on the Football League Show there should have been no way the referee made such a soft decision. There was clear daylight between Thomas and Bond when he tumbled to the ground and Portsmouth were incredibly lucky to con the referee into giving the penalty which McLeod duly dispatched straight down the middle despite Alan Martin getting a hand on the ball.

The first half was not one for the purists and was in no real way pleasing on the eye. Steve Davis after the game described the referee's performance as 'inept' and it wasn't difficult to see why. Besides the very dubious penalty decision the first half was littered with dodgy refereeing. Mathias Pogba was brought down cynically on the edge of the box by Lubomir Michalik who conveniently forgot to move out of the way. Pogba would have been one on one with the goalkeeper yet Michalik wasn't even booked. This decision was even more baffling based on the fact that 5 yellow cards were dished out in the first half for what seemed to be increasingly niggly little fouls rather than deserved bookings. Brian Howard was then booked for a terrible challenge that went straight through AJ Leitch-Smith to get the ball that could easily have been red. Big up to the Pompey fans with their reputation as real football fans beloved by much of the media who chanted 'Let him die' after the challenge, only for AJ to be substituted and it's since been confirmed he will be out of action for a month as a result of the tackle. We, on the other hand, wish the lad a speedy recovery.

For the first twenty minutes of the second half, Pompey allowed Crewe some more time on the ball than in the first half and they stringed a succession of passing moves together without ever really threatening Mikkel Andersen in the Portsmouth goal. Pogba showed that he is a real menace when he is on the ball but was frequently picking up the ball out of position and not up front where his services were dearly required. Max Clayton was seeing a lot of the ball but also ended up giving the ball away on numerous occasions by trying to be a bit too flashy. Portsmouth's counter attacks looked dangerous and, unlike Crewe's forward forays, almost always forced corners or lead to shots on goal. Byron Moore coming on for the injured AJ Leitch-Smith actually gave Crewe fresh impetus and pace and width that hadn't been available before. Moore was a threat the entire time he was on the pitch and was arguably Crewe's man of the match along with Alan Martin.

The best entertainment for Crewe fans was reserved for the afternoon's pantomime villain, Luke Rodgers (formerly of Port Vale). He was jeered by the travelling support as he entered the stage as a substitute and just a few minutes after being given some stick by them, managed to earn his club a fine from the FA by becoming the sixth Portsmouth player in the book - his offence: continuing playing after the referee had blown for a Crewe free-kick. Well done mate, brilliant!

Towards the end, the game had stop-started sufficiently to throw Crewe off of their stride and bring Portsmouth back into the game. The home side had a handful of opportunities to extend their lead further but had they done so it would have been harsh on Crewe, who were much improved in the second half after a naive opening 45 minutes.

In summary then, we have to concur with Steve Davis' sentiments that the officials were 'poor' and 'inept', and were Portsmouth to have gone down to ten men (as they indeed should have by letter of the law after at least one of the two incidents we've spoken about), this would have been a different game. It was clear that Portsmouth boss Michael Appleton had clearly looked to bully this young Crewe side by kicking them as much as possible, as he had disgracefully hinted he would do in his pre-match press conference. We just hope that these tactics aren't more widely adopted against Crewe in League One this year, else we'll be seeing some potentially career threatening injuries to several young, talented players.

Man of the match: Although he really should have been sent off, Brian Howard was a cut above the rest in this match. He marshalled the Pompey midfield superbly and was full of energy, positive attacking play and dangerous set pieces. The Portsmouth strikers got excellent service thanks to the former Reading man's performance here and I'm sure that Championship clubs will be keeping a close eye on Howard's situation over the next few weeks.

What we learned this week

- Tom Pope's astonishing scoring run continues, that's 12 in 12 in the league now

- We've never known a Football League show commentator get as excited as at Bramall Lane on Saturday when Oldham scored a 97th minute equaliser from a hit and hope ball into the area from out wide.
- Eddie Howe had an instant impact for Bournemouth as he guided them to a 2-0 defeat at home of Leyton Orient.
- Bury suffered the luck you get when you're bottom of the league as they came back from 2-0 down to Crawley to draw level only to see their old boy Nicky Adams loop in a cross-shot to beat them 3-2 in stoppage time.   

- Edgar Davids now knows just what a job he has on his hands at Barnet - a 4-1 home defeat by Plymouth was a real baptism of fire for the Dutchman!

- Gillingham and Port Vale won big this weekend as they continued in their roles as League Two's early pacesetters