Neil Allen's verdict on Portsmouth humiliation at West Brom

The News, Portsmouth

Neil Allen's verdict on Pompey embarrassment at West Brom.

Transcript

00:00Greetings from an eerie Hawthorns here, where basically everyone's gone home, apart from

00:06a few staff here and a few journos there. I keep losing the signal yet again as well

00:11still. Well, what can you say about that display? It got better second half, I suppose, a little

00:18bit. But it's the same old thing, isn't it? I'm sick of saying this time and time again.

00:24The squad's not strong enough at this level. And when he rotates it, John Massino, it weakens

00:31it. And they're most susceptible for defeats in games. And we're seeing it time and time

00:35again, particularly on the road. And I know a lot of people saying, he's a young sportsman,

00:41they're professionals, they should be able to play game in, game out. No, it's not the

00:45case. Today was probably seventh fixture in January. And they also have a game on Tuesday

00:52against Millwall. And Pompey's high energy players, the players do most of the running,

00:58but they're high energy runs. People like your Callum Lange, your Josh Murphy, obviously

01:05Freddie Potts has rested today as well. Jordan Williams has just come back from injury, hasn't

01:08he really? And they've got to be careful with him. They have to look after these players

01:12because they can't afford to get them injured. There's no one to replace Josh Murphy who

01:16gets injured. There's no one to replace Callum Lange if he gets injured or they get tired.

01:21The decision was made today, give those guys a break, bring them on if need be, which they did,

01:27give them a break to avoid them breaking down because Pompey at West Brom, they're dreadful

01:33away. Record, it was going to be tough to get anything today, wasn't it? I mean, let's face

01:37it, looking at that team sheet before the game, we all knew we were going to get absolutely

01:40nothing from that. But yeah, and the bright side is those five players now will be able to start

01:48Tuesday's crucial game against Mill and that is a vital game. It's just John Messina being

01:54pragmatic really, thinking I want to keep my best players fit for those games and Pompey

02:01are a better team when they are all available and none of them are injured and they're going

02:05to be available for Tuesday. However, the problem is we see things like today on Pompey

02:11were dreadful, four goals conceded in 19 minutes and that was the outcome.

02:19Smith made that first dreadful mistake, it was an appalling mistake from Smith.

02:23Smith's mistake for the second goal as well, despite Swanson and Devlin being exposed on

02:30the flank in the build-up, there's no coming back from Pompey, that's it. Smith, who plays

02:34regularly, plays every game, he wasn't changed and he was the cause of it for me. The cause of

02:39the landslide down to Nicholas Smith and don't get me wrong, he's played very well this season,

02:43been a really good signing, but his responsibility. And until that point, that first mistake,

02:50Pompey had been marginally the better side, they'd had a couple of corners, a couple of shots,

02:54West Bromwood offered nothing, but a crucial mistake by your goalie and then that was it

02:59for Pompey. We've seen them capitulate time and time again away from home and it's happened yet

03:04again. So, seven straight defeats in a row, just not good enough away from home,

03:10but they're so strong at home. So, there's plenty to go through today's game, the fact that they

03:15played a weakened team, the fact that the squad's not good enough. And again, let me just reiterate,

03:21I just saw another comment on Twitter earlier on, it's not having to go at the owners by saying this

03:27squad is not strong enough and they need to invest more into it or should have invested more in the

03:33summer. It's perfect, I'm perfectly capable of saying the Is have done a good job with the

03:37stadium, they put £41 million in the football club, they made excellent appointments in John

03:42Massino and Rich Hughes. I could say that, but I also am capable of saying they need to invest more

03:48into the team this season. It doesn't mean I'm having a real go at the owners, it's just saying

03:54it's obvious, come on. So, there's a nuance, you're perfectly able to criticise the owners

04:00about one thing and it doesn't mean you criticise them on everything else. So, come on there.

04:06So, yeah, there's a franchise window still open, still recruitment needed. I mean, let's face it,

04:12Pompey, the current squad who are available, they've got a decent first 11, 12, 13, haven't

04:21they? We've seen that at home games, some of the teams they've beaten. And then they're going to

04:24get eight players back from injury. So, it just needs to be strengthened. And again, I do understand

04:29why Massino is looking after players and protecting players, crucial players. But on the flip side,

04:36Pompey get hidings like we've seen today at Bristol City, Wickham, terrible. And it's terrible

04:42for the fans. And by the way, the fans are incredible today, never stopped singing, cheering

04:46their side on. Even the Ragat Fringlin chant came out today, which brought a smile to our faces and

04:51made them misery. But I know it's not fair for them. But I do get why he's done that, because

04:57I know these are young men. I know they're professional sportsmen, but they still get

05:01tired. That's life. So, no team plays the same side every game, but there you go. So, yeah,

05:09dreadful day. Just a few musings from me. Hopefully, get some more players in the window.

05:15Oh, by the way, I should say, Thomas Wadham, what a lovely moment for the lad to get a goal

05:20on his debut in stoppage time. Fantastic. Good for him. Darren's just mentioned that as well.

05:25Yeah, good for him. Obviously, let's judge him after a few games and not in case he's a

05:31sorenson. But good luck to the lad. He lifted them when he came on. I would have made Freddie

05:37Potts mum of the match, actually, until Wadham scored that goal in stoppage time. And he deserved

05:42it for that moment alone and given a bit of joy in a dreadful day. So, yes, 5-1, unfortunately.

05:48Moving ahead to Tuesday, Threatened Park will be rocking and Pompeo a different proposition

05:52at home. And those five players will be back. Thank you.

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