A bleary-eyed Pompey Talk returns with Jordan Cross and chief sports writer Neil Allem, to pick the bones out of the gut-wrenching late, late defeat at Coventry and throw things forward to what is set to be a crucial Championship survival showdown with Derby County this weekend.
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00:00Welcome to Pompey Talk. I'm Jordan Cross joined by two sports writer Neil Allen blinking bleary
00:11eyed through the aftermath of Coventry, Neil, aren't we? What are we kind of 12, 13 hours
00:18on from getting back in the dead of night? Disappointed, gut-wrenching, wasn't it?
00:24Yeah, exactly. It makes it worse, doesn't it? Because we normally stay over. We drove
00:27back after Coventry and we got back at two in the morning and stuff and then get up
00:31early to do more work. And then obviously, John was saying his press conference at 11 o'clock
00:35this morning as well. Yeah, and the brutal, brutal manner of the defeat makes the journey
00:43back even worse, doesn't it, really? It's just horrendous. Awful. And I feel so sorry for
00:51Pompey because results don't often show, reflect the full performance. Yeah. So I was reading
01:00a lot of people on social media saying, awful again, Pompey, dreadful, dreadful, blah, blah,
01:04blah, blah. No, it wasn't. It wasn't like that. So if you actually watch the game, they had
01:08a decent first half and second half, they dug in, they defended as a team, they fought,
01:13they scrapped away. And then 22 seconds from the end, one mistake, one mistake, five margins
01:24and it's spectacularly volleyed home, isn't it? And that's why it's brutal. Somebody asked
01:29me on Twitter, what is this more brutal than, because I call it brutal, what is it more brutal
01:34than Burnley away? What is it more brutal than Watford away? Simple fact is, this is three
01:39successive games on their travels, we have seen this. 87-minute winner, 87-minute winner
01:47and this, even worse, was 22 seconds from the end. Even worse. Yeah, agonising. It was
01:56just sat there and obviously we had lovely fans around us as well and you made a friend
02:00there, didn't you? I'm going to tell that story, okay. Yeah. Yeah,
02:06come on. In 25 years of being a sports journalist, it was a new one on me, having the press box.
02:14We were on the edge of the press box, weren't we? And there was a couple of our special Coventry
02:20friends, shall we say, who were quite animated throughout, weren't they? Yeah.
02:26You know, it was Massino and the linesman and the referee and they were indignant, weren't
02:30they? Just screaming and effing and jeffing about everything. But I decided to rock up
02:35on the full-time whistle and kind of lean over me as I'm trying to get the ratings on. So
02:40I paid no attention to him until he somehow managed to turn off my laptop. So yeah, I gave
02:47him one or two speeches back at that point. But then he skulked off and said something about
02:52power cuts. But that summed up the night really, didn't it? It was...
02:54Well, actually, before the game, we were warned by Stuart, weren't we, that if the natives
03:00get a bit restless around us, to let them know, because it's happened in the past.
03:07I didn't even look at the guy, right? Because, you know, I'm focused on my work. I'm not bothered
03:11by any of that. I'm not going to get intimidated. And at one point, he must have been leaning
03:14over me because it's getting louder. I still didn't look. And then I realised he was turning
03:17and he said, are you a Pompey reporter? I was like, I'm trying to do my effing report.
03:24Anyway, and yeah, then he skulked off.
03:28He said there was a horrible end for everyone. I spoke to a fan who was there as well, and
03:33he's still gutted now. It's just because if you actually watch the full game, Pompey weren't
03:43horrendous. They weren't dreadful. I know the 16 defeats out of 20 away from home is appalling.
03:49No doubt about that whatsoever. I'm not defending that run. It is awful.
03:55And if they picked a few more points away from home, they might be all right.
03:59If they had less injuries, if they had Callum Lang, Conor Shockley, and Rob Atkinson,
04:05they'd definitely be all right. But despite the awful away record of Pompey this season,
04:10that's not good enough, last night, they deserved a point because they scrapped and fought to a man.
04:17Everyone, didn't they? They dug in and thrown their bodies on the line.
04:22And sometimes, sometimes you have to give people credit, even if it is a defeat.
04:26You can play badly and win games. You can play well and lose games. You can play all right and lose games and win games.
04:34And last night, they were all right. And it's just agony, agony.
04:39Well, that's what it was. Stoke away.
04:44Bummed.
04:45You know, that was a bad night. But they were well beaten.
04:48Blackburn and West Brom and all the rest.
04:51They were second best.
04:52Bristol City.
04:52Yeah, of course, this weekend's opponents, you know, that was awful.
04:57But this was one where, as you say, the first half performance, I thought Pompey threatened,
05:03create a chance on the counter, real energy.
05:05And then it was like an increasing sort of rear guard action.
05:08But it was a heroic one, wasn't there?
05:10Blocks and Conor Ogle, the Regan-Pool again, the two centre-halves.
05:14So that's when I was, what made it all the more gutting.
05:17I mean, it's not us saying this.
05:18Regan-Pool after the game was on the floor.
05:20He said this was the toughest one to take.
05:22Because of, they warranted it.
05:24They warranted that return from the game, wasn't it?
05:27So, yeah, it was, yeah, it was just a sickener, wasn't it?
05:32And it's just another point missed on the road, isn't it?
05:35It's just, yeah, everyone was on the floor.
05:38Actually, the players were.
05:39When the goal went in, I looked.
05:41Literally on the floor.
05:43The only player not on the floor was Colby Bishop, who went to the touchline.
05:46He was saying something on the touchline to the management.
05:49But, yeah, the players just collapsed on the floor since that goal went in.
05:51Because it was 22 seconds remaining of time added on.
05:56Wow.
05:57And then you think, well, what?
05:59I think Freddie Potts kicked the board and he cleared it long to the keeper.
06:03And you think, what happens if he kicked out of that?
06:05That'll play.
06:06And Cohen Bramall, don't challenge Ogilvie for a header.
06:10Neither of you win because then you've left your man behind you who crosses for the winner.
06:15And the substitute spectacular volley, which Big Kev told us today he shinned it, didn't he?
06:23Yes, he did.
06:24Yeah.
06:24A little bit harsh, maybe.
06:25I don't quite see how he shinned it.
06:27It was a kind of acrobatic volley, wasn't it?
06:29He kind of guarded it in.
06:31And that could have gone anywhere.
06:33You don't see them going in that often, do you?
06:35Especially outside the Premier League.
06:36Especially not 20 seconds from the end.
06:38But for all that, John Messina, though, I mean, I expected him to talk about what was 93 minutes and 20 seconds of a good performance.
06:49And all he could think about was one moment.
06:52And a bit of a departure, would you say, Neil?
06:56Fair to say he pointed the finger after that?
06:59Yeah, yeah.
06:59I mean, I was expecting to come in the press conference and, yeah, extenuate the positives, really, about how well they played for it.
07:05But he was just gutted about the manner of the winner.
07:10And, again, he talks about Ogilvie and Bramall.
07:14They both jumped for the same ball.
07:15Neither got it.
07:16Goal, isn't it?
07:18And Bramall had done well by the, you know, in fairness to him.
07:21He'd done well all game.
07:22But it's just such a...
07:24That mistake, they miss the ball and Rodoni crosses it in.
07:29And it was a decent cross, but an even better finish, wasn't it?
07:32That fine margin, isn't it?
07:35The cliche about the fine margin.
07:37And Pompey brutally punished for that slip-up, didn't they?
07:40Didn't they?
07:41But it seems...
07:41Yeah, I mean, when we say pointing up, that's the incident you're talking about.
07:44I think it's pretty clear that it's not Conor Ogilvie he's laying the blame.
07:49That Conor...
07:50No.
07:50I think Coen Bramall will stay away from that area.
07:53There's no need for...
07:54Conor Ogilvie's been excellent all night.
07:56He's put his blocks in.
07:57He's won his headers.
07:58I had Ian Dantor from Talk Sport was asking John about that.
08:02He said, you know, Conor Ogilvie had his head on everything.
08:04He said, well, if he was left to do that one last header, then, yeah, I'd agree with you.
08:08But it's more, you know, Coen Bramall, who I think Messina would say himself was a good performer last night.
08:15Yeah.
08:15It's that lap, isn't it?
08:16That single lap that he's picking up on.
08:19And also, this happens and now we're getting people saying, oh, the centre of defence is an awful body.
08:24But, well, Pompey are missing their best two centre of defenders, have been for at least five, six, seven weeks.
08:31Longer, really, we're shocked to see.
08:32This is what it is.
08:33This is the way they can get over it.
08:35And they were excellent all night.
08:37And I know people talk about Milosevic.
08:41We'll talk about that.
08:43We're going to talk about that in the second half, yeah.
08:44OK.
08:45Well, no, no, talk about that now.
08:46Sorry, talk about...
08:46Go for it.
08:47Go for it.
08:47No, go for it.
08:47Yeah, I just don't get them.
08:49I'm always banging on about this.
08:51Judge your player with your eyes.
08:54For some reason, Milosevic is a wonderful player and no one's ever seen him play.
08:58The manager, for whatever reason, doesn't believe he can make his first team.
09:03And he's not been in his first team and now he's injured.
09:05He was purely signed as cover.
09:08Like Ben Killip.
09:09Cover.
09:10Quite wise from Pompey because of that injury.
09:12Matthews was injured.
09:13Shock to see.
09:16At concern.
09:18They've got doubts over Towler at this level.
09:21Pack has been filling in.
09:22And so they had Regan and Paul come back from injury.
09:25So they just wanted cover.
09:26That's all he was.
09:27They haven't got a free transfer from Sweden who hasn't played since November to be a number
09:32one.
09:33He's there for cover.
09:34And if he does well enough, put him in the team.
09:37So I don't quite get the uproar about not playing him because perhaps they're not playing
09:41him because he's not as good as the options.
09:43Simple as that.
09:44We've not seen him.
09:46We've only got one photo of him.
09:47Blimey.
09:48We've not seen him in action.
09:49We've got to see him time and again, isn't it?
09:51No, we've not seen him in action.
09:53Presumably John Messino has seen plenty of him over the last few weeks.
09:57And for whatever reason, he thinks there's better players.
10:00Again, use your eyes.
10:01We can't judge him.
10:02We've not seen him.
10:03We've very, very quickly moved forward to this weekend, Derby County, a critical showdown.
10:10We're off the back of, as you said in the first half, a presser with John Messino, 11 o'clock
10:16this morning, bits and pieces and talking points.
10:19Can you just bring us up to speed with any bits and pieces we were talking about there
10:22and what we're looking at moving forward?
10:24Yeah, it's always a bit strange this because obviously I spoke to him at half ten-ish last
10:30night and then you're back speaking again at 11 o'clock the next day.
10:35So, yeah, you're sort of going over a bit of old ground really, aren't you?
10:38And it's also, it's too early for particularly great injury news because he's just got an
10:44update.
10:44This is before training as well.
10:46So, he said, oh yeah, Rob Hackerton should be training today.
10:49But it's before training, so you don't know for certain.
10:52Any news on the Milosevic scan that I asked you about 12 hours ago, you know?
10:57Yeah, well, exactly.
10:57Yeah, yeah.
10:58So, Milosevic, yeah, he's going to scan tomorrow and we've seen this morning, he's not going
11:02to scan yet, is he?
11:03So, yeah, it's, but you have to adapt it and talk about the Derby game, which is huge.
11:11I've said this for ages, regardless of the away performances and the away results, this
11:15has always been huge because it's relegation rivals at home, probably can't afford to lose.
11:20Because you want them to win, without doubt.
11:24And then the question is, will they come like Plymouth and sit and be happy with the
11:29point?
11:31I'm sure they would be happy with the point, actually, Derby.
11:35Or do they, and are Pompey going to struggle to break them down as they did Plymouth as
11:39well?
11:39Obviously, you've got these going on as well.
11:41And Derby's form has been outstanding, hasn't it, over the last five games.
11:45So, it's a tough one.
11:47But you can flip it, flip the other side of the coin.
11:51Pompey's final five games, three at home.
11:54So, and Pompey, as we know, are excellent at home with that backing.
11:58So, this is a good position to be in still, isn't it?
12:01Three points for the relegation zone.
12:03The majority of your remaining games at home.
12:06So, probably can get off a good start and get a win on Saturday.
12:09That'd be huge.
12:11Just like the Derby visited last year, wasn't it?
12:14And both clubs are chasing promotion.
12:17Yeah.
12:17Yeah, exactly that.
12:19So, it's got to say that.
12:20I guess if you're Derby County, you'd look at what's gone before, wouldn't you?
12:24You'd look at the Plymouth's success.
12:26I mean, they were very, very, they're probably more negative than Pompey anticipated.
12:31I don't, you'd probably look to go down that route, wouldn't you?
12:33And Derby, obviously, one loss in five, isn't it?
12:35They're the real sort of form team down the bottom.
12:37You know, a draw for them keeps it ticking over.
12:40Maybe a bit more expansive than what, but they've seen the sort of blueprint for a lot of teams.
12:43And obviously, seeing how Pompey, when teams are expansive, how Pompey can get after them as well.
12:47So, that probably, you know, all plays into the sort of how things set up for Saturday.
12:52They've got a very good manager as well, haven't they?
12:54Let's not forget, everyone knew it was going to be a really good appointment at the time.
13:00Yeah, we wanted a forward manager or someone, you know, a name, didn't we?
13:04Not someone who knew the championship terrain.
13:06We knew what was going to happen there.
13:08And then eventually, they rallied.
13:09And yeah, so it's a huge one, but probably just a different side at home.
13:14And they have actually improved away from home.
13:17I know the results aren't showing that, but they have improved away from home.
13:20But anyway, at home, there really are a different proposition.
13:24And you get Fratton Park going, that'll be tremendous.
13:27It's, yeah, 10 points away from home.
13:30But the home record has been sensational for the last 14.
13:33I think it's 10 wins from the last 14 games.
13:3610 wins in a draw.
13:37So, and they've beaten top sides at this level.
13:42Yeah, yeah.
13:42Okay, so how does John Massino approach the game?
13:47Obviously, there's, you know, a lot of talk about the various options and forms.
13:51And obviously, Waddenham started at Coventry.
13:55And does Conor Ogilvy start in the middle?
13:58Do you push him to the left back?
13:59You know, there's all kind of a variety of, you know, does he continue a 4-4-2?
14:03We're not going to talk about that, which they played last night as well.
14:06There's a lot to go in the house.
14:08He keeps playing down, actually, doesn't he?
14:10He's saying he's going to come back to training, but he's not going to be ready yet.
14:13And there's more likely to be ready next week.
14:14He keeps playing that down.
14:15So, we'll see how that plays out.
14:19I mean, there's another interesting thing about Waddingham.
14:21Which, if you look at Waddingham, you've got to address the Yengi issue, of course.
14:26Because Yengi's been fit the last two games, not made the squad.
14:30Instead, this young lad from Australia called Waddingham, who turned 20 last Saturday,
14:35is ahead of Casino Yengi, and even started last night.
14:40It's ominous about Yengi, isn't it?
14:43What does that say about him?
14:45What does that say about Yengi and his Pompey career?
14:47That Omani's got Omani, a lad that's an untried lad that's come in, by definition,
14:53as everyone said, peripheral for this season.
14:56We keep him around the squad, almost like it's a learn his trade.
14:59And now he's come in and been trusted to start in such a crucial game of Coventry,
15:03ahead of Yengi.
15:04That says to me that more like out of possession, that he can do the work and the graft
15:10that Casino Yengi doesn't.
15:13And what does that mean for Casino Yengi moving forward?
15:15He's out of contract.
15:16Yeah, exactly.
15:18The manager clearly doesn't trust him that much at the moment.
15:22No.
15:24It's an obvious thing that players get consistently left off the bench.
15:28Towler's another one.
15:30Clearly the manager doesn't rate him at this level.
15:34Simple, because he's not including me in the squad.
15:37And last night, he travelled up as, was it, 21st man last night.
15:44Yeah.
15:45So he was at the game.
15:46He was at the game, wasn't he?
15:48Riley Towler.
15:49But, but, but, but, but, you know, was quite comfortable having no proper defenders on the
15:55bench and having your own, having the only defender there, Towler's 21st man.
16:01Instead he had Devlin and Pat was the defensive options on the bench.
16:05Well, this is it.
16:07I mean, people look for, you know, alternative theories, conspiracy theories, whatever you
16:11want to call them.
16:13I think it's pretty, there's not, it's, we're not, you know, betraying confidence here.
16:18From our perspective, it's the same as probably the fans.
16:20And there's no story here.
16:23There's no, you know, there's no, no bust up.
16:25This is, they're not, you know, Towler's not rated him.
16:28It seems that, you know, at the moment, Jenghi's not rated either.
16:31Well, exactly.
16:32And I know that they, they, again, I've said this a long time now, they, he's an asset.
16:40They can cash in on him.
16:41So the natural thing to do, if you're, if you're speaking from a business point of view,
16:45you would activate his, his, his 12 month option, keep him at the club and sell him.
16:51Yeah.
16:52Because he's an asset.
16:54He's bankable.
16:55He's sellable.
16:57Surely they wouldn't have just released him in the summer when, when clubs in league one
17:01would definitely be looking at him.
17:04Yeah.
17:05Because of how well he did in league one last year.
17:08I bet he's got quite a bit of glamour to him, isn't he?
17:11I bet there's a lot of, you know, teams abroad as well.
17:13I'm not saying Australia, but I mean, all over Asia.
17:16He would be, he would, people would look at him and especially with his assets as well.
17:23He's an Australian international.
17:25He got 13 goals in league one last year, many off the bench.
17:28Did really, really well.
17:30He was popular last year.
17:31He's played in the championship.
17:33Clubs will be wanting him.
17:35So again, you think Pompey just invoke the clause, keep him for another 12 months and sell him.
17:44They did that.
17:44They did that with.
17:46Did you say Harness?
17:49Yeah.
17:49Did you say Marcus Harness?
17:50No, I was about to say that.
17:51They did that with Marcus Harness.
17:52He made it, he wanted to move on and the club thought, okay, we can cash on him, activate his options, keep him here and they sold him to Whipswitch.
18:01So it makes sense.
18:03I don't, I don't, I know people saying, get rid of him, get rid of him.
18:06Don't, don't give him a new contract.
18:09Don't activate the option.
18:11It's just like, just cash in.
18:13Brainless, isn't there?
18:13It would be brainless to do that.
18:15I mean, just, it would be negligible to do that.
18:17Yeah.
18:18Wouldn't it?
18:19To do that.
18:20Let's go back to the selection thing slightly.
18:22So yeah, as I say, it's weird, you know, no Shocknessy, no Atkinson, Milosevic, you know, he's underground, he's unlikely.
18:28So if you, if you do put, you know, Conor Ogilvie to left back, what do you do?
18:34I mean, is it Marlon Pack that comes back in?
18:35Because I mean, the reason I say this, I should give it some context.
18:39John Massino today, and it's our story going out this evening, he's pretty no nonsense about it.
18:43After fingering a couple of players for poor performances, he said there's going to be consequences.
18:48So where do you look there?
18:50Oshish, would that be another one?
18:53Yeah, he's a funny one.
18:55Approximately more effective at home.
18:58And we've all said, great work rate.
19:00Oh, we did have a great work rate as well, didn't we?
19:03Tremendous work rate.
19:04I like going down by the paper.
19:07Get everything.
19:08Tremendous work rate, as of Oshish.
19:11But we need more quality.
19:13We need more creativity.
19:15And he's not done that yet, so far.
19:17Home game might suit him more.
19:19Let's not forget, Pompey dropped him for Millwall, because selection issue, because Massino felt that Devlin would give him more physicality in that position, in that number 10.
19:30So, yeah, we're still waiting for him to spark, really, Oshish.
19:34I've been really impressed by his attitude and his work rate.
19:37He's really got into it, hasn't he?
19:39But you are in Owen Dale territory, where fans really liked Owen Dale for his work rate and energy and things like that.
19:47But he didn't offer any creativity.
19:50And that's what these sort of players are there for, creativity.
19:52Especially Oshish, who's meant to be a number 10, rather than the winger perhaps defending.
19:57Although, Oshish has been played on the right, wasn't he, last night?
20:00And he was played on the left at Preston.
20:03So, yeah, what to do there?
20:05And again, imagine Callum Lang in this team, along with...
20:09Oh, don't.
20:10Imagine those three in this team.
20:14Pompey would be safe ages ago.
20:15All right, Neil, great insight as ever.
20:17That wraps it up.
20:18Hopefully, we've got plenty, much more upbeat Pompey talk.
20:22I'm sure Frank will be rocking at the weekend.
20:24And we'll be hopefully looking back on a positive result next week.
20:30We'll catch up again next time.
20:40We'll catch up again next week.