Pompey må hente både kvalitet og kvantitet i sommer om vi skal ha et realistisk håp om opprykk neste sesong, skriver Michael Pantling.

Av: MICHAEL PANTLING

MENINGER: There have been a lot of comments about Pompey Blackpool being the worst in years; I have seen far worse results in the past few years, particularly when we were in freefall but what was the most worrying about Saturday’s performance was the total lack of imagination and drive from the team. Yes, Lowe tried hard and Clarke did his best to hold things together at the other end but that was about it.

A lot has been said about the injuries and the absence of Danny Rose in midfield and whilst his performances were un the up before he broke his leg, he and Close are skillful but lightweight – unlikely to dominate the midfield in the way Michael Doyle did. We are not robust enough to withstand some of the more aggressive teams in this league.

Vil ha Naismith i startelleveren

I do not understand why Naismith (bildet til høyre) isn’t in the starting line up – he has shown that together with Hawkins we can have a quick and effective attack. For me, Chaplin remains an impact player to be brought on later in a match. Pitman is a real frustration in that when he plays he seems to do nothing for most of the match but finds the space to score.

The biggest disappointment for me on Saturday was the (lack of) performance of Kennedy, I had really hoped that Pompey would give him a permanent deal, but following recent performances I’m not so sure.

The crowd were clearly unimpressed and I have never before seen so many leave that early after the second goal. Unfortunately, they didn’t miss much.

Any hopes of a play-off place are fading but I suppose there is always a chance that other clubs will have a poor run  (I never thought we could catch Bradford for example).

There needs to be some serious purchases in the Summer transfer window if we are to have a serious challenge next season, both in terms of numbers and quality.