J Well good evening everybody and welcome to CH live sponsored by the British Institute of kitchen bedroom and bathroom installation my name is Lou Mendes this is the big match preview on this week’s show we’ll be looking back at the absolute disaster in the FA Cup uh the one or Draw with cray Valley
Paper mills at the valley and then of course ahead to Saturday’s away away win at fratton Park thank God we’ve got that one in the bag uh going down to our favorite place whoever go and play football on the weekend joining me to speak about both those games first up
Top right is first time for a while Mr Louis cat hey D Lou yeah good mate thank you how are you yeah I’m glad we’ve had a couple of days to sort of digest what happened over the weekends and if we were doing a show like a few hours after
I think it might have been a lot of swearing in it after what happened but yeah we will we will have to look back at yeah it really was um and also join us bottom of the screen there is Mr Tom Wallin looking resplendent in a bright
Yellow hoodie how you doing Tom yeah I’m all right resplendant indeed I was uh I’d forgotten all about the cray Valley game until I came on here then you said we’ve got to talk about it I oh yeah that happened yeah I thought I got away
With it this week because uh you know because the game was on Sunday I like we’re not going to do a show Sunday night by the time I got home it was too late I thought just not going to think about chman for a while the very next
Day like BBC Radio London are pointing out it’s our turn for the all about hour this week so last night we had to talk about CH for an hour and could could have done without that but yeah um back at the game we’re going to hear the goals and the reaction from Michael
Applon as well we will of course look ahead to Saturday’s trip down to the league leaders Port Smith we’re going to hear from Andy mitchelmore from The P4 pod he’s going to tell us all about uh the uh the league leaders pompy uh and we’ll hear from you guys as well good
Evening to everyone joining us in the chat all hell let Lo Sam Paul YouTube user don’t know how he came up with that name Michael Andrew David Dean’s in there um Steph’s in there and Sam as well Sam’s asking can we not just skip past the uh the game against cray
Wanders K cray Valley paper mills as we should say not cray wanders as the club text out in the buildup to it um Lewis before we hear the goals back then just your initial reaction I mean is is it the most embarrassing result in in our
History it’s got to be up there it’s got to be up there but I don’t know about you guys but I’m just not surprised at all like it felt like an accumulation of different things we’re all going to we com to play like the fact that we were
On TV on a on a Sunday evening you know prime time slot for for the nation to watch um it was only only Chon esque that we bsed it up really because uh I’ve never known so many people in my office take such an interest in Chon
Until this week it’s just uh it’s been pretty outrageous but look I I’m not overly surprised embarrassed yes definitely um and in terms of results in our history it’s got to be out there as one of the worst um but also you have to give credit to
To cray because they were great you know second half especially but look we got got a fun replay to look forward to now I suppose and uh yeah it was um I was pretty baffled on Sunday to be honest but likewise not overly surprised because this is Chon athletic yeah I
Think I think one of the weirdest and most painful parts for me and I don’t know if this says a lot about the sort the sort of people I know or the fact that I obviously don’t have enough friends but no one took the mick out of
Me was I was most surprised about like my boss rang me up on Monday morning I was like let’s get this over and done with but the problem is that we we’re so insignificant now as a football club that unless you’re a proper football fan people didn’t even know how we
Embarrassed ourselves but then the proper football fans did and yeah I’m sure a lot of you were getting both barrels from uh mil Palace and whoever else fans when you went to work on the Monday let’s have a listen back to the goals then from CH TV your commentators
With Terry Smith and Greg stubbly receives the ball from that free kick Anderson coming short on the right hand side side still in the Chon half ball forward to Campbell it’ll touch back to Anderson who continues his run into the bra Ali half is a lovely ball
Forward to Fraser who skips around the keeper and buries the opening goal for Charon well it’s a bit of class ball through finding Fraser he’s got the composure to take it around the goalkeeper you know surprised that cray Val have allowed a lot of space for Chon
In the final third has been a couple of times Campbell got a shut away and got a attempt but was a ball forward I didn’t see who actually made the pass but it’s a lovely run Anderson it was a lovely onew between Anderson and Campbell who come short Anderson who started the move
Inside the Chon half on the right side ball forward to Campbell gave it back to Anderson who kept his run through going tedic made a run one way and Fraser made a run through the middle and it was Fraser that was picked out and he just skipped round Sam Freeman coming out of
His sixy box for strong play from ibraim wins the ball back looks towards lisby and apparent it’s a lovely ball lisby with the ball across and Lucas Nest Taps into his own net and cray Valley have an equalizer yeah that all came about down that left hand side the ball behind a
Banquer got lisby on his motor first time ball into the box Parker was there but as you say it looked like NES might have turned that into his own goal lisby with the run it’s a wonderful cross and I said cray Valley had plenty of bodies inside the penalty
Area it was actually a CH player he tapped it into his own neck way can’t get there and that may be time it is that’s the final whistle it’s a draw here we go again at the Badger Sports ground in Elton cray Valley quite rightly celebrate the way to our right hand
Side well tell I can’t further on what I’ve just watched I I really cannot that was quite frankly one of the most embarrassing performances you’ll see from the CH side in recent years there we go stubber is not mincing his words at the end there Tom um it was
It was embarrassing you know um I I I highlighted on Twitter after the game that um you know Andy Scott said around the time that the Michael applon was appointed and this isn’t a dig specifically of the manager or or anything like that it’s just about where
We have been as a club and still are in many cases is that we’ve had a a mentality of almost accepting medeor that was one of the most painful things about the end of last season for me was the acceptance of medocity and obviously Andy Scott has quite rightly come out
And said that they’ve got to fix it but it’s one thing saying it everyone involved in the club has to now go through and do it and results like what happened on Sunday suggest to me that they haven’t done it yet yeah not not really acceptable is it
And we have to give credit to to crav Valley because that second half they really gave it a good go and they saw there was a Chon team there that could be beaten or could they could get something from the game uh and I think they they deserved that but from our
Point of view I’m glad that Greg used uh in recent years because chart got a proud history of doing this sort of thing sadly or certainly In My Memory but um yeah I think that I guess it’s summed up by my feeling which in that
Second half I mean I live half an hour cycle ride from the valley didn’t bother going had nothing else to do watched it on telly and during the second half I was like ah if we lose I just don’t don’t really care but what I couldn’t what was really
Getting me annoyed wasn’t the result it was the the performances and the effort and if I’m not prepared to go then obviously i’ got to be careful about about slagging the players but at the same time they’re the ones getting paid to be out there and represent us and
They should be putting a game like that away we’ve had a pretty good run on the whole I know we’ve had a couple of of dodgy results more recently but and I know that the the 11 comes in for question because they had played together and there was a lot of people
Who hadn’t played a lot of football but that 11 out there was more than capable of uh of beating a team that are in the what eighth tier of football and they’ve not done it and as Greg says that in itself is embarrassing and yeah we have
No divine right to be any team but when you go up against a team that are that much worse on paper than you you should be able to put them away and the fact we didn’t is is an embarrassment and the fact we’ve now got go and play at a
Ground where they’ve had to try and expand their ground just to get enough people in and they can’t even they can’t even take all the away fans into their own home ground because it’s so small but that is embarrassing for a club of our level even though we’re in League
One uh and it’s not good enough yeah it’s funny it’s the way it’s come about really because I I was gutted that that draw wasn’t away from home in the first place because I thought that’d be a great sort of event for the local area obviously there will be fewer people in
Attendance than there were at the valley just taking into account the cray Valley fans Lewis but um yeah the fact we find ourselves in this situation after that game where did you start so 11 changes obviously was was interesting you know Michael appon was at the Bromley game
The day before and he was talking about how you know you take the the the cup seriously and but so so there’s two schools of thought really there you know did he invite that upon himself by making those 11 changes or is it the fact that well to an extent you have to
Understand that 11 players professional footballers should be able to go and beat you know some some some part-timers who played over a 100 positions below us in in the league pyramid which you know you have to repeat that like one one thing that does wind me up is when any
Fans try and just put these results to the sign so it doesn’t matter because it really does you know and again it comes back to what Andy Scott said he’s going to deliver which is no no acceptance of of being a losing club or being a mediocre club that that’s got to change
So where where did you start Louis is did we make too too many changes what was you be mix and match should the lineup that we put out have impressed us more anyway I think ultimately I think you hit the nil on the head with the with the personnel
There like yes it’s 11 changes but all of those players play at League one level you know fairly uh regularly even if even if not with us you know the likes I know we’ve had like Conor mcgrand was coming back from injury but you know tedit and Campbell are both
Premier League loans they may not be playing in the Premier League but they are Premier League loans on online from Premier League clubs Charlie Kirk we we paid a very large fee for to play at this level Terrell Thomas starts for us every week no you know regardless of
What people may think of his performance Teo Eden Lucas NES last season was being touted as as a real Prospect these aren’t bad players you know if if we’ have come out and put our under 18s out against them and draw one all then maybe i”d be a little bit more not not
Understanding as such but I’d be I’d be more critical um in terms of the changes be like why have we done that we’re not taking the cup seriously I think ultimately we have a fairly injury-ridden Squad and our luck with injuries is pretty poor so we’ve rested some of those key players the
Lights of Alfie May miles Lee burs and people like that because some of these players need minute some of these players need confidence tedic needs some confidence Kirk needs some confidence Campbell like all these players and it’s a chance for them to get on the pitch and and and do something and they’ve
Come out against eighth tier opposition and they’ve done themselves no favors I mean I don’t think any of them could be knocking on the door of of Appleton demanding a place in in the squad or or the starting 11 I think you know it was pretty pretty outrageous and whether
They didn’t overly respect um cray Valley as an opponent and thought maybe underestimated what they were going to bring and thought it was going to be a walk in the park and especially after scoring so early through through Scott Fraser maybe maybe we misjudged this situation on the field but I think
Overall it it just kind of highlights the character of some of the bodies that we have in the building and you know Appleton we probably hear from him shortly but said at the end of it that the some players gave him you know he he
Saw a lot from some players and how they react to disappointment and and maybe what they’re going to do and where they’re going to fit in in that Squad moving forward and I think was a pretty scathing um report really because it was embarrassing I thought I
Thought Greg up perfectly at the end of that commentary you know it was pretty low and I know last season you said we’d hit our lowest de um I think this this felt worse and and it wasn’t because of the result against cray Valley because ultimately you know they’re a local side
It’s a great cup story regardless that it’s against us it’s the effort that it took you know from our players the the lack of effort shown that was what you know resulted in us drawing that game the The Annoying Thing about Lois Debs is that they they they are quite
Enduring and i’ I’d suggest that the hangover from last season and the fact we still find oursel in League one means that we are still at our lowest de I mean obviously it’s Up For Debate but I I put I put it to to most people that
This is the worst the club’s ever been on the pitch you know obviously when we were in the third tier for eight or nine years in the 20s that was when we came into it from below and then stayed there and went up and then we’ve only gone
Back into it for you know flits here and there three seasons here and there obviously this is the fourth season now that’s why we’re at our lowest that’s why results on like like we saw on Sunday are particularly painful because it’s just a reminder of How Far We’ve fallen and until that
Changes um then we are still our lowest e as far as I’m concerned and that’s just a symptom of it is the fact that you go and play aside from the eighth tier of of English football um you know and and can’t win and and probably don’t
Deserve to win as well I mean that there some people said um that the the Miller Maybe looked more likely at the end I don’t think I quite agree with that I mean over the course of 90 minutes we obviously had more chances but it wasn’t
Like an emphatic one like we were well on top performance Tom which was the most annoying thing I mean Sam saying that team should be good enough on paper but you can’t be wrestling players in the FA Cup especially against non-league teams it’s got to be one of the lowest
Days uh in the club’s history luckily they have a chance to put it right Paul’s asking if there was any effort there and it was Andrew he said he felt the Millers look more likely to score a win they did have a couple of half chances at the end know that free kick
That cross that came in where Nathan and simway slipped and luckily the uh the forward didn’t see it coming but it comes back to to the question which Paul’s put in the chat you know Andy the team Builder can he fix it answers on a postcard Michael saying we look terrible
Didn’t we answers all those questions about those players not starting now the important thing about that team that played on Sunday Tom is if I mean if you include the keeper who’s obviously only just come in Sam Walker who didn’t have a great deal to do he had he had one or
Two slightly nervous moments I think with crosses if I remember rightly but that there’s quite a lot of of the new signings in there as well I mean there were players that have been in this team for a while which were bad as well which we’ll talk about shortly but the fact
That a bank was in there Eden Campbell Ted it and with W coming that’s five new signings that presumably we’ve bought in to make the side better who started the game on Sunday and didn’t have have we done enough in terms of making this side better and making the squad better I was
Just about to say I don’t know about the side but I think the squad is a key point because I know a lot of those players aren’t starting um but they are still players that we’re expecting to come off the bench and make a difference they’re not players that have been out
Completely in the wilderness on the most part um and and the ones that have played you know I think I know tedic hasn’t scored yet I’m not going to say he’s been amazing but tedic has shown okay patches in in League games which is why I go back to the point that it
Looked like a lack of effort for me Lewis had it right as well none of them are kind of justifying knocking on Apple’s door now and and saying right I deserve a place in the in the league scam because he can just point them to that performance and say well absolutely
No you don’t so it’s a really difficult one I think I can’t remember if you put it on Twitter but I saw it somewhere if you run through all of the signings we’ve made since the summer what Louie Watson I think has looked very good Alfie obviously came anyway and we knew
He was going to be good so you know I’m not I’m not too surprised by that not a whole host of others that have really stood out and blown me away yet um and probably Jones at the back I think that’re they’re kind of the key three
And that’s maybe the start of a new core in this side but to go back to your question is it enough it’s it’s nowhere near enough and and Paul just put in the chat there about the leaders again me and Nave talked about it the last show
The two of us were on that leadership thing Still Remains um you know Doo just about is I think the only one I would really say is is a decent leader and arguably that’s not enough so to go back to my my previous answer where I said I
Didn’t really care that we drew the game you know I’m not fussed if we get knocked out of the FA Cup I am fussed if we put in a performance like we did so it’s not that I’m not I don’t care about that lack of performance I was really
Disappointed and embarrassed to be a CH fan on Sunday because of the lack of lack of Desire lack of effort and and that seeks through the whole club exactly like you said and I think you’re kind of running out of synonyms for kind of um bottom of the barrel or or
Whatever these days because it seems to be happening week in week out at the moment H I’m scraping the barrel for those syns unfortunately and tedic has scored though don’t forget against Wickham he scuffed one in uh with pretty much his first touch but that was here a
While ago um yeah I mean Paul said he thought that Chen stood out uh in the first half but that’s not saying much um I we we I’m always wary of when when one player in particular gets pointed out after a really bad performance but I
Don’t I don’t where the whole team was bad but I don’t think we can go without pointing out that that Charlie Kirk had a a difficult evening you know it’s been mentioned quite a few times in the chat already you know he was um Jered off
When when they read out his name when Brian read out his name for the sub he was he sort of cheered wasn’t he ironically um there was incidents on on social media as well with family members getting involved which is which is always a sad look I think you don’t you
Don’t want to see that either way um but yeah my dad came to me the next day and said something that a lot of people have said on forums they said they don’t understand how this guy can ever wear a CH shirt again is that the stage where you’re at
Leis I think so yeah I mean it look I think with Charlie Kirk it’s it’s been a really you know tragic story really with him joining obviously when he came over um initially he he was going through some really difficult personal times um which I think lots of people would
Forgive like the first season maybe him not being completely at the races because he had a hell of a lot going on with with losing his father which was incredibly sad um but I felt like at that point that people were were kind of behind him like yeah some of the
Performances weren’t great he went out on loan when he came back last season on uh at the start of the Season that it was sort of like a renewed excitement around getting him back because he’d done kind of okay in the championship with Blackpool um it never really
Happened and you know start started all right I think you got a brace last year up at up at Burton and you’re thinking oh okay is he going to kick start now subsequently ends up on loan there the back end of the season and we go again
Is this going to be his season under another manager no it doesn’t work out and it just feels like sometime you know it’s it’s difficult I think ultimately it becomes very very tough to turn around um an opinion you know I think the only person
I’ve seen do it in sort of recent Charon history I suppose is navis SAR like there was that it almost felt like he had no way back but he managed to turn it around but I I do feel like there were they two different attitudes you
Know I when I see when I saw Navar play it was never through lack of trying I think it was it was a bit different sometimes when I look at Charlie Kirk I feel like I’m not I’m not seeing the effort it feels like he’s he’s coming on
The pitch defeated all the time that then you know translates out to the fans as well the fans are in the seat thinking Charlie CT’s coming on and there’s this B negative around him and it and it gets to a point in football and this isn’t just Char it’s football
In general where you do become a bit of a scapegoat there’s so many of them in the professional game at the moment you know Harry McGuire being a prime example it it becomes very very difficult to turn it around and I think you have to have a certain mentality and
A certain strength and character to to turn around a a negative um view on yourself within a football club and I don’t think that Charlie Kirk has that strength and attitude to do that I think ultimately what’s best for him is that that he gets moved on whether whether that happens
Obviously he’s got to get interest and in his you know for his well-being he’s going to have to try and get some suitors because he’s a professional footballer and you’re you’re a long time retired when your career is over he he’s kind of wasting years here now he needs
To needs to get a move where we can go on and and just crack on and do something else because it’s it’s not worked here and you know it’s not going to do him any good sticking around but he’s not going to get himself many potential suitors if he puts in
Performances like he did on on Sunday especially against you know opposition of of cray Valley’s level yeah Dean saying I hope Kirk is not in the squad on the first train out of fratton on Saturday also added that he’s nicking uh a living as well um Sam
Said further down mcgr and Chen looked fairly fairly well possible options Kirk was very poor and definitely needs moving on regardless of cost I would play a strong side on Wednesday uh so we can can show how good we are I mean we’ll we’ll talk a bit more about the
The replay uh on Sunday obviously we we’ll look ahead to it a bit I want I want to play you the Michael appon interview now just so you can hear what he said and then we’ll come back and just React to what he said about the
Cray game uh and then we’ll worry about looking forward to the game with Portsmouth as well this is what Michael or Mickey Apple said to me after the game against Cay a humbling experience in the FA Cup this evening what did you make of it yeah I mean obviously it was
Disappointing disappointing with some of the performances a few of the players I expected a little bit more um I think probably up until the goal it was okay um still a little bit safe by a few players not really wanting to make the impact that I expected they
Would do um but it was probably the disappointment after the goal really you know there was a lot of anxiety with a few of the players in the group and yeah they really sort of struggled after that to be fair um um obviously bringing the
Subs in Subs on made it a little bit better but again it was um yeah it was hard watch at times they were obviously opportunities given to players who haven’t played in the first team a great deal this evening is anyone really sort of giving you the performance you were
Looking for and after youve given them that chance um yeah um I thought y Karai sort of certainly for the first sort of 60 minutes or so um you know I think he certainly was one that def was asking a question uh in terms of you know trying
To stake a claim um to being around it um beyond that I’m probably going to forget but beyond that I struggle to to find anyone else if I’m being honest if I’m being brutally honest um which is sometimes a good thing because when you get players knocking on your door you
Get agents ringing up why is my player not playing or why am I not playing these type of days um it’s quite good for managers and coaches sometimes because you know you just have to remind them of the performances on days like today um and again like I said the the
The the one real positive thing from today is we get a second crack it Andy Scott when you employed sort of spoke about wanting to increase the mentality of the club and changing the the mediocrity that has been perhaps still bubbling below the surface so was that a
Disappointment that it came back to the for this evening well I don’t think it did because if if I would have made sort of different selection to the group then it would have been a it would have been a different scenario but I think sometimes you’ve got to sort of manage
And balance um the group as best you possibly can and I certainly felt that the starting 11 was more than capable of winning the game tonight um and I still do uh regardless of how sort of poor some of the performances were um but in terms of mentality you know I think it’s
Difficult to S of blame people who’ve not played tonight or have not had much of a game tonight mean you’re talking about mentality he’s talking about a group that you know for certainly 10 games or so prior today before we before the game today I think we showed enough
Mentality to show that when we go a goal behind or when it gets a little bit tough they can deal with that so um I reserve judgment on that one let’s wait to see what happens in the replay we see after 11 changes a lot of questions
Always come on the manager but as you say you should have had enough out there to have still won the game anyway no listen I take full responsibility day I picked the team so I take full responsibility of picking the team and obviously clearly it was the wrong one today
Um big enough had enough games to sort of deal with them type of situations but what I would say is that at least we’ve got a second crack at it at least we’re still in the cup we’ve still got an opportunity to to get the job done um
And I would imagine after that and when the players see it back they’ll probably be sort of really looking forward to it there we go that’s Michael Appleton speaking to myself after the FA Cup game Tom I mean what what did you make of what he had to say Obviously took full
Responsibility for the result following his 11 changes but you know I did ask him about the mentality and he he sort of took it as a a question about the whole group and and while I accept that while we’ve had you know first team players you know playing in the league
We’ve shown a bit although the last three games obviously Lincoln we we melted Bolton we got done by a much better side and then the wig came we were fine for most of it and then we panicked a lot you know obviously there’s still a few questions there um
But the fact that you know there are players you know maybe maybe Charlie is one that fans have pointed out but there’s plenty probably in that in that side that started where you’re asking questions about did they take the game by the Scruff maybe in Scott Fraser you
Know had a great start to the game but then you know he he was Runing the captain’s armband where where’s he sort of pulling all the strings to make sure we win that game yeah I think um it felt a little bit like he was kind of batting that
Question away and not really answering it in the way that perhaps you wanted him to um bit of a politician’s answer taking the uh the question the way he wants to see it instead and because I agree with you I think we’ve spoken enough about that and I think all three
Of us certainly are on the same page um about kind of the mentality and where we are it’s good that he takes responsibility for picking the side as that’s literally his job so that’s encouraging but um yeah it it didn’t fill me with confidence it’s all well
And good coming out and saying well at least we’re still in the club and we get another go at it but you know they’re an eighth tier side to come out of that result and go oh well we get another go at them like that’s not really acceptable again for for charton
Particularly off the back of Andy’s interview where he’s saying you know about kind of turning this ship around so I don’t want to be too down on him because he’s still relatively new at the club he’s still probably not got his players in to the fullest extent yet he
Might be protecting some of them a little bit although whether they deserve it is another question uh and arguably he’s got to work with some of them at the very least until January so you know he’s not going to we also don’t know what goes on behind closed doors but you
Know we’ve had the likes of Boya who were you know not afraid to come in and criticize his players after a bad performance was that the right thing I don’t know um even people like kyl Robinson who were just brutally honest about performances so yeah it didn’t fill me with with confidence necessarily
But as I say he’s still new to the job I’m not going to get on his back too much I just think this mentality thing that you’ve kind of picked up on particular Post Sunday is is a big thing and I think maybe they’re going to need a few
Windows to really know where that’s at um before they they can answer it the problem is is any manager going to get those windows because that’s the thing I come back to every time we sack a manager is he gets two windows at best to try and turn it around and and you
Need a little bit more than that yeah and obviously will will they be backed with the the quality of the the recruitment I mean you mentioned earlier it is actually in my plans to one the Thursday show go through a list of all the the signings we’ve made this year
And decide if we if we had a successful transfer window or not and obviously do it from when Andy and and and Charlie and that lot took over because obviously a couple came in before then as well so we want to give them a fair crack at it
But obviously when when you look back at what happened last January we didn’t have a very good window unfortunately um and and there’s question marks over Fair number of the players that we bought in this year I think but we’ll we’ll debate that a couple of people saying they
Agree with you Tom or Hell let loose saying was I watching a different game I thought mcgrandles was Anonymous in Midfield against a tier eight side right uh let’s draw a line under that for now let let’s worry about it again on on Wednesday we’ll have a quick break uh when we come
Back we will start to turn our attention uh to the trip to Portsmouth uh over the weekend thinking about a new kitchen or bathroom find professional independent local installers with free home surveys itemized quotes and protected payments trading standards approved contracts and workmanship warranties the British instit of kitchen bedroom bathroom
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Soon right welcome back to CH live this is the big match preview um hopefully we can forget that the cray Valley paper mills game ever happened now for a few days at least let’s start to concentrate on uh the guaranteed three points we always get of course when we head down
To to fratton park that always cheers me up uh each of our last seven visit visits to fratton park we’ve won uh We’ve also won 10 of our past 11 games down there there’s there’s been two friendlies in that time down there which we’ve also won I’m fairly confident
We’ve won down there in the Papa John’s whatever it’s called as well although I might be misremembering that so we’re on a bit of a Mad winning streak down on on Port Sea Island uh the man who’s going to come and tell us why that’s going to
End this weekend uh is Andy mitchelmore from The P4 pod uh Andy joins us live on Chon live this evening Andy thanks so much for for joining us um you must be full of conf Ence with your side unbeaten in about a million years and top of the league good evening yeah I
Was I was fairly confident until that nice little intro you gave us there so thank you for that it’s um nothing like putting a smile on your guest’s face just before you bring them into the call so yeah things are are looking good for us based on track record if you’re one
Of those people that believes in patterns then we might be in a bit of trouble this weekend such a it’s such a freak run of result because because all of these games are obviously stand alone you know different 11s different sides every week every every season it does
Doesn’t make any sense but I love it um it pro well a lot of people will be expecting it to be different this year partly because you’re unbeaten since March so you youve you’ve not lost at all in the League this season obviously you had your own little FA Cup horror
Show over the weekend I could be not as bad as ours but what’s been so good about about your team this year yeah I think it’s fairly well publicized that they don’t seem to know when they’re beaten it’s the number of points we picked up from losing positions has been
Something that is a noticeable Improvement uh don’t was under you know Danny cowy or or Kenny jacket and I mean I think it’s the first 30 minutes of the game I’m guessing you’re going to ask where we’re vulnerable at some point it’s that first half an hour uh it takes
Us quite a while to settle into the game at times and then just when you think it’s not going to happen things tend to kick in to gear so I think from the 30th minute onwards this season is something like we’ve scored 20 and conceded three but that
First half an hour of the game we’re a little bit susceptible but that’s basically what clicked and there’s been a lot of you know 75th minute onwards limbs in a way ends because you know they just don’t seem to know when they’re beaten and there always seems to
Be that you know that one last chance you get when you’re a goal down in a game and there’s that one final opportunity you know your team’s going to get and that has just kept going in so yeah absolutely no complaints from our end obviously we do tend to start
The league fairly well I keep getting these Facebook memories from five years ago three years ago two years ago with us in a similar position and the one thing that’s very noticeable is that it says League one at the top of those memories as well so it doesn’t always
End so well but I think we we’re pretty content with how things have been going it’ be foolish of me to to not say that yeah Andy that was going to be my question actually was about from memory every time I I look back at League one over the last few seasons Portsmouth
Always started so strongly and it’s always looked like it’s going to be your year and then as the season goes on it always just it Fizzles out out and I always find it really surprising you obviously made the managerial change last year bringing in John MHO what
What’s he bought um to to you guys as a club and does it feel a little bit different with him at the helm because when you appointed him I must say I was a little bit surprised because he he almost came out of a a playing role
Almost straight into a fairly big job in my opinion how’s he sort of taken to you guys since he’s taken the role yeah you’re not the only one that was fairly surprised there were about 150,000 of us that had a pretty similar reaction to be
Honest with you uh he wasn’t at the top of the sort of the betting odds short list I think he’s just brought a sense of composure I mean it’s very easy for me to say that when we haven’t really had any serious lows since he joined but
You do get the impression from him that the highs aren’t going to be too high the lows aren’t going to be too low it’s a 46 Game season and it’s kind of a trust the process where we’ve had managers pay lip service to that before but haven’t necessarily followed through when the go
In’s got tough I think I think with Danny cowy unfortunately it was fairly clear that he lost the dressing room it with hindsight it looks fairly clear that that is what happened which was unfortunate and uh there were Myriad problems with with Kenny jacket tenure
Towards the end but MHO is coming and as you say he was a bit out of nowhere um which I think has helped us a little bit because he’s comeing with a clean slate he’s shown that he’s not afraid to reorganize things halfway through a half one of the things we noticed with
Danny is that he tended to reorganize at a break so if things weren’t going well after 25 minutes for whatever reason you’d see a reshuffle at halim whereas MSO seems a lot more comfortable making those ingame changes um which has especially in games like I think the Peterburg game earlier
This season first 20 25 minutes we were overrun um because our right back and left back were pushing too high up the pitch and uh their left Winger was just getting in behind every time Maiden adjustment after 25 minutes and then we were brilliant for the rest of the game
So yeah that that in-game tactical n composure although he’s got in an argument on in the touch line of two of the last three games seemingly but um yeah it’s it’s hard to answer what what’s making that X Factor so far I think it’ll be easier to answer that
When we’ve actually had a bit of a rough patch but we are kind of waiting for it to go all a little bit wrong uh to be honest with you whether it’s because of a enforced break because of coid like it was the other year or International
Breaks messing up our momentum or MSO running back to Oxford United and it’s all just been a big scam I don’t know there’s we’re waiting for something to go wrong to be honest what will go wrong is US beating you at a nowhere again probably that’s expected no that that would that’s not
The Catalyst we’re all just okay with that we’ve we’ve resigned ourselves to it to be honest with you good good um this next question might also be slightly hard to answer based on the fact you’ve said that Merc likes to kind of change things around mid game but in
Terms of setting up is that starting games is he tending to set up in the same way every week and and what’s your sort of not necessarily players but what sort of formation do you play and what sort of style is he tend to play in yeah
So you’re likely to see a 42 31 unless sort of we’re pushed up against the wall so we had a red card earli in the week and we got forced into a sort of three Center back with two Wing backs but that was very much not the plan that was only
Because ragit got red carded after 19 minutes so generally yeah you’ll see 42 31 you’ll see us wanting to play out short from the back so a lot of our goal kicks off the ground from Norris will have two players in the box with him one
To either side trying to play it out from the back um which does lead to some squeaky bum Time moments but they’re escaping a lot of criticism at the moment because it hasn’t really resulted in uh any real catastrophes in big game moments so yeah playing out from the
Back very patient once we get around the opposition half once we get over the halfway line then not not afraid to just pass sideways for a bit by their time and wait for what they perceive to be the right moment so it won’t be a sort
Of a quick poof the ball forward to to Colby Bishop as a number nine and hope that one of the Wingers is playing off him when we do that we tend to struggle a bit uh Bishop had look looked isolated a little bit in a few games this season
And one of the things that clicked in after we went two-nil down against r was Devin being able to sort of stay close to Bishop and play off some of those long balls so generally it’s been fairly attractive football to be honest with you but again it’s easy to say that when
We’ve won 10 and drawn five but it’s not ugly attritional football um having said that there’s a couple of injuries that are potentially going to impact Us in this game I would imagine but um yeah that 4231 is is what I’d expect to see so who are like the the dangermen that
We will become where there’s a couple of questions as well I mean all hell let Luc is asking if Marlon pack will be available because he obviously got sent off twice against us last season so be useful if you can throw him into the mix
So is he likely to be involved and is Colby Bishop the the main threat obviously is the top goal scorer but is there someone else we should be keeping our own as well yeah um I wouldn’t expect to see pack he’s out with a with an injury I think he’s nearing Fitness
But I would be very very surprised to see him turn out this weekend 100% not starting I’d be stunned if he started I don’t think we’ll be seeing him even in the squad uh Bishop yeah main goal scoring threat uh over any 90 minutes he
Tends to get you know one or two really good chances dropped to him just because his situational and positional awareness is so good in the Box around that 18 Yard Box um having said that we’ve looked fairly dangerous from set pieces in terms of center backs coming forward
Uh shessy one of our center backs has scored a couple of absolutely clutch goals in the final few minutes of games this season and then um we got Robertson on loan from Man City who is sort of sent to Midfield who has looked super dangerous hasn’t got the goal to cap it
As yet in the league but has come extremely close and he’s probably fairly due I would imagine and then other than Bishop there sort of an even even contribution of goals from around the rest of the side but Bishop is that player that if he pulls his hamstring in
The 25th minute you’ll just feel that the place will deflate like a balloon if if that happens because we’ll know the implications that would have on our season but um yeah in terms of goal scoring Bishop uh keep an eye for Jack Sparks he’s got probably the best
Delivery I’ve seen in for for quite a while at fratton Park be playing on the left um he’s come into the team as a starter Conor OG Connor OG picked up an injury a while ago and wasn’t really a known player to many pompy fans Jack
Sparks but his delivery into to the box from the left is gorgeous like even I think as a as a neutral you’d enjoy seeing what he puts on a plate for for players who are in the box so those are probably who I’d identify as the danger men excellent well with our record
Defending set pieces I can assure you I won’t be enjoying um anything from Sparks over the weekend but um and it’s been a pleasure having you on um yeah I’m sorry to we’re going to ruin your season on Saturday when we come down of course but thanks for your time and uh
Best of luck for the rest of the season no you’re all good it’s not the not the last time you’ve my evening and it won’t be the won’t be the last time either I’d imagine so yeah enjoy the game dad J Cheers Cheers there we go that’s Andy um
Mitchell Mo from the pi4 Pod he’s a doctor actually he’s the second one we’ve had on the show so far this season the strwberry fan we’ve had uh was a professor or something like we’re just getting all the buffins lined up this uh this this uh season for some reason
Although I think Andy’s the first time i’ ever heard a doctor use the word clutch um which just shows he’s down with the kids like Lewis’s um Lewis would you make a Portsmouth um it’s got to end sometime this run this ridiculous run we have down at fratton Park uh
We’re a better place to start than this Saturday I mean it’s it’s going to be a real test it is yeah I mean obviously they’re in a real Rich V of form um they’ll be right up for it it’s obviously always a really difficult place to go for other sides I suppose
Rather than us but um you know the atmosphere there is always really really good it feels like a proper you know a proper game when you go down there it’s always always busy frat and Par and you get a great atmosphere which makes a great day out and obviously helps
Massively when we always seem to get the results but it’s going to be a difficult one obviously the run is there but also we obviously they’re on a bit of a decent run they look good they’re top of the league their confidence will be really high but I also imagine that that
We’ve been given a bit of a kick in this week on the training ground for for that performance on on Sunday against cray uh cray Valley so it’s going to be interesting uh to see if there’s that reaction obviously not many of the players that I imagine will start on
Saturday would have played in that FA Cup game but even still it’s still going to take that a big turnaround people are going to want to see a big performance and a reaction um after the the sort of humiliation at the weekend so it’s going
To be a great day out a real tough test I think you know Appleton said it didn’t he against Bolton that it’s a a marker of where we are and we we got a little bit humbled against them so it’d be interesting to see how we do against a
Side that are flying themselves but we have that record against see if we can if you know we can make the most of that or not yeah I mean records are coincidences which is the sad the sad thing about it even though you know I’ve enjoyed every trip I’ve had to to
Threaten part because of that how how do we go out and win this game then Tom obviously like that that that’s what we got to do we got to not not sit here thinking feeling sorry for ourselves you know we’re off the back of an embarrassing result we’re going to the
League leaders let’s just pray we go out and there and get how do we go and make sure that we that we start the way we did against Wigan what what do we do in order to go and take the game to to Portsmouth or at least get some sort of
Foothold in in the early stages yeah and that that’s what worries me because um Andy said they they start slowly so we need to start quick and notoriously we don’t and then at the end of the game they then come on strong and very rare
That we put 2 45s together so if we do start quick then there’s a good chance we’ll drop off towards the end and they’ll beat us that way so it’s one of them where it seems like whatever we do they’re they’re going to find a way
Around it but we we have to start fast if he’s right if they’re slow then we we have to do that um we have to be more uh defensively sound I think that is key we know the likes of Miles uh of Corey of of Alfie they can do the business up
Front they’re they’re all capable of a little bit of magic um so and with our record down there you know I know it is just a thing like you say teams change but you know that mentality we’re talking about mentality a lot on this show in terms of the club
You go back to a familiar dressing room and all of that you know even if one or two of the players are the same that might help so if we can start quick if some of them can get a bit of magic then for me it’s just about being defensively
Sound and sadly that’s the other thing that we’ve really struggled with this season so I think we’re looking at it and probably we looked at all of them as tough games every time and we come out of them with a result but this is certainly one I’m not going in with a
Huge amount of confidence and expecting us to come out with a result but uh having said that it’s not impossible you know I know we had the bad the bad performance of the weekend and a couple of you know we had that winning run under apples and that now slipped away
But you know we’re still picking up results you know we’re not we’re not awful we’re not dropping off the edge of a cliff there’s going to be a lot of changes maybe not quite the 11 that all hell let loose once although maybe not that far away um so I think we’re more
Than capable of getting result I would just wouldn’t have us down as favorites at this stage the the the sort of litus test against the sides at the top end of the table leis obviously we spoke about that before the Bolton game I’m just running through the table because obviously it’s
Changed since I last check this stat but I think it is still five points from a possible 18 against sides in the top 10 which obviously shows we have struggled to compete at you know against teams of the level that we expect us to be or or
Want us to be so what what can we learn about us again on Saturday what can what can Michael get his team to go out and tell the fans to give us a little bit more belief that we can can still compete with those sides who are the
Right end of League one I think nothing speaks louder than results does it you know like if we go there on Saturday and we get a decent result a decent win you know a sold out weend it will be it gives everyone that lift and you know obviously we then got the international
Break there’s a little bit of time there it’s tough because of the injuries as well that we have I’m thinking have we got the break to get players back we haven’t really have we so ultimately the squad we got at the moment is the squad we have until January I think what you
Said earlier about how we’re going to invest in in January is key but what will be key to that as well is where we are because I can’t imagine any owner or owners no M God knows how many of them there are are going to be interested in
Putting their hands in their pockets to invest in something that may already be gone like always feels like we get to this point of the season and any any sort of Hope of promotional top six feels pretty thin I think the quality of the League this year is worse than
Previously because I mean what are we at the moment Five Points off the top six and I think we’ve been pretty poor over like there’s been some weeks where we’ve looked better there’s been some where we’ve been poor the fact we’re still within touching distance kind of shows
How bad the division is when we’ve been as bad as we have for the majority of it so I think it depends massively on it’s it’s about ambition isn’t it and you know Mick app can only do what he can with the tools that he’s got there going
To be need to be investment in January to strengthen because I don’t think the squad that we have as a whole is good enough to be considered a real top six side I think that’s pretty obvious but I think the 11 we have when fit could probably be considered as one of the
Better sides in the division the problem is when it comes to depth and we start losing players and sadly that is a pattern for us so look it’s going to be it’s going to be a real test and I enjoy these sorts of games because I always
Think that especially if we if we’re the winner in these games it feels like we’re we’re back amongst it especially a side that’s not lost at all this season if we can get a result there then it gives you that hope again but it’s it’s just a little bit frustrating for me
That I always feel like we’re starting behind because when we’ve got like I say a strong 11 in my opinion I think we’ve probably got one of the best goal scorers if not the best goal scorer in the league two great Center mids in Watson and Dobson and all these other
Talents are throughout our side I mean pompy fans are bricking it over blacket Taylor like we’ve got got these talents in our side but we’re still not good enough so it’s trying to bridge that Gap and the only way we’re going to do that is by picking up results yeah Mr curly
Worley says if pompy beat us on Saturday then I fully believe they will win the league yeah we’re just the final hurdle they got to get over really isn’t it with our our weird record down all hell let loose and Sam have both said we need
To make 11 changes from the side last Sunday almost a reversed to to our team I mean Andrew said who plays Number 10 so if you remember back to our last League game um pan Kamara started in the number 10 roll before going off injured quite early so Alfie May who had
Actually started wide and if I I think he played wide when he came on against Cay didn’t he um went back to his more Central role uh where for me he felt more more involved obviously got his two goals in that position Tyrese Campbell came off the bench and played very well
I thought against uh Wigan Athletic um so yeah what what changes would you like to see Tom all hell let Luc is asking if there’s anyone who you saw play on that you’d like to see start against Portsmouth I mean is is there anyone in that that starting 11 you’re desperate
To to give another crack of the whip to uh not that I want to see And to clarify my last point it wasn’t that I want anyone from Sunday to start it’s just that I think a few of them probably will so Terrell Thomas probably is going to
Although possibly not now now Eden’s back um Scott Fraser is obviously part of the conversation for that Midfield uh and tedic up front I think those are players who if I see them on on Saturday I wouldn’t be surprised whether I’m happy about it or not is a different
Question for me I think May at number 10 I I I like him there I know there’s maybe less involvement as you’ve just referred to but he still gets forward he still makes those late runs and he still gets on the end of it and scores goals and Tyrese and Corey if they’re
Both fit I quite like them out wide um I still want to see I know Ted played kind of more through the middle against cran and didn’t didn’t do a brilliant job I wonder if that was more down to service from the wide areas because of the likes
Of Kirk not having great games uh to put it mildly but I wonder if it isn’t going to be miles up top I still would like to see tedit do it in a league game with the quality coming in from out wide and
See if he can do it um and and then in the middle I’d prefer Louie Watson alongside Dobson over Fraser but you know Fraser might get a chance there so yeah a whole host I’d expect sort of nine changes at least from that side on Sunday I think a couple of them might
Sneak in Thomas Maybe necessity Fraser maybe from a rotation point of view and maybe tedic but yeah there could quite easily be 11 changes and you know if that’s the case then as I say it’s not like anybody had earned that start based on that performance I you see ND Miller
Said he’s just got home from the Wigan game he must have gone an aan mustn’t he those those trains aren IDE deal now he came all the way from somewhere in the states Ohio if I remember correctly I’m glad I’m glad you got to that game um
I’m glad you got to see a really good away game we’ve also obviously the full roller coaster ride of what being a CH fan is with that that last seven minutes where we collapse somewhat and that is a question L obviously it’s the pressure being in the pressure cooker whether it
Is away at Wiggum in front of their 300 fans or you know home to an AP tier cray Valley uh or away at Lincoln where we have struggled you know we struggled a bit after having started well you know we we are at times recently and certainly quite a lot last year when
When the going got tough we we were on our heels weren’t we um how how does that change for Saturday where you know fratton Park despite the historical results we’ve had there is actually quite an interesting place to go and go go and play football they’re right on
Top of you we’ve got a pat out a weigh end as we always do down there which will help but you know that that is a bit of a pressure cooker especially when they’re playing well because as as we said we’ve gone there when they’ve been a decent team but we’ve actually coached
Some poor performances out of them before which makes it easier for us but we go there Saturday they’ll be bang up for it so I imagine it will be quite a difficult environment to be playing in so basically who’s going to take the RS and make sure that we don’t
Melt well it’s difficult to say in it really but um you’re looking at your leaders which we touched on earlier I don’t think there are enough of them but you know dobo is someone that will fire you up I think Alfie May I’ve touched on the show before that he gets people
Riled up doesn’t he like when he scores a go he he celebrates he’s straight over to the fans he’s he’s you know giving it to our fans trying to sort of gmk people like that like the big characters that’s what you’re relying on because you know when you see that on the pitch
You see that translating the fans back it when the fans see a bit of passion on the pitch that rils us and raises the volume in the stand so that’s going to be key for us it’s if there’s enough of those characters in our in our 11 you
Know you’re looking at Players like you know with big experience used to playing in front of big crowds like hexer and people like that to step up a little bit and I don’t think he stepped up enough this season so it’s going to be time for
Someone like him to step up and and and show show you know his leadership qualities I’ve already said about Doo and Alfie May Corey you know being that player that gets fans off their seats makes Portsmouth fans uncomfortable because he’s always seems to be like an absolute World beater when he plays
Against them you know they’re they’re going to play to their strengths which is being at fratton Park and being on top of we got a play to our strengths is that they find us threatening especially the likess of players like Cory blacket Taylor so it’s going to be about you
Know finding our strength sticking to him uh and also you know standing up and being CED on the pitch and and using that leadership quality because otherwise as you say it’s a very difficult place to go we’ve been there before when they’ve been a fairly decent
Side and we’ve come out of it Victorious this season they’re probably a little bit of a different animal because they’re top uh and the confidence there seems to be much higher I worry a little bit about our defense dealing with with a prolific Striker like kobby Bishop but
As I say they’ve got they’ve got to up their game a little bit the liks of Hector and and Jones have got to be difficult you know make it make the game difficult Mark that guy out of the game like I imagine Portsmouth are going to
Try and do to Alfie May having me flashbacks of when we played IP switch away last season and and we’re up against a striker like Conor chaplain like a a proper talented League one Striker and how how poorly we dealt with him and hopefully won’t be the same with
Bishop over the weekend Dean makes a very fair point what what a tedit you know I can’t I can’t see tedic as a game changer or a fret you know I remember his first he says what what are his strengths um what I I remember when he
He had his first couple of cameos he won a penalty at stevenage uh scored a goal against Wickham you know all these sort of early on in his time and I remember thinking like I I remember saying on the show like he’s made a difference but
None of us could put our finger on exactly what he did like he just came and was there and got fouled like as it’s worn on we haven’t quite seen what what we’re going to get from him yet which has been frustrating uh another good shout Paul says uh Louis Watson has
To start on Saturday Louis Watson over Fraser for me feels like an absolute must given the way we’ve played when he has played over the last few weeks yeah 100% for me yeah I I really like him I think going back to and I know you’ve said we’ll maybe do a show
On it at some point but going back to those people we’ve brought in he has he has stood out I remember when he first came on I think it was his first game he didn’t blow me away but then he’s come in ever since and been so solid and yeah
I think we’ve said for the last couple of weeks Fraser’s got a good pass in him some good movement obviously got his goal against an eighth tier side at the weekend but I think sometimes we carry him a little bit and we’re going to need that that
Energy in the middle against a good pompy side so uh yeah I think um particularly if they’re playing the the the two deep midfielders their way as well then I think we’re going to need that so yeah him going back to that tedit point you know it’s not like I’m
Saying that I’ve seen something other others haven’t either I think he does bring some some some pace and some power potentially although I’ve seen somebody say he got kind of marked out the game a little bit again on Sunday but again no one blew him away no one kind of blew us
Away but I think that’s why I want him to have an opportunity there I think miles is is looking okay he’s looking good he’s getting some goals tedic might be awful if he tried up there in a decent side I don’t know but that that’s the point I don’t know and whilst we
Haven’t got Chucks I feel like we need to know if there’s somebody else capable of playing that role because if not we’re kind of just lumping it all on on Miles maybe sat Saturday isn’t the game to try that I don’t know maybe Sunday wasn’t he he didn’t audition very well
So uh yeah it’s a good well made but in terms of the Louis Watson piece I think yeah absolutely he starts alongside Doo excellent stuff right we’ve run out of time on this week’s big match preview just a couple of uh notices don’t forget to check out our merchandise store
Charli. xc. uh coming up to Christmas now so get the uh person you love the most a CH live mug just to show exactly how much you love them so that’s CH live. c.com don’t forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel um or to our podcast
Page wherever you find us on all all the apps Apple podscast Spotify all of that stuff we’re all over that make sure you subscribe to us all over that massive thanks to Our Guest Andy earlier on in the show told us all about Portsmouth which we’re looking forward to playing
Uh on Saturday massive thank you to Lewis and Thomas per always a pleasure to speak to the pair of you cheers excellent stuff right I’m Lou Mendes this has been Chon live sponsored by the British Institute of kitchen bedroom and a bathroom installation don’t forget
We’ll be back on Sunday to look back at the game against portsman let’s hope that we get our traditional three points down at fratton Park because we could certainly all do with a lift we shall see you Later
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