Less talk more action...

Pompey players and coaching staff have been 'giving it all that' since we got spanked by Citeh last weekend, and to an extent given a spanking - albeit it to a much lesser and of a different kind - by Chelski in the week.

Well, it is time for less talking and more action!

First and foremost, we do need to put things into perspective and perhaps realise that perhaps what some are expecting from Pompey just is not a realistic expectation and perhaps too much is expected, but expecting the players to go out and play with pride and passion for the club, the shirt and us - the paying fans - is not too much to ask is it, or at least should not be...

The Citeh game was horrible, very, very few come out of the game with any credit and most worryingly of all the towel seemed to be thrown in way too soon, with a lack of interest seemingly shown - maybe this was tiredness, a realisation that some players are not capable of playing a couple of games a week let alone 2 or 3, the wake-up call to the boss that he needs to juggle things around more or whatever, but enough excuses, that game is in the past and the past stays in the past, nothing can be said to change it, only actions in the future can rectify this.

Fast forward to the league cup game, there seems to be conflicting views and opinions on this one - sadly this was a midweek fixture I could not make so had to make do with the radio, and as we know you cannot really get that much of an impression from that can you... Some feel there was effort and commitment but the obvious quality was lacking, others think this effort and commitment and willingness to also play for the shirt was missing as well as the quality! I cannot really add much comment here as I did not see, but what I do know is it sounded painful and did seem as though we had little interest in getting anything from that match, it seemed a typical when we play Chelski style 'a positive will be a bonus', almost as though we had already accepted defeat and were mentally resigned to this?

We have major problems in midfield, missing most that we do I think we can just about cope with but missing a host of players plus the real shining light - even from the Citeh spanking, the jewel in our crown Lassana Diarra is a bitter blow! And it looks like we will be missing him against Spurs as well as he has some knee problem - if we are lucky, although I would rather we were honest and upfront about it, it will just be a case of the knee problem was a cover story to see him sit out the Chelski game, which I do not know about anyone else I would have happy seen happen, although this 'conspiracy theory' is not seeming that likely.

Anyone doubting just how important the fella is to us merely needs to look at this stat that sky sports revealed today, he has won a staggering 91% of the challenges he has made this season - absolutely incredible!

Midfield is our problem area personnel wise - due to the injuries, defence is a worry performance wise, striking options are, and have been for me, arguably our strongest area this season on the whole - despite Peter Crouch coming in for a lot of unfair abuse in recent weeks if you ask me, the fella seems onto a hiding to nothing from some - but without service there is not a lot he, or others can do. When we get this right we have scored.

Spurs on Sunday is going to be a tough game, give me a clean sheet now and I would bite your arm off - even if this meant a 0-0 draw, as we desperately need to build up what has started to look like an increasingly fragile back line! Who plays in midfield is up in the air, but it's looking threadbare. Either way enough talking from the players - and me, lets see them get out and in the faces of the Spurs players, lets see that determination to win and succeed return. Maybe some have been riding that successful crest of a wave from recent times too long, and maybe the past couple of games have given them a wake-up call? All we ask is effort and commitment, well that is all I ask, the rest often falls into place on its own after this.

The players have been 'talking the talk', now lets see them 'walk the walk' this coming weekend...

PLAY UP POMPEY!

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