Official Match Thread Portsmouth v Southend United

[The Big Dady]

The Official Match Thread brought to you by ShrimperZone.com

So here we are the ninth away game of the 2019/20 season and Sol Campbell’s 2nd away game since he was appointed Manager of the Mighty Shrimpers.

Our ninth away match is against Portsmouth



It is now time for ALL of us to get behind Sol and the team whether you are at Fratton Park, listening on the radio, or listening/watching on ifollow.

Sol Campbell’s Southend United League One Away Team against Portsmouth



Fratton Park is ready for action at 19.45pm Tuesday 5th November 2019, it looks like we are going to have a gloomy overcast evening with some possible light rain showers for the game, with a gentle breeze. (Hope Sol and the team brighten it up and we see plenty of fireworks).





The weather forecast for this evening at the Fratton Park



Current League away record after 8 away games

Won 1
Drawn 1
Lost 6
Goals scored 9
Goals conceded 18

League Positions Last Season

4th (2018/19) League One Portsmouth
19th (2018/19) League One Southend United

League Positions Current Season

14th (2019/20) League One Portsmouth
22nd (2019/20) League One Southend United

Recent League Positions Change



Previous five Meetings

Southend United 3-3 Portsmouth (L1 16/02/19 Att. 7,300)
Southend United 0-2 Portsmouth (EFL Trophy 08/01/19 Att. 1,649)
Portsmouth 2-0 Southend United (L1 08/12/18 Att. 18,062)
Southend United 3-1 Portsmouth (L1 17/02/18 Att. 9,397)
Portsmouth 1-0 Southend United (L1 18/11/17 Att. 18,431)

Head to Head record

Southend United Wins: 11
Draws: 9
Portsmouth Wins: 18


Come On You Yellows!​

 

[The Big Dady]

Managers Pre-match Views​

Portsmouth

Kenny Jackett talks to Portsmouth’s OS before the game against Southend United

Raising The Bar, Jackett wants his side to keep improving

Portsmouth Manager Kenny Jackett
​

Pompey have produced arguably their two best performances of the season in their most recent couple of games.

But Kenny Jackett knows his side cannot hide from the fact that they could only draw with both Bristol Rovers and Oxford.

Late goals were conceded in each of those contests, as their opponents dramatically denied them victory.

And Jackett wants to see more improvements when Southend visit the south coast on Tuesday evening.

The Blues boss said: “It is frustrating because we’ve got ourselves in good positions and haven’t been able to close things off.

“But you have to persevere and keep working your way through it, trying to become the side that’s scoring late, rather than conceding.

“We’ve netted 16 times in 14 games and definitely need to up that, while the goals against column isn’t too bad.

“The standards have gone up a bit at Bristol Rovers and on Saturday, but we have to keep raising the bar.

“We can’t just say that we played well and didn’t get the result – that’s not good enough. You have to get over the line.

“Wherever we’ve reached in the past few weeks, then we have to raise our performance again on Tuesday night and try to go one better.

“We want to do well for the fans, for the club and for each other, so we have to take what we’re doing well and look to build on that.”

The Shrimpers are managed by Pompey’s FA Cup-winning captain Sol Campbell, who is being assisted by former Fratton team-mates Hermann Hreidarsson and Andy Cole.

They have won just one league game all season and find themselves eight points adrift of League One safety.

Jackett said: “Sol’s good enough to take on the challenge and I’m sure he’ll be working hard and looking positively to the future.

“Wherever a side are in the table, we know we’ll have to work hard to overcome them and get the points.

“It doesn’t matter whether they’re in-form like Oxford were on Saturday or currently in the relegation places.

“We’ll respect them, understand their strengths and weaknesses, but try to impose ourselves on the game and raise our own standards.”


Full text can be found here:-
Link

Kenny's Injury Update: Southend (H)
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Brett Pitman could return to the Pompey side for the midweek League One contest with Southend at Fratton Park.

The striker has not been involved since limping off during the goalless draw with Gillingham three weeks ago.

He recently returned to training, however, and is expected to be in contention for Tuesday night’s fixture.

Blues boss Kenny Jackett said: “The only addition to the group is Brett, who I expect to be fit and available for selection.

“Other than that we will be selecting from the same squad of players as for the Oxford game on Saturday.

“Oli Hawkins is pretty close, but hasn’t trained yet. We’re thinking around the time of the Harrogate and Fleetwood matches for him.

“We’ll be happy when they’re both fully fit, although injuries happen in football and we have senior players in their positions.”

Ross McCrorie could be involved against the Shrimpers, but is unavailable for next week’s FA Cup trip to Harrogate.

Jackett explained: “Ross will be meeting up with the Scotland under-21 side. He’d have been okay if the game had stayed on Saturday.

“But Craig MacGillivray and Ronan Curtis are both clear to play, even if they’re called up to their international sides.”

Link to story
Link


Southend United

Sol Campbell Southend United’s new Manager talks to OS before travelling to Portsmouth

Campbell: "The connectivity is starting to come."

Sol Campbell Southend United’s New Manager​

Sol Campbell believes there are signs of improvement from his Southend United side and is hopeful that will turn itself into points.

Blues have lost out in Campbell’s first two games in charge, the latest a 1-0 defeat to Sunderland in which they looked more stable and compact as a unit.

That pleased the new manager at Roots Hall, but ahead of his return to his old club Portsmouth on Tuesday night, Campbell says hard work is the key to getting that first point on the board.

"We’re showing signs that we’re getting fitter and respecting the game, playing in the right areas and we’re starting to work that out,” said Campbell.

"That connectivity is starting to come with the new system, and the lads are starting to see that everyone needs to put in a shift and chip in if we’re to get points and stay up.

"For me it’s all about thickening up certain areas and freeing up certain players. That’s key.

"To utilise their natural ability but at the same time have a little bit of cover here and there.

"We needed to settle the whole team and get a hold of a system that we can play and players can play and learn quickly.

"Any win is good. The main thing for me is performances.

"Sunderland the lads put in a fantastic shift, we had moments and could have got a penalty.

"If you keep on working hard those half chances will start to go our way, but we’ve got to put the effort in first.

"As an individual and as a team we have to earn the right to win games.”

Campbell returns to Fratton Park where he won the FA Cup and made over 100 appearances.

And he knows better than anyone that keeping the fans quiet will be important.

"I’m looking forward to it [returning to his old club].

"I’ve been back a couple of times to watch a couple of games over the last two or three years but I’m looking forward to it.

"It’s always a great atmosphere there so the players have got to be ready. It’s an old-fashioned ground and the fans are on top of you.

"We need to set our stall out, do things easy and stick together as a unit. No gaps, ride it out and be tough and then start playing our football.

"The main thing is keeping the fans quiet. Do things simple, play a simple game, make sure we’re backing each other up and make them work for every single pass. That’s what it’s about at Fratton Park.

"It’s all about clearing our lines, starting again and playing football in the areas and that’s what I’ll be saying to the players.”

Campbell added: "It’s a fantastic club. I won the FA Cup there and we had some really good memories.

"It’s a proper, hardcore fanbase and a great crowd. Sometimes it can be quite feisty but they’re very vocal if they’re winning or losing.

"No one has the divine right to be anywhere. They’re here now [in League One] and that’s how it is.

"The main thing is they’re stable now behind the scenes which the fans really wanted.”

Full text can be found here:-
Link


Sol Campbell talks to the Chris Phillips at the ECHO before travelling to Portsmouth

Sol Campbell wants Southend United to keep it simple at Portsmouth

Great memories - Sol Campbell captained Portsmouth to FA Cup glory
​

Sol Campbell wants Southend United to keep things simple on his return to Portsmouth tonight.

Campbell has suffered back-to-back defeats in tough looking tests against Ipswich Town and Sunderland since taking charge.

But, after being encouraged by the displays, Campbell is keen to make another step forward this evening.

“We have to play a simple game,” said Campbell.

“We have to back each other up and not give them leg ups for no reason.

“We have to make them work for everything because that’s what it’s all about at Fratton Park.

“It’s about clearing our lines and starting to play football again in the right areas.

“That’s what I’ll be saying to the players because if we keep it simple we’ll get through this.”

The Shrimpers have triumphed just once so far this season.

But Campbell is still convinced his side can get out of trouble if they continue to improve.

“The main thing for me is that the performances have got a little bit more robust but that has to continue,” said Campbell.

“We’re showing signs that we’re getting fitter and starting to work out where you can play on the pitch and where you can’t.

“The lads are starting to see everyone needs to put a shift in and chip in to get the points we need to stay up.”

And, with that in mind, Campbell has opted to line-up with a 5-3-2 formation in both matches in charge.

“For me it’s about thickening up certain areas and freeing up certain players as well,” said Campbell.

“That’s key if we’re going to utilise their natural ability and have some cover here and there.

“We had to settle the whole team and get hold of a system we can learn quickly and play which is what we’ve done.”

Portsmouth head into tonight’s game sitting 15th in the League One standings.

But Kenny Jackett’s side, who reached the play-offs last season, have triumphed just once in their last six games.


Full text can be found here:-
Link

Come On You Yellows!​

 

[The Big Dady]

Team News​

Portsmouth vs Southend United​

Team news: Rob Kiernan back for Southend United's trip to Portsmouth but duo still suspended

Available again - Southend United defender Rob Kiernan
​

Rob Kiernan is available for Southend United’s trip to Portsmouth tonight.

The defender missed Saturday’s trip to Sunderland with a migraine.

But Blues boss Sol Campbell expects to have Kiernan available again this evening.

“Rob Kiernan is available,” said Campbell.

“He had a migraine and he missed the weekend but he did a little bit more in training yesterday.”

Shrimpers left-back Nathan Ralph also trained yesterday after suffering no ill-effects from the whack to the head he suffered at Sunderland at the weekend.

However, Blues will again be without top goalscorer Stephen Humphrys (thigh), midfielder Sam Mantom (hamstring), striker Charlie Kelman (ankle), winger Sam Barratt (cruciate ligaments), defender John White (broken arm) and centre-back Harry Kyprianou (Achilles).

Winger Stephen McLaughlin and midfielder Ethan Hamilton are both banned as they serve the third and final game of their suspension following their red cards in the 7-1 defeat to Doncaster Rovers while centre-back Liam Ridgewell is unlikely to return in time for the match from a calf problem.

And Campbell will therefore be picking from a similar squad to Saturday.

“It’s the same as Saturday really,” said Campbell.

“We want another good performance too because the lads put in a fantastic shift at Sunderland and played really well.

“If we keep working hard, those half chances we’re getting will start to go our way.

“But you have to put the effort in first because if you start to slack off your luck runs out.”

Full text can be found here:-
Link

Come On You Yellows! ​

 

[The Big Dady]

The Big Preview

Portsmouth vs Southend United


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Overview

Blues are back on the road again this evening as they travel down to Fratton Park for the rearranged game against Kenny Jackett’s Portsmouth.

Boss Sol Campbell will be hoping for a welcome return to the south coast having made over 100 appearances for Portsmouth during a three-year spell which included winning the 2008 FA Cup.

But Kenny Jackett’s side won’t simply lie down for Campbell’s Blues, with Pompey looking to grab a third successive home win against tonight’s visitors.

Form

Southend are currently without a win in their last seven league games, with their 1-0 victory over MK Dons back in September the last time Blues recorded maximum points.

There have been signs of improvement however since the arrival of Sol Campbell, especially so at the weekend when Southend were unfortunate to lose 1-0 away at Sunderland.

Portsmouth have twice let leads slip late on in draws against Oxford and Bristol Rovers, both of whom scored injury-time equalisers, with their last win coming against Lincoln a fortnight ago.

Last Meeting

Saturday 16th February 2019

Southend United 3-3 Portsmouth

Cox 36’, (p)78’, 87; Morris 8’, Close 20’, Hawkins 31’

Simon Cox’s superb hat-trick helped Southend come from 3-0 down to draw 3-3 against Portsmouth at Roots Hall and earn a point which would prove pivotal come the end of the campaign.

Goals from Byrn Morris, Ben Close and Ollie Hawkins looked to have Blues beat but Cox would grab one before the break before scoring twice more in the second-half to complete the comeback.

Blues Team News

Midfielders Ethan Hamilton and Stephen McLaughlin will serve out the last of their three-game bans tonight following the red cards they picked up against Doncaster Rovers.

Rob Kiernan should be available again having missed out on Saturday’s trip to Sunderland. The defender didn’t make the journey to the North East after suffering from a migraine.

Blues continue to be without a number of other first-team players through injury, with the likes of Stephen Humphrys, Charlie Kelman, John White and Sam Mantom all still unavailable for selection.

Portsmouth Dangerman

John Marquis is arguably the one for Blues fans, and players alike, to keep an eye out for this evening and someone who is all too familiar to Southend United.

Marquis was a much sought-after commodity last season and was subject to a number of ‘significant bids’ from other clubs having been prolific in front of goal for Doncaster Rovers.

The 27-year-old striker scored against Blues both home and away last season and has grabbed three goals so far this campaign, the most recent of which was the winner in a 1-0 win over Lincoln.

Ref Watch

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Lee Swabey will be the man to take charge this evening at Fratton Park, being assisted by Conor Farrell and Ollie Williams whilst Sam Allison sits in as fourth official.

This will be the second time this season Swabey has officiated Blues, having previously been in charge of Southend’s 3-0 defeat to Rochdale back in August.

So far this season, the Devonshire referee has taken charge of 13 matches, showing 38 yellow cards and three reds, and last time out was at Gillingham for their 3-0 defeat to Rotherham.

Away Fans Guide

Fratton Park is one of the Football League’s grand old football grounds having been the home of Portsmouth for well over a century.

Blues fans making the journey this evening will find themselves situated in the Milton End which can hold almost 3,000 fans, with the stadium as a whole having a capacity of just over 21,000.

For more information on the ground, including info on travel directions, where to park and where to go for a pre-match drink, check out awaygames.co.uk’s guide by clicking here.

Tickets

Tickets are not available to buy from Fratton Park tonight, so if you're planning on going to the game and haven't already bought a ticket you must do so before they come off sale at midday.

Any collections will be from the main reception located behind the ticket office on Carrisbrook Road upon arrival.

Watch LIVE on iFollow Blues

Tonight’s Sky Bet League One encounter will be available on iFollow Blues and will be streamed LIVE to international and UK Blues fans!

Match passes for the fixture are just £10 in the UK - £5 overseas – and give you the chance to enjoy the game from the comfort of your own home.

To find out more and to purchase a pass click here.


Full text can be found here:-
Link

Tonight's Programme



Come On You Yellows!​

 

[The Big Dady]

Portsmouth Team

 

[The Big Dady]

Southend: Unchanged.

Portsmouth: Ellis Harrison comes in for Gareth Evans, Alex Bass replaces Craig MacGillivray, who picked up a slight knock in training

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

No Hyam on a very inexperienced bench.

Surely not even he could have injured himself in his 12 minutes of action at the weekend?

 

[Firestorm]

We are gonna get spanked

 

[Somerset Ex-TTB]

Hyam done for the next month. Those few minutes on Saturday must have taken its toll.

Waste of wages.

 

[THE SEVENTIES NORTH BANK]

No Hyam on a very inexperienced bench.

Surely not even he could have injured himself in his 12 minutes of action at the weekend?

He was trying to keep one side of his shorts up to show his sexy thigh, and got injured.

 

[Chrisb]

No Hyam on a very inexperienced bench.

Surely not even he could have injured himself in his 12 minutes of action at the weekend?

If that is the case we really should be looking to terminate his contract - I know it will cost the club money but it's crazy to have a player who is rarely available to play.

 

[RHB]

If that is the case we really should be looking to terminate his contract - I know it will cost the club money but it's crazy to have a player who is rarely available to play.

His contract is up at the end of this season but we have the option of another year. Yeah, that'll be right!!

 

[Colorado Shrimper]

Just got an alert from the BBC that the game's off?

 

[THE SEVENTIES NORTH BANK]

I don't mind that side tonight, but young Bish always worries me.

 

[Lincoln Shrimp]

Me too!
I'm assuming it's something to do with the original fixture being postponed and BBC sport getting horribly confused.... at least I hope it is!

 

[Boreham Blue]

I’ve just come on to check the same but must be Burton mix up

 

[Shrimper44]

Just got an alert from the BBC that the game's off?

Listening to game on BBC Essex and they have not mentioned that game is off

 

[Colorado Shrimper]

Not like the BBC to make a mistake.....

 

[Maldon Shrimper]

Game definitely on as currently watching,think BBC got their knickers in a twist

 

[davewebbsbrain]

Just got an alert from the BBC that the game's off?

Sky Sports still showing as on