STEVE CALLS FOR POMPEY RESERVES V NORWICH

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Pompey Sound Podcasts 33 min 2 speakers 8 chapters transcribed 3 months ago

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What is the main topic discussed in this episode?

Duncan Barkes 0:00

Steve Bone joins. We're excited because this time last week he made a very radical prediction about his starting XI against Norwich, which included Bursic, Dio, Boat, Blair.

What radical prediction did Steve make about the starting XI against Norwich?

Duncan Barkes 0:15

Are you sticking with it, Steve? Hello.

Steve Bone 0:18

Yes, I am. Yes, hello, by the way. Yeah, I still think we should, the thinking was we should rest all our key players who we want to be at their best and at their fittest and at their freshest against Oxford on Easter Monday, because that is where we need to get three points from, and that is where we can get three points from and have to get three points from. No two ways about it. Whereas Norwich away on Good Friday, we will be lucky to get anything even if we play our strongest team. So give a few an extra bit of rest. I know some of them have had quite a nice couple of weeks off anyway. Well, not weeks off, but they've had no game for... It will be 13 days by the time we come around to play Norwich.

Steve Bone 1:05

I just think that's the way to go. Play the fringe players. They've all got something to prove, so they might have an extra five yards. Might take Norwich by surprise a little bit. So you're not necessarily saying, this is the team to play Norwich, we're going to lose. You're saying, we don't mind if we lose, therefore this is the team to play Norwich. If we somehow get a three-all draw or something mad, great.

Why does Steve believe resting key players is crucial for the Oxford game?

Steve Bone 1:28

But you've then got all your best players to call upon for the absolutely critical game Monday lunchtime at home to Oxford. That is my thinking.

Duncan Barkes 1:38

Now, John Massino has come out and said that it's far too early to start thinking about the Oxford game, but unlike a professional journalist such as yourself, he sometimes tells lies.

Steve Bone 1:50

He pulls the wool over our eyes, doesn't he? That's the better way to put it. Yeah, I mean, there were times last season where he... Clearly, with his selection in an away game, you could tell he was... he had one eye or even two eyes on the following game at home because he was resting one or two. There were times where Matt Ritchie got a rest or I think even Bishop and Pack and people like that were sometimes not used in an away game because he wanted to play his strongest team at home. He then often did that and But generally that worked. We had some good home results last season after some not so good away results. So it worked. He will have looked at the Oxford game, of course he will. He'll have studied Oxford and worked out their threats and strengths and weaknesses.

Steve Bone 2:45

and I'm sure he will have given thought to who he wants to be playing against Oxford, and therefore who he's going to pick at Norwich. I don't think he will go anything like as weak as I think he should, but there might be one or two left out. Certainly, if there's anyone who's... Got a little doubt over them with injuries. I don't think any of them will play at Norwich. We've got one or two coming back to fitness, haven't we? Sounds like Ibu Adams is not going to be around for the next three or four games, which is a big blow. So he's not got too much wriggle room. Not got too many different people he can rest. but I still think he might rest one or two.

Duncan Barkes 3:32

Yeah, one eminent local journalist, I think it might be Jordan Cross, it might be Neil Allen, I think it's Jordan, whose work we admire enormously, has come out and picked a team with Terry Devlin playing alongside Marlon Pack in midfield.

Steve Bone 3:49

That's interesting. Yeah, I think we've said on here once or twice, haven't we? We'd like to see how that works. I mean, if you haven't got Adams, you still haven't got Dozell quite yet. Swift alongside Pack hasn't worked, generally. Leroux, I don't think Messina rates highly enough to give him a start in an important game, so Devlin could be the one. He's played everywhere else pretty much, hasn't he? I don't think he's played on the left wing yet. But he's played at right-back, he's played in the number 10, he's played further forward. Yeah, I think he'd be quite good in midfield because he's a tenacious sort of player. He's a little terrier, isn't he? He'd be darting around, wouldn't let the opposition have any time on the ball in that midfield area.