Pompey made it a hat-trick of goalless draws after another dour stalemate with Burton Albion at Fratton Park tonight.
The first half saw Pompey outfought and, on occasion, outplayed by the Brewers which isn't really saying too much as the visitors were also poor and wasted a couple of good chances.
Gary Rowett's men had at least tested Trevor Carson on a couple of occasions and the defence received a major let off when Billy Kee "Quashie'ed" the ball into the Fratton End having been unmarked in the box. If there was a shot from the home side then nobody remembers it.
The second half started brighter for Pompey and Patrick Agyemang really should have given his side the lead when he took advantage of some slack Burton defending nside the box but hit the post from close range.
Substitute Sonny Bradley then headed Ricky Holmes's cross wide as it looked like the pressure would mount, but that was as good as it got for Richie Barker's men.
Burton had a deflected shot go wide and a disallowed goal for offside but their long ball tactics were just as bad as Pompey's and a 0-0 draw was never in question as fans left Fratton Park feeling disgruntled once again.
It's difficult to take any positives from that dire match. Pompey may have kept a clean sheet but that wasn't too difficult against a poor Brewers side that didn't justify their lofty league position. The referee didn't help the game flow with some truly baffling decisions which riled an already agitated crowd, but Pompey's failure to win the match can't be blamed on him.
Richie Barker's tactics were baffling as he decided to play an unfit Ryan Taylor up front with Patrick Agyemang and it didn't work. Fans were also questioning his decision to replace the energetic Wes Fogden with Jed Wallace when there were many other candidates who could have been withdrawn.
Not that it would have made too much difference as Barker's style of play has become predictable. The defenders will pass the ball sideways between each other a few times before hoofing the ball hopelessly upfield where it is usually lost. The midfield will then try and win it back and if so, they'll either pass the ball out to the wingers who concede throw ins or back to the defence so they can attempt the hopeless long ball tactic again.
And what is the deal with the short corner routine? It never works! The instance where a short corner in the first half led to a Burton player closing down and blocking the second cross to send the ball out of play summed the game up and made a statement about the Pompey manager's so-called tactical masterplan.
How can he claim that Pompey were dominant in the second half!? His team may have had more possession but other than the early chances for Agyemang and Bradley the Burton defence were barely tested and came under no severe pressure for the rest of the half. There is a feeling that he is starting to lose the fans' faith and it's more than just a small section of dissenters now. Does he really believe what he is saying? The fans sure don't.
Barker's brand of football is incredibly boring to watch and crowds will probably dwindle further as the fans refuse to pay £20 a time to watch such coma inducing rubbish. All those people who say "at least we're not losing!" need to check the league table and realise that the teams below us are also not losing and in some cases, actually winning!
The gap between Portsmouth and the bottom two now stands at five points after Northampton's win at Exeter tonight and they have a game in hand. Even Barker must surely realise that scraping goalless draws every week is going to get the club relegated?
It's not good enough and the fans deserve better than to watch this rubbish which is passed off as "entertainment" by some. Pompey need some creativity and imagination from somewhere or else relegation could well be a reality come May.
Pompey Player Ratings
Trevor Carson: 6 - Dealt with everything thrown his way in the first half.
Joe Devera: 6 - Loves a hoof ball but kept things locked down.
Ben Chorley: 6 - Off injured at half-time so hopefully it's not too serious.
Bondz N'Gala: 6 - Typical no nonsense performance.
Nicky Shorey: 6 - Played Pompey out of a couple of midly threatening situations.
Ricky Holmes: 5 - Crossing was generally poor.
Toumani Diagarouga: 6 - Looks like the best player on the pitch but seems to have a fear of shooting.
Romain Padovani: 5 - Selection was hardly justified as he never really influenced the game.
Wes Fogden: 6 - Energetic performance.
Patrick Agyemang: 6 - Saw glimpses of him back to his best, especially when he danced his way past three Burton players.
Ryan Taylor: 4 - Anonymous.
Substitutes
Phil Smith
Sonny Bradley (Chorley 46): 6 - Slotted in fine.
Marcos Painter
Thery Racon
Jed Wallace (Fogden 81): N/A - No time to change anything.
Jake Jervis (Taylor 71): N/A - Never made an impact.
Michael Drennan