Time to bring O'Neil home

It's a bold - and reassuring - statement.

Pompey executive chairman Peter Storrie has told The News Jermain Defoe will be the last big-name Pompey player to leave in the January transfer window.

Glen Johnson, Peter Crouch, Sylvain Distin, David James - going nowhere.

Raising the spirits of wounded Pompey fans, he also said new signings are on their way, two by the end of the next week.

It's nailed on that one of those will be Gary O'Neil, and it's a prospect that has split opinion.

On one hand, supporters believe it's a backward step. The other side reckon a dedicated, hard-working player like O'Neil is worth 10 Defoes.

Let's be frank. O'Neil's not in the same class as Lassana Diarra or Sulley Muntari.

But he would improve the current midfield, adding a touch of creativity to the industry and muscle of Papa Bouba Diop, Sean Davis and Richard Hughes.

The biggest thing you'd get with O'Neil, though, is heart at a time when Pompey risk having it ripped out.

Having come through the ranks he cares for the club, wants to return and wouldn't spend his spare time on the phone to his agent.

O'Neil's as genuine as they come and Pompey runs through his veins.

At a time of unsettling overhaul and a manager finding his way at the top level, the return of O'Neil is a no-brainer.

It's a no-lose situation - and Fratton Park would welcome him back with open arms.

Sol refuses to rise to Spurs abuse

Sol Campbell is one of football’s genuinely interesting people.

He’s interesting because, to many, he’s a mystery.

An imposing, physical presence at centre-back, he is also more sensitive and thoughtful than the average footballer.

The youngest of 12 children, Campbell is an introvert - some have preferred self-absorbed - who has received bad press for his unwillingness to enjoy the celebrity culture.

His half-time walk-out at Arsenal pointed to inner demons or at the very least a crisis of confidence.

He doesn’t fit the stereotype. He doesn’t go out on the town with the latest Big Brother reject and he loves fashion (he helped design Pompey’s FA Cup suit).

That makes him an easy target - especially for Spurs, the club he turned his back on to join their biggest rivals Arsenal in 2001.

It was an incredible Bosman move which saw him become a figure of hate.

He could not have expected anything less, although it was a move he, in principle, had a right to make.

He was, and is, an ambitious individual. Look at the interviews he gave when Pompey were building the current side and he was crystal clear the club’s ambition had to match his own.

Emerging from Fratton Park after the Spurs victory on Sunday he refused to talk to our writers.
Unlike a lot of modern players, in Campbell’s case this was pretty unusual.

He is intensely private, but he’s also a considerate and thoughtful interviewee.

On the pre-FA Cup final press-day frenzy, he was the model pro.

Along with David James, he made his way down the queue of TV, radio and newspaper hacks with a smile, making sure everyone had what they needed ahead of the big match.

Glen Johnson and Sulley Muntari refused everybody. They could learn a lot from the Pompey skipper.

Being the character he is, Spurs’ racist and homophobic taunts will not have simply been shrugged off by Campbell.

Its ferocity will have reminded him of the abuse he got when he left White Hart Lane all those years ago.

The irony is, those dishing out this personal attack support a club with strong Jewish links, the most discriminated of all minorities. Go figure.

But Campbell stood tall amid the filthy verbals and led Pompey to a comfortable victory. He willl have relished that.

I suspect, though, the abuse does not simply bounce off Campbell. He will have thought about it deeply.

It’s not the first time he’s heard it, of course, but it will have hurt. He had made his point in the best way - on the field.

With the win secure, having to talk about why the opposition fans chanted he had HIV probably did not appeal.

I think he can be forgiven for that.