From Pompey To Where?

From here to where?

gliiitches@hotmail.co.uk (Gliiitches) — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 16:06:00 +0000

I was going to start this post with an amusing story about Saturday evening; about the Liverpool girls on a hen night in Pompey; about the pint of 7% ale that did funny things to my head. I was going to reflect on the Pompey fans interviewed on Match of the Day 2 last night, who referred to Harry Redknapp as "Jamie's Dad" rather than use his name. Laughing in the face of adversity seemed the right response.

However, as the dust settles on Tony's dismissal, reality really is hitting home about the mess Portsmouth Football Club are in. Even Newcastle fans are mocking us. THAT is how bad things are. So how did we get to this low point, and how do we move forward?

According to the 2001 census, Portsmouth is England's 11th largest urban conurbation, its 22nd largest town or city, and the most densely populated city outside of London. Taking this into account, I think it is fair to say that the area is big enough to sustain a Premiership football club. People often criticise teams like Blackburn or Wigan for taking the places in the top flight of larger towns/cities like Sheffield, Derby or Leeds. However, such criticisms of Portsmouth would be unfair.

The problem is that a Premier League club needs Premier League facilities. It needs an attractive training ground. It needs a stadium with a capacity that can sustain the wages of star players. It needs a youth system that can nurture talent. Without a doubt, in my mind the architects of our current plight are Sasha, Peter Storrie, and Harry Redknapp. Between them they ignored the need for this off-the-field infrastructure, and focussed on short-term success.

I am not suggesting that by building a new ground, all our problems would be solved - we only need to look 20 miles down the road to see this isn't always the case. What I am saying is that the money we have spent on players, more in terms of their wages than their initial fees, would have been better invested in matters off the field. Our tiny ground just can't sustain the money that our players are on.

It's easy to point at Redknapp, blame him for bringing in star names and then moving on when the going got tough. I've been guilty of that myself. But while he may have thrown his toys out of the pram and demanded money for transfers, it was Storrie doing the deals and Sasha signing the cheques. PFC have been living beyond their means for some time; the success we've had was bought on credit. Of course, it's all worked out just as Harry wanted it: he won silverware on someone else’s money, and in the process put himself in the shop window for a move to a bigger club.

Ultimately, Tony Adams has been the fall guy for the mis-management at the club. In his short time at the helm he made some poor selection/formation/substitution choices. But he was on a hiding to nothing from the start, expected to pick up a team of players gutted that the man who had brought them to the club had left. And he had to do this with his best players being sold from underneath him, and little money being made available to bring in replacements. I can't imagine anyone else doing any better in the circumstances.

And let's not forget the part the team on the pitch has played in all of this. We've lost 12 out of 24 games this term, and Adams wasn't in charge for all of them. Towards the end of last season we lost our way in the league, with a succession of defeats. Winning the FA Cup was a massive achievement, but the victory masked a poor run of form which should have served as a warning that things weren't right at Fratton Park. Arguably, we won the FA Cup at Old Trafford and perhaps deserved it on the back of that outstanding performance. But for me the way we limped our way to Wembley took some of the shine off of the achievement: the Swansea game this year mirrored those tepid showings against Plymouth, Ipswich, Preston, West Brom and Cardiff. We rode our luck big time, really, and this year against Swansea we got found out.

In recent games, certain players who have a LOT to say for themselves off the pitch haven't walked-the-walk on it. You can point the finger at the manager for selection, formation and substitutions; but no coach can account for the kind of schoolboy errors that our players have been guilty of all season. If there is one overarching theme, it's lack of concentration - throwing points away in the final minutes of matches. There have been exceptions, of course. David Nugent at last discovering his shooting boots in recent games has almost brought a tear to my eye. And the passion in the Herminator's face as he headed past Reina on Saturday can almost make you believe everything will be OK.

So, that's how we got here: lack of investment off the pitch; over investment on it; and not enough commitment or accountability from the players on the pitch. So... where do we go from here?

The owner's primary concern is to protect his investment. He knows that a Premiership Club is more saleable than a Championship one. He clearly believes that getting rid of Tony, and getting a new manager in, will help us stay up, and help him sell the club. I hope he's right. I hope he sells us to someone that can afford to deliver a new stadium. Without a bigger ground, our revenue stream is forever going to be limited.

If Sasha can't sell us, or he sells to someone who can't deliver a new ground, then we need a clear out of players on massive wages. We need to be a bit more humble, and live within our means. I want to be in the Premiership, I really do, but only if we have a team of players who are up for the fight and want to play for Pompey. I don't want to be typing the same post on this blog in a couple of years time about another false dawn on the South Coast, or about how we have to sell our best players because the wage bill is too high. I want a bit of stability. Most of all, I want to watch a team that wants to play for each other, the manager and the fans.

Who should come in as manager? Some are calling the job a poisoned chalice, but surely whoever takes over is in a win/win situation. They keep us up, they are a hero. We go down, and who can blame them given the circumstances? Avram Grant is the obvious, early frontrunner. I wouldn't be overjoyed at the appointment. Sure, he did well under difficult circumstances at Chelsea, but how much of this was down to Steve Clark? And has he got the relevant experience of winning a relegation battle?

Some favour Curbishley, but would the rebels in the dressing room respect him? In terms of other names that are being linked, all the usual suspects are in the mix. A lot of Pompey fans are calling for Bilic but that's surely a dead end: if he turned down West Ham, he's not going to come to us. One cheeky bookie has given odds of 100/1 for Jamie Redknapp...

It does make me laugh that when a vacancy comes up, every name under the sun gets thrown around about. There is a vast, gaping chasm of difference in terms of quality between the likes Eriksson or Bilic, and the likes of Roeder and Jewell. In no other walk of life would you talk about people of such differing ability/status/experience going for the same job. It's like suggesting Bill Gates will be joining the queue for a cashier’s job at PC World!

Hark at me though, eh? Turning my nose up at the mention of certain names. What's that saying about beggars being fussy?

Same old same old

gliiitches@hotmail.co.uk (Gliiitches) — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 16:33:00 +0000

Prior to Saturday's match against Hull, I didn't hear phrases such as "must win game" or "an easy three points" being used by Pompey fans or commentators. So why are we hearing this kind of talk now?

Given the results and performances the Tigers have pulled off this season I'd have settled for a point prior to the game. I'd have hoped for more, and knew we could beat them, but they are above us in the league for a reason. This was never going to be "an easy three points", especially with Defoe and Diarra sidelined.

It is, however, a very frustrating result. Yet again we have been unable to finish off a team and close a game out. The late Hull equaliser may well have come from a wrongly awarded corner, but lack of concentration and a special talent for squandering chances is - in the words of Sylvain Distin - "ruining our season."

I'm not sure what else I can add to the debate at this point. On the pitch the problem is so obvious, there really isn't much more discussion to be had!

I am not going to jump on the Adams substitute bashing bandwagon. People have questioned why Kanu was introduced for Utaka when we were 2-1 up, with about 15 minutes to go. I can understand the arguement that at that point in the match you could put on a more defensive player to help protect the lead. But at home, with Hull always a threat, I can also see the logic in keeping two up front and going for a third goal.

However, to condemn Adams on the basis of this one decsion - as some have - is ludicrous. In the same game don't forget, five minutes after introducing Traore and Nugent, Johnson smashed his way to the top of goal-of-the-season list. An astute move on Tony's part, then?

With the future of players, the stadium plans and ownership of the club still all in doubt I will be happy just to end this season in the Premier League! We have a fantatsic first eleven at Pompey, but we have no strength in depth. Unless we get a larger ground we will not be able to justify the salaries of additional, top drawer players. The ground really is key to the long term future of this club, and every effort must be made to keep the Horsea plan on track.

The (bad) luck of the Irish

gliiitches@hotmail.co.uk (Gliiitches) — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 18:07:00 +0000

In my last post I made the point that, on the pitch, I didn't feel Pompey had been unlucky of late. The three games since Redkanpp left should have yielded seven points, and the failure to come away with this was down to the players rather than Tony Adams or misfortune.

Having said that, if any club was due some luck then it was us. As I also noted on my previous post, you couldn't fault the player's recent effort. You could criticise their lack of concentration, and you can't legislate for Diop's moments of madness. But the effort has been outstanding. Add in all the off-pitch drama, and no one could say the team, the coaches or the fans have had an easy month.

The decision to award Pompey a penalty on Saturday was the right one, and so you couldn't call it 'lucky'. It was a clear foul, and replays have shown that contact was made in the penalty area. However, late into injury time, away from home, you don't expect those decisions to go for you. And in that respect we can consider ourselves to have enjoyed a bit of the good fortune that we surely deserve. The icing on the cake was that it was Diouf who committed the foul - a player who has a somewhat rocky relationship with Pompey!

It's often said that in football you make your own luck - and you could say this was true of us against Sunderland. The penalty came late on, and was the result of the team putting in the effort right to the death. It was by no means a perfect performance, but a battling display away from home, coming from behind to win the game, certainly gives us hope for the future.

I think we know a bit more about Adams as a manager following the game. On this showing, he seems to have inherited Redknapp's ability to inspire a second half performance when the team fails to show up for the first 45 minutes. I am not going to shower him with praise at this point, in the same way as I'm not going to lambast him when he runs into teething problems. He needs time, and as I've said before on this blog, I don't think he can be truly judged until January at the earliest when we see which players are still behind him and the club.

It is very encouraging to hear the likes of James, Crouch, Kranjcar and Defoe making the right noises about wanting to stay at the club and having respect for Adams. The true test of their words will be in January and next summer. Distin's interview in The News today is likely to reflect the feelings of other players. They were brought to the club on the promise of big plans for the future; they were to be part of a Pompey revolution, and the first players to walk out in the new stadium.

While I would hope the players don't follow Harry (surely they'll remember that he sold them a dream and then...) I'm just not confident that some of them will be satisfied with Pompey in the long term. Although, as I have also noted before, the decision may well be taken out of their's and Tony's hands depending on the financial situation the club is in come the transfer window.

The crunch

gliiitches@hotmail.co.uk (Gliiitches) — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 10:04:00 +0000

Before I talk about Pompey's game today, I must draw your attention to an arguably more important fixture this weekend: namely Havant & Waterlooville's FA Cup game against Brentford. The Hawks will no doubt be hoping to improve on this season's up-and-down league form, and re-create the magical cup run they went on last season.

The fact that ITV are showing the match live is yet another amazing twist in the H&W story, but I urge all local football fans to forget the coverage and to attend the game. ITV's involvement should be seen as a chance for the club to raise it's national profile. It would be a tragedy if the camera's will only be able to show a threadbare attendance.

For regular updates on Havant & Waterlooville, please click here.

I hope to see you at West Leigh Park on Sunday

Onto Pompey's trip to the Stadium of Light, which is looking like a crucial test for both the team and Tony Adams' managerial credentials.

Some people have said that Pompey have suffered bad luck since Tony took over. I disagree. We should have gained seven points from the three games since Redknapp left. Fulham were allowed to equalise late on because players weren't concentrating. At Anfield, one man's moment of madness ruined the dogged display by his teamates. And while the goalposts LITERALLY seemed to be moving against Wigan, it wasn't misfortune that meant we couldn't finish one of the chances we created. Maybe I am being harsh, but hitting the woodwork isn't 'unlucky.' It's a failure to aim 6 inches left/right/down.

The point I'm making is that all of these results were in the hands of the players on the pitch.

A minority of fans have laid the blame at Adams door. Again, I disagree. He had no time to prepare for the Fulham game. He did the right thing against Liverpool (at that point unbeaten and top of the table) in playing a 4-5-1 system, and no manager can lesgislate for an error like Diop's that night. For the Wigan game he picked the right team, played the right formation, and made the right changes... only for errors of judgement, an inability to finish chances, and another failure to concentrate for the full 90 minutes (plus stoppages of course!) to undo us.

As I've noted on a previous post, I am unsure how much influence Adams can really have on the players until after January, when we will see which of them wants to stay at the club. But the performances so far have been encouraging - you certainly can't fault the players for effort at the moment, which buys a lot of goodwill from me (despite what my grumpy attitude might suggest!) The key thing now is to turn that endevour into results, and Sunderland away is a game that we should be looking to win.

My glass is half empty

gliiitches@hotmail.co.uk (Gliiitches) — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 16:13:00 +0000

It has been very tempting this week to post in response to every development at Fratton Park, reacting to every twist and turn in the soap opera that is Portsmouth Football Club. The kind of activity we've seen recently should be a bloggers dream. However, my emotions - I am sure the emotions of every Pompey fan - have been all over the place in the past seven days and my opinions have changed almost hourly. With that in mind, I took the view to wait and to assess the situation after the dust had settled.

Before I go any further, I will make it clear that I am not going to comment further on Redknapp. The only reason I make this point is that some people may think it's strange not to mention him. From all the people I've spoken to, all the comments I've read, all the interviews I've heard it is clear fans are divided on 'Appy 'Arry. Most, myself included, seem torn between wanting to thank him for all he did for us and despairing at the manner in which he left the club.

The concern now has to be what happens to the club and how we move forward. For me, the appointment of Tony Adams was the right decision. We need stability and continuity and Adams gives us that. All I pray is that he is given an abundant supply of the most precious manegerial commodity: time.

I am sure that some players have already made up their mind whether they will be leaving in the next transfer window. If this is the case then their motivation for playing is going to be based around putting themselves in the shop window rather than wanting to win for the fans. I believe some players may want to leave because they think they are bigger than Pompey, and they will be cursing the previous manager for having brought them here only to dessert them. These players may be so demotivated that they decide just to collect their money until the New Year, because they feel someone will buy them whatever form they are in.

Maybe I am doing our squad a great disservice, but at times like these I can't help but be cynical. I guess the point I am trying to make is that the form of the players is a complicated issue right now. I am not sure that we can judge Tony until after January at the earliest because I don't know how much influence he can realistically have on how the players are feeling. Indeed, I think whichever manager came in would have this problem - plus the added hurdle to overcome of not knowing the team

This is why Adams is the right choice in the short term, and I am confident he will be in the longer term. He has a wealth of footballing experience, great respect throughout the game and is a leader of men. I just hope that results in the next few months don't affect his future as manager. This may sound really pessamistic, but I think Adams only target this season should be to keep us in the Premier League. We can then judge him properly next season, when the players that don't want to be here have gone and he has a team that wants to play for him in place.

I know that I am being negative here, but I can't see any light at the end of the tunnel. Maybe I am being harsh in judging our players in the way that I am. But did you see Crouch interviewed on Match of the Day last Sunday? He looked and sounded ready to pack his bags when asked about the HR situation. And while Distin's honesty and openess is refreshing, it is hardly encouraging that he's been quite explicit about how he really only came to the club because of the manager. I don't think our players are bad people, let me make that clear. But until I hear some encouraging words from them I'm going to assume the worst.

I might be being completely unfair to the team, because maybe they wont have a say in whether they're sold. The financial state of the club is still far from clear, and Sasha's long term commitment is in doubt. Even if the club did issue statements about not having to sell players I doubt I would believe it until the transfer window had passed.

If the club does cash in come January then I hope the money raised is earmarked for the new ground rather than splashing out on star names. We need to be thinking long term here, and until we get a new ground with more bodies through the turnstiles each week we will not progress. If the wretched Council block the Horsea proposal then the club needs to face up to the reality of redeveloping Fratton Park. And part of me thinks that wouldn't be such a bad idea. My understanding is that redeveloping Fratton Park would limit us to 30,000 seats - would that really be too little? Are we really going to fill a bigger stadium than this, bearing in mind that we don't sell out every game as it is.

Like I say, I believe Adams is the right person for the job but please give him time. With everyone scoring points this season there are plenty of clubs that could be in the relegation mix. It breaks my heart to admit it, but I forsee turmoil in January and Tony will be doing well just to keep us living the Premier League dream.

The darkness before the dawn?

gliiitches@hotmail.co.uk (Gliiitches) — Sun, 26 Oct 2008 16:00:00 +0000

With roads closed off for the Great South Run, and the visit of Fulham this afternoon, the streets of Pompey were always going to be thronging today. And yet, even more bodies than expected will be milling around Fratton Park after the unbelievable events of the past 24 hours.

I started getting text messages around 2am. It's an obvious point to make, but it seems rather symbolic that news of Redknapp's departure was breaking as the clocks were going back. Because this is undoubtably the end of an era, and the overwhelming feeling is that the upward trajectory we've all enjoyed over the past few years is about to take a nosedive...

I fully apologise if this pessamistic outlook upsets people. Like everyone else I am reacting while the shock sets in and perhaps I will feel differently in the morning. I am going to state/address some of the key points as I see them, and if anyone wants to try and make me feel any better about any of this then please chip in with some comments!

1. It isn't the most important consideration right now, but for me it's the most immediate one: 'Appy 'Arry walks out on us again. It is hard to seperate the fact from fiction amongst the club statement, the forum posts, and the media speculation. But given Redknapp's declarations of loyalty since returning from the-team-that-shall-not-be-named I think Pompey fans are justified in feeling betrayed. Yes, he engineered the 'great escape'. Yes, he delivered the FA Cup. But in any walk of life you can blacken your reputation and undo your good work.

2. Redknapp's Five Live interview on why he left may have been intended to placate fans. I think it will have wound them up. "It's a big opportunity to manage a big club before I retire" - this implies Pompey is small time. I know that PFC isn't as high profile as Spurs, and that Spurs arguably have more of a history in the eyes of the wider footballing world. But this statement hardly spares the feelings of Pompey fans. Redknapp went on to say that "Pompey couldn't sell a player in the transfer window so we sell the manager" and suggesting that getting £5million in compensation was a good deal for PFC. This is a revealing statement, but it publically belittles the club. The most worrying part of the interview was his comment that he wouldn't rule out signing Pompey players in January. As much as Defoe has been awesome for us I think he has always wanted to return to White Hart Lane, and I would expect him to be the first out of the door. I'd also be worried about Johnson, Diarra, the Krank and Crouch.

3. We have been linked with Sam Allardyce. Need I say more? I know some people would be happy to see the big man at Fratton Park but I've never been a fan of his style. Pompey haven't always been awesome to watch of late, but we've had the potential to play creative football. I fear Allardyce would strangle the life out of our team and reduce us to the long ball game. On the other hand, I can't think of one realistic name that I would get seriously excited about right now.

4. The media coverage has just rubbed salt into the wounds. I have read, listened to and watched hours of news on the story and the focus has all been on what this means for Spurs. I guess this proves the point I made above about them being a bigger club in the eyes of the general football world. It would just be nice for people to spare a thought for us. From the coverage so far you can almost hear the journalists breathing a sigh of relief: "phew, at least Spurs might be safe now." Where as I think most real fans were wishing for them to be relegated this seasons as a lesson to other clubs on how NOT to run your affairs...

...but then maybe we are in no position to judge? Undoubtably the most important matter in all of this is where PFC is right now, and where we will go from here. I don't want to comment too much because I think the facts in this area are far from clear. But some big questions need to be answered by the club around the training facilities, the ground and the financial situation in general. No doubt Redknapp was aware of the problems behind the scenes, and this must have filtered through to the players - it would explain our lack of consistancy this season.

As I said earlier, please chip in if you can make me feel better...

Playing catch-up

gliiitches@hotmail.co.uk (Gliiitches) — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 20:32:00 +0000

Being laid up in bed with flu, it seems like the perfect time to catch up with goings on at Fratton Park.

My gut feeling about the Spurs game was correct - our team bounced back and proved a point, while the opposition players failed (again!) to stand up and be counted. The only negative for us was Diarra's sending off, which for me was inevitable because he looked like a man on a red card mission all afternoon. I've no idea what may have prompted this, but I think any genius is allowed the occasional off day.

The second leg UEFA Cup match against Vitoria Guimares did not go as I expected. I knew we would be in for a hard night, and predicted that at some point we would need to score to secure the victory. But I did not imagine that we just wouldn't turn up for the first 45 minutes, and that the scores would be level at half-time.

There was nothing positive about our first half display: no shape, no effort, and no one keeping the ball. But yet again Harry worked his half-time magic, and Pompey dominated the second period. It surprised me how much Guimares fell away after the break. At home, and with key players back in their side after the first leg, I knew they would come at Pompey. I didn't realise the attack wouldn't be sustained, and Pompey getting that crucial away goal looked inevitable.

'Looked' is the key word in that last sentence because, while it 'looked' inevitable, the goal proved elusive. As the game entered extra time I felt only one team could win ouitright, but my concern was that Guimares would hold on for penalties. Fortunately two goals from Crouch proved decisive, and ensured the aggregate scoreline accurately reflected the entire contest.

However, the game against Stoke was for me the highlight of the past few weeks. Obviously, getting three points is always a pleasure, but it was impossible to ignore the players workrate. After such a busy recent period I would have, for once, forgiven the team for lacking willing. The victory was very workmanlike, and not the best visual spectacle, but there was a commitment and belief on show that you just can't buy.

The international break could break our momentum, but at least Defoe remembered to pack his shooting boots. Let's hope the rest of the team can remain in the right frame of mind for the trip to Villa Park on Saturday.

Whatever doesn't kill you surely Spurs you on to greater things?

gliiitches@hotmail.co.uk (Gliiitches) — Sun, 28 Sep 2008 10:17:00 +0000

You may have noted the quite deliberate lack of a Carling Cup match report. It's the old cliche - my mum taught me if you can't say anything nice etc. Seriously, though, it is hard to write anything positive about PFC over the past week, and I don't want to add to the thousands of words already wasted on celebrating how impressively imperious Chelsea were.

I am heading down to 'Love Albert Road Day' today so will not be able to follow events at Fratton Park. But I feel good about the game. Spurs may have had some midweek success, but I think most Pompey fans - myself included - are breathing a sigh of relief that we don't have to worry about the league cup anymore. And we have plenty of ex-White Hart Lane players in our ranks who will be out to prove a point.

One thing I do want to put on record prior to the game is that I couldn't disagree more with some of the criticism that David James has come in for from our own supporters. Without doubt he has been at fault for a number of recent goals, but over the past few seasons he has kept us in countless matches. Those people calling for him to be dropped have very short memories.

Manchester City 6 - 0 Portsmouth (Sunday 21st September 2008; City of Manchester Stadium; Att.: 40,121)

gliiitches@hotmail.co.uk (Gliiitches) — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 21:42:00 +0000

On Saturday afternoon I went for a little walk under the new terrace covering at West Leigh Park. Unfortunately, I saw Havant & Waterlooville lose 1-4, and witnessed a full on punch-up between the two teams (I'll let you decide whether seeing the latter was "unfortunate" or an added sideshow bonus!). The H&W line-up had left their collective shooting boots at home, but you couldn't fault their effort. The player's workrate was impressive, their tackling committed but fair, and even as the goals piled up against them they still created chances.

Fast forward to 5pm, Sunday afternoon, in Manchester. The inquest begins...

Fans seem to be divided over this result. Some say this is a blip, that we shouldn't get on the team's back, and that moaning marks you out as a 'Johnny Come Lately'. Others are calling for players to be released and for the team to reimburse their travel expenses.

In my view one swallow rarely makes a summer, and neither does one snowflake indicate winter has arrived. So I am not overly concerned by the freak 6-0 scoreline. What concerns me is the manner of the defeat - the fact that some of our players literally gave up and came to a standstill in the last 20-30 minutes. I can handle defeat, but I can't handle it when players don't put in 100%.

The six goals Man City scorded also means that we now have the worst goal difference in the Premier League. Yes, it's early days, but this needs to be nipped in the bud - we don't want to be missing out on Europe through goal difference again.

"I have concerns about whether our squad can cope with the rigours of a European campaign on top of the domestic competitions." These words, from my last blog post, were written shortly before kick off at the City of Manchester Stadium. The loss only reinforces my view. Personally, the Premier League comes first every time, with the UEFA cup second for me this year. The domestic cups aren't as important this season and should be used as a chance to see how good the fringe players really are.

A final point... on the one hand I feel we haven't had it so good, and it seems a bit churlish to complain if something goes wrong. On the other hand, while the current squad is the best we've ever had, it's also the best ever paid. Supporting Pompey isn't getting any cheaper for anyone, so I think it's only fair that we judge the players accordingly. It isn't being disloyal to question someone who isn't giving 100% - I care about my club, not transitory playing staff.

Portsmouth 2 - 0 Vitoria Guimaraes (Thursday 18th September 2008; Fratton Park; Att.: 19,612)

gliiitches@hotmail.co.uk (Gliiitches) — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 14:51:00 +0000

A good friend of mine is a passionate Newcastle United supporter. Like many of the Toon Army he despairs at the current predicament his club are in, but gets equally frustrated at the way the 'Southern' media portray his team. He has a good point. Read between the lines of most daily papers and you'll see the hacks barely containing their spiteful sniggers.

As a Pompey fan, I am starting to get sick of the very same journalists and commentators patronising my club. Friday's Guardian took a swipe at the front page of The News on Thursday. The picture of Harry as an astronaut and the headline "One Small Step" was "overblown giddy anticipation" according to the broadsheet. Well, excuse us for getting excited about our first ever European game. I somehow feel it is slightly more justified than the Ronaldo/Barry melodramas whipped up during the summer by these same publications. But then clubs like Portsmouth aren't supposed to win FA Cups or get into Europe, are they?

I can only apologise to the wider world that our current team is daring to upset the establishment. And on the strength of the performance against Vitoria Guimaraes we are going to keep doing exactly that for some time to come. I didn't dare to think that our team could turn in the kind of performance they did in their debut UEFA Cup appearance. But we were good for the 2-0 victory, and genuinely showed some European class.

I'm by no means getting carried away here - we are only at half-time in the tie, and I have concerns about whether our squad can cope with the rigours of a European campaign on top of the domestic competitions. But forget being realistic for the moment - lets just enjoy the victory!

Aside from the win, there were plenty of other positives to take out of the game. Belhadj and A.Traore look like they could form a frightningly good partnership down the left-hand side. They both have so much pace and are happy running at players. The knock on effect is it challenges Kranjcar, when he is fit, to prove his worth. I am still not sure with Niko whether he is lazy or has been carrying an injury. He has bags of potential but doesn't look interested at times. Alternatively, with options on the left, Harry could choose to play the Krank in the 'free' role he has with Croatia. I don't reckon we get the best out of him out wide.

But I digress... Pompey didn't have a bad player on the pitch, but Diarra again deserves a special mention. We can only hope that progress in the UEFA Cup will convince Diarra to hang around until at least the end of the season. He is our Ronaldo, our Gerrard, our Lampard, our Fabregas... I could go on, but you get the point. He wouldn't be out of place alongside any of those players, but maybe having had his fingers burned at 2 of the 'big 4' clubs Diarra will be happy staying at a club like Pompey. Yet again he controlled the game with his running, movement, passing and vision. It was fitting that he scored Pompey's first ever European goal, the icing on the cake being his run and intelligent one-two with Defoe before burying the ball in he net.

Like I said before, we are only at half-time in the tie, and Guimaraes are likely to be a different proposition at home. But having kept a clean sheet in this first leg we have given ourselves every chance of keeping the European dream alive.

Portsmouth 2 - 1 Middlesborough (Saturday 13th September 2008; Fratton Park; Att.: 19,425)

gliiitches@hotmail.co.uk (Gliiitches) — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 22:45:00 +0000

It's strange to think that until recently the media was declaring the death of 'variety' shows. The success of 'Britain's Got Talent' proves that the UK isn't ready to give up on them just yet. And down at Fratton Park on Saturday there were a few good men keeping the tradition alive.

For the opening 45 minutes we endured the comedy act, but unfortunately Pompey were beaten to the punchline. Boro had started the season well with two wins from three games. Their last away victory was at Fratton Park back in December, and they murdered us that day. So they must have chuckled with confidence as they took the lead on 24 minutes, because neither side had shown enough quality to deserve an advantage.

The second half served up sounds as sweet as from any musician; namely the Fratton Park crowd roaring home two goals from Defoe to see Pompey take the lead and clinch victory.

And in the middle of it all was the magician, Harry Redknapp.

OK - so I'm going to drop this 'variety' theme now. It's a tenuous link at best! But 'magic' is certainly an apt description for what Harry conjoured up at half-time. Everyone was expecting another run out for the 3-5-2 formation that surprised Everton before the international break. Gareth Southgate certainly was, and set his team up in anticipation. Until the break his tactics were sound.

But the old hand was to teach the young gun a valuable, if costly, lesson. And in the process Redknapp has proved the doubters wrong: this Pompey team is flexible. If the system isn't working then Harry is willing to change it, and the players are ready to respond.

With his second half brace Defoe naturally grabbed all the headlines, but a number of other players deserve a mention. Sean Davis was full of running and showed yet again why he still has a part to play in this team. Armand Traore keeps on showing his Emirates inherited class. Debutant Belhadj gave us a glimpse of how exciting he could be in the wing back role. And Peter Crouch is cotinuing to develop an understanding with Defoe, his assist for the equaliser demonstrating the value of having two top quality forwards in the team.

But having said all this, one man stood head and shoulders above every man on the pitch - if not every player in the Premier League: Lassana Diarra. Even with the players they have on their books, Arsenal and Chelsea must be gutted at letting this guy go. How we bagged him for a mere £5 million I will never know, and I don't kid myself that he will be with us for long. But while he is here all Pompey fans should just enjoy watching him play for our team.

On the back of this victory the town is buzzing leading into the club's first ever UEFA cup match tomorrow, against Vitoria Guimaraes. Here's hoping that the winning streak can continue...