GOALLESS AT HOME AGAIN
Thursday, 27 December, 2007

A point against Arsenal is always a good result.
Pompey’s stalemate with the Gunners prevented Arsene Wenger’s side from reclaiming top-spot from Manchester United.
The Blues never really looked like conceding, even when the visitors started to apply some pressure late in the game.
Pompey even had the best chance to score when Benjani Mwaruwari ran through on goal, only to be forced wide by Manuel Almunia.
What makes the result even more impressive is that the Blues were playing with a patched-up side.
Glen Johnson, Noe Pamarot and Sean Davis are all still on the treatment table while Pedro Mendes is in bed with the flu.
Lauren and Richard Hughes both stepped into the breach and gave sterling performances despite hardly featuring all season.
And Harry Redknapp was delighted with how seamlessly they both slotted back into the side.

HARRY GETS IT WRONG
Monday, 17 December, 2007

It was just one of those days.
Pompey’s 1-0 home defeat to Tottenham was described as the worst performance of the season by Harry Redknapp.
The Blues appeared to have a point in the bag until Dimitar Berbatov’s late strike sealed the win for Spurs.
It ended Pompey’s 11-match unbeaten run and saw them miss out on the chance to enter the Premier League’s top four.
Redknapp revealed how he tried to change things round at half-time – but with little success.
The Blues boss switched from 4-5-1 to 4-4-2 with John Utaka partnering Benjani Mwaruwari up front and Sulley Muntari and Niko Kranjčar out wide.
And when that failed to yield a goal Redknapp brought striker David Nugent off the bench.
He said: “I decided to go 4-4-2 in the second half and we looked a more open team as a result. I thought: ‘Let’s go for it’. I didn’t want to sit back and come away with another 0-0 draw. But it didn’t make any difference – we didn’t look any better. When we switch to 4-4-2 you end up with round pegs in square holes. We had Muntati playing wide on the left when he’s more comfortable in the centre. The system we normally play with three in the centre suits him. Niko had to go wide on the right – although I thought he was the one player who showed a bit of quality. You always have one or two games like that in a season, I don’t care who you are. Unfortunately, that was one of ours.”

MUNTARI TO SCOUSELAND?
Monday, 17 December, 2007

The Liverpool manager, Rafael Benitez, could make a move to sign Portsmouth midfielder Sulley Muntari if the Merseyside club fail to secure Argentine player Javier Mascherano on a long-term deal.
Muntari, who only moved to Portsmouth in May, for a club record £7 million from Italian side Udinese, has been integral in the club's good start to the season which leaves them in seventh place going into the Christmas period.
Muntari, 23, said, "I want to end up at one of the biggest clubs. That is every player's dream. Of course I will try my best here and help Portsmouth win many things, and maybe qualify for Europe, but eventually I would like to play for a bigger club."
The midfielder has scored four goals in 16 appearances for the club, but started his career at Portsmouth with a red card against Manchester United only his second game.
Muntari, who has won 26 caps for Ghana, may not find support from manager Harry Redknapp for a move away from Fratton Park, but with rumours of Momo Sissoko and Peter Crouch heading towards the Anfield exit then a deal could still be done.
With the transfer window coinciding with the African Cup of Nations in the New Year, Muntari may be hoping he catches the eye of a big club sooner rather than later.

VICTIMS OF OWN SUCCESS
Friday, 14 December, 2007

David James reckons that Pompey have become victims of their own success with teams coming to Fratton Park to shut up shop and stop Pompey from playing their type of game.
He said, “Teams respect the fact that we start fast and we start hard and make it difficult for sides. Last season proved that – very good teams were coming to us and getting turned over. So this season it seems teams are setting their stall out not to concede early in the game. That makes it very difficult for us. I’ve kept four clean sheets in the last five home games, but I’ve not had many saves to make. But at the other end, the opposition goalkeeper has had plenty of saves to make. So it’s not that we’re failing to get the shots on goal, it’s just that good goalkeeping and stubborn defending hasn’t allowed us to score.”
Spurs arrive at Pompey without an away win in the top flight this season. But they have managed five draws and turn up buoyed by last weekend’s 2-1 win over Manchester City at White Hart Lane.
James added, “Tottenham’s always a difficult game. I haven’t been on the winning side against them for a while. They didn’t start too well last season but still managed to qualify for Europe. With good players, which they have, and a good manager, then you get a good team. We’ve got to respect them. Robbie Keane being out is a bonus, because he’s a gifted player. But then the likes of Jermain Defoe can be annoyingly good as well. But I’ve got 100% confidence that we’re good enough to beat them.”
Pompey’s outstanding away form – six wins in a row – means they will go fourth if they avoid defeat against Spurs.
James said: “Although it’s been frustrating drawing home games, we’re solid all the way through, home and away. Staying unbeaten keeps up the pressure on the top three or four.”

TRINIDAD & TOBAGO TRIALLIST
Wednessday, 12 December, 2007

Trinidad & Tobago starlet Jerrel Britto has spent the last two-weeks on trial with Pompey.
The 15-year-old was spotted by Pompey scouts during the Caribbean Youth Cup and was invited to England to try his luck.
The San Juan Jabloteh striker was pleased with how things went during his time on the South Coast.
"It was an amazing experience for me as a 15-year old getting that opportunity to train with a club like Portsmouth," Britto told TTFF Media.
"Amazing is the best word I can think of because it was the first time I attended a professional club like that and at first I trained with the Under 16s but then the coaches decided to put me with the Under 18s. At the moment their U18s are described as the best passing team in the youth league in England so it suited my game well. I had the chance to gain the knowledge as well as interact with the other players there. Of course they asked a lot about the football in Trinidad because of us playing in the World Cup last year and they also knew about the Under 17s going to Korea."
Britto revealed that Pompey could offer him a permanent deal in January when he returns for a second stint.
"Overall I had to be patient and do my best. They have asked me to come back for another trial in January, this time without my parents, and if things go well they could keep me with one of their youth teams," he said.

YOUNGSTERS TRIUMPH
Wednessday, 12 December, 2007

Tom Kilbey’s early goal was enough to send Pompey Academy into the fourth round of the FA Youth Cup with a comfortable victory over their Fulham counterparts at Fratton Park.
Pompey will play Plymouth at home in the next round after they beat Coventry 3-0 at Home Park in their third round tie.
The hosts almost took the lead in comical fashion after a blunder at the heart of the Fulham defence but Joe Anderson got back to clear the ball off the line with only two minutes on the clock.
But Pompey were ahead just three minutes later after some fine play wide on the right by Andrea Mbuyi-Mutombo. The midfielder burst clear down the right and sent in a low cross that was converted by the advancing Kilbey.
Moments later, Tommy Smith came off his line well to block Michael Uwezu’s shot as Fulham looked to get back into the game immediately.
An excellent through ball by Jordan Hughes sent Matt Ritchie through on goal midway through the half but Matthew Briggs muscled the Blues midfielder off the ball and was able to clear the danger.
How Fulham did not level the scores on 38 minutes is a mystery. An almighty goalmouth scramble ended with Lewis Smith somehow turning the ball wide of the post with the Cottagers striker stood virtually on the goal-line.
Paris Cowan-Hall could have doubled Pompey’s lead within two minutes of the restart but Wesley Foderingham did well to block the striker’s low shot.
The second half was proving to be short on chances but Ian Woan’s side were not looking in any real danger of losing their lead – and looked the more likely side to score.
Cowan-Hall, in particular, was proving to be difficult to handle and his persistence forced the Fulham back-line to make mistakes.
Ritchie tried his luck with a 30-yard thunderbolt on 86 minutes but it was straight at Foderingham and the Fulham keeper comfortably saved.
The visitors threw everyone forward towards the end as they went in desperate search of the goal that would take the tie into extra-time but Pompey’s defence held firm to seal a deserved victory.

ACADEMY IN FA YOUTH CUP
Tuesday, 11 December, 2007

Pompey's Academy side take on Fulham in the third round of the FA Youth Cup at Fratton Park tonight, kick-off 7:00pm.
They go in to the match not having had a game for over four weeks and it is a concern for Academy Coach Ian Woan that his side have had little match practice. Their last game was the 3 - 2 win at Norwich on 11 November.
Pompey's youngsters have already beaten Fulham in the league.
The match scheduled for 8 December against Crystal palace was called off because of a waterlogged pitch and with last week's reserves game also cancelled means that the youngsters are short of match fitness.
Talking to the club's official website Woan said, “The lads desperately needed to get 90 minutes under their belts, but it wasn’t to be and there is nothing we can do about it. We have done very well so far in our first season as an academy club probably because we’ve kept everything in perspective. We’ve been treating each game as it comes – whether in the league or in the cup. The fact that we beat Fulham in the league earlier this season really means nothing when it comes to the forthcoming FA Youth Cup match. Many of the lads will be playing at Fratton Park for the first time and it will be a test to see how they handle it. Hopefully they will enjoy the occasion - which will be far different from playing a youth match at the training ground. But if the fans get behind the team from the start, then it will help to settle their nerves and give them the confidence to go on and give a good account of themselves - and perhaps get a good result.”
Pompey have only been granted Academy status this year and means that they will hopefully be able to attract some of the top young players.

NO SECRET FORMULA OF SUCCESS
Monday, 10 December, 2007

There is no secret to Pompey’s stunning form this season.
A 3-1 win at Aston Villa, with two memorable strikes from Sulley Muntari adding to Craig Gardner’s early own goal, means the Blues are now unbeaten in 11 Premier League games.
Pompey have also won six consecutive away games on the road and no top-flight side has scored more goals on their travels.
But if you are waiting to hear some amazing explanation for all of that then you are in for a disappointment.
Good players is the reason – it is as simple as that.
And although it was Muntari who will inevitably steal the headlines for his contribution to the latest victory, Harry Redknapp said that praise should be shared out between the whole side.
He said: “It was a terrific all-round performance. Muntari’s a good player and he scored two great goals but Papa Bouba Diop and Pedro Mendes contributed just as much in midfield. The back four were amazing and if there’s a better right-back in the country than Glen Johnson then I’d like to see him. Sol and Sylvain were excellent in the centre of defence and David James was great when he was called upon. We hit them on the break and we could have ripped them to pieces towards the end – we missed some good chances. There’s no magic formula in this game, it’s just about good players. The game’s all about players, it’s not about me. If you’ve got good players then you’ve got a chance. You need to get the best out of your players. It’s not about super coaching, it’s about making them feel important and making them realise just how good they are.”
While the supporters will no doubt be casting an eye towards European qualification, Redknapp says he is not looking that far into the future.
“We’ll just keep going and enjoy the good days when they come along," said the Blues boss. "Because things don’t get much better than this."

RIVALS FORUM BACK UP AND RUNNING
Monday, 10 December, 2007

For those of you that have missed it, or didn't like the new format, Uncle Colin's Pompey-Fans.com has released a new old version of the message board. It can be found here if you fancy signing up again.

MICHELLE WEEKS (1981 - 2007)
Monday, 10 December, 2007

Portsmouth Football Club are mourning the loss of Michelle Weeks, who has tragically passed away at the age of 26.
Michelle was a coach with the Community Department and was extremely popular with the children she worked with. She also worked closely with the Pompey Ladies set-up, and was the manager of their reserve team.
Chief Executive Peter Storrie said: “Alexandre Gaydamak, the board of directors and I were saddened and shocked to hear that one of our community coaches, Michelle Weeks, passed away on December 4. Although many of you may not have known Michelle by name, you will have seen her leading the club mascots out on matchdays. Michelle joined our Community Department in 2004 and was a valuable member of staff, coaching at schools all over Hampshire and also on the disability courses. Our thoughts are with her family and friends at this very sad time. Michelle will be greatly missed by everyone at Portsmouth Football Club.”
Gary Owers and Andy Davies, the heads of the Community Department, said that despite having known Michelle for only around three months, they had found her to be an exceptional member of staff.
They said: “Michelle was a dedicated and popular member of the team and she will be greatly missed. She did everything she could to help the department and did so with a smile, a laugh and a joke. It was a pleasure to work with a coach who had a conscience and it was only a couple of weeks ago that Michelle offered to walk to and from a session with all her equipment rather than let down the children she was coaching. She will be sadly missed by all of us in the Community office as well as all the boys and girls she has coached over the years.”
Her colleague and close friend Craig Pearce, Community Area Manager at Pompey, added:
“Michelle was someone who would always be there for you but never expected anything back in return. She will be deeply missed by everyone that knew her and worked with her. Not only was Michelle great to work with but she was also a close friend. I would like to express my deepest sympathy to the family of Michelle - a work colleague and, more importantly, a great friend.”
Vanessa Raynbird, Portsmouth Ladies manager, echoed these sentiments.
She said: “I’ve known Michelle since she was 14 and playing for Southampton and from there she went to Charlton, with their academy, before moving back to Portsmouth. She has always loved football and it had always been a part of her life. She was an exceptional person and was someone who could always make anyone laugh. I speak for everyone involved with the Ladies team when I say she will be greatly missed. Our thoughts are with her parents, family and friends at this difficult time.”

IPSWICH IN THE FA CUP
Wednesday, 5 December, 2007

Pompey have a trip to Portman Road for their third round FA Cup tie against Ipswich Town. The last time Pompey visited Portman Road was two years ago, also in the third round of the FA Cup. Dario Silva scored the only goal of the game to send Pompey through to a home tie against Liverpool.
Ipswich have an impressive home record so far this season and Redknapp reckons they will be a tough test for Pompey. He said, "It is a tough game because Ipswich are a good tema who are fantstic at home at the moment. They are always hard to beat and I think they are one of the top clubs in that division. I remember the year we came up to the Premier League they were the only team to really beat us well at their place. It was another difficult game there in the FA Cup two years ago, though the side I have has changed beyond recognition since that day. But they always provide stiff opposition for us and I don't expect this game to be any different."

RESERVES GAME CALLED OFF
Wednesday, 5 December, 2007

Pompey's reserves game against Reading reserves scheduled for tonight has been called off. Local referee Rob Styles made an inspection of the West Leigh Park pitch and decided it was unplayable and called the match off at 11:30am this morning.