Adams sacked - Pompeys gamble with inexperience ends in failure again

The mistake was giving the job of managing Portsmouth Football club to someone who couldnt guarantee to hit the ground running. The appointment seemed unnecessarily hasty and wasn’t the tonic needed after Harry Redknapp had shafted Pompeys season 2008/2009 by walking out on us for a mutton-dressed-as-lamb tart of a club.

With the club rocked to its very foundations, if ever there was a time for turning to a steadying hand of experience rather than a novice, it was then.

If ever there was a time for getting a respected top-flight manager to reassure our team of internationals that there are good reasons for staying at Pompey, it was then.

If ever there was a time to show that Pompey have learned that a quality, proven manager is the foundation on which success can be built, and that it wont repeat the old mistakes in appointing the likes of Perrin, Zejac, Rix, Claridge, Fenwick and Gregory, it was then.

If ever the Pompey public needed a boost after seeing the golden age of Camelot end suddenly with a dark age looming, after seeing all our Christmases come to an abrupt end with the departure of the man that seemed to have given us back our respect, it was then.

If ever there was a time to show that the club were bigger than Harry Redknapp and capable of progressing without him, it was then.

I'm sorry, but the appointment Tony Adams did not tick any of the boxes. Ive got nothing against the bloke and once he was given the job I wanted to see him make a success of it as much as anyone, but it was hard to visualise it ever happening. Waiting for a decent result was like the excruciating wait for Scott McGarvey’s first goal, and in the end he Munsoned it.
Now the pressure is really on Pompey to appoint the right man this time. We do like to make life difficult for ourselves sometimes.

Pompey dismal 10 days - review

The last 10 days for Pompey have been dire.
First Pompey surrendered to Swansea without so much as a whimper, ending our proud grip on the FA Cup. The manner of the defeat was hard to take – Swansea deserved the victory even if it was in large part due to thieving scummer Nathan Dyer. My anger inclined towards Mr Adams, but I remained tightipped as I didn’t want to be guilty of jumping on a kneejerk emotion bandwagon. Difficult as Adams had annoyed me in the week with his comments on the potential signing of Viera: “Milan, Portsmouth, Portsmouth, Milan” he said in a what-would you-do well-its-bleeding-obvious-init sort of way. Thought that was pretty insulting to Pompey, and thought to myself – you’re not Pompey at heart Tony. You just don’t get it, we don’t see ourselves second-class to anyone. Bet he wouldn’t speak like that if it was Arsenal not Portsmouth he was talking about.
Anyway, give him another chance I thought, maybe the Cup capitulation was a blip and the Viera comments were a smokescreen. It might all come together at last against Villa. But no, the run of dismal results continued and was then followed on Saturday by a very predictable defeat to Fulham. I know we have lost 2 of the best midfielders in the world, but nevertheless I had hoped for better from whoever we chose as Redknapps replacement. This is seriously starting to damage the clubs evolution. I really thought that this season we would be doing what Villa are instead doing : threatening the top 4 monopoly. Chrissakes our players are better than them. Instead I am beginning to suspect we have chosen an altogether different path of evolution – one where we have to adjust, rebuild, relearn and re-do everything rather than building upon the fantastic foundations of Pompeys last couple of massive seasons, rendering those years pretty pointless and meaningless.

Spurs 1 Pompey 1 - Postmatch reflection

An entertaining grudge match that Pompey so nearly won. Redknapp has tried to spin it that Tottenham were unlucky not to win, but he is choosing to forget Nugents one on one chance that could so easily have gone in. Bent’s miss wasn’t as bad as it is being portrayed – he had to beat the best keeper in the world so not surprisingly he opted to place it low near the post. That he missed by a foot or two had more to do with the immensity of David James than the abilities of Darren Bent. The moment was more memorable for the face of Redknapp – like a bulldog licking pee off a stinging nettle. He really really wanted to beat us. What drives a man to that level of desire? Fear of taking down another club to the Championship after shafting Pompey again, or does the desire come from putting one over the club he said he was with ‘till-I-die’? The draw leaves Pompey continuing to steady the ship after our wobble and Tottenham joint bottom of the Premiership, good karma on a club that do love to talk the talk. Oh yes they do love to talk the talk, how they were going to steal all Pompey’s best players and build a new Tottenham based on the successful Cup winning Pompey team. Well at great expense they’ve plundered old Bagpuss and the questionable talents Defoe and with a bank balance that must be starting to creak, they are looking like walking the walk all the way to the Championship. You have to laugh.

Was Defoe any good for Pompey? The stats.

So Defoe has done a Redknapp and walked out on Pompey and the media are working themselves into a lather again over what they perceive to be Pompeys misfortune.
The stats say otherwise:
Pompey bought Defoe for £8 million and sold him back for somewhere between £15.75 million and £19 million. Who are the mugs, Pompey or Spurs? Spurs, no contest.
Is he worth the fee or his considerable wages? Pompeys stats supplied by Pompeyrama show that in the 34 matches Defoe appeared in a Pompey shirt:
Won 11 Drew 7 Lost 16.
Compare that to the stats in the preceding 34 matches Pompey played before Defoe arrived, in all competitions:
Won 16 Drew 9 Lost 9.
Obviously there are other factors to take into account, but overall results got worse once Defoe arrived. Sure he scored a great rate of goals, but the stats show that results were better before he arrived when the goals were shared throughout the side.
Far from his departure being seriously bad news for Pompey, Id say its great to get rid of someone who didn’t improve results, did not have his heart in Pompey and was not likely to have been the best influence in the dressingroom or on the pitch for team morale. Im glad to see him go to Spurs, its a match made in comedy heaven. I don’t wish to sound sour, but in reply to those who inexplicably find this to be an excuse to laugh at Pompey, I will laugh much harder when Defoe languishes back in the Spurs reserves, loses his England place and disrupts what little team spirit there is at Tottenham.

What a very good year for Pompey

Ive lost count of the number of times Ive been asked if Im worried about the Pompey fire-sale. When I say its a myth and point out the facts that we’ve only sold one player, for a fantastic profit, and he was always going to leave anyway, it always seems to bring surprise. When I point out the few other potential sales are underperforming players potentially being sold for great profit, it brings even greater surprise/disappointment. Its not as though Jermain Defoe is anything to shed tears about. Maybe if he had achieved half of Alan Bileys impact, or that of Hateley, Whittingham, Walshie,Toddy or the Yak to name but a few. No, Jermain has a long way to go to be remembered with anything like the same affection, and if we can turn a profit, then rather than negative news, surely this is another demonstration of the astute way in which Portsmouth Club has been run in 2008. The year we won back the FA Cup. The year in which in many England matches we had more players representing than any other club. The year we received £14 million for 1 midfielder then £20 million for the other. The year we qualified for Europe for the first time ever. The year we beat Man Utd at Old Trafford to prevent them winning the treble. The year the media tried to put a negative spin on everything we did cos they didn’t like the fact that we looked capable of toppling the big 4 monopoly. Maybe the Pompey rocket of progress may be shifting to a lower gear, but I see no reason why 2009 cant be as beautiful for Pompey fans as that very good year of 2008. What a very good year.
Heres to a Happy New Year for Pompey fans everywhere.

Pompey 0 Newcastle 3 - the inquest.

Pompey have been threatening to capitulate to this sort of defeat for a while. The only surprise was that it was to Newcastle, though in truth it could have been to any Championship-standard side. Maybe earlier in the season it would have been a shock to know that we would to lose 3 0 at home, but not now.
Since Captain Pugface deserted us it seems we’ve been all at sea. Is it because our able seamen are now led by the Cabin boy, or is this doing Tony Adams a major disservice and actually the problem lies with a few rebellious insubordinates?
Or maybe it is just a continuation of how things would have been under the deserter, after the early season 4-0 defeats to Chelsea and the 6 0 Man City drubbing.
Certainly something needs to change. Having installed Adams as the Captain of this ship, there is little choice but to give him a fair crack of the whip. That being the case, it has to be the players that change, a galling prospect given the promise we all felt in these players after last season and the potential they had of further great things, maybe even a champions league place. Now there seems to be little prospect that the side will stay together to fulfil its full potential. But if they dont want to stay and play then flog 'em, I say. Flog 'em.

Ex Pompey great Muntari firing them in for Inter

Its great to see Muntari continue to be a massive success after his move to Inter Milan, scoring another goal last weekend. Absolute top player. Together with Diarra and Kranjcar last season, I honestly felt Pompey had a midfield that matched if not bettered anyone else in the country, a claim which at the time sounded extremely biased, though I think time will prove otherwise (and not forgetting the massive achievement of Pompey's FA Cup win to justify that claim). If we had had Defoe and Crouch upfront all last season to augment that fantastic midfield (and defence), who knows where we might have finished. Certainly finishing 8th was a major underachievement.

Maybe Muntari leaving was the catalyst for Harry to leave; certainly Id have been disappointed to have to sell him, though Ive always wondered whether Muntari leaving was more down to his desire to be in Italy rather than Pompey cashing him in, as we didnt exactly get top dollar for him. Playing for Mourinho and sitting pretty at the top of Serie A, Muntari wont have too many regrets just yet.