Orient - Bringers of Misery

Jobi McAnuff celebrates his stunning winner.

Over half-time during Saturday's 1-0 loss to Leyton Orient, I jumped down a few rows to have a quick chat with my Dad, who had mistakenly bought seats next to where my season tickets were last year. We both lamented how miserable the first 45 minutes had been, before he unearthed a deeply hidden memory of mine.

"Do you remember when we played Orient in the Cup, about fifteen years ago?"

Perhaps since the passing of those years, I don't remember it with any clarity. My feeling when I reflect back on that experience is more a symphony of dismal pessimism washing over the stands. A sense of frustration and anger that a team with decent players, including Robert Prosinecki in his twilight encore year, could be exposed with such simplicity by Leyton Orient.

Perhaps thankfully, few images of the game exist.

As a nine year-old boy at the time, you could say that such an experience is something of a Pompey rite of passage. To experience something utterly turgid is all part of the fun, and undeniably makes the peaks of football fandom feel an awful lot loftier. At that age, however, it's a moment akin to the unmasking of Father Christmas - the ultimate realisation that your football team can and will perform embarrassingly.

In case this hasn't jogged your memory - Leyton Orient, of the fourth-tier, came to Fratton Park and beat second-tier Portsmouth 4-1.

"I seem to remember we scored an own goal that day," I pondered.

I was wrong - Orient's Dean Smith opened the scoring with an OG.

"Yeah, and Kawaguchi came and apologised to the fans after the game. He did a lap of dishonour..."

There's always been the temptation to scapegoat. After the cup-drubbing, Kawaguchi received much of the flack for his reluctant starring role in the subjugation. However, his story isn't as simple as being the target of ire, suffering the consequential axe and leaving behind a shudder-inducing reputation. Despite his flaws, the fans admired Kawaguchi's upbeat attitude, as he vowed to work hard in training and retain his place in the squad. This made him something of a cult-hero at Fratton Park.

Kawaguchi's attitude transcended his shortcomings as a 'keeper.

Fans are very receptive of the players' work-rate, and there is at least a semblance of self-scrutiny when it comes to the boo-boys. Benjani's efforts in front of goal were admirable, but initially comical. Nevertheless, he received perhaps the most vocal support of all during Pompey's 2006 Great Escape, which eventually paid dividends with his outstanding goalscoring form a couple of years later. More recently, there has been an understanding that Kyle Bennett needs the fans' support to remain confident; an understanding which has helped to improve Bennett's form.

It is telling, therefore, that the fans didn't hold back in displaying their anger at yesterday's performance.

Chaplin looked feisty, but headed over Pompey's best chance.

"We were sat about here, weren't we?" Dad enquired.

"I think so. Yeah, I seem to remember watching the own goal from here. Blimey, I forgot just how dreadful that was."

"Hopefully it'll be a bit less dreadful today."

However, Orient delivered another 90 minutes of abject toil for Pompey. Cut to ribbons at the back, toothless going forward, and lacking any real intensity; 1-0 ended up a flattering result from the home side's perspective. It would be reactionary and unhelpful to suggest the result has any significance in Portsmouth's fight for promotion, but the performance itself suggests some deep issues that will require swift resolution lest the optimism seep away.

Newly-signed Michael Smith had a fruitless day in front of goal.

Much has been made of manager Paul Cook's tetchy post-match interview on Express FM, but the significance of this is relatively small in the grander picture. A smart brain like his can identify the issues within his team, and there's no benefit to his communicating this directly to the media. Sir Alex Ferguson knew this when persistently blaming referees - issues of poor performance, lack of effort and disorganisation are all problems to be dealt with internally.

Fifteen years on, the misery emanating from an Orient defeat almost feels like a twisted parody. Faith should not slip away so easily though, and if there's anything to hold onto, it is that unlike that dreary cup tie under the doomed stewardship of Graham Rix, we haven't been knocked out of the League just yet.

10 Years On - The Redknapp Retrospective

On This Day - Redknapp returned to Portsmouth in 2005

December 7th 2005: Harry Redknapp causes a South Coast earthquake, resigning from his role as Southampton boss to retake the reins at his former club Portsmouth. Although this was one of the most dramatic tales of the season, it would be impossible to envisage the impact it would have on Pompey. The fallout of Redknapp's decision fundamentally changed the course of history for the club. His reputation with the fans remains as characteristically divisive as ever, but a decade after his second appointment, just how does Redknapp's stature deserve to stand on the blue corner of Hampshire?

There number of different reactions within the Portsmouth stands was equivalent to the amount of voices belting out a pre-match 'Play Up Pompey'. Some were enraged. Some recognised the talent he brought with him. Some were suspicious of his motives. But even the most irate supporter recognised that Portsmouth stood a much better chance of avoiding relegation with Redknapp at the helm, following turgid performances from a calamitous mish-mash of a squad put together by Frenchman Alain Perrin. 

Redknapp patched things up with chairman Milan Mandaric

And so it was that Portsmouth achieved the impossible by battling to safety, although there are a few foreboding footnotes to add to this early Redknapp accomplishment. Russian businessman Sacha Gaydamak became co-owner and injected a hefty amount of money into the club in January, allowing Redknapp to spend £11.6m to bolster Portsmouth's paltry squad (not an enormous amount of money in the modern context, but for a relegation-bound side ten years ago, this was significant).

The gamble paid off, and this inspired Gaydamak, who soon assumed full control of the club from Milan Mandaric, and Redknapp to set their sights higher and spend more money on improving the team. Though transfer fees were kept relatively humble in the build-up to the 2006-2007 season (£3.5m for Niko Kranjcar was Portsmouth's top spend), it is understood that ample wages paid to the likes of Kanu and Sol Campbell began to change the dynamic of how the club was operating financially.

Nevertheless, the football undoubtedly became some of the best in Portsmouth's modern history. Fans were left purring by the tremendously solid back five, including the acrobatic athleticism of goalkeeper David  James, and were being treated to Kanu's sedately silky skills up front. Victories over Liverpool and Manchester United permeated a joyful campaign which was a cat's whisker away from bringing European football to Fratton Park for the first time in the club's history. 

Campbell and James brought international quality to Pompey.

At this point, things were probably running in a reasonable fashion. Money was being invested, but not to an overtly irresponsible degree. Transfer fees were low, wages were rising, but the players being signed were of fantastic reputation and quality, ensuring that the financial input was matched proportionately to on-field success. Redknapp's contribution was to ensure that a side of good players was producing the best football possible, and there was no doubt that he was achieving this.

However, after the 2006-2007 season, starry-eyed ambition took hold and things began to get out of hand. It may have been more prudent to give the squad another season of careful investment to see how things played out, but instead Gaydamak looked to capitalise on the club's upswing by investing heavily in both fees and wages. £24m was spent on new signings, including £6m for David Nugent and £7m for John Utaka, none of which was recuperated by any sales. 

Gaydamak (left) was rumoured to be plundering his father's fortune.

Considering Portsmouth's stature, this was never going to be a sustainable strategy. Fratton Park's 20,000 capacity would never offset the money spent, and although Redknapp was undoubtedly a talented manager, it is unclear quite how much success this team would have required to make this move financially sustainable.

It's depressing to talk about a manager's contribution with such a heavy emphasis on the financial impact of every season, but because we know how the story ends, it's impossible to ignore. Without the ultimate collapse of Portsmouth, these transfers could simply be seen as the clever squad strengthening that allowed for the club's first FA Cup in nearly 70 years. Instead, it is evidence of the foundations being laid for the complete dismantling of Pompey.

The fateful crescendo of Portsmouth's Premier League era.

The 2008 FA Cup win, propelled into reality by the quality of Redknapp's acquisitions, was perhaps the straw that broke the financial camel's back. Many of the subsequent reports of Portsmouth's demise cites the enormous bonuses paid to the players on the back of this trophy as one of the major factors. At the time, there were no murmurings of disaster afoot, and fans were in dreamland. By this point, most had forgiven Redknapp for his brief transgression across the county.

It's hard to know exactly when Redknapp became aware of the Portsmouth's crumbling reserves. It could be suggested that he knew things would be scaled back when he sold fan-favourite Benjani to fund Jermain Defoe's move to Portsmouth, but this belies the £9m he spent on Peter Crouch six months later. It certainly seems likely that Redknapp knew it was a good idea to jump ship to Tottenham early in the 2008-2009 season, as he had previously resisted the allure of Newcastle when they approached.

Redknapp joined Tottenham less than that 3 years after his 'second coming'.

His second departure disappointed fans again, and thrust the majority opinion of him back towards ambivalence. Just a few days after leaving Portsmouth, he accepted the freedom of the city for the team's FA Cup heroics. Some at the ceremony booed, but it seemed that most fans had begun to look at his tenure objectively, detaching themselves from any real emotive opinion of the man himself.

This arguably changed over the coming months when the true jeopardy of the financial plight began to grip the club. Gaydamak's outlandish, horrendous judgement of his own cash situation sparked the fateful succession of dodgy, dishonest and sometimes non-existent owners. There was a lot more antipathy towards Redknapp when Portsmouth met Tottenham in their unlikely FA Cup Semi-Final encounter at the end of the 2009-2010, with some feeling that his inept handling of the club's finances led to the crisis.

How much blame should be rightfully apportioned to Redknapp?

While it is a tempting prospect to pin the blame on Redknapp for the club's catastrophic money troubles, the evidence for this doesn't stack up. Gaydamak made it very clear that he was happy to run the club at a loss, doing so from the get-go and making suggestions that he was able to fund this out of his pocket. It wasn't unusual either - most clubs were operating at a loss during this period, well before financial fair-play rules were even considered.

Fans, and perhaps Harry Redknapp, were under the belief that Portsmouth had a small-scale Abramovich pumping undiminishable funds into the team. Further to this, chief executive Peter Storrie was handling a lot of negotiations. Some argue that Redknapp was probably demanding that these players were signed at any cost, but it seems unlikely that men like Storrie and Gaydamak would have run themselves into financial ruin on the say-so of the manager. 

Gaydamak's liberal spending racked up a reported £60m of debt.

Portsmouth shocked Tottenham in the FA Cup Semi-Final by winning 2-0, offering closure on the Redknapp story which ultimately defined the club's Premier League stay. The effects of Redknapp's spending are still being felt, as the club looks to recover from the string of unavoidable relegations that occurred almost incidentally as the fans looked to salvage the tattered remains of the finances.

It's difficult to really summarise the feeling towards Redknapp from my own perspective. Some of the most memorable, wonderful moments as a Portsmouth fan were entirely down to his managerial prowess: Winning the FA Cup, Pedro Mendes scoring against Man City, watching Pompey in Europe. But he inarguably had a hand in the darkest period of the club's history, a time which nearly destroyed my interest in the sport for good. 

Supporting Pompey became about despising irresponsible men, as opposed to football.

So, perhaps just as we all felt immediately after his move to Tottenham, I don't think I can feel anything emotively towards him and what he did. I can only really see his work objectively, and my conclusion is that if it was inevitable that Gaydamak would plunge the club into the financial abyss, perhaps it was lucky that we had someone who could get a trophy out of it. I want to feel more grateful for that, but I think the seasons that followed truly have dampened my take on our Premier League period.

Things will be more special when we succeed as a result of the fans' stewardship of the club, that's for sure.

Pompey must avoid premature panic

McNulty foiled on another difficult Fratton afternoon.

It was another lacklustre 0-0 draw for Portsmouth on Sunday, in which visitors Wimbledon were a little more than comfortable holding on for a point. 'Bereft of ideas', 'lacking in ambition' and 'toothless up front' were just some of the thoughts rattling around Fratton Park at the final whistle. It would seem that a run of four games without a win, along with a perhaps more disconcerting streak of only one victory in nine home fixtures, is threatening to take the wheels off what seemed like an unstoppable cruise to promotion. 

Paul Cook's tetchy post-match interview following the side's 2-1 victory over Macclesfield in the FA Cup suggested at his own dissatisfaction with the team's recent run of form, as a gritty victory did nothing to prevent Cook from openly criticising the way Portsmouth played. Though Cook was much more upbeat following the Wimbledon result, suggesting that Pompey had some good patches in the game and are still growing as a unit, it is hard to imagine that the former Chesterfield boss isn't at least concerned by the team's torrid home form.

Paul Cook has struggled to find a winning home formula.

Despite the tribulations at home, Pompey's away form has been outstanding so far. With five wins out of eight away ties, and only one defeat, Pompey have worked their way up to fourth in the table. Nevertheless, there are understandable worries that such excellent away pedigree may not last all season, with the recent defeat to Notts County potentially signifying a change in travelling fortunes.

Beyond the results, there is also a feeling that some of the players who seemed to have brought a refreshing sense of aptitude, glitz and efficiency early on in the season have started to wear a little thin as Pompey have had to dig deeper. Kyle Bennett has been unfairly singled out as a player who, having shown limitless promise on his debut, has tumbled below the lofty expectations of the Fratton crowd. He is one example of a few creative players who have come in for flack in recent weeks, with Portsmouth's inability to conjure up chances considered the main issue to have blighted recent games.

Bennett responded to his critics, saying it wouldn't affect him.

Bennett was dropped to the bench for Sunday's game against Wimbledon as Cook opted for a tactical shake-up, employing the terrace-touted 4-4-2. The uninspiring display gave instant indications that this wouldn't suit Pompey, as players seemed unable to find space or move the ball around comfortably, seeming stuck to their positions. The wing-backs, including architect left-back Enda Stevens, were neglecting to move forward, and the central midfield duo of Doyle and Hollands looked afraid to pass the ball into space.

The late introduction of Bennett brought a miniature revitalisation to the game, with the substitute creating one of the best opportunities of the game with a pass through for McNulty. However, the full-time whistle was met with resounding boos from the Portsmouth fans who, 17 games into the season, are beginning to fear the promotion push may fall apart before Christmas.

Time to worry?

Expectations are especially high this season.

 

Is there a cause for panic? I think the boos, concerns and general negative feeling may be a little premature, and it worries me more that this could snowball into having an effect on the team. It's been very frustrating to watch Portsmouth struggle at home, but it's key to hold on to perspective in these situations. The squad is three months into the season having been rebuilt by Paul Cook - a task that, as we know from many experiences in the past five years, requires a lot of learning, hard work and, ultimately, tough results. While we all got carried away by our early season form, it's important we set those delusions aside for the reality that getting promoted won't be a cakewalk.

Yet after 17 games, we find ourselves in fourth place and just two points from automatic promotion. Let's compare that with Andy Awford's Portsmouth last season, who went through pretty much the same process as Cook's squad. At this point last season, Pompey were 13th place and already nine points shy of the promotion spots, having just come off the back of a 3-0 hammering at Plymouth. The two starts are worlds apart, and this ought to be recognised as a minor miracle in itself.

Portsmouth seem a world away from last season's struggles.

Paul Cook said in his post-match interview that 'medals aren't handed out in October or November', and it's an extremely salient point. To be in the mix is the most crucial thing to maintain, whether that's in first or in fourth. The teams at the head of the table will trade punches all through the winter, but a strong run of form in April and May is what tends to make the biggest difference. If Pompey are still fourth mid-Spring, they will fancy their chances to make a late surge into the top three.

Performances at home have been poor, and that cannot be ignored. It is worrying that our creative players are drawing blanks, moreso that this has been the case for over a month now. However, one of the most frustrating aspects of this is the fact that we know we can do better, and in a strange way we should find that comforting. We have high expectations because there's a part of us that knows we're watching players capable of winning the league, and we're absolutely right. Even falling well short of their potential, we're still only a victory away from being in a promotion place.

Sheringham's Stevenage stole an unlikely draw against Pompey.

However, there is doubtlessly a confidence problem in addition to Cook's persistent search for the winning formula. Perhaps if we'd sneaked a goal against Accrington, or hadn't conceded a late equaliser to Stevenage, we'd see a very different Pompey side at home right now. However, things haven't swung our way, and the players seem to lack a little bit of belief. One thing that certainly won't help is fuelling a sense of negativity around Fratton Park.

I've never been one for booing the home side, but I feel that the fans' animosity towards the team at the final whistle on Sunday was, while an understandable showing of disappointment with the performance, potentially damaging. These are players who need a little encouragement and support right now. Look at Kyle Bennett - a player who has noted publically the criticism he has taken from fans. His name was chanted as he came on, and he responded by playing the most incisive pass of the game almost instantly.

Confidence to pass ambitiously and move around the pitch seems to have dissipated.

We're right to have high expectations this year, but we must also show a great deal of patience. Paul Cook is an excellent manager, and Portsmouth are already incomparable with the side that fell flat last season. Though the players are having a tough time at the moment, there is little chance that a squad with such talent will continue to come up short, and there will be better results down the line. The only thing that has the potential to seriously derail the campaign is if panic starts to settle in, so as fans I feel we have to play our part in keeping things cool. There's a long way to go yet, and we're still very much in the hunt for those oh-so-agonisingly-desired automatic promotion spots. Let's not replace the Pompey Chimes with alarm bells just yet.

You are tearing us apart, debt!

Erik Huseklepp to Birmingham, Liam Lawrence to Cardiff, Stephen Henderson to West Ham, and now Hayden Mullins to Reading. Despite a resilient spirit, our Pompey team is being torn limb from limb, and now we lay desolate in the gutters of the Championship. We now have the choice - we can try to get up and fight our tormentor once more in what will almost certainly be a vain bid for glory. Or, we can cut our losses and plan a life away from this monstrosity.

The befuddling metaphor above (and I'm not trying to be condescending when I refer to it as befuddling; I don't really understand it) regard's what I see as Pompey's choice now. We are faced with a pretty dire situation - Pompey sit eight points adrift of safety and are being broken up into pieces by an administrator who is, surprisingly, doing his job effectively. We must now decide whether we shall continue to battle against relegation, or admit defeat and concentrate all efforts into keeping the club alive.

At the moment it seems we are hedging our bets a little, and that's not the right way to go about it. What started as a squad capable of dealing with the ten points deduction is being whittled down into a demoralised mess. However, loans are still being brought into the side (albeit they are probably wage-free) and some of the club's major earners continue to play for the team. It's difficult to speculate on what measures may have been taken to remove some of these players, but if we were truly concentrating on financial survival, every single one should have been attempted.

It may be that we are doing our best to tick both boxes. Whilst steps are being made towards saving the club, the administrator may not want to take truly radical approaches to the situation in the interests of the footballing aspect of the team. However the time for radical steps is now, and while I can see the argument for both a gun-ho bid for survival financially, and a fully concerted effort to keep the club in the division, I cannot see how it is beneficial to try and do both.

Let us first consider survival in the league. Probably a less desirable option with regards to the short-term future of the club, one could still argue that the money drawn in from being in the second tier of the football league would justify not loaning out key members of the squad. Increased attendances and advertising revenue could all be considered as vital for the future of the club, so relegation could possibly be seen as a bigger disaster financially than continuing to pay the wages of the players.

On the other hand, there is the option to make every possible decision that will benefit the club financially. Firstly, this should involve the attempt to sell each and every player on the club's books. If this is unsuccessful, then each player should be given the option to either play for free, or to dissolve their contract with immediate effect (for free) and pursue their playing career at other clubs. If all that fails, then the club may even resort to a simple refusal to pay their players. This could lead to legal battles, but one would question whether or not a former player of Pompey would feel comfortable filing a legal suit that would potentially see the death of the club.

In place of the broken squad should go the youth team, or even local players (or just fans - I'd fancy myself to score more than Dave Kitson at the moment) who are willing to play for the club for free. While this measure would inevitably lead to relegation (and possibly lower attendances, although the novelty of having a completely inexperienced team on the field might be a draw to begin with), it would make every possible step to ensure the club's survival. If it was successful, then the club could try and build themselves up from League One, and that wouldn't be a disaster. We've seen teams like Leeds, Norwich, Leicester and even... them come out of the third tier looking a lot healthier.

Personally, I think our decision has already been made. We're too far off of 21st place, too many players have gone and it would be far too much of a risk to put a real push into staying up this year. We must now sacrifice the rest of this season in a last ditch attempt to keep the club alive. It may not work, but we don't want to be ruing the fact that we kept players on the books for an unsuccessful shot at keeping the team in the league.

I've done this post in about a half-an-hour (I'm between lectures), so I'm not really sure if my sentiments are coherent on this one (I say that like I'm normally sure, but that's far from true). However, my general feeling is that I can accept League One. I can accept some awful performances and scorelines for the rest of the season. I can even tolerate a bit of embarrassment on April 7th. If there's even a thread of hope that we can keep the club in business, then I think it only makes sense to begrudgingly pull out all the stops to make it happen.

Hus a Klepper boy?

Peterborough United 0-3 Portsmouth

It's been an utterly horrible week for Pompey fans. From Monday to Friday, the news outlets seemed to be in a competition with each other to depress the Portsmouth supporters the most. Every story became grim, grimmer and grimmest. However, throughout these difficult periods, we tend to do our best to block out the trauma and concentrate on the football, and that would have been made ever sweeter by the tremendous victory over Peterborough this Saturday.

As I squoze myself into the rather cramped little seats offered by the Posh, I was very impressed by the growing Pompey turnout. Given the nature of our club's situation, the fact that London Road is a paltry little stadium, the problem of the game changing dates quite recently and just generally bad away performance all season, I was expecting a meagre turnout from the Blue Army. I'm not a seasoned away-game traveller, so I suppose I still harbour a little naivety. Pompey brought up 1500. A number that spoke a resilience and determination to keep singing the Pompey chimes.

The Blue Army was louder too. Songs of celebration, encouragement and the occasional jibes of self-derision exploded out of the away stand. Meanwhile, a clearly weary Peterborough support watched on in a pained silence. Who could blame them? After only a few minutes, Futacs header was spurned by Joe Lewis, and after bouncing the ball off a defender for a bit, Huseklepp casually lifted the ball into the net to give Pompey the lead.

The side showed a lot of composure throughout the game. Despite that fact that Peterborough dominated possession for long periods of the game, Portsmouth were comfortable with that and defended competently enough for it to make little difference. Both Pearce and Rocha were outstanding in the way they coped with Peterborough's advances with the ball, although it would have to be justified that Peterborough's attacking display was boorishly one-dimensional and lacked any creativity.

After a couple of Posh's long range efforts found their way safely into the stands, Pompey began to attack once more. A simple corner goal, the like you see too often against bad defences, was converted by Jason Pearce. Already the die seemed to have been cast. Peterborough seemed out of breath from the first whistle, and resembled a team that was low on morale.

Cue a tremendously poor penalty at half-time, courtesy of a Peterborough fan who consequently missed his opportunity to make £500. Bizarrely, this was easily the most noise the Posh faithful made throughout the entire day (and probably their best effort on goal).

During the second half, Peterborough had a minor resurgence. If I was to size it, it would be half a peg. Actually, maybe a quarter. The point is, it was only a tiny bit better than their performance had been thus far. You maybe have to sympathise with their midfield, because they did do an excellent job of keeping the ball and trying to move it around, but they were stifled by a complete emptiness in ideas.

In either case, Huseklepp's clinical finishing ended any possible hope the home supporters had. It was difficult to see the third goal from the away end, but whoever set the goal up played a clever little ball to Huseklepp in space (the BBC says it was Etuhu, but the highlights clearly show the passer was white). He did a nice curly shot around the 'keeper, and that sealed the cake.

So another three points for Appleton, who has not only kept up some excellent home form, but has reinvigorated us on our travels. The way we set out seemed very intelligent. We didn't look to press the team so much as allow them to become frustrated with their lack of incisiveness. Our attacking was very effective, and that has to be a major positive when it comes to gaining this type of result.

Match Ratings

Stephen Henderson - 7 - Barely had anything to do. Was competent enough when called upon.

Greg Halford - 7.5 - Played his part in a rock solid defence. Made a couple of decent runs forward.

Jason Pearce - 9 - As comfortable as a baby mouse in a blanket. Barely put a foot wrong and was unbeatable in the air.

Ricardo Rocha - 8 - Coped with all the pressure thrown at him and didn't break a sweat. He seems to be forming an excellent partnership with Pearce in the games I've seen. As much as Rocha is getting on, I think he's a good influence for the young defender.

Tal Ben-Haim - 7 - His job was to defend, and he did that. Just don't ask him to pass I suppose.

Joel Ward - 6.5 - Lost him to be honest. I'm guessing that may be because we didn't really control possession at all, so he won't have stood out.

Hayden Mullins - 8 - His passing was very impressive, and he was constantly trying to get his foot on the ball. One of his better performances.

Liam Lawrence - 7.5 - Created chances and made things happen. What you'd expect of Lawrence.

Kelvin Etuhu - 7.5 - He looks like he might end up being a frustrating talent. He had a few moments of class, and if his attitude is right he could be an excellent player for the club.

Marko Futacs - 7 - Not as influential as I'd hoped he would be, but he played a big part in a very successful attack.

Erik Huseklepp - 9 - When he is called upon in front of goal, he delivers. Always seemed to be a class above the drowsy Peterborough play.

MAN OF THE MATCH: Erik Huseklepp
Villain of the Match - Peterborough's penalty-taking fan

Survival Instincs

Winding-Up orders. Administration. Points deductions. Players being sold. HMRC. Non-existence. Kelvin Etuhu.

Just a number of things Portsmouth Football club has been threatened with over the past few weeks. It's been a frustrating, confusing and difficult time for anybody associated with the club, and I think everyone has been embittered so many times that they're starting to wonder if a fresh start would be the best option. Even if it meant a throw down to the lower divisions and a long steady rise back up, perhaps this would be Portsmouth most desirable ticket out of the dirge.

I have tried hard to gather my thoughts on this. I've begun following a myriad of excellent Portsmouth blogs that keep track of the situation tremendously well. I could never offer a summation as good as those that I have seen, but my pure feeling on the matter resides with my survival instincts. I want us to survive, by any means possible, and for that I defend my club when the case is perhaps indefensible.

As a business, there's little denying that Portsmouth Football Club is lucky to still be running, and seems to be heading inevitably towards a timely demise. They owe HMRC another £1.6m, and there are suggestions that the club are not running profitably enough to pay off their existing CVA. Any other company operating under such circumstances would be seen as a complete black hole and promptly shut down.

However, I want to call back to my recent article 'Death of a Football Club' (referring to Darlington). In it, I argued that football clubs aren't businesses. If you think they are, you aren't a football fan - sorry (I hope I didn't break that news to you harshly). A football club the size of Portsmouth is a necessity to the sport. You have a sizable fanbase of paying customers that will be totally disillusioned with the game if the club ceases to exist. You have an institute of footballing history that, should it be destroyed, would pose a permanent and serious question about the state of English football (consider that a club which won the FA Cup in 2008 should not exist four years later - what sort of thing would that suggest).

It could also capture the intrigue of investors. If they see a club with the potential profitability of Portsmouth Football Club going out of business, they may begin to think twice about plugging millions into the game. I think it will take a bigger domino to tumble in order for the big investors to pull out of football, but I'm certain Pompey's death will be worth more than just a glance from the men with the money.

All this is really saying is that there's many entities, some simply supporters and others major organisations in the sport, that will take a heavy blow from Pompey ceasing to be. You can argue that Portsmouth have to be taught a lesson and an example should be set for other clubs, but I must stress that these 'retribution' arguments get aimed at the wrong people. If Portsmouth Football Club dies, it's not the owners who turned Pompey into a financial catastrophe that will suffer. It's the fans. It's not the chief executives that allowed gross overspending who will bear the brunt of Pompey's demise. It'll be the employees of the club.

Of course FIFA and the FA need to make it as clear as a greenhouse that clubs have to operate in a financially stable manner. This is presumably what points deductions are for. However, I don't think a club folding teaches anyone anything, other than if you end up with the wrong owners, hard luck, that's the end of your football team.

This will all probably look self-centred and unreasonable to anyone who isn't a Portsmouth fan, but you must consider your own ties and passions to a football club. You will defend to the death that they are worthy of a place in existence, regardless of their previous actions and financial woes. I'm no different. There may even be some ridiculous people claiming that it's the fans fault in the first place. I'm not even joking there, I've been on websites where people have retorted "Well, you never protested when you were winning the FA Cup, so I have no sympathy for the fans. Let the club die."

Right. Two problems with that. 1. Nobody asked for your sympathy. 2. What the hell kind of fanbase would be protesting having just won the FA Cup? Nobody could have possibly known that Pompey were travelling headlong into disaster at that point. After all, practically every Premier League club was living beyond its means. The only difference with us was that Gaydamak's debts got called in, and that's when everything turned sour. I don't think you can blame fans purely on the fact that they aren't Nostradamuses and weren't able to fortell that there was a tremendous mismanagement occurring.

That's just a minor section of fans who have never had to worry about so much as a relegation fight though. When you go through these motions, not only do you appreciate the football itself more, but you realise that the strength and loyalty of a fanbase makes little difference in these situations. The problem is, and always has been, that fans have little control over the owners of their club. The only protection they have from their club being taken over by a nutcase is the FA's Fit and Proper Persons' Test. I'll allow you to consider whether or not you think this has been effective, but if you aren't sure here's a hint: We've had four sets of owners in a row who have allowed the financial chaos at Portsmouth Football Club to grow.

But yeah, I guess that's the fans' fault.

5 Pompey FA Cup Memories (and one to forget)...

To celebrate the third round of the FA Cup, I thought I'd pay tribute to my five most memorable FA Cup moments as a Pompey fan. It's fair to say that Portsmouth have had a chunky wedge of fortune in the tournament over the past few years, but there's been more to the great cup memories than the two mazy runs to Wembley. As ever, I must stress that I am a snapper of whipper levels, so these memories will be recent. Consequently, there's no Liverpool semi-final from 1992 unfortunately. Still, let's have a look...

5. Portsmouth 0-1 Chelsea 15/5/2010

What better way to end a beautiful and tragic era in a club's history than with a trip to the most famous ground in England, to compete in the final of the oldest club competition in the world? It was a truly joyous day for Portsmouth fans regardless of the result, as the fixture itself was a symbol of the team's fighting spirit both on and off the pitch.


That said, there were fears of a heavily embarrassing defeat for Portsmouth. Chelsea had just come off the back of a 7-0 victory against Wigan, sealing their title in which they scored over 100 league goals. It seemed as though Pompey would be lucky to get out of this game without having conceded double figures.

But the battle through adversity continued and Portsmouth held theirselves firm in the face of relentless attack. Chelsea hit the woodwork a mind-blowing 5 times in the first half. David James' goal was leading the charmed life of a leprechaun's garden, and each defender had put in a career's worth of last ditch tackles. Namely, Aaron Mokoena spent the whole of the first half throwing himself around the area like a fish in order the block the many, many Chelsea attempts.

In the second half Pompey stumbled upon their cruel ray of hope. Aruna Dindane was felled in the area and a penalty was awarded. Kevin Prince Boateng, who had been one of the standout performers in a grim year, stepped up. He could only manage a nervy, tame effort and it was pushed away by Petr Cech. Chelsea then predictably went on to take the lead with a Drogba free-kick, before missing a late penalty through Frank Lampard.

It was a highly entertaining game and despite the result, the Portsmouth fans waved their flags and cheered in jubilation. It wasn't to be our cup, but it was to be our day.



4. Portsmouth 1-5 Arsenal 6/3/2004

This would seem an odd choice, but I think it celebrates a lot of what is great about Portsmouth Football Club. Back then, the days were carefree. We were flying high in the Premier League for the first time in over a decade, Harry Redknapp looked at home in the club's hotseat, Milan Mandaric was loved, the team was entertaining, the stands were full. Everything was great for Pompey, and this was made gleefully apparently when the fans were undeterred by a rampant Arsenal side.


The Gunners that evening were the best they've ever been. The passing was intricate, clever and beautiful, and the goals did flow. The creme de la creme de la creme simply had to be Thierry Henry. Breathtaking throughout, he came away with a brace during a truly stunning performance. All this simply left Portsmouth fans in a state of awe. They began to sing "can we play you every week?" and gave Thierry Henry and Patrick Vieira standing ovations when they were substituted.

It was this phenomenal response that made the game so great. The atmosphere at Fratton Park that evening was beyond anything I've ever seen. At 5-0 down, the Pompey supporters continued to sing songs such as "We're gonna win 6-5", "Linvoy for England", and "Let's all have a disco". It was the most celebrated drubbing of a home team by the home fans in living memory. When Teddy Sheringham finally broke the Arsenal defence with a consolation goal, the cheers were enormous, as if Portsmouth had just scored a winner.

At the end of the night, everyone had praise for the Pompey fans. Thierry Henry donned a Pompey shirt before returning down the tunnel, and both managers could scarcely believe what had occurred. It was, without doubt, the best 5-1 defeat we've ever suffered.

3. Portsmouth 1-0 Liverpool 22/2/2004

Finally, a victory! This was not only a triumph over a very famous team, but a triumph over one of the most inept refereeing performances of all time. Having come back from 1-0 down at Anfield to force a replay, Fratton Park witnessed a game in which almost everything was weighted against Portsmouth.


The first half was a fairly even contest, with a few classy touches from Steven Gerrard providing Liverpool with some good opportunities. Emile Heskey and Bruno Cheyrou forced some good stops from Shaka Hislop. The Trinidadian 'keeper also had to make a strong save when Gerrard thundered a free-kick on goal.

It was the second half in which the controversy began. Referee Mike Messias made the bizarre decision to pull play back as Milan Baros was about to shoot, awarding Liverpool a free-kick. The kick was whipped in and Baros handled the ball in the area, but Messias awarded a penalty to Liverpool, as he had adjudged Linvoy Primus to have handled the ball.

After a few minutes of furious protests from the Pompey players, Messias finally agreed to talk to his linesman. The linesman told him he was an idiot, and the decision was reversed. Liverpool fans were not to worry though, as a stunning tackle from Matty Taylor dispossessed Milan Baros in the penalty area and the referee decided, once again, to award Liverpool a penalty.

Cue more furious protests, but this time the linesman left the referee to his own mistake and the decision stood. Michael Owen took the spot-kick, but it was an awful attempt and Hislop comfortably saved it. A few minutes later, Richard Hughes squeezed a daisy-cutter past Chris Kirkland to give Portsmouth the crucial goal. Despite what seemed like an extra game's worth of injury time, Pompey held on to a thoroughly deserved victory.


2. Portsmouth 1-0 Cardiff 17/5/2008

Well, yeah. I mean, you can't have the best FA Cup memories without the moment we actually won the bloody thing. I don't really even have to sum it up to be honest, it's obvious how meaningful, exciting and amazing this day was, and if you need a clue, just check out the celebrations on Southsea Common the following day (Spoiler Alert: Literally everyone was there).


Harry Redknapp's short-term affair with Lady Luck at Old Trafford aside, Portsmouth's FA Cup run in 2008 was devoid of many thrills. Not that this mattered, once the Premier League giants collapsed hilariously, the intimidating tag of 'favourites' suddenly fell on the shoulders of Portsmouth, and it became imperative that this famous old club didn't splurge the chance to grab a truly overdue trophy.

The semi-final win against West Brom was so nervy, nobody came home with any fingernails. The final continued in a similar vein, with neither side throwing their faith into the attack. Kanu had the best early chance, dancing his crazy dance around the Cardiff defence only for his lack of zimmerframe to impede him as he tumbled away, clipping the ball onto the post as he fell.

Not long afterwards though, John Utaka drilled a ball into the area and hapless throw-in phobic Fin Peter Enckelman parried it onto the toes of Kanu, who flicked it into the empty net. There was restrained euphoria, and the Pompey fans breathed a little. Cardiff had some decent chances in the second half, but the game never ignited. Portsmouth came home with the FA Cup, and once the final whistle had gone, relief turned into unrestricted joy.

It was the peak of a great side that would go on to die through financial troubles. Never before had Pompey fans seen a team like that of 2008, and probably never again will we see such an assemblance of quality. The great thing, though, is that unlike a lot of teams who have come and gone without upsetting the elite, Portsmouth made their brief spell at the top worthwhile with this single victory.


1. Portsmouth 2-0 Tottenham 11/4/2010

This is my all time favourite FA Cup memory. Growing up as a Pompey fan, my life coincided with the Premier League era perfectly. This game made everything come full circle. Despite the confirmation of the inevitable relegation the previous day, few Pompey games have been celebrated so vigorously as this one. The victory meant so much to every single Pompey fan that attended that day.


There was history to this game that added a context worth appreciating. The man who defined Portsmouth's time in the Premier League (whether we like it or not), Harry Redknapp, was now making a success of himself as Tottenham manager, having deserted the club for a second time the previous season. He had recruited players straight from Pompey, such as the now-maligned Jermain Defoe, Peter Crouch, Younes Kaboul and Niko Kranjcar. These were people who had benefitted from Pompey's high-times and escaped before they had to suffer the damp patch. They weren't necessarily hated, but I'm sure all Pompey fans wanted them to taste a little bit of bitterness before the team ended their time at the top.

With the squad running on empty, morale low and one of the only shining lights Jamie O'Hara ineligible for the game, hope was emptier than a psychic's promises. Portsmouth fans travelling up the A3 had come to a conclusion during the journey that they were there "for the occasion" and "the result didn't really matter". There was no doubt in our minds that defeat was not only likely, it was assured.

Cue the craziest, most committed rearguard action to have ever graced Wembley. Tottenham had a staggering 31 attempts on goal throughout the game, and not one of them could find the back of the Pompey net (except for a header from Peter Crouch, but this was ruled out for a dubious foul). Portsmouth limped to half-time at 0-0, and crawled to full-time with the score still goalless.

Still, nobody was getting carried away. "A brave performance" and "We've done well to go this far" echoed throughout the stands. The players came back on the pitch and action resumed. Fans continued to be stoically expectant of the Tottenham winner.

Then it was a single slip from Michael Dawson. Frederic Piquionne couldn't miss, and before we could even contemplate that there was another goal to be scored in on the pitch, Portsmouth were 1-0 up. The noise was deafening from the blue end of the ground. Nerves carried on wrangling though, as Tottenham now desperately started chasing an equaliser. The tension was more unbearable than a penalty shoot-out, and I remember saying to my Dad "Why couldn't we have lost this 4-0 like we were supposed to".

In the second period of extra-time, Aruna Dindane suddenly broke down the field. Palacios clumsily brought him down inside the penalty area, and the sweet sound of the referees whistle met our ears. We had a chance to seal the deal, and Boateng set the ball up against his former team-mate. He thumped it home with a confidence that wouldn't have been matched by anyone else in the stadium, and Portsmouth went on to record a famous victory.

It was a tremendous day. Not only was it an unexpected win. Not only were we in the FA Cup final. Not only had we defied all the odds, predictions and pundits. Not only had we put one past the likes of Jermain Defoe, Peter Crouch and the rest. Not only did it give us the opportunity to have a big day out at Wembley one last time before we sailed calmly into the Championship. Not only was it a testament to our continued survival from the clutches of financial abyss.

It was Harry Redknapp's little crushed face as well.

And a day to forget...


Portsmouth 1-4 Leyton Orient 5/1/2002



Ten years ago yesterday. I don't remember a lot about this game other than it was utterly depressing in every single way and Portsmouth were awful. We did go 1-0 early on through an own goal, but after that it was a laughably pathetic submission to a Division 3 team. Robert Prosinecki, possibly confused by Orient's Croatian-style Red and White shirts, barely hit a pass right all game, and there was hardly anyone left in the ground by the final whistle. It was one of the most miserable January evenings I can recall.