Portsmouth

...I spoke about my beloved Portsmouth there was perhaps a little bit of anger bubbling under the surface, now having moved into the new year a sense of renewed pessimism has struck. Despite our healthy points tally and continued positive performances a slump of titanic proportion approaches if care is not taken. With the loss of Harry and Jim came the distinct feeling of shame and irritation, but that was reduced by a purple patch that saw us win two ...
...he’s kissing the badge of Portsmouth claiming allegiance and now he’s cowering in Southampton no doubt eagerly awaiting the forthcoming FA cup encounter. Mandaric and Zajec seem to be floundering on replacements whilst putting price tags on our assets, which is a worrying shift away from our usual stability. Our relative inactivity in the transfer and the questions over whether there is any money left to spend has caused a major headache for most ... more

Last time I spoke about my beloved Portsmouth there was perhaps a little bit of anger bubbling under the surface, now having moved into the new year a sense of renewed pessimism has struck. Despite our healthy points tally and continued positive performances a slump of titanic proportion approaches if care is not taken. With the loss of Harry and Jim came the distinct feeling of shame and irritation, but that was reduced by a purple patch that saw us win two away matches, but now the goals have dried up and the transfer has opened, a double danger.

Nigel Quashie’s extradition to Southampton is the first of what many would assume to be many departures in that and other directions. It came as a hammer blow and completely unexpected, one minute he’s kissing the badge of Portsmouth claiming allegiance and now he’s cowering in Southampton no doubt eagerly awaiting the forthcoming FA cup encounter. Mandaric and Zajec seem to be floundering on replacements whilst putting price tags on our assets, which is a worrying shift away from our usual stability. Our relative inactivity in the transfer and the questions over whether there is any money left to spend has caused a major headache for most supporters. Whilst I am delighted with our position, the teams capitulation and loss of morale has got an ominous look to it.

However there is light somewhere in the bleak Fratton wasteland, we are situated only a few points from safety with a healthy 15 matches remaining, so even we should be able to scrape (and that is all I expect us to do) over the finishing line. Fortunately those teams floundering in the bottom 4 appear to be loosing ground at a pace currently, although this will not last. West Brom are turning a corner, once they sort that defence out they can be useful, Crystal Palace look like they have the willingness to fight for each match, and Norwich have proven to us that they are more than capable of holding their own. Then there is Southampton, well I fully believe they will recover, they’ve been there before and they do have some semblance of quality and experience. However Harry’s insistence on selling their only goalscorer (Beattie) and replacing him with a fleet of midfielders would worry me. Southampton has a fairly decent midfield as it is so why buy sicknote Redknapp, overpriced Quashie and still look for more, what they need is a decent striker and 4 good defenders, but now I sound bitter so there I shall end that one.

Back to Portsmouth, I feel that the top 10 position, which at stages looked within our grasp, is now completely unattainable. We must look to consolidate, and find out where our players stand, if they want to go let them, we cannot afford deadwood in a team of such precious little talent and such a fragile morale. We should also look to utilise this transfer window to import some foreign talent. I know the premiership is teeming with inadequate foreigners, but the truth is quality homegrown players come at a cost, and as we don’t really have a youth academy to speak of we have very little option. If we could lure a striker on a par with Aruna from Anderlecht, whom we looked to buy in the summer and another midfielder we will have a fighting chance at having a competitive team again.

With Yakubu teetering on the brink of a big money move, for which no Portsmouth fan can really begrudge him, we look set to lose our main goalscorer. With Lua Lua getting a 3-match ban which is now looking to be extended to a 5-match ban we are looking short of attacking options so we are desperate for investment here. We do have Mark Burchill, Ricardo Fuller, Todorov (injured until March), Pericard (injured for the rest of the season), Ivica Mornar (out on loan) but none of these are proven premiership or continental quality. With much of the rest of the team aging before our very eyes we must also be realistic about the future, De Zeuuw, Hislop, Stefanovic, Stone and Berger are getting on now and will not be able to play forever, unfortunately. That provides us with an uncertain but potentially exciting future, especially if Zajec’s delusions of grandeur are realised.

Recent History

But to look forward we must first look back. Up until 4 seasons ago we were a struggling first division outfit, no better than a Burnley or a Gillingham right now. Thanks to Milan’s investment we have rocketed through into the Premiership, where we remain a fairly forgettable team. We were bound only for the second division if anywhere, Portsmouth was a bleak place. The team was composed of some odd mixtures; we had the invasion of the Aussies when Aloisi et al. entered, the Jamaican’s coming in Paul Hall, Deon Burton and the rest. We’ve discovered a few from the navy and army like Lee Bradbury and Guy Whittingham. But we’ve not had real quality down here for a long time; Portsmouth has become a battling team. Our promotion would have been unthinkable in the dark days of yesteryear, when we had to go to Bradford to save our club from extinction and John Durnin got us the 3 goals we needed to stay up. Lest we forget where we came from. The Premiership still seems to me like a farfetched dream, and whilst some may now take it for granted, to be considered one of the best 20 teams in this country is quite an honour. We were fortunate in that we found a rich investor, who was willing to pump money into a sinking ship. Now in our second year at the top, we are beginning to shape up as a Premiership side, avoiding the disappointing ridicule of relegation speculation.

Points for optimism
We have seen our group of creaking ageing players joined by some fresher faces this year, young Gary O’Neil looks to be finally living up to the billing that he has received for some time now. Valery Mezague looks out of sorts in the Premiership, but he is still very young and hopefully the loss of key players will see him get a chance and take it in the Portsmouth first team. Rowan Vine appears to be achieving some good results in a loan spell at Luton, but whether he can maintain that kind of form in the Premiership is questionable. James Keene is our one shining light from the youth set up, although still young he appears to have a goal scoring temperament that if developed could frighten premiership defences in years to come, although this is unlikely for a while yet. Finally our reserve keepers Jamie Ashdown and Guatelli are showing promise, Ashdown is not all that young but he still has the makings of a good keeper that could play on for a good number of seasons. Guatelli appears to be a sensation, although I've seen nothing of him, the reports from the reserves indicate that his purchase from Parma in the summer may have been a wise one.

Whoever we lose we will always have enough players to stop the rot, unfortunately if we are to progress this is not enough. But our central defensive partnership is still working overtime far surpassing their talents. De Zeuuw and Stefanovic have been the core of our team, even whilst the Yakubu’s and Berger’s plunder the headlines, we have our defence to thank for limiting even the most free scoring units. If they keep healthy and keep up their form we will always have a chance of keeping a clean sheet, which is the basis for any struggling team, something that those promoted will soon have to learn. Shaka and Ashdown have been swapping around recently, and whilst both have had their lapses, in general we don’t have a problem in goal; both are excellent shot stoppers, even if Ashdown’s command of the area leaves little to be desired. Steve Stone has been one of our outstanding players in the Premiership, which is the reason we rarely lose when he plays. He is a workman like player who despite his years can still give quality defenders the slip (just look at Ashley Cole floundering last season at Highbury). So despite my negativity we still have the basis for a good team, but one which may soon need a major regeneration.

Prospects for the remainder of the season
As I have touched on previously I don’t think we will be able to go any higher than we are already placed, we have the capability to match many teams in the premiership, but if we lose as I expect we will the Yak, we will have little or no firepower rendering us fairly incapable. If we do buy a new player I will no doubt need to update this section, but with 11 short days to go until the window closes for 5 months it’s going to take something special to change it. My greatest fear is that we do as Harry did in the past and panic buy unnecessary players (such as fuller, Cisse etc.), we can ill afford to waste any more money. If our team stays, as it is with Berger, Yak and Faye staying we have a good enough team to worry other teams, if only Kamara could refind the form he looked capable of before his injury, we could have more. Southampton will survive leaving the 3 who came up doomed to their fate, and we will clock up another 14th position if we’re lucky. From then I can see good things coming, Zajec appears to have a grasp of very structured football, he has installed a defensive mentality which is dull but can be very effective. If he can encourage some of his many contacts to throw us some of their better players like PAOK captain Basinas, we could be in business, much like Everton are now. Similarly it could all very easily go wrong; if we cant attract quality signings we may find ourselves in trouble over the coming seasons. Especially if and when Mandaric leaves as he has promised to do, we will be looking for another sugar daddy, so Mr. Abramovich when you’ve won everything at Chelsea fancy a holiday on the South coast? Or for that matter maybe Bill Gates is bored with America and their dull sporting pursuits, perhaps a few hundred million here or there could be omitted from his vast fortune, dream dream.

Preferred Transfers
With little speculation to guide me I'm out on a limb a little bit here but if we secure the expected signings of Dellas and Bassinas in the summer that would be an encouraging start. We may need some youth to bolster our ageing squad there has been mention of a 20-year-old Czech player who is the next ‘Boban’ (there’s a title to conjure with), he is supposed to replace Quashie, but we will have to wait and see on that one. We need a quality striker, and for the money we have at our potential disposal (if Yak goes for £10m as implied we would receive only £5m, Maccabi Haifa get the rest due to a sell on clause, nice one Harry), we could look at Wesley Sonck (Ajax), Aruna (Anderlecht) and Agahowa (Shaktar Donetsk), all would be quality additions. We have also been linked to Landon Donovan in the past and a re-emergence of that interest would be a very positive move. As Amdy Faye appears to be a little bit undecided about what he wants to do, we may need to consider another central midfield player in his place, which is where Basinas or someone of his international quality (maybe a Van Bommel or Smertin). Speculation suggests that Zajec is looking for another keeper, not strictly necessary in my books but if they are of high quality you cant argue with it really.

Whilst my list is a little speculative especially as we appear to have no real ties to any players, and whilst the financial situation also seems a little hushed. I do think Milan can get someone in, and hopefully someone on this list, if not them then we’ll happily settle for Fernando Torres, Ronaldihno, Van Der Vaart or even Freddy Adu. Unfortunately unless someone finds £150 million somewhere, or the players just want to go to Portsmouth so much that they leave on free transfers, I can’t see these deals going through.

Summary

It is hard to give a summary to the team right now because rumours of departures and interest are still flying around, so predict what we will be left with and who may come in is a thankless task. However we do have a solid back line and a hard working midfield, even if Faye packs up his bags, so even with all the problems we will have a strong base from which to fight for our Premiership position. But don’t expect too much from us from here on in, the tide has turned; the Zajec/Jordan honeymoon is over, we’ve lost our vice-captain, we’ve lost our composure and we’ve lost the ability to score. But all can be remedied, and hopefully if my faith in Zajec is justified he will be the man who turns us into the next Charlton, actually scratch that whilst mid-table obscurity may suit some I need the drama of a relegation or a European fight, it’s what were used to (without the Europe of course). If we can stabilise get 45 points or so, make some sound investments in the summer or even the end of January, we could be quite a prospect for next season, maybe not top 6 but hopefully a top half finish would be within our grasp when Zajec finally gets his team, and not Harry’s rejects.

We have learnt to get over the major defection of our coaching staff and players, now hopefully we can look forward to a brighter future. To do this we must give Zajec every chance, we cannot afford to do as Southampton and others have done, chopping and changing their management every few months, it is time for some stability before we can push forward and achieve things. Good news for all away supporters coming to Fratton, the new stadium begins work this summer, so very soon you wont have to stand out in the freezing cold any more, when we complete our 34,000-seat stadium we will be ready to challenge hopefully. Moving down to the championship has become unthinkable recently, but to avoid this outcome we must move forward and build a strong quality squad. I don’t expect to be the next Chelsea, that would after all be impossible, but why we can’t keep up with the Aston Villa’s and Everton’s of this world, I’ll never know. So please, please play up Pompey!
 

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