Two Great Moments, Forget the Rest: Pompey in 2010

Pompey are now done and dusted for 2010, what has been a topsy-turvy year. These last 12 months have seen the Blues relegated, lose numerous players and come close to administration on a number of occasions, but also seen them get to the FA Cup Final, beating Southampton four-one in the process, and now looking forward again. Here's my short summary of the year:

HIGHLIGHTS OF 2010

Best Moment - Southampton 1 Portsmouth 4

Narrowly ahead of Tottenham 0 Portsmouth 2. This is one of the only two real moments Blues fans have to shout about from 2010, but what a moment. The Saints really thought they could win this one, and some Pompey fans were dreading the FA Cup Fifth Round tie. But Premier League class shone through as goals from Quincy Owusu-Abeyie, Aruna Dindane, Nadir Belhadj and Jamie O'Hara gave the Blues an emphatic victory. It meant bragging rights remained firmly in the blue half of the south coast, and was a truly brilliant day.

Worst Moment - Hours away from Liquidation

There have been many. In a year that has seen the Blues relegated from the Premier League, you would have thought that would have been as bad as it got. But due to spectacularly poor management, Pompey came within hours of going out of business on two occasions under the weight of £180million debts. Fortunately enough, the efforts of the administrators and eventual buyers Balraim Chainrai saved the club, despite the ravenous attempts from the HMRC to ruin this club. But there were genuine moments when it seemed the taxman would win, and this wonderful football club would be no more.

Best Player - Jamie O'Hara/Liam Lawrence

I have decided to give this to two players, as barely anyone has lasted the whole year at Fratton Park. In his year on loan to the Blues, Jamie O'Hara became a real fan's favourite and was easily our best player in the relegation year. He had the passion and drive that every fan loves to see, with the genuine quality that makes him a fantastic prospect for the future. True legend, that no fan will boo if he ever graces the Fratton pitch again. His mantle was taken up by Liam Lawrence in the second half of the year, who since joining from Stoke has lit up the Blues side. A fantastic right foot have quickly made him the new Fratton talisman and has ignited our charge for the play-offs. Key for the season ahead.

Honourable Mention - David James

In an age when most footballers are obsessed with getting every pound that they can, Jamo showed what they should be doing. When a clause in his contract meant another appearance would mean a new contract the Blues couldn't afford, he waived that right to simply play on at the club, earning his place in England's World Cup squad. He may have left in the summer, but he made clear his intentions to leave if the ownership situation didn't sort itself out and it didn't until the season was under way. 134 appearances and countless great moments make Jamo a true Portsmouth legend, his reception when he returned to Fratton Park with Bristol City showed how special he is to Pompey fans. Cheers for four great years, Jamo.

Play Up Pompey

NWR

Coming Up ... Pompey in 2011 - What To Look Forward To

Half-Time: Premier League Reports

Well before we know it, we've hit the half-way point of the season. The festive fixtures have historically set the tone for the rest of the season, with the table-toppers usually finishing somewhere near the summit, and the team in 20th place almost always getting relegated. And with one of the tightest Premier League tables in recent memory, here is how I think it's going to play out:

Title Race: United have the impetus

This blog said earlier this season that Chelsea had the title almost sewn up. This, in my defence, was at the point that Carlo Ancelotti's boys looked almost unbeatable. Scoring goals for fun, 23 in seven games, mean in defence and with their contenders seemingly floundering, the Blues were dead certs to finish top. My, how things have changed. Roman Abramovich has again found a way to disturb a calm, steady side by seeing the departure of assistant manager Ray Wilkins, unsettling the Londoners to the point where they are winless now in six games and seven points off the pace. Drogba, Malouda, Anelka and Co. look like a bunch of strangers with very little playing experience together, and a once formidable backline looks very susceptible. In contrast, their opponents have perked up.

Manchester City will continue to push for the top spot, with their strength in depth meaning they will be there abouts at the end of the season. Their home form may be a worry, but Carlos Tevez remaining at Eastlands (atleast for now) and their strong away run means they have a chance. And with untold riches available for Roberto Mancini, January could be interesting and the likes of Edin Dzeko, David Luiz and Fernando Torres would vastly improve their chances. But I believe they still have too little inexperience to really challenge for the title; they haven't really gelled properly as a team yet, home performances against Birmingham and Bolton proved that, and with divisions still existing within the camp, Mancini may have to settle for fourth place.

It's same old Arsenal as always. They play brilliant football, can carve any team open almost at will and have some real top-class forward-thinking players. But the same questions have arisen over the Gunners this year as each of the last five or so years. Weak in defence, questionnable goalkeepers, an unsurpassable psychological barrier? I'd like to think that this could be Arsene's year. I believe they will lift the Carling Cup; something that would be a big breakthrough for the young side. And if results like the three-one win over Chelsea can be repeated over the rest of the season, they could well be in the race come April.

For me though, it will again be Sir Alex's year. United have trundled along, unspectacularly to say the least, this season, surrendering multiple leads but importantly picking up points and remaining unbeaten until Christmas. Dimitar Berbatov has hit his best form since coming to Old Trafford, Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes are reliable as ever when fit and Wayne Rooney will start picking up as the season goes on. It may just be the year that Fergie finally surpasses Liverpool's title haul, gaining the nineteenth title for his beloved United.

MY PREDICTION

1. Manchester United

2. Arsenal

3. Chelsea

4. Manchester City

--------------------------

5. Tottenham Hotspur

6. Everton

With Tottenham and Everton gaining European spots, I believe Liverpool will topple out of European competition all together. I predict good seasons for Bolton Wanderers and Sunderland, while I also think that all three promoted sides will survive; West Brom will finish highest, Newcastle will hang on despite the best efforts of Mike Ashley and Blackpool deserve to stay up with Ian Holloway winning Manager of the Year. Dull seasons are in store for Aston Villa, Birmingham and Stoke, but those below need to start worrying.

Relegation Battle: Hammers or Cottagers

I think as it stands, and without a massive investment from either in January, both Wolves and Wigan are going to be hard-pushed not to be 20th and 19th in some order. Both are leaking goals for fun, scoring goals is too difficult for either and both look very lightweight when up against quality. The likes of Charles N'Zogbia, Tom Cleverley and Hugo Rodellega mean the Latics have the better chance. Meanwhile, Mick McCarthy's summer signings Stephen Hunt and Steven Fletcher have not had the desired affect; Kevin Doyle will run his heart out for the cause but doesn't get enough goals and there is no true leader in the defence. So who else will join the two W's in going down?

Blackburn are another team doing their best to get into trouble, but they should just be okay. The sacking of Sam Allardyce was a strange one, I don't care if the owners wanted a new direction or a bigger name, Big Sam would have kept Rovers up without a doubt and didn't get enough credit for a remarkable tenth place finish last year. The likes of Morten Gamst Pedersen, David Dunn and Nikola Kalinic mean they have just enough quality to stay in this league. That leaves two teams.

want Avram Grant to succeed at West Ham. He proved his worth to me last season at Pompey, he is a football man and deserves to do well. I just think West Ham don't have a very good team; simple as that. Take out Scott Parker and, on a good day, some of the England boys, and it is a very average team. Carlton Cole, Matt Upson and Rob Green are key players for the Hammer but too often play very poorly. Stick Freddie Piquionne upfront, he'll grab you a few goals, and Victor Obinna looks decent, but they need to put in more performances like they have in the Carling Cup and with that, they do just about have enough to stay up.

Fulham are looking in bad shape at the moment. Boxing Day's home game against the Hammers was a key clash in the relegation battle and the Cottagers were extremely poor. The defence looked ramshackle, no-one in white could hit the target (save a centre-back who hadn't scored since 2004) and Andy Johnson looked completely devoid of confidence. Without Bobby Zamora for six weeks or so yet, they need reinforcement in January and serious firepower if they are to avoid the drop. And I don't see Mark Hughes' men doing it.

MY PREDICTION

15. Newcastle United

16. Blackburn Rovers

17. West Ham United

----------------------------------------

18. Fulham

19. Wigan Athletic

20. Wolverhampton Wanderers

Feel free to agree or disagree, leave a comment :)

NWR

Rollercoaster: The Pompey Update

Well, the last time we spoke about Portsmouth FC, the Blues had just won away at Hull City. Fortunately for me, not a lot has happened at Fratton Park since then...

October: Cotterill pushes Blues into play-off picture

Well from that Hull win, it was a great end to October with a two-one win over a youthful Nottingham Forest. Making it seven games unbeaten and four wins on the spin, goals from the improving Ibrahima Sonko and the up-and-coming talisman Liam Lawrence cancelled out a fine header from Paul Anderson to give Cotterill's boys a fine win and an exceptional October. Having started the month languishing in the lower reaches of the Championship, they went into November in tenth place, with the month also seeing Pompey finally taken over by Balraim Chainrai. But what goes up...

November: Reality Check

The following month saw Pompey given a reality check. After a great run, they travelled to Pride Park to face in-form Derby County in a televised clash. But with Pompey also on a great run, it should be a good tussle, yes? No. Pompey faltered under the Sky cameras and fell down two-nil to an enterprising and energetic Rams side, who capitalised on a poor performance from the southerner's defence to push them further down the table into thirteenth. A first defeat in seven hit the Blues, but they had the perfect chance to get back to good form with the visit of league leaders QPR to Fratton Park. The Hoops had been stuttering of late despite remaining unbeaten, and Pompey took a second half lead; Matt Connolly dragging down Dave Kitson in the box, getting sent off and Liam Lawrence scoring a retaken penalty. But Pompey's luck turned when Rangers won a questionnable penalty in the final minutes; Lawrence penalised for a handball and returning Tommy Smith struck to make it one-one at the end.

was to come in the following two games. Doncaster took all three points from Fratton Park but it wasn't half the story; James Hayter and James Coppinger gave Rovers a two-goal lead but second-half strikes from Joel Ward and David Nugent brought the Blues level and in search of an unlikely winner. But David Healy's long-range strike gave the travellers a three-two win on the south coast, then to make it worse, a trip to Barnsley ended fruitless. Adam Hammill's early strike was enough to see a fatigued Pompey side fall to a poor one-nil defeat and fall to sixteenth spot.

Luckily, the month ended on an unexpected high. A trip to promotion chasing Swansea City would have been one of the last chosen fixtures for an out-of-sorts Pompey, but they came away with an incredible victory. James Beattie may have given the Swans a second-minute lead, but goals from David Nugent and Greg Halford gave the Blues a deserved win. A good end to a bad month.

December: It's a Snow Go

victory at the Liberty Stadium should have given Pompey the impetus to push on in the league, but unfortunately Mother Nature literally dumped on that idea. Home games against Burnley and Scunthorpe were both postponed due to the snow, meaning the club has gone a whole month now without a home game. One match did slip through the icy net, an away tie at Norwich, and what a result. A two-nil win at the play-off hopefuls, thanks to a wonderful David Nugent performance and goals from Kitson and Halford, meaning the Blues go into Christmas in fifteenth; just six points off of the play-off spots. Next up, Millwall at home on Boxing Day.

Off-The-Pitch: Same Old, Same Old

While matters have been progressing well on the pitch, it wouldn't be Pompey if we weren't being held back by matters off the pitch. There are still lingering doubts over Chainrai, he has made no secret of the fact he is not a sugar daddy, but investment is surely needed if we are to progress in this league. We are still fighting on legal fronts with Inter Milan and Tottenham over owed moneys from the transfers of Sulley Muntari and Asmir Begovic respectively, with FIFA now being dragged in. Rejuvinated strikers David Nugent and John Utaka are out of contract at the end of the season and for all eyes outside of the club, there is no movement on tying two of our key players.

But the biggest matter is the contract disputes surrounding Richard Hughes and Michael Brown. Both midfielders have clauses in their contracts stating if they play one more game, we are obliged to offer them contracts the club cannot afford, meaning Cotterill cannot play them. Hughesy has become more of a squad player in recent weeks, but Brown has become one of the key members of midfield and has formed a good partnership with Hayden Mullins in there. Simply, we need them freed up otherwise Cotterill will be desperately short of options in the middle, as our threadbare squad is stretched to its limit over this busy period.

What Next for the Blues?

So, what next for Pompey? Who should we be looking for in the January transfer window? Who should we look to keep and look to sell? And how are the Blues going to get on in their festive fixtures?

Well, the answers to these questions are coming up in the approaching week. Up until then, I wanted to give you highlights of Pompey beating Tottenham in the FA Cup Semi-Finals. Failing that, I wanted to show you Barcelona playing total football in beating Real Madrid five-nil with a perfect performance. But, thanks to the deteriorating state of YouTube, here is the highlights from Real Madrid's thumping 8-0 win over Levante, with some foreign commentary :). I promise better in the future.

Play Up Pompey.

NWR.

Guess Who's Back...

Sorry for the lack of activity in the past two months or so guys, University lived up to its promise of taking over my life and I have been preoccupied with multiple essays in the past two or so months. For that I apologise, and although I still have some lingering essays to plow out, I am pleased to announce that I am returning to blog-writing mode. Boom.

Luckily for me, the snow in recent weeks has rathered slowed the sporting calender. Still lots to catch up on though; one of the most open title races in years with all teams involved eager to throw it away, ridiculous sackings at both Blackburn and Newcastle, England back to their old tricks in trying to throw away the Ashes in Oz and Haye retaining his title in one of the most one-sided boxing matches this vastly inexperienced writer has ever seen. And this is without mentioning Portsmouth FC; who once again are making strides on the pitch while being hauled backwards off of it.

Lots to catch up on then. To look forward to in the coming week or so (probably a bit longer knowing me), my views on the year that Pompey have had, as well as my best sporting moments of the past 12 months. Also, my predictions for next year and the occassional first-hand report of a football match (if you're lucky).

Into the New Year, back to the same routine, weekly updates on my opinions surrounding the football world and the limited knowledge I have on surrounding subjects within the sporting world, returning of course to my beloved Portsmouth FC. To tide you over for the moment however, here is probably my highlight of the year and possibly the decade, and I'll leave it to the facts to tell you why. Portsmouth 4 Southampton 1 (the second time, up at theirs, HA).

It's good to be back. Play Up Pompey.

NWR

What Ever Happened To Celtic's Stars?

This weekend saw the season's first installment of the Old Firm battle in Scotland; Celtic versus Rangers. Any follower of the sport knows it is one of the most keenly contested derbies in Europe, with more than just footballing pride at stake in this game. The latest tie saw Rangers runaway from Celtic Park with a three-one win, again showing that in the recent history of the Scottish Premier League, Rangers are on top. But whatever happened to the dominant Celtic side of the past decade or so?

I remember Celtic getting to the UEFA Cup final, and I remember the quality they had in their side that day. The likes of Bobo Balde, Didi Agathe, Neil Lennon, Alan Thompson, Stylian Petrov and Chris Sutton played in the three-two defeat to FC Porto in Seville. Of course, the talismanic Henrik Larsson also played that day, scoring twice and getting his 200th strike for Celtic in the process. In his time at Celtic Park, Larsson led the club to four league titles and five cups, with manager Martin O'Neill also a big hit above the border. But when Larsson left in 2004 and O'Neill departed in 2005, they simply haven't replaced the quality.

Gordon Strachan deserves credit for the job he did there because you look at the squad now and worry. Emilio Izaguirre, Daniel Majstorovic and Ki Sung-Yueng all started in the Rangers defeat, and you get serious brownie points if you know where they came from. Players like Glenn Loovens, Shaun Maloney and the dire Georgios Samaras have all failed to impress on the big stages, meaning that the promising but hardly world-class Joe Ledley looks like their best player. He would have got nowhere near the 2003 Celtic team. Neil Lennon also looks like a decent manager, with a 100% league record up until Sunday, but is Celtic Park the place for him to cut his teeth?

But as their near neighbours have been floundering, Walter Smith's Rangers have been settled and consolidated their place at the peak of Scottish football. Lads such as Lee McCulloch, Madjid Bougherra and Kenny Miller are good players, while recent acquisitions Vladimir Weiss (on loan) and James Beattie are good additions to a solid squad that has dealt well with the loss of top scorer Kris Boyd. The strong Scottish spine of Allan McGregor, David Weir, McCulloch and Steven Whittaker is aided by Maurice Edu and the bright Steven Davis to make what would be a decent side in any European league. The recent Champions League draw with Valencia shows their quality. Their recent league success looks to be secure for a couple of seasons, even considering the brilliant Walter Smith will be leaving to be replaced by protegee Ally McCoist in the hot seat.

The balance has well and truly shifted in the Old Firm. Celtic looked the more powerful and more dominant at the turn of the century, but Rangers have put aside financial worries to form a strong Scottish team that looks to have the bragging rights in Glasgow for the moment. As for Celtic, club legend Larsson is currently learning the management trade in his native Sweden at second division side Landskrona BoIS. And if Sunday's performance is anything to go by, they will need their former saviour or something of that magnitude to turn things around in the Old Firm power struggle.

The Weekend Word - 23rd/24th Oct

In the life of a Portsmouth fan, this has been one of the biggest weekends in history, so let's dive straight into it:

Back from the Brink: Pompey Saved after Gaydamak Drama

Portsmouth went from the brink of extinction to coming out of administration in the space of a few short and frankly terrifying hours. The drama all began on Friday as it seemed former owner 'Sacha' Gaydamak was refusing to sign a deal that could see us sold to Hong Kong businessman Balram Chainrai, meaning that we couldn't come out of administration and be in a position where we would be liquidated. The mass confusion came as administrator Andrew Andronikou was surprised this statement was released, revealing Sacha's actions, and said we were as close to going out of business as we were to coming out of administration. Like we have been for a while now. And to add to the suspense Sacha seemed surprised that the statement had been published aswell. So who put out the statement?

The short passage of the Portsmouth FC site sent panic waves through the Blue Army on Friday night when it said Portsmouth is likely to be liquidated, but just days later, it seems that was never likely to be the case. Gaydamak did sign the deal on Saturday (with the supposed sticking point being the proposed installments of money owed to him; which he agreed to), and that did allow us to come out of administration. The whole process has once again made a bit of a mockery of the club and there was someone from within seriously stirring, as all parties seemed surprised of the breaking news. But the most important news is now Portsmouth Football Club is out of administration and can function as normal, while on the pitch things are getting better. More on that towards the bottom....

Alonso Powers Through Korean Rain as Red Bull Plummet

Fernando Alonso went to the top of the driver's championship this weekend as he won a rain-affected Korean Grand Prix, while both Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber of Red Bull crashed out of the race. With the safety car out until lap 17, Webber crashed out in lap 18 after a collision with Nico Rosberg, while Vettel retired in pole position due to engine failure, allowing Alonso to claim the 25 points necessary to take an eleven point lead over Webber in the standings. Lewis Hamilton's second place means he still has a shout of claiming the title; twenty-one points behind the Spaniard in third place; but it is now the Ferrari man's championship to lose. Bring on Brazil.

Are Arsenal Contenders? City win shows potential to be up there

Arsenal showed they may just have what it takes to become title contenders after an impressive three-nil win at Manchester City. Yes, the home side were down to ten men and had Carlos Tevez limping off early in the second half, but there was a ruthless side to the Gunners; they should have won it and made sure that they did. The fact they have gone to City; a place where Chelsea lost their 100% record; and come away with the win sends a message out to the rest of the Premier League and will give the players confidence. Cesc Fabregas staying at the Emirates means they still have a chance of winning the title and with Manchester United seemingly stuttering, they could be the main challengers to Chelsea if they can maintain momentum. Talking of United...

United Shake Away-Day Blues

Manchester United shook off the away day problems they've suffered in recent weeks to claim a vital win at Stoke. The Potteries is a tough place to go at the best of times, but when you've developed a knack of conceding goals United would have chosen Stoke as one of the last places to go. Especially when you take into account Gary Neville was lucky to see half-time and Tuncay had seemingly grabbed a point for the home side with a fantastic goal. But thanks to some wonderful improvisation and a goalscorer's finish from new hero Javier Hernandez, they managed to shake that record and claim their first away of the season. It's a huge result for Sir Alex's side and reminds everyone that you can never count out United. Wayne who?

Hull 1 Portsmouth 2: One Hull of a Weekend

The actual football was kind of a side story this weekend, but on that front things are progressing along nicely. A Premier League fixture last year, the Blues were the better side and have seemed to be adjusting to Championship life better. David Nugent added a classy goal to the workrate that has earnt him the praise he's got this season, while Greg Halford showed himself to be a quality addition with a good goal. When Hull got back into it, Pompey did well and maintained composure, closing out a fifth win in six games, a second away win in a row and a third victory on the bounce to boot. Let's just thank God we've still got a football club to support, ay?

Play Up Pompey

And for those with an eye on European football this weekend, undoubtedly one of the top stories was PSV Eindhoven's thumping 10-0 win over Feyenoord, one of the biggest clubs in Holland. Here for you are some of the highlights and all ten goals.

NWR

Where To Wayne?: Rooney's Next Step

So Wayne Rooney does want to leave Manchester United. I'll admit I was one of those who immediately thought 'it's all about money', but the England international's statement does make sense. Manchester United look like a club going in the wrong direction; extraordinary debts, no promises of investment in the squad and on the field, they are falling further behind Chelsea by the week. Now dwarfed in financial standards by neighbours Manchester City, Sir Alex can no longer buy the talent to see United back on top. So Rooney wants out.

Again, after initially calling him a money-grabbing greedy Shrek, I can now see where he is coming from. He wants to win trophies and United are no longer guaranteed to do so; Chelsea should win the league this year and both the FA Cup and the Carling Cup depend on luck; while United's Champions League odds are lengthening by the week. And the departure of their best player isn't going to help that, or convince Sir Alex Ferguson to stick around much longer. But just where does Rooney go?

In what would be one of the most controversial moves the game has seen, Manchester City offers probably the most ambitious route. Billions to spend and an already quality squad, could Rooney go the same way as Carlos Tevez and go to Eastlands, incurring the wrath of all Reds fans? No, is my guess. For one, I think he has more love for United than that and two, I think he's looking for a different challenge. Chelsea remains an option; they could pay his wages, desperately need a younger star to take over their aging legs and if he decides to stay in England, this will be his choice. But in rejecting the biggest contract United have ever offered, Rooney has shown people it's not all about money and this only points in one direction: Spain.

La Liga is fast becoming the league to challenge the Premier League's claim to being the best league in the world. Whereas I don't think it's there yet, it is certainly trying to buy that dominance and Rooney could be the latest import. Barcelona would probably want him (who wouldn't?), but I don't really see him at the Nou Camp. In a squad containing Messi, Villa, Pedro, Bojan and Jeffren, would he get the first-team football he would demand? Meaning one club is left, Real Madrid.

Real would be a good fit for Rooney. With Ronaldo there, Jose Mourinho at the helm and a squad of world-class performers, they are going places and should be up there for it all this season. And no-one can accuse them of lacking the ambition; only Man. City have spent more than them in bridging the gap to Barcelona. I don't think the whole situation is cut and dry; United could still pull out some promises from the bag in a last-ditch attempt to keep their biggest star, but if Rooney does leave, place your bets on the Bernabeu being his destination.

Millwall 0 Portsmouth 1: Huge Win

At a tough place to go for anyone, Pompey's latest win has the potential to be huge. A first away victory since February, a first clean sheet in nine games and one over an old enemy are just a few of the plus points on view at The New Den. Liam Lawrence grabbed his fifth goal in his short time at the club, while Greg Halford made an impressive debut as the Blues covered a mix-and-match defence well. It's the first time in about two years that Pompey fans have had something real to shout about; the squad seems to be gelling well and confidence is flowing, the results have began coming and we are now looking forward to games. I still think we need to concentrate on rebuilding the club, a steady season in the Championship will be a success. But well done lads, it's great to watch the club winning football matches again and long may it continue.

Play Up Pompey

And here's Yuri Zhirkov's goal for Chelsea against Spartak Moscow this week. Quality.

NWR

The Weekend Word - 16th/17th Oct

With an added bit on the pathetic England display, here's the comment on this weekend's sport.

England 0 Montenegro 0: What was that?

I understand we have to give Montenegro their dues. They aren't an easy side to beat, they have good players, have made a quality start to the qualification process and showed at Wembley that they are difficult to beat. But we are England. The country that invented the game, a nation with a selection of top-class players and a supposedly world-class manager. And we looked distinctly average, disgustingly average in a dull and dreary game. Adam Johnson and Ashley Young were okay, but Wayne Rooney looked completely disinterested and the team didn't gel well enough in the slightest. And we can continue to blame the players, a lot of the fault is theirs, but Fabio Capello is making it hard to stick up for him. We should have won this game, and it puts up more questions about his methods of motivation and tactical nous for the English side. Let this blog go on record as saying Harry Redknapp should be England manager, and the sooner the better.

United Blow It: Chelsea in the Driving Seat

The weekend's Premier League games have seen the season's themes continue; Manchester United blew a winning position to draw an 'easy' game and Chelsea maintain their momentum to further push ahead in the title race. West Brom are no mugs but United will be more than upset with the 2-2 draw at Old Trafford, while Chelsea will be happy with a point from the difficult trip to Villa Park. Carlo Ancelotti's men have a belief around them; a strength that sees them grind out results and power past teams. Sir Alex Ferguson's side seem leaderless; Rooney has lost the plot, Ferdinand is constantly injured and even ever-steady Van der Sar dropped a clanger against the Baggies. The Blues must be rubbing their hands.

Commonwealth Games: Shaky start, calls of corruption but a success

There was a lot of criticism leading up to the New Delhi games, and there are investigations into corruption at the tournament since it has ended, but the actual competition itself was a success. When you get down to it, the focus of the Commonwealth Games should always be the performances themselves and they didn't disappoint. England gained gold medals in swimming, archery and diving to name a few, while performed admirably in the many athletics events. India may have stole in at the last to gain second place in the medals table but it doesn't matter; the sheer volume of the Indian crowd as the 4x400m relay team came in for gold, and their continued fanatical support of their athletes throughout each and every sport. And that is what you call a successful games.

Murray Back on Top: Andy Smashes Federer

Andy Murray looked well and truly on form in his overpowering of Roger Federer in the final of the Shanghai Masters. The Scot won in straight sets; 6-3 6-2; and the manner of his victory was very impressive; he broke serve in the first game and scored numerous fantastic winners. In what has been a disappointing year for Murray, capped with an early exit from the US Open, he finally seems to have reached a level of form and can begin to look forward again. He knows how to play and beat the great Federer now; he has eight wins from thirteen matches against the Swiss legend; but the key to success is consistency and overcoming the powerful Rafael Nadal.

No Improvement for Roy: Hodgson & Henry have long road ahead

The latest saviour has come to Anfield after John Henry completed his protracted takeover of the club, but there was no reflection on the pitch. Roy Hodgson's men were lifeless in a deserved 2-0 defeat to Everton; Torres shouldn't have bothered turning up, Gerrard was more interested in kicking the other team and the rest of them formed a blob of mediocrity. Hodgson must realise that pretty soon he will be in an impossible position; this squad could lead the Reds to becoming a mid-table side or even worse. A massive overhaul of the squad is needed if they are to get into Europe this season, and although Hodgson is a very good manager, Liverpool need yet another messiah to get out of this mess.

Portsmouth 3 Watford 2: Comeback Kings

Luck has finally swung back in our favour. After the unluckiest of all starts, Pompey have picked up form and it was evident in an entertaining game against high-flying Watford. The Hornets played well, deserved more than a defeat and possibly more than a point, but there is renewed confidence around Fratton Park. Hayden Mullins' stunner typified that luck, while both Dave Kitson and Michael Brown's goals were a pleasure to witness and sent all Blues fans wild. All this coming from behind shows the improvement in recent weeks. Hopefully, that resurgence continues in the tough trip to Millwall tonight. Also, can the administrators please stop trying to halt this club's progression and do two things; do everything within their power to get us out of administration and let Steve Cotterill sign Greg Halford? Please?

Play Up Pompey

Remember this guy Liverpool fans? Alberto Aquilani shows how it is done for Juventus against Leece this weekend with a cracking goal. Atleast he's only on loan at the moment.

NWR

England Vs Montenegro: The Build-Up

The country's football contingent take their focus off their individual club problems this week and join together for England's problems as we face Montenegro in the latest Euro 2012 qualifier. Pre-match talk has been dominated by the decision to call up Bolton forward Kevin Davies and who will captain the side, but mostly we are looking forward to what should be a win for the Three Lions.

I would be very surprised if Kevin Davies got his first England cap on Tuesday, unless if England are winning with ten minutes to go and the Montenegro fight has gone. This is no insult on the man, I am one of those who think he is a good footballer. Game in, game out, he has put the performances in for Bolton and has began to add more goals to his game in the past few seasons. But his first call-up to the senior squad has come too late for him I'm sorry to say and he is only there due to injuries to Jermain Defoe, Gabriel Agbonlahor and Bobby Zamora, with Emile Heskey retired and Carlton Cole out of form. Don't expect him to stick around like Heskey did.

It has been revealed that Rio Ferdinand will regain the captaincy, after Steven Gerrard took over the role for the previous qualifiers. A diplomatic decision from Fabio Capello, one he probably had to make but I don't agree. Rio is a quality defender and with the absence of John Terry, he is the obvious leader of the backline. But Gerrard is a much better captain for me; leave the defence to do their job and let Gerrard lead the team forward from a central attacking role. That's where he can really hurt teams and if he performs like he can and has done for England recently, it's not a forgone conclusion that Frank Lampard walks back into the side.

Apart from those issues, it seems pretty straight forward. Joe Hart should and will retain his place in goal, in front of a back-four of Glen Johnson, Ferdinand, Lescott (with Terry and Phil Jagielka missing) and Ashley Cole. It's hard to see the midfield changing too much; Gareth Barry, Gerrard and James Milner should retain their spots and there's not a big difference if either Adam Johnson or Ashley Young come into the team. With Darren Bent now out of the squad, Peter Crouch will most likely start upfront with Wayne Rooney. Solid team.

Montenegro can of course not be underestimated. With Mirko Vucinic leading the line, they have genuine quality and as their unbeaten record so far this qualifying campaign shows, they can pose problems for England. But we are also in good form, the build-up to this one has been good and it should result in a win. Fabio Capello got unfairly criticized for the World Cup failure, and he can again see how quickly the British press turn if they don't do well in this one.

Come on England.

NWR

Weekend Word - 9th/10th October

A pretty much football-less weekend, so my comments will have a severe lack of background knowledge, but here goes anyway:

Commonwealth Games

I always forget how entertaining international games can be. I never really think I enjoy them that much, but then every time the Commonwealth Games/European Competitions/Olympics come around, I find myself infected. I've gone very quickly from not really knowing the vast majority of England's athletes to roaring on every one I have the privilege of seeing. We seem to be doing well also, second in the medal's table only to Australia, and that with the fact a lot of our primary competitors have stayed at home. My personal highlight of the events I've seen was 17-year-old Liam Pitchford beating top seed Goa Ning in the table tennis, and eventually winning silver for his country. Immensely entertaining, a bright talent and an enormously enjoyable spectacle.

Liverpool In Trouble: Reds Slip Closer to the A-Word

Recent revelations over the financial state of Liverpool Football Club have been coming thick and fast, with the dreaded A-word being banded about by some sources from within the club. As a football fan, it is a sad demise of a great institution. But from another view, it is brilliantly funny and something that was coming. As a Portsmouth fan, I know well enough how wrong an owner can get it, and to put it simply; Tom Hicks and George Gillett's ownership of Liverpool has been a disaster. It has seen the club fall further away from challenging for the title and now with a real danger of falling out European competition. They won't go into administration, they will probably be saved by a foreign sugar daddy and to be fair, Liverpool deserves to be. And they should keep Roy Hodgson at the helm also.

Back In Contention: Sebastian Still in Picture

Sebastian Vettel is well and truly back in the Formula One championship race again after his victory in Japan. Finishing just ahead of team-mate Mark Webber, Vettel is now level on 206 points with second-placed Fernando Alonso and is just fourteen behind Webber in pole position. On a more downbeat note, it seems Lewis Hamilton's title aspirations are over after finishing fifth in another disappointing race; falling behind Jenson Button due to losing third gear. But Vettel can now heap the pressure on Webber and Alonso with a good race in Korea, and with the young German in good form, you can really see him winning this championship now.

Brighter Mood: What a Difference a Month Can Make

Around a month ago, the season took a break for international games much like it has now. Pompey had lost three of four league games, with the only victories coming in narrow Carling Cup affairs against Stevenage and Crystal Palace. And here we are, just forty-three days later, and it is a much brighter picture on the south coast. Liam Lawrence on top form, two vastly entertaining league wins and encouraging signs of fight up at Middlesbrough. Steve Cotterill is impressing me and with Hermann 'Hermannator' Hreidarsson back at the club, things are definitely looking up for the Blues. Confidence has built for the visit of high-flying Watford, and there is finally the feeling that we can push on.

Play Up Pompey

Don't ever say I don't deal with other sports than football. Admittedly it is mostly the beautiful game, but here's Rhys Priestland of Welsh Rugby Union side Scarlets scoring a brilliant try against Perpignan this weekend.

NWR

NWR

Weekend Word - 2nd/3rd October

Another big sporting weekend and here's my take on events:

Europe regain the Ryder Cup

In an enthralling tournament, Europe came out on top to regain golf's Ryder Cup at Celtic Manor. We saw sunshine and rain as the USA rallied superbly to take it to a nail-biting finish, coming from 9.5 to 6.5 down at the start of play, to 13.5 each with one singles match left to play. And it was left to Graeme McDowell to beat Hunter Mahan in the final tie to seal Europe's fourth trophy in the last five tournaments. Job well done for captain Colin Montgomerie, but American chief Corey Pavin must also be applauded for what was a brilliant four days of entertaining golf. And I'm glad to say my prediction of the trophy returning to the continent came up trumps.

Hodgson on the Line

In one of the most extraordinary results this season will see, lowly old Blackpool went to the mighty Anfield and came away with all three points, leaving Liverpool boss Roy Hodgson under immense pressure. Hodgson came in with a lot of optimism after a dire few years under Rafa Benitez, but has since seen his side make the club's worst start for fifty-seven years with six points from seven matches and been knocked out of the Carling Cup by Northampton. Simply, minus Fernando Torres, Steven Gerrard and Pepe Reina, the side is desperately lacking in real quality and will need investment if Liverpool are ever going to challenge for honours again soon. And special mention to Ian Holloway, who took Blackpool to Anfield, played their own game and came away with a deserved victory. Top man.

Commonwealth Games Begin

The much-criticized New Delhi Commonwealth Games have begun, and it seems that so far, so good. The state of the facilities and the readiness of the games has come into question in recent weeks, but after a pretty but sense-defying opening ceremony, we can hopefully forget about the off-the-track/court/whatever they compete on problems and focus on the games. As this is being written, Australia lead the medal tables with four golds, one of which came in the gymnastics at the expense of England, who claimed silver. Hopefully the first of many medals and also hopefully, that first gold won't be too long in coming.

Middlesbrough 2 Portsmouth 2: Rub of the Green

We are finally getting the luck on the south coast. A couple of weeks ago, we would have crumbled to defeat at the Riverside, but two victories later, there is a renewed confidence around the players. Again, we began well and were the dominant side, but again we found ourselves two-nil down at half-time. But the impressive Liam Lawrence crossed for Nugent to get one back, then after winning a fortunate penalty, Lawrence stepped up to earn the Blues a creditable point. Aaron Mokoena has since admitted he hit out first in the tussle with Barry Robson and we were lucky to get the decision, but we have earned it over the last year or so and the spirit in the camp is clear to see. Next opponents Watford have been in good away form so far this term, but we are confident.

Play Up Pompey

And here's a little added extra, a simply stunning goal from Andrea Pirlo, the winner in AC Milan's victory over Parma over the weekend.

NWR

Here We Go...: Pompey Start to Click

Portsmouth 3 Bristol City 1

Successive victories were key this week for the Blues, and we did it. Another fine performance in another vastly entertaining game, Pompey deserved to beat Bristol City at an electric Fratton Park. With Ashdown keeping us in it until the second half, John Utaka's moment of magic lifted the roof off of Fratton and was a fine strike from someone who is starting to win over his doubters. It wouldn't be Pompey if they didn't concede almost straight after, but Mokoena's thumping header and Mullins' late counter-attacking goal sealed a win that the Blues had earned. The only poor performances came from left-back Dickinson, who is still struggling to keep up with anyone with even the slightest bit of pace, and the referee, who made some very odd decisions. No matter though, Pompey on the up and out of the relegation zone. And once again, the Blues fans showed their class as David James received an amazing reception from the Fratton End, as any club legend should. No hard feelings at the result though, Jamo.

Champions League: It's Coming Home

I might walk down to Ladbrokes now and put a bet on the Champions League coming to an English club this season. Manchester United and Tottenham joined Arsenal and Chelsea in gaining victories to give themselves good respective chances of progressing. Chelsea in particular didn't need to blitz Marseille, while Arsenal and United came away from difficult away ties with all three points. And Tottenham are the early front-runners for the tournament's most entertaining team, with twelve goals scored in four games. And fair-play to Rangers aswell for getting a win. Britain is doing well, especially as you see Real Madrid need a late goal to see off Auxerre and Barcelona drawing with Russian minnows Rubin Kazan. Although there is still a long way to go, and the likes of Inter Milan, Bayern Munich and Lyon to think about, I'm confident England's finest can bring Europe's most prestigious trophy home. If I had to plump for a team, it might finally be Chelsea's year.

The Weekend Word - 25th/26th Sept

As always, here's what has been going on in the wonderful world of sport:

Chelsea unstuck as City show credentials

I think Roberto Mancini is hasty to say his team has no chance of winning the title. They showed in their display against Chelsea that they can mix it with the big boys, hassling and harrying them to grind out a horrible-looking one-nil victory. There is no doubt about the quality and depth of their squad, they are still to hit top-form and Mario Balotelli can be a big hit when he returns from injury. So there is potential there for the Eastlands side to go for the title - the derby's against United will be key. As for Chelsea, Carlo Ancelotti's side have suddenly showed their weaknesses with two defeats in a week. They failed to test City as they can, and the decision to take off Didier Drogba for Daniel Sturridge was an odd one. They are still the team to beat, but will need to improve. It's shaping up to be an interesting season.

Ryder Cup around the corner

The Ryder Cup takes place this week, with the USA and Europe battling it out once again. 2008's tournament saw the Americans take the coveted trophy that the Europeans had held since 2002, so Colin Montgomerie's lads will be eager to get it back. It promises to be an interesting tussle, with Lee Westwood the one to watch for the Europeans. As always, eyes will be on under-fire Tiger Woods, with the US legend in poor form since revelations about his private life last year. He has really struggled to get back to his best since then, and I don't think he will hit top form at Celtic Manor this weekend. Europe for me.

Commonwealth Games: Mockery of the Modern Games

The state of the accommodation for participants at the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi have been inescapable in the news recently, and rightfully so. No disrespect to anyone over there, but in this modern age, the disgusting state of some of the facilities is a joke. We don't know the whole story and the organizers proclaim they are ready, but something isn't right over there. The Indian government has spent over $6billion on the event, which is a ridiculous sum. Admittedly, I'm no expert on the subject but surely that is too high a price for what is just a multi-sport event? It shows the outrageous amounts of money that are poured into sport.

Fernando Perfection, Hamilton Out Again

Fernando Alonso put in an expert performance to win the Singapore Grand Prix this weekend, holding off Sebastian Vettel in an entertaining race to Mark Webber's nearest rival in the driver's championship. It was a spectacular drive from Alonso, but once again Lewis Hamilton crashed out to give himself an uphill struggle for the pole position. He was out after a collision with Webber, and now finds himself twenty points behind the Australian in the chase for the title of World Champion. It might just be too late for the 2008 winner, but don't rule out Spaniard Alonso with just four races left. Bring on Japan.

Pompey: Time to Push On

We've got that all-important first victory under our belts, and now it's time to really push on and climb the table. We are in a false position at the moment, but we need to show the rest of the Championship what we can do. And hopefully that starts tonight with the return of Jamo with Bristol City. The England man will hopefully get the warm welcome he deserves for his time here, where he really was the best keeper in the Premier League at times. But tonight he's hopefully going to be picking the ball out of his net a few times.

Play Up Pompey

NWR

At Long Last: Pompey Finally Do It!!

Sorry for the lack of activity in the past week, Blogspot has been on the fritz along with my internet, but it has been a big seven days. The Weekend Word is on its way, but here's the latest on Pompey:

Portsmouth 1 Leicester 2: Out of the Carling Cup

With the gift of hindsight, this doesn't seem like the worse defeat in the world, but at the time, it was another blow for the beleaguered Blues. Going behind early and two down by half-time, Hughesy being sent off and Nugent well on form (don't worry Nuge, you will redeem yourself), it was all gloom and doom in front of 8,000-odd fans at Fratton Park. The Carling Cup had been a welcome distraction, supplying the only wins so far against Stevenage and Crystal Palace, but Liam Lawrence's late goal was not enough to keep it going. A run in the cup would have been nice, but we would have swapped it for league points against the same side just three days later.

So, moving swiftly on...

Portsmouth 6 Leicester 1: Off The Mark

Everything that went wrong in the Carling Cup went right in the league as Pompey registered their first league win of the season in style. New-boys Lawrence and Kitson got two each, with goals from David Nugent and a quality strike from Michael Brown saw them blitz the side that put them out of the cup just three days earlier, although the Blues were helped by the Foxes' Miguel Vitor being sent off before the half hour. But I don't care. It has been coming and it came without a doubt in front of the Sky cameras, a fantastic performance and for once, Pompey took their chances and got the three points. After the weekend results, it means Pompey are off the bottom of the table and can finally start looking up. Bring on Jamo and the Bristol lads on Tuesday.

Play Up Pompey.

NWR

The Weekend Word - 18th/19th Sept.

Here's what I think about what has happened this weekend:

Chelsea early favourites, but United will push for Berbatop

Carlo Ancelotti's side have cemented their place as the favourites for the Premier League this season, but never write off Manchester United. It seems impossible to stop Drogba, Anelka and Malouda in their current mood, and Blackpool found it difficult this weekend, conceding four first half goals. With Frank Lampard out of the team, they still found that one too easy and are the team to beat this season. But United proved in their entertaining victory over Liverpool that they are always in with a shout. They were much the better side and could have been up by five by half-time, but had to rely on the top-class Dimitar Berbatov to win them the game. Sir Alex Ferguson's side will always be near the top, and never know when to give up, so bet on another tussle between the Red Devils and the Blues for the title.

Cricket In A Mess

The once-honourable and boring sport of cricket has become a cheat-infested chaos in recent weeks because of allegations of match-fixing in matches between England and Pakistan. It seems since the stories broke last month that it has all come rushing out, with a new rumour and more speculation coming everyday. Whatever did happen to the traditional game of cricket? The test against Pakistan has tarnished the game, and the integrity of cricket seems to have been affected by the money pumped in since the Twenty20 boom of the past decade. Although not a new thing within sport and even within cricket, it needs to be sorted out to bring back the reputation the gentleman's sport of cricket deserves.

Boing, Boing, Bang? Baggies To Stop Bouncing?

West Brom got a very good result against Birmingham this weekend, scoring three second half goals to win the match three-one, and I reckon this could be a good year for Roberto Di Matteo's side. The Baggies have held a reputation for fluent attacking football and shaky defence, and to some point that is still the truth. Scott Carson can be a liability and I'm not sure he has a first choice defence set yet, but Jonas Olsson and Nicky Shorey are decent players. Then they have Chris Brunt, Marc-Antoine Fortune, Jerome Thomas and last season's star Graham Dorrans to spearhead a talented attack, and flying new winger Peter Odemwingie has made an instant impact. This could be the year that they lose that 'bouncing Baggies' reputation.

Sheffield United 1 Portsmouth 0: I'm getting tired of this

Once again, Pompey did themselves proud this weekend, going to a difficult Championship ground and performed admirably. We created the more chances and had the bigger domination. But once again, we lost. Ched Evans' free-kick in the 77th minute condemned the Blues to a harsh and undeserved defeat, but a defeat nonetheless. We need to turn our luck around and very quickly, because it's getting very boring losing every game but playing well. I think Cotterill's the man to do it and we have a team capable of much more than we're giving at the moment, but it just needs that one moment of good luck to change our season. Please, please, please let that moment come soon though!

Sacrebleu!: The Demise of the French

A lot can happen in twelve years. Britain was still optimistic about Tony Blair and 'New Labour', The Corrs had the biggest selling album in the UK with 'Talk On Corners' and 'Who Wants to be a Millionaire?' made its TV debut. It was also the year the French Football Team were on top of the world, and it has taken them just twelve years to hit the metaphorical bottom.

In the 1998 World Cup finals, held in their own country, France defied the odds to win the tournament with silky football. Led by the-then best player in the world Zinedine Zidane, the French beat Italy and Croatia before hammering favourites Brazil three-nil in an amazing final. Two years later, they were being crowned the champions of Europe in Rotterdam. Even in 2006, Zidane led an even more unlikely charge to the World Cup final in Germany.

Here in 2010, France has slipped to a record low of 27th in FIFA's World Rankings after a simply disastrous World Cup campaign, followed by defeats to Norway and Belarus. Just how has it gone so wrong?

World Cup 2010 for France descended from ridiculous to laughable, making England's effort look like a serene bliss. Captain Patrice Evra and 'The Incredible Sulk' Nicolas Anelka led

player revolts that saw the entire squad refuse to train for strange manager Raymond Domenech, the fitness coach quit halfway through and a dismal goalless draw with Uruguay was the highlight on the pitch, considering they then lost to Mexico and hosts South Africa. Since then, Domenech has left to cheers from his players, the government has intervened to dissect the goings-on and new manager Laurent Blanc has attempted to refresh the country's football squad. But it's not quite worked.

Domenech has to take most of the blame. His odd management style included selecting players based on their starsigns, and he was never loved by the French despite his success in Germany while at the helm. And how he became the longest-serving manager of the national team in their history I will never know, he majorly outstayed his welcome. Now with promising Blanc at the helm, it should get better.

But there seems to be a bit of a rot in the French squad at the moment. It doesn't matter how much you hate the manager, experienced professionals like Anelka and Evra should be better than what they were in South Africa and deserve the bans they have received since. The likes of Franck Ribery and Karim Benzema haven't turned up for the big games, and don't seem to have the potential to step up to the places now left as the great Zidane and Thierry Henry have left in the French team.

At the end of the day, France is not the 27th best team in world football but deserves that place at the moment. Blanc will sort them out to some degree, but it's up to the players to step up to the mark and improve their country's fortunes. They still have some quality in their ranks; Lassana Diarra, Ribery and Florent Malouda are top players for their clubs and must convert that form to the international stage (don't worry France, us English have the same problem). Next month's double header against Romania and Luxembourg are key.

I suppose then the message of this blog is a hell of a lot can happen in twelve years. I mean, can you remember the names of all The Corrs?

Crystal Palace 4 Portsmouth 1: Oh dear...

Good old Pompey. After an optimistic week and a good performance against Ipswich, we spectacularly capitulate at Selhurst Park to gift one of our divisional rivals a big win. Well it would have been far too easy to have just kept it tight in London now wouldn't it? The defense appeared to have gone missing as James Vaughan tore us apart, while once again good play from the Blues ended with no points in the bag. I'm not the only Pompey fan who's getting tired of the same old story, and it's up to Cotterill to sort the defence out. Rocha needs match practise and to be fair, his partnership with Sonko is still young but the Blues manager needs to get it right before we lose more ground on the rest of the Championship. Atleast Kitson got off the mark, ay?

The Weekend Word

Well it certainly was an interesting sporting weekend, here's my views on the main talking points.

Was Sir Alex Ferguson right to leave Wayne Rooney out?

I think his decision was just about validated. United should have held on for a good victory at Everton; Berbatov has hit form and scored a brilliant third for his side, a goal that should have signalled a win. Any team in the world would miss Rooney, but he would have been a prime target for the Everton fans. As we all know, Wayne is prone to the odd temper tantrum and his off-the-field problems would only have inflamed the situation. It was a disaster waiting to happen, and Sir Alex is experienced enough to know when a player needs to be left and has enough faith in his squad to be able to do that with possibly England's best player. And he got a performance from his team (up until ninety minutes anyway).

Lewis Hamilton's mistake

Lewis, Lewis, Lewis... Inexperience again was key for the former World Champion of Formula One as Lewis Hamilton crashed out of the Italian Grand Prix on the first lap. An eager start, that saw him jump from his starting place of fifth to fourth, became over eager as he tried to overtake Felipe Massa. He clipped the Ferrari driver's car, damaging his front suspension and crashing out of the race at only the second chicane. It's not a fatal mistake to his Championship aspirations, but it has given Mark Webber the momentum heading into the final five races. I'll put my neck out and say Lewis will just about do it, but a good position in Singapore is key.

Nadal Vs Djokovic: Time for Rafael to join the greats

I believe Rafael's time has come. After a difficult time in his career over the past couple of years, he has reached the US Open final for the first time and has the complete set of Grand Slams within his sights. The 24-year-old didn't even drop a set on his way to Flushing Meadows and now has the opportunity to become only the seventh man to win all the major tennis titles. In his way stands Novak Djokovic, who beat the legendary Roger Federer in a brilliant five-set match, and he won't roll over easily. But I can't see Spaniard Nadal losing this one, in simply fantastic form and now with his chance to join the tennis greats. And such a stunning athlete deserves it.

Portsmouth 0 Ipswich 0: Marked Improvement

There was a marked improvement in Pompey this weekend. A solid draw against one of the league's pace-setters is a good result, and it could have been more if we had a bit more luck. Glad to see new-boy Liam Lawrence make an impact, he will be our key player this season, while Dave Kitson, Kanu and Ricardo Rocha also had good games. And get this, we could even rotate with Richard Hughes and Michael Brown given a rest on the bench. Our season is looking up, and the trip tomorrow to Crystal Palace is a good place for us to go for our first league win of the campaign.

Pompey: How Far Can We Go?

The dust is now beginning to settle on the latest in a series of frantic periods in the recent history of Portsmouth Football Club and there is the sparkle of optimism on the horizon. We've fended off the taxman, got to the end of the transfer window with a recognizable squad (just about) and could be coming out of administration very soon. But after a poor start to the season, how far can we think about going this season?

Dave Kitson and Liam Lawrence are very good signings, Premier League class players. Lawrence solves the right-midfield problem, and Kitson is hopefully the goalscorer that we have been searching for; especially if his impressive record at Reading is anything to go by. I, like most Blues fans, was disappointed to see Marc Wilson go, and I think Tommy Smith would have been an important player for us, but the two lads in are quality signings. They should be joined soon by last season's FA Cup hero Ricardo Rocha and the 'King' Nwankwo Kanu, but we still need reinforcement.

Every position would be ideally backed up, but beggars can't be choosers and it seems right-back is Steve Cotterill's preference at the moment. Hayden Mullins has done an okay job there, but is suspect and the addition of either Kyle Naughton or Kyle Walker from Spurs would be ideal. Maybe someone a bit more creative in the centre of midfield, like Jake Livermore of Spurs, Michael Johnson of Manchester City or Henri Lansbury of Arsenal? And maybe some added bodies upfront?

But Cotterill is the most unenviable job in football. He has had to build what he's got on below a shoe-string budget, and hasn't done too badly. The defeat at Preston was the low point, but the fight was there against Coventry, Reading and Cardiff, and a long-running penalties win over Crystal Palace in the Carling Cup was a morale-boosting victory. And that morale will be key.

With a couple of loanees and freebies, Pompey can have a successful season. And a successful season would see the Blues finish around the 15th place mark in the Championship, maybe a tad higher if I'm going with my heart more than my head. There are those who are still championing a quick return to the Premier League, but our club was torn down to the bare bones over the summer and will need to be rebuilt properly this time.

We do have quality in the ranks. I can see the Championship victory we desire coming soon and our form picking up as our additions bed in, and a continuing run in the Carling Cup will do no harm at all. And let's be optimistic. Who knows, as the club to have visited the new Wembley stadium the most besides Chelsea and Manchester United, who could bet against a sixth trip to the home of football?

Play Up Pompey.

NWR

The Beautiful Game

Hi, I'm a 19-year-old Media Studies student and quite possibly my two biggest passions in life are music and football. Elsewhere in the wonderful world of Blogspot you will find my music opinions blog, but here is where you shall find my football blog.

On here I shall talk about a number of things: my beloved Portsmouth Football Club and its many going-ons, events in football in general and stories from the sporting world.

So, enjoy, leave as many hurtful comments as you like and tell all your friends :).

NWR