A while ago I typed an article prompting Pompey fans to tell me what they would do if they were the Pompey manager. I managed a grand total of three responses... I must be very popular indeed!
So here they are, they're all pretty different and give some useful insight on the thoughts of the fans themselves.
Paul
Formation: 3-5-2
Team:
GK: Ashdown
CB: Primus
CB: O'Brien
CB: Pamarot
LM: Taylor
CM: Davis
CM: Hughes
CM: O'Neil
RM: Routledge
ST: Lua Lua
ST: Karadas
Paul didn't give any further comments about his team selection but there are a few interesting choices in that line-up. Jamie Ashdown over Dean Kiely being one of them. I know that quite a few Pompey fans rate Ashdown and personally when Kiely was brought in I thought there were other more important positions to be strengthened. However "Deano" has had a pretty decent spell in the team with some great saves to counter the occasional bad communication or distribution.
The five in midfield is something that has been tried before, because of the players we had brought in it looked as if Harry wanted to play a 3-5-2 with a midfield similar to Pauls selection but with Mendes replacing Hughes. Up front Paul has picked Karadas to partner Lua Lua. Though this choice might be because of Karadas' late equaliser against Bolton was still fresh in the mind I think that Azar has done alright whenever he's been played this year and looks more like a player than the donkey many Pompey fans portrayed him at the start of the season.
Rick
Formation: 3-5-2
Team:
GK: Ashdown (Out of Loyalty, always responded)
CB: Primus
CB: Stefanovic
CB: O'Brien
LM: Taylor
CM: D'Alessandro
CM: Davis
CM: O'Neil
RM: Routledge
ST: Lua Lua
ST: Todorov
Bench: Kiely, Griffin, Hughes, Mendes, Benjani
Comments:
I'd loveGary
winger, Taylor is better attacking than defending (still),Davis
stopper, love to play Hughsie as well but we need some forward passing in
the team.
D'Alessandro rather than Mendes - can''t think of a good reason why -
there seems to be a lot more to come from D'Ale. I''d play Toddy with Lua
Lua as Toddy provides a good foil and he has scored a good number of goals
for us - nothing to prove (except returning to former glory)
It seems general opinion among Pompey supporters that Gary O'Neil should be playing in a central role rather than out on the right. He seems to be a far more influential player when he's in the middle. Again five midfielders are chosen, this would accomodate O'Neil in the centre and also utilise the strength-in-depth we have in that area. Toddy up front with Lua Lua also seems to be the first choice partnership among the Fratton Faithful.
Gareth
Formation: 4-4-2
Team:
GK: Kiely
LB: Taylor
CB: O'Brien
CB: Primus
RB: Priske
LM: Routledge
CM: Mendes
CM: O'Neil
RM: Lua Lua
ST: Benjani
ST: Todorov
Comments:
There is one big stinking problem surrounding the club I love at the moment...and that is the attitude of some of our so called ''fans''. Is booing the manager, or chanting for players that aren't in the squad the right way to bring about the miracle we need to stay up?....no. I agree that Toddy should be playing and that O''Neil is best in the middle, but whinging during a game is hardly the best way to inspire the lads is it?! Regardless of your own personal opinion we should all be getting behind Harry and the lads 110% between now and the end of the season - if we do go down that''s the time for Sacha to make his own mark and appoint who he wants...but not before. Lets stop the "I hate the Scum more than I care about Pompey" idiots from ruining what little chance we have left to save our season - let the chimes ring true!!!
I think Gareth has grasped the whole point of this article (well, the one that asked Pompey fans to be the manager). The bottom line is that you can want Redknapp out all you want but the facts are that he is the manager, he is the one in charge of the team and therefore he is the one charged with keeping us in the Premier League. The best we can do is cheer on the team that Harry puts out and not call for players to be subbed, but encourage them to do even better. They need our support more than ever now so let's not turn our backs on the players not performing well, at least when they're on the pitch anyway. If the players know that we back them until the very end then they will have more motivation for the mountainous task ahead.
Paul didn't give any further comments about his team selection but there are a few interesting choices in that line-up. Jamie Ashdown over Dean Kiely being one of them. I know that quite a few Pompey fans rate Ashdown and personally when Kiely was brought in I thought there were other more important positions to be strengthened. However "Deano" has had a pretty decent spell in the team with some great saves to counter the occasional bad communication or distribution.
The five in midfield is something that has been tried before, because of the players we had brought in it looked as if Harry wanted to play a 3-5-2 with a midfield similar to Pauls selection but with Mendes replacing Hughes. Up front Paul has picked Karadas to partner Lua Lua. Though this choice might be because of Karadas' late equaliser against Bolton was still fresh in the mind I think that Azar has done alright whenever he's been played this year and looks more like a player than the donkey many Pompey fans portrayed him at the start of the season.
Rick
Formation: 3-5-2
Team:
GK: Ashdown (Out of Loyalty, always responded)
CB: Primus
CB: Stefanovic
CB: O'Brien
LM: Taylor
CM: D'Alessandro
CM: Davis
CM: O'Neil
RM: Routledge
ST: Lua Lua
ST: Todorov
Bench: Kiely, Griffin, Hughes, Mendes, Benjani
Comments:
I'd love
winger, Taylor is better attacking than defending (still),
stopper, love to play Hughsie as well but we need some forward passing in
the team.
D'Alessandro rather than Mendes - can''t think of a good reason why -
there seems to be a lot more to come from D'Ale. I''d play Toddy with Lua
Lua as Toddy provides a good foil and he has scored a good number of goals
for us - nothing to prove (except returning to former glory)
Gareth
Formation: 4-4-2
Team:
GK: Kiely
LB: Taylor
CB: O'Brien
CB: Primus
RB: Priske
LM: Routledge
CM: Mendes
CM: O'Neil
RM: Lua Lua
ST: Benjani
ST: Todorov
Comments:
There is one big stinking problem surrounding the club I love at the moment...and that is the attitude of some of our so called ''fans''. Is booing the manager, or chanting for players that aren't in the squad the right way to bring about the miracle we need to stay up?....no. I agree that Toddy should be playing and that O''Neil is best in the middle, but whinging during a game is hardly the best way to inspire the lads is it?! Regardless of your own personal opinion we should all be getting behind Harry and the lads 110% between now and the end of the season - if we do go down that''s the time for Sacha to make his own mark and appoint who he wants...but not before. Lets stop the "I hate the Scum more than I care about Pompey" idiots from ruining what little chance we have left to save our season - let the chimes ring true!!!