Neville Dalton is a journalist with the BBC News website and a
Halfway through the close season; new fixtures are out, and still no new signings at
Time to get worried?
No, as the editor of this site has pointed out elsewhere, there's still plenty of time – and with clubs likely to try it on with Harry having more cash to splash (we're told), it's probably more important than ever that Pompey negotiate well and try to make sure they get value for money.
On the other hand, if we're still playing with last season's squad (minus the departures) as we enter July (and the onset of pre-season training), I might just start biting my nails.
I don't plan to get bogged down with the individuals Pompey are being linked with because at this stage they're nothing more than speculation.*
We will all have our opinions, of course, but if we're honest, we won't have seen enough – if anything – of some of them to make decent judgments and decide whether they're right for Pompey.
What is clear is that – despite the tremendous finale to last season and the undoubted quality of many of those that Harry has brought in – we'll need more quality and strength in depth if we are to avoid another season like the last.
Pompey survived by the skin of their teeth thanks to the sort of run that we don't enjoy that often (although admittedly we had an almost identical one two years earlier!), and on the back of the confidence and momentum that one or two last-gasp winners tend to produce.
On our day, I reckon we could beat anyone in the Premiership, but we can't rely on that core of a dozen or so players to maintain that sort of level of performance (and to some extent fortune) over a whole season.
But conversely, a host of new players – even big names – don't guarantee anything, either.
A few months ago, as Pompey embarked on that run, I wrote about the capriciousness of hope and expectation.
A season of consolidation and we're looking towards mid-table; bring in a new manager, sign a few players and the bar is raised.
Bring back Harry, give him some cash and suddenly people are talking about
It's good to set high standards – and judging by the last couple of months of last season, Pompey may realise them.
But neither Harry nor money (or the two together) means success will necessarily follow.
What happens if the players fail to gel? Or by the time they do, we're falling adrift of the safety pack?
What if he's signed too many Boogers and not enough Berkovics?
Does
Do we need someone new to turn the tide if we're heading for relegation, and risk going through the annual regeneration of a club in turmoil?
(I reckon that unless Harry is caught with his hand in Sacha's wallet (or something), we must resist that temptation and try instead to build the stability we've been so obviously missing).
Logic suggests that after the way he got the team playing towards the end of last season – and with the quality of the likes of Gary O'Neil and Pedro Mendes, Brian Priske and the under-rated Benjani Mwaruwari - none of the above should be a consideration anyway.
All I'm saying is yes, be optimistic. But let's not fall into that trap of setting ourselves – and Pompey – up for a big fall.
Don't let expectation rocket so high that we all have further to fall if it all goes Emile Heskey (*oops!).
Record breakers
On the subject of big-money moves, have you noticed that our record transfer fee is beginning to soar exponentially – one minute £1m; next £2m; then £4m. Now we're being linked with deals that would double or treble our record outlay.
At the risk of sounding cautious (again), don't hold your breath and expect world-beating performances.
Just as Harry is just as likely to find a jewel in football's equivalent of Ratner's as at Cartier, Pompey are just as likely to find their star player is a bargain buy rather than a record purchase.
Take a look at some of our record (or most costly) signings over the years: Peter Marinello; Paul Went; Rory Allen; Lee Mills; Andy O'Brien, Yoshi Kawaguchi…
Were they better than Kevin Dillon, Guy Whittingham, Darren Anderton, Kit Symons, Alan Knight, or Matt Taylor?