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1 Everton v Pompey
That was better, wasn't it? Not only was the win at Goodison pretty comprehensive, with excellent displays throughout the team, but there were positive signs that Harry's astute coaching and tactical awareness have arrived at a system that suits the playing personnel currently on our books.
Well - I say 'arrived', but that is a bit of a falsehood, as it's more or less exactly the same system we played in our promotion season six years ago (shit - where does the time disappear?).
It's ironic in a sense that we have come full-circle, as I seem to remember Harry ditching that very system during our first season in the Premier league, after saying it wouldn't work in the top flight!
But it did work on Saturday. And, if you look at the corresponding fixtures last season - where we gained one point from the same three games - we are better off now than we were then. It will be interesting to see the tactics other teams will deploy against it. My guess at Fratton is that most will bung five men in midfield, four at the back, and ask us to break them down.
Bring it on!
I said last week that losing against Man Utd and Chelsea was no disgrace, and that the 'doom and gloom' merchants should hold fire - and I think I was right, though time will tell.
So, what would you call Saturday's formation? I saw some pretty interesting analyses in the Sunday papers - one of which decided that we had been playing a 3-2-3-2 formation!
But I think a simple
They also solved the problem of Sol's fading pace at the same time, allowing Kaboul and Distin to cover for him where necessary on either side.
2 I'm Excited - Again!
A couple of weeks ago I wrote that I wasn't as geed up for this season as I had been in previous years. But the Everton result has got me looking forward to the coming months with a renewed vigour.
Why? Because I think that, playing the
· More exciting, attacking, fast-paced and dynamic football - especially at Fratton - than we have seen for a while
· More goals and fewer 0-0 draws
· More close, 'heart-attack inducing' games where the philosophy might be 'you can score 2, but that's okay cause we'll get 3', kind of thing!
Playing
There are parallels with today here, aren't there? Defoe today, Todorov then. Johnson and Traore today, Taylor then. James today, Shaka then. Big Sol today, Linvoy then.
However, this season I still think we are lacking a man with the creative genius of Merson.
You could argue that Kranjcar is capable of filling that role. I wonder if Harry is thinking of playing Niko in a Merson-type role. It would be very interesting to see him deployed in the centre of a three man midfield, playing in the hole behind Crouchie and Defoe, just up from Diarra and Diop (or Davis) with Johnson and Traore on the flanks.
It might leave us vulnerable to the counter attack, but at home it could also mean fantastic service for our front pair.
3
So, we have drawn Portu-geezers
I think - and stand to be corrected - that they finished third in Portu-geezer's Premier League last season behind Sporting Lisbon and Porto (?). And ahead of Benfica. Which means two things - technically, they will be shit-hot. And that they will be very hard to beat.
The key, with the home leg coming first, will be not to concede and hopefully nick a couple. I doubt
If the atmosphere at Fratton is as special as I am thinking it will be, they also will not have experienced anything like it in
So while they are a side with undoubted pedigree, I think Harry's troops have a wonderful chance of progressing.
I certainly hope I do, as fate has played its part and I am away working on the 17th and 18th September. In
4 Transfer Window Drama
I have just invested in a brand new laptop. One of those expensive bastards from Apple (I'm trying to teach myself to be a mag designer, you see, and also I need something with a bit of power that's capable of publishing and running a couple of websites).
So I was up late last night fiddling with the thing, updating myself as to transfer window news as and when it happened.
And I can't help but think that the
The astounding transfer of Robinho to City for a mind-boggling 32.5 million quid, depending on who you believe, is not great news for clubs like Pompey.
Okay, we will get to see another world-class player at Fratton. But this kind of takeover puts yet another club in a league way above Sacha's spending power.
And I can only see this trend continuing, as other multi-billionaires look to invest in clubs that already have a sound infrastructure, stadium, and large fan base. And I don't think Pompey fall into those categories.
Think about it for a second. Sacha has done brilliantly for us, and as rich as he is, he can't keep forking out 11 million for the likes of Crouch without having to balance the books.
The likes of
Add Spurs to that list and increased spending this summer from the likes of
Harry's assertion at the start of August that this season was going to be harder than ever was spot-on. It is. The bar is being raised all the time in the Premier League. More clubs are investing more, and Pompey need to invest more simply to compete. And that is hard without the deep pockets of a benefactor like Sacha.
There is only so far a club with a ground capacity of 20,000 can go here.
Although Pompey's infrastructure and business model has improved dramatically over the last few years, we still lack a big stadium and the associated extra income that comes from it. And, when Sacha decides to go, who is going to want to take over a project that big in the current global economic climate?
Ach, I don't know why I worry about things like this. Pompey fans have never had it so good. We're playing at a high standard in the best league in the world, and we're in
But then again, for all our passion, Pompey fans are also among the most cynical and pessimistic of supporters.
I would be happy with another top 10 finish this season and the group stage of the UEFA Cup. To ask for any more would be just a little too much - though, of course, I would take it if it came along…