Well thats all true but football is full og games where one team should of won convincingly and ended up on the wrong end of a result. Already this season Scotland beat France and Wycombe beat was it West ham or Charlton last season Celtic losing to Clyde. All you need is belief and maybe a break or two. I bet Harry Redknapp is telling the players not to dwell on the past and instead focus on making history.
Man Utd won in an evenly ballanced match. Utd went out to win Pompey went out to draw and hit Utd on the counter.
Despite the BBCs obvious hero worship Rooney was not as good today as they said he was, he was good but he didn't win the match single handedly. Her was slightly more alert than the Pompey Defense, who has spent the majority of the game worked to exhaustion, and got the goals because it.
The BBC gave Rooney the man of the match award despite the fact that he was only on for the last twenty odd minutes.
Campbell had a great game the commentators said so, the pundits said so and yet Rooney, who was not on for even half the time Campbell was, gets man of the match.
In a typical showing of BBC biased they began the end of the Match summarising by saying something basically along the lines of "we could talk about Pompeys good defensive display but in stead we'll talk about Rooney." I turn it off at that point.
Let me just clarify this, I am not mad that we lost, I am happy with Pompeys performace, I am angry because the BBC chose to praise Utds relatively mediocre performance by their standards ((baring in mind they normally rip Pompey apart at Old Trafford)) and praise Rooney for his performance in stead of saying how well Pompey did to last as long as they did without conceeding a goal.
I mean I know BBC hate Portsmouth and prefer Southampton to us but for pity sake show a little decency and actually give credit where credit is due for once.
I mean this could have been a really bad game which Utd only won by nicking a goal in the dying moments of the game and you could garantee that the BBC pundits would say what a great game Utd had.
Show some impartiality for once!!!!!!
"there's only one way to win a war: shout, shout, and shout again!" - The Duke of Wellington ((Blackadder - Stephen Fry))
Harry Redknapp has been charged with using abusive and/or insulting words towards a match official by the Football Association following Portsmouth's 2-1 win over Manchester City on Saturday.
The Pompey chief was enraged by Joey Barton's challenge on his player Pedro Mendes, which saw the Portuguese midfielder leave the field on a stretcher.
His protestations saw him sent to the stands for the second half of the clash at Fratton Park, with referee Mike Dean banishing him from the touchline.
Mendes left the ground on crutches and taking pain-killers and will now have to wait on the results of a scan on his torn heel, which did appear to be stamped on by Barton.
Controversy involving Barton did not stop with his challenge on Mendes, with the oft in the news City midfielder having also been accused by Portsmouth chief steward Dave Smith of making 'a couple of abusive hand gestures'.
Manchester City officials have since come out to defend their player over any such accusations and Hampshire Police have also stressed that they will not be launching an investigation into the incident.
There is, though, still the threat of intervention from The FA but English football's ruling body have now confirmed that they will wait until they have received Dean's report before deciding on whether action needs to be taken
"there's only one way to win a war: shout, shout, and shout again!" - The Duke of Wellington ((Blackadder - Stephen Fry))
I got to see Porty play for the second time this year vs Blackburn. Midfield was dominated by Rovers mostly due to lackluster play by the entire Portsmouth midfield. I have been shocked by how well Rovers back line have performed recently, both vs Porty and especially Arsenal. At highbury they sat back and let Arsenal attack, not giving up a serious scoring chance till the 82nd minute. A week ago I wouldve ranked the Rovers back 4 among the worst in the EPL, what gives.
Pompey are running out of steam at the moment having being playing at a very high standard for most of the season and with Pedro Mendes out for most of the season now I believe that we will struggle.
"there's only one way to win a war: shout, shout, and shout again!" - The Duke of Wellington ((Blackadder - Stephen Fry))
The final match of the season for Pompey was dominated by Graeme Poll who gave a penalty ((which was saved by James)) to Arsenal which is in doubt and diss-allowed a Pompey goal after a number of Arsenal players complained after he had already given the goal.
Because of Graeme Polls dicisions Pompey now miss out on Europe.
"there's only one way to win a war: shout, shout, and shout again!" - The Duke of Wellington ((Blackadder - Stephen Fry))
Totally ruined my day. Why the bloody hell is Harry Redknapp selling Gary O'Niel?! And to Middlesborough?! Why is Gary even considering leaving Portsmouth for a team that is hardly any bigger than we are?!
I understand the need to raise fund but really is is worth seeling one of our best young midfielders for less than he's worth just to attempt to bring in some striker? And to top that off selling him to team that is of similar or smaller stature than we are when even Liverpool had interest in him.
Redknapp will regret selling O'Niel if the deal goes through and O'Niel will regret going to Boro. If we get any sort of injury crisis down the right then Redknapp will wish he hadn't sold O'Niel, as we are not strong enough in squad depth to cope with that, and O'Niel will regret going to play for Boro, a team that never get any further than mid-table in the leauge and have only won one title in their entire history. I doubt whether Gary will enjoy living in the mediocre obscurity of Middlebrorough.
What's more is that this comes after Harry publicly said he wouldn't be selling O'Niel. Is it impossible for Harry Redknapp to tell the truth or what?!
What happend to "I've never offered Gary O'Neil to anybody. It's nonsense. Nor Matty Taylor. They are two lads who are here. I want to keep two of my best players."?!
"there's only one way to win a war: shout, shout, and shout again!" - The Duke of Wellington ((Blackadder - Stephen Fry))
It's close to being sorted now and to replace this right-sided midfielder we have brought in a central midfielder, Papa Bouba Diop. We are still too short on squad depth in the right-sided midfield position so bringing in Diop make no real difference, also we have Pedro Mendes, Sulley Muntari, Sean Davis and Niko Krancjar so I fail to see why Diop was signed at all.
If O'Neil has chosen to leave through his own personal decisions then I would be dissapointed to lose him but would accept it, so long as he doesn't bad mouth the club after leave ((like Yakubu did)) but if, as seems likely, he is being forced out of the Club by the manager then I will be very annoyed.
He has never said anything about being unsettled at Pompey and seemed quite happy to play for us for a good few more years but suddenly Redknapp decided he wants to sign more player for positions he already has more than enough good players for and we lose O'Neil to an underachieving, underperforming third-rate teeside club!!!
I was of the impression that funds were being raised to try and sign a striker as Redknapp said that was the position we needed to strengthen, in stead we have sold one of our best young midfielders, one who can play both right and central midfield, and brought in a central midfielder that we dont need!!!
I fail to see the logic in this decision.
"there's only one way to win a war: shout, shout, and shout again!" - The Duke of Wellington ((Blackadder - Stephen Fry))
Benjani struck a hat-trick as Pompey won an incredible game at Fratton Park.
Two Benjani strikes had the home side cruising before Stephen Hunt struck on the stroke of half time and David James then gifted Dave Kitson an equaliser.
But Hermann Hreidarsson restored the lead before James atoned for his error by keeping out a Nicky Shorey penalty.
Benjani restored the two-goal lead and Niko Kranjcar, Sean Davis and Sulley Muntari sealed victory, with Shane Long and Shorey responding late on.
All the pre-match signs pointed to a home win, with Pompey unbeaten at Fratton Park this season and the Royals yet to win on the road and without a win over Portsmouth in 10 years.
Immediately that streak looked set to be extended as Pompey opened the scoring after only seven minutes.
Benjani, replacing the injured Kanu up front, started and finished the move, winning possession off James Harper on half-way and then spreading the ball wide to Muntari on the left.
Muntari's return to the far post was pin-point, giving Benjani the chance to arrive behind Ivar Ingimarsson and leap acrobatically to turn the ball home unchallenged.
Reading keeper Marcus Hahnemann needed to get down low to turn a low Papa Bouba Diop skidder round his post 10 minutes before half time, but there was no reaching Benjani's second effort just three minutes later.
It was a fine individual strike from the Zimbabwean, who was invited to run by Diop's pass and cut in from the right wing before stepping back inside Ingimarsson and fizzing a shot past Michael Duberry and beyond the reach of keeper Hahnemann.
But Reading's American goalkeeper then produced a miraculous save to prevent the home side from moving out of sight.
Benjani headed John Utaka's deep centre back across goal and into the path of full-back Glen Johnson, who appeared to have the simplest of tap-ins, only to see Hahnemann extend an arm and flick the ball over the bar.
Even then, the home side might have had a third following the resulting corner, but Sean Davis drilled over as the Reading defence stood and watched.
It was a let-off for Reading, who were being totally outplayed, prompting manager Steve Coppell to come down from the stands and on to the touchline.
Whatever he said, it appeared to do the trick as the Royals pushed forward in search of a lifeline before half-time.
It came courtesy of Stephen Hunt's close-range header after Liam Rosenior's left-foot shot appeared to have crossed the goal-line on the stroke of half-time.
Whoever eventually claims the goal, the single-goal deficit flattered the visitors at the break and they started the second half like a side that had been let off the hook, before a howler from David James gifted them the chance of parity which Kitson took with some style.
James inexplicably raced from his goal as Kitson battled Sol Campbell in the right-back position, and a neat first touch from the striker gave him the chance to crash a left-foot shot into the unguarded net from 20 yards.
But, having got back on level terms, Reading then handed the initiative back to the home side.
Defender Hermann Hreidarsson raced forward to outjump the struggling Brynjar Gunnarsson and reach Sylvain Distin's left-foot cross, flicking home a header as Hahnemann was left grasping at thin air.
Still Reading refused to lie down though and, 20 minutes from time they were gifted another route back by the home side.
This time it was Diop who erred, sticking out an arm to parry Kitson's attempted pass right under the nose of referee Mark Halsey. Shorey's resulting spot-kick was struck firmly, but was superbly kept out by James who guessed right to atone for his earlier error.
Benjani made certain of victory as he completed his hat-trick five minutes later.
The hapless Gunnarsson was again at fault, losing possession on the half-way line to Muntari, who played Benjani clear and watched in delight as the striker rounded Hahnemann and rolled the ball into an empty net.
Another Gunnarsson fluff saw the Icelandic midfielder hack a clearance straight to Davis, whose far-post cross was bundled home by Kranjcar.
Reading responded again, James Harper's left-foot volley deflecting in off substitute Shane Long, who appeared to be in an offside position, but Muntari struck again from the spot in injury time before Shorey's deflected effort flew in for the 11th goal of a remarkable game.
The tally set a new Premiership record for the most aggregate goals scored in a single match.
"there's only one way to win a war: shout, shout, and shout again!" - The Duke of Wellington ((Blackadder - Stephen Fry))
01-08-2007 09:10 PM
Totally ruined my day. Why the bloody hell is Harry Redknapp selling Gary O'Niel?! And to Middlesborough?! Why is Gary even considering leaving Portsmouth for a team that is hardly any bigger than we are?!
