Portsmouth announces roster ahead of D.C. United friendly

Portsmouth announces roster ahead of D.C. United friendly

Sad, sad state of affairs when Pompey's marquee names are...

Danny Webber, David Nugent, Michael Brown, Tommy Smith, and wait for it...

Marc Wilson.

Toot toot!

Like a broken clock, even your intrepid bloggers are right once in a while.

How many times does it happen that clubs face each other in consecutive Cup and League matches? Mark my words, Pompey will win this weekend, but Birmingham will beat them in the League come Tuesday. Their respective priorities are SO different right now.

Punch-up at Portsmouth

O'Hara turning the other cheek, but that was then.

Portsmouth's troubles boiled over on to the training ground on Monday when a practice match erupted into fisticuffs between midfielders Michael Brown and Jamie O'Hara.

With the cash-strapped club's future hanging in the balance this week, the tension was palpable at their Eastleigh training complex and Brown was making his presence known with over-zealous tackles.

But when he jumped in on O'Hara, the Tottenham loanee punched Brown to the ground. Team-mates rushed to break up the melee, with Brown coming off worst with a black eye.

One player said: 'It was all over pretty quickly. Brown had been flying in with a few challenges and he just caught O'Hara with a nasty one. It was a possible leg-breaker. O'Hara just snapped and punched him. He didn't take any messing.'

I came across this story while trying to find any evidence that O'Hara, and the other Pompey loanees, would have to go back to their parent clubs if Pompey do go into administration at the end of this week. Pompey play @Burnley and are reasonably attractive fantasy picks.  I've only found speculation about the loanee issue, nothing definitive.  However, it does sound like the tension is high on the South Coast.  Perhaps backing Burnley (Jensen, Eagles, Fletcher, etc) is the way to play it this weekend.

Early News on the Double Doors

Wait for me over there, over by the Humber Bridge.

Which is my two-clever by half (get it, two?) way of introducing some important team news regarding our friends with two-matches this week. Wow... never post before you've had your coffee.

O'Hara returns to Pompey

Tottenham midfielder Jamie O'Hara has joined Portsmouth on loan until the end of the season...

The 23-year-old briefly returned to White Hart Lane earlier this month when his loan deal expired but has been persuaded to return to Fratton Park by Pompey boss Avram Grant.

Ancelotti set to rest star pair

It is a measure of Carlo Ancelotti's confidence that he is prepared to travel to Burnley without star strikers Didier Drogba and Salomon Kalou.

The Ivory Coast pair have returned from African Nations Cup duty but will not be considered for the Barclays Premier League game at Turf Moor.

The Italian coach wants to give them more time to recover from their return journey from Angola and insisted the Burnley game has arrived too early for them.

"Didier and Kalou came back [on Thursday] and they are well and fit," said Ancelotti. "But they need to work for some days and so will not able to play. They will play on Tuesday against Hull.

"Didier will stay here to train. He has come back very well, also Kalou. They are fit but we don't want to take the risk for the next games."

Barn Door Update

As you are working on your team, keep in mind that Chelsea (@Burnley, @Hull), Hull (Wolves, Chelsea), Fulham (Aston Villa, Portsmouth) and Portsmouth (@Manchester City, @Fulham) SHOULD be two-gamers.

However, Wolves and West Ham are NOT two-gamers as Wolves now have an FA Cup replay against Crystal Palace.

Dig For Victory

Calling all Pompey fans – we need your help to clear Fratton Park of snow and ice to give us the best chance of staging Saturday's Premier League game against Birmingham City...

Bring a shovel/spade and even a broom and wheelbarrow if you have them. Walkways, stairs and the pitch edge all need clearing.

Everyone who turns up to help out will be given two free tickets for the Birmingham game as thanks.

So there's your first match in jeopardy of cancellation this weekend.

Update:

Thanks to the efforts of more than 500 Pompey fans, the Blues have every chance of staging their Premier League fixture against Birmingham City on Saturday.

Not only going down but shutting down

HM Revenue and Customs have issued a winding-up petition on Portsmouth football club over unpaid taxes, according to the BBC.

It is understood that the order was presented on December 23 with Pompey set for a court hearing in February.

Bottom of the Premier League, Portsmouth have suffered severe financial problems in the past year, with players receiving wages late twice this season and a transfer embargo ordered after they failed to make payments to other clubs for transfers

This is terrible preparation for their meeting with Arsenal today but it quite literally puts the club's future in jeapordy. If they go down, and only one club bottom at Xmas have survived, they'll be finished. It could even be a worse situation than neighbors Southampton have suffered through. And though they have a run in the top-flight and an FA Cup trophy to show for it, I wonder if their fans think it will be worth it. 'Arry certainly knew when to jump ship, didn't he? 

I'll be interested in Neal's take on this.  The nexus of business and football is his speciality.

In more immediate news, today's match will be the last for their African contingent - Yebda, Belhadj, Kanu, Utaka, Diop, and possibly Dindane. However, they will be missing O'Hara as he picked up his fifth yellow in the West Ham match. 

It all points to severe hiding from the Gunners, even without Fabregas.  I know a lot of us have bet our fantasy week on Arsenal - some more than others - and today could be the big pay off.

Monday Morning Manager

The Manager would like to apologize for the relative lack of blogging. He's been scouring YouTube looking for new talent to sign. Well, actually he's just been stuck at work for 12 to 14 hours a day. But with tonight at home to catch up on football (and soon, sleep) we'd like to give you the first part of the weekend review early. So here is a look at Saturday's Premier League matches, after the jump.

Bassong given all-clear

Tottenham defender Sebastien Bassong has been given the all-clear by a head and neck specialist after suffering concussion during yesterday's 3-0 defeat at Chelsea.

Which is great news for Spurs as he's their only fit specialist at center back (with Corluka as the jack of all defensive trades). It's also gold for fantasy managers as Spurs have a nice run of games and Bassong is cheap again after the mauling Spurs got from Chelsea. I also found this interesting:

Redknapp has already confirmed that Portsmouth loanee Jamie O'Hara will return to Tottenham in January.

"We will definitely get Jamie back as soon as we can," Redknapp said.

"I like Jamie as a player and I didn't want him to go but Portsmouth insisted on it as part of the deal to sell Kevin-Prince Boateng to them so we had no choice."

Interesting behind the scenes look as Spurs had to loan O'Hara out for Pompey to take KPB. That's crazy talk! Though to be fair KPB has looked dangerous for Pompey. However, it is O'Hara who is the class of that side and they'll have to spend big petro-dollars(euros?) to replace him in January.

Matchday Open Thread

My apologies today - I'm not going to be able to host our live chat due to the presence of my in-laws and the need to spend time with them while they are here. As neither of them are big footie fans, that lends itself more to brunch and the like as opposed to sitting in front of the big TV, watching whatever match is on, and them being curious about what it is I'm doing on these here Internets.

Enjoy the international break and check in frequently with the blog for all the news and opinions you'll need to get ready for the next match-week.

Oh, and by the way, Rooney getting 8 little points in a ManYoo win was about the worst possible outcome from yesterday. One final note, one of our loyal readers/chatters (I don't remember who) pointed out that Jamie O'Hara (on loan from Pompey to Spurs Spurs to Pompey) is likely a great bargain for next week. Worth watching today or at least checking stats to see what positions they put him in (i.e., does he take kicks, does he start).

Enjoy the rest of the weekend...

Neal

Portsmouth Season Preview

Pompey are a team on the up. They've the perfect manager in 'arry who will get the most out of a club with limited means. They've got lots of young talent to build around including Crouch, Defoe, Muntari, Diarra, and Glen Johnson.

Wait... what? All those players are gone? 'arry is at Spurs? And all this while the club is being sold from one billionaire to an even richer billionaire? It beggars belief, doesn't it? But Pompey are a club in a real death spiral at the moment. Their squad is thin, their financial future is murky and they are shelling players left and right. The squad looks old (James, Distin, Kanu, Finnan) and thin. Defensively they'll likely be combative but found wanting for pace and concentration. In attack they'll be relying heavily on Piquionne, who is utterly untested at this level, and the likes of Utaka and Nugent who haven't shown anything in past seasons. Krancjar is the one talent they have, but the odds of him being at the club beyond the January transfer window are shrinking.

All in all, Pompey look to be this year's Newcastle - a crisis club that find themselves firmly in the relegation picture. And far from fantasy managers minds... save for trying to own the opposition players.

Possible Starting XI: James, Kaboul, Wilson, Distin, Hreidarsson, Nugent, Diop, Mokoena, Belhadj, Kranjcar, Piquionne

Players to Watch:

John Utaka - What happened to the Utaka from his first few weeks? Was he just a mirage? Certainly could be.  That said, I wasn't just impressed based on the first eight weeks of fantasy statistics - I watched a few of those games and he genuinely looked impressive.  Since that time, he has been played out of position (he's a striker, not a right wing) and been injured.  Why do we even bring this up?  Because with all of the talent heading out the door, it appears that Utaka will be deployed as a starting flanking attacker in a 4-3-3 on the right side of Frederic Piquionne with Kranjcar on the left of the attacking three.  Could be a chance for Utaka to re-discover his initial form.  No guarantees mind you but something worth thinking about if you're looking for a bargain because at least there's some precedent.  That said, based on his pre-season debut, you might want to go with Piquionne who scored two in his first outting for the club.

Nico Krancjar - I've honestly never been that impressed.  He has some skill but he never really seems to live up to the hype.  Coming in just over 10, I'd stay away.  Throw in the lack of talent surrounding him, I'd stay even farther away.

Steve Finnan - You know those situations where someone has a strong brand name but there is little to no chance of the reality living up to what you'd hope for from that brand name? Think seeing a supermodel in her 40s or a 2000s vintage "muscle car" from Detroit - you have fond memories of both in your mind (either from your past or people telling you about them when they were great) but they've long since worn out their welcome.  Steve Finnan in his Pompey incarnation is the same thing.  You'll see him and think - "sounds promising" and you'll be wrong.  He was never that great a fantasy player and that's when he was getting the benefit of clean sheets that Liverpool provided.  Hard to picture this Pompey team doing anything other than struggling against relegation all season.

Premier League Round-Up

Join me as I check in with what has been happening in and around the English Premier League over the last week.

Elano seals Gala switch
Bojinov set for Parma move
Two less bodies to choose from.

Petrov fitness a worry for Villa

Aston Villa are sweating over the fitness of their Player Of The Year Stiliyan Petrov who suffered a dislocated shoulder during the Peace Cup clash with Atlante...

The midlands club expect to find out in the next 48 hours the extent of Petrov's setback and O'Neill told Aston Villa TV: "Stiliyan dislocated his shoulder and our doctor put it back in immediately."

He added: "He is feeling a little better but we don't know just at this moment how much damage he has done. It was obviously the low point of the night.

"But we don't know the extent of the problem. We will find out over the next couple of days to see how it settles down. We just don't know. But it is a concern to us."

This could be a chance for Steve Sidwell, at a bargain 4.88, albeit with only the single game in week one.

Countdown: Sunderland
Looking at that team... I just don't know.  They certainly have the potential to be safe this season.  And there are enough clubs with less that they could be comfortably mid-table.  But they are going to have to be much more solid at the back because they won't get much defensive help from the midfield, other than Cana who will take the customary time to settle.  And up front they'll need Jones to stay healthy and gel with Campbell (or whomever ends up in that spot).  I remember reading that KJ and Cisse hardly spoke to each other and in one particular match only passed to each other twice.  Campbell has potential (and is CHEAP at 4.16) and if they can form a partnership they can take advantage of what BFAReid, KRich and Steed can create.  And everything I just wrote about Campbell, apply to Bent.  Save for the price tag, which to be honest is the best part.

Speaking of Bent, I can't believe Marcus Bent is back in the Premier League.  I don't even think he makes the Darren Huckerby All-Stars of guys who are "too good for the Championship but not good enough for the Premier League".

Finnan signs for Portsmouth
Finallly, some traffic in, rather than out, down on the south coast.  Finnan was a great pick back in the day, but Portsmouth seem a team in crisis.  Now they've replaced Liverpool and England's right back of the future with Liverpool and Ireland's right back of the past.  He still may be a good bet but a lot will hinge on his fantasy price tag.

Kightly concern for Wolves

Wolves winger Michael Kightly is unlikely to be fit for the start of the Premier League season.

Kightly is edging closer to full fitness following a serious of niggling injuries but he is not expected to be risked when the new campaign kicks off.

Kightly was Neal's double-secret pick heading into the new season, but it looks like he'll have to wait a few weeks.

And speaking of Wolves...

No say for Wolves on Milijas call-up
Milijas is my not-so-secret pick for the season and to my delight has been playing "in the hole" behind a lone striker in pre-season. Hopefully national team commitments won't derail his Premier League debut, but that remains to be seen.  Indeed, that will be something to watch for a host of players in the next week or so.

Ligament woe for Boa Morte
I can't imagine that the Feather Necklace of Death would have played that large of a role in West Ham's season with Jimenez coming in and Collison returning from injury.

Redknapp hails new boy Naughton
He played in midfield, but I can't imagine he'll do so with Lennon, Bentley (for now) and possibly Robbie Keane in front of him in the pecking order.  And with THud filling in at central defender he may even be behind Corluka at right back.  But THud's redeployment may be as much of a red herring as Naughton's.

Left-back worry for Blues boss
Not that you are looking to Birmingham's defence any way.

Valencia earns Ferguson praise after scoring on debut
Is Valencia the forgotten man of this off-season?  He's priced between the premium guys and the newbies but he averged 7.55/game last season at Wigan for God's sake.  He wasn't even taking kicks!  Surely that will only increase with regular playing time at ManU.  I think we're all looking at the newbie midfielders for the best price-to-return opportunities as there are no must-have new strikers... yet.

Arbeloa passes medical, set to join Real Madrid
Sad to see him go.  More importantly on the other side of the field is Insua's likely ascension to the starting left back role.  At least until Aurellio comes back from his latest injury - which could be two to six months, depending on whom you read - and Dossena's transfer to Napoli - which may or may not be edging closer, depending on whom you read.

Arsenal's Nasri sidelined with broken leg

Arsenal's Nasri sidelined with broken leg

Arsenal midfielder Samir Nasri will miss the start of the Premier League season after breaking his leg in training.

The France international fractured his fibula during the Gunners' pre-season camp in Austria. Club medics expect the 22-year-old to be out for between two and three months.

Rough break (ahem!) for our favorite near-palindromatic Gunner. Last year he never quite lived up to the expectations we all had for him. A French winger coming to Arsenal?!?! It was like fantasy gold! And after his game winner in the opening week against West Brom - our expectations went through the roof! But he was never consistent and drifted out of games for long stretches. He was more Rosicky than Pires. And speaking of which, it's a good thing that the Czech is making a belated return from injury.

Elsewhere, on the south coast...

Crouch rebuffs Sunderland approach - He's likely holding out for Spurs or perhaps Fulham.

Al Fahim gets green light for Portsmouth takeover
Hart handed Portsmouth job
With this out of the way, and the incoming Crouch monies, perhaps we'll see some transfers coming in to Pompey rather than just heading out the door. As it stands they're a frightening thin team but they do have a relatively mild opening week (Fulham and @Birmingham City). With 15 senior players fantasy managers will have a pretty good chance of picking the starters. And you can't say that for too many teams in the league these days.

Quote of the Day

I read that Portsmouth have spent this week out in Dubai so even if they don't play particularly well they'll have nice tans.

-- Mark Lawrenson

Photo of the Week

photo courtesy of AFP

Chelsea's Brazilian player Alex(R) challenges Portsmouth's Peter Crouch during the Premiership football match at Fratton Park in Portsmouth. Chelsea won 1-0.

Pompey fight early release of Nigerians

Pompey's current African Cup contingent [Nigeria's Kanu and John Utaka, Ghana's Sulley Muntari and Senegal's Papa Bouba Diop] are so far pencilled in to miss the Fratton Park clashes with Derby on January 19 and Chelsea on February 2.

They could also miss trips to Manchester United (January 30) and Bolton (February 9), as well as a potential FA Cup fourth-round tie on January 26.

But Benjani will be available after Zimbabwe failed to qualify for the finals.

Pompey finally get Nugent

Portsmouth have completed the signing of David Nugent from Preston North End for a fee of around £6 million.

The England striker has signed a four-year contract and will be officially presented at a Fratton Park press conference at 5pm.

At the same time, Pompey will announce the signing of a second, as yet unknown, player.

Leave it to 'arry to bring the drama. But the player we know, Nugent, is a good signing for them. Young, but lots of experience in the First Division, and even an England goal to his name. Should go right into the team and contribute. The only question is, is he +10 material?

UPDATE:The "player-to-be-named-later" was is John Chukwudi Utaka.

Utaka, an international team-mate of Pompey striker Kanu, made waves at Rennes with consecutive hat-tricks against Lens and Lyon last year. He ended his time in France with a tally of 22 goals in 62 appearances for Rennes and has netted four times in his 21 caps for Nigeria. Before Rennes he played for three seasons at Lens, who he joined following a season in Saudi Arabia after rising to prominence in Egypt with Ismailly.

The one-in-three goal ratio is encouraging. But probably another wait-and-see player. Will he be a starter? Will he be effective?

Pompey finally get their man Muntari

Portsmouth have finally completed the signing of Udinese midfielder Sulley Muntari for an undisclosed club record fee believed to be around £7 million.

The Ghanaian international has long been a target of Pompey boss Harry Redknapp and has signed a five-year contract at Fratton Park.

So who is their starting midfield? Taylor, Muntari, Mendes, and O'Neill, with Krancjar and Davis off the bench? Is it my imagination, or is 'Arry putting together a decent side? Perhaps spending too much in the process, but I guess that is a cost of doing business with ill-gotten Russian gains, eh Jose?

And is it my imagination, or is there no way that this is a picture of a 23 year old?

Pompey Land Hreidarsson

Portsmouth have signed former Charlton defender Hermann Hreidarsson on a two-year deal.

The 32-year-old Iceland defender exercised a clause in his contract which allowed him to leave The Valley on a free transfer if the Addicks were relegated.

He has moved to Fratton Park two days after Pompey secured the services of former Manchester City defender Sylvain Distin on a three-year deal.

Manager Harry Redknapp told the club's official website www.pompeyfc.co.uk: "I've always liked Hermann. I tried to buy him before and I'm delighted he's now here at Portsmouth.

"He's got great experience at Premier League level, he's big, quick, very good in the air and a good competitor. He can play at left-back and in the centre of defence so he gives us plenty of options."

Last year it was Campbell and Traore. This year Distin and Hreidarsson. I think this is probably a good move for Portsmouth. 'arry's got depth in defense now, though the squad isn't any younger.  As for the Hermannator, the blog has always been a fan. Here's hoping the fifth time is a charm and he can avoid relegation.

No word yet on the status of the Muntari deal. But the day is still young.

Muntari Close To Pompey Deal

Harry Redknapp admits midfielder Sulley Muntari is very close to signing for Portsmouth.

The Ghana international will cost around £7m from Italian club Udinese and it's understood personal terms have already been agreed.

Redknapp said: "We are very close to getting him and I am keeping my fingers crossed.

"He is a fantastic midfielder, strong and quick and with an eye for goal and he is only 22."

Anyone else a little tired of the Muntari saga? Sign him, or don't sign him. But the daily "we're this close to signing him" is really starting to get on my nerves. Sure, he's a good player. But he's not even the first or second best midfielder on his national side. Certainly not worth all the hubbub.

This however, is just funny:

Charlton's Icelandic defender Hermann Hreidarsson and free agent Titus Bramble are also in Redknapp's sights.

'arry looking to add some relegation experience to his squad? Don't you normally wait until January when you're mere points above the drop zone to do that? And the idea of Bramble and Traore lining up in the same back line is just too beautiful for words.

UPDATE: Seems that Pompey have some follow-through and have signed Sylvain Distin. Perhaps now all the clubs Neal wrote about will be looking at the Hermannator and T*tf#ck Bramble instead. God help them all.