Oldham Athletic (H) 1st September 2012

It may be too early in the season with just three games played to call this game a six pointer but with the visit of Paul Dickov’s Latics to Fratton Park tomorrow currently lying 3^rd bottom having collected only one point so far this season it has all the hall marks as such. Michael Appleton’s Pompey go into the game just two places above with one more point to show for their efforts.  

Oldham Athletic have so far failed to impress on their travels having lost their opening match 2-0 to MK Dons and 1-0 last week to Stevenage Borough. Their only point of the season came at home to Walsall in a 1-1 draw through a 25 yard Youssouf M’changama strike which Grof failed to deal with in The Saddler’s goal.

Pompey by contrast opened their account brightly with a hard fought point at home to South Coast rivals and promotion hopefuls AFC Bournemouth in a 1-1 draw before picking up another point in a 2-2 draw away to Colchester in a game that Pompey really should have travelled back down to the south coast with all three points. Their unbeaten start to the season came apart in spectacular fashion thanks in part to some kamikaze defending which saw them leave empty handed from Brunton Park on the wrong side of a 4-2 score line last weekend. Trailing 2-0 going into the 90^th minute with only ten men following the second half dismissal of Kevin Long, substitute Ashley Harris scored his first league goal for Pompey with a short range header before Appleton saw his side concede for a third time in the game. Fellow substitute Conor Clifford (on loan from Chelsea) calmly slotted the ball home to make it 3-2 before Pompey again came unstuck at the back and the fourth injury time goal was registered.

The month of August was a whirlwind for Pompey on and off the pitch with debutants galore and the off field sagas continuing to rumble on as the club attempts to try and come out of administration. Talks have been ongoing this week between Balram Chanrai’s Portpin, The Portsmouth Supporters Trust and an unnamed third party with the club’s administrator Trevor Birch as he works to find the best deal for the club moving on long term. On the pitch the five goals scored have interestingly come from five different players which Appleton will no doubt see as a positive if he is to keep hold of the players long term but the team still look devoid of an out and out goal scorer as they seek to overcome the threat of relegation if and when the ten point deduction comes into play for coming out of administration.

Ex-Sheffield United midfielder Johnny Ertl has joined the sea of new faces whilst Kieran Djilali has been released from his one month contract. The 29 year old Austrian goes into tomorrow’s squad. Yesterday also saw England Youth international Sam Magri leave the club for English Premier League side Queen’s Park Rangers on a free transfer although a sell on clause was tied into the deal. Ertl is joined by the versatile midfielder Darel Russell who has previously played for Norwich City and Stoke City and his experience should prove invaluable at this level. Appleton is hoping to add forward Daniel Bogdanovic to the squad but he requires international clearance at this stage. Following Long’s dismissal against Carlisle last weekend, the central defender will miss tomorrow’s game serving out a one match ban.

In 33 previous meetings between the two sides Oldham Athletic have the upper hand with 13 wins to Pompey’s 11 with 9 draws, although Pompey’s goal total is one better with 57 goals to 56 though this was boosted heavily by the 7-2 win recorded in the 1926/27 season. The last time the two sides met Pompey won 1-0 at home on February 1^st 1997 and they go into the game undefeated in the last five games against The Latics hoping to make that six and record their first win of the season.

Carlisle United (A) August 25th 2012

Mention the name Carlisle United and most people will think of one name, notably that of Jimmy Glass who never quite cut the mustard at Pompey (Having played 3 times on loan in 1995) but found folk hero status at Brunton Park when he scored with the last kick of the game in the 1998 / 99 season to save Carlisle from relegation. For those not old enough to remember Jimmy Glass or wondering what’s so special about the goal I should point out that Glass was a goal keeper by trade before he retired in 2001 aged just 27.

The name Carlisle United brings back so many memories for me I just don’t know where to start. Erm – There’s the Jimmy Glass goal… Oh I once sat next to the Carlisle United goal keeper on holiday on a camp site when I was little. I don’t remember his name but I do remember that they kept putting sultanas in the curry much to my annoyance. Erm - So yes, sadly that’s my sum total knowledge of Carlisle United football club. I’m going to have to call in my friend Google for this preview.

The last time our two sides met was on the 22^nd of September 2009 in the League Cup away, which saw first half goals from Dindane and Webber and a third from Vanden Borre in the second half secure a 3-1 Victory. The win came amongst seven straight Premier League defeats for Pompey which finally ended with the 1-0 victory away win to Wolverhampton Wanderers. The League Cup was proving much needed rest bite for the Pompey faithful with the Carlisle win following on from a 4-0 home win against Hereford United and the Carlisle win was followed by another 4-0 win against Premiership rivals Stoke City. The run came to an end when we were knocked out 4-2 by Aston Villa.

To find the last time we played Carlisle before then you have to travel all the way back to December 22^nd 1985 when Pompey lost 1-0. Overall in the head to head record between the two clubs Pompey have the slight advantage with 14 wins to 12, with a further 7 games ending in a draw. Carlisle have the slightest of upper hands when it comes to goals scored – 47 to 46. Yes I am struggling for things to say at this point.

Looking down their squad only one name pops out, that of Danny Cadamarteri the ex-Everton player who never really ever fulfilled the hype that came with the early promise shown in his career which is a shame because from what I saw of him he looked a genuinely talented football back in the day. I won’t lie, I didn’t recognise a single other name on the squad sheet.

Michael Appleton’s men will be hoping to build on two successive draws from their opening two games of the season which both saw Pompey take the lead before failing to capitalise for all three points. Greg Abbott’s Carlisle drew their opening game away to Stevenage Borough 1-1 before losing during the week 3-0 to Tranmere Rovers with Andy Robinson scoring a hat trick. Carlisle find themselves currently fourth bottom and in the last of the relegation places. Appleton must be hoping that it’s third time lucky as he looks to build on strong mid week performances from the likes of Dumbuya, Compton, Walker, Long and Connolly and get Pompey’s first win of the season under their belts. Lee Williamson remains a possible doubt having been replaced against Colchester after the half hour by youngster Adam Webster.

Two Carlisle United trivia points to end with; They were once owned by Michael Knighton the businessman who once famously tried to buy Manchester United and was seen trying to do keepy uppy’s in his shirt and tie on the Old Trafford pitch and apparently Fearne Cotton is a fan although how true that is I don’t know but it will tie this preview off nicely. Cotton – tie it off nicely? No…. OK then.

A Tale Of Two Cities w/c August 18th 2012

Portsmouth 1 AFC Bournemouth 1

Saturday August 18^th and Pompey kicked off their league campaign in earnest with eleven debutants at home to fellow neighbours and much fancied promotion candidates AFC Bournemouth in front of a strong crowd of 17,703. To place that attendance in perspective of their new league surroundings only Sheffield United’s home attendance of 18,286 in their 1-0 against Shrewsbury was higher and the next closest attendance was Preston North End's game against Colchester United which attracted an attendance of 10,034. The remaining ten fixtures on the opening calendar have attendances all well under the 10,000 mark.

Despite being forced to field eleven debutants and only four substitutes Michael Appleton’s Pompey side went in at half time with a 1-0 lead courtesy of a mishandled shot by Jalal in the AFC Bournemouth goal which allowed Izale McLeod’s speculative long range effort to find the back of the net. For all their efforts Pompey couldn’t hold on for the win and who else but the on loan Barnard signed just the previous day from Southampton popped up with the equaliser in the 78^th minute. Pompey could have made it all three points when substitute Ashley Harris struck the post having replaced Jack Compton. Given the tired legs on display towards the end of the full 90 minutes the first point on the board of the new season must go down as a good result under the circumstances.

Pompey: Andersen, Dumbuya, Long, Connolly, Harley, Dijali (Webster), Howard, Williamson (Clifford), Compton (Harris), Rodgers, McLeod. Subs Not Used: Eastwood

Manchester City 3 Southampton 2

If Pompey’s start against one of the favourites for promotion was hard then Nigel Adkins Premier League debut as a Manager saw him with a far sterner test of his management skills away to last season’s Champions Manchester City the following day at the Etihad Stadium. Talisman striker Ricky Lambert was a surprise omission from the starting line up as City contrived to miss a hatful of chances in both halves. Silva missed a penalty in the first half; Dzeko, Clichy, Nasri and Balotelli were all guilty of missing great chances in a game which ended much closer than the score would suggest. Somehow City went in at half time despite all their dominance with a slender 1-0 lead with a Tevez goal which was disputed by the away fans as being offside. City boss Mancini must have been left rueing the exit of Sergio Aguero early on having been stretchered off with suspected ligament damage.

Come the second half and Lambert made his Premier League debut for Southampton and proved that he looks capable of making the grade up to the top tier when he superbly drilled the ball past the diving England goal keeper Joe Hart who couldn’t stop the substitute from making the game 1-1. Suddenly it was Manchester City who were now on the back foot and when fellow substitute and new signing Steven Davis made the score 2-1 with another fine effort, Adkins must have been in dreamland at his clubs great second half comeback.

The ability of Champions to grind out results is what sets them apart though from other sides and it took just four minutes for City to find the equaliser through Dzeko and a poor defensive clearance from Fox fell to Nasri on the 80 minute mark. He made no mistake this time and stroked home the ball which saw City finish 3-2 winners as they began their defence of the league title with the three points in the bag. On another day more clinical finishing would have seen City have run away with the score line before the spirited Saints second half comeback.

So whilst the Saints fans may have been disappointed with the end result they will have taken enough encouragement from the game going into their next weekend’s game against Wigan Athletic who lost 2-0 to Chelsea the same afternoon. It would probably be unfair to suggest that maybe Adkins was saving the legs of the strike force of Lambert and Sharp for the following game but this is the Premier League and it’s not unknown for smaller teams to field slightly weakened teams against sides when their Manager’s don’t genuinely think they’ll come away with points on the board and the next opponents seem a surer place to get a result. I guess we shall see who Adkins starts with during  the next game and make any judgements from there.

Saints: K Davis, Clyne, Fonte, Hooiveld, Fix, Ward-Prowse (S Davis), Lallana, Schneirderlin, Puncheon (Sharp), Rodriguez (Lambet), Do Prado. Subs Not Used: Gazzaniga, Richardson, Shaw, Seaborne

Colchester United 2 Portsmouth 2

Tuesday August 21^st 2012 and Pompey travelled away to new surroundings in the form of the West Homes Community Stadium the new home of Colchester United. Pompey unveiled their new third away kit of orange and black in front of a travelling away support of over 1,100 fans. The one change from the opening game was Liam Walker coming in for Dijilali having received his international clearance in time. Appleton was also able to name a luxury six substitutes for the game including new signing Jordan Obita signed on loan from Reading.

Pompey looked like taking a 1-0 lead into half time after fine walk between Walker and Rodgers saw him calmly strike the ball past the diving Cousins. There was little Andersen could do if anything for the equaliser struck superbly by Rose to make the score line 1-1 at half time. It was a score line that flattered The U’s somewhat after the central pairing of Long and Connolly had marshalled the defence so well you’d have possibly been mistaken into thinking they’d played together for seasons not just the previous two games together.

The second half saw Dumbuya deployed as a right winger having started the game at right back to great success. With Jack Compton making the runs down the left Pompey looked a constant threat though McLeod wasted a disappointing opportunity having been played through with plenty of space ahead of the onrushing Cousins. His shot was easily saved and a guilt edged opportunity had gone begging. Into the last ten minutes of the game and with no move on the score line front Colchester took a surprising lead and a hardly deserved one through Okuonghae’s far post finish with just seven minutes left on the clock. However Pompey weren’t finished and the introduction of new signing Obita was to prove anything Adkins can do, Appleton can also do and the young left sided player stroked the ball into an empty net to win Pompey their second point in two games.

Whilst the 1,114 Pompey fans applauded everyone of their player’s off the pitch the Colchester fans deserted for the exits in droves in a scene I’ve never quite seen before in a football stadium and all three of their stands were totally clear before the majority of Pompey fans had even managed to get to the end of their rows let alone even down the steps towards the exits. The attendance of 4,335 showing a stark reminder in the gap between league attendances in this league and consider also that 1/4^th of that gate was made up of the travelling Pompey fans. The NPower League one will prove a culture shock for the club in more ways than one I’m sure this season. Michael Appleton’s side will have come away slightly aggrieved at not securing their first win of the season I’m sure. 

Pompey; Andersen, Dumbuya, Harley, Long, Connolly, Walker, Williamson (Webster), Howard, McLeod, Rodgers, Compton (Obita). Subs Not Used: Eastwood, Clifford, Djilali, Harris

Tales of the Two Cities - Off the Field

So that’s the football side out of the way. Off the field Southampton’s bid to make Bologna’s Gaston Ramirez their most expensive signing ever seems to have fallen through ahead of their weekend trip to Wigan Athletic.

Back down the M27 and surprise shown from many quarters from the Pompey faithful at the return of Balram Chanrai although I’m not entirely sure why they are so surprised given the football league had only let Pompey start the league campaign after the money was underwritten by Portpin. Chanrai released a statement via Sky Sports News in which was stated;

"Although Portpin positively viewed take-over interest by the Portsmouth Supporters Trust ("PST"), we understood from the Administrator that the terms offered by PST were problematic in two areas - the further reduction in football creditor debt to £2million and the uncertainty of the committed capital raised and held in escrow to both fund the take-over of the business and to provide guarantees for the next three years cash flow.

"We hope to finalise this transaction in the next two weeks.

"Portpin is taking this step to save the club and will look to continue to work with interested parties - including the Portsmouth Supporters Trust - to ensure that the club will have a sound business foundation to enable it to remain financially over the long term.

"We hope everybody including the huge fan base will support this saving process."

The original Portpin CVA was accepted by creditors back on June the 26^th and the PST were given a period of 28 days to be able to make a better bid to the creditors within that time frame which administrator Trevor Birch could have chosen irrespective of the creditors decision. It is believed that the £2 million offered in relation to the football creditor debt falls way, way short of the deals made by administrator Trevor Birch which saw all remaining first team professionals leave the club before the given deadline imposed of August 10^th to avoid liquidation.

The uncertainty of the committed capital raised and held in escrow to both fund the take-over of the business and to provide guarantees for the next three years cash flow surrounds the request to provide funds of £5 million in the escrow account as proof of being able to take the business forward in the hands of the Portsmouth Supports Trust. The PST are set to make a statement later on in the day but it is believed that they currently remain way short of the mark though rumours are circulating of possible further developments on that front.

In other news Stanmore-based businessman Laurence Bassini, who most recently found in football as the owner of Watford FC, is understood to have been in talks with Trevor Birch.

So that’s the tale of two Cities for another week. Pompey have managed to gain two points from their first two games and face the prospect of clocking the miles up as they travel away to Carlisle United this weekend hoping to pick up their first win of the season whilst Southampton face Wigan at home hoping to do the same.

Why football will soon over run the Olympic Spirit

Following on from this summer’s London Olympics 2012 the organisers of the games hope that the heroics displayed by the Team GB athletes will inspire a generation. It’s hard to believe that not twelve months before the capital had seen riots on its streets that had brought the worlds media attention upon the city at a time that it was least needed. This summer’s Olympics and what promises to be the biggest and most supported Paralympics in history has seen a country unite around sport and athletic achievements. Much more than that the country has fallen in love with athletes that certain fractions of society would have us believe are the root of this country’s problems like immigrants for example. Watching the highlights of the football league yesterday it was wonderful to see players celebrating using what has been coined the ‘Mo-Bot,’ the celebration used by the new two time Olympic Champion Mo Farah after his memorable wins for Team GB. Farah who was born in Somalia moved to England at the age of 8. One journalist for whatever reason took it upon himself to ask Farah if he’d have preferred to have raced for Somalia rather than Team GB. Farah’s very curt reply was simple;

“Look mate this is my country. This is where I grew up, this is where I started life. This is my country and when I put on my Great Britain vest I'm proud. I'm very proud.”

I’m sure his remarks has several Daily Mail readers choking on their cornflakes the next morning. Yes these were the words of a Somalian born refugee who now treats England as his home. His love for his country was laid bare for all to see. Mo Farah had won gold medals in the Olympics twice not only for himself, not only for his family, not only for Team GB but for his country. What better message to spread to future generations, to inspire future generations, to want them to take pride in their country and to accept others into their hearts and to treat everyone as equals. What better time to grasp and hold onto to these things dearly and not let them go. Except there's one slight problem with that fact; people have very short memories and whilst the Olympics may have captivated the heart of a nation for a fortnight as I’m sure the Paralympics is about to do in exactly the same way, this weekend saw the start of the football season again. As a betting man I’m sure that all the good that has resulted from the Games will once again come undone very quickly as the nation turns back to watching 22 grown men kicking a ball around a football field for 90 minutes.

After the success of Team GB it’s perhaps been forgotten that just a short time before the English football team was knocked out of the European Championships, a tournament that had been superseded by the ongoing court case between Chelsea Captain John Terry and Anton Ferdinand over alleged racist remarks made in which Terry was cleared in a court of law. But that wasn’t the end of the matter as the Football Association have placed a disciplinary charge against Terry for the exact same incident. Terry who maintains his innocence having being cleared by a court of law has requested a personal hearing with the FA. Whilst the story isn’t dominating the front and back pages of the press just yet it will, I’m sure only be a matter of time before they do. This is John Terry after all a player who for whatever reason finds it hard to keep out of the headlines for the wrong reason for more than a couple of months at a time.

You would have thought that given the fact the aforementioned case involved his brother that Manchester United’s Rio Ferdinand would have made sure that he stayed clear of any controversy when it comes to the subject of race. Wayne Rooney once famously paid £200 for one packet of cigarettes. Rio Ferdinand showed as always footballers have to do each other paying £45,000 for a Choc Ice which sadly he never even got to eat. OK so he didn’t actually ask someone to get a choc ice, he was fined the amount by the Football Association when he was seen to endorse a tweet by someone suggesting that Chelsea defender Ashley Cole (who gave evidence on behalf of John Terry during the trial) was a choc ice; a term meaning black on the outside and white on the inside. The Independent Regulatory Commission had this to say about the fine;

"The commission decided that the comment was improper and brought the game into disrepute. In addition, the commission found that the breach included a reference to ethnic origin, colour or race."

So before the season had even begun the game of football has already begun to run riot over the legacy that the Olympics had hoped to achieve. The so called ‘beautiful game’ is once more beginning to rear its ugly head and remind everyone that it’s not gone away, it’s just had a break and recharged it’s batteries and will no doubt come back with bigger headlines this forthcoming season as it manages to do every season. Would anyone like to start the ball rolling for this season’s roll call of improprieties and misdemeanours?

If John Terry and Rio Ferdinand’s cases were an overspill to last season then the alleged affair of Ex-England manager with Saima Ansari (who also had an affair with Ex-England manager Sven Goran Ericcson) as reported in some of today’s red tops will start the new season’s ball rolling quite nicely.

Can anyone remember every incident that took place last season involving footballers? I’d like to say that our own club Portsmouth had been exempt during this time but I’d be lying. Here are some of the incidents off the top of my head that I can remember that have tarnished the image of the so called ‘Beautiful Game,’

In December 2011 the then Portsmouth club captain Liam Lawrence was given a police caution after head butting a man in a nightclub which left him with a suspected broken nose, two black eyes and a cut lip.

Ryan Giggs was caught out having an affair with Welsh model Imogen Thomas and took out a court injunction banning the press from reporting on the subject. This marital indiscretion didn’t stop him being named captain of Team GB at this summer’s Olympics by Stuart Pearce however.

Liverpool’s Luis Suarez was fined £40,000 and banned for eight matches for being found guilty of racially abusing Manchester United’s Patrice Evra.

Newcastle United’s Nile Ranger seems on a one man mission to tarnish the game of football all by himself. In August of last year he was arrested on suspicion of assaulting a man in the city centre of Newcastle leaving the victim unconscious. Two months later he was charged with being drunk and disorderly in Newcastle. In March 2012 he was convicted of being drunk and disorderly and was ordered to pay £135 costs and given a six month conditional discharge. In March 2012 he was fined for making homophobic comments on Twitter and to round the month off nicely he was arrested for breaching the terms of his bail whilst awaiting trial on not one but four assault charges. Let’s not forget this is the same player who was questioned by Newcastle after posing with a replica gun in a photograph back in May 2011.

Joey Barton’s was banned for 12 matches having been found guilty on two counts of violent conduct after clashing with Manchester City’s Vincent Kompany and Carlos Tevez for which he was also fined £75,000 by the FA. Let’s be honest Barton’s overall history in comparison makes Newcastle’s Nile Ranger look like a relative saint.

Carlos Tevez went AWOL from Manchester City for three months in his native homeland of Argentina after reportedly refusing to play in a Champions League game against Bayern Munich.

In May 2012 Sunderland defender Titus Bramble was cleared of charges that he sexually assaulted two women however back in August 2011 his brother and fellow professional Tesfaye was jailed for rape.

A month earlier Sheffield United’s Ched Evans was jailed for a term of five years for rape in a court case that saw Port Vale Clayton McDonald cleared of the same charges.

Stoke City academy played Andrew Hall just 18 was charged with the murder of his 15 year old girl friend Megan-Leigh Peat in June 2012.

Four  players from Brighton and Hove Albion and one from AFC Bournemouth were arrested in March 2012 over an alleged sexual assault.

El Hadji Diouf was arrested in April 2012 on suspicion of violent disorder following a fight in the Circle Club in Manchester.

These are just some of the incidents I can think of from the English game. I won’t even start on those from north of the border or the allegations facing Italian football and their match fixing scandal currently under investigation. If the game’s off field antics follow suit from the previous season how many people will be still focused on the unity that the performance that Team GB helped create across the country for two brief weeks at least.

Many moons ago before money overran the game of football, players were afforded nicknames that reflected their footballing talent and the status by which fans held them within the game. At Portsmouth the legend that is Jimmy Dickinson; who made a club record 845 appearances for Pompey and was capped 48 times for England earned the nickname Gentleman Jim on account of the fact that throughout his entire career he wasn’t booked or sent off a single time. Just re-read those number of appearances when considering how great a statistic and achievement that really is and a testimony to just how far the game has changed now in the modern era. But back then the Post-War heroes were often given nicknames; Alfredo di Stefano was known as ‘The Master’, John Charles the ‘Gentle Giant’, Danny Blanchflower the ‘Thinking man’s footballer’, Sir Stanley Matthews ‘The Wizard.’

There were the unsung heroes of the game who back then failed to get their share of the limelight yet were idolised by their club fans; Joe Mercer of Arsenal and Billy Wright of Wolverhampton Wanderers who broke all records as Captain of England. Alongside the Gentle Giant John Charles all three were renowned for their sportsmanship and fair play. I’m finding it hard to think of any modern day players with such fine reputations or who’ve been awarded similar nicknames in the current climate.

The atmosphere between the sets of fans since the 1970s onwards has become positively tribal against one another not just in England but worldwide. The vile hate aimed towards rival fans be them before, during and after derby games such as Portsmouth Vs Southampton, Glasgow Rangers Vs Glasgow Celtic, Manchester United Vs Liverpool is well documented and has often spilled into violent scenes.

One of the very valid points raised during the Olympics in regards to the football matches played was how they had been played in such a family friendly atmosphere, something we are unlikely to see anytime soon during the next few months as the season gets underway. Even when a club’s rival team isn’t even playing fans will sing anti-rival songs on a regular basis throughout the game as a demonstration of loyalty to their club and show an utter distain against their perceived enemies.

Yet in the Olympic stadiums show casing so many different sports, events and disciplines the crowds were getting behind everyone that was taking part. Just look at the reaction the Jamaican Sprinter Usain Bolt received in the Olympic Stadium when he took Gold for Jamaica in both the 100 metre and 200 metre events. The cheers were just as loud as for any Team GB athlete that had secured a Gold medal or any colour medal for that matter. Even those athletes who finished way off the pace were supported over the finishing line to great applause no matter what country they were representing.

The most obvious conclusion for the reaction of the fans at the London Olympics was the fact they were witnessing the culmination of four years of hard training for which the majority of those competing had to be funded for from places such as the National Lottery for example. More impressive were the individual teams who’d received no so such funding at all and had to raise their own money just to be able to compete in the Olympic games; a chance to say even if they didn’t take home a medal – “I was there and I represented my country in an Olympic games!”

Hold on to those Olympic memories for as long as you can. Sadly I suspect they will soon be long gone as no doubt over paid players with little between their brains start to once more begin to dominate the front pages of newspapers for all the wrong reasons again. If some of last season’s stories are anything to go buy we’re in for some more shocking headlines from todays so called role models in the ‘Beautiful Game!’

Colchester United (A) Aug 21st Preview

Tuesday night’s away trip to Essex will see Michael Appleton’s side’s first ever visit to the 10,084 capacity Weston Homes Community Stadium. The history between the two sides is very limited having never even reached double figures in competitive matches against each other. The last time the two sides met ironically was on Tuesday the 21^st of August back in 2001 when Pompey lost 2-1 in the League Cup. You have to go all the way back to November 1980 to the find the next corresponding fixture which Colchester won 3-0 in the FA Cup. The two sides have only met four times in the league and all in the old Third Division with Colchester claiming two win’s to Pompey’s one and the remaining fixture having ended in a 0-0 stalemate.

Managed by John Ward Colchester United’s highest ever league finish was back in the 2006 / 07 season when they secured 10^th place. Elected to the football league as late as 1950 Colchester played for the majority of their league life at the dilapidated Layer Road one of the only league grounds that manages to make Fratton Park look like a Wendy House in comparison. Their new ground which is interestingly owned by the local council was built of the unfortunately named Cuckoo Farm though I’m sure this bears no reflection on the local fans.

Looking through the squad there aren’t many names instantly recognisable. The most well known of the team is 33 year old forward Clinton Morrison better known for his goal scoring exploits for Crystal Palace, Birmingham, Coventry and Sheffield Wednesday. Latterly his career has stalled having been loaned out to MK Dons and Brentford before joining up with the The U’s. The other name on the squad sheet that may be best known to football fans is that of Freddie Spears, the forward who had come through the West Ham academy and was touted for great things a few years back before his career faltered through a series of loan moves before signing a three year contract with the Essex club. Aged just 22 Sears still has time on his side to fulfil his promise.

Portsmouth manager Michael Appleton will be hoping that Liam Walker will have received international clearance before Tuesday’s match as he again only announced four substitutes in yesterdays 1-1 draw against south coast neighbours AFC Bournemouth. With Lee Williamson showing the lack of a pre-season behind him Walker will give Appleton a much needed selection headache and will see one more place to be filled on the substitutions bench though questions must remain as to why the likes of Sam Magri, Jed Wallace and Daniel Thompson weren’t included in the numbers in a game which saw the players legs start to tire drastically in the 70^th minute onwards.

Appleton’s men will be boosted by the opening 1-1 draw in front of a crowd of nearly 18,000 and will be determined to build upon the result as they take on a side which were lucky to escape with a 0-0 draw in their opening game yesterday away to Preston North End with goal keeper Mark Cousins in fine form to keep the Lancashire side at bay for 90 minutes.

‘A Tale of Two Cities’

Charles Dickens’s literary classic ‘A Tale of Two Cities’ was written in 1859 and has gone onto sell well over 200 million copies worldwide since its original release.  Born February 7^th 1812 at Landport in Portsea is seems very apt that 200 years after Dickens’ birth that this August kicks off a very modern tale of two cities separated by the M27 motorway. For 1859 and the original settings for Dickens’ book read London and Paris, in 2012 Portsmouth and Southampton. The modern day have not’s and haves.

Whilst modern rivalries between the two football clubs have been well documented in current times it’s worth noting that this hasn’t always been the case between the fans of the south coast neighbours. Way back in 1939, pre-World War II Portsmouth players paraded the FA Cup inside The Dell (the then home of Southampton) to a standing ovation from their fans. To state the obvious Sol Campbell and the FA Cup winning squad of 2008 were not awarded the same offerings in the new surroundings of St Mary’s decades later.

The reality the two neighbours now find themselves in couldn’t be more contrasting with Portsmouth beginning their campaign following last season’s relegation from the Championship in NPower League One whilst Southampton start in the Premier League following automatic promotion.

To begin the modern ‘Tale of Two Cities,’ where better to start in a week that saw Southampton Manager Nigel Adkins agree a club record fee of £11.8 million for Uruguay international Gaston Ramirez from Bologna whilst Portsmouth manager Michael Appleton ended the midweek Capital One Cup fixture away to Plymouth Argyle with ten players aged 18 or under on the field having also been forced to name a 15 year old on the bench.

The summer of 2012 has seen an exodus of players from both clubs but for very different reasons. Whilst Southampton manager Nigel Adkins has set about building a squad he hopes is capable of staying in the Premier League cutting away any dead wood, Michael Appleton in comparison has watched everyone of his senior professionals leave the club to avoid the very genuine threat of liquidation.

Back to the signing of Ramirez for a reported fee of £11.8 million; Pompey’s entire squad minus those who’ve risen through the academy ranks were all signed on  month long contracts this week in what can only be described as a very hectic couple of days for Manager Michael Appleton and the club’s administrator Trevor Birch. It’s worth nothing for the record that Portsmouth as they begin the season still remain in administration without an owner and have the possibility of a ten point deduction hanging over their heads should they exit administration via the process of a CVA.

So as the season begins again in earnest once more we find two cities with two sets of fans with very different aspirations for the coming season. For the fans in the Blue corner the survival of the club is first and foremost in the minds. Whatever happens on the pitch will come as a welcome relief for 90 minutes at least win, lose or draw. For the fans in the Red corner, they will be buoyant after two successive promotions that have seen their club return to the promised land and will no doubt be hoping to not only avoid relegation but to push on further up the league.

A TALE OF TWO DUG OUTS

MICHAEL APPLETON (Portsmouth FC)

36 year old Appleton was announced as Portsmouth Manager on November 10^th following the departure of Steve Cotterill to Nottingham Forest who had managed to keep the club in the Championship the previous season following relegation from the Premier League when they became the first club in EPL history to enter administration and were subsequently docked 9 points.

As debuts to management go Appleton must have been left scratching his head and wondering what on earth he’d let himself in for as he watched the club owner Vladimir Antonov arrested for the alleged asset stripping at Snoras Bank. The clubs parent company CSI soon followed into administration and were subsequently docked a further ten points and the season ended in relegation to NPower League One. The fact Appleton remains in charge shows testament to the honour, pride and will of a man to want to succeed against all odds having left his position as first team coach with West Bromwich Albion. It should be pointed out that West Brom finished 10^th last season which is their highest ever finish in the Premier league.

Part of Appleton’s drive and desire to succeed will no doubt in part have come from his early retirement from the game in November 2003 aged just 27.

NIGEL ADKINS (Southampton FC)

Adkins 11 years Appleton’s senior at 47 joined Southampton on September 12^th 2010 from Scunthorpe United. Adkins rise in management is an unusual tale straight out of the pages of a Dickens novel. Whilst he may have overseen titles wins in 1994 and 1995 in the League of Wales whilst in charge of Bangor City, he was originally employed by Scunthorpe in the role of physio.

Adkins took over the helm from Brian Laws in a caretaker capacity before being confirmed as Manager on a full time basis on December 7^th 2006. The physio turned Manager once more lead Scunthorpe to the League One title in 2006 / 07. Whilst they were relegated from the Championship the following season, Adkins guided his side back the following season via the Play Offs and managed to keep the club up at the second time of asking.

Adkins guided his new Southampton side into the Championship at the first time of asking before gaining back to back promotion’s finishing runners up to eventual Championship winners Reading last season.

TWO TO WATCH

SOUTHAMPTON

Ricky Lambert

Signed by Southampton for £1 million from Bristol Rovers in August 2009 Lambert’s rich vein of goal scoring (which has seen him win 3 of the last 4 golden boots) has been pivotal to Southampton’s return to the Premier League this season and successive automatic promotions. Lambert was voted the Championship player of the season for 2011 and the Southampton fans player of the season for the second time in three seasons. Last season saw Lambert find the net 31 times in total including 27 goals in the league.

His career has seen him play for Stockport, Rochdale and Bristol Rovers before joining up with the Saints. Whilst prolific in the lower leagues questions will remain whether their talisman goal scorer will be able to replicate the same sort of goal scoring form in the English Premier League. However anything remains possible and people will no doubt point to Norwich City striker Grant Hoult who had no trouble adjusting to life in the English Premier League last season finding the back of the net on 15 occasions for the Canaries and was voted their player of the season for a third successive season.

Adam Lallana

The diminutive 24 year old attacking midfielder Lallana is one of many players to have rolled off the highly successful Saints Academy production line which has produced other players of note which include full England internationals Theo Walcott and Alex Oxade-Chamberlain who now both ply their trade with Premiership outfit Arsenal.

Whilst not as prolific as Lambert it’s Lallana that pulls the strings in the heart of the midfield engine and he ended last season with 11 goals in 41 league appearances. Like Lambert a lot will be expected of Lallana this season to see if he can also replicate the fine form of the past couple of seasons on the big stage.

PORTSMOUTH

Whilst Southampton’s two to watch were quite obvious and easy the same cannot be said back down the M27 in the Blue City. Whilst several of the players signed in the past week on a one month contract lined up in the club’s pre-season friendlies, apart from a couple of youngsters from the academy development squad, none of the current squad has made their league debut ahead of the new season.

Enter stage left; Andersen, Long, Clifford, Connolly, Howard, McLeod, Eastwood, Dumbuya, Harley, Rodgers, Compton, Williamson, Dijali and Walker. The names of youngsters such as Harris, Magri, Wallace, Thompson, Webster and Colson amongst others shouldn’t be overlooked either. Identifying the two key men is only slightly easier than trying to predict this week’s Euro Millions winning numbers it would appear.

Izale McLeod

My first choice goes to the 27 year old forward.  Despite an array of highly paid players on display during the previous two seasons in the Championship it was ultimately the lack of success in front of goal which finally condemned Pompey to relegation alongside the ten point reduction for going into administration.

54 goals in 116 appearances for the MK Dons saw McLeod attract the attention of Charlton who signed the forward but he was never able to replicate his success for the South London side. Having seen his career stall with the Addicks, McLeod found himself at Barnet where he scored 32 in 73 appearances for the Bee’s before joining up with Portsmouth on their pre-season tour of Gibraltar. McLeod scored his first goal in a Pompey shirt in the 2-0 pre-season win over Aldershot town away.

Brian Howard

Whilst there may be strong calls to have included Ex-Chelsea player Jon Harley or Sheffield United’s Lee Williamson in the two to watch, my vote goes to Brian Howard who left newly promoted Reading in the summer and the player it would appear most likely to be handed the captain’s arm band by Manager Michael Appleton when the season starts.

The 29 year old midfielder stands at just 5ft 6” tall but his height shouldn’t be an indicator of the presence he gives for his team on the football pitch. Howard is best remembered for scoring the 90^th minute winner for Barnsley which dumped Liverpool out of the FA Cup in 2008.

Howard’s experience from his time at Swindon, Barnsley, Sheffield United, Reading and at loan to Millwall last season will no doubt prove invaluable for Portsmouth and their manager Michael Appleton who had convinced the midfielder to stay despite having previously stated that he would take up other options if he hadn’t been offered a contract by August 1^st 2012. The fact that Championship clubs were after the player should add testament to what a great coup the club pulled off by keeping the player at the club.

So there we have it for now as both south coast sides begin new challenges ahead of the 2012 / 13 season. Portsmouth face fellow south coast neighbours AFC Bournemouth at home at Fratton Park on Saturday August 18th in front of what is hoped will be a near capacity crowd. Southampton kick off their season facing the daunting task of facing newly crowned Premier League Champions Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday August 19^th. Two cities, two very different expectations from fans ahead of the new season. For one club the very real possibility that they might not even finish the season for the other buoyed by two successive promotions they will be believing that the world is their oyster. It’s fair to suggest that this modern tale of two cities will be an interesting one to say the least as the season kicks off once more.