Yeovil Town (A) 2nd October 2012

Growing up I was the original fountain of knowledge on football and earned myself the nickname Statto. (That’s the nicer way of admitting that I was somewhat plump and didn’t have a good record with members of the opposite sex.) Today I showed how far that knowledge has fallen when hearing of Pompey’s new signing. I did find it odd that we’d signed the Italian cyclist Aless Petacchi but apparently we’d actually signed the ex Queens Park Rangers Akos Buzsaky. I will be honest and say that I spent most of yesterday stripping paint off with a hot gun and may have inhaled a few too many fumes during the course of the day. I will also be honest and say whilst I vaguely know the name, the career of the Italian cyclist is better known to me that what he actually achieved during his time at QPR and other fans seem pretty chuffed so hopefully a good bit of business for Michael Appleton. Let’s hope the injury curse that is striking left right and centre has claimed enough victims now and that we can have a few months injury free to our squad. Why did I just write that? Sure to be another kiss of death. *Rolls eyes.

In my last blog for the preview against Scunthorpe United I wrote that Michael Appleton’s side needed a bit of luck and I didn’t care if the winner came in a scrappy 1-0 win which saw the winning goal cannon in off the back of Luke Rodgers head in the 96^th minute. So typically Rodgers was out injured but we did win by the one goal margin and the winner happened in the 89^th minute so I wasn’t far off and the relief was there for all to see on the faces of the players and fans alike. I don’t know why but I always feel the notion of scoring such a late winner when the chips are down has a great galvanising effect on a side which carries them on a good bit of momentum. So obviously watch us lose 3-0 to Yeovil Town later on tonight. In all serious though hopes will have been raised after our first home win of the season and the possibility that the loan signing of Thomas will prove to be the key to start winning regularly. Taking two wins into Saturday’s game away to MK Dons who will be without the newly retired Jimmy Bullard will give us real impetus and hope for the month of October.

Gary Johnson’s men have stuttered of late and go into tonight’s game off the back of five straight defeats having last recorded a victory back on September 1^st when they beat Doncaster Rovers 2-1 at home. On top of that they haven’t kept in a clean sheet in six so Appleton will be hoping that the new forward line of Thomas and McLeod will pay dividends. Despite the run of losses Yeovil on their day remain a side very much capable of finding themselves amongst the goals. Sadly for Gary Johnson which end they go in seems isn’t always as he’d like. Wins in all competitions have included; Bristol City (3-0), Scunthorpe (4-0), Brentford (3-1) and Colchester (3-0) which shows on their day with their shooting boots on Yeovil are very much a side not to underestimate. Losses to West Bromwich Albion (4-2), Preston North End (3-2)and Leyton Orient (4-1) demonstrate that on the flip side things don’t always go to plan for the Somerset based side.

This will be the first time the two clubs have ever met in any competition so full bragging rights will be on offer come kick off. Appleton will be without Darel Russell, Josh Thompson and Luke Rodgers though Gabor Gyepes is expected to overcome a knock to the ankle and start. Midfielder Johnny Ertl looks set to replace the injured Russell.

Walsall (H) September 15th 2012

When I checked my Sky Sports App last week to see who was next up for Pompey I got a tad excited when I read we were playing Millwall at home. On checking for a second time when I was more awake I realised that last season’s relegation hadn’t been part of my imagination and that we are actually playing Walsall at home which wasn’t so exciting a prospect after all but is obviously part and parcel of the new furniture that surrounds us in the NPower League One. I met a Walsall fan once and have never met any others so I’m presuming there’s more than just him in existence but we’ll see how many travel down for the game tomorrow.

Walsall managed by Dean Smith and nicknamed ‘The Saddlers’ visit Fratton Park sat in 8^th position currently. They opened this season’s campaign with a 1-0 win at home to Brentford in the League Cup before crashing out 3-0 in the second round to Premiership opposition in the form of Mark Hughes’ QPR away at Loftus Road. Their opening league game saw a comprehensive 3-0 loss to Doncaster Rovers who were relegated alongside Pompey from The Championship at the tail end of last season. Since their opening day defeat The Saddlers are unbeaten in four having secured wins against Notts County (1-0) and MK Dons (1-0) and drawn with Oldham Athletic (1-1) and Brentford (2-2).  Twenty year old forward George Bowerman who has come through the academy ranks at Walsall is their top goal scorer in all competitions with 2 goals in a season that has seen them score just 6 goals in 7 games. Walsall will aim to field the 19 year old Belgian midfielder Florent Cuvelier who is currently on loan from Stoke City. Cuvelier was part of the Portsmouth youth set up before joining the Premiership side in 2010.

Pompey and Walsall have played in a total of 23 competitive matches together in which Pompey have won 10, lost 5 and drawn 8 scoring a total of 37 times and conceding 25. The last season the two clubs were together was in 2002/03 and Pompey won 2-1 away and 3-2 at home. The wins extended their unbeaten run against The Saddlers to four games. Their last loss came back in April 2000 when Walsall won 1-0 at The Bescot Stadium.

I know in life they say you should never judge a book by its cover but The Saddlers Player of the Season for the past two years has been central defender Andy Butler and Michael Appleton’s men will be hopeful of recording their third successive win in all competitions following the home win in the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy against AFC Bournemouth on penalties and last Sunday’s 3-0 away win to high flying Crawley Town which was their first league win of the campaign. Goals from Harris and McLeod sandwiched a superbly struck free kick from Luke Rodgers to secure the win after Crawley had been reduced to nine men and had their manager sent to the stands. Pompey welcome back Mustapha Dumbuya from international duty but remain without the suspended Jordan Obita who serves the last of a three match ban following his dismissal at home to Oldham Athletic. New signing Gabor Gyepes looks set to miss out following his injury sustained in the first half at Crawley Town. With the off the field uncertainty continuing manager Michael Appleton is weighing up the options of releasing either central defender Kevin Long or Conor Clifford when their loan deals run out in order to bring another forward into the club as cover for McLeod and Rodgers. Defender Paul Connolly has returned to parent club Leeds United following his injury.

‘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.