Portsmouth - fan's 2008/09 Premier League preview
Wednesday, 06 Aug 2008 15:49
Portsmouth - fan's 2008/09 Premier League preview and predictions
A supporter's views and expectations for the 2008/09 season.
Last season
Premier League: 8th - P 38 W 16 D 9 L 13 GF 48 GA 40 GD +8 PTS 57
FA Cup: Winners - beat Cardiff City in final 1-0
League Cup: Fourth Round - lost to Blackburn Rovers 2-1
The manager
After bringing home Pompey's first FA Cup since 1939, Harry Redknapp couldn't be more popular among the faithful.
Since taking over in 2002, the canny cockney has wheeled and dealed his way to building an impressive squad that has firmly established Portsmouth as a Premier League force.
After turning the ship around, the wily veteran now faces the challenge of continuing Portsmouth's development while hanging onto key assets like Niko Kranjcar and Lassana Diarra.
Chances of managerial change?
It is a mark of Redknapp's success at Portsmouth that nowadays he is only likely to leave Fratton Park on his own terms for the lure of a bigger club.
But with Harry and 'the wife' shunning a move to Newcastle United last season, it looks like life on the south coast suits the 61-year-old and he has no apparent designs on a change of dugout scenery.
The players
Exits
Dynamic Ghanaian midfielder Sulley Muntari is the only major departure of the summer, having been lured back to Italy by Serie A champions Inter Milan.
Redknapp was pragmatic about the sale - reluctant to let the 23-year-old go yet realistic enough to realise the hefty chunk of cash Inter handed over would help him bring in a number of reinforcements.
New arrivals
At 6ft 7ins, he'll certainly make an impression alongside diminutive strike partner Jermain Defoe but can Peter Crouch put a stuttering season with Liverpool behind him and justify that £11 million price tag?
It's often said that confidence is the key with strikers - and that seems especially true with Mr Roboto. At times capable of surprisingly deft touches and classy finishes, he has a fragile temperament and will need goals in short order to silence the doubters.
Needs
The boss will be happy that Niko Kranjcar's head-turning performances for Croatia at Euro 2008 did not have the suitors a-calling but otherwise it's been a relative quiet summer by Harry's standards.
However, with Redknapp lamenting a lack of squad depth and that Muntari cash burning a hole in his pocket, expect some new acquisitions before the transfer window slams shut.
Reading's Nicky Shorey and Tottenham's Younes Kaboul head the shopping list, with Kaboul reportedly set to seal a £5 million deal within days.
The fanbase
So far, Portsmouth fans know the club has been punching above its weight in the league and they've just been happy to enjoy the ride - after all, not so long ago Pompey were facing extinction.
However, with success comes expectation and while Redknapp is widely worshipped for ushering in a new golden age for the club, the mood of the fans will only remain so buoyant as long as his side continue to defy gravity and establish themselves in the top eight.
The club certainly has the ambition, with a new stadium slated to open in 2011 so the fans will be hoping the team can continue to match this off-field progress on the pitch.
Prediction for 2008/09
Last year's FA Cup win means a European adventure for Redknapp's men and while mid-week Uefa Cup engagements will no doubt entertain the fans, as Bolton Wanderers found out last season, they also stretch the squad.
Another cup run would be welcome, although as it took them 69 years to win two FA Cups, dreams of back-to-back trophies seem a little fanciful.
In the league, Portsmouth will look to consolidate last year's eighth-place finish and, with a run of form at the right time, could even push for a place in Europe again.
Andy Jowett