Saturday, August 29, 2009

Portsmouth preview

A Sunday TV appearance and a debut for the new third kit at Fratton Park.

Although their takeover appears completion, they have been in a state of flux for the past six months or so. So much so that David James openly questioned what was happening to the club in his Observer column. The departed Sylvain Distin also spoke about the circumstances at the club.

Having had a large part of the team being sold off, and a look through their side shows some new and unfamiliar names. They have also started the season on the pitch badly, losing all three of their games in the Premier League, although they did record a win in the Carling Cup in midweek.


On the contrary, we have a 100% record so far, and are yet to concede a goal. The new signings that we have made appear to be integrating nicely and we look to possess an attacking threat we did not have throughout 2008/09.

Having not made changes in midweek, Mark Hughes has to decide if this is a fixture he can draft in one or two from the bench. There are no new injury worries so I suspect we may see a similar line up once again, particularly given the way Tevez and Adebayor look to be combining.

A slight worry for me is both how Robinho and Ireland are fitting into the side in deeper roles than they are accustomed and the system isn't getting the best out of them. Perhaps it will take time as the side and formation settles but there are some strong players on the bench waiting to come in.

We are odds on favourites to win (a rarity last season), yet Fratton Park has not always been a happy hunting ground. Goals are also usually a feature, but I suspect it will be a tight affair tomorrow and a 1-0 victory looks good to maintain our impressive start.

vote it up!

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