Pedalo returns for his FanZone stint this season when Citeh come to Fratton on Sunday, if you are not going to be there why not check him out on the day.
Hi all. Pedalo here – just thought I’d drop in for a chat ahead of Sunday’s FanZone – make sure you tune in!
What a crazy week at Fratton, eh? Person I feel for most in all of this is Peter Storrie. Seeing his interview on Sky… he looked so down in the dumps. Still, nevermind – at least there seems to be some money in the club, finally! Whether Al Fahim’s takeover is what he claims it is, we’ll have to wait and see. But it seems that the wolf has well and truly been beaten away from the door for the time being, and Hart and Storrie (let’s hope he hangs about – I genuinely think we’d really miss him) can concentrate on the team – both on the pitch and off it.
Some interesting transfer business going on. Tommy Smith is a Hart player, in more ways than one. He’s versatile, he’ll give his all, put himself about, and probably pop up with a few goals. I know he’s no Galactico, but the guy has been Watford’s Player of the Season for the past two years so he’s definitely going to be a useful guy to have around in a relegation battle.
Add Michael Brown to the mix, and the midfield is starting to look a bit tougher. I’ve never liked the guy if I’m honest – never seen a player go in for so many two footed challenges in a career, but I guess he’s the type of player who you want IN your team as opposed to playing against him. Yes, he’s getting on a bit, but we’ve got to think about this season, and we probably need battlers.
Dindane signed on Friday afternoon, and will make a huge difference up front with some much needed pace and power than we haven’t really had since the days of the Yak. Together with Piquionne (and potentially Utaka), I think they’ll cause a few problems to a number of defences across the league.
The Prince – here’s a funny one. I guess Hart believes that there’s something that he can unlock in Boateng that wasn’t fully utilised at Spurs. He didn’t really get a chance (14 games) at the Lane and spent most of last season either injured or on loan at Dortmund, so maybe a run of games in a team which is desperate for some fresh faces will do him good. I am really happy his mate Jamie O’Hara has come down to the coast, even if it is only until January. He’s a class act, and looks like Harry will hopefully do us a favour by sending him over to Fratton for some game time.
And finally, at the back, Distin is clearly a huge loss. That said, his heart really hasn’t been in it for a while, and it’s only when Sol really stepped up his game under Hart at the back end of last season that Sylvain started performing again. Still, £5m for a player who turns 32 this season isn’t bad business – we’ve got to make sure that we do a good job of replacing him. Dindane’s pal Gohouri is a bit of an unknown quantity, but is on a free. Otherwise, there’s been a bit of chat about Tal Ben Haim, who’s a decent player if not prone to the odd blunder, and Mike Williamson of Watford. Williamson has supposedly been tipped for a quick rise to the top, having only joined Watford in January, albeit earning rave reviews for his no nonsense defending along the way. I would have preferred to see us cough up for John Mensah, but it looks as though our “cash” came too late.
Aaaaaaanyway, onto Sunday. Great news is that most if not all of the players above are going to be available for consideration on Sunday. We’re going to look a bit suspect at the back, and I wouldn’t be surprised if Aaron Mokoena goes back to partner Kaboul, but hopefully there’ll be an air of optimism around the ground and we’ll take something from the game.
And I’ll be on FanZone, of course, for anyone who isn’t heading to Fratton! Sky Sports 1 at 1.30pm. I’ve already got a jingle written about Vanden Borre, and hopefully there’ll be another couple to follow about the new lads!
Hope you enjoy. In the meantime, check out the latest FanZone SS1 trailer – managed to sneak on!
http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid29318049001?bctid=33800925001.
Come on Pompey! Time to show ’em what we’re made of!
Written by Pedalo.
The views within this article are the views of the individual who wrote and submitted this piece, sometimes solely theirs. They are not necessarily shared by the Vital Pompey Site Journalists.
