Central defence is an area that we have been very short with for cover this season, so the news that Noe Pamarot is struggling to be fit even for the FA cup final is a further setback, not only for the player and the club, but also for the run up to this showpiece event as resting one or both of Sol Campbell and Sylvain Distin would have been preferable.
Pamarot picked up his knee ligament problem in February, but does not seem to be showing many signs of being fit in time for games before, or including the cup final as Redknapp confirmed to The News: ‘Noe is still a long way away. He’s done his knee ligaments and is nowhere near fit.
‘Centre-half is a problem. When Noe Pamarot’s not fit we haven’t really got anyone to back up Sol [Campbell] and Sylvain [Distin]. We’re short.
‘We started the season with a load of central defenders’.
We have been without Linvoy Primus all season with a knee injury and with Pamarot out for large spells of it and both Dejan Stefanovic and Andy O’Brien having been sold in the summer we have been very short of cover in central defence.
When needed Hermann Hreidarsson has stepped in, and stepped in very well in fact but Pamarot’s setback is a blow as we really could do with some extra cover for the remainder of the season and the final.
The links with John Mensah are not a surprise at all as he would be a quality addition – or replacement – for what we have. I still have this feeling that Primus will get another deal for next season so we will be ok then, it is just a shame we are short now, so we will just have to keep our fingers crossed and hope for the best in the final 5 league games of the season before the cup final.
Martin Cranie could come in to play in a full back role to enable Hreidarsson to again fill in in the middle, at a push he could probably play in the middle himself, as this is where I do see his long term future. Others could do with a break, but if they are fit and well they will want to carry on playing anyway wont they?
PLAY UP POMPEY!
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