As Chelski was spanking us last night their London rivals Fulham were being knocked out of the cup by Spurs.
So, we now know it will be Spurs at Wembley on Sunday April 11th – this of course means no Jamie O’Hara for us…
Fulham, with all due respect, would have been the game that I – and most others – would have preferred, in fact a recent Vital Pompey poll concluded as much. Clearly Spurs will be the harder game so our chances of making the final are slimmer, I just pray, that if we are beaten, that we are not spanked!
All in all I think that the biggest drawback for me at this now being our tie, other than the fact that O’Hara – who deserves Wembley run-out, there is always the final though! – will miss out is the fact that playing Spurs means that there will be so much media hype surrounding this, with it going into overdrive, meaning this will overshadow it and WILL become more about Harry Redknapp than the game itself. Attention will turn to how HE won the cup back along and how HE is Gods gift. I do not think I can take the ‘Portsmouth is a t’rific little club’, the ‘I gave them wonderful times, the best years of their lives’, and ‘I left them in great shape’ etc. etc. stuff that he will spout out, both pre and post game…
Clearly the fact that it is Redknapp – and not Spurs of course as that is how it will be portrayed, it will be Tottenham Redknapp FC – that is the opposition, and the supporting cast are ex-Pompey too will ‘spice things up’ but ultimately I do not want to win this game any more or any less than any other…ok, perhaps a little more!
Lets not beat about the bush here, even if we might not want it, the focus will be on things, and about things, that I mention but lets not let this overshadow things and RUIN our day out at Wembley – this IS about US, and not anything else, so lets not forget that fact and lets not let it spoil our enjoyment, whatever happens.
Yep it WILL take a monumental effort to beat them, but this is the FA cup though after all – the stuff of dreams and fairytales so anything is possible! Bloody hell WHY bother if we have accepted defeat before we even play!
Although PLEASE Avram I beg you do not pack the midfield purely with defensive midfielders such as Marc Wilson, Michael Brown, Richard Hughes, Aaron Mokoena, Papa Bouba Diop and Hayden Mullins, lets at least get something, or someone, in there with some creativity. Yep, I know your hands are tied in many ways but if you do go with this 4-5-1 – as I suspect you will – lets at least get some genuine width in there out on the flanks in the shape of Nadir Belhadj, Tommy Smith, John Utaka or Quincy. Lets have a go eh…
All in all Spurs WILL be heavy favourites, this could work against them and in our favour – the pressure will be off, whereas in a way it would have been greater against Fulham as we would have, on paper, had a much better chance. Like I say though lets NOT accept defeat before a ball is kicked, why should we!
Above all else though guys, as said lets enjoy this day and make sure that it does not become an ‘anti-supporting’ exercise against former Pompey personalities and remains a ‘pro-supporting’ of the CURRENT Pompey personalities, as this support could well help drag us through! Whereas this anti-support could only aid our demise…
PLAY UP POMPEY!
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