I was only thinking the other day that this month I will have been a member of Vital Pompey for three years. It was although sometime before I worked up the courage/worked out how to post my thoughts on front page articles and in the forums.
I think there are a number of you out there who are shy like me and take an age to add their comments. One such member is Doggo who joined after me and has only just started clocking up the points with his well constructed views. So come on Pompey fans, don`t be shy. I know you are reading these articles and threads so register and post those comments. I was on the News site in the week and one poster was asking is there anywhere real Pompey fans can have proper discussions – well it is here!!
To prove that point the number of visitors to the site is hitting new highs every day. Last Thursday we had over 700 visitors to the site which is quite phenomenal and during the month of July 200 members have posted. Vital Pompey is growing fast and we the editorial team are determined to ensure that amidst all this quantity we do not lose the quality of articles and our efforts to get the news to you FIRST!!
Vital Football as a whole has had problems with their servers recently and plans are in hand to cure this once and for all. If we have problems please be patient, times are hectic.
Welcome to Steve Finnan
Well he is now thirty three years old but for some years now Steve Finnan has held a unique place in football history
He is the only player to have played in the World Cup, Champions League, UEFA Cup, Intertoto Cup all four levels of English League football, the English Conference and now La Liga. He also shares the distinction of scoring in the five top divisions of English football with Jimmy Willis, an English football veteran.
(Just for the record Willis had scored for Leicester in the First Division and the Premier League for Bradford in the Third Division and for Darlington in both the Conference and the Fourth Division – all between 1988 and 1996.)
Steve is a rarity among Irish Internationals in that he was born in Ireland, Limerick to be exact. He announced his retirement from International football early in 2008 after winning fifty caps. Steve is known throughout the football world for his consistency but failed to make any real impact in La Liga last season when with Espanyol
He won the Champions League with Liverpool in 2005 and becomes the third members of that side to play for Pompey. Can you name the other two?
Well for Steve from Limerick a limerick from Toast – to be completed by you!!
An Irish lad named Steve,
Played at full back I believe.
He first played in blue
When past thirty two,
?????
Birthdays
Remember to click the player`s name to link to Pompeyrama`s stats. It is another quiet week and we seem to have had a lot of those lately.
3rd August – Mickey Lill was born in 1936. Mickey a left winger started his career at West Ham as a youngster but before he made the first team he moved to Wolves and then later Everton. He joined from Plymouth in 1963 and spent three seasons at the club. Mickey spent the rest of his life in South Africa and died from cancer in 2004.
Ron Howells 74 – wing half who played for Pompey during the dark days of 1959 to 1961. Ron was born in Ferndale and joined Pompey from Wolves and later moved on to Scunthorpe United.
6th August – Ron Tilsed 57 – Ron is one of the few players to have contributed to VP. Now living in Australia the ex-Arsenal keeper is a good friend of veteran member pompeygray and even drove him to the airport when gray flew back for the Cup Final.
7th August – Micky Reid 82 – Joined from Bournemouth in 1950 and played five games as Ike Clarke’s understudy. Micky played just five games scoring once in a 1-1 draw at Burnley. He soon moved on to Watford.
Some time ago we ran a series of items on older players, which were penned in part by Pat Neil. Well we hope to meet Pat this week to discuss all things Pompey and hopefully get his to agree to send us some more stuff. His knowledge of players from the 50’s onwards is unique and as an ex headmaster I am certainly not going to argue with his English.
We will tell you more next week after our meeting.
Spies – who needs em?
See some sites this week advertising for spies to help collect together some useful pieces of information to use. We can assure all readers that the Toast network of moles are all tied into long contracts not negotiated by a certain Chief Executive!!
Share
You may have noticed that below our articles now we include the share button which allows users the choice of a wide range facilities from AIM to Yardbarker. You will see it below by usual ending PUP. If you know how to use or even what it is, let me know.
French stories
Arnand Traore is back at Arsenal and doing well. He says he is glad to be back home – not surprising – and could start the season in the first team. Gael Clichy is injured and England U21 Keiron Gibbs is considered not ready. This leaves Traore tipped to start the season at left back.
Younes Kaboul meanwhile has been selected for international duty with Morocco!! Despite being a multi capped France U21 he has a Moroccan background and on his own website he has stated that he has not yet decided which country to play for but that he would not forget his north African roots. He said though that getting a regular place in the Pompey side was his first concern and then winning trophies.
Well Younes I can guarantee you a first team place that is for sure.
Swoop?
Anyone who has visited the Forum regularly will have been amazed by pompeygray`s Misleading Headlines. Well this week a number of press/internet sites were using ‘Pompey complete double swoop’; now this is totally misleading.
The dictionary definition of swoop is ‘a very rapid raid’. Well we knew about Mokoena hours after the final games of last season – I know I wrote the front page story after a text from Rug on the M6. Finnan has hardly been a secret now for weeks so I am sorry but rather like Room 101 the headline ‘Pompey complete double swoop’ belongs in pompeygray’s thread.
Sir Bobby Robson
Rug has already posted a fitting tribute to the great man but Toast felt we needed to add a few words. Bobby was a rarity being loved by football fans all around the world. You have Sunderland fans paying respect to a former Newcastle hero, Real Madrid fans doing likewise to a Barcelona coach!!
He wore his heart on his sleeve and was a very passionate man about all he loved and believed in. This is best shown by when he was told that he was unlikely to survive his latest attack of cancer instead of disappearing from public life he set about raising £1 million for his own cancer charity in Newcastle.
Of course as Pompey fans we will never forget him as it was Bob that presented the FA Cup to Sol Campbell on 17th May 2008. Thanks for everything Bobby – rest in peace.
PUP
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