Well we have a mother of an edition of Toast today. As you all celebrate and fate your mothers we give you a Mothering Sunday special Toast??.
The morning after Pompey got stuck into the Toffees a look at the league table shows some improvement but we need to be confident not complacent to use Paul Hart`s words.
Pompey up for the fight
Well we really mean last Saturday`s big fight bill in Manchester. On the way from Middlesbrough a group of about a dozen players thought they fancied taking in the boxing rather than travel straight home.
At Tees-side airport the club had to hastily arrange a mini bus for the players to travel in while the rest of the squad flew back to Eastleigh.
Pompey have also started taking players to hotels before home games. Hayling Island being the venue last Friday.
Westwood thrown out at Boro
Once again the Boro stewards proved over jealous last week and not for the first time John Westwood found himself outside the ground – I am informed it also happened three seasons ago too. Despite continually being warned by stewards John refused to sit down and apparently the CCTV images clearly show that John and crew were the only ones standing.
Those who have been in the past describe the stewarding as aggressive at Riverside. Toast had warned the Pompey Safety Officer in advance!! So we are not surprised but with only 587 visiting fans was it necessary?
RAMA
Remember to visit pompeyrama.com our sister site for all our stats. Registration is simple and then you can go through the database of games since the war and mark those you were at.
The database will then give you all manner of stats of those games. Who you have seen most, who has played in most of those games and who has scored most goals. It is impressive site and well worth of the support of all Vital Pompey members.
As for my stats, well I have spent some time adding the games and it needs checking and re-checking but at present it suggest I have seen Pompey play 888 times and yesterday was my 750th visit to Fratton Park for a competitive match! Most games is not surprisingly Alan Knight, most goals is Ray Hiron at 83.
We are now working with Pompeyrama to produce a biography for all of the players that are credited with appearances since the war – which totals something in the region of 530!!
A visit to Rama in the week reminded me that 25 years ago this week we went to Barnsley and won 3-0. I ran a successful and popular thread in the forum on this game as it was an a side of all English players.
Pompey Side
Alan Knight
John McLaughlin
Colin Sullivan
Bobby Doyle
Mick Tait
Malcolm Waldron
Neil Webb
Kevin Dillon
Mark Hateley
Alan Biley
Gary Stanley
Sub Nicky Morgan
Goals from Hateley, Biley and Webb.
What memories and what a list of scorers!! That was a great season with goals everywhere, the problem was we conceded far too many but the entertainment was fantastic.
The bells
The City Council have almost completed the restoration work on the Guildhall bells and the Pompey chimes should be sounding loud and clear very soon.
They have been running a competition to name the bells now that the idea of naming one after our ex manager. The names suggested are Nelson, Conan Doyle, Dickens etc but no mention of any Pompey players.
A few months ago Toast asked for Reg Flewin to be remembered in the City in some way and this would have been a fitting tribute. Flewin was born in Portsmouth and captained his side to two league championships. What more can one ask for?
Birthdays
We have two current players among this weeks list.
21st March
Tom Cope was born in Bilston in 1882. Goalkeeper signed from Sunderland played for Pompey 100 years ago and was one of the big signings in the summer of 09.
22nd March Matt ‘Ginger’ Reilly was born in Dublin in 1874. Another goalkeeper who played for his country but was also Pompey`s first ever custodian. In fact Ginger missed less than thirty games in Pompey`s first five seasons.
Reilly also shares the honour of being Pompey`s first ever international with Daniel Cunliffe. They both played in the Ireland v England game played in Dublin on St Patrick`s Day 1900 which England won 2-0. After his distinguished Pompey career Reilly moved to Dundee.
Carl Pettefer will be 28 – Youth product Carl played only three times for Pompey before moving to Exeter on loan for a season and then permanently to Southend. Has recently been playing non league football and at present is at AFC Totton (Matt can no doubt verify by popping round the corner to Testwood Park)
23rd March Jerome Thomas will be 26. Jerome`s first season at Pompey has been blighted with injury and is the subject of the latest of the Deal or No deal specials.
24th March Martyn Busby 56 – stylish midfield player came on loan from QPR in February 1976 and played six games. Scored one goal in that spell in a 2-0 win over Plymouth at Fratton Park – Tony Macken who we featured a few weeks ago scored his only Pompey goal in the same game.
Aliou Cisse 33, Aliou left Pompey three years ago and is now playing in France for Nimes. Not a superstitious player as he now wears number 13.
25th March Alf ‘Dusty’ Miller Born 1917, according to Chix`s magnificent records however I can find no record of him making the Pompey first team.
26th March Alan Pringle Born 1914 played twenty six times as a left half in the mid thirties after signing from West Pelton a Durham mining village.
Edward (Ted) Platt Born 1921; Tommy Quigley Born 1932 another two players I can find no sign of.
27th March Stephen Smith Born 1896 made just one appearance as a left winger during the First World War.
Hayden Mullins reaches the age of 30 which is considered a milestone for all professional footballers. Born in Reading Hayden had spent all of his career in London before moving to the South Coast.
Came through the successful youth system at Crystal Palace and made his league debut in August 1998 when manager Terry Venables selected him against Bolton. Venables has always been a great believer in youth (and Australians) and Mullins became a regular in the side. In fact he missed only one game all season and was named Player of the Season. He was also capped at England U21 level.
Mullins’ career continued to flourish at Selhurst Park and he played over 40 games a season for five years as a Palace player and was to win the Player of the year award again in 2003. By this time he had been made team captain and although he had often been the subject of transfer rumours no firm offers had been made.
In August 2003 that was to change when Alan Pardew took him to West Ham for a fee in the region of £750,000. He immediately got into the team and made 34 appearances as the Hammers reached the Division One play off final where they met of all teams Crystal Palace! West Ham lost 1-0 but were back in the final the following year. This time they beat Preston 1-0 to reach the Premier League.
West Ham has a successful first season finishing in mid table and reaching the Cup final. Sadly for Mullins he was suspended for the big day and missed what was one of the best final in recent years with Liverpool eventually winning on penalties.
Hayden continued to be a regular in the Hammers first team until this season when he appeared more than often on the bench and he joined Pompey this January. A reliable rather than a spectacular player Mullins can play as a defensive midfield man or in the middle of the back four.
Azar Karadas
When you come to register on Vital Pompey take care you are honest about who you are. This week a member calling himself Azar Karadas registered and then posted material such as –
‘I hope Pompey can be good in their trials to stay up this season but you no longer have me there to save you, so you better get the players giving all their energy. You have too many players in the type of Lua Lua who are greedy and aren’t what a fighting teams needs. In example I had to do much more work because he just walks around. I like Portsmouth and I like the fans that helped us stay in the top league, well done too for winning the cup last season. As they sings ‘play up Pompey’
And there were several more suggesting that Turks would be ideal players rather than Greeks but when he confused editor Rug for Linvoy his cover was blown. He talked about his only goal against Bolton and how Linvoy and he had enjoyed the coach journey home.
This is where we all new he was a phoney because his goal had been at Fratton Park not away and would not need a coach home. He has since apologised for his actions and made up with the members he wound up and all is forgiven. He also pointed us at the Karadas website which is nice but riddled with errors.
So who is next to try and fool us? No, just don`t try it please!!
No game next Saturday, so have a stress free week and see you next Sunday.
PUP
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