Yesterday Pompey went to Hull and back but happier circumstances than last season as the media has been at great lengths to remind fans all week. However Pompey failed to turn up and Hull took the three points with some ease and probably deserved more than a single goal victory.
Another red card, this time for Luke Varney with a lunge in on a home player, only added to the misery as Pompey slumped to eighteenth and only one point off the bottom three. There are now two home games next week against Blackpool and Peterborough and if Pompey are to enjoy a reasonably comfortable season these game must produce at least four points or a difficult winter could be ahead.
Last season it seemed as though Hull away might just be our very last ever game as Admin Andy played brinkmanship with the club`s future in an attempt to secure a buyer.
Fans flocked there in their thousands to witness what they hoped would not be the end. I remember a large group of us moping over our beer on the Friday night in the Tavern praying it was not the end. Of course now the club are in much better shape and that showed in the number of followers who made the trip to the KC. They even had cash turnstiles available for part of the stadium! Whatever next?
New visitors
A new name has appeared on the Pompey fixture list. It is that of FC Rostov who will visit Fratton Park on 5 October with a 7:30pm kick off. Only those with a good knowledge of Russian geography would know where Rostov is and after a bit of searching I found it on the Sea of Azov which separates the Crimea from the Russian mainland.
FC Rostov have won no honours but they have been in the top flight of Russian football for all but two seasons since Russian broke from the Soviet Union in 1991; on both occasions they bounced straight back.
They were however runners up in the Russian Cup in 2003 losing to Spartak Moscow 1-0. They have also played in the Intertoto Cup on two occasions under their former name of Rostselmash. In 1999 they reached the semi final losing to Juventus 9-1 on aggregate. (what were Juve doing in the Intertoto Cup?)
Other than of course our Russian part ownership I can find no links between the two clubs – certainly no player has played for both teams. Believe me I have looked, Ognjen Koroman who played four game on loan at Pompey back in 2006/07 has played for a number of Russian clubs (despite being Serbian) and indeed is now at Krylia Sovetov, but he never served Rostov.
So this will be a first contact between the clubs and it is a pity it has to be under such sad circumstances. The match against the Russian Premier League side has been arranged to raise money for the families of the victims of the air crash in Yaroslavl earlier this month.
The crash killed 44 people, including almost the entire Lokomotiv Yaroslavl ice hockey team, many of its coaching staff as well as seven members of the crew.
Tickets are £10 for adults, £7 for seniors and young people (17-22) and £2 for children. Show your support for the club`s move and buy a ticket even if you cannot make the match.
Safe standing visits Fratton Park
The Club have confirmed that the Safe Standing Roadshow will be at the PitchSide Bar Fratton Park on Thursday 13th October between 17.00 and 20.00 . They hope that as many of you as possible will be able to get along and see the mock up of one of the systems widely used in Germany, which can be used as a standing area or converted to seating.
I know a large number of you want to see standing areas return to football stadia so why not get down to the Park and put your weight behind the campaign?
Fans Forum
Sadly I did not get a chance to get to the Radio Solent forum in the week but there appear to have been several items that raised the blood pressure. The payments outstanding to small creditors was one where it appears that Portpin having made the promise to settle all debts under a certain figure they have now reneged on that agreement. Let`s hope it can be amicably resolved as it will leave a sour taste in the mouth if it is not.
The other point being debated widely this week is the Pompey disciplinary record so far this season which sees the club at the top of a Championship table they would not want to be. Chix produced the table in Chew the Fat this week showing Pompey on ninety points with Leeds second on seventy six.
The debate swings between blaming poor refereeing and the players` attitude. It is of course a mixture of the two the officials do the rounds and should even up over the season, some sides this season have ‘gone down` too easily Brighton and West Ham for example trying to fool referees and some are taken in by it.
On the other side of the coin though there are some players who want to boss the game and harass the officials throughout trying to make a point here and a point there. That is something boss Steve Cotterill must put a stop to now.
The other subject of the week is quite simply – is our football that bad? Some reports talk of the beautiful game, others of ‘Pompey`s spoiling tactics` – Who is right?
Put it right
The mistakes that had been spotted on Pompeyrama are all being updated and if you spot any errors let me know and I will contact Phil for you – what a service as Chix says lol!! You can of course click the link at the foot of the front page on Pompeyrama to drop the ed a note.
Pompeyrama is a great site and the amount of work Phil puts in is unbelievable and he hopes eventually to put the records on back to 1920 the year Pompey were granted league status. The only problem is the amount of effort that needs. In Phil`s own words ‘it is a huge task and will take a bit of motivation and momentum currently sadly lacking. Mind you it’s waited this long so maybe another few years will be ok.`
Thanks to Phil for the efforts it is a great resource enjoyed bu so many Pompey fans.
Keepers
Andy Gosney was the answer to last week`s question. He made just forty eight appearances in eleven years at Pompey. During the spell between 29 April 1978 and 24 August 1993 (5,600 days) Peter Mellor played 129 times and Alan Knight the rest which I estimate as 563!
Well done to Alty Blue for getting that right but on a related question who was the next goalkeeper to play for Pompey back in August 1993?
On the subject of goalkeepers you will remember that last week when we gave you Chix`s Pompey born XI we could only find one custodian. Well with the help of Pompeyrama I have discovered two things. Firstly there have been thirty five Pompey players born in the city who have played for the club since the war and secondly there was another goalkeeper – Charlie Dore.
Charlie was a back up keeper in the early fifties playing just eighteen games in five seasons. Not surprising when you consider that the competition included Ernie Butler, Maurice Leather and Norman Uprichard. Charlie was eighty back in January and I joined in the celebrations by informing his friends of the event and ensuring the necessary messages etc were sent. Charlie still lives locally but was he born in Portsmouth or Gosport? I must find out as there are different opinions.
PUP
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