Pump, pump, pump Pompey it up

Right, so I figured it was about time I'd try the new career section on the site. Been playing with Atalanta in Serie A for the moment, but after finishing 4th in the first season in charge already I wanted a new, tougher challenge. Then Portsmouth came to my mind. I guess you're all familiar with the, to put it frankly, fucked up situation and state that club find themselves in.

So there I was then, under my French pseudonym - the 32-year-old Hervé Francis. With no money to spend, a squad of players with contracts running out in just a couple of months time and of really bad quality. At least I have John Anthony Portsmouth Football Club Westwood to rely on. And good 'ol Fratton Park.


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It's not very often I actually agree with the minimum expectations set by the board, as I usually tend to aim higher, but this time around I was left with no choice really. So the goal for this season had to be to avoid relegation.

What met me the first day at the new job was a club under administration, no transfer budget and the 'welcoming' news of the club already being £ 5,33 K (per week) over the wage budget with players such as Lee Williamson and Brian Howard being two of the league's best paid players. And as if that wasn't bad enough, 14 out of the total 17 (thin squad!) players had contracts which were due to run out in less than four months time. Sooo... eventual contract renewals had to wait for now.


What I did do however was exploit the loan transfer market. Well, at least that's what I intended to do. Unfortunately the club was under administration long enough for me to miss out on the best loan targets available.


Could only loan in players from the Premier League seeing as I couldn't afford to pay the wages and monthly fee's Championship sides demanded. Looking in to the free agent market was out of the question anyway because of the financial situation.

Slightly strengthened we took on the friendly games. My assistant more precisely. Sat from a spectators point of view I saw him obtain four pretty much expected results. A win, a draw and two losses against bigger sides.

With the pre season and transfer window underway it was time to kick off the new season with a Carling Cup tie, which saw us draw Plymouth away.

A tricky tie for this uninspired, mediocre side of mine. We completely dominated the game but failed to get a goal in. Even after extra time both teams were yet to score, so it all had to be decided on penalties. On the score 10-9, young striker Ashley Harris stepped up but failed to put the ball behind Plymouth's Jake Cole. We had lost. A loss is never easy to take, but personally I could care less as it would allow us to concentrate on the much more important battle for relegation instead.

The league opener turned out to be a rather disappointing affair. A bore nil-all draw to Coventry was followed up by two identical results in two away games against Walsall and Yeovil Town respectively. Rather worryingly we had now failed to score in five games in a row, the friendly vs. Wolves included; a negative trend we had to turn around immediately. On the other hand we looked good in defence much thanks to the best player of the period, Hungarian international centre bck Gábor Gyepes.



Forgot to take a screenshot of the league table the first couple of months, as I didn't plan to write a career on the save, but it's coming.

Having gone goalless through the whole month of August, it was a rather nervous Pompey side who walked on to the pitch for the first game in September against south coast rivals of Bournemouth. A perfect arena for us to up the ante. And the players duly delivered. Inspired by an instrumental performance from striker Brian Howard we were up 2-0 to half time. Both goals signed by Howard of course. Bournemouth managed to pull one back through former Southampton man Lee Barnard right after the break, but never threatened the lead and the game ended with us pulling of a secure 2-1 win. First one of the season!

Inspired by the great win we were headed for Lancashire fourteen days later to take on Preston at Deepdale. Unluckily on-loan goalkeeper Mikkel Andersen disrupted the hopes of three new points when he managed to put the ball behind his own goal early in the game. As Frédéric Piquionne doubled the lead five minutes before half time, Lubor Michalik's goal proved to be nothing else than a consolation.


Jon Harley decided to leave us the day after the loss, but than didn't bother me too much as he was on a contract which didn't reflect his squad status not his abilities as a footballer. And it didn't seem to bother us too much in the following game as we hosted Scunthorpe. In front of a 13,493 crowd we dominated the Scunny side and managed to win with same numbers as in the win vs. Bournemouth. Lee Williamson and an own goal from Sam Slocombe the goalscorers.

But then it was back to 'basics' again as we ended the month by losing to both Bury and Stevenage, home and away respectively. Yet another two games without us scoring.



Decided to change the format on the career, so won't post updates in this any longer. See new thread.