Football Focus

[Keef]

Ramos was an unmitigated distaster.

Not the first to be fair.... Who could forget Christian Gross!

[ratty]

Ossie Ardiles - the list is endless.

In fact.... have they ever had a decent manager?

[Keef]

Now now ratty, you say you're not too bitter, but you're starting to sound it!

Can't see Tony Adams being a long term fixture.

[ratty]

Agggh so maybe I am a little bit bitter! :)

Me neither (re Adams)

I have a feeling this may be the end of my football club! :(

[ruffers]

Keef Wrote:

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> Ramos was an unmitigated distaster.

>

> Not the first to be fair.... Who could forget

> Christian Gross!

Who?

(Someone had to do it...)

[Jah Lush]

Yeah. Gross by name Gross by nature. He was shit. Cheer up ratty, it's not the end of the world. Portsmouth have become a very good and competitive club under Harry Redknapp and he has left you in a realitvely good position with good players. You've got a short memory. Pompey hadn't been in the top division since the 50s or 60s until Harry arrived at the club and you even won the FA Cup last year under him. You seem to have forgotten that.

[ratty]

The worry I have is our finances. Nothing to do with HR tbh, it is more the reasons he left. He seemed to be indicating that the club is in financial trouble (all that stuff about having to sell the manager).

[SeanMacGabhann]

So - Arsenal v Spurs

Shall I watch at home or venture to CPT/EDT?

[Jah Lush]

I'm watching it at a mate's house Sean with some fellow Spurs fans. Pretty damned sure I wouldn't be able to take the ribbing from any Gooners after the inevitable thrashing that I'm pretty sure is coming our way. One swallow doesn't make a summer and we're not out of the woods yet by a long shot and other cliches.

[Ladygooner]

I shall be watching at the Emirates - freezing my butt off if the weather forecast is correct!

[Annasfield]

You should go Sean. I'll be leaving for Anfield around 1pm, can drop you off on the way if you like. ;-)

[SeanMacGabhann]

very good... very clever

[SeanMacGabhann]

You won't catch the Fiver dredging up loads of 'Arry Redknapp quotes from recent months in which the new Totten'am 'Otspur manager waxes lyrical about 'ow 'appy 'e is at Portsmouth, 'ow it will definitely be 'is last job in football and 'ow it just wouldn't be right for him to leave because 'e feels 'e owes Pompey a debt and 'as to pay vem back. There are a number of reasons for this reticence on our part, the main one being that it would involve effort, which the crack team of finely tuned BS-detectors at football365 were good enough to have their readers exert long before we rolled out of bed this afternoon.

The fact of the matter is that, having established Portsmouth as a Premier League force to be reckoned with, won the FA Cup and overseen the relegation of Southampton to the Championship during his time at Fratton Park, 'Arry doesn't owe the south-coast club a thing. What's more, with massive bucks on offer to restore Tottenham's status as a mid-table side with delusions of grandeur, he'd have been stone-hatchet mad to turn down such a lucrative gig.

"It is brilliant to have an English manager," whooped Ledley King without injuring himself, less than 24 hours after fulfilling his duties as club captain by describing his then boss, the Spaniard Juande Ramos, as "a good manager" who Spurs players were "confident" could "change things". Of course when Ledley says he's confident 'Arry can change things you get the feeling he actually means it and all the evidence to date - a home win over Bolton, whoopity-doo! - suggests he's right.

But before Spurs players and fans completely lose the run of themselves, your tea-timely harbinger of doom thinks it's worth noting that the last time a struggling Premier League side with a nickname beginning with the letter S parachuted 'Arry in to save them from relegation, he appointed his boy Jamie to help him, failed, then left them in the lurch. With betting exchanges already offering odds against Redknapp replacing himself as Portsmouth manager (OK, they're a long 228-1, but probably a lot shorter than those available for Micky Adams, Bryan Robson or Dvd O'Lry), it seems history could be about to repeat itself. Today's Lahn's Lahn E'n'n' Stannah reports that "Redknapp's son Jamie could also be joining the staff" at Spurs

[Jah Lush]

"Redknapp's son Jamie could also be joining the staff" at Spurs. "Could" being the operative word Sean. Just the usual press speculation bollocks.

[SeanMacGabhann]

Oh naturally jah. Its just i find the style of the fiver daily news letter quite chucklesome

[????]

er...Portsmouth were in the top flight more recently than that jah.....late 80s or early 90s

[ratty]

87/88 - we don't talk about it!

ALAN BALL'S BLUE AND WHITE ARMY!

[Jah Lush]

Oh yeah...you're right. Such a long time ago I'd forgotten. Didn't last long did it.

[david_carnell]

Wikipedia is a cruel mistress...

Portsmouth 1987/8:

P 40

W 7

D 14

L 19

F 36

A 66

Pts 35

Brutal.

[ratty]

I think we beat scum away that season though so not all bad!

[Ladygooner]

I hope Jamie doesn't join his Dad at WHL - us girlies would miss drooling over him on Sky Sports!

[ruffers]

ratty Wrote:

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> 87/88 - we don't talk about it!

>

> ALAN BALL'S BLUE AND WHITE ARMY!

He did a great job at City as well

[Jah Lush]

Correct me if I'm wrong but didn't Alan Ball get every club he ever managed relegated at some point? Great player/crap manager.

[????]

Glenn Roeder did that..... without the great footballer bit too

[ratty]

Nearly. I think he managed the scum and never got them relegated. Someone else did that - can't rememeber his name at the moment ;)

Bally also spectacularly saved us one year as well. One of the best escapes in history!

RIP Alan.

Pompey are announcing Adams and Keown as the new management team in an hour or so. Be interesting to see how they do. Joe Jordan is joining Kevin Bond at Tottemham with the Judas.

So that's that settled then. Who's next for the chop?