Is The Honeymoon Over?

By: b-man | December 31st, 2007

I wrote a piece titled ‘Is This the Year?’ earlier on in the year. In it I quite confidently stated that Pompey can and perhaps should reach Uefa Cup football next year. How foolish of me. At the time Benjani was firing in the goals, as were the rest of the Portsmouth team (remember 7-4 at home to Reading). However since that historic game at Fratton Park in which the match saw the most goals ever scored in a Premiership match, Pompey have failed to score a single goal at home! This is a cause for concern. In fact this should be labled as a state of emergency! Fair enough we have picked up good points including a 0-0 draw with Arsenal, in which if anyone was going to win, it was going to be us. Yet if we are really serious about a place in Europe then this substandard form must be eradicated. Briskly. We need to be winning our home games, not drawing them.

With the African Cup of Nations taking place very soon, does the squad need bolstering? Of Course! Kanu is heading away, as is Papa Diop and I feel most significantly, so is Muntari. Sulley Muntari didn’t start as well as some were hoping but he has quickly found his rhythm. A few stuning goals have been the cherry on top of his hard working, tough tackling cake. Without him and Diop in midfield we may lose the physical presence that often allows us to dominate the middle of the pitch. When they leave, we will be left with Mendes, Davis and Richard Hughes. Of these three, the only one I would pick in the starting line up would be Sean Davis. Quite frankly, I’m not sure whether Hughes is even capable to play for Pompey, though having said that I felt he played quite well against his old club Arsenal.

I’ve heard a transfer rumour about Nugent going to Reading and Lita coming the other way. I’m hoping it’s true! Lita would be brilliant alongside Benjani. What we would have in those two is a pair of hard working, energetic, athletic strikers who will get in the faces of opposing defenders. We’d pose a greater threat in behind than we currently do that’s for sure. I also like Lita’s movement. He makes good diagonal runs and I feel that would suit Niko Kranjcar coming in of the left brilliantly.

To be hnest if we carry on like this for the rest of the season i think we can be happy if we finish higher than our previous best of 9th place. We can certainly forget about Uefa Cup.

Harry Redknapp needs to do what he does best in the transfer window. Like when he signed Hartson for West Ham and he worked miracles, another present from God would be helpful.

Whatever Redknapp does, whatever happens to Pompey’s home form, one thing is certain; the honeymoon is certainly over.