spyinthesky

Ho You are quite right to be confident as Saints fans generally were when Pompey were lower down the pecking order which has generally been the case in the past 40 years However there was always a niggling doubt that an upset could be caused. A lower ranked team wining against the odds is always going to cause more satisfaction to the winner/dismay to the loser. Nobody will really be surprised if Pompey do prevail tomorrow but your sense of hurt will be manifiedif you lose!! btw I recollect that Piers Morgan was once a stalwart at the Mirror. Didn't he big up one of your recent owners?

How many on here remember the old railway football specials? They were all the rage until hooliganism took over and trains were wrecked on a regular basis. I recollect going to the 63 semi at Villa Park on one of about 7 or 8 special trains from the Central. Going down the hill to the Central and seeing hordes of Saints fans waiting to board trains was really something. Also took an overnight special from the old Docks Station to Hull a year or so later getting into a cold and foggy Hull around 6am and wandering round until the match started at 3pm Both games lost 1-0!! Anyway understand that Football Specials have started again in a small way using decent rolling stock now stabled at Eastleigh. Wonder if something could be done for the JPT direct to the nearest mainline station to Wembley? If you think about it there are probably only 150 or so coaches in the area, maybe 200. They could only take a maximum of 5,000 people to Wembley leaving upwards of 40,000 to go by the Sunday service SWT service or by road and tube. Love to see a train full of Saints fans (pulled by steam!!) I'll get my anorak!!

Arent they due a Sky payout in next couple of months which could earn a 28 day of execution? Or should they just be executed?

Great to be part of a big crowd altho' thought the atmosphere was a little flat at times. Who would have thought this time last year that we would be marching on to Wembley, even in a junior competition? Actually thought our general performance last night was poor against an average side lacking some of their better players. We still struggle for creativity in midfield and both Antonio and Waigo, altho providing some positives, do not do the good things consistently enough for my liking. I was also concerned with the Fonte and Jaidi pairing. Both decent players in my view but neither shone last night and seemed to have a communication problem. However, finishing on a positive, well done to Lallana, Harding, Lambert, and Thomas (not normally my favourite player) for putting in a decent shift. Proabably Hammond too altho he doesnt seem as influential as when he first arrived. Lets hope the team cranks up a gear or two for Saturday as poor as Pompey are in the Prem there is a big gap in quality as you go down the Leagues

Thought Ref was fairly lenient last night WT would have been sent off in most games and Dean Hammond had 3 or 4 'robust' challenges which would normally have been a yellow plus once he kicked the ball away after a foul Still fair play to the Ref

Happens all the time. Used to sit in the old East Stand at the Dell where we had a bloke (in late/away early) who used to slag Channon off every game. Also remember others who 'chastised' Alan Ball. Further back Jimmy Melia and Lew Chatterley used to get a load of stick We all suffer from frustrations on the pitch but not good to verbally articulate this on a regular basis. Not supporting the team in my view

OK I know I'm a half empty glass merchant but we never seem to win when live on TV. Also we have never lost at St Marys or in a Cup Game in our history(I think) against that lot down the road so have a perfect record to defend. Hope the portents aren't as bad as I make out!!

Isnt our old friend Pele now on the books of Falkirk (but recently injured?)

Apologies if I got this wrong. Usually check up on facts before posting but relied totally on memory. Did Ipswich go 1-0 up? Also Ipswich used to have a left winger by the name of Jimmy Leadbetter. All skin and bone, knobby knees, a few strands of brylcreamed hair, the lot, a proper 1950's type footballer. No pace or tackling ability but very skilful. A lower rent Terry Paine but very effective in his day and supplied Crawford and Phillips with plenty of crosses

Not sure if it has been posted elsewhere but as Pompey are 'challenged' in the wallet department, they have applied for Legal Aid to fight their upcoming cases with HMRC/Premier League/Creditors etc etc. Also rumour going round that Mr Williamson is asking for a loyalty bonus from Pimpey before his move to Newcastle

I was stood at the Milton Rd end when Saints bt Ipswich 7-0 in a cup game Ipswich were a decent side and had Ray Crawford, a useful Centre Forward (Pompey lad) up front. Crawford had been in the Army (on National Service, presumably in the Far East) and an older bloke next to be kept on shouting out 'Jungle Boy you're useless' One of the odd things you remember from your Saints supporting days!!

Anyone know Romsey Blue who posts on the Pompey site and is very disparaging about the Saints? Most unfair I'd say

Two things: Any 'Port extension' will be at Dibden Bay (next door to Marchwood I grant you) and not for another 10-15 yrs, if at all. Secondly Markus has no interest in the crane business now, his interests lie in completely different directions. As Fitzhugh Fella has mentioned in a previous post, it will be intersting to learn why Markus became involved in the first place. Only thing I can think of is a profit on the initial £12m investment if the club attracts interest as a Prem club. However how much will it cost to achieve this aim??

Saw Teddy when with Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes at the Gaumont back in my younger days. Great!!!!

You are correct. Fuller details contained within the Independent obit which is attached to one of ESB's earlier posts

ESB As you say, the journo really knows his stuff. Looking back thro' my record collection realised I had a copy of Al Green's 'Back Up Train' released before he became well known. Think I probably listened to this track first on Mike Raven's R&B Show which was either on BBC Radio or Radio Luxemburg on a Sunday night at 7PM As they say Nostalgia aint what it used to be!!

If you were a half decent player would you want to go to Pompey, a club in turmoil and possibly bound for the Championship (and beyond!!)?

ESB Thanks, as ever for your informative posts. Didnt realise that Don Bryant did the vocals on 'That Driving Beat' This track so reminiscent of the Stax recordings featuring the Bar Keys

Thought he spoke very well especially as English isn't his first language. Made me cringe to compare this with an address by Nathan Dyer and Darren Powell in the Sponsors Lounge a few seasons ago. Talk about unintelligable nonsense. An interpreter would have come in handy!!

I recently spoke to a local 'Captain of Industry' who's view on people I trust. He met Cortese recently and was impressed. As has been said in some earlier posts, often people at the head of high profile organisations are not particularly nice people or have an 'edge' about them. I guess most of us here are not too bothered about whether the CEO or Team Manager is an OK guy as long as they have the best interests of the club at heart and bring with them a modicum of success

Apparently all to do with Cortese agreeing to rent Benali's (very luxurious) house at Chilworth. Benali moved out then Cortese reneged on the agreement much to Benali's annoyance. Frannie, quite rightly got the hump, and decided to withdraw his patronage and company use of office space at St Marys Real shame as we need new owners the Echo and club stalwarts etc to get on as the club moves forward

The veteran Record Producer (Al Green, Al Peebles, Rod Stewart and others amongst his clientele), Recording Artist ('That Drivin' Beat etc) and Muscian, died yesterday at 81 years of age. Unlikely to be known to any young whippersnappers on this board but for those of us discerning music lovers out and about in the 60's/70's, his music was well regarded Have a listen to his early stuff. Southern Soul exemplified

Sorry typo Should have been Portsmouth and Brighton fans

What is the relationship between Portsmouth & Pompey fans around the 'divide' Assume same sort of ambivalence as Saints/Boscombe in Ringwood

I'm by no means a supporter of the Gob****es but do believe in keeping a reasonable perspective. I suspect if we had been in their parlous position (on & off the field), whilst at the Dell, and had been asked to pay up to £25 for a ticket, I doubt if the crowd would have been significally disimilar. Moving to St Marys, having a sense of optimism, plus sensible pricing does wonders. It's great to have the bragging rights on attendances though