Pompey's Best/Worst Ever

[streetrifle]

Thought I might start a new thread to keep us amused, hopefully
Best Ever Eleven
Keeper David James
Full backs (right) Warren Neil (left) Enda Stevens
Centre backs (2) Noel Blake, Billy Gilbert
Midfielders (2) Lassana Diarra, Ben Thompson
Wingers (right) Jamal Lowe (left) Alan Rogers
Strikers (2) Mark Hateley, Paul Walsh

Bench (5): Matt Clarke, Ron Saunders, Nico Kranjcar, Peter Harris, Jimmy Dickinson

[Pompey Penguin]

It's a bit boring, but it is mostly the 2008 team with a few tweeks. Players I have seen only, so nothing before 1970.

David James
Glen Johnson Sol Campbell Sylvan Distan Enda Stevens
Darren Anderton Lassana Diarra Sully Muntari Neil Webb
Mark Hateley Kanu

[New Forester]

Not so much a best/worst but I have never forgotten a match I saw on 15 October 1955. Birmingham came to Fratton Park. They were 4 up by half time and won 5-0. Their football was sublime. The crowd of 29,357 applauded throughout and gave them an ovation at the end. A bit like the reception Arsenal got many years later.

[GreenBlue]

It is so difficult to pick a best / worst so if you don't mind I'll name my favourite 11.

Alan Knight
Linvoy Primus (Capt), Noel Blake, Andy Awford
Darren Anderton, Matt Taylor (wing backs)
Jimmy Dickenson (Holding midfielder)
Paul Merson, Lua Lua (Creative attacking Midfielders)
Paul Walsh, Peter Crouch

[Weybridge]

Avoiding the big money Prem years :

I’d add Prosinecki in there, who even at 50% effort made the rest of the division look like amateurs.

Kenny Swain was as good a RB I’ve seen for us, defensively. Although can’t argue against Warren Neill for sheer consistency there.

Michael Thomas if we’re allowing loans. Mick Kennedy for just owning the middle of the park - and anyone’s shins who dared venture near.

Knightsie looked unbeatable at times, even in our bad years. I remember a turgid 0-0 v Brighton where nothing had happened all game then he pulled off an incredible triple save. Best save I’ve ever seen at the Park. If it hadn’t been for that one off-season where Gosney replaced him, he’d have waltzed past the all-time appearances record.

Walsh and Whittingham up front were made for each other. Couldn’t get the ball off one, and he’d just lay it on a plate for the other.


Best opponent : Gascoigne in that Newcastle game. Did you ever play Asteroids where you’d press that panic button which would zap the ship to a totally random part of the screen and cause absolute panic? That’s what he was like, for 90 mins.

[GreenBlue]

Best opponent : Gascoigne in that Newcastle game. Did you ever play Asteroids where you’d press that panic button which would zap the ship to a totally random part of the screen and cause absolute panic? That’s what he was like, for 90 mins.

Great analogy

[Pompey Penguin]

It is so difficult to pick a best / worst so if you don't mind I'll name my favourite 11.

Well, if we are doing favourites, as opposed to best, here is my XI. (Sorry it's long, but I got carried away).

GKP Alan Knight (804 appearances; 22 seasons). Who else? The goalkeeper for all the years when I started really watching Pompey home and away, playing in all four divisions for the club, and then continued an association with the club in various roles. I can hardly remember a time when AK was not part of the Pompey set-up in some way.

RFB Kenny Swain (134 appearances; 3 seasons). As a (poor) RFB myself, KS was an inspiration. Here was someone who didn’t just mark a winger with an occasional run up the wing, but marshalled a team from full-back. Full-backs were suddenly important.

RCB Linvoy Primus (219 appearances; 8 seasons). More than just a footballer, but a genuine role-model. Written off as not good enough on a regular basis, but still kept playing through force of will. Played the game the same way, with nothing given up whilst he had a breath left to give.

LCB Noel Blake (173 appearances; 4 seasons). The rock at the centre of the Alan Ball team of the 80s. That anyone who started his Pompey career scoring a string of own goals could end up a favourite is the measure of NB as a player and character. I’ll even play him on his “wrong” side to get NB into my team.

LFB Matt Taylor (203 appearances; 6 seasons). The best pure athlete I ever saw play for Pompey. Just got up and down the left side all game, and was productive with it. As someone whose main footballing talent was an ability to run endlessly, MT was the player I wanted to be. Not the best defensive LFB, but I’ll forgive that for the attacking threat all day.

DFM Mick Kennedy (149 appearances; 4 seasons). Again the Alan Ball team, which will always be “my Pompey” as it was the team I watched through the mid-80s travelling to games by train. Every team needs a psychopath, and MK was ours and could do no wrong (whatever referees thought), but a better passer than he was ever given credit. The 87/88 Division One season was destroyed for me when MK was sold. Team captain.

RMF Norman Piper (358 appearances; 8 seasons). Joined the team when I first started watching Pompey live, and played through my school years. Was fated to play for some awful teams as Pompey floundered around the bottom half of Division Two, but was always better than that and my first Pompey hero.

AMF Paul Merson (48 appearances; 1 season). One of the few Pompey players I have seen of whom the opposition was clearly scared before the game even started. Just far too good for the league, and was the best player in it by a mile. The star of one of the best Pompey seasons in my lifetime.

LMF Nicky Jennings (227 appearances; 8 seasons). Scored in the first match I saw at Fratton Park. We lost (of course), but I just watched Jennings skill and was hooked. The main reason I wanted to go back again. I was too young to see the limitations, but just enjoyed the good bits.

FWD Kanu (167 appearance; 6 seasons). Apart from his roles in some iconic Pompey matches, I could just watch Kanu all day. When we were well behind to some PL giant, to see Kanu come on as a sub and watch “world class” defenders try and get the ball off him was worth the money in itself and lightened the defeat. Maybe not the best, but always the most entertaining.

FWD Alan Biley (121 appearances; 3 seasons). The star player of another of my favourite seasons, the Division Three winning team under Bobby Campbell. It was the season that got me into going to away games regularly, and I am sure it wouldn’t have happened without that team and AB’s goals. Had a knack of scoring the goals that really changed games, often the winner when it was really needed.

[itsaintfunny]

John Milkins and Ray Hiron-now there's a blast from the past for you.

[New Forester]

Us old timers saw the true Pompey greats of the late 40s and early 50s. While Jimmy Dickinson was our best ever, I idolised Peter Harris. Whenever he got the ball there was such a buzz around the ground. And nobody messed with Dougie Reid!