Portsmouth News 24/7Writer: pompeyrug 
Date:Thursday July 10 2008
Time: 7:59AM
UK time is: 20:40:47
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Talking Pompey with Midge
Vital Pompey has previously brought you the 'knowing me knowing you series' - which is still running, so others will be added and if you want to do one just email - now we have a little something extra this summer...
Midge was asked 5 quick questions, this is what they said.
My Expectations of What Pompey May achieve.... well good question.
I actually don't like the idea of people getting to carried away, I fear if people start to expect, then this breeds dissatisfaction, and we risk becoming the next Spurs, Chelsea, Man Utd, Arsenal etc, where finishing in position x, or winning cup y, become expected and fans raise the bar too high too soon.
Hope that doesn't sound negative, it isn't meant to, I just feel that being Midtable or higher is good. We will have good years, we will have years when we don't achieve as much, as we build on what we have, I believe in sometimes taking 2 steps back to make 3 forward. So this year I would be happy with top 10 again, a nice run in the UEFA to let people know we have arrived, and enjoy watching our team grow.
UEFA Cup - Yes I am a fan, I hope we don't have 2 games and say bye bye, I hope we give it a good try, but not at the expense of the league. Lets go in all guns blazing, but if we find it tough, be wise enough to let it go, and take stock for another assault next season.
3 players I would like to see arrive - No Brainer for me, Crouch, SWP and Guiza. I don't claim to know much about foreign players, but what I saw of him in Euro 2008, I can see him being a Player we would take to the heart very quick, the fox in the box and very strong and pacy. Puts in a shift.
Who would I sacrifice - OUCH! I cant think of one to be fair, I don't like writing a player off on season 1, look at Benji, if we had done that we would not have finished where we did this year, he kick started our season, and kept us in FA Cup a couple of times. I don't really want to kick someone like Utaka, as I actually think he will shut his critics up this season ( I hope). But as there is no one else, I guess it would be him. (Sorry john).
How many games will I see - As a Season ticket that's every home game, I will buy every home fixture for any cup, and I will be at Wembley on August 10th, and in Wigan on last day of the season. After that it depends on funds, if I have the money available I hope to do at least another 2-3 away games, and fingers crossed one abroad too, but that's dependant on where, when and cost.
One more thing I do fear this year though, and it will be purely down to "costs" x "volumes of games in a single week" x "Time of game" etc, is that there is very likely to be a game or two, when Pompey will have a televised fixture, resulting in a reduced crowd volume. Not that I think this is wrong, just maybe inevitable, and the down side will be the Media, hanging like vultures, waiting to print a headline about the Not So Mighty Pompey fan base. We all know the media love to kick us, so I can see it happening, and it being misinterpreted into our deflating fan base etc. Still I guess that's the price we pay for being a good team now, that still doesn't tick all the boxes for the media.... Yet!
Thanks to Midge for answering these.
PLAY UP POMPEY!
==========
If anyone else wants to answer the questions simply drop me an email as a request, or with your answers on portsmouth@vitalfootball.co.uk and/or visit this link and I will make it happen.
Here are the others so far:
sneakay
storagematt
paultsmouth
pentonpompey
pompey4me
UKTony
ChrisW
NinjaTim
Chix
007
steaming
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Your Comments
Good one Midge. I thought we had a lot of televised games last year but agree, I think we will feature a fair amount this year. It's no substitute for going to the game though; I think there will be full houses all round at FP this season.
UKTony
think pompy will have a good season in 08/09
wimp2k7
Good answers Midge, but another one to sacrifice Utaka. hmmmm Im gonna have my work cut out defending him.
sneakay
Hi Midge. Great answers, especially Q1, my sentiments exactly.
storagematt
Midge Great stuff and agree with most of what you say. Slow and gradual growth is the thing.
eastneydave
Sneakay, dont get me wrong, i dont dislike Utaka, i think he could have tried a bit harder at times, but i had to oick someone and he got the short straw :-(
Midge
UK Tony, i hope you are right, and to be honest i think i agree with you, that we will have a full house every game. My fear isnt so much NOT filling the ground, more a case of if we Dont, the media will use it to kick us, as they still dont seem to like us, god knows why, but i get that impression.
Midge
yep, fantastic read that - good, honest answers which are hard to disagree with in the main.
pompeyrug
Midge, it is interesting that you say we don't want to be like ManU, Chelsea etc., expecting to win this, that and the other. I couldn't agree more. I have visited those sites - ManU in particular - and I have never seen so many smug, bigoted and up their backside individuals in my life. It would do them good to spend a bit of time struggling. I know it's not going to happen though.
Gandor
Crackin' answers Midge and like everybody I share your thoughts.. The one that jumped out at me though was the UEFA cup... I hope that if we do find the going too tough that we are wise enough to let it go... regroup concentrate on getting back into it and then try again.. It would be awful to say.. reach the semi finals at the expense of the league and therefoe finish 13th, rather than bow out after the group stage (or last 16) and then have an assault on the league allowing us to compete again in 2009/10 ... I'm not saying give up on it .. but if it comes to prioroities as far as I am concerned the league comes first...
Chix
I agree midge; it will take the club a year or two of experience to get the UEFA cup right, so this year quarters or semi's must be considered a success, the rick s to get that league finishing position to get the chance of that UEFA experience
russellm
That was a good read Midge, it gave me plenty of food for thought. Interesting thoughts about the Uefa Cup campaign
pentonpompey
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