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Pompey Chimes (20)

What happened on Saturday with Pompey and the media? Lets take a look.

The news that most of us thought would happen - even if we did not want it to - that Svetoslav Todorov would be leaving Pompey was confirmed by the players agent in The News. This was covered in full by Vital Pompey in this article Todorov moving on.

Former Pompey striker Diomansy Kamara is looking like making a return to the Premiership, with the BBC reporting that Fulham is closing in on a sizable deal that will involve a player plus cash. This is a frightening thing really - not his return, but the amount involved and just shows how much more Pompey will have to pay to get this quality striker we want.

Talking of strikers and our search for a new one - 'one at least' - this is apparently taking 'a new twist' according to The News after Harry Redknapp's comments - okay then! This too was covered in full on Vital Pompey in this article New striker twist? I think not!

Marceo Rigters, the Dutch international that finished the U21 European Championships as top goalscorer is looking closer to a move to the Premiership. Reports that I had read recently were saying a fee as little as half a million could get him - money well spent if that was the case. Pompey have not been officially 'linked' with him but as we are most other strikers the BBC thought they may as well 'throw our hat in the ring'.

The thing that really caught my eye was the varying news in various tabloids claiming that Jermain Defoe has no interest in joining Pompey - or any other non-top 4 club.

With Darren Bent signing for Spurs the chances of Defoe moving away seem to have increased. But the media circus came out with wave after wave of stories surrounding him on Saturday.

Some say he would only sign for a top 4 side with Liverpool and United said to be interested, others said that would be the only move that he would make but none of them want him, with others still claiming Villa and Sunderland would make moves as will of course Pompey.

My thinking has been that none of the top 4 will touch him - if they do he will not be in a much better position than he is at Spurs, other than the fact he may win something - not to say Spurs wont win anything this season?

If he really does feel he is 'above' playing for anyone else outside of the top 4, good luck to him as he will probably need it.

It is believed by many people that none of the top 4 would have him, so if he really has the attitude that he is 'too good' for anyone else then we would not want him. Could we get him anyway - as we would have to pay a hefty fee and we do not really seem comfortable doing this?

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Writer: pompeyrug

Date:Sunday July 1 2007

Time: 10:00AM

Your Comments

The Defoe debate will roll on and on, but come August I can't see him at Spurs and I can't see him in a top four side, so that leaves him out of last seasons top five!

paultsmouth

well, slowly our strikers are being pushed away, and it looks like marlon harewood is moving closer to a move to us (which I dont want, but keep on sayin - he is what harry likes in a striker). Kamaras high price move to fulham just confirms we will have to spend big - something we (and harry) will just have to live with.

pompeycarpet

We can't keep running on freebies & need to spend. As stated Kamara at £6m+ scary.

storagematt

If the 'top' 5 clubs don't want defoe doesn't that ring some alarm bells - He's not that good - Pompey fans seemed obsessed with this guy, as if he's the holy grail which will lead us into a new age of greatness. If he doesn't want to play for us then suddenly he does (which is what a bunch of you are thinking) what does that say about this bloke? Nope, give me someone with a bit of consistency - in life not football. Give me Marlon any day - JOKE!

Et_tu_Pompeii

I agree with you E_T_P i just dont get the Defoe obsession. I have consistently thought and asked do we really want a player who is lazy in attitude? Will Defoe consider himself the biggest fish in a medium pond and if so what effect might that have on the team?

russellm

What is clear now is that the market thinks 6-7 million is payable for a striker, and we pompey fans know what the criteria we are looking for is. A world class striker,at the price of a conference player, over 30 but under 29 or marlon harewood ARRRGGGHHH

russellm

yeap, i pretty much agree with you E-T-P and russelm - but i dont care WHO we get - just so long as they can score!!!!

pompeycarpet

yep they all speak sense here and to a degree i too almost dont care who we get as long as we get someone... but tbh - and being totally so - if this anyone had to be harewood i would almost rather go without than pay £5m for the fella - £2.5m, £3m at a push okay if needs be... i mean no offence to him but for the sake of a couple of mill more we could get someone much more prolific - even if this is maybe only 'potentially' much more prolific...

pompeyrug

I have volunteered my services on a free but so far Harry has not responded. Not sure if Nugent has joined anyone yet but I would be looking at him if available.

pompeygray

Just realised, that with no Toddy, & cole likley to leave, we have NO strikers when the other bugger of to the African Nations!!!! AAAAAAHHHHH!!!!...please tell me u got somthing up your sleeve Harry!!!!

CharlieChimes

We should never have let Kamara go in the first place. As for Harwood, I'm rapidly warming to the idea - if only so that we have someone up front, we've got sweet FA at the moment. With regard to Defoe, I've never really rated him particularly, but he's better than anything we've got right now - but then so is my dead grandfather!

Sad to see Toddy go, I feel he should have been given a chance in the Prem but never was - though he did score well for us in our last relegation escape. Would shake the hand of any manager who takes Cole off our hands, too old, too dead, too slow.

Hey Kanu, as you are still here then you are on a weak to week contract, serves you right!!

TruePompeyBlue

i dont think he will come now, i didnt realise your striker situation was such a nightmare. I hope for your sake some signings are made pretty quickly

Ashton Gas

It is certainly that Ashton Gas, I - and one or two others - have been saying that since Christmas. Our goals since November have come mainly from midfield and/or defence - our forwards managed just eight league goals from then until the end of the season.

Kanu for me proved to be exactly what I said he was last August, a fraud. He managed to get a few goals early on and then showed just why he had only managed three goals in two seasons beforehand. Cole never was going to make an impact but as usual our Harry can never see that there is a dire need for young legs and always relies on olduns.

Lualua had what can only be described as possibly the worst season in his entire career, our old favourite Todorov was never given a fair chance, Benjani is not a goal scorer but will work his backside off creating chances for others. The only one who really could have made an impact is always played out of position by Harry and that is Niko Kranjar - in fact, I am beginning to think that Harry has not got the bottle, stomach, guts or ability to take us any further as he seems to not have a clue as to what we need up front!

TruePompeyBlue

TruePompeyBlue In regards to that last outrageous sentence, i agree. Furthermore i suspect that harry has never really had the pressure on him to succeed as he does now. last season i felt he is at his limits to taking the club forward or higher, and that is why i wanted grant to stick around. his son sort of confirmed it on sky when he said his "dad was in new territory" Also it really seemed to me and a few others that harry was almost relieved when we hit the skids and he started his traditional talking little club should have no expectations syndrome. Hopefully now he knows that he could have kept us in 5th he will have the confidence to do so but i suspect the coming season will be a lot harder than the last. He is our manager and generally we have gone better than the previous season so we have to support him... how about that folks ! a rallying call from cynical old me. I just wish Avrim Grant was staying though

russellm

i know what you are saying fellas - i dont like going against, or having a go at 'arry but i have in a few bits i have written recently... you have to take the rough with the smooth dont you and we cannot always be splurting out pleasantries can we... this summer was the ideal oppotunity for 'arry to have a pop at the 'big boys' and really stamp his authority - maybe he still will? but i dont think too many of us our holding our breaths that a genuine goalscoring £10m striker - maybe even a £5m, £6m, £7m, £8m or £9m one at that - is going to walk through the doors, clearly i still hope he does tho... consolodation was the least we had to aim for this season, but potentially if a few calculated 'risks' were taken we could have been looking at so much more, again i say maybe we still can but something drastic is going to have to happen - and hopefully it still will? but with what we currently have we will do well to even finish where we did last season as goals win matches dont they and we dont look like having many at all in or squad do we - we cannot rely on the midfield and defence for this... obviously i am still fully behind 'arry but just feel a chance is being missed for something special? as for avrim grant like i said last week, having someone like him around is what clubs need, we are no different. take him away and it is a backwards step even if it doesn't appear to be that obvious to everyone...

pompeyrug

agreed pompeyrug Grant is a world renowned coach and following his proceedure laid dowwn for Isrealu football you see more and more class players coming from that league, I also sort of feel for harry becvause clubs he has been asssociated with have nearly always looked to consolidation and or survival in their respective leagues and i think you become conditioned to that mind set. The problem is for most pompey fans we want more, we dont accept that we cant challenge for Euro places, its what we all have dreamed of so why settle for 9th and a lucrarive tour of the orient (on sky by the way). We have to accpet the balance sheet that is Harry, which i would happily do if i didnt go to away games.

russellm

we know sasha bought into pompey for the real estate which is one of the reasons why i think the satdium project will go ahead, but to fill it and pay for it consolidation will not be sufficient, in fact the like in all sport and business the team will need continuous improvement. Anything else is a backwards step, thats where i fear for Harry

russellm

hey, lets look at the bright side, at least with a midfield bursting with talent, we will play attractive football - something Harrys teams always have done. And also, look at arsnal - they went for most of the season without a prominant golascorer, but still picked up 4th (nearly 3rd had they beaten us) - ahead of totenham, with there amazing strike ofrce, whilst middlesbrough (yakubu and viduka) did not do so well with there decent strikers. whilst the position we are in s nethe comftable, nor preferable, it could be much worse. having gaps in our defence would be much worse, as would missing midfield playors (and having a decent goalkeeper we all know is critical). Lets remeber the harry hasnt played at this level much before (once in the uefa cup with west ham), so lets just hold back on hime (yes, i know its hard). And also, remeber where we were at the end of december last season. our playors and manager have the capability to hold out against the big guns, and i think we should be aiming to do just as well next season - but maintain it with a stronger squad. (but please let us rest easy, and sign somebody, it would make us feel so much better)

pompeycarpet

we have 2 million midfielders and im sure some of them could play up front .... seen as many of our goals come from midfielders ... its the new plan!

spoiler

if they cant play up front they may have to soon learn eh mate :)

pompeyrug

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