Author: Christopher Perry

Dear Cabbie

/ Christopher Perry / Leave a comment

Having seen the comedian Peter Kay remark that everyone asks taxi drivers, “How’s business?” I have made every effort to introduce about other topics of conversation.

The world seen from the wheel of a taxi driver must be a funny mix of static and mobile; lonely and sociable. Regular routes and time at the taxi stand allow changes in the area to be spotted and observed. The time waiting for a booking, or driving on from a drop-off allows for reflection. The interaction with passengers must give some insight into the lives of others. There is time to listen to the radio and the passing of the world beyond the place of work.

If none of the above interest you or your cabbie then there is always the economics of the taxi business; the vehicle, the licence, the trade – or you could both chose to travel in silence. It’s nice to have some peace occasionally.

.

CLP 30/03/2019

Stuck in the Middle

/ Christopher Perry / Leave a comment

The Valley, Pompey out-played in midfield again, until the No 8 arrived.

Pompey’s loss of form since the start of 2019 has been associated by many with the return of midfielder Ben Thompson to Millwall, when that club called him back from loan.

The energetic displays from Thompson in midfield helped Pompey maintain a tempo of play that ensured the ball moved quickly . The ball was shifted promptly out to the flanks where Curtis and Brown, on the left and Lowe and Nathan Thompson, on the right created and scored plenty of Pompey’s goals in the first half of the season. It worked well in the main, except when Charlton Athletic came to Fratton Park and a different style of midfield play was seen, but from the opposition.

The visitors had a middle trio who switched the ball quickly between each other, keeping it away from Pompey’s tackling midfielders and then when they advanced into Pompey’s half, drawing defenders out of position, the ball was slipped through to one of two attackers who worked across the defensive line, rather than holding set positions.

Contrast this with Pompey’s formula of a central big man, two wide players, who occasionally switch wings, with ball distribution coming from a central pair in the middle. We saw it again at The Valley, where some brave defending and miscued Pompey shots in last few minutes ensured Charlton held on for a win.

Charlton looked slicker on the ball than Pompey, who play in a style that seems mechanical by comparison. Charlton’s players in most positions were also tougher in the tackle. They won the ball from Pompey players, they won 50/50 challenges, they persisted in tackling; all whilst staying upright. There was hardly a sliding tackle made at The Valley by either side, but it was astounding to see how many challenges Charlton won.

Charlton’s manager’s attitude and aggressive style of play when a footballer made him one of Pompey’s most disliked opponents. He seems to have passed on how to win tackles, (but fairly), onto his protegés at The Valients. He was one of those players who it would always be preferable to have on your side than on the opposition’s. He never played for Pompey, so he was a horrible opponent who we loved to beat – which was quite often. He seems to hold a permanent grudge against Pompey, (as it seems he does against most other clubs too, to be fair).

Bowyer is moulding a fast moving, creative team at Charlton that is good to watch – unless you are a Pompey fan.

Pompey did come back into the game, but missed the chances they had created. The change came with a super-charged Brett Pitman playing behind the attackers and spreading play and feeding through passes.

I felt that in the home game against Blackpool Pitman should have played behind Andre Green, as his lack of pace is more than compensated for by his strength on the ball. His aggression is about goals. He wants to threaten the goal, not just pass to a blue shirt.

Perhaps the Pitman Problem (i.e. why is he not picked to start every game?) could be resolved by playing him in a deeper role. He will always give Pompey goals. He has a powerful shot, he would be able to support the other big man up front, he shows fight that gets his team-mates moving, rattles the defenders and enthuses the fans. He has a domineering presence that needs focusing.

Brett Pitman ‘s future at Pompey seems to be in the balance, but if he could drop just those few yards behind Hawkins, Pompey may see the best of him yet and he could add years to his career. Teddy Sheringham did just that to great effect as he grew older and he played on until his was 42.

Pompey need a goal scoring midfielder who can fight for the ball in the final third of the pitch. Someone who has the nous to add a bit of flair and devilry to the attack. Ladies and gentlemen, we have that player…Brett Pitman.

p.s. And so it came to pass, Brett Pitman played in the “No 10” role at Walsall on 12th March and played a decisive part in a 2-3 away win. It was a relief to realise he was on the pitch when the penalty was awarded to Pompey, (he had replaced Gareth Evans in the XI, the usual penalthy taker), as it was not obvious who might have stepped up confidently at that point after Omar Bogle’s disappointing effort against Barnsley. The third goal came about from Pitman’s hard challenge, from the floor, when he regained possession on the halfway line and then passed the ball wide to set up the breakaway.

Well done Mr Jackett for working with Brett Pitman to find him a role he can thrive in! Now, about defending corners…

CLP 10/03/2019

Some Foreign Field

/ Christopher Perry / Leave a comment 
Roads and streets unfamiliar
Filled with grey drawn faces
That peer down at tipsy slabs underfoot
Coats pulled tight to tucked in chins
Fists pushed deep into pockets
Stooped figures limping toward the electric-white glow
Pale shadows struggle to keep up
With these sad shufflers
Wrapt in hopeful talk.
The same battered cars line kerbs
Bumpers kissing
Litter blown by stiff north-easterly draughts
Sticks carelessly to railings
Ice in rain fills holes in the cold breeze
Pricks pins in my face
Grey sky adopts a gloomy shade
Their stadium leans in on itself
Perpetually introvert
Morose
Its pointless activity
Steals any joy
From coming dawns
Scarves and shirts in reds and whites
Accents more rural than this dockland setting
Suggest spaces more green
Less concrete
Than this
This is far from our home
Where blue skies shine
Brilliant sun parades
Strong enough to make eyes squint
When we wake
It warms our blood
Calls us to play
Unfettered by fear of failure
At night the star and crescent
Heaven's light
Our guide.
This is their place
I leave them
Happy
To be miserable

CLP 27/10/2018

Having Your End Away

/ Christopher Perry / Leave a comment

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Thinking of moving? Think carefully before leaving home.

When Wycombe Wanderers picked up their chairs in 1990 and re-located from Loakes Park, just underneath the windows of Wycombe Hospital, to the very dead-end of Hillbottom Road, the club made one good decision; keep it simple – two ends, two sides.

Despite building a main stand that looms disproportionately over the ground beneath the Chiltern Hills, the beech trees and the watchful eye of Red Kites, the club still has a home end. It has a terrace for standing and enough space for a bit of moving around when its cold in that old chalk pit. The new home end has a roof that helps send out the singing and chants into the Buckinghamshire skies. It is not a very big home end, but it is a home end.

Quite a few new football grounds have appeared on the outskirts of towns in the last few years, some better than others. In the past month I have been to two that have provoked argument about whether new grounds are better than our home at Fratton Park.

The first thing I noticed in walking around the outside of the two stadiums was how much space is taken up by the new stadia. At the Ricoh Arena, home to Wasps Rugby Football Club and Coventry City FC, (tenants listed by size of average attendance), I suspect that the footprint of this facility is close to three times the size of the playing surface. The development includes hotel and conference facilities, a vast array of catering options, an indoor sports hall with a 12,000 capacity (that is also used for gigs and shows), and a casino. Football is a sideline.

The casino is an interesting element. During Pompey’s visit on 2nd October, a fellow supporter said, “Everyone was in the casino.”  (which raises concerns about his ability to count and also makes him an ideal candidate for the Black Jack table). Personally I am totally against such places. Money takes enough sweat to earn, so why chuck it away when you could spend it on a Pompey home game?

Inside the Coventry complex, behind neon signs and towering cliffs of plastic cladding is a football pitch and seating for crowds in excess of 32,000. When talk turns to visualising an ideal ground, (a regular topic in the queues for loos at Fratton Park, or the cosy crush in the South Stand Upper concourse), capacity is often discussed, along with sight-lines and toilet queues and drains.

The space behind the stands at the Ricoh Arena is impressive. The choice of Pompey videos to entertain visitors at the bars was thoughtful, the toilet queue non-existent. Overall not an unpleasant setting to visit. I also thought that the angle of the stand, (it seemed quite steep), helped The Blue Army produce a great sound that evening. So what was the problem?

The problem was trying to spot the home fans, (“Ultras” as Palace fans like to say in their sophisticated South London way). Where were the home fans?

As it turned out the home fans were located to the right of Pompey section and so had no chance of making any dent in the Pompey Wall of Sound. The other end of the ground was taken up by a vast empty shrine to the late Jimmy Hill with no-one but ball boys in attendance. It was left to visitors from Portsmouth to bring our own atmosphere and help entertain the locals.

So here’s the problem; in a more rounded stadium, where do home fans gather? How is the atmosphere built, sustained and maintained? Fratton Park can be an intimidating prospect for visiting teams, but could we keep that if we were to ever move?

I was working down the road just the other day. It was a match day and walking around that plastic stadium I was again struck at how much space a new ground takes up. This one, opened in 2001 it has at least two major flaws (some might say 30,000 flaws, but we’ll discuss that another time).

The first issue is that it is laid out from goal to goal on an East – West line.  With the sun low in the sky the Northam End, where visiting fans are placed, can be bathed in blinding sunlight. Many Pompey fans will remember a ridiculous mid-winter sunny midday kickoff when it was impossible to see what was happening for much of our 0-3 defeat (thankfully). When building an open-air sports facility, make sure to check where the sun is during the winter football season, i.e. usually low in the sky and following a rough east-west trajectory.

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RCD Espanyol where a kickoff before sunset would disturb the afternoon siesta

The second problem is the lack of an end for the home fans and the subsequent loss of atmosphere. At the Chapel End there is the family section with all its weird cartoon characters, (in addition to children’s entertainment and clowns dressed up as mascots).  This family section is as far away as possible from visiting supporters so they are less likely to witness any off-putting scenes close up, such as Pompey fans celebrating spectacular last minute goals. (Click link for gratuitous You Tube clip of a random David Norris effort).

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Distant view of Brighton fans on a Big Night Out

So if the family section takes up much of one end, do the Ultras spread out into the stands or, do they have to compete for an end with their guests? When I say compete, I mean try to out-sing, out-chant; the kind of thing that builds an atmosphere.

As Pompey fans most of us will have only ever been at this particular ground when 27,000 people are united in their bilious hatred of 3,000 of us, but on normal match days the atmosphere is very different. The crowd only unites and makes a bit of noise when things are going well – just like White Hart Lane. Besides the obvious, why is this? I think it’s because no one knows where the home end is; there is none. Without a concentrated end of fans doing all the blind-faith things they do we could be reduced to plastic clappers (as Sc*m have used), goal music (Urgh! Wolves?) or blokes with loudspeakers (any French Ligue 1 ground) to try and get the fans going.

This is a problem created by poor ground design. Too many new grounds have been  developed with money making in mind and not football as a priority. I believe that our friends from the USA see this is a major challenge in developing better facilities for Pompey fans. Pompey has to be a sustainable venture financially, operating competitively, but it will mean nothing if we become another Bolton Wanderers who play their games in an empty, soul-less concrete bowl out of reach of the local town, near the motorway, with reduced gates and little to shout about.

So if you have a bit of money to spend on a new home, yes, make sure that there is enough space, but absolutely definitely, without fail, make sure that there is a home end, none of this half-baked good site lines, nice catering, decent toilets, lovely hotel and a casino nonsense. Those are the extras, not what makes supporting Pompey so special.

CLP  08/10/2018

Wasted at Centre-Back?

/ Christopher Perry / Leave a comment

Pompey at Peterborough Sept 2018

Pompey fans ever grateful that Ipswich Town gave us Matt Clarke

Spotland, 29th September 2018. In the 81st minute Matt Clarke wins the initial header from a corner on the right. As Rochdale try to clear Clarke roughs up the player trying to play the ball out of the penalty area; he nutmegs the next closest defender then smashes the ball with his left boot across the flailing arms of the flinching home goalkeeper into the top of the goal. 3-1 and Pompey go back to the top of League One and continue their unbeaten league run.

You can see that it was a wonderful goal here on the official Pompey website. It displays the strength, skill and power of Clarke and it was celebrated wildly. It was a special goal and what made it even more special was that Clarke is a centre back, but it was not a standard centre back goal – it was a goal any footballer would be proud to score.

Despite having his right nostril stuffed with cotton wool after another facial injury, Clarke had just delivered a Worldy. There is something thrilling about seeing a central defender score a goal taken from Robert Prosinecki’s playbook of magic tricks.

BBC Radio Solent featured a lot of chat about central defenders before the Rochdale match. The talk was about the resilience needed to be a centre back. Central defenders need not be crazy like a goal-keeper, but they have to be tough; physically and mentally. What the discussion left out was the importance of centre backs scoring goals and how this lifts them beyond cult status to heroes.

Fans get a real buzz when a central defender scores a goal like Clarke’s. Headed goals from corners and free kicks, or toe-pokes from inside the six yard box are all okay. We all know the big men should get a few of those and it is part of the job description. The fun starts when the No 5, or No 6 does something out of the ordinary.

I saw all of Andy Awford’s goals for Pompey. In 313 games for the club Awfs scored at Watford, another at West Bromwich Albion and finally at home to Sheffield United. A one club man, Awford was a footballing No 6 who was not as physically imposing as traditional centre backs. After playing quietly and effectively in that position for years, he was moved into a defensive midfield role, but I always saw him as a centre back and I enjoyed his hat-trick of goals all the more for that.

Awford’s first career goal for Pompey was a right footed effort in open play from the left edge of the box in a lively 2-1 win at Vicarage Road in 1995. His goal at The Hawthorns in 1999 was particularly special because in a previous appearance at WBA he had suffered a terrible four-part leg break, so this was a revenge goal. His last goal against the Blades in a 1-0 win was a wonderful moment because it meant Awford had finally found the net at Fratton Park after first playing for Pompey over 10 seasons before.

These three goals from Awford were celebrated gleefully because they were so rare. He hit a hot streak in 1999 with his 2nd and 3rd goals coming in one calendar year, even though they were spread over two league seasons.

In his first period as manager at Fratton Park, Jim Smith had settled on a central defensive pair of Andy Awford and Kit Symons. These two were close in age and they quickly developed an understanding of the job each had to do in defence. Both were ball players, but Symons grasped soonest that scoring an occasional goal would also help his career. He scored 11 times in 204 appearances before Manchester City paid £1.2m for his services.

If you have half an hour to spare have a look at the goal Symons lashed in against Kevin Keegan’s Newcastle United in 1993. Don’t be put off by the start of the video, it interviews top of the league Geordies setting off on the coach to Fratton Park for a Tuesday night sold-out match. When the football action starts it is very entertaining and The Legend plays an absolute blinder in the second half. The Symons’ goal comes up around 13 minutes into the video. For those new to the club just have a look at the state of the “stadium” – Fratton Park is a palace today by comparison.

Although from a corner, Kit Symons’ goal that night was a right footed blaster into the top of the goal from about 10 yards after he had dropped back to get some space. As the ball came his way he adjusted his balance and waited for the ball to come to him before making perfect contact – had he missed the target there would have been injuries in the Milton Lane End. Pompey won 2-0 late in the 92/93 season.

The other Symons’ goal I vividly remember was scored when Pompey were struggling to beat relegation in 1995. Away wins were not common, so a trip to Burnley in late April with snow on the Pennines was not an enticing prospect. Pompey were playing a lot of disjointed football that season. Terry Fenwick’s knowledge and experience of international football was taking a while to get through to the squad and entertainment wasn’t part of the mix. Pompey needed to win.

I had only decided to drive up to Burnley on the morning of the match. I jumped into the family Peugeot 106 and set off up the M1 and M6 to the middle of Lancashire. Blackburn is a long way, Burnley is even further and this was before the motorway network extended that far.

I knew that I had arrived in Burnley because every petrol station, shop and public building was painted claret and blue. Is it a false memory that the zebra crossings were as well? I parked by the cricket field right next to the ground and after being stopped to be interviewed by a reporter from BBC Radio Solent, (“Do you think Pompey can win this crucial game?” “Yes.”) I went for fish and chips.

I then ended up in a WMC & Social club near the ground recommended by two members of the Northern Blues. It was 5p to get in – entry prices had been held at a shilling ever since decimalisation in 1971. Beer and cider was cheap and the bar was heaving with claret and blue shirts, but they welcomed we three Pompey fans. The Burnley fans were confident of a win.

That year 4 teams were to be relegated from the second tier as the Premier League began to apply its evil grip on the winter game. If Pompey won then they would be safe and Burnley would be unable to escape, yet in the bar all was good humoured.

In a crowd of 10,666, Pompey fans were placed on the cricket ground end of the long, covered western terrace.  Separated by steel fencing from the home supporters, we had plenty of space to dance around when John Durnin put away a first half Pompey penalty. At half-time we were 1-0 up and freezing cold. And then, as the game resumed and was becoming quite tense as Burnley pressed for an equaliser, Symons made his mark.

Collecting the ball in the Pompey half Symons set off at the flat Burnley defence who had pushed up to try and keep Pompey pinned back. He passed the ball to his left and charged on to meet the first-time wall pass from Deon Burton who was stood on the left touch line exactly on half-way. The return pass put Symons clear. The number 5 galloped on, Burnley defenders lagging behind, Marlon Beresford came off his line towards his gangly opponent.

Symons simply shimmied like a Welsh rugby winger, went to the keeper’s left and shot the ball at an angle into the empty net. Pompey 2-0 up and even after Burnley got a goal late on, the Clarets were well beaten. Symons’ solo goal came at a crucial moment in a critical fixture and it showed that the best centre backs are not just capable of keeping the opposition at bay, they can be complete footballers.

Of course there have been many other excellent goals by centre backs for Pompey. Dejan Stevanovic’s free kick versus Birmingham and Jack Whatmough’s goal at Carlisle spring to mind, but those who saw the Symons’ goal at Burnley and the Rochdale match clincher by Matt Clarke know they saw something special.

N.B. An excellent website to visit for Pompey player and match statistics is www.pompeyrama.com where I checked some of the details for this piece.

CLP  30/09/2018

Revenge is a Dish Best Served Cold

/ Christopher Perry / Leave a comment

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Do you really love Pompey?

There is a Pompey fan who refuses to eat Walker’s crisps. This policy, well-known amongst Northern Blues, was reported in Steve Bone’s Sports Mail column a couple of weeks ago, so you may need a pinch of salt, but it seems plausible. It is an example of how football impacts on daily life. For this most loyal Pompey fan no simple flavour choices at the bar, but the need to know who makes the product. The reason he decided this goes back to the early 1990s when Pompey played possibly the most entertaining football they had ever done before or since.

It was the year after the penalty debacle at Villa Park in the FA Cup semi-final replay with Liverpool. Darren Anderton’s career was in free fall after his transfer to Spurs and a career playing for England beckoning, when Jim Smith took Pompey on tour wowing the nation with flowing football and goals, goals, goals. Yet we won nothing and here we find the root of our fellow Blue’s decision to shun Walker’s crisps.

Walker’s had sponsored Leicester City since 1986 and it was Leicester who dumped Pompey out of the First Division play-offs in 1993. It was a controversial result. The twelve men of Leicester completely outfoxed Pompey in the match at Fratton Park. Jim Smith had failed to spot that Leicester had a numerical advantage in the second leg. This meant Pompey only had eleven men on the pitch at any one time. It was a huge tactical error that Jim and his coaching staff regret to this day. To be fair not all the Leicester players were in yellow that night, as Roger Milford was a late pick and had to play in all black. And he came tooled up; he carried a whistle.

This Pompey fan did not cut Walker’s crisps from his life in a fit of pique as he is a fair man. If Pompey ever get beaten “fair and square” this man will be the first to say those very words. Sadly over the years he has had to say those very words far too often. No,  this decision has been thought through and a personal sacrifice has been made to mark the injustices of 19th May 1993.  In a manner that Gandhi would approve, this particular fan denies himself one of life’s pleasures in order to carry a beacon to mark that injustice.

You can see why he made his decision on this You Tube link Pompey vs Leicester 1993 Travesty

Before Steve Bone’s article, this modest personal crusade was known by only a few. Our hero quietly committed to this policy and has sustained it in pubs, clubs and bars throughout the football world. Not for him “Two pints of lager and a packet of crisps, please?” but “Two pints of lager and can you tell me what brand of crisps you’ve got, please?” Quite a mouthful, but a phrase he has trained himself to say word perfect at every opportunity.

Now the cat is out of the bag all Pompey fans will look differently at crisp choices.  When a prophet walks amongst us we learn. Comparing yourself with a prophet can often result in self-loathing and bitter regret that sworn commitment to Pompey has only ever been skin deep. Yes, count the grounds you have been to, wear the shirt, stay for the whole match, don’t miss a game for years on end, but is your love for Pompey constant? Do you really love Pompey and do you walk the true path? Well, if you haven’t given up Walker’s crisps you need to have a word with yourself.

However, brothers and sisters redemption is at hand. If you ever fall into temptation,  are taken by the hand of the beast that is PepsiCo and led to eat Walker’s crisps, you can save yourself one packet at a time. You can earn forgiveness for your weakness of faith by one simple action. How is this done? Just send the packet back to Leicester free of charge.

Walker’s say that by 2025 no plastic will be used in its packs, but in that time, at a rate of 11 million packets a day, tons of landfill waste will have been produced. More information can be found here People Are Posting Their Non-Recyclable Crisp Packets Back To … 

To show you really love Pompey give Walker’s the hurry up and help persuade them to change crisp packaging. Use the Walker’s free postal service address and save your Pompey soul. Every pack you send back will ensure that the injustices of 19th May 1993 will not be forgotten.

FREEPOST LE4 918. Leicester LE4 5ZY

Send back any pack without charge. All you need is a bit of sticky tape, a pen and a bit of paper to write the address* on and post it back to the city of Leicester.

*In an update from Royal Mail you are asked to use and envelope. This is the privatised service that was run by the Scot, Alan Crozier, who used to run the Premier League, so you decide BBC Leicester.

Alternatively you could follow the humble lead from the North and just stop buying Walker’s products.

Remember 19/05/93 – Say “No” to Walker’s

CLP 23/09/2018CLP

The Real Football Fan Show, really?

/ Christopher Perry / Leave a comment

There’s always the Off switch, thankfully

Got home late last night and saw that I had a choice, Family Guy reruns or a programme called ‘The Real Football Fan Show.” I waited in anticipation for the RFFS to begin.

Before it started the Channel 4 announcer warns that the show includes “adult language”; if only that were true. I imagined we might see West Ham and Chelsea fans exchanging opinions on where their respective club owners’ money originated, (pornography and Putin’s mafia mate) and dissecting the ethical challenges that provokes for the ICF and Headhunters. I wondered if we might see Arsenal and Spurs fans arranging a fight on Wembley Way on derby day while White Hart Lane is out of commission. The show included neither.

The programme started with a review of last weekend’s Premier League action. This was done by getting post-match soundbites from fans exiting grounds after the matches. This sounded promising.

I enjoyed hearing Spurs fans tear Pochettino’s tactics and formation apart. Always top quality moaning from those boys, but I was shocked any were to be found after the match near the stadium, as they usually leave Wembley early.

A good-natured Geordie showed genuine delight at having seen a late consolation goal against Arsenal. Someone wearing a Chelsea shirt said something meaningless. I waited in eager anticipation to see Scummers being interviewed after the 2-2 with the Seagulls.

Another disappointment in a programme of disappointments. The producer clearly couldn’t find anyone bothered to go to the south coast fixture, but then who was? It might have made the show to get a rant from a fan who had seen only two home wins in 2018 and just stormed from the ground after his or her team blew a 2-0 lead. Too much to ask of a TV channel without access to any footage of any PL action.

Then a bit of fan banter, “Which team do you hate the most?” Watford fans are clearly missing Luton’s company and struggled to name alternatives. Chelsea got several mentions from a few people, but why waste time asking Arsenal or Tottenham fans? I want to know who Bournemouth fans really hate. Is hate possible at Dean Court? Is the rumour true about Wimbourne Town because they have neater flower displays in the square than at Boscombe?

The star player interviewed was Troy Deeney, a man worth hearing out given his talent at setting about his opponents on the pitch and in post-match interviews.

A short rough edit of the chat with the programme host just showed glimpses of the man. We found out he loves winding up the Villa because he is a Birmingham fan (and possibly because AVFC let him go after being their youth team captain). He eyes lit up at the memory of scoring three times against Villa in one season season. Deeney likes watching football with his mates and hearing different opinions about the game. He comes across as someone un-phased by the Premier League theatre.

Unfortunately, in a programme designed for late night viewing and an assumption that the viewers have short attention spans, that interview was far too brief. Why did the production team waste precious seconds with the interviewer asking for advice on how to get his own weight down? Troy Deeney politely swerved that potential minefield when I might have said “How long have you got?”

The programme promises banter, but as it only includes Premier League fans in current kit, the banter is on the same level as anyone who finds the word “bottom” worth a giggle. It didn’t even get as high as that when a Spurs fan was asked if he would dare go out with the woman next to him in the Chelsea shirt just after he had said Chelsea were his pet hate.

The next studio shot showed the girl had moved to the end of the terrace. I prayed a sudden parting of the “crowd” would open up space for a proper row between these two, but truth be told she was too tall to stand stage centre and had been blocking the timid Fulham fan’s face from camera. C4 can’t be seen to exclude minority groups and probably feared fiercely scripted letters from Putney about discrimination, so they moved the girl. It is a football programme afterall and old attitudes don’t change overnight. Could they not have just passed the Cottager over the heads to the pitchside instead?

The studio set up is so off the mark I wonder if the set designer has actually been into a PL ground. There were no seats, just a faux terrace and some very shiney people in very shiney football shirts. So all standing, no disabled section and everyone has a club shirt on and we know Geordies don’t do shirts, of any kind, (their stripes are all tattooed on to save the laundry bills).

I switched off when a presenter wearing a badly fitting dress, (filmed from a height to show how badly fitting it was at the front), was about to embark into the crowd outside Stamford Bridge to ask something I couldn’t wait to hear.

Sadly Family Guy had finished, so I went to bed.

CLP 22/09/2018

Vince – The Vince Hilaire Autobiography Released

/ Christopher Perry / Leave a comment

Vince Hilaire was £85,000 and worth every penny

Many, many Pompey fans will want this book that came out in July 2018.

It has a lot about Vince Hilaire’s time at Pompey with the amazing squad that played for Alan Ball. Never has the Pompey team been so in tune with the character of Pompey supporters. We were a complete unit on the road and at home. What Bally achieved and how is a big part of this book.

It also gives an insight to the racism and bigotry Vince Hilaire faced during his career. This guy was an absolutely fantastic footballer who I could not believe ever joined Pompey. He was that good and he had some of his best playing years at Fratton Park. That he was such a winner despite the barriers he faced shows the strength of character of the man.

Vince Hilaire Pompey Hall of Fame Tribute here

More about the book from Backbite Publishing here

A must read!

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CLP 13/09/2018