Ipswich Town v Portsmouth FC
Saturday 9th January 2016 – 15:00
Portman Road
FA Cup 3rd round
Opening Thought – Jamma
Hands up who would have taken a return of 7 points from 9 over the festive period, then? Thought so!
As nice as it would have been to have secured the club record sixth successive away win on Saturday, a draw at the home of another of our promotion rivals is not to be sniffed at, and saw us come through unscathed against three top-half clubs. The talk in the build-up had been about how the fixture pitted the top-scoring home team against the team who had scored the joint highest amount of goals away from home. So maybe it was inevitable that the game should end as a goalless draw! It may not have been the Blues’ most entertaining display of the season, with our defensive qualities to the fore at the expense of our more attacking play. Unsurprisingly, Mick McCarthy said that he ‘loved the game’, and reserved special praise for the imperious Tommy Smith and Christophe Berra. The back five have all come in for their fair share of criticism over the last few months so it was refreshing to see them lead the acclaim for yet another spirited team performance. For the second time in as many games, we saw a goal – somewhat dubiously – ruled out for the opposition. I remember saying earlier in the season that our luck would even itself out, and this does tend to happen when results are going the team’s way. The same may be said about the 50/50 decisions, which, up until recently, did not seem to be falling for us. At Turf Moor, therefore, it was satisfying to see Smith and Berra not pulled up for the kind of ‘rough treatment’ to which Daryl Murphy is subjected by Championship centre-backs week in, week out!So it’s that time again when the FA Cup takes centre stage. After our two games against Southampton this time last year, Town have been handed an eminently winnable home draw against another team from the South Coast, Portsmouth. If I’m honest, I’m in two minds as to how I feel about a potential cup run. As long as we are in the Championship, we will always have bigger priorities. We acquitted ourselves well against Premier League opposition in last year’s 3rd round tie but our league form in January seemed to drop off as a result. Having worked our way back into contention in 2015/16, we don’t want to be left playing catch-up due to the distractions of the cup. On the other hand, McCarthy will no doubt be looking at the Pompey clash as a perfect opportunity to give game time to some of his fringe players, as well as those coming back from injury. We now have plenty of options in the squad who may have to be called upon in the gruelling run-in between now and May, and the likes of Jonny Parr, Tommy Oar and Luke Varney will be keen to stake a claim for the second half of the season. With Portsmouth in a similar position to ourselves in League Two, well in the play-off mix while trying to chase down the teams above, it should make for an intriguing match-up in front of a decent crowd…
The Opposition – Portsmouth FC
John Anthony Portsmouth Football Club Westwood
The club was founded in 1898, with a blue plaque on the wall of 12 High Street Portsmouth commemorating its formation on 5 April. The club joined the Southern League in 1899. That first season was successful, with the club winning 20 out of 28 league matches, earning them the runner-up spot in the league. They suffered their first relegation in 1910–11 but the team was promoted again the following season.
League football was suspended during the First World War, but following the resumption of matches Portsmouth won the Southern League for the second time. Continuing success saw them in the Third Division for the 1920–21 season, going on to win the league in the 1923–24 season. The club continued to perform well in the Second Division, winning promotion by finishing second in the 1926–27 season.
Portsmouth's debut season in the First Division was a struggle. However, they reached the FA Cup final for the first time, losing to Bolton Wanderers. Portsmouth managed to survive relegation, and their fortunes began to change. The 1933–34 season saw Portsmouth again reach the FA Cup final, which they lost to Manchester City.
Having established themselves in the top flight, Portsmouth reached the 1939 FA Cup final, which they won against Wolves. League football was again suspended due to the Second World War, meaning Portsmouth hold the unusual distinction of holding the FA Cup for the longest uninterrupted period, as the trophy wasn't contested again until the 1945–46 season.
League football resumed for the 1946–47 campaign after five years and Portsmouth continued in the First Division. In their "Golden Jubilee" season of 1948–49, they claimed the league title for the first time. The club powered their way to the title the following year, on the last day of the season, and are thus one of only five English teams to have won back-to-back titles since the Second World War.
Subsequent seasons saw Portsmouth struggle and they were relegated to the Second Division in 1959. Portsmouth went down to the Third Division in 1961 (the first former English League champions to do so) but were promoted back to the Second Division at the first attempt. Despite limited financial means, Portsmouth retained Second Division status throughout the sixties.
The cash injection that accompanied the arrival of John Deacon as chairman in 1972 failed to improve Portsmouth's league position. With Deacon unable to continue bankrolling the club on the same scale, Portsmouth were relegated to the Third Division in 1976.
In November 1976, the club found itself needing to raise £25,000 to pay off debts and so avoid bankruptcy. With players having to be sold to ease the club's financial situation, and no money available for replacements, Portsmouth were consequently relegated to the Fourth Division in 1978.
Portsmouth were promoted back to Division Three in 1980, and in the 1982–83 season they won the Third Division championship, gaining promotion back to the Second Division. Under Alan Ball's management, Portsmouth narrowly missed out on winning promotion to the First Division twice before finally succeeding in 1986–87. Unfortunately, by the middle of the 1987–88 season the club was again in grave financial trouble, and Portsmouth were relegated straight back to the Second Division.
Portsmouth's centenary season, 1998–99, saw a serious financial crisis hit the club, and in December 1998 Portsmouth went into financial administration. Milan Mandarić saved the club with a takeover deal in May 1999, and the new chairman immediately started investing.
Harry Redknapp took over as manager in early 2002. Redknapp was able to make the most of Mandarić's willingness to invest in players at a time when competitors were struggling after the collapse of ITV Digital's television deal with the Football League. Just over a year later, Portsmouth were celebrating winning the Division One Championship and promotion to the Premier League, winning the title with a game to spare.
The club finished 13th, 16th and 17th in their first three Premier League seasons. Redknapp had resigned midway through the club's second Premier League season, after a disagreement with Mandarić, and went on to manage bitter rivals Southampton, only to return just over a year later. In January 2006, Portsmouth were bought by businessman Alexandre Gaydamak, whose funding allowed the club to buy practically a whole new squad mid-season. With large amounts of money available for the manager to make record signings, the club finished the 2006–07 season in the top half of the table for the first time, only one point short of European qualification.
The 2007–08 season saw Portsmouth finish eighth in the Premier League and reach the FA Cup final, which they won against Cardiff. The win earned them a place in the 2008–09 UEFA Cup, the club's first experience of European football.
On 25 October 2008, Redknapp left Portsmouth for a second time, with the club ultimately finishing the 2008–09 Premier League season in 14th place. On 26 May, Portsmouth accepted a bid from United Arab Emirates businessman Sulaiman Al Fahim to buy the club. However, due to financial problems and an ownership battle, the club was eventually purchased by Ali al-Faraj, who took over control. On 5 October, a deal was agreed for Al Faraj and his associates, via BVI-registered company Falcondrone, to hold a 90% majority holding, with Al-Fahim retaining a 10% stake and the title of non-executive chairman for two years. Falcondrone also agreed a deal with Gaydamak to buy, for £1, Miland Development (2004) Ltd, which owns various strategic pockets of land around the ground, once refinancing was complete. Two days after the Al-Faraj takeover was completed, Portsmouth's former Technical Director Avram Grant returned as Director of Football. However, because of the financial problems, the Premier League placed the club under a transfer embargo, meaning the club were not allowed to sign any players.
Avram Grant took over at Portsmouth on 26 November 2009, replacing former manager Paul Hart, who had been sacked by the board two days previously, due to the club's position at the bottom of the league.
HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) filed a winding-up petition against Portsmouth at the High Court in London on 23 December 2009. In March 2010, this winding-up petition was dropped, leaving Portsmouth with a nine-point penalty for entering administration. During the 2009–10 season, it had become apparent to the club's new owner Balram Chainrai that Portsmouth were approximately £135 million in debt so, to protect them from liquidation, Chainrai placed the club into administration on 26 February 2010. This automatically incurred a nine-point penalty from the FA Premier League, which came into effect on 17 March and consigned the team to almost certain relegation, which was mathematically confirmed on 10 April.
On 9 April, it was announced David Lampitt would be joining Portsmouth as their new CEO after he had worked a period of notice at the FA, his employer at the time. In May, Avram Grant resigned as Portsmouth manager. On 17 June, the club's creditors voted for a Company Voluntary Arrangement, with an 81.3% majority; Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC), Paul Hart and the agent of Portsmouth midfielder Tommy Smith were the only ones to reject it. On 17 August, Balram Chainrai completed his takeover of the club and passed the owners and directors’ fit and proper person test.
Former Notts County manager Steve Cotterill was appointed manager of the club in June 2010 on a three-year contract. Portsmouth finished the season with an eight-game winless run and ended up 16th with 58 points.
On 1 June 2011, Convers Sports Initiatives, owned by Russian Vladimir Antonov, completed its takeover of the club.
On 23 November 2011, a Europe-wide arrest warrant was issued for Portsmouth owner Antonov by Lithuanian prosecutors as part of an investigation into alleged asset stripping at Lithuanian bank Bankas Snoras, which is 68% owned by Antonov and had gone into temporary administration the previous week. On 29 November 2011, Antonov resigned as chairman of Portsmouth after parent company Convers Sports Initiatives entered administration. On 17 February, Portsmouth went into administration for the second time in two years, bringing them an automatic 10-point deduction. On 21 April, Portsmouth were relegated from the Championship, condemning them to League One – the first time in 30 years that the club had played at that level.
Following Pompey's relegation, the entire professional playing squad left the club.
On 9 November 2012, Chanrai halted his attempt to buy the club. Six days later, the Pompey Supporters’ Trust signed a conditional agreement with PFK to buy the club. Portsmouth were unable to find a manager on a long-term basis due to their financial state. The club went on a record winless run, playing their 20th game without a win in February 2013. The winless streak lasted a total of 23 matches, finally ending on 2 March 2013 as Portsmouth won away at Crewe Alexandra. On 10 April 2013, a deal with administrators was reached, although the Pompey Supporters' Trust had not yet finalised the purchase. Portsmouth were relegated to League Two at the end of the season.
On 19 April 2013, Portsmouth exited administration when the Pompey Supporters’ Trust’s deal to buy the club was completed.
On a historic announcement, on Monday 29 September 2014, the club was able to declare itself debt-free after paying back all creditors and all legacy payments to ex-players. The news came 18 months after the PST took control of the club.
Following an unsuccessful 2014–15 campaign, Paul Cook was appointed manager of Portsmouth.
One To Watch – Caolan Lavery
There will be a fair few familiar faces in Portsmouth’s line-up on Saturday, even without the ineligible Matt Clarke. Brian Murphy has been a regular between the sticks this season, while Gary Roberts has chipped in with a handful of goals. Another former Town player whose name tends to flash up on the vidiprinter on a Saturday afternoon is Caolan Lavery.
The Northern Irish U21 international was born in Canada, where he started his footballing journey with the Red Deer Renegades. He moved over to the British Isles and played for Goodyear in Northern Ireland, while taking in trials at Tottenham, Portsmouth and Charlton. Lavery arrived at Portman Road as a 16-year-old but left the club on completion of his academy scholarship. After interesting clubs including Sunderland and Leicester, the striker joined Sheffield Wednesday’s Development Squad in the summer of 2012, before going on loan to Southend later that season. Back at Hillsborough, Lavery made his bow in 2013/14, but was soon on the move again, this time enjoying a fruitful spell with Plymouth as he scored three goals in his first four starts. His first goals for the Owls were not far away and his form towards the end of the campaign suggested he would push on in 2014/15. But, in a familiar story, the striker was back on loan once again, moving to Chesterfield as a replacement for top scorer Eoin Doyle. Lavery enhanced his growing reputation with three strikes in seven games, playing under current Pompey manager Paul Cook. Despite another promising end to the season, he dropped down the pecking order with the arrivals of Lucas Joao, Marco Matias and Fernando Forestieri in the summer and signed a three-month loan deal at Fratton Park in October.
The Gaffer – Paul Cook
Born in Liverpool, Cook began his career at his local non-league team Marine before being quickly signed up by Wigan Athletic, where he featured in almost one hundred games in a four-year spell. Cook then had a brief and unsuccessful spell at Norwich City before moving to the Midlands to play for Wolverhampton Wanderers for £250,000.
He was a very popular player during his time at Wolves, with both the fans and his teammates, and became known for his deadly and accurate left foot. After over 190 appearances for Wolves over five seasons in the second tier, he made the short journey to Premier League Coventry City.
He played the majority of the club's games in his first season (1994–95) but fell from favour during the following campaign, in which he made only three appearances. In February 1996, he was sold to Tranmere Rovers for £250,000.
Whilst at Tranmere, he became a key member of the team, playing sixty games in just eighteen months. In October 1997, Tranmere accepted a bid of £250,000 from Stockport County and so regained the fee they had paid for Cook in the first place. After twelve months at County, Cook began to be regarded as 'too old', despite being just 32. This led to his move to Burnley, initially on loan before signing permanently in July 1999.
Cook experienced an "Indian summer" to his career, making 130 league appearances over a four-year spell.
After a falling-out with the manager, Cook went on loan to one of his old clubs, Wigan Athletic, but made just six appearances before he was recalled to again take his place in the starting line up at Turf Moor.
Defying doubts about his fitness and age, Cook signed for non-league team Accrington Stanley and went on to become a First Team regular in their push for promotion to the Football League. This target was finally achieved in the 2005/06 season when Stanley were crowned champions. Having achieved this aim, Cook finally retired after almost 600 league appearances for nine different teams.
Cook was appointed manager of Conference side Southport on 13 June 2006, a post he was sacked from in January 2007.
He became manager of Sligo Rovers on 27 April 2007. He guided Sligo to a creditable 6th place league finish in his first season. His second year (2008) saw him guide Sligo to fourth in the league and thus secure a UEFA Cup place.
He departed in January 2009 by mutual consent, but soon returned just weeks later.
Cook's first silverware as Sligo manager came in September 2010, after a win in the final of the League Cup. In November 2010, he guided Sligo Rovers to the 2010 FAI Cup, repeating the feat 12 months later.
Cook spoke with Accrington Stanley and these talks eventually concluded with Cook announcing his move back to his old playing club. He led the team to a 14th place finish in League Two at the end of the 2011–12 season and continued to coach the side for the opening months of the following campaign. However, on 25 October 2012, he joined League Two rivals Chesterfield on a two-and-a-half-year contract. The end of his first season saw him guide Chesterfield to eighth position, finishing just two points outside the play-off zone. In the following season, he led Chesterfield to the League Two championship and promotion, and they comfortably maintained their new League One status in 2014-15, reaching sixth place and the play-offs.
In May 2015, Cook was appointed manager at Portsmouth F.C after a release clause was met. It was believed to be around £150,000 compensation.
Past Match - Video Highlights - Trev
Action from our last meeting with Portsmouth, when a Michael Chopra goal was enough to secure victory at Fratton Park:
Trev's Trivia
Players to play for both clubs:
David Norris ITFC 2008-2011 Pompey 2011-2012
Ray Crawford ITFC 1958-1963 & 1966-1969 Pompey 1957-1958
Hermann Hreiðarsson ITFC 2000-2003 Pompey 2007-2012
Media Watch - K L Blue
A look back over Ipswich Town’s 2015, with some memorable moments from a rollercoaster 12 months:
http://www.eadt.co.uk/sport/taking_a_lo ... _1_4367784
Terry Butcher with the case for the (Town) defence:
http://www.eadt.co.uk/sport/tommy_smith ... _1_4367489
http://www.eadt.co.uk/sport/ipswich_tow ... _1_4367484
Stat Time
Head to Head
Ipswich Wins.........................19.....(46.34%)
Portsmouth Wins....................11.....(26.83%)
Draws.................................11.....(26.83%)
Ipswich Goals........................58 (ave. 1.41 per match)
Portsmouth Goals...................36 (ave. 0.88 per match)
Head to Head at Ipswich
Ipswich Wins.........................9.....(42.86%)
Portsmouth Wins....................8.....(38.10%)
Draws.................................4.....(19.05%)
Ipswich Goals.........................36 (ave. 1.71 per match)
Portsmouth Goals....................22 (ave. 1.05 per match)
The Predicted Teams
Ipswich Town
It’s anyone’s guess how McCarthy will send us out for this one, particularly given the surprise he sprang in our last cup outing against Manchester United. Bartosz Bialkowski, Jonny Parr, Piotr Malarczyk, Giles Coke and maybe even Teddy Bishop are some of the names who may get a run out, and Town fans may get their first glimpse of new signing Paul Digby.
33 Bartosz Bialkowski
4 Luke Chambers
21 Piotr Malarczyk
5 Tommy Smith
2 Jonathan Parr
7 Ainsley Maitland-Niles
19 Luke Hyam
16 Giles Coke
15 Tommy Oar
20 Freddie Sears
42 Luke Varney
Portsmouth FC
As for Pompey, Paul Cook doesn’t have the luxury of being able to make quite so many changes, but will also have one eye on some crucial upcoming league fixtures, against Accrington and Oxford. Matt Clarke, having agreed to extend his loan spell at Fratton Park until the end of the season, will not feature against his parent club.
24 Brian Murphy
2 Ben Davies
4 Adam Webster
3 Enda Stevens
23 Kyle Bennett
29 Danny Hollands
8 Michael Doyle
26 Gareth Evans
11 Gary Roberts
13 Caolan Lavery
10 Marc McNulty
Marko’s Caption Competition
Excellent Burnley double point caption efforts. 10pts to newcomer Tangfastic on the very witty "Coyle" reference. Ando very closely second.
Tangfastic 10pts
Ando 8pts
Number 9 6pts
ITNO1 4pts (man in raincoat effort)
Everyone else 2pts.
LEAGUE TABLE
Frosty 47
DerickIpsw 42
Ando 42
Nicsreamer 38
Barmy Billy 36
James Scharmann 35
Blueblood 35
Number 9 32
Shed on Tour 25
IpswichtownNO1 22
Quasar 22
Herforder 19
Ashfordblue 17
Floors 16
Bluemike 14
Watership Down 12
Tangfastic 10
Hallamblue 10
Charnwood 10
Longjohn 9
Kerry Blue 8
Foxy Lady 8
Loudnproud 3
Ohiotractorboy 3
Karlywoo 1
This week:
Match Referee – David Coote
Final Thought - Frosty
So in between our glorious ascent up the Championship ladder we have a bit of Rompy Pompey to look forward to. (Ok that was my attempt at a Marko impersonation)
Although not critical to our success this season, momentum is an important thing and hopefully this fixture doesn’t do anything to detract from our recent form.
Portsmouth are currently 4th on the League 2 table and lead the net goals standing on the table. Recently they have had big wins over such Football luminaries such as Crawley, Northampton and Hartepool along with a goaless draw against Luton and a stumble against Leyton Orient.
As James has suggested above, it will be interesting to see the line up on Saturday, perhaps with one eye on Tuesdays Championship fixture. I think a win is critical for no other reason that we don’t want the extra fixture added to the schedule in what is a busy period of the season.
I hope you have an entertaining and enjoyable day if you are attending on Saturday.
IPSWICH TOWN 2 PORTSMOUTH 0
