Season Preview - Portsmouth

Vital QPR takes a look at Championship side Portsmouth

FACTS & FIGURES

Founded: 1898

Nickname: Pompey

Ground: Fratton Park - 20224

Manager: Steve Cotterill

SELECTED HONOURS

FA Cup: Winners - 1939, 2008
FA Cup: Runners Up - 1929, 1934, 2010

Football League First Division: Champions - 1948-49, 1949-50

Football League Division One: Champions - 2002-03
Football League Second Division: Runners Up: 1926-27, 1986-87

RECORDS

Record Attendance: 51,385 v Derby County (FA Cup, 1949)

Record league victory: 9-1 v Notts County (Division Two, 1927)

Record league defeat 0-10 v Leicester City (Division One, 1928)

Record Buy: Peter Crouch - £11,000,000 from Liverpool

Record Sale: Lassana Diarra - £20,000,000 to Real Madrid

Record Appearances: Jimmy Dickinson, 834 -1946-65

Record Goals: Peter Harris, 194 - 1946-1960

PREVIEW

Despite coming down from the Premier League, Portsmouth are somewhat of an unknown entity with key players poised to defect or already departed.

That is the least of their worries at present, with the financial burden of a failed spending spree in the top flight set to unleash its true backlash, and Pompey cannot be assured to start or finish the campaign.

Nevertheless they still possess talent in the squad, talent that would be at home in the Premier League and under new boss Steve Cotterill they would hope to finish in the top half.

Prediction: 16

Another very tough prediction and while many will predict Pompey to finish high based on the current squad, but surely players will start departing prior to the current window and again in January.

Not dropping through the division will be an achievement considering the hit the squad and manager are about to take, and to be saved from extinction would be the primary goal.

Quite how long Portsmouth can continue to fund the wages of Kevin-Prince Boateng and John Utaka and players of their ilk remains to be seen but a bottom half finish should be a blessing in what could proved to be a tumultuous season.




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