Det er mangler i Pompey-stallen og konkurrentene har mye penger å bruke på signeringer også i år. Michael Pantling håper likevel dette kan bli sesongen Pompey endelig rykker opp til Championship igjen.

MENINGER: Vår medlem nummer 42, Michael Pantling, er bosatt i Danmark, men pleier å reise over til England for å se Pompey flere ganger i sesongen enn noen andre av våre medlemmer. Han har da også sesongkort på Fratton Park.

Han deler jevnlig sine tanker og meninger om Pompey med oss. Denne gangen oppsummerer Michael tingenes tilstand i det vi har en lengre kamppause.

Will this finally be our season?

I for one am looking forward to the return of football after the summer and for me, a return to Fratton Park after an extended absence.

I am intrigued to see the modifications to the stadium and hope that I haven’t lost too much legroom.

July is always a time for optimism particularly for football fans and this coming season should be no exception. However, one shouldn’t get carried away with the bookmaker’s odds since these often have more to do with their risk of having to pay out money than the potential performance rating – since Pompey have more supporters than many clubs there are going to be more bets and therefore a bigger financial risk if Pompey do well.

League 1 is not looking any easier this season, Bolton, Plymouth, Wycombe and Sheffield Wednesday were all competitive last season and Ipswich have already spent a bit. Of the 3 teams who got relegated I suspect that Barnsley will be the strongest. I cannot see Derby doing anything but mid table as they stabilize and re-build. Peterborough could go either way. It will be tough, but Pompey have to be up there. We have been far too long in League 1.

Ser ut til å bygge laget bakbra

Pompey appear to be building from the back with some new and experienced players which is never a bad thing. Our problem last season was a lack of goals and I am not sure where they will come from in the coming season. I hope Harness stays as he managed a few last season. I expect Pompey to try and cash in on Ronan Curtis since he has not really fulfilled his early promise for Pompey. There are a lot of mid-field players on the books at the moment and maybe a little thinning out is needed.

What seems to be missing is a couple of forwards with a proven track record. We currently only have Alex Bass as our sole goalkeeper – not a bad player but back up is surely needed.

Nice to see Marlon Pack back and would have been even better with Matt Ritchie as well – Steve Cotterill has a lot to answer for.

I hope that this coming season will not be affected by Covid restrictions both in terms of attending Fratton and flying over. The biggest challenge at the moment is more likely to be strikes in the transport sector and the stability of the airlines. Norwegian are back to strength on the CPH-LGW route at least whereas EasyJet are flying less frequently particularly with their winter timetable 8but still surprisingly cheap).

Having already  invested heavily in the infrastructure a Fratton, now might be the time for our owners to put a bit more into the team.

If Pompey can find a couple of goal scorers I am sure we can at least get a top 6 spot.

Michael Pantling til høyre.