Denne rundens supporterintervju er med Chris Billows. Han har bodd i Stockholm siden 1969. Der startet han den legendariske puben Tudor Arms.  

SUPPORTERINTERVJUET: Et svært skaderammet Pompey møter i ettermiddag England beste lag – eller kanskje verdens beste lag ifølge John Mousinho – hjemme i FA-cupen. Hvor sterkt lag Arsenal stiller mot Pompey gjenstår å se, men det blir nok uansett veldig tøft.

Denne gangen har vi snakket med Chris Billowes i Stockholm, vår medlem nummer 40, før dagens kamp. Her er Chris sine tanker om Pompey og dagens kamp. Du får også høre om Tudor Arms, den legendariske puben i Stockholm.

Denne gangen er både spørsmålene og svarene på engelsk:

Pompey finished 16th in the Championship last season in their first season back after the promotion from League One. What are your best memories from the 2024/25-season?

– Well, my best memories! The fact that we managed to stay in the Championship, thanks to a half decent run over the last 5 matches. 9 points out of possible 15 gave us a respectable position for the newly promoted side. Definite memory for me was the 5-3 away win at Norwich, that was really a cheerer upper!

What do you think of the signings Pompey have made before this season?

– I didn’t actually follow the new signings at the beginning of the season, but I did miss Paddy Lane, Yengi and Christian Saydee. I know we had a couple of signings of around 1 million Euros, but I´m not sure what I think of these 2 players.

What were your thoughts and expectations before this season?

–  Of course, my biggest desire is that Pompey can survive another season in the Championship, but the last month has only bought despair. However, we are still averaging 1 point per match, which kept us up last season, but whether that will be good enough this season remains to be seen!

Which three teams do you think will be promoted from the Championship this season and which three teams do you think will be relegated?

– Well, I would like to see Coventry make it, but at the moment there are 6 or so clubs in reaching distance of automatic promotion, so I wouldn´t like to speculate.

Do you plan to travel to England to watch Pompey this season?

– Sad to say my health has not been so good lately, so travelling is becoming increasingly difficult. We still try to get back to my hometown, Sandown, on the Isle of Wight reasonably regularly, but that´s my limit. However, the season is not over yet, so maybe one of the last home matches is a possibility, but being a pessimist, not if we are in the relegation zone!

Tudor Arms: Tell us about the pub and your part in it 🙂

– Well, have been living in Stockholm since 1969, where I met my wife when we opened the first British Pub and Restaurant in central Stockholm, www.tudorarms.com which is now 56 years ago. Today our eldest son, James, runs the place. We have had a great life, and we are lucky to have been very successful. Happy to say running a pub in central Stockholm cannot be compared to running a pub in the UK, sad to see so many pubs going under, not to mention the hard work involved. Just like to add I´m very proud of our recognition as the Best British Pub in the World outside of the UK according to a survey by British Airways and the Telegraph group of newspapers in 2010.

How do you keep yourself updated on Pompey?

– I follow Pompey regularly on Live Score, Sky Sports and now and again the Pompey FC homepage.

Have you got any favourite players among today’s squad?

– No real favorites but always looking out for Connor Chaplin.

What are your thoughts on John Mousinho and his coaching staff?

– That´s a tough one for me to answer, but I´m sure they all have Pompey´s best at heart. I have often wondered if John Mousinho will be relieved due to the very bad run up to end of November, but fingers crossed he can pull off a mini miracle so all of us Pompey supporters can sleep at night!

Now it is Arsenal at home in the FA Cup. What are your thoughts on the match, what is your starting eleven and how do you think the game will end?

– Well, I will watch this game live, as I don’t expect us to get a result, so I will not be disappointed. Quite a while ago since we had such a prolific team visiting Fratton Park. I can´t give a line up but will check it out as soon as released.

Have you got anything to say to the Scandinavian Pompey supporters?

– PLAY UP POMPEY to all Scandinavian Pompey Supporters!!!!

Conor Chaplin.