Sam Manton (t.h.) tror Conor Chaplin avgjør dagens kamp til Pompeys fordel.

SUPPORTERINTERVJUET: Nok en gang opplevde Pompey at en kamp måtte utsettes i midtuken. Det var andre gangen denne sesongen hjemmekampen mot Ipswich måtte utsettes, og den tredje gangen totalt. Nå venter Preston på bortebane. Et Preston-lag som kjøpte Callum Lang mandag, men det rapporteres at en del av avtalen var at Lang ikke skal spille mot Pompey.

Vi har snakket med Sam Manton, vår medlem nummer 87, før dagens kamp. Manton er opprinnelig fra England og svarer under på engelsk, men er bosatt i Oslo. Her har han stått på for å få samlet Pompey-supportere i Oslo til å møtes når det er TV-kamper. Han har også opprettet en eget WhatsApp-gruppe for Pompey-supportere i Skandinavia. Her er Sams tanker før dagens kamp.

Det ble 16. plass i Championship forrige sesong etter opprykk fra League One sesongen før. Hva er dine beste minner fra 2024/25-sesongen?

– Last season was great. Finally back in the championship after so many years away. I think one of the standout matches was beating Leeds at home. We honestly looked unbeatable that day. Our home form was what saved us from relegation last season and we will need this again this season.

Hva tenker du om det Pompey har foretatt seg på overgangsmarkedet i januar?

– I think myself, like many other Pompey fans have been critical of the owners in terms of how much money we are paying for players, with easily the lowest budgets in the division. But having said that, I think we have done some good business on the cheap. I think this has been one of our most important transfer windows and one we need to get right if we are going to stay in the championship. Bringing in Adams from Derby has got to be one of the best bits of business we’ve made under JM. Time will tell how the others fit in but we need a bit of luck with injuries also if we are to stay up.

Hva var dine tanker og forventninger til denne sesongen?

– I think we can have no arguments in regards to where we are in the league due to the amount of money we spend. At present I don’t think we can expect anything higher than lower midtable with the amount being spent on the squad. I think it’s frustrating hearing the owners talk about the Premier League but in reality this could be 20 years away with this model. The main goal is to stay in the championship. This is where we belong.

Hvilke lag tror du rykker opp fra Championship denne sesongen og hvilke tre lag rykker du ned?

– I think Coventry, Middlesbrough and Ipswich will be the ones promoted.

Har du planer om å få til en tur over for å se Pompey i løpet av 2025/26?

– I was recently in London for the Charlton away match that was called off. As of yet I don’t have any plans for any games but this often changes last minute.

Hvordan holder du deg oppdatert på Pompey (kamper og nyheter)?

– Social Media and the usual. PompeyNewsNow is the best source.

Har du noen favorittspillere i dagens Pompey-spillerstall?

– Conor Chaplin. I hope he can start scoring more and making an impact. I would love to see him move on a permanent deal in the summer.

Hva er dine tanker om John Mousinho og hans trenerteam?

– He’s doing an excellent job with the resources he has.

Nå er det Preston på bortebane i serien. Hva er dine tanker om denne kampen, hva er din startellever og hvordan tror du kampen ender?

– I think this will be a very interesting match. We were unlucky here last season if I remember correctly but our away form has been much more consistent this season, but Preston are quite solid at home, similar to us. I think it could be a game we could nick, and will certainly be interesting to see if Lang starts or plays, that would be interesting. I’ll say an optimistic 1-0 for Pompey, Chaplin again

Har du ellers noe du vil si til resten av de skandinaviske Pompey-supporterne?

– We have recently started a WhatsApp group for any Pompey fans interested. All languages and Pompey fans welcome! PUP!

Conor Chaplin.