...and the first team to win promotion to the Premiership is: PORTSMOUTH Ground: Fratton Park (19,400) Manager: Harry Redknapp Pompey clinched promotion yesterday with a 1-0 win over Burnley. Fifteen years removed from top-flight football, Portsmouth will play in the Premiership for the first time. Svetoslav Todorov, Pompey's leading scorer, scored the goal to clinch promotion. Portsmouth have experience at every position. Paul Merson is the heart and soul of the offense. Their experienced midfield includes Nigel Quashie, Steve Stone, Lassina Diabate and Tim Sherwood. Shaka Hislop patrols the nets, but defenders Hayden Foxe, Arjan de Zeeuw, Linvoy Primus and Gianluca Festa make his life easier. Vincent Pericard and Yakubu Agyebini round out the offense. But perhaps it's been the leadership of Harry Redknapp and deep-pocketed owner Milan Mandaric that have been the biggest reasons why Portsmouth have had their recent renaissance.
They wont last 10 seconds in the premiership... The last time they were in top flight they were getting hammered by scores of 8 - 0 and Ian baird was their main striker.
They'll last a minimum of 205,200 seconds in the Premiership. It'll be tough for them, but with a bit of cash in the summer they might even make a decent fist of staying around for longer. They have decent crop of players, most with premiership experience. A number of the players that got them promotion are not good enough to take part in the Premiership campaign, but Harry Redknapp knows that and will act accordingly, I am sure. Who played for them in 1987 (and how they fared) is irrelevant.
Recent history indicates the odds are on their side, at least for staying up next year. Blackburn, Fulham, and Bolton all survived last year. Birmingham City and Man City look good for this year. Also, Pompey may be going up as champs, not as playoff winners. IIRC, Fulham and Man City are the last two champions, and both were near midtable their first seasons up.
Well, there is a difference there - City and Birmingham have massive catchment areas and far more earning potential than little Pompey, stuck in the corner down there on the South Coast. They’re so isolated in football terms, they have to have a rivalry with Southampton, which is a bit like spending the day chucking bricks at a kitten because you are lonely. City, Brum and Fulham could all afford to gamble on higher expenditure (witness Keggers’ spending spree at Maine Road) because they have a lot more punters to turn to for revenue. Pompey have Mandaric to bankroll them, but if he pulls the plug then the 20 thou they get in on average will not be paying the sort of bills your average Premiership generates squad for too long. West Brom this season are a more accurate parallel to what Portsmouth will be next season. The only difference being that Pompey are coming up with a higher number of Premiership-quality players than West Brom did.
It is someone ironic with the timing of things this season. The same weekend that Sunderland is confirmed as relegated, Portsmouth clinches promotion. Now this coming weekend, we could see the same thing happen with West Brom and Leicester.
Glad to see them finally come back up. Some good craic was had at the park.Was cheap to get to as well which left more money for the pubs-which seemed to outnumber anything else in the town if i remember right. They went down with us in the '88 season you know. That was the year that Chelsea were the 4th team relegated from the first division.(whilst that shower from the east end stayed up) There's a trivia question and answer for the plastic fan lot that will bring plenty of scratching on the old noggin.
What happened to Portmough the last time they were up have no bearing on this promotion. The only thing that is the same is the club name and it's relative budget. It's the players that will make the difference. Granted, it will be a challenge to stay up, but it can be done.
Re: Re: Meet the new boys [R] there aren't any standards in terms of capacity, no...they could have 3,000 seats if they liked.
...the second team? LEICESTER CITY Ground: Walkers Stadium (32,500) Manager: Micky Adams After a relegation season where Leicester City only picked up 28 points, they started this season in massive debt--some estimated their debt at #70 million--and their only two signings played the first few months of the season for free. But with new ownership and the charismatic leadership of Micky Adams, Leicester City are right back in the Premiership after today's 2-0 win over Brighton. Muzzy Izzet runs the show in the midfield, and if anybody gets past their defense, Ian Walker is tough to beat in goal. Paul Dickov has 20 goals this season. Leicester are one point ahead of Pompey with three games remaining in the race for the championship.
With today's results, Sheffield United and Wolverhampton Wanderers are both in the promotion playoffs, so it's likely we'll see the Blades or Wolves in the Premiership next season.
Counting the days to the first southampton pompey south coast derby. Should be fun, lots of overtime for the local coppers.
Though none of the teams promoted to the EPL this season have as great a nickname as the club that's going to be joining us in the Liga Primera next year. Albacete Balompie: El Queso Mecanico (the Mechanical Cheese)