Barker ,...How The News sees it ..

[lovedeanblue]

Four years ago the Turf Moor air was full of defiance.

Pompey had just become the first Premier League club to go into administration and any lingering hopes of top-flight survival had been extinguished by the nine-point deduction which was to arrive with that news.

But the Blues were in fighting mood and a 2-1 victory at Burnley was the pre-cursor for one of the iconic moments in the clubs recent history.

Avram Grant, the peoples champion, saluted the travelling army before disappearing into the away end beneath a sea of Pompey fans.

It cemented a hero status which had started to gather pace when the Israeli took to the pitch at half-time against Sunderland 18 days earlier.

Grant was cheered by the Fratton Park crowd as he confronted referee Kevin Friend over his display and ended up on a FA improper conduct charge.

By the time hed delivered his Churchillian speech in the final home game of the season against Wolves, his place in royal blue folklore had been assured.

That win a

[Corkhead]

Tbf to Grunty he might have a bad record on paper but the club was in meltdown during his time through no fault of his own.

Good post LdB.

[jon6_1999]

I don't think his record is that bad at all. 13 points out of the last 30, compared with 9 out of the previous 30...slight improvement.

He clearly didn't rate the existing bunch (but what new manager does) and has brought in 7 new faces.

I think if the football wasn't so hit and miss, and more often than not, it's miss and dire. Then the fans would be completely behind him.

But we don't have to make instant judgements. We support the team on the pitch fully, and then can moan and groan, and discuss on message boards, and then at the end of the season can way up whether he has done a good a job. His task this year is to get us safe, and preferably asap. Next season, I would suggest he needs to get us into the position that our wage bill merits...top 8!