How embarassing

Alex on his debut - how the Pompey fans celebrated

http://www.portsmouth.co.uk/sport/pompey/pompey-past/portsmouth-ace-makes-england-squad-1-3894311

Let’s face it, that lot down the road are embarrassing.

In summary and probably missing stuff - From Gun Runners to Fat Skint Arabs to non-existent Arabs to prossie bothering managers to loan sharks to convicted fraudsters to the best fans in the world ™ to Can’t Pack the Park to Fratton Park is falling down to training in Southampton to ripping of charities twice to ripping off schools twice to administration twice to quality of quantity to 36k a week journeymen to paying win bonuses to their CEO to....well everything really.

Regular readers will know that I don't have much time for the press (see the Lukas Jutkiewicz piece) but a new low has been reached since the season ended with the announcement of the England squad for the Euro 2012 tournament. That paragon of truth and telling it how it isn’t, the Portsmouth Evening News, ran an article titled ‘Portsmouth Ace in England Squad’. I saw that and thought they were bigging up Glen Johnson and Jermain Defoe – a little bit embarrassing I thought cos they’re not at Pompey now and are two of the players they should never have bought as they could never afford them but technically, they were Pompey players once up on a time. Defoe in particular is not well liked down there but still, he was a Pompey player.

I know that there is journalistic license but Christ on a bike… they are talking about Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain who, in case you didn’t know, has played for Arsenal since August 2011 and before that he played for Southampton where he has been, playing all his football since he was 8 years old. As far as we all know, he’s never even played kids 5 a side in a team that was affiliated to Portsmouth Football Club. He developed in the Southampton Academy, made his first team debut at 16, tore up League 1 for a season and was then sold to one of the best teams in the country for 15 million quid. The fee for the Pompey Ace was not paid to Pompey but to Southampton. But you knew all this... and here’s a quick Q&A...

Did Pompey develop him? No.

Did Pompey fans chant his name? No.

Did Pompey fans feel pride when he made his first team debut? No.

Did Pompey fans get his name printed on their shirts? No.

Did Pompey fans leap to their feet as he tore past players on the wing? No.

Did Pompey fans stand there open mouthed when he chipped the keeper from a ridiculous angle? No, no and unsurprisingly, no again.

When all these things happened, if a Pompey fan had seen it, he would have shouted ‘Scummer, Scummer, F**king Scummer’ or somesuch at him, much like they used to do when he went home on the train in his Southampton tracksuit when he was a kid, as reported by his father.

The story of course is that his Dad is an ex-Pompey player who sent his son to Southampton’s Academy because then, as now, Pompey’s is shite and Southampton’s is one of the best in the country. Alex was born in Portsmouth and went to school there and that’s the whole basis of The News claiming that he’s a Portsmouth Ace. Why not Portsmouth-born Ace? By saying ‘Portsmouth Ace’, you are implying the football team and so shock of shocks, the headline is just completely embarrassing. Trying to somehow claim Alex is one of Pompey’s own is a bit like claiming money that you raised after saying it was for charities…. Can’t think who’d do such a dishonest thing.

I think I’ve missed a trick by not writing something where Saints claim credit for Darren Anderton’s international career as after all, he was a Bitterne Park schoolboy. No, I wouldn’t do that as it would be too embarrassing. He’s one of Pompey’s in the same way that Alex is one of ours.

The question for me is; what are The News trying to achieve? Are they trying to make Pompey fans feel better about things, to deflect attention away from the fact that they may well not have a club to support in a weeks time? Maybe they just want to try and wind up the Saints fans and get a reaction. Well, they’ve done that I guess but it’s not an indignant reaction, it’s just a completely-embarrassed-feel-sorry-for-you cringe.

I myself was born in Southampton but lived in Portsmouth country, in Waterlooville from age 8 to age 23 so Mr Portsmouth Evening News, you could probably claim my blog for Pompey. If you want to call me a Pompey blogger then go ahead – people will read it and laugh at you, much as people with half a brain will have laughed at your Alex article.

Let me ask this – if Alex hadn’t signed for Arsenal and was still a Southampton player? Would The News have written it then? The criteria they have used to justify their viewpoint wouldn’t be any different but maybe, just maybe, it would have been just a little too embarrassing…. even for the Portsmouth Evening News.

PS... Since writing this, I've found an earlier article which is even better.... altogether now... CRINGE!!!!

http://www.portsmouth.co.uk/sport/england-bow-for-portsmouth-talent-1-3889219