The Grand Summary

Last updated : 17 May 2005 By Keith Allman
The low points of the season
1) The fact we went from February 1st to April 9th without winning. That's a needlessly long amount of time, and there's only so often you can walk away from a football ground shaking your head and thinking, "It'll be alright next week". Thankfully there were some really bad teams in the Premiership this season so we avoided ever dropping into the relegation zone.
2) Everton's last minute winner. If there's one thing guaranteed to make me angry, it's this goal. The whole Everton trip was a complete disaster for me (if you're a regular on here you'll have heard me whinge about it many a time before) and I don't recall feeling as bad walking away from a game as after that one. We've conceded some late goals in the time I've supported Portsmouth, but I never remember one two minutes and forty seconds into injury time. TWO MINUTES AND FORTY SECONDS!
3) One of the biggest disappointments this season is the way that so many people have managed to destroy themselves. Harry Redknapp and Jim Smith, for example, could've walked away from Portsmouth and retired as legends. But instead they went down to Southampton and completely ruined it - same for Nigel Quashie. Even people like Paul Walsh, a superb footballer and someone who dazzled Fratton in his time, had to go and ruin it by talking about how "I hope Portsmouth go down" on Sky Sports. Why do they do it? I have no doubt the answer is foldy and has the Queen's head on it.

The high points of the season
1) The fact that despite everything that happened; the madness, the transfers, the three managers, the months without winning, the constant unsettling of our players - DESPITE ALL THAT - we STILL proved the world wrong and stayed up. And for the second season running, there were no last day heroics. No sleepless nights wondering about every possible mathematical possibility. Oh no, because AGAIN we did it with games to spare.
2) The derby and Southampton's subsequent collapse into the lower leagues. Say no more.
3) Against Charlton, when the Fratton End chanted for "Perrin, give us a wave". Joe Jordan leaned over to explain the situation and even picked up Perrin's arm and started to wave it for him, a confused look over the Frenchman's face. Once he got the gist he gave a half-hearted wave and it was greeted with a roar of approval from the crowd. The perfect cue for him to start waving like an absolute madman, a grin plastered over his face and the first real contact between our new manager - of whom a large amount were and still are uncertain - and the Portsmouth crowd.

Join me again same time, next year...

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