Bore Draw

- our team didn't look at all interested, as expected
- Bolton seemed a bit more keen, as expected
- Diouf got a hard time, as expected
- he still scored, as expected
- Yakubu waddled around the pitch a little bit, as expected

Yakubu probably generated the biggest story of yesterday too, as pre-match Milan Mandaric walked into the fittingly titled Milan Mandaric Suite and announced that a deal to sell the Yak is all but finalised. Apparently he hasn't been happy since November (not that you could tell by the way he was playing of course) and despite the club trying all they could to make him feel at home here, he's just got all sorts of ideas in his head and wants away. Isn't that nice? We bring the Yak to this country, build him up as a hero and try to make him happy as desperately as we can - then Middlesbrough come along with a bigger cheque and that's all it takes.

Who says footballers are just money driven individuals eh?

Back to the action on the pitch and it was just typical end of season fare, I guess. It reminded me a lot of the 1-1 draw with Fulham last season, although I was more surprised how un-eager (is that a word?) Bolton were to go forwards after getting their early goal. We were there for the taking and, unlike the aforementioned Fulham at the tail end of the last campaign when neither side had anything to play for, Bolton still needed a point to get into Europe. In the end they got it of course and everyone gets to go home happy, but they must surely be rueing a missed chance to get all three.

A familiar sight

Our goal was one of the most comical of the season as the ball hit Yakubu in the face, but it still spins up that interesting question about how we will replace him. Like him or loathe him - and after months of lazy disinterested performances, the majority of fans will fall into the latter category - he still has an unbelievable knack of being in the right place at the right time, just like we saw yesterday. A lot of his goals are jammy tap-ins, but he's got some sort of sixth sense on how to be in that position in the first place. We WILL miss him; after all seventeen goals this season puts him well up in the scoring charts, but let's hope we can get a decent replacement or someone already at the club can rise to the challenge.

Still, it wouldn't be a post-match ramble from myself if I didn't complain about something. And this time it's going to have to be the fans.

It hasn't been a stunning season and admittedly we didn't play well yesterday. But against a team chasing European qualification and with ourselves safe, anyone with any sense would know that we were going to struggle and that it wasn't going to be a classic. So why at 1-0 down at half time did some around me in the Fratton End feel the need to boo the team off? I know you pay your money and you can do whatever you want, freedom of speech and all that - but just how stupid are some people? What is the thought process exactly - "Oh, we're not playing all that well against a team on the fringes of the UEFA Cup spots and despite the fact that after a very mixed up season we're still safe from relegation with games to spare in the top league of English football... BOOOOOO!" If you booed the team off then please feel free to e-mail me and let me know why, mainly so I can reply and tell you what a waste of space you are. How long will it be until the "Perrin Out" chants start I wonder?

And breathe.

Debut day

On the plus side yesterday, we played poorly and still got a point. James Keene came on and played like Lee Bradbury With Pace - notice the Bradders-esque agricultural challenges including a nice one on the goalkeeper - but give him time and he'll do well. I've seen him a fair bit for the reserves and he'll score goals; whether it be this year or in a couple of years time, but his day will come. It was also nice to see Dejan pick up his deserved player of the season award (although a shame he backed off a bit needlessly for the Bolton goal). It was nice to see De Zeeuw completely ignore Diouf when it came to shaking hands before the game - Diouf should be happy he didn't nut him, let alone just ignore him - although it's a sad reflection on the Bolton fans these days that some of them called it "petty" and were singing songs pre-match glorifying Diouf's spitting antics. I hoped they'd be better than that and realise what a filthy animal he is, but I suppose you always side with your own players when the rest of the world turns against them.

So there it is then. Another season over at Fratton, and thanks to West Brom's draw at Old Trafford the Pompey/Baggie love-in is on for next Sunday when the season ends officially. After that match, THEN I can be depressed about not having football for months - at the moment it still isn't really sinking in that there's empty Saturdays ahead!