Neville Dalton is a journalist with the BBC News website and a
My team of the season
A month or two back on the Portsmouth-Mad message board, there was discussion about who had been Pompey's player of the season.
To my amazement, more than one contributor suggested there should be no award, as no one had done enough to merit the title over the course of a season.
Admittedly, the club's phenomenal turnover of staff meant that very few could meet any qualifying criteria governing number of games played.
There had been plenty of brief cameos, but few sustained levels of consistency.
But was Pompey's season really that bad?
Did everyone really play so badly until Harry's transformation act?
Was this the worst Pompey side in recent history?
In my view, the answer to all the above is no.
Yes, it was true that prior to that mind-blowing run at the end of the season, Pompey were probably in their rightful place in terms of their performance over the whole season thus far.
But they hadn't always played badly. Sometimes it was just poor finishing or dreadful defending that cost them points in games they either dominated or more than played their part in.
The home games against Aston Villa,
But through all of this, even before Pompey signed millions of pounds-worth of talent who ultimately helped us stay up, wasn't there someone keeping us going, putting in performances nearly every week that would have been judged high quality, even if they had not been handicapped by being almost without any on-field supporting cast?
Step forward Gary O'Neil, without doubt Pompey's true player of the season.
But there was enough encouragement elsewhere for me to pick a team based on their performances over the whole nine months.
You may not agree, but it should make for another entertaining message-board debate.
Dean Kiely Ashdown did not do much wrong - both keepers have made errors that have cost goals. But Kiely clinches it on the apparent effect he has had on the rest of defence.
Brian Priske How could Harry have ignored him for so long? Impressive enough in his first spell in the team under Perrin (though he sometimes struggled in a team bereft of confidence), but shone on his return when Redknapp finally picked him.
Linvoy Primus Keeps defying the odds. I thought this might be one Premiership season too far for him, but he was by far and away Pompey's best central defender this season (not that it's saying much).
Dejan Stefanovic The fact that he gets in the team despite having what was for him a disappointing season speaks volumes for where Pompey's problems lay for much of the campaign.
Matt Taylor Still inconsistent, though generally back to somewhere near his best. Even if he sometimes had poor games, he never lacked in spirit or commitment - and scored some valuable goals.
Lomano LuaLua Incredible skill, unpredictable - and for much of the season a liability. When Pompey really needed some consistency and solidity, LuaLua was off in a world of his own, preparing to beat the same player two or three times rather than pass it. But gets into the team on the back of his excellent scoring run during Pompey's revival - although almost loses it again for missing vital end-of-season games through his own folly.
Gary O'Neil Player of the season by a mile. Carried Pompey for much of the campaign, particularly when we rarely seemed to have more than one player in form at the same time. Did a magnificent job wherever he played, although his enforced spell on the wing certainly blunted his effectiveness. Scored some useful goals, too.
Pedro Mendes The measure of just how valuable he is to Pompey was best demonstrated when he missed vital matches at the end of the season through injury. He held the midfield together, linked defence and attack, broke up opposition attacks, passed brilliantly - and scored three magnificent goals at vital times.
Andres D'Alessandro Immense skill and a joy to watch. But sometimes gives the impression he can be rendered ineffective by shrewd marking. What he lacks in speed and strength he makes up for in skill and determination. I have been as impressed by his tenacity in tracking back as his crossing and dead-ball delivery.
Dario Silva A beacon of light in a season of despair until January. May not have scored many, but had the misfortune of playing at a time when we barely created a chance and the whole side was lacking in confidence. Often forced to foray alone up front, he none the less won virtually every ball in the air (with no one to pick up the pieces) and chased every defender to the point of exhaustion. A magnificent competitor whose contribution is often under-rated.
Benjani Mwaruwari Forget the lack of goals. He's an excellent player. Despite his failure in front of goal, he created many - directly or indirectly through his positioning and runs - particularly during the run-in. And while I admit he rarely looked like scoring (and yes, I know that's what forwards do) until that magic moment at
Substitutes: Ashdown; Karadas; Davis; Robert; Todorov.