Welcome to the first of a series of "since the millennium" features to be ran on Fratton Faithful to see in the New Year. This feature will tackle all things Pompey since the 1st of January, 2000 including teams, games, goals and managers.
Why since the millennium? It's simply an easy date to remember and this way fans of all ages (and not just the old farts) can join in and get involved. After all, not everyone is going to remember how good Norman Uprichard and Jimmy Scoular were back in "the day" so to speak.
The first of these features is to name the Pompey Team of the Millennium and the Pompey fans on Twitter were asked to vote for a player (or two for centre backs, centre midfielders and strikers) based on four nominees. Just to note, these aren't exactly the outright best Portsmouth players but they were judged on context and their overall contribution to the club.
The polls ran by @FrattonFaithful lasted for a few days and these are the results. If you missed out this time, there'll be plenty more features to come in the future.
Enjoy the read (or just scroll down to the bottom for the full team if you're a lazy sod.)
Goalkeeper: David James (August 2006 - July 2010)
This was the most comprehensive victory in the polls and it's understandable given that Jamo was voted as Pompey's player of the season twice whilst at Fratton Park and was also voted into numerous Premier League teams of the season when Pompey won the F.A. Cup in 2008.
His arrival in the summer of 2006 instantly gave a previously porous defence an added steel and although he was guilty of one or two errors (as is every goalkeeper), he more than made up for it with some superb stops at key times. His performances in both F.A. Cup runs, particularly at Southampton in 2010, will be fondly remembered in a Pompey career consisting of 134 appearances.
Shaka Hislop may have kept goal as Pompey were promoted to, and stayed, in the top flight. Jamie Ashdown may have broken consecutive clean sheet records and proved an able deputy whilst David Forde may well have prevented enough goals to ensure Pompey went up as League Two champions last season.
But none of them can come anywhere near David James when it comes to quality Portsmouth goalkeepers since the turn of the century.
Final Poll Results
David James: 86%
Shaka Hislop: 7%
Jamie Ashdown: 4%
David Forde: 3%
Right Back: Glen Johnson (June 2006 - June 2009)
Another landslide victory (they get closer, trust me.) Glen initially arrived at Fratton Park on loan from Chelsea in the summer of 2006 and his performances received mixed-to-positive reviews.
He returned to Stamford Bridge briefly the following year before Harry Redknapp shelled out around £4 million to sign the England right back permanently and that's when he upped his game, proving to be a capable defender as well as effective going forward.
Like James, Johnson earned numerous caps for England and in addition to playing his part in the 2008 F.A. Cup triumph, his performances the following season played a massive part in keeping Pompey in the Premier League, earning recognition as part of the 2009 PFA Team of the Season.
Johnson racked up 58 appearances for Pompey in total and contributed a Match of the Day goal of the season winner courtesy of an outrageous long distance volley against Hull. Liverpool paid an estimated £18 million for his services in June 2009 as the decimation of Portsmouth's squad well and truly began.
Final Poll Results
Glen Johnson: 77%
Joel Ward: 13%
Ben Davies: 6%
Gianluca Festa: 4%
Centre Back: Linvoy Primus (July 2000 - December 2009)
Linvoy could have got into this team on the strength of his character alone as he constantly bounced back from disappointments in his career to force his way back into the Pompey side.
Things didn't get off to the best of starts when he signed in the summer of 2000 as he scored an own goal on his debut against Sheffield United and then found himself out of the side due to injury or being out of favour with the likes of Graham Rix and Harry Redknapp.
Primus, however, confounded his critics and would soon establish himself in the title winning side of 2003 and earning the Pompey player of the season award. Redknapp again wrote him off when the Blues began their Premier League tenure but Linvoy soon forced his way back into the team and eventually established a rock solid partnership at centre back with Sol Campbell during the 2006/2007 season.
Unfortunately, constant injury problems the following year kept him from making an impact on the pitch until his retirement at the end of 2009. However, Linvoy continued to remain as an ambassador for Portsmouth FC off the pitch but will always be fondly remembered for his committed performances on it.
Centre Back: Arjan De Zeeuw (July 2002 - July 2005)
Arriving on a free transfer from Barnsley to modest fanfare, De Zeeuw soon established himself as the mainstay centre back in Harry Redknapp's title winning team thanks to his dominant displays both in the air and on the ground.
He continued this excellent form in the Premier League, establishing an excellent centre back partnership with Linvoy Primus. His performances meant Pompey fans were always going to take to him and his popularity was only bolstered when scoring against Southampton in Demolition Derby I.
Unfortunately a fall out with Alain Perrin cut 'Arry's time at Fratton Park short but he will always remain a fan favourite.
Final Poll Results
Linvoy Primus: 34%
Arjan De Zeeuw: 33%
Sylvain Distin: 22%
Sol Campbell: 11%
Left Back: Matthew Taylor (July 2002 - January 2008)
"Super" Matty Taylor made a name for himself at Pompey after arriving in the summer of 2002 from Luton for what turned out to be a bargain fee of £750,000. The Division One winning season saw Taylor maraud down the wings at left wing back, delivering many dangerous crosses and scoring some spectacular goals.
It's probably Taylor's knack for scoring sensational goals which earns him his place in this team. Screamers against Sunderland, Everton and Arsenal were some of the best goals seen in the Premier League whilst his bottle to convert two crucial penalties against the Mackems and Wigan at the end of the "Great Escape" season of 2005/2006 shouldn't be under-appreciated.
Unfortunately a combination of early career injuries and falling out of favour at the wrong time prevented Matt from going on to even better things before he was sold to struggling Bolton at the start of 2008. He still made one hell of an impact during his time at Portsmouth, though, and he would have had to, to get into this team ahead of Hermann Hreidarsson.
Final Poll Results
Matthew Taylor: 46%
Hermann Hreidarsson: 30%
Enda Stevens: 17%
Dejan Stefanovic: 7%
Right Midfield: Steve Stone (October 2002 - June 2005)
Brought in by Harry Redknapp from Aston Villa early into Pompey's title winning season, Stone made one hell of an impression on the team thanks to his ability to run and deliver deadly crosses from the right.
When Pompey were promoted to the Premier League, Stone continued to influence the side and defy his age with his guile when he wasn't injured as he also scored some important goals during his final two seasons at the club before being let go by Alain Perrin at the end of the 2004/2005 season.
Stone clearly remains a popular figure amongst Pompey fans as he was able to see off competition from other fan favourites including Gary O'Neil, Jed Wallace and Gareth Evans.
Final Poll Results
Steve Stone: 44%
Gary O'Neil: 26%
Jed Wallace: 20%
Gareth Evans: 10%
Centre Midfield: Robert Prosinecki (July 2001 - June 2002)
He may have been 32 and smoked like a chimney, but no amount of superlatives can describe just how good the Croatian international (now manager of Bosnia) was during his sole season at Portsmouth.
Arguably the most skilful player in Pompey's modern history, Prosinecki made the majority of his opponents (and his own team mates) look stupid. His hat-trick against Barnsley was a career highlight and he formed an understanding with Peter Crouch which singlehandedly kept the Blues in Division One that season.
There are a plethora of talented footballers who could have been selected for a centre midfield position in this team but Prosinecki is the obvious choice. The former Real Madrid and Barcelona man will always be a cult hero at Fratton Park.
Centre Midfield: Lassana Diarra (January 2008 - January 2009)
Some Pompey fans took offence when Diarra claimed to be using our club as a "stepping stone" but we all understood why following his debut performance against Chelsea, where he controlled a midfield when the opposition contained the likes of Frank Lampard and Michael Essien.
Frustrated at constantly being played at right back at Arsenal, he was allowed to shine in his natural position at Pompey and shine like the brightest star in the universe he most certainly did. He rarely lost the ball and became the "engine room" in the most successful Portsmouth team in the modern era.
Personally, he is outright the best player I have seen play for Pompey and his £20 million move to Real Madrid just a year after he signed was totally justified. There was a dearth of quality players who could have partnered Prosinecki in the centre of this team but the Frenchman deserves it.
Final Poll Results
Robert Prosinecki: 35%
Lassana Diarra: 34%
Paul Merson: 17%
Pedro Mendes: 14%
Left Midfield: Patrik Berger (July 2004 - June 2005)
There were many fans who couldn't believe it when Gerrard Houllier was stupid enough to let the Czech international leave Liverpool on a free and he was promptly snapped by Harry Redknapp in the wake of Paul Merson's departure.
Paddy became an instant fans' favourite, scoring on his debut against Aston Villa in Pompey's first Premier League match and he won plaudits for his skill and goalscoring, including an absolute show stealer against Charlton at The Valley during his second season at the club.
Unfortunately time caught up with him and injuries restricted him to fewer appearances than he might have otherwise made for Portsmouth but his creative influence on his team was enough for him to beat the likes of Niko Kranjcar and Andres D'Alessandro into this team.
Final Poll Results
Patrik Berger: 51%
Niko Kranjcar: 24%
Andres D'Alessandro: 19%
Kal Naismith: 6%
Striker: Svetoslav Todorov (March 2002 - July 2007)
It's unsurprising to see Todorov in Pompey's team of the millennium after he scored the goals that ultimately fired the Blues to the top flight as well as scoring a few goals up there, too.
Toddy was such an intelligent player and had the priceless knack of being in the right place at the right time to poach goals from inside the box.
It's just a shame that he suffered a nasty injury when Pompey were promoted to the Premier League and he never fully recovered from it. It would have been interesting to see how he would have performed on a regular basis at the highest level.
Striker: Yakubu Aiyegbeni (January 2003 - June 2005)
Harry Redknapp signed Yakubu on loan from Maccabi Haifa on reccomendation from Alex Ferguson and he proved to be an instant hit, scoring just four minutes into his home debut against Grimsby.
The Yak's raw pace and power caused nightmares for Division One defences and eventually, once he found his feet at the elite level, he banged in many goals including four in a 5-1 thrashing of Middlesbrough on the final day of Pompey's inaugural Premier League season.
Despite his perceived laziness, Yakubu bagged a few goals against our neighbours down the road before leaving for Middlesbrough in the summer of 2005. He's arguably Pompey's best striker since Guy Whittingham and it'll be difficult for any player to replicate what the Yak did during his time on the south coast.
Final Poll Results
Svetoslav Todorov: 47%
Yakubu Aiyegbeni: 28%
Nwankwo Kanu: 18%
Peter Crouch: 7%
TL;DR Pompey Team of the Millennium
GK: David JAMES
RB: Glen JOHNSON
CB: Linvoy PRIMUS
CB: Arjan DE ZEEUW
LB: Matthew TAYLOR
RM: Steve STONE
CM: Robert PROSINECKI
CM: Lassana DIARRA
LM: Patrik BERGER
CF: Svetoslav TODOROV
CF: YAKUBU Aiyegbeni
So, that's the first "since the millennium" feature done. Next up is the absolute WORST Portsmouth team of the modern era. The polls will be up on Twitter tomorrow so follow @FrattonFaithful to vote and reminisce about some of the absolute dross to represent our football club in the last seventeen years.