Posted on July 3rd, 2009 by Pompey
Pompey’s under-18s visit Barnsley on the opening day of their 2009/10 Academy League campaign.
The Blues youngsters will travel to Yorkshire for the clash on Saturday, August 22, before hosting Sheffield United the following week.
Southampton will visit the Wellington Sports Ground for the first south coast derby of the season on Saturday, December 5, with the return fixture on Saturday, February 6.
Pompey’s season ends with a visit to MK Dons on Saturday, April 24.
The Blues will compete in Group A of the Academy League along with Arsenal, Charlton, Chelsea, Crystal Palace, Fulham, Ipswich, Norwich, Southampton and West Ham.
They will face each of those sides twice during the season, as well as playing 10 matches against sides from the other three groups.
The winner of each group will progress to the semi-finals with the victors meeting in the final on Saturday, May 12.
August
Sat 22 Barnsley (A)
Sat 29 SHEFFIELD UNITED (H)
September
Sat 5 Cardiff (A)
Sat 12 BRISTOL CITY (H)
Sat 19 Coventry (A)
Sat 26 Crystal Palace (A)
October
Sat 3 IPSWICH (H)
Sat 10 Norwich (A)
Sat 17 WEST HAM (H)
Sat 31 Charlton (A)
November
Sat 7 Chelsea (A)
Sat 14 ARSENAL (H)
Sat 21 Fulham (A)
December
Sat 5 SOUTHAMPTON (H)
Sat 12 West Ham (A)
January
Sat 9 CHARLTON (H)
Sat 16 CHELSEA (H)
Sat 23 Arsenal (A)
Say 30 FULHAM (H)
February
Sat 6 Southampton (A)
Sat 20 CRYSTAL PALACE (H)
Sat 27 Ipswich (A)
March
Sat 6 NORWICH (H)
Sat 13 LEICESTER (H)
Sat 20 Aston Villa (A)
Sat 27 WATFORD (H)
April
Sat 17 TOTTENHAM (H)
Sat 24 MK Dons (A)
Copyright of The Football Association Premier League Ltd 2009. Compiled in association with Atos Origin. Dates subject to change.
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Posted on July 3rd, 2009 by Pompey
Linvoy Primus has agreed a new one-year contract with Pompey.
It means the defender will enter his 10th season at Fratton Park, after moving to the south coast in July 2000 on a free transfer from Reading.
But the next 12 months will see Primus not only aiming for a first-team spot but also being more involved with the club in an off-the-pitch capacity as he takes on an ambassadorial and advisory role.
“It’s going to be: ‘If you need some help, call Linvoy’, said the 35-year-old.
“I’m going to be working with the younger players on and off the pitch - I’m going to be a role model for them I guess, helping them to achieve and reach their potential – giving them markers to achieve.
“I’m not going to be coaching them – that’s Guy Whittingham’s job and the manager’s job - I’m going to be more of an advisor, more of a mentor for them.
“I’ll be spending a lot of time with them – although I’ll still be with the first team. And at the same time I’m also going to be helping different departments at the club, like player liaison, media and community.
“It’s kind of what I’ve been doing already but it’s going to be an ambassadorial role, a pastoral role, and I feel that I’m going to be able to bring something to these departments.
“I’m really looking forward to it. It’s something I want to do and it’s something that’s new to the club, so it’s an exciting time.”
Primus is the longest-serving member of the Blues squad by some distance, although he freely admits he never believed he would spend a decade with Pompey. In fact, the popular defender confessed he didn’t expect to make it past his initial trial.
“You’re never quite sure what’s going to happen and at certain points during my trial I didn’t think I was going to be taken on,” he revealed.
“Then when you get your first contract with a club you hope you can make a good enough impression to stay on just a little bit longer -and nine years down the road I’m still here.
“I’m definitely going to finish my career here and then stay with the club when that finishes.
“I said within the first year of joining the club that this was home. On the back of that, that’s what’s helped me do as much as I have done in the community.
“When you’ve got that in your heart I don’t think you can do that anywhere else – this is where I feel I should be so I’m really happy and my family’s happy too.”
And Primus, who has played 219 times for Pompey, is grateful for the unwavering support he has received from the Fratton faithful.
Not least after the final home game of the 2008/09 season, when his substitute appearance (his first in two years) against Sunderland was greeted by a wall of sound.
So he is hopeful that the fans, who he feels have been instrumental in the longevity of his Pompey career, will be as happy as he is.
“The reception I received at the Sunderland game was amazing,” he said. “I thought I would get a nice reception but that blew me away, although I’ve got to be honest – at the time I was concentrating more on not tripping up when I ran on the pitch!
“But it was a lovely welcome and I hope it will please people that I’ve signed this new contract.
“A lot of what’s happened over the years has been because of them and their appreciation of what I’ve done - they’ve probably triggered it in me as well.
“I owe them a big thank you and the club as well because they don’t have to look after me. But they have and in the two years that I haven’t played for the first team, they have stood by me and they have looked after me, made sure my knee is fine and given me an opportunity to play and also given me the opportunity to move into a new role.
“I know some clubs – not our club, but other clubs – have let players down, but I know that Pompey have stood by me and in that I include Peter Storrie, Harry Redknapp and, not least, Mr Gaydamak and before him Milan Mandaric.
“They’ve all played a role in me being here for as long as I have, and the supporters have also been a big part of that too.”
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Posted on July 1st, 2009 by Pompey
Noe Pamarot, Lauren, Glen Little, Djimi Traore and Jerome Thomas have all been released by Pompey.
The quintet are all free agents after their contracts expired on June 30.
Kanu is also out of contract but is considering the offer of a new one-year deal.
Sol Campbell’s contract has ended but Blues executive chairman Peter Storrie said there was a possibility of discussions with the defender.
Storrie said: “Kanu has the option of another year, which he is considering.
“There are not any discussions going on with Sol at the moment. In terms of whether there will be further discussions, we’ll look at it next week.”
Pamarot, 30, joined Pompey from Spurs in January 2006.
The defender found the net five times in 80 appearances for the Blues – with his 30-yard strike at Newcastle in 2007 winning him the club’s goal-of-the-season award.
The Frenchman made 22 appearances last season but was sent off in his final game against Arsenal at Fratton Park in May.
Glen Little arrived at Pompey from Reading last summer, making eight appearances. The 33-year-old winger had a spell on loan back at the Madejski Stadium towards the end of last season.
Jerome Thomas made just three appearances after signing from Charlton last August. The 26-year-old former Arsenal winger was dogged by a back injury during his time at Pompey.
Lauren and Djimi Traore did not feature in Pompey’s first-team last season.
Defender Traore, 29, who spent time on loan at Birmingham earlier this year, made 16 appearances for Pompey after signing from Charlton in January 2007.
Full-back Lauren, 32, signed from Arsenal in January 2007 and made 30 appearances for the Blues, the last at home to Blackburn in April 2008.
Jermaine Pennant, Pele, Armand Traore and Theofanis Gekas have already departed Pompey following loan spells.
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Posted on July 1st, 2009 by Pompey
Sean Davis has joined Bolton Wanderers after turning down a new contract at Pompey.
The midfielder has signed a three-year deal with Gary Megson’s side.
Pompey executive chairman Peter Storrie said: “We made Sean the best offer we could and he declined it. There’s nothing more that we could do.”
Davis links up with former Pompey team-mate Matt Taylor at the Reebok Stadium.
The 29-year-old made 115 appearances for Pompey after signing from Spurs in January 2006.
He scored three goals, the most recent the winner in a 3-2 triumph over Blackburn at Fratton Park in November last year.
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Posted on June 30th, 2009 by Pompey
Arnold Mvuemba is training with French side Lorient ahead of a possible move.
The Blues midfielder has found opportunities limited at Fratton Park since signing from Rennes in 2007, initially on loan.
The former France under-21 international made five starts for Pompey last season, with eight further appearances from the bench.
Pompey executive chairman Peter Storrie said: “Arnold’s gone to Lorient to train to see whether he can work some sort of deal out.”
Mvuemba, who has a year left on his current contract at Fratton Park, made his Blues debut in a 3-0 defeat at Blackburn in February 2007.
He has made 32 Pompey appearances, scoring two goals – and both were crackers.
The first came in a 4-2 defeat at Watford with the other in a 3-2 UEFA Cup loss at Wolfsburg in December.
Lorient finished 10th in the French top flight last season.
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