Portsmouth Football Club News

If Tony Adams is feeling the pressure of being a manager then it certainly does not show. The Blues boss has been in jovial mood at the training ground this week as he prepares his side to face Sunderland on Saturday. That is despite three Premier League games in seven days from which the Blues took just one point. A 1-1 draw with Fulham was followed by defeats to Liverpool and Wigan – with late goals costing Pompey in all three of those matches. However, Adams recognises that the performances deserved more than that. He said: “I’ve been very encouraged with our last three games, even if the results haven’t gone our way. I think that sooner rather than later, things will be okay. “On a different day we would have got something up at Liverpool and we lost the Wigan game trying to win it. “It’s time for a dodgy performance and a Pompey win! “I don’t feel any pressure – no one’s putting any on me. “I want to do well for this club and win a lot of games. Whether or not it’s the next one, we want to be fighting for every game. “We’ve got Sunderland, then West Ham and then Hull. We’ll be looking to win one game at a time.” Pompey sit six places above Sunderland in the Premier League table with the Wearsiders crashing to a 5-0 defeat at Cheslea in their last outing. But there are only two points separating the sides and Adams is gearing up for a difficult afternoon at the Stadium of Light. He said: “They’re on the back of a heavy defeat at Chelsea and I think that Roy Keane will get them really motivated. It’ll be a really tough game. “They’ve got some good players. Djibril Cisse has come in and got a few goals and they’ve got Kenwyne Jones. Then there’s Kieran Richardson, who absolutely destroyed us last year. He got two great goals. “And they’ve got a magnificent chairman – there’s a plug for my mate Niall Quinn – and magnificent supporters. “Hopefully we won’t get the backlash. We need to play our own game and try to get something from it.” Adams also had plenty of praise for Sunderland’s boss Roy Keane – who he had plenty of battles with as a player. He said: “It’s great for the game in this country for young managers to be doing well. “Roy’s done an exceptional job. He picked up the team from bottom of the Championship, got their confidence up and took them into the Premier League. “He’s got some enthusiasm and passion into a magnificent football club. I’ve got the utmost respect for him. “He’s driven and determined – I can identify with that. He’s a good role model for me and hopefully he can go on to achieve more success. I’m sure he will.” Away from the match, Adams took time out to talk about his troubled former England colleague Paul Gascoigne. The 41-year-old, who has recently been treated for drug and alcohol problems, now faces court action over unpaid taxes. “I love the man,” said Adams. “He’s a wonderful, warm human being and a lovely guy. If ever he called me, I’d run there and help him. “I’m just waiting for the call and have been for many years. I just hope and pray that one day I’ll get the call and I can direct him to my charity, who can help him get his life together. “I’ve seen it many times before – that’s why I started the charity. “I hope that Gazza gets the help that he needs.”

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