According to Fratton Faithful:- Three players training with Pompey with a possible view to joining. Following the farce at York on Saturday (their words, not mine), Guy Whittingham has three players training with the squad with a view to being signed as free agents. One will be familiar to Pompey fans. Therry Racon was at Fratton Park on loan from Millwall last season but wouldn't sign a contract due to his wage demands being too high. However, it seems like the midfielder has had a change of heart and could even rejoin the squad tomorrow. It would be a good move as Simon Ferry is likely to be out of action for the near future after being injured during Saturday's match and Racon was perhaps under-rated by fans during his spell at the club last season where he went about his business quietly but efficiently. Whittingham is running the rule over another defensive midfielder in Gavin Mahon. The veteran is now 36 and was released from Notts County last season having spent some time on loan at Stevenage. Mahon is probably best known to Portsmouth fans for scoring a screamer for Watford against the Blues in the Premier League in 2007, a match Pompey lost 4-2. With neither Phil Smith or John Sullivan looking like being up to League Two standard, Whittingham has former Hartlepool and Ipswich goalkeeper Arran Lee-Barrett (as mentioned already by 3rd eye) lined up as their possible replacement. At 29, the former Weymouth stopper only has 114 senior appearances to his name but does have experience at Championship level. Performances this season have highlighted that Pompey do not have a reliable goalkeeper and lack steel in the centre of midfield so these potential signings may well remedy those problems.
The problem (as I see it with my 3rd eye ) with the goalkeeper is that both Sullivan and Smith have been horribly exposed by a forever changing and not very experienced defence. Simon Eastwood eventually came good last season after a run of games, but he was protected by Gabor Gyepes and Ricardo Rocha in defence. Neither Sullivan nor Smith have been given a run of games so far - as soon as they make a mistake they are dropped - and Sullivan is definitely a confidence player. But the real problem is that there has not been a settled back 4 so far - when he has been picked Danny East has been played at left back although his preferred position is right back, but he's been in and out of the line up. Sonny Bradley has been a stalwart so far (until Saturday) but how many different back 4s have there been in the last 9 games? Until there is a settled back 4 they won't reach any understanding with each other. 1 of the goals on Saturday was not only down to Sullivan, it was also down to his missing defence. I know everyone wants to see Padovani in midfield but he gives no protection at all to the defence whereas Ertl does. With the way the team has been set up so far even Jamo wouldn't be able to keep a clean sheet. He had a very similar problem at Bristol City, a very leaky defence. But John Sullivan's kicking is ****e! Alan Knight was credited with turning Eastwood around last season, I'm wondering now whether it was his coaching or was it the real experience of Rocha and Gyepes.
Gavin Mohan lasted 2 days on trial. We now have Trevor Carson arriving on an emergency loan from Mark Catlins old stomping ground - Bury. Catlin must have done a deal with Bury - they are trying to offload Carson as he is one of their higher wage earners. Also Alan Knight is no longer goalie coach - due to knee and hip problems - he's doing an ambassadorial role from now on.
Trevor Carson appears to have signed a 3 month loan contract from Bury - but he obviously can't appear against them on 19 October ! Therry Racon has signed a one month contract, as a free agent. Can see them both playing this Saturday. Who will our new Goalkeeping coach be, I wonder ?...........Enter David James ?.........Please, please, pleeeeeeaaaaaasssssseeeee. PUP
And here they are http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/24385375 http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/24397212
Have to say that the new lad from bury was a breath of fresh air in training......looks sharp, wanted to train and was one of the last to leave the field lunchtime...........O'Sullivan on the other hand spent more time playing with his hair!
I'm reading all sorts of reports now saying Sullivan is a bad influence in the dressing room. No specifics given, apart from blaming everyone else and not himself. It will be interesting to see if he either a) goes out on loan or b) contract cancelled by mutual consent.
3rd eye, you forgot to mention the third option of.................... c) shot Taxi for Sullivan...............
Well there seems to be quite a divide on opinion of Sullivan. I've even seen one match report that cites Connolly as being dropped because he is the bad influence in the dressing room, although he wasn't in the squad due to a knock and was clearly seen chatting to Guy. Guy also tried to stick with Sullivan for quite a while. So all this should be taken with a very large pinch of salt - let's wait and see what unfolds.
