- 2 months ago
Pepe Lacey is joined by Pompey reporter Jordan Cross to cover all the latest headlines doing the rounds from across Fratton Park. In this episode we talk about the Blues' pre-season, Yang Min-hyeok, Matt Ritchie Oxford United and more, with just two days to go until the start of the new Championship season.
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00:00Hello and welcome to the latest episode of Pompey Talk. I'm Pepe Lacey and I'm this week
00:06joined by Jordan Cross. Hello, Jordan.
00:09I thought you forgot where you were for a second. This is Pompey Talk.
00:11This is unusual territory for me. I wouldn't be in the hot seat for Pompey Talk, but with
00:19Mark McManorway and Neil Allen busy doing his things, I've come in his third reserve.
00:25I know, you're number one in my eyes, Pepe. I'm the right man to get excited about the
00:31dawn of a new season, I would suggest.
00:34I'm buzzing. I couldn't sleep last night thinking about Saturday afternoon. But yeah, we'll be
00:39touching on that today, of course, and then all the latest transfer headlines involving
00:46everything to do with Pompey.
00:48Jordan, let's just go over pre-season so far. It's all done now, all wrapped up. Pompey,
00:54six wins, one draw, no goals conceded. I think it was a pretty positive pre-season in my eyes.
01:00Well, let's go back further than pre-season. I think with the five, was it five? Yes, it
01:06was, wasn't it? Five unbeaten games at the end of last season. Two draws with three wins
01:11and six wins and a draw now. So yeah, 12 games. Actually, I worked out. If you want to count
01:19the summer, slightly sort of distorted stat bits, 120 days since Pompey were defeated
01:24at Coventry.
01:25Wow.
01:26Yeah, so just in time for the start of a new season to go to Oxford and get smashed.
01:31Yeah, I can't wait. Oxford 1-0 after 10 minutes.
01:33Yeah, yeah. That's how Pompey fans, you know, the typical sort of gallows. Although I would
01:39say, I remember the year we got promoted, we won the League 1 with Harry Redknapp, my
01:44opening day report, we beat Nottingham Forest. And I spoke about reasons to be cheerful and
01:50how, you know, hope springs eternal at the dawn of every, you know, new season for Pompey
01:55fans. You're there, no matter what the plight of the club, you go into a new season with
01:59optimism. Only normally to have it battered out of you by October, November time. So
02:05yeah, I remember that really, really vividly. And there's been plenty of seasons like that,
02:10but I suppose last season was like that, wasn't it? It was back to front, but lots of positivity
02:17in the last couple of campaigns too. And quite optimism going into this one, I guess.
02:23I mean, going into last season, probably, I think, well, went into the season off the back
02:28of a defeat to Charlton, if I wasn't mistaken. This, this summer, there's been plenty of
02:34goals, no goals conceded, and plenty of sort of positivity around the club. Transfer
02:40businesses is going okay. I've been, I went to the Reading game and I was really pleased
02:45with, with the performance there. And it's been quite tough opposition this summer, hasn't
02:49it? You look at Reading, they're no doubt they're up there. Peck's Raleigh, an international
02:54side coming to Fratton Park, and Pompey have played well in all of them.
02:58Yeah, yeah. It's been what it's supposed to be. I mean, they didn't play in Slovakia,
03:04but you could see the work they were getting through there. But I've been at so many pre-seasons
03:11when Pompey got battered in pre-season and gone on and had really successful seasons and
03:15vice versa. So the phony war is over. Yeah, okay. Yeah, there's grounds for optimism going
03:21there, but this is what it's all about now. This is the nuts and bolts. This is what it's
03:24been building up to. Yeah, nothing's won or lost in pre-season, that's for sure. And
03:30now, yeah, there's work to do for Pompey, but I just see him in a, obviously, naturally
03:37in a stronger place than they were 12 months ago. They're more, they've got, they're more
03:43championship-hardened, aren't they? They've got a nucleus of championship-hardened players
03:48now that know the terrain. There's gaps in the squad still. There's always questions.
03:55I mean, last year it was about the championship experience. I think this time, the question
04:01for me, and I am an optimist and I like to sort of accentuate the positive, but the question
04:06would be, and Pompey won't be blind to it, is if you recruit so many foreign players, how
04:10long is it going to take them to bed in? Look at Luke LaRue, look at Mark Kosnowski going
04:14into the weekend, they're not ready. They've had so much to deal with and it's not easy
04:19getting those deals and they've not been able to train as a result. So they're the kind
04:23of question marks going on, but I don't think they're as deep. And I just, I just sense
04:26that there's a more of a confidence and a business-like attitude around the Pompey squad
04:31and a good, good, solid amount of players that know the terrain. So I think we're well
04:37placed. And I mean, heck, even if you look around all the championship predictions this
04:42season, I mean, they're so varied on Pompey, aren't they? But I think you've got the people
04:46in the know that kind of timbers are dark horses and in healthy positions in the table.
04:51So not the top 20 putters, 11th or something, which was...
04:56Which one was that?
04:57Not the top 20 putters.
04:59And they know they're just beans over, guys. So I think they would base that on John Messino
05:04and Rich Hughes and a good amount of... I'm just going to... You waffle on for a second.
05:09I'm just going to shut my door because I can hear the washing machine. I mean, I'm a very
05:13diligent househusband and you're not just going to talk about it.
05:16You've got... I can hear you.
05:19I've been left alone to speak about Pompey.
05:22There you go, I'm happy to do.
05:24Cutting edge reporting there here on Pompey Talk.
05:27We've got a door being closed because of a washing machine.
05:30But no, I think the big positive for me going into the new season is that Pompey have
05:36come through unscathed.
05:37There's been minutes and plenty of minutes for players that weren't really around last
05:44year. You look at Ivan Boat, he's played a couple of games.
05:48Jacob Farrell's come back. Jordan Williams has come through unscathed.
05:51I think that was the biggest thing for Pompey and John Messino this summer was the fact
05:55they were able to give these players minutes and they've come through unscathed.
05:59Yeah, Jordan Williams is a good example, isn't he?
06:01He's been really involved pretty much most of the games.
06:09He's been around and he had so many problems last season and there were high hopes.
06:14Actually, a year ago, just over a year ago, we were in Croatia looking at the squad and it
06:20was Josh Murphy who naturally stood out.
06:22But the other person who stood out back then was Jordan Williams and he came in and thought
06:26he looks apart in pre-season and he started OK but then got shifted around to centre-back
06:31and then obviously the injuries came.
06:33So that has to be the question mark really, again, as well as the kind of, you talk about
06:39the foreign players.
06:41We know how John is so demanding physically with these players.
06:43Now, when it gets going, how do they respond to that demand?
06:47And that goes for naturally, you know, Regan Paul and Conor Shock Nessie as well, particularly
06:52Conor Shock Nessie.
06:53I mean, if those guys were to start this weekend, that would be the first competitive game that
06:58we see Regan Paul and Conor Shock Nessie since Regan did his knee at Chesterfield, November
07:032023.
07:04That's like 20, 21 months ago.
07:06So obviously that's another reason to be cheerful.
07:10But yeah, that's why you have to kind of look around.
07:12There's a little, you know, the natural question marks around these players as they come back
07:16as well and how robust they are.
07:20But so far, so good.
07:22I mean, they've come through pre-season, they've worked hard and now it's on to business times
07:28for those.
07:28So yeah, I'd hope that, I mean, that would be probably three of your back four, wouldn't
07:34it?
07:34You know, we're talking about defenders.
07:35Would you go?
07:37One other thing, and we'll probably talk about this a bit more in a minute when we talk about
07:40recruitment, but I don't, and we said it on our sports desk call earlier today, wasn't
07:44it?
07:44I don't think it's that hard at the moment to work out what Pompey's team would be.
07:49And that probably shows you that there's still some work to be done recruitment-wise.
07:53Yeah, absolutely.
07:55And one of those is Yang Min-Hook, who is closing in, as we reported earlier in the week, he
08:03is closing in on becoming the sixth new signing at Fratton Park this summer.
08:08Yeah.
08:08What are your thoughts on him and what's the latest?
08:11Yeah, props to Chief Sports Writer Neil Allen, who reported that one on Tuesday.
08:18I think it's one that we've kind of just been around and we've been exploring for about
08:24a week now, probably, yeah, maybe six, seven days.
08:27I mean, it's one that's come up and we've looked into and managed to stand up.
08:34Neil reported it on Tuesday, and then there's been a succession of sort of updates from other
08:39journalists off the back of that coming through.
08:40So now it looks like it's moving to a conclusion with reports for medical booked.
08:49And as I say, yeah, I mean, John wasn't kind of committing to whether a player would be
08:56in by the weekend.
08:57We were looking at the fact that maybe, you know, with Morrison picking up the injury at
09:01Spurs, I think Spurs are playing Bayern Munich in a friendly this evening as we sit here on
09:06Thursday afternoon, whether that would be a thing that would have held it up.
09:11But we'll wait and see.
09:12But it looks like it's moving along now.
09:16And as we reported, Masara's reported, like John talking about Spurs and the fact this,
09:22they are moving on a couple of loans now.
09:25So they've got those five spots.
09:29Five, you can have more, only named five in a matchday squad.
09:32Obviously, Florian Bianchini, who I absolutely forgot about when I was speaking to John
09:37Messina yesterday, and they called me up and said, we already have one loan in the building,
09:41Florian.
09:42And then if this guy comes in here, he'll be number two.
09:46I think, yeah, that's encouraging.
09:49You know, he got good football at QPR, got some returns when he went there in January.
09:57You look at the clips, he looks fantastic, like they all do.
09:59Of course, he looks very, very sharp.
10:04Pompey would need focus on that winger department.
10:07But he's a young man, isn't he?
10:08I think he's only just turned 19.
10:09So very much in the kind of development category.
10:13Sort of like the Abu Kamara sort of category.
10:17Are you all words not mine?
10:19No, not Abu Kamara.
10:20But you know what I mean in terms of a young player, first, second sort of loan, needs development.
10:26And Pompey and John Messina tick that box.
10:30Yeah, I mean, they've obviously got the case history and they're an appeal for clubs.
10:34You know, they go to the player, gets the experience of playing around the championship club, big crowd.
10:41You can be trusted with the people at Portsmouth to develop their player and look after them
10:46and treat them how they should and help them on their way.
10:51So, yeah, will we be relying first and foremost on Yang next season?
10:56I'm not so sure.
10:58We'll have to, you know, that's very much a watching brief on that one.
11:00We'll see.
11:01But, you know, the wing department, the attacking department, as John has been, you know, repeatedly said,
11:08it requires surgery and Yang coming in on loan would be one to that.
11:14I'd still think it needs looking up.
11:16I think, you know...
11:17I was going to do my next question to you was, you've got Segacic, Lang, who can also operate on the right.
11:22You've got Biancini and Murphy on the left.
11:25And then, obviously, Yang coming in too.
11:27So, you've got five sort of attackers who can play across that role behind Bishop and Waddingham.
11:35Would you need probably one more in that?
11:38I would like...
11:40I mean, it's something that we have to pick up on with John.
11:43But I just feel that if you look at that, because as you assess that, Lang,
11:50and obviously will probably likely start wide at Oxford,
11:54but he's viewed primarily as a number 10 with Segacic.
11:57John has seen I'm making that clear that that's how he sees him.
11:59Obviously, there's flexibility in those players.
12:02Murphy's going to be your front line on the left.
12:04Biancini comes in and came on there and is being viewed as a winger.
12:09Looks like we can play as, you know, up front.
12:11He's played on both flanks for Bastia, but came on and got his assist down the left flank.
12:16So, then that role with Matt Ritchie out of flavour...
12:18Flavour?
12:19Flavour.
12:20Flavour.
12:20Out of flavour.
12:22Leave Blair, who's got a big question mark over him at the moment, Harvey Blair.
12:26And then it's injured and I think he's had a sort of grade three, barely severe hamstring tear.
12:30So, that leaves then Yang there.
12:33So, I would venture that perhaps that's one that still needs looking at.
12:37And we all know that Pompey have been clear about how they're going to push the boundaries of their spending.
12:46Looking upwards, we used Hayden Matthews in January as a benchmark at £1.27 million.
12:53And now they can push on for that and the belief is that they can spend up at around about the £2, £2.5 million mark for the right kind of player should they present themselves.
13:04So, I would say we're all probably keeping our eye out and seeing if that premium player still crops up in this window.
13:10So, we're too wise on that one.
13:12Yeah, you can develop it into, you know, John talked about five more players.
13:17Because he's got in his squad 23 players over 21.
13:23That includes Ritchie, that includes McIntyre.
13:26So, you've got space for four more at the moment when they go.
13:30And then, obviously, you've got the under-21s.
13:32You know, so that's another thing to factor in, whether they count.
13:37Although, I believe, like Lunds do, even though, you know, they count towards the total, don't they?
13:40Like Omani did last summer, I believe.
13:42I'll have to check my stats out there, my loan rules.
13:48But, yeah, so I just think that they need to look at a number of areas still.
13:55And they've got those slots.
13:56And they've left themselves some flexibility with the loans because if they get two in, then get five.
14:00And I think John would leave a flexible one, whether one would come up late.
14:04And then leave space for maybe a couple of more to look at in January as well.
14:08Yeah, you mentioned Matt Ritchie there.
14:10Something coming out yesterday on Wednesday afternoon that he's in talks with Reading.
14:17A number of clubs that are interested in him.
14:22It's just worked out for all parties that shake hands and just say your goodbyes with that one.
14:28Yeah.
14:30It's an emotive one, isn't it?
14:31He's a Gosport lad.
14:32It was a homecoming.
14:33I mean, it was like really, really caught people's imaginations and Matt's influence last season.
14:40After he found his feet and got his fitness up together, he was really fundamental to Pompey's press.
14:46But we all know what's the way it's played out.
14:51And I think everyone's quite understanding on all sides that Matt wants to play.
14:57He's in the kind of dosage of his football career.
15:00He's in the Indian summer period now of his career.
15:03And he values that playing time.
15:05Now, if Matt wants to be playing as much or more, which is what John Massino has said,
15:11he wants to actually feature more than he did last season.
15:13And I don't think John can really promise him that.
15:16And I think most people understand that too.
15:18So, yeah, right for all parties that he moves on.
15:22And there's an understanding that there has been and is some degree of championship interest.
15:29But we know that Reading are keen on that.
15:32Obviously, Noel Hunt with his Pompey links, I'm sure, will be doing his homework there
15:36and doing his due diligence.
15:38And I'm sure that all the people will point to the professionalism of Matt Rich
15:43and how he'd be a great addition for Reading.
15:47So, I guess what Matt would do, if he's got his eyes probably on the championship still,
15:53from what I understand, that's where he's set his sights,
15:56he's probably just going to wait it out a little bit, I dare say.
15:58That would be the obvious thing for him to do.
16:00See if the championship interest then crystallises into something solid.
16:06And then, if not, then maybe he'd have to realign his ambitions.
16:10But that would probably work for him, sort of geography-wise Reading.
16:13He's kind of down in the New Forest way.
16:16And, yeah, let's see how that one plays out.
16:18But that's one, again, Chief Sports Forest, Neil Allen's reported.
16:22And, you know, that's got some credence, certainly.
16:26But I just think it would be a case of slightly watching the space
16:29and Matt doing the sensible thing.
16:32You know, he'd be keeping himself fit.
16:33He's as fit as a fiddle doing his own pre-season.
16:35Again, and then just waiting in late, probably late in the day
16:39to kind of see what's his best option.
16:42Yeah, another name that's done the rounds this week is Nathan Ferguson.
16:46He's obviously departed Pompey now after a period on trial.
16:52What's your sort of understanding on that one?
16:54Why Pompey didn't really, well, Pompey didn't offer him a contract?
16:58Yeah.
16:59Yeah.
17:01So Nathan's been actually around since the end of last season.
17:06So it kind of came up when he went away with Pompey to Slovakia.
17:11We were out there.
17:13It came to our attention naturally.
17:15And he was training with him through that period, involved in pre-season.
17:21But Nathan's had a horrendous, horrendous time with injuries.
17:28More than one injury.
17:29Came through, obviously, at West Brom and got his move.
17:32It was going to be a big money move, but there was some doubts about the knee.
17:35I think it was the knee injury.
17:37That didn't go through for big money and went to, I think it was the child room.
17:41He ended up going for about 900k, but only got the one appearance before his problems really set in.
17:49And that was kind of about three and a half years ago, which is probably a, I thought you had a Noxia mask on then for a second bet.
17:58Breathing life into Pompey's walk.
18:01Yeah.
18:02So I think he's had such a bad time that he was coming in and just getting on his feet again.
18:07And Pompey gave him that place to kind of build that impetus.
18:09He's got the football under his belt.
18:14But do Pompey need a right back at the moment, which he fundamentally is?
18:18Of course they don't.
18:19That's probably where they're best served in terms of Swanson, Jordan Williams and Terry Devlin.
18:24And in terms of versatility, we've got a good number of players coming back in strong positions.
18:30We've got Regan Poole, Shotnessy, Bouat and Matthews, haven't we?
18:34So I think Pompey would have a watching brief on the centre-back situation, given the cumulative injury worries about them.
18:42And that's a flexible one that they will have through the start of the season with a few weeks to go.
18:47But I just think that with Nathan Ferguson, it was one that served a purpose for all sides.
18:56Pompey were going to light on numbers.
18:57They would need an extra training body.
19:00It worked for them.
19:01And then he was given excellent facilities, both at Pompey's training base and the excellent training facilities they had in Bratislava.
19:10And the minutes to get himself going again, which he now has done.
19:14And a platform for people to have a look at him.
19:16So I don't think it was ever going to realistically become anything permanent, but it just served a purpose for all parties.
19:24And now Nathan Ferguson moves on with his best wishes, hopefully in a much better place than he was a few months ago.
19:30Yeah, absolutely.
19:31And you just touched on the centre-back department there.
19:34You've obviously got Regan Poole, Conner, Shotnessy, Hayden Matthews and Iban Boat back and fully fit.
19:40That was the main area of troubles last year, especially in the injury department, was the availability at centre-back.
19:48Obviously, Alexander Milosevic was hauled in towards the back end of the season.
19:52You had Marlon Pack slotting in.
19:55Jordan Williams, like you mentioned, played at centre-back at times.
19:58So did Conor Ogilvie.
20:00Would four be enough for Pompey going into the new season?
20:04I know there are a couple of comments on social media asking why Pompey don't bring in a loan.
20:10A centre-back loan.
20:13Is four enough for Pompey going into the new year?
20:15I think it is.
20:17Yeah, I think it is at this moment.
20:21As you know, four with some flexible options in there, in terms of the likes of Ogilvie,
20:28in terms of the likes of Jordan Williams, a bit of a stretch, but Marlon Pack as well.
20:33But I mean, you've got four there.
20:35I get it.
20:36I get the issue that you've got four there, but four with coming back from injuries, to
20:42some degree.
20:43I mean, it's probably a bit unfair to bandy Regan Paul in there now.
20:46But obviously, he had a serious knee injury and came back.
20:49But obviously, Conor Shocknessy, so limited, obeying by Watt.
20:53And Aidan Matthews.
20:54But I think Aidan's now sort of shook his one off, and that was always more of a kind
21:00of an impact situation, wasn't it, with Aidan?
21:02So I don't think there's any kind of a recovery.
21:03That was an unlucky one.
21:04That was...
21:04Yeah.
21:05I mean, what a trooper that was, wasn't he, that afternoon?
21:08Who was it?
21:08Was it QPR?
21:09QPR at home.
21:10QPR.
21:11Yes.
21:11Yeah.
21:12Talk about walking wounded that day.
21:16That probably got him well on the way to being a Pompey favourite there, because he was
21:20absolutely kind of...
21:21It was like a platoon or some sort of war film, wasn't it?
21:25But he's gone and rehabbed, and he's fit and firing him and got through pre-season
21:30fantastically.
21:33But yes, there is, I would say, a cumulative sort of question mark over those players.
21:38But John Massino, clear at the moment that they're not looking to do anything there.
21:44I just think that, yeah, that would be one to watch this space on, naturally.
21:49Keep an eye on and see how things...
21:52Because a lot can happen between now and, you know, come September the 1st, things could
21:57be...
21:58It can be some big...
21:58We've seen it so many times.
22:00Things happen, players get injured, form.
22:03A lot can happen in the first few weeks of a season.
22:05So it might be one that they'd probably be keeping a close eye on.
22:08And hopefully, they come to September and they're all showing they're really robust
22:12and there's no problems and they don't need to recruit.
22:14I think, yeah, OK, we're in a good place.
22:15But Pompey have had their eye on that at this moment.
22:18I think, OK, they're thinking we're not going to move at this minute.
22:20But there'd be an eye on it.
22:22And also, there's a flexibility...
22:26You know, there's leeway for a curveball or two for Pompey.
22:28Look at how late Freddie Potts came up last season.
22:32I mean, they spoke to Freddie early on, were keen on him, but they had to wait until
22:35four or five days before the end, you know, the close of the window.
22:39So you don't know what will come up and that would be in Pompey's thinking as well.
22:44So, yeah, that would be my take on it.
22:48You've got kind of an eye on it, but not at this stage.
22:51Yeah. How would you, as we begin to wrap up this additional Pompey talk,
22:56how would you sort of wrap up, or how would you sort of sum up Pompey's transfer window
23:02so far in terms of the incomens with five in so far and then the departures,
23:07Sadie, Towler, Lane, Yengi, that kind of bracket.
23:12How would you sort of sum up Pompey's transfer window so far?
23:16Yeah, yeah, it's been, I think, steady.
23:18I mean, it's a slow start.
23:21I think people were starting to agitate somewhat.
23:25Yeah.
23:26And then the business going out, I think, was always the business that was going to happen.
23:30I think that it was clear to me that the likes of Sadie, Paddy and Riley Towler,
23:35we needed to get their careers going away.
23:39And Pompey needed to kind of make some space in it.
23:41And it's the transient nature of football that people just move on.
23:46And it's a ruthless business.
23:47We saw it a year ago, didn't we?
23:48We saw the likes of Sean Raggett, Joe Rafferty, Joe Morrell.
23:51People thought they'd stay in.
23:52There's no room for that sentiment.
23:54So these players move on and have freed up some space for some decent business.
23:59Yeah, I like the look of it.
24:01When you do your homework on the likes of being Keeney, for example,
24:04that was getting a bit of a slagging off last week for being a loan deal.
24:07But you watch the lad and you watch what he's done in France and how he was kind of the question marks over him
24:15of these kind of lack of returns last season.
24:17But he was played as a striker for 28 games.
24:19He's not.
24:19He's a winger.
24:20That's where Pompey see him.
24:22So when you kind of scratch beneath the surface of these deals, you're going to start to see, like,
24:26oh, actually, yeah, that looks more promising.
24:29Kosnovsky and LaRue.
24:31Yeah.
24:32I mean, I know less on Kosnovsky, if I'm honest.
24:35I mean, I've been across that one.
24:37But I think they're going to need time, both going to need time to adapt.
24:42And interestingly, who are our other ones?
24:43I'm trying to think what our...
24:44Adrian Segacic and John Swift.
24:46Yeah, and Segacic and Swift.
24:48I mean, Segacic, he could be a dark horse this season, couldn't he?
24:52I've been really impressed by him in pre-season.
24:54I thought he's just, he's had the bit between his teeth and has just been sort of that young gun
24:59and just gone for everything.
25:00Again, when I talk about watching players, that's the one I really think about.
25:03I've watched so much video of Segacic before he signed.
25:05And I was just thinking, he's a spiky little so-and-so.
25:09This lad's going to really, you know, you don't want to sort of put your neck out too far
25:14and sort of like, you know, he gets injured early on.
25:17But I just thought he's got the potential to really chime with Pompey fans.
25:20He's got that spiky character, he puts himself right.
25:22He's not the biggest, but he's quite fearless.
25:24And he's a little dynamo.
25:26And didn't he kind of show that in the second half last week?
25:28A real taste of what he could potentially do.
25:31There's obviously, you know, it could be that period of adapting for him.
25:36But I really, I really potentially like what Segacic should do.
25:39And I haven't got to know him a bit in Slovakia in the summer.
25:43He's got that Australian confidence and infectious personality.
25:49I just think he works for everything, you know, all the traits of Pompey fans loving a player.
25:54So, yeah, I like that piece of business.
25:56And Swift is just a smart, smart deal, isn't it?
25:58It's like, it works for him.
26:00He wanted to come back to this neck of the woods where he grew up.
26:03He's got the championship now.
26:04So he's probably got a bit of a point to prove as well.
26:08So it was a smart piece of business.
26:13But work to do still.
26:15And I think, you know, there's between the, you know, now and the close of the window can take what's been a kind of a decent, sturdy start to, you know, start to the middling period of a transfer window and really elevate it to a really good one.
26:33I think that's still to be decided.
26:35And that means that we need to see perhaps a premium player come in and some really decent, smart business, which we all, of course, trust the recruitment team and sporting director, Rich, choose to do.
26:46I've got the countdown has come onto my screen as we record this on Zoom.
26:51We've waffled on for that long, have we?
26:53We have waffled on for that long.
26:54Just one final question I want to ask is just going into Oxford, I feel like it's a lot more positive around the club going into this season compared to last year.
27:07Obviously, you look at the fixtures as well.
27:09The first seven fixtures still give me nightmares with how difficult they were.
27:13But this year is a different era about Pompey and a lot more positivity.
27:18And I think a lot of Pompey fans going into Saturday are probably thinking we could probably come away with a result here.
27:23Yeah, and it's nice to be able to, as I say, go into a season.
27:26We always do that government of optimism.
27:29I think it's well placed, you know, from where we are.
27:33I think we all went to Leeds United, like, fearing an absolute tonking.
27:36And it very nearly was that a year ago after that first 15 minutes.
27:40But one of the most bizarre games I've ever witnessed.
27:43But that first period exposed to kind of a lot of the flaws in Pompey.
27:49And there were reasons for that, a number of reasons.
27:53We don't need to go over that again.
27:54But they got themselves going in November time.
27:57I just think Pompey is a better place now to not repeat that.
28:00There are other questions to look at.
28:03And I'm sure Pompey would be honest to say it's not a perfect picture at the moment.
28:09I just think that, you know, in a tough division, let's be honest, it's a much tougher division.
28:13I think that Pompey have got that extra bit of nous now to take it on.
28:19And I just look around that division.
28:21I see, you know, strong teams coming out of the Premier League, strong teams coming out from League One.
28:27But I also see teams that I just think Pompey are better than potentially.
28:30And I see teams in trouble.
28:33I see teams with a potential to shoot themselves in the foot one way or the other with the way they run their club.
28:39And I just see teams at Pompey are probably in a better place.
28:42And I'm realistic.
28:43I think you have to start with survival.
28:46And 16th was a really strong finish last season.
28:49And anything in and around that, again, would be fine by me.
28:52That was a cracking way to end it, Jodie.
28:55Thank you for watching the latest edition of Pompey Talk.
28:58Thank you, Jodie, for joining me.
28:59And we will see you in the next episode.
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