Picture from the Independent via Getty Images.

2 games, 0 points. No goals scored and five goals allowed.

What those numbers don't tell you are the two opponents in question. At Stamford Bridge against Chelsea and then host to Manchester United.

When Portsmouth saw their early season schedule, they had to be a little concerned.

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I'm a freak aren't I? I am. Those bells are ringing in my ears, constantly. I forgot how long it first took me to tune them out -- Defoe said he's still getting used to it. Unbelievable. At least Vidic seems a little intimidated by me. God knows they laughed when I fought them off at Anfield. So bitter those Mancs. Click to continue reading...

Well yesterday proved an interesting day in the English football league didn't it?

Fulham v the Arse - Oops! Another furrow in Wenger's forehead. You couldn't say they were robbed though could you

Tottenham v Sunderland - I have thought for some time that Sunderland are going to offer us a few surprises this year. Click to continue reading...

In the wake of England's disappointing performance against the Czech Republic, Premiership Talk takes a look at the five players who have proven themselves in the English Premier League and deserve a call-up. Nominate your players by joining the Premiership Talk Forum.

1. Gabriel Agbonlahor. Click to continue reading...

James
Brown Ferdinand Terry Cole
Beckham Lampard Barry Gerrard
Rooney
Defoe

Goals:
Baros 22'
Brown 45'
Jankulovski 48'
Joe Cole 90'

Yeah, it's nice to see England eke out a draw even though they didn't deserve it. It was an okay performance in the first half, less so in the second, but more than anything, it was a run-out against decent opposition. Click to continue reading...

Martin Samuel from the London Times writes about how England are lacking in quality forwards and I agree with him. Wayne Rooney can't carry the team upfront by himself, and he really does seem to be more of a setup man then an out and out finisher. With Michael Owen not being fit again, I think Fabio Capello needs to look at either Jermain Defoe or Darren Bent. Click to continue reading...

Holy players out of position, Batman! Diop on the wing?!?! ManU in a 4-2-4 (4-6 in defence) with Scholes in a holding role?!?! It all made for a very uninspiring match. ManU outnumbered Pompey in the midfield and had good possession, but very little to show for it. A few good runs from deep from Tevez, Giggs, and (surprise! Click to continue reading...

Each month Premiership Talk poses questions to its readers in the forum and publishes their answers. The two questions this month are as follows:

1. Which team do you think will surprise the most people this year and why?
2. Which player do you think will surprise the most people this year and why?

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The league season is almost here and the FA held the Community Shield Sunday with United winning another one over Portsmouth.

Here are some thoughts from the game:
• I can not believe that FSC stopped showing the game so Webster read the lineup. Why not just run them across the bottom. Click to continue reading...

United welcomed club captain Gary Neville back into the first team for the Community Shield curtain raiser on Sunday, it was a fairly comfortable afternoon for Neville & Co in the Reds back four with Portsmouth's new strike force of Crouch and Defoe failing to hit the high notes on what was a pretty forgettable day for Pompey and their fans. Click to continue reading...

There's just something about the name Jermaine that conjures up an instant image that the owner is a moron. I'm not being racist, or class-ist, it's just that all available empirical evidence confirms this. King of the Morons is obviously Jermain Defoe, but since he's been disappointingly quiet recently, I'd like to take some time now to talk about one of his old pals, Jermaine Pennant. Click to continue reading...

United ended their summer tour of South Africa at the weekend when seeing off the challenge of Portsmouth in the final of the Vodacom Challenge Cup when running out 2-1 winners. The match itself was another exercise in going through the motions in preparation for the real thing, Chris Eagles missed a bag full of chances before finally slotting a well taken second half goal and before that Tevez had missed a retaken penalty, but he too made amends on 63 minutes. Click to continue reading...

By: Alan
Soccer City FC

Clubs in the Premiership are beginning to dive into the market with only four weeks before the first league matches kick-off.

Newcastle have made their second summer signing by clinching the transfer of midfielder Danny Guthrie from Liverpool after a fee was agreed. Click to continue reading...

He's been a great servant to the club, but would it be best for himself and the team if Robbie Keane made the much speculated move to Liverpool?

Personally, I've always rated Keane as one of the best moaners in the Premiership, he's not a bad striker either. A lot of football fans I speak to are of the opinion that he's average and Spurs would have been far better off keeping Defoe and getting shot of Keane. Click to continue reading...

Peter Crouch has today finally left Liverpool after three years at the club, mainly spent on the bench. Crouch joined the Reds back in 2005 for £7 million from Championship side Southampton and has since then only made just over 100 appearances, most as a sub.

It amazes me that Liverpool have managed to make a profit out of the 27-year, considering they never really gave him a real run in the team. Click to continue reading...

Liverpool striker Peter Crouch is finally set to leave Anfield after months of speculation about his future. Crouch has been linked with an exit from the club since, pretty much when he arrived back in 2005, with Portsmouth boss Harry Redknapp always said to be keen on the 27-year old England international. Click to continue reading...

With a £9 million for Peter Crouch already rejected, Portsmouth manager Harry Redknapp is insistent on signing Chelsea's Shaun Wright-Phillips. A player who was once one of the brightest prospects in England, a few seasons on the Stamford Bridge bench has put a speed bump on SWP's career.

Portsmouth impressed many fans last year as they were strong contenders for a European spot until the African Cup of Nations rolled around and half the team left. Click to continue reading...

Harry Redknapp has done brilliantly in the transfer market over the past few seasons. Landing the likes of James, Campbell, Defoe and Diarra have been a coup and it looks like another belter of a player could be arriving at Fratton Park. Sky Sports reports that the Portsmouth boss is very sweet on Shaun Wright-Phillips, Chelsea's [. Click to continue reading...

Harry Redknapp is just about to pounce in the transfer market by the looks of things, bringing some fresh talent to Fratton Park in a bid to maintain Portsmouth's place in the top half of the Premier League table. He's been linked with a move for Peter Crouch for some time now and, although Rafael [. Click to continue reading...

Fabio Capello has adopted the role of generous grandfather ahead of England's crucial and desperately important friendly against the footballing superpower that are the United States of America. The BBC report that the Italian is going to allow the likes of Frank Lampard and John Terry the opportunity to open a whole can of 'whup-ass' [. Click to continue reading...

Many have cited Arsene Wenger's decision to allow Lassana Diarra leave in January as a reason why Arsenal lost some serious momentum in the Premier League title race. While it's probably absurd to suppose that a squad player (albeit a very good one) was central to any hopes the Gunners had of winning the league, [. Click to continue reading...

Should your team be bidding for Peter Crouch this summer? It's clear that if the former QPR hitman gets a regular run of games for most Premier League clubs, he'll score a fair few, both on the floor and in the air. It's just a shame that Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez seems intent on persisting [. Click to continue reading...

It's clear that Juande Ramos is going to to renovate his Tottenham squad in the summer. The Spaniard made a handful of changes during the January transfer window (Defoe out, Woodgate and Hutton in), although it's likely that there'll be exports and imports on a far grander scale as soon as the final whistle blows [. Click to continue reading...

There's no doubt that the 2008 January transfer window will be remembered for the Benjani fiasco, with the striker failing to complete his transfer from Portsmouth to Manchester City before the Thursday midnight deadline last week. However, The Times today reveal the reason why it's taken nearly another week for the deal to be completed, [. Click to continue reading...

Aston Villa's 21-year-old striker Gabby Agbonlahor won't be able to play any part in England's friendly this week after he suffered a nasty hamstring injury during the Fulham-Villa game at Craven Cottage. The game ended 2-1 to Fulham, and Agbonlahor will be doubly gutted that he won't be able to impress Fabio Capello with [. Click to continue reading...