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Authors Note - Version 7.0.0, Large Database with English and Scottish Leagues loaded (Premiership, Championshi[p and SPL) - Portsmouth have always fascinated me, and I thought that taking up a story and trying to continue the Stein family history would be a good basis to write a story. Hope it keeps you entertained. Happy Reading
Jock Stein was not only one of the most successful football managers ever produced in Scotland, he achieved it with local talent and not with a large cheque book. He started out as a player with lowly Albion Rovers in Coatbridge and continued to work as a miner during the week, while playing as centre-half on Saturday. He was signed up by Celtic in 1951 as a reserve but injuries incurred by first team players resulted in him being elevated to the first team. His leadership qualities were began to emerge and he became captain and led the team to a League and Scottish Cup double in 1954 - a rare event for the team in those days.
An ankle injury later meant that his playing days came to an end prematurely and he took on the job of coaching Celtic's reserves. In 1960 he became manager of Dunfermline at a time when the team needed six consecutive wins to avoid being relegated - and he achieved this impossible task. The following year Dunfermline won the Scottish Cup - the first major trophy in the club's history. In 1964 Stein moved to Hibs and galvanised that team too.
In 1965 he was asked to return to Celtic as manager, which he accepted with alacrity. During his spell there from 1965 to 1978, Celtic won the European Championship in Lisbon in 1967 (with a team who were all born within 30 miles of Glasgow), beating the favourites Inter Milan (who had already won the cup twice). Under his leadership, Celtic also won 10 League Championships (nine during his first nine years in charge), 8 Scottish Cups and 6 League Cups.
In 1975, Stein was badly injured in a car crash (the other car was driving in the wrong direction on a dual carriageway) and, when he returned, Celtic were not the team they used to be.
In 1978 he became manager of the Scotland international team. Although the team regained some credibility during his tenure, there were no spectacular successes. But Scotland was stunned when Stein died from a heart attack during an international match in Wales in 1985.
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I grew up in Glasgow and for my 10th birthday I was taken to my first football match to see Celtic against Queen of the South which I thought would be a goal fest and a great introduction to the beautiful game.
However, despite having most of the play and hitting the woodwork a few times, Celtic couldn't score and then calamity struck, the Queens ran down the park and scored the only goal of the game.
Jock Stein was Celtic manager that day. The legendary Jock Stein, my dad. I'll never forget him, and I'll always admire him. He got me into football, took me to wherever he was at, wherever he was manager at the time. The greatest game I ever saw was in 1967, Celtic winning the European Cup in Lisbon. Admittedly I wasn't there, but my dad had it on tape, and he always used to sit me down and run through it with me. I can just hear him now "..this is how you counter the offside trap laddie" or "..if yer player is being man marked then yer get yer striker to kick him". He always wanted me to become a coach, and I would have loved nothing more than for him to be there when I got my badges in 1996. Still, I know he was looking down and smiling, and I know he is proud of where I am now. I start a new job tomorrow, and if I emulate even half of what my dad did, then I can call myself a success.
The Job I've got is in a league that my dad always wanted to manage in, the English Top flight. I was amazed that I got the job, I never really expected it, but now I've got it I want to show everybody that the old saying "Like father, Like son" rings true. I want to be a success, and be regarded as one of the best managers ever when I finish my career. The elite group of Scottish managers in history, Ferguson, Stein, Shankly, I wnat to join them. Join my dad, make him proud of his son
It's nice down here on the South Coast, and I can see why the fans are so passionate about football. A new chairman, a new ground coming soon and optimism all around. It's a good time to be a Portsmouth fan, and hopefully I can make those times even better. With £20 million English pounds to play with in the transfer market, and a healthy wage budget then there wasn't cause for concern. It was a case of bringing in the right players for this club and the right success for this club. They deserve it, and I want to be the man to bring it. In Harry Redknapp, I have a tough act to follow, but maybe the fans will revere to me just like they did to him.
As soon as I walked into the office of Club Chairman Alexander Gaydamak, I felt at home. Having been handed a file, with all the necessary details in it (which made for happy reading, a lovely set of figures for any manager) I scoured down the squad list and picked out players who I felt would, or wouldn't, cut the grade in the English top-flight. The squad was of an average size, around 20 or so players currently making up the first team basis, and at least 5 or 6 of these would need to be sold, or dropped to the reserves.
Between the sticks it was a choice of David James or former Charlton man Dean Kiely. I was inclined to go for James, and although Kiely was a fair back up I still wanted strength in depth, and marked down for another keeper as a priority.
The defensive numbers were a little light for my liking, with only 4 available defenders who I felt capable of competing for a place. The centre back pairing looked increasingly likely to be the two veterans, Sol Campbell and Dejan Stefanovic, the latter having the role of club captain. On the left, Matthew Taylor was a certain starter due to his exceptional talent and a real knack of scoring vital goals, and it was a straight choice on the right between Linvoy Primus and the currently injured Glen Johnson, on a season long loan from Chelsea. Cover was needed, and quickly, so again it was marked down as a priority for the scouts.
The midfield was the best area of the team, with several top notch players available to me. I was keen on wingers, always had been, and the main choices for the two wings looked to be Gary O'Neil on the right hand side and Niko Kranjcar occupying the left. Pedro Mendes, Manuel Fernandes and Richard Hughes were the three players vying for a midfield role. Fernandes was on loan from Benfica, a pre-arranged transfer of £7 million already having been agreed, and I was inclined to plump for Fernandes and Mendes as my two central players
With two strikers berths up for grabs, I felt that 4, maybe 5 top notch forwards were needed in the ranks, and out of the 4 that were currently in the squad only Benjani and Nwankwo Kanu stood out as the main candidates. I felt that Lomana LuaLua could do a job if necessary, but more strength in numbers was needed if we were going to live up to our potential
Defensively we needed better, and in attack we needed better, but with a midfield as good as it is there is no reason why we shouldn't create chances. With a few astute signings in the right areas, a mid-table finish was more than beyond the realms of possibility, and I sent my scouts straight to work in scouring the footballing globe for the right players.
"Yes, I understand he's your star player but surely you won't deprive him top flight football"
"Well I'll leave it with you, if you aren't happy then come back with a counter offer"
OK, thankyou Mr. Robson. I shall be sure to speak to you in the next few days"
.....
Having been looking for a central defender, I felt I had found the perfect candidate in West Brom captain Curtis Davies. The only problem was Bryan Robson's reluctance to let his star man go, and even after an offer of £4.5 million he decided that he needed to discuss it with the clubs board. The good news regarding tranfers however was that Danny Szetela and Dagoberto were in the process of mulling over contract offers. Dagoberto could play behind the front pair or as a striker, and with a release clause of £1.4 million I had no hesitation in making the offer. Szetela however, had been a different matter. My assistant, Tony Adams had recommended the young American, who was playing for MLS side Columbus Crew, as a real prospect for the future, but I wasn't so sure. In the end, I took the gamble, as £250,000 wasn't much of a fee to lose if it didn't work, and his ability to play on either side of defence or in midfield had a major effect in the offer being made
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The first of five pre-season friendlies saw us travel to Slovenia as part of a three game tour, with Bonifika, a second division Slovenian League club our first opponents. I considered this as an important game, as it gave me the first chance to see the talents I have at my disposal. The strongest available team was named, and although I would have liked a few tests against higher and more skillful opposition, you can only beat what is put in front of you. We had only had games against each other in training, and the fitness levels were not as high as they could be, but the boys stormed out of the blocks, Kanu heading home as early as the 6th minute. The home side tried hard but they couldn't break us down, and Benjani added a second on 17 minutes before Kanu completed the scoring 23 seconds into the second half, 3-0 the final score in a simple and easy run-out for the team.
With just two days to recover I felt that a few changes would be necessary in the following game, and some of the younger players were drafted into the squad. Asmir Begovic and Supat Rungratsanamee were both highly rated, and I felt the only way I could see how highly was by giving them a run-out in the pre-season. I also had a growing number of concerns that I hadn't managed to secure any signings yet, and the squad was looking increasingly light on numbers and on quality, which was a problem I needed to recrify as soon as possible.
My transfer worries were eased a little the next morning, with Dagoberto agreeing his move to Fratton Park and Werder Bremen accepting our £1.9 million pound offer for their defensive henchman Leon Andreasen, a Danish international and an excellent option as cover in both central defense and central midfield. I had a list of targets on my desk, and once I had established who would be suitable I would duly be making offers for those players in question.
On the eve of the next game, the second of the tour against Primorje, Danny Szetela agreed a move with us, and for £250,000 pounds I felt that he would provide excellent cover on the right hand side of defence. I had made three more offers for players, and ideally I wanted the squad in place before the opening league game against Reading.
The starting team for the friendly contained 6 changes from the side that started against Bonifika, with several youngsters earning starting berths in the team. Our opponents started well, but after 15 minutes of frantic football we slowed the game down to our pace and controlled it. Chance after chance went begging, a sight that didn't please me, and the two youngsters up-front, Supat and Giovanni Torre, seemed nervous and almost scared to score. As it turned out, the 61st minute provided the opening goal, Sol Campbell rose highest and powered home the header. We looked good for a second successive pre-season win, but Simeunovic put paid to that ten minutes from the end, firing home from the edge of the box. The game finished all square at 1-1, but I was happy with the overall performance of the boys
With only three days to go until the next friendly, I still wanted more bodies in the squad, and they needed as much time together as possible so that they could bond as a unit. With the signatures of Dagoberto and Szetela secured, and Andreasen, Guardado and Enyeama disussing contracts, I felt that the squad was beginning to take shape, but we were still a little light on numbers.
Domzale provided our next friendly opposition, although to call the game friendly would be misleading. 4 players saw red, with a further 7 bookings in what was a bad tempered affair. The trouble started as early as the 9th minute, Dejan Stefanovic's shocking tackle on Vidmar that could easily have broken the Domzale captain's leg earning our man a straight red card. Our man disadvantage showed, as the impressive Zlatan Ljubijankic gave his side the lead on 28 minutes. The next man to recieve his marching orders was the player on the recieving end of Stefanovic's tackle, Vidmar, as his petulent kick out at Matty Taylor didn't go unnoticed by the referee, who evened up the numbers on the field. The second half wasn't really about the football, with 5 more bookings and 2 red cards, both of which came to us and saw us finish the game with 8 men, Nwankwo Kanu and Pedro Mendes the two men to have early baths, and we succumbed to a 1-0 defeat
Just 24 hours after the Domzale match, two more transfers were agreed, with the £150,000 signing of Bnei Yehuda's Nigerian international goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama and Atlas' Mexican winger Andres Guardado in a transfer worth £2,800,000, money which I felt would be worth spending as Guardado was an excellent prospect and definately one for the future. I had also had a recommendation from Joe Jordan, he had seen a young American striker, Eddie Johnson, and he had nothing but good words to say about him, so a £1,500,000 offer was made to his club for his services
---
With 5 new signings added to the squad so far, and another 3 fees agreed, I was really happy with how they were blending together. In training the lads seemed to be adapting to my system and my style of play, and I wanted an attacking, exciting brand of football for the fans to watch. A central defender was top of my list of priorities, and West Brom had finally given in to my advances, accepting my £6,000,000 offer for their star man Curtis Davies, a defender who was certainly international quality and a man I would be delighted to have on board.
Zlatan Ljubijankic had impressed me in the friendly against his team, and I felt that he would provide excellent cover in attack, so an offer of £500,000 was made to his club, who seemed surprisingly willing to accept the money, which was fine by me. I had recieved a phonecall from the chairman to ask me to come into the office and discuss the teams ambitions for the forthcoming season. I was confident that we could get a decnt finish in the league and a good run in one of the cup competitions, and that would be a good season, but the board were adamant that a good season would be a respectable finish in the Premiership. Relegation was not an option, and I was told the consequences would be serious, but I assured the board that it would not be an issue. With a week to prepare for our next friendly, I focused on fitness and letting the new lads fit in with the rest of the squad. Fans were coming to watch the training sessions, and a lot of murmurings were heard about how they were impressed with some of the signings and they felt I could be the man to take them forward. I didn't want to make any rash promises, so I just gave them my word that myself and the team would give 100% all season
With Davies, Johnson and Ljubijankic all having agrred to sign on the dotted line, with only a work permit needed for Johnson to finalise the deal, I was growing more happier by the day, knowing that the squad I was building was a talented group of players, and average age of 25 also meaning they could stay together for a good few seasons. The fans had flooded the club website and magazines with messages after Davies signed, they were all delighted to have such an excellent prospect at Fratton Park. There was one person however, who was not so happy about Curtis' arrival, and that was my Danish defender Leon Andreasen. I found out about his unhappiness in the national press on the way into training, and when I arrived I called him to one side to have a word
"Leon, what seems to be the problem with Curtis' transfer? Don't you like him?" I asked, while holding the article in question
"It's not that boss, I just think there might be too much competition for a place in the side. I moved looking for first team football but weve got four defenders now"
"Leon, rest assured that you are in my first team plans. Any top class Premier division side needs four central defenders, and all of them need to be good enough to step into the team. All of you are in my first team plans ok?"
"Ok boss, I was just worried, thats all. Thanks for talking to me about it"
"That's not a problem Leon. Next time, come and see me straightaway instead of going to the press ok? I am always available to talk to"
---
With Leon's dilemma nipped in the bud, I turned our focus towards our penultimate friendly, a home game against German side Eintracht Frankfurt. All of the new signings were in the squad, with Enyeama, Ljubijankic, Davies, Andreasen and Szetela all starting. It was a game in which we dominated proceedings from the first whistle to the last whistle, yet somehow only managing a 1-0 win. In the first half we had 13 shots, 9 of them on target, with the best chances falling to Lomano LuaLua and Zlatan Ljubijankic, both men forcing the 'keeper into good saves. It was the Slovenian who scored the goal though, 23 minutes into the second half, dribbling past 4 Frankfurt players before dinking the ball gently over the onrushing 'keeper. He should have ended up with the match ball, aswell as 70th minute substitute Benjani, who missed a hat-trick of chances, but overall I was happy with the performance from the boys and the fitness levels were getting to were I wanted them to be
The final run-out was 4 days later, away at Swindon. Dennis Wise and Gus Poyet were the team in charge of the former Premiership outfit, and they had instilled an apparent toughness and resiliency into them that was easy to see in the match. Ljubijankic and Davies kept their places, while Guardado started on the left in place of Matty Taylor. It was the Mexican who opened the scoring, bending home a free-kick into the top left hand corner after 17 minutes. The home team had a couple of good chances themselves, but we put the game almost out of their reach right on the stroke of half-time, Ljubijankic heading home O'Neil's cross to send us in 2 clear at the break. The third came from Ljubijankic, his third in two games, and it came on 69 minutes, the ball breaking to him 12 yards out before he fired home past the stranded 'keeper. It was another good performance from the boys, and one from which they could take a lot of heart from.
The pre-season was a success, at least to my eye anyway. The players were gelling well together, the fitness levels were as high as they could be and the board seemed happy. I still felt a couple more additions were crucial, and I had made offers for two players to bolster the squad size. Clint Dempsey was another man signed from the American MLS, and the third man from over the other side of the border to be added to our squad. He could play anywhere across the midfield, behind the front pair or evn as a striker if we were short in that area. He's a big strong powerful lad, and his strength in the air would be vital to the side, as that wasn't something we had an abundance of. A lot of people raised eyebrows when the £2,500,000 transfer was completed, but he is still 23 and has a lot of time ahead of him yet. I am confident my decision will be vindicated. The final acquisition for the team in the current transfer window was 17 year old Welsh full back Gareth Bale. The lad had several caps already, and many Premiership teams had shown interest in him. I decided to be the first to swoop, and a fee of £2,000,000 is a bargain for such a gifted player, who will be in the game for many more years to come. He's quick, can take a wicked free-kick and for a young lad he is strong on the ball
---
"What d'you think then boss? I think we can pick up 3 or 4 wins in the opening 6 games or so". My assistant Tony Adams had been quizzical during the Monday training, and I got the impression that all was not well behind the scenes
"To be honest Tony, I think we can win 'em all. I don't see why not. With this group of players we've got then I think we may shock a few people"
"While we're on that subject, the board are a bit disorientated with some of the players you've signed. They don't think that enough of them are high profile for the club"
"You're kidding? Well I suppose I'm gonna be called to a meeting then? I'll have to explain myself. I hate board meetings"
"No they're just going to see what effect they have. I think the team's performance might depend on your contract renewal, so it's all down to you boss"
That news was all I needed to hear. I had spent within the £20 million budget, signed ten players and the board didn't feel the signings were high profile enough. I'll just have to show them that they can do the business on the field. The three opening games were against opposition I felt we could beat, and if we could get a good start then we would have the base for a good season. My staff were all behind me, and the board were behind me, they just felt that a couple more big names would have been good for the club
The next two weeks went without much incident, apart from a couple of minor injuries, and I had virtually a fully fit squad to choose from for the opening day. Our opponents were newly promoted Reading, and I felt that we could pick up all three points but away from home it would be difficult. It took until the last possible minute to pick a team, but in the end I managed the task. Of the new signings, Davies, Guardado, Andreasen and Johnson started, with Enyeama, Bale and Dempsey on the bench. I opted for Campbell as captain, and he led the team out after a speech from me and himself
The roar was incredible, and although I had been a member of that crowd on several occasions, I had never experienced a rush of adrenaline like the one I got when I walked out of the tunnel to the dugout. A sea of blue was the first thing that I saw, and the atmosphere was electric. It obviously spurred the boys on too, as they started like a house on fire, spurning 3 good chances in the opening quarter of an hour. Eddie Johnson and Benjani were combining well, and it was Johnson that slid our Zimbabwean striker in to open the scoring on the stroke of half time, slotting the ball home underneath Marcus Hahnemann. Reading seemed to come out with a new lease of life after the interval, creating several good chances, but Davies and Campbell were strong and couldn't be broken down. As it was, Benjani settled the game in injury time, breaking clear before rounding Hahnemann and slotting home for a 2-0 win and excellent start for the boys
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I was delighted with the way we had picked up the points against Reading, and I was confidnet we could pick up maximum points in our home game with Sheffield United, another newly promoted team. Matthew Taylor had a slight strain, so Gareth Bale came in to replace him at left bakc but the rest of the squad kept their places. My first home game in charge didn't get off to the start I had imagined, with the visitors dominating the opening exchanges and taking a 12th minute lead through Nick Montgomery. Johnson could not get into the game, and Linvoy Primus looked out of sorts at right back, and to be just the one goal behind at half time was lucky, as we had been poor. A half time rollocking later, and 3 minutes into the second half, we were level, substitute Kanu slamming home the rebound from O'Neil's cross. Benjani gave us the lead on 51 minutes, rising highest from Guardado's cross before we settled the game on 8 minutes from time, Curtis Davies poking home from 4 yards out after O'Neil's corner hadn't been dealt with properly. Another 2 goal win for the boys, and a scintillating second 45 minutes
An away trip to Ewood Park was next, and Mark Hughes' Blackburn Rovers would provide us with our toughest game to date. They were a hard-working, no nonsense team and they were expected to finish in a strong mid-table position, maybe even challenging for Europe. I felt an extra body in midfield was needed, so brought in Mendes in place of Johnson and switched to 4-5-1. Both sides started with caution, neither one wanting to make the first move, although the best chance of the half was a 30 yard thunderbolt from Steven Reid that thundered against James' right hand post. The second half was much of the same, neither side able to find that killer pass or final touch, and with our best chance falling to Danny Szetela, it was always going to be jus 'one of those games', and duly petered out into a 0-0 draw, sending us home the far happier of the two teams
We had a two week international break before the next league game, and I took the opportunity to scoure the loan list for possible options should we need them. With the size of the squad, and the way we had started it was unlikely, but with this game you never know. Just one or two injuries means a run of form that sends you tumbling down the league, and that was something that we just could not afford. I was interested to see that 9 players had recieved international call-ups, with two of our senior members called up to Steve McLaren's England squad. With two Euro 2008 qualifiers against Andorra and Macedonia, I wasn't expecting too stressful a start to the campaign for England, but the unfortunate thing about them is you never know. My home nation, Scotland, were never expected to qualify from their group, and a respectable showing is always what us Scots want from the side
With having a two week break, I decided to take the opportunity to invite my assistant Tony Adams round to watch the England game and discuss the start to the season. The game was over almost as quaickly as it began, England racing into a three goal lead inside 14 minutes, Jermain Defoe scoring twice and Steven Gerrard the other. In the end, they managed another three goals, Defoe completing his hat-trick and Lampard and my own Sol Campbell finishing the rout. Scotland earned a comfortable 4-1 win over the might of the Faroe Islands, but with France and Italy to contend with then they might struggle to qualify for the European Championships
Tony had spoken highly of a youngster in the under 18 side, Giovanni Torre. I had given him a run-out in a couple of the pre-season games, but he had looked nervous and almost frightened of playing. I had no doubt he would be a fantastic player eventually, and I decided to give him another opportunity in the upcoming League Cup match, a game in which I planned to rest a few of my main players. Before that though, I had two Premiership games to focus the teams attention on, and I felt they were another two we could win. On the Wednesday, England completed another easy win, a 4-0 rout of Macedonia's finest, while Scotland made it two wins out of two also with a terrific 3-1 win in Lithunia
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The first League game of the month saw Charlton Athletic visit Fratton Park. They had started brightly under Iain Dowie and were sitting in 8th place, but I felt a win was on the cards if the boys played to their best. Benjani and Eddie Johnson started up-front, with Sol Campbell and Dejan Stefanovic at the back, Dejan replacing Curtis Davies who had picked up a slight groin strain. Once again we started well, but this time we got the early goal, Benjani volleying home from 8 yards after Clint Dempsey had broken down the right and crossed the ball. Eddie Johnson was really causing problems for the Charlton defnece, using his pace to drop off his strike partner and run at defenders, and it was this that earned Hermann Hreidarsson a straight red card for a scything tackle on our American striker. Despite dominating the game in possession and chances, we could only find one more goal, Sol Campbell heading the ball home from Niko Kranjcar's left wing corner, and we picked up a comfortable three points in front of our home fans
An away trip to St. James Park was next, and Glenn Roeder's Newcastle United. The Geordie crowd was clearly disorientated with the start to the season their side had endured, and although I haven't got anything against them I wanted to give them a bit more misery. Pedro Mendes came in for Leon Andreasen, and Danny Szetela replaced Linvoy Primus, but once again an early goal from Zimbabwean Benjani, his 5th of the season, gave us a great start. It also seemed to wake our opponents up, and they got themselves back into the game on 26 minutes, on loan striker Guiseppe Rossi firing home from the edge of the box. Try as we might, we could not break down the stubborn Newcastle defence, and with the pace of Obafemi Martins they always had the chance of a break, so I had to keep two defenders back at all times to avoid this. As it was, the winning goal came from a horrible defensive error and to call it bizarre would be an understatement. The ball harmlessly fell to Babayaro, who had all the time in the world, but for some reason he felt that Shay Given would be the best person to pass to. He didn't realise Given was on the edge of the box, and the ball flew past the Irishman into the net to secure us the win and make Babayaro the most embarassed man in Newcastle. Another good win for the lads and another performance to be proud of
The League Cup second round provided a rest for several first team players, and with League One side Tranmere Rovers as our opponents, I was more than happy to give some younger and less experienced players a run-out. Giovanni Torre and Zlatan Ljubijankic were the front pairing, with Stefanovic and Andy O'Brien the two centre backs. Linvoy Primus and Gareth Bale toom up the full back positions and Richard Hughes filled in the holding role. The side included a total of 9 changes from the Newcastle game, with only Andres Guardado and Gary O'Neil keeping their place in the side. I expected a win, and told the players as much, but what a saw over the next 90 minutes of football was unbelievable. A total of 9 goals came in the game, and 8 of them fell to us. We were 5-0 clear at half time, and 8-0 in front after less than an hour. Tranmere were shell shocked, and didn't have a clue what had hit them. Ljubijankic opened the scoring after 5 minutes, racing clear of the defence and deftly chipping the ball into the net over Gavin Ward. The second came just before the quater hour mark, Guardado's cross turned into his own net by Gareth Taylor. After that, the game was all about Giovanni Torre. Our young Italian striker scored our final 6 goals on his first team debut, completing his hat-trick in the space of 16 minutes before half time, and his next three coming in the space of 6 minutes at the start of the second half. Danny Szetela's own goal meant nothing, and we cruised into the next round.
After such an amazing performance against Tranmere, Giovanni was the toast of the lads in training for the next few days, and he even got a few kind words from me. I had never seen an individual performance like he had given, putting away 6 chances in one game. Even though it was against lower league opposition, that didn't matter. The young lad might earn himself a few league games for that. We still ahd work to focus on, and the visit of Tottenham Hotspur to Fratton Park was next on the agenda. Martin Jol's side had finished 5th the previous season, and were sitting in a UEFA Cup spot again this campaign. Despite losing prominent players like Carrick and Davids, players like Dimitar Berbatov and Tom Huddlestone oozed quality, and a tough game was no doubt on the cards. Both sides started slowly, trying to find their way into the game, but it was the visitors who ahd the best chance, Mido heading just over and Berbatov scuffing a great chance on the half hour. We took the lead 5 minutes later, completely against the run of play, a one-two between Benjani and Mendes resulted in Benjani's 25 yard strike finding the top left hand corner of Paul Robinson's goal. It looked like we would hold on for the win and keep up our tremendous start, but the North Londoners had other ideas, young Irishman Terry Dixon earning his team a point in the 82nd minute and the game finished all square at one goal a piece.
Our final game of the month saw us travel to Anfield to face league leaders Liverpool. Rafa Benitez's men had stormed to the top of the table with 5 wins out of their first 6 games, and with star midfielder Steven Gerrard being on tip top form I felt that we would struggle to really get into this game, and we needed to break up Liverpool's rhythm. Manuel Fernandes was back to full fitness, and he took his place behind the front two, while a slight knock for Eddie Johnson saw Lomano LuaLua start up-front with Benjani. I hadn't even sat down in my seat and we were behind, Mark Gonzalez cutting in from the left and firing past James after 34 seconds. 13 minutes later, it was 2-0, forgotten Aussie Harry Kewell recieving the ball from Alonso and sliding past James. We got back into the match, and both sides created chances, but neither could find the net again. The closest we came was through Benjani, his header cleared off the line from Jamie Carragher. Our first defeat of the season in all competitions saw us end the month in 3rd place in the Premiership.
A Scotsman on the South Coast 
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