History of Portsmouth Football Club

Description

Portsmouth FC club were initially founded by John Brickwood, the local brewery owner and Frank Brettell, who acted as the club's first manager. In 1899, the club started playing for the Southern League and on the 2 September 1899, they played their first league match at Chatham Town. The club’s first season became hugely successful as they won 20 out of the 28 League matches. Though the team was relegated during in 1911, the appointment of Bob Brown as the manager saw the team getting promoted to the next season.

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History

When football was resumed after the war, Portsmouth won the Southern League for the second time. In the 1920-21 season, Portsmouth saw continuous success finishing 12th that year; they went on to win the League in the 1923-24 season. The club continued with its excellent performance in the Second Division and finished 2nd, thereby winning a promotion during the 1926-27 season with a 9-1 victory over Notts County.

The club’s debut season was a struggle in the First Division. The subsequent season, they lost an important match against Leicester City by 10-0 which is still remembered as a record defeat. However, despite their poor performance throughout the league, Portsmouth managed to reach the FA Cup final but unfortunately they lost to Bolton Wanderers. Portsmouth survived the demotion and the 1933-34 season saw the team reacht the FA Cup Final by defeating Bolton Wanderers, Manchester United, Birmingham City and Leicester City. But despite of all the efforts, the club again suffered defeat in the final against Manchester City. In 1939, Portsmouth reached their third FA Cup Final and defeated Wolves 4-1 comprehensively.

In 1949, Pompey were defeated in the semi-final of the FA Cup by Leicester City but they made up for this defeat in a spectacular fashion by winning the league title. The following year, the club retained the title by defeating Aston Villa on the last day of the season by 5-1. Although the club finished third in 1954-55, in the successive seasons Pompey struggled and were demoted to the Second Division in 1959. In 1961, they were relegated to the Third Division but under the inspired guidance of George Smith they were promoted back to the Second Division. Under his leadership, Portsmouth's maintained their Second Division status throughout the 1960s.

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The 80's

Portsmouth won the Third Division championship during 1982-83 season and thus gained entry to the Second Division and finally managed to get promoted to the First Division in 1986-87. The arrival of Jim Smith as a manager during 1991-92 seasons sparked a revival in the team's fortunes. The team reached the semi-finals of the FA Cup but lost to Liverpool who emerged as the eventual winners throughout the match. In 1996-97, the team enjoyed their entry into the quarter-finals of the FA Cup by defeating Leeds United. The year 1998-99 saw the club in deep financial crisis but Milan Mandarić took over the club in 1999 and brighter times lay ahead. In early 2002, Harry Redknapp took over as manager with Jim Smith as assistant. A year later, Pompey celebrated winning the Division One Championship and a promotion to the Premier League. The club finished thirteenth, sixteenth and seventeenth in its first three seasons before reaching a very respectable 9th in 2007.

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Growth chart of the league

1990-00 – Milan Mandaric takes over club.
2004-05 - Harry Redknapp resigns as manager and Velimir Zajec becomes caretaker manager.
2004-05 – Alain Perrin appointed manager, with Zajec reverting to director’s role.
2005-06 – Mandaric sells 50 per cent stake to Alexandre Gaydamak in January 2006, then his remaining half to the Russian after the club avoided relegation.
2006-07 – Mandaric resigns as chairman on 21st September 2006.
2007-08 – Striker John Utaka signs in club record transfer of a reported £ 8.1 million.

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Club records

Record Attendance at FA Cup: 51,385 against Derby County (1949)
Record Victory Division 2: 9-1 against Notts County (1927)
Record Defeat Division 1: 0-10 against Leicester City (1928)
Highest Scoring Game Premier League: 7-4 against Reading (2007)
Most Appearances for club: 834 Jimmy Dickinson
Most League Goals for club: 194 Peter Harris (1946-60)
Most League Goals in a season: 42 Guy Whittingham (1992/93)
Most Goals for club: 208 Peter Harris (1946-60)
Most International Caps whilst at club: 48 Jimmy Dickinson
Transfer Record (Received): £7.5 m from Middlesbrough for Yakubu (2005)
Transfer Record (Paid): £7 m to Udinese for Sulley Ali Muntari (2007)

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Honors

2 Football League Champions (1949, 1950)
2 FA Cup Winners (1939, 2008)
2 FA Cup Runners-up (1929, 1934)
1 League Division One Champions (2003)
2 League Division Two Runners-up (1927, 1987)
2 League Division Three Champions (1962, 1983)
1 Football League Third Division South Champions (1924)
2 Southern League Championships (1902, 1920)
1 FA Charity Shield Shared (1949)
1 Wartime Cup Runners-up (1942)
1 Barclays Asia Trophy Champions (2007)

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Squad

Name	Position	Grade	Fans
Nwankwo Kanu	Offense	6.00	27
Lauren	Defense	0	0
Richard Hughes	Midfield	1.00	0
Sol Campbell	Defense	5.83	50
Peter Crouch	Offense	4.80	178
David James	Goal	5.09	30
Frank Songo´o	Offense	0	2
Linvoy Primus	None	0	1
Danijel Subotic	None	0	0
Jamie Ashdown	None	7.00	0
Jermain Defoe	Offense	6.27	42
Daryl Fordyce	None	0	0
Marc Wilson	Midfield	0	1