I've been thinking about this and I reckon I know what the problem is.
It's us - the supporters.
Wtf?!
Let me explain.
As Pompey fans we are at our best when we are fighting to go up, and fighting to stay up, or worse, to exist. Backs to the wall, siege mentality, attracting the plaudits of the great and the good in the press, their pundits and their broadcasters.
In between those extremes, we have seen a couple of years where we have pushed to qualify for Europe and we have been to Wembley about five or six times, including two FA Cup finals. If you could pick a time to be born and watch Pompey, we have won the lottery without question.
I don't think that spoils us, but we have been overstimulated in relative terms to other clubs because what is extreme for them is normalised for us.
We also have to take into account now that the late 20s/early 30s bracket started out their Pompey following in the Premier League - no tonkings by Leyton Orient or Oxford in sight in those formative years!
So then, fast forward to today. We are languishing in League 1, the middle of the third tier - yes the the third fooking tier. We aren't going up and we aren't going down. We are also-rans, and we aren't used to it. The Premier League 25 man squad rule has affected all layers of the professional pyramid and the division. Is now a venerable who's who of well funded former Premier League teams who fucked it. That said, the league is fooking shit and we are a solid 5 out of 10 in it's quality.
Unsurprisingly then, we are bored! We aren't going down so we expect to be going up, but we aren't. We aren't used to this. Somehow throughout the last few decades, we have barely ever existed as midtable fodder. Unsurprisingly again, our boredom has turned to anger, and we are looking for someone to blame. Cowley is in the cross hairs for someone, the Eisners for others.
I almost think it would be a better season if we nose dived and became embroiled in a relegation battle, in entertainment terms, to give this season some meaning and to galvanise the fans.
Obviously I hope for the opposite and we make some sharp, shrewd changes in the next couple of weeks that turns us around and has us aiming up again, trying to collect that missing item in our Pompey panini books - a fooking play off game win!
Then maybe we can return to the Championship, getting a hiding every week playing the Christmas tree formation, fighting to stay up, probably away to someone like Bradford or Barnsley - old school!
PUP
It's us - the supporters.
Wtf?!
Let me explain.
As Pompey fans we are at our best when we are fighting to go up, and fighting to stay up, or worse, to exist. Backs to the wall, siege mentality, attracting the plaudits of the great and the good in the press, their pundits and their broadcasters.
In between those extremes, we have seen a couple of years where we have pushed to qualify for Europe and we have been to Wembley about five or six times, including two FA Cup finals. If you could pick a time to be born and watch Pompey, we have won the lottery without question.
I don't think that spoils us, but we have been overstimulated in relative terms to other clubs because what is extreme for them is normalised for us.
We also have to take into account now that the late 20s/early 30s bracket started out their Pompey following in the Premier League - no tonkings by Leyton Orient or Oxford in sight in those formative years!
So then, fast forward to today. We are languishing in League 1, the middle of the third tier - yes the the third fooking tier. We aren't going up and we aren't going down. We are also-rans, and we aren't used to it. The Premier League 25 man squad rule has affected all layers of the professional pyramid and the division. Is now a venerable who's who of well funded former Premier League teams who fucked it. That said, the league is fooking shit and we are a solid 5 out of 10 in it's quality.
Unsurprisingly then, we are bored! We aren't going down so we expect to be going up, but we aren't. We aren't used to this. Somehow throughout the last few decades, we have barely ever existed as midtable fodder. Unsurprisingly again, our boredom has turned to anger, and we are looking for someone to blame. Cowley is in the cross hairs for someone, the Eisners for others.
I almost think it would be a better season if we nose dived and became embroiled in a relegation battle, in entertainment terms, to give this season some meaning and to galvanise the fans.
Obviously I hope for the opposite and we make some sharp, shrewd changes in the next couple of weeks that turns us around and has us aiming up again, trying to collect that missing item in our Pompey panini books - a fooking play off game win!
Then maybe we can return to the Championship, getting a hiding every week playing the Christmas tree formation, fighting to stay up, probably away to someone like Bradford or Barnsley - old school!
PUP