Premiership Betting Preview for 2007/08 Season - Portsmouth
31th Jul 2007, 22:58
The frenetic horse-trading of the summer months is the most important phase in the process of Premiership clubs reorganising and strengthening their squads, providing ante-post bettors with vital clues to next season’s competition. Keep checking the Premiership betting market at PinnacleSports.com to see where the smart money is going.
Portsmouth have made the best possible preparations for the new Premier League season by beating Liverpool in the final of Barclays Asia Trophy. Though the four team event in Hong Kong (also featuring Fulham and the HK FA Cup winners) was only a pre-season exhibition tournament, it ranks as the club’s first major cup since winning the FA Cup in 1939. Pompey held the Reds to a goalless draw in the final, before winning on penalties, with goalkeeper, David James, scooping the man-of-the-match trophy for his heroics, which included saving Fernando Torres’ spot kick.
The win gave James a fifth straight pre-season clean sheet, hinting at another strong start to the Premiership campaign. Last season, the South Coast side recorded clean sheets in their first five league fixtures, and Harry Redknapp’s side were the only team other than Chelsea, and Champions, Manchester United, to top the table – albeit briefly.
Unfortunately, Portsmouth were unable to maintain that high level of performance throughout the season, and finished just outside the European places. Redknapp has strengthened his squad looking to add the necessary quality to keep his side in the hunt for European football. He has maintained his reputation as a wheeler-dealer, bringing in defenders Sylvain Distin and Herman Hreidarsson on free transfers from Man City and Charlton respectively, while surpassing the club’s previous record signing for three new young players, showing he is building for the future as well as looking to get a little more mileage out of experienced Premiership players.
Portsmouth won the race for Preston’s striker, David Nugent, paying around £4.5million for the highly rated England international. Nugent will form half of new striker partnership with Nigerian, John Utaka, signed from Rennes for £7million. Redknapp had been chasing Utaka for some time, fighting off several other interested clubs. The final significant incoming transfer was Sulley Muntari from Udinese. The Ghanaian international is only 22 years old, but has considerable international experience, including at the 2006 World Cup, and 100 Serie A appearances under his belt.
Though PinnacleSports.com rate Portsmouth as long outsiders for the Premiership title at 401.00, they look solid enough to maintain their status in the English top flight for the foreseeable future. Fratton Park is a formidable venue; despite having the league’s smallest capacity it is arguably one of the most intimidating. Last season Portsmouth lost just three times at home beating Man Utd, Liverpool and Everton, where their form was the cornerstone of their campaign, finishing ninth.