Paul Wilson σε Wembley
Κυριακή, 6 Απριλίου 2008
Ο παρατηρητής

Harry Redknapp πηγαίνει σε τελικό φλυτζανιών FA, το Πόρτσμουθ έχει μια μεγάλη πιθανότητα του πρώτου σημαντικού ασημιού τους για μισό αιώνα, και πρέπει να είναι η θαλάσσια κληρονομιά της πόλης που προέτρεψε το στάδιο DJ για να παίξει τους πειρατές του καραϊβικού θέματος στον εορτασμό. Οι πειρατές του Πόρτσμουθ είναι τέλειοι. Όχι επειδή έκλεψαν αυτόν τον ημι - ένας-δύση Bromwich ήταν εκεί για τη λήψη - αλλά εάν ο καπετάνιος Jack Sparrow είχε ενώσει Redknapp, Tony Adams και Joe Ιορδανία στον πάγκο Pompey δεν θα είχε κοιτάξει πλήρως από τη θέση.

And there is definitely a piratical gleam in the eye of Nwankwo Kanu, now lining up an improbable third FA Cup winner’s medal to add to a bulging treasure chest that also includes Champions League and Uefa Cup winner’s medals, titles in Nigeria, Holland and England and an Olympic gold medal. This final hurrah could not be envisaged when the Kanu career was petering out at West Bromwich, though anything is possible for a player who made FA Cup history at the very first attempt. It was Kanu of Arsenal, if you recall, who inadvertently took advantage of a sporting gesture by Sheffield United on his English debut in 1999 to create a situation where Arsène Wenger even more sportingly offered a replay.

‘We asked him to play 25 games to earn a new contract, but I’ll give him one anyway,’ Redknapp said, after Kanu’s 26th game of the season. ‘We’ve been relying on Jermain Defoe and I knew we would need someone to weigh in today.’

Albion have history too. They are still the only team ever to win the ‘double’ of promotion and FA Cup in the same season. They went into this game in a position to repeat their feat of 1931, and ended up sounding as though the promotion part is uppermost in their minds. ‘We were good for 75 yards, but never threatened their goalkeeper enough,’ manager Tony Mowbray said. ‘We showed we could play, though, and if we take that attitude into our next six matches we could be playing in the Premier League next year.’

Albion were responsible for most of the early attacking without making any impression on the Portsmouth defence. Kevin Phillips had a couple of shots blocked, but only Zoltan Gera appeared to have the guile to outwit defenders. The Hungarian brought the first save of the game from David James, though after keeping Manchester United at bay for 90 minutes at Old Trafford in the last round Pompey were not about to be intimidated by a Championship strike force.

Instead, Redknapp’s players kept their shape and bided their time, waiting for opportunities to launch Milan Baros on the break. Any Liverpool fan could point out a flaw in that strategy, however, and while Baros had a couple of promising openings it was no great surprise that half time arrived with the game still scoreless. Baros’s most conspicuous contribution before the break was to get himself booked for bringing down the ball with a hand to leave himself a clear shooting chance, and even then he put his shot over the bar. Baros also failed to capitalise when Kanu offered him a half-chance in front of goal after 40 minutes, leaving a 30-yard free-kick from Sulley Muntari that flew straight at Dean Kiely as Portsmouth’s only attempt on target in the first 45 minutes.

West Bromwich failed to cause James any further palpitations either, though a back header from Glen Johnson had him scurrying when a fumbled pick-up gave James Morrison a glimpse. It was a pity the game was proving so uneventful, since the atmosphere beforehand had been a real throwback.

For the record, Pompey fans kept up the noise for longer, partly because they have such a good tune and partly because from the 54th minute they had something to sing about. There was no real surprise in Kanu scoring against his former club - such things are written in the stars, like Peter Crouch scoring when Liverpool finally give him a start - though it was doubly ironic that the architect should be Baros. Because while the Czech did well to turn Martin Albrechtsen when Johnson launched a ball into the area, and even better to force a save from Kiely, replays suggested he again used an arm in controlling the ball. This time it was less blatant and was not spotted - if it had been, Portsmouth would have been down to 10 men - and Albion compounded their bad luck when Gera hacked the ball out of Kiely’s clutches to present Kanu with a tap-in. Without Gera’s intervention, Kiely would probably have saved at the second attempt, held the ball on the line or flicked it to safety.

That opened up the game and in an enjoyable last half-hour there were chances at both ends. Pompey ought to have made the game safe when Nico Kranjcar’s through pass released Baros, though in a reversion to type the striker showed too much of the ball to Kiely. Robert Koren crashed a shot against James’s bar in the best attack Albion had so far managed, then Ishmael Miller wasted a good opportunity by crossing too close to James, with Phillips waiting unmarked at the far post. David Nugent had a shot saved at the other end before Miller passed up perhaps the clearest chance of an equaliser, meeting Carl Hoefkens’s low cross at the near post, but failing to keep his shot on target.

Right at the death, Nugent had an opportunity to double Portsmouth’s lead, only to waft his shot unconvincingly over the bar. 17 May cannot come quickly enough for Redknapp. After that date Jermain Defoe will no longer be cup-tied.

Man of the match: Sol Campbell

Sulley Muntari was the liveliest of Portsmouth’s offensive players but, like the Manchester United encounter, this result was based on defensive solidity. Campbell and Sylvain Distin formed an impenetrable barrier at centre-back, Albion could not get a look-in, and the 33-year-old captain led by example.

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