2007–08 Portsmouth F.C. season

Portsmouth F.C. won their first major trophy since 1950, thanks to an FA Cup campaign that saw them beat Cardiff City in the final. The run to the final included a surprise 1–0 victory against Manchester United at Old Trafford, thanks to a Sulley Muntari penalty.

Portsmouth
2007–08 season
ManagerHarry Redknapp
StadiumFratton Park
Premier League8th
FA CupWinners
League CupFourth round
Top goalscorerBenjani (12)
Highest home attendance20,556 vs. Arsenal
(26 December 2007)
Lowest home attendance17,108 vs. Bolton Wanderers
(18 August 2007)
Average home league attendance18,832

The millions of pounds invested in the squad on players such as Glen Johnson, Lassana Diarra, Muntari and others also enabled Portsmouth to have an unprecedented run in the modern Premier League era, finishing in eighth despite losing the last few matches of the season. During the autumn, Portsmouth was involved in the battle for a Champions League spot, thanks to its surprise form. The season also saw a remarkable game, beating Reading by 7–4 at Fratton Park, following eight goals in the second half.

However, despite the success in the FA Cup and league, the club's overspending on players would lead to a financial crisis that would see Portsmouth enter administration twice and suffer relegation to the fourth tier within five seasons.

Players

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First-team squad

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Squad at end of season[1]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK   ENG David James
3 DF   FRA Lucien Aubey[notes 1] (on loan from Lens)
4 DF   CMR Lauren
5 DF   ENG Glen Johnson
6 MF   FRA Lassana Diarra
7 DF   ISL Hermann Hreiðarsson
8 MF   SEN Papa Bouba Diop
9 FW   CZE Milan Baroš (on loan from Lyon)
10 FW   ENG David Nugent
11 MF   GHA Sulley Muntari
14 FW   ENG Jermain Defoe
15 DF   FRA Sylvain Distin
16 DF   FRA Noé Pamarot
No. Pos. Nation Player
17 FW   NGA John Utaka
18 MF   COD Arnold Mvuemba[notes 2]
19 MF   CRO Niko Kranjčar
20 DF   ENG Martin Cranie
21 GK   ENG Jamie Ashdown
22 MF   SCO Richard Hughes
23 DF   ENG Sol Campbell (captain)
27 FW   NGA Nwankwo Kanu
28 MF   ENG Sean Davis
30 MF   POR Pedro Mendes
31 GK   CAN Asmir Begović[notes 3]
34 MF   FRA Franck Songo'o[notes 4]

Left club during season

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Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
3 DF   SRB Dejan Stefanović (to Fulham)
6 DF   MLI Djimi Traoré[notes 5] (on loan to Rennes)
14 MF   ENG Matthew Taylor (to Bolton Wanderers)
25 FW   ZIM Benjani Mwaruwari (to Manchester City)
No. Pos. Nation Player
26 MF   ENG Gary O'Neil (to Middlesbrough)
32 FW   COD Lomana LuaLua (to Olympiacos)
33 DF   IRL Andy O'Brien[notes 6] (to Bolton Wanderers)

Reserve squad

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The following players did not appear for the first-team this season.

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
2 DF   ENG Linvoy Primus
24 DF   WAL Richard Duffy
35 DF   IRL Marc Wilson[notes 7]
GK   ENG Nicholas Jordan
DF   ENG Callum Reynolds
DF   ENG Joel Ward
MF   ENG Tom Kilbey
No. Pos. Nation Player
MF   ENG Marlon Pack
MF   ENG Matt Ritchie[notes 8]
MF   FRA Jean-François Christophe
FW   DEN Adda Djeziri
FW   BEL Andréa Mbuyi-Mutombo[notes 9]
FW   SUI Danijel Subotić[notes 10]

Competitions

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Premier League

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Results

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Matchday1234567891011121314151617181920212223242526272829303132333435363738
GroundAHHAAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHHAAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAH
ResultDDWLLDWWWWDWDWDWLLDLWLWLDWWLWWLWWDLLLL
Position1011591315107657576657778898998797666667788
Source: WorldFootball.com
A = Away; H = Home; W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss
11 August 2007 1 Derby County 2–2 Portsmouth Derby, Derbyshire
Oakley   5'
Todd   84'
Report Benjani   27'
Utaka   83'
Stadium: Pride Park Stadium
Attendance: 32,176
Referee: Mike Dean
15 August 2007 2 Portsmouth 1–1 Manchester United Portsmouth, Hampshire
19:45 Benjani   53'
Muntari   54',   83'  
Davis   86'
Report Scholes   15'
Ronaldo   85'
Vidić   86'
Stadium: Fratton Park
Attendance: 20,510
Referee: Steve Bennett
18 August 2007 3 Portsmouth 3–1 Bolton Wanderers Portsmouth, Hampshire
12:45 BST Kanu   16'
Utaka   30'
Taylor   88' (pen.)
Report Anelka   12' Stadium: Fratton Park
Attendance: 17,108
Referee: Steve Tanner
25 August 2007 4 Chelsea 1–0 Portsmouth Fulham, London
15:00 BST Lampard   31' Report Davis   52'
Muntari   77'
Stadium: Stamford Bridge
Attendance: 41,501
Referee: Alan Wiley
2 September 2007 5 Arsenal 3–1 Portsmouth Islington, London
13:30 BST Adebayor   8' (pen.)
Fàbregas   35'
Senderos   49'
Rosický   59'
Report Kanu   60' Stadium: Emirates Stadium
Attendance: 60,114
Referee: Mark Halsey
15 September 2007 6 Portsmouth 0–0 Liverpool Portsmouth, Hampshire
12:45 BST Bouba Diop   29'
Johnson   64'
Davis   90+3'
Report Alonso   31'
Sissoko   76'
Stadium: Fratton Park
Attendance: 20,388
Referee: Mike Riley
23 September 2007 7 Blackburn Rovers 0–1 Portsmouth Blackburn, Lancashire
15:00 BST Report Kanu   25' Stadium: Ewood Park
Attendance: 19,506
Referee: Chris Foy
29 September 2007 8 Portsmouth 7–4 Reading Portsmouth, Hampshire
15:00 BST Benjani   7', 37', 70'
Hreiðarsson   55'
Kranjčar   70'
Ingimarsson   81' (o.g.)
Muntari   90+2' (pen.)
Report Hunt   45'
Kitson   48'
Long   79'
Campbell   90+4' (o.g.)
Stadium: Fratton Park
Attendance: 20,102
Referee: Mark Halsey
7 October 2007 9 Fulham 0–2 Portsmouth Fulham, London
16:10 Davis   21' Report Benjani   50'
Hreiðarsson   52'
Stadium: Craven Cottage
Attendance: 20,774
Referee: Howard Webb
20 October 2007 10 Wigan Athletic 0–2 Portsmouth Wigan, Greater Manchester
Report Benjani   81'
Johnson   86'
Stadium: DW Stadium
Attendance: 17,695
Referee: Peter Walton
27 October 2007 11 Portsmouth 0–0 West Ham United Portsmouth, Hampshire
17:15 BST Report Stadium: Fratton Park
Attendance: 20,525
Referee: Mike Dean
3 November 2007 12 Newcastle United 1–4 Portsmouth Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Tyneside
Campbell   16' (o.g.) Report Pamarot   8'
Benjani   9'
Utaka   11'
Kranjčar   71'
Stadium: St. James' Park
Attendance: 51,490
Referee: Chris Foy
11 November 2007 13 Portsmouth 0–0 Manchester City Portsmouth, Hampshire
16:00 Report Stadium: Fratton Park
Attendance: 19,529
Referee: Mark Halsey
24 November 2007 14 Birmingham City 0–2 Portsmouth Birmingham, West Midlands
15:00 GMT Report Muntari   34'
Kranjčar   82'
Stadium: St. Andrew's
Attendance: 22,089
Referee: Martin Atkinson
1 December 2007 15 Portsmouth 0–0 Everton Portsmouth, Hampshire
GMT Report Stadium: Fratton Park
Attendance: 20,102
Referee: Peter Walton
8 December 2007 16 Aston Villa 1–3 Portsmouth Birmingham, West Midlands
12:45 Carew   4'
Berger   67'
Barry   72' (pen.)
Report Gardner   10' (o.g.)
Muntari   40', 61'
Mendes   43'
Johnson   68'
James   74'
Pamarot   75'
Kranjčar   80'
Stadium: Villa Park
Attendance: 35,790
Referee: Mike Riley
15 December 2007 17 Portsmouth 0–1 Tottenham Hotspur Portsmouth, Hampshire
Report Berbatov   81' Stadium: Fratton Park
Attendance: 20,520
Referee: Martin Atkinson
22 December 2007 18 Liverpool 4–1 Portsmouth Liverpool, Merseyside
Benayoun   13'
Distin   16' (o.g.)
Torres   67', 85'
Report Benjani   57' Stadium: Anfield
Attendance: 43,071
Referee: Mike Riley
26 December 2007 19 Portsmouth 0–0 Arsenal Portsmouth, Hampshire
19:45 GMT Report Stadium: Fratton Park
Attendance: 20,556
Referee: Steve Bennett
29 December 2007 20 Portsmouth 0–1 Middlesbrough Portsmouth, Hampshire
Report Tuncay   20' Stadium: Fratton Park
Attendance: 20,089
Referee: Alan Wiley
1 January 2008 21 Reading 0–2 Portsmouth Reading, Berkshire
15:00 GMT Sonko   3' Report Campbell   9'
Utaka   66'
Stadium: Majewski Stadium
Attendance: 24,084
Referee: Mike Dean
13 January 2008 22 Sunderland 2–0 Portsmouth Sunderland
Richardson   33', 44' Report Stadium: Stadium of Light
Attendance: 37,369
Referee: Chris Foy
19 January 2008 23 Portsmouth 3–1 Derby County Portsmouth, Hampshire
Benjani   38', 42', 55' Report Nyatanga   4' Stadium: Fratton Park
Attendance: 19,401
Referee: Mike Dean
30 January 2008 24 Manchester United 2–0 Portsmouth Trafford, Greater Manchester
Ronaldo   10', 13' Report Stadium: Old Trafford
Attendance: 75,415
Referee: Martin Atkinson
2 February 2008 25 Portsmouth 1–1 Chelsea Portsmouth, Hampshire
15:00 GMT Defoe   64' Report Anelka   55' Stadium: Fratton Park
Attendance: 20,488
Referee: Howard Webb
9 February 2008 26 Bolton Wanderers 0–1 Portsmouth Bolton, Greater Manchester
15:00 GMT [news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/eng_prem/7223964.stm Report] Diarra   81' Stadium: Reebok Stadium
Attendance: 18,544
Referee: Peter Walton
2 February 2008 27 Portsmouth 1–0 Sunderland Portsmouth, Hampshire
Defoe   69' (pen.) Report Stadium: Fratton Park
Attendance: 20,139
Referee: Phil Dowd
2 March 2008 28 Everton 3–1 Portsmouth Liverpool, Merseyside
Yakubu   1', 81'
Cahill   73'
Report Defoe   38' Stadium: Goodison Park
Attendance: 33,938
Referee: Andre Marriner
12 March 2008 29 Portsmouth 4–2 Birmingham City Portsmouth, Hampshire
19:45 GMT Defoe   6' (pen.), 9'
Hreiðarsson   49'
Kanu   90'
Report Muamba   10'
Larsson   40'
Stadium: Fratton Park
Attendance: 20,138
Referee: Steve Tanner
15 March 2008 30 Portsmouth 2–0 Aston Villa Portsmouth, Hampshire
Defoe   11'
Reo-Coker   38' (o.g.)
Report Stadium: Fratton Park
Attendance: 20,388
Referee: Chris Foy
22 March 2008 31 Tottenham Hotspur 2–0 Portsmouth Haringey, London
Bent   30'
O'Hara   82'
Report Stadium: White Hart Lane
Attendance: 35,998
Referee: Phil Dowd
29 March 2008 32 Portsmouth 2–0 Wigan Athletic Portsmouth, Hampshire
Defoe   32', 90' Report Stadium: Fratton Park
Attendance: 18,623
Referee: Alan Wiley
8 April 2008 33 West Ham United 0–1 Portsmouth London
19:45 BST Report Kranjčar   61' Stadium: Upton Park
Attendance: 33,629
Referee: Lee Probert
12 April 2008 34 Portsmouth 0–0 Newcastle United Portsmouth, Hampshire
Report Stadium: Fratton Park
Attendance: 20,507
Referee: Phil Dowd
20 April 2008 35 Manchester City 3–1 Portsmouth Manchester, Greater Manchester
16:00 Vassell   11'
Petrov   13'
Benjani   74'
Report Utaka   24' Stadium: City of Manchester Stadium
Attendance: 40,205
Referee: Andre Marriner
27 April 2008 36 Portsmouth 0–1 Blackburn Rovers Portsmouth, Hampshire
13:30 Report Santa Cruz   74' Stadium: Fratton Park
Attendance: 18,722
Referee: Mike Riley
11 May 2008 38 Portsmouth 0–1 Fulham Portsmouth, Hampshire
15:00 Report Murphy   76' Stadium: Fratton Park
Attendance: 20,532
Referee: Mark Clattenburg

Table

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification or relegation
6 Aston Villa 38 16 12 10 71 51 +20 60 Qualification for the Intertoto Cup third round
7 Blackburn Rovers 38 15 13 10 50 48 +2 58
8 Portsmouth 38 16 9 13 48 40 +8 57 Qualification for the UEFA Cup first round[a]
9 Manchester City 38 15 10 13 45 53 −8 55 Qualification for the UEFA Cup first qualifying round[b]
10 West Ham United 38 13 10 15 42 50 −8 49
Source: Premier League
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
For further information on European qualification see Premier League – Competition
Notes:
  1. ^ As FA Cup winners
  2. ^ Manchester City qualified as the highest-ranked team not already qualified for European competitions of Premier League Fair Play Ranking by The Football Association, the top association among UEFA Fair Play ranking winners.

FA Cup

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Opposing Team For Against Date Venue Round
Ipswich Town 1 0 5 January 2008 Portman Road, Ipswich Third round
Plymouth Argyle 2 1 26 January 2008 Fratton Park, Portsmouth Fourth round
Preston North End 1 0 17 February 2008 Deepdale, Preston Fifth round
Manchester United 1 0 8 March 2008 Old Trafford, Manchester Sixth round
West Bromwich Albion 1 0 5 April 2008 Wembley Stadium, London Semi-final
Cardiff City   1 0 17 May 2008 Wembley Stadium, London Final

League Cup

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Opposing Team For Against Date Venue Round
Leeds United 3 1 28 August 2007 Fratton Park, Portsmouth Second round
Burnley 1 0 25 September 2008 Turf Moor, Burnley Third round
Blackburn Rovers 1 2 30 October 2008 Fratton Park, Portsmouth Fourth round

Statistics

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Appearances and goals

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No. Pos Nat Player Total Premier League FA Cup League Cup
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Goalkeepers
1 GK   ENG David James 42 0 35 0 6 0 1 0
21 GK   ENG Jamie Ashdown 5 0 3 0 0 0 2 0
Defenders
3 DF   FRA Lucien Aubey 3 0 1+2 0 0 0 0 0
4 DF   CMR Lauren 18 0 11+4 0 1+1 0 1 0
5 DF   ENG Glen Johnson 36 1 29 1 6 0 1 0
7 DF   ISL Hermann Hreiðarsson 39 3 30+2 3 6 0 0+1 0
15 DF   FRA Sylvain Distin 45 0 36 0 6 0 3 0
16 DF   FRA Noé Pamarot 22 3 14+4 1 1 0 3 2
20 DF   ENG Martin Cranie 3 0 1+1 0 0 0 1 0
23 DF   ENG Sol Campbell 37 1 31 1 5 0 1 0
Midfielders
6 MF   FRA Lassana Diarra 17 2 11+1 1 5 1 0 0
8 MF   SEN Papa Bouba Diop 32 0 25 0 4+1 0 1+1 0
11 MF   GHA Sulley Muntari 33 5 27+2 4 4 1 0 0
18 MF   COD Arnold Mvuemba 12 0 3+5 0 1+1 0 1+1 0
19 MF   CRO Niko Kranjčar 42 5 31+3 4 6 1 2 0
22 MF   SCO Richard Hughes 17 0 8+5 0 0+2 0 2 0
28 MF   ENG Sean Davis 25 0 18+4 0 0+2 0 1 0
30 MF   POR Pedro Mendes 24 0 14+4 0 3 0 3 0
34 MF   FRA Frank Songo'o 1 0 0+1 0 0 0 0 0
Forwards
9 FW   CZE Milan Baroš 16 0 8+4 0 1+3 0 0 0
10 FW   ENG David Nugent 22 3 5+10 0 1+3 1 2+1 2
14 FW   ENG Jermain Defoe 12 8 12 8 0 0 0 0
17 FW   NGA John Utaka 36 5 25+4 5 4 0 2+1 0
27 FW   NGA Nwankwo Kanu 31 7 13+12 4 5 2 0+1 1
Players transferred out during the season
6 DF   MLI Djimi Traoré 5 0 1+2 0 0 0 2 0
14 MF   ENG Matthew Taylor 15 1 3+10 1 0 0 1+1 0
25 FW   ZIM Benjani 27 12 21+2 12 1 0 3 0
26 MF   ENG Gary O'Neil 3 0 2 0 0 0 0+1 0

Last updated: 31 May 2018
Source: Competitions

Top scorers

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Premier League

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Notes

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  1. ^ Aubey was born in Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo, but also qualified to represent France internationally and represented France at U-21 level before making his international debut for the Republic of the Congo in August 2009.
  2. ^ Mvuemba was born in Alençon, France, and represented France at U-21 level, but also qualified to represent the Democratic Republic of the Congo internationally and made his international debut for the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 2005.
  3. ^ Begović was born in Trebinje, SFR Yugoslavia (now Bosnia and Herzegovina), but was raised in Germany between the ages of 4 and 10 and in Canada from the age of 10 and represented Canada at U-20 level before making his international debut for Bosnia and Herzegovina in October 2009.
  4. ^ Songo'o was born in Yaoundé, Cameroon, but was raised in France from the age of 2 and represented France at U-19 level and Cameroon at U-23 level, before making his international debut for Cameroon in September 2008.
  5. ^ Traoré was born in Saint-Ouen, France, but also qualified to represent Mali internationally and made his international debut for Mali in 2004.
  6. ^ O'Brien was born in Harrogate, England, and represented England at U-18 level, but also qualified to represent the Republic of Ireland internationally and represented the Republic of Ireland at U-21 level before making his international debut for the Republic of Ireland in 2001.
  7. ^ Wilson was born in Aghagallon, Northern Ireland, and represented Northern Ireland at U-15 level, but also qualified to represent the Republic of Ireland internationally and represented the Republic of Ireland at U-18, U-19 and U-21 level before making his international debut for the Republic of Ireland in February 2011.
  8. ^ Ritchie was born in Gosport, England, but also qualified to represent Scotland internationally through his father and made his international debut for Scotland in March 2015.
  9. ^ Mbuyi-Mutombo was born in Brussels, Belgium, and represented Belgium at U-19 level, but also qualified to represent the Democratic Republic of the Congo internationally and made his international debut for the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 2011.
  10. ^ Subotić was born in Zagreb, Yugoslavia (now Croatia), but also qualified to represent Switzerland internationally and represented Switzerland at U-19 level.

References

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  1. ^ "FootballSquads - Portsmouth - 2007/08".
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