This has been a very difficult season for Pompey and the club management will do everything they can in order to avoid a similar scenario next term. Nevertheless, it is precisely club management who is to blame for the very disappointing season as they had made some very poor decisions.

The team started the season very well under Harry Redknapp, but their fortunes changed when the experienced boss was allowed to leave for Tottenham early into the season. Inexperienced Tony Adams was brought as a replacement but he was given a very tough task to improve the results, while the team were deprived of two arguably best players, Defoe and Diarra, who left the club. Former Arsenal player struggled to improve the results and he was sacked after failing to guide Pompey out of the dangerous zone. Paul Hart was then appointed as caretaker manager and he managed to improve the results, although we feel that Adams would have done the same if only he’d been given enough time.

Hart succeeded in keeping Portsmouth in the league even though the fans had to worry until the last few rounds of the Premiership and the manager left once his contract ended. Pompey thus first need to find a new manager before starting preparations for the new season and two names stand out at this moment. Very talented coach of Croatia national team Slaven Bilic seems to be the favourite for the job, since he admitted interest in working at Fratton Park. Roberto Mancini, who’s been out of the job since coaching Inter, is also thought to be among the favourites to replace Paul Hart.

The first thing new boss will have to do is try and keep the squad together since players like Crouch, Johnson, Kranjcar and Pennant could all leave the club this summer. It is absolutely crucial for the new manager to be appointed very soon so that he could address the burning issues. If you want to be well informed about the latest developments regarding your favourite club, be sure to check Soccer transfers sections on the web.