But it was only at the beginning of last summer when Portsmouth fans were enjoying the pain that Southampton were feeling. Relegated to Division 1, entering the season on -10 points and having continuously sold it's best players in an attempt to balance the books, Southampton appeared terminal.

I know a lot of Southampton fans and they had passed beyond anger at the meltdown and were despairing at the state of their club - especially when Pompey were riding high.

It was a dream come true, then, when Southampton announced a new owner. And not just any owner, but a bona fide billionaire who made all the right moves from the beginning.

Unlike Notts County, Southampton's new management recognised the reality of their situation. There really isn't much point hiring Sven and Sol for a team that far down the leagues. The nature of the game and style of play is totally different. Southampton were astute and brought in Alan Pardew who, while experienced in the top flight, also has a wealth of Championship and league knowledge. He was a great balance between building a successful League One team and creating a platform for future performance through the Championship and into the Premiership.

While it looks unlikely (though still possible) that Southampton will reach the play-offs this year their performance has been excellent. Despite their deducted 10 points and a very poor start to the season they are now in 10th place and 14 points adrift of 6th place. They may not be there yet but with results like Tuesdays 5-0 demolition of Huddersfield, the Saints fans are bouyant.

So can Portsmouth survive and copy the transformation seen along the coast? It depends if the right person steps in and buys them. The bad news is they aren't as attractive as Saints were. A recent BBC article sums it up, describing Portsmouth as "an indebted Championship team in a shabby stadium with almost no corporate seating, a battered credit rating and a murky recent ownership structure".

I hope they make it but I have a feeling Portsmouth fans have more pain to go through before things get better.

As you might expect, Tony received an extremely warm welcome from the Arsenal faithful, with the entire game being played out in a rather friendly manner.

Like many other visitors to the Emirates, Portsmouth were going for damage limitation, with their only real attempt on goal coming after twenty five minutes from Peter Crouch. For the next five or so minutes Arsenal seemed to have a bit of bite and desire in their stride, however, this seemed to disappear.

It wasn't until Vela made his appearance, that the game picked up, if that's what happened. Fans were yet again extremely frustrated, not only by the team's performance, but by a some of the lino's offside decisions. No booing this week though!

"The worst performance this season" being the mutterings from those around me.

But, looking on the plus side, we won, took the 3 points and for once managed to take a win from a game that looked like ending in a draw.

With the game over, Tony shook the hands of each of his players and then took a final bow whilst those Gooners that had remained behind chanted "There's only one Tony Adams".

An Arsenal Manager in the making, maybe!

We're always on the look out for new writers. So if you fancy writing about your team, please get in touch.

So here are the results :

No more than £600 - 13%
£600 to £1000 - 32%
£1000 to £1250 - 13%
£1250 to £1500 - 8%
£1500 to £2000 - 5%
I'd pay anything to watch my team 29%

So whilst I'm not surprised that 32% wouldn't pay more than £1000, I'm surprised that 29% of you said you'd pay anything to watch your team.

So, while many ticket holders are thinking of giving up their season ticket, because for them it's becoming far too expensive, there will always be a large number of fans that are willing to pay, what ever the club demands!

We're always on the look out for new writers. So if you fancy writing about your team, please get in touch.

We're always on the look out for new writers. So if you fancy writing about your team, please get in touch.

Enigmatic is a good way to describe Kanu. One of the reasons I enjoy watching the lanky 6ft 5in Nigerian is that his story includes some astonishing highs and disastrous lows. He is both the most decorated footballer in African history and something of a circus clown. His game includes flashes of dazzling intelligence, creativity and vision and yet he is guilty of some cringeworthy clangers and wastefulness in front of goal. It is impossible to predict what will happen when Kanu is on the ball.

A brief look through some of his career gives an indication of what I mean. On the upside, he won the Champions League with Ajax in 1995, won Olympic gold with Nigeria in 1996, scooped the African player of the year award for 1996 and 1999 and scored some goals of a quality that no footballer at the time could match in Arsenal’s 98/99 season as he went on to win League and FA Cup winners medals with the team in subsequent years. On the downside, he missed the penalty that cost Nigeria the 2000 African Nations Cup and he endured an unsuccessful spell at relegation-threatened West Bromwich, the nadir of which was the so-called miss of the season on 14th November 2004 which left his then manager Bryan Robson, caught on camera, screaming “How did he miss that?”. Sometimes Kanu can be frustratingly absent and he has never had the finishing ability to put him in the top league of international strikers, a possible reason for Wenger looking elsewhere for Arsenal’s firepower in the 2000s. Occasionally, the two sides of Kanu can be seen in a single match. On his Portsmouth debut in August 2006, Kanu came on as a second half subsititute against Blackburn and promptly netted two goals. Then, having won a penalty he stepped up to secure his hat-trick. His effort was palmed up by Brad Friedel and with the goalmouth gaping Kanu wildly fluffed his headed rebound into the advertising boards.

All this can make it frustrating for supporters, managers and team members to watch, but it is compulsive viewing. One of the funniest pieces of commentary I ever heard came from the mouth of Ron Atkinson during coverage of an Arsenal Champions League match. Kanu had waltzed on a mazey run into the area leaving a wake of sprawled and tangled defenders behind him. With the goal at his mercy he tamely side-footed his shot at the keeper. “We have been denied the greatest goal ever!” exclaimed a belligerent Atkinson.

On Saturday, the two sides of Kanu showed themselves again. After 20 minutes, Kanu picked up Utaka’s low cross, turned his marker, rounded Enckelman the Cardiff keeper and with an angled tap-in all that was needed to finish the move, he prodded his shot against the outside of the post. I was out of my seat shouting, “We have been denied the greatest FA Cup Final goal ever!”. I felt certain that would be the end of Kanu’s big day and I imagined that Redknapp might substitute the old horse soon after half-time. But on 37 minutes, Kanu latched onto Enckelman’s spill and lifted the goal into the empty net. Kanu’s effort won’t be remembered for as long as his non-goal a quarter of an hour earlier might've been, but it proved decisive. The rest of his performance was imperious and the Nigerian looks set to enjoy an Indian summer with a contract extension and UEFA Cup football next season.

Kanu’s career is all the more astonishing for the fact that it so nearly ended with severe heart problems in 1996. For me, what makes Kanu even more an attraction is the Christian faith I share with him that informed his response to that crisis and continues to inform his charity work, his lifestyle and his joyful approach to the game he plays.

Emmanuel Adebayor, who shares with Kanu a similar height and gallop, claims the Nigerian was his childhood inspiration. Adebayor wears the same shirt numbers as Kanu does for his national side (4) and did for the Gunners (25). The Togo striker has a great future ahead of him and the consistency he has shown this season indicates he is likely to outscore his idol in the coming years. But, for sheer out-of-nothing ingenuity, Kanu still has the edge on his protégé.

Given the cost and how difficult it can be to get tickets to see a match, I think if you're luck enough to get to a game, then you should stay and see your team through the bitter end.

Anyway, if your guilty of not staying, what's your reason?

Why?

1) They've shown such grit, determination and belief, something the other clubs would do well to emanate, including Arsenal!
2) They've defeated both Liverpool and now Chelsea, they've had the toughest run in.
3) The last time they reached the semi was in 1912
4) My son managed to win a few quid backing Barnsley :)
5) We'll be hearing a lot more from "Dickie Bird", much to the annoyance of one Barnsley fan!

If you're a Barnsley, Cardiff, West Brom or Portsmouth fan and you fancy writing here, please get in touch!

I particularly enjoyed watching the guys football skills on the bridge and look out for the dangerous kick - ball off top of the head!

Watch the video and you'll see what I mean!


If you fancy writing about your team or football games, then get in touch.

This has led to comments about how players are all greedy and lazy and typefies what's wrong with football.

That may be true, but fair play to him. If he really said this (and who knows what to believe with the low quality journalism we have in this country) then at least he's being open and honest.

My feeling is there are two types of player. There are those who would die for their club, who are passionate about the team and will accept below market wages to remain part of the set-up. Then there are those who see it as a job - they perform well because their livelihood depends on it and will keep an eye on their next move.

Managers are always going to have a mixture of both types and they need to identify and manage them accordingly. Although it's always nice to see a stronger relationship between a club and a player than just wages - such as Robbie Fowler and Liverpool - mercenary players can be a huge benefit to the club so long as everyone understands the situation and the contracts are structured properly.

And remember, most clubs have shafted players at some time in the past, so is it reasonable to expect footballers to do anything other than look out for number one?

While I'm not surprised that Kanu is getting some flack from Portsmouth fans, the fact that he is honest says a lot for him in my opinion. I'd rather an up-front mercenary than a pretend loyalist any day.

Arsenal have had their worst ever start in the Premiership and a loss to Manchester United would have left them 13 points adift. United have been in great form with a perfect record after 4 games.

Liverpool and Chelsea were having a re-run of the Charity Shield in which the Merseysiders were victorious, though they've faltered since.

Of the two games, Man Utd vs Arsenal was the better match with more chances and excitement, though both games ended 1-0.

Arsenal were without Henry and van Persie and dominated the first half (including a missed penalty by Gilberto) and the Gooners deserved to pinch it with a lovely goal from Adebayor.

Chelsea against Liverpool was a less lively affair until near the end. The highlight was a stunning shot from Drogba that won the match for Chelsea.

So what did Grand Slam Sunday mean?

The results leave Man Utd and Chelsea both on 12 points. The big changes is that Arsenal are back in the running, and with only 4 points from 4 games Liverpool have a herculean task if they are going to top the table at the end of the season. No-one's out of the title race until it's mathematically impossible, but Liverpool have to match the performance of Man Utd and Chelsea plus win 3 games those sides lose.

But the surprise outcome from a day of big games is that it leaves Portsmouth top of the table. Harry's nearly all-new team are doing extremely well, though I don't think anyone - even Redknapp - is expecting to still be up there at the end of the season. However, it looks increasingly plausible for them to be challenging for a European place.

It goes without saying that Man Utd are doing well. A 100% record and two points clear after 3 games is nothing out of the ordinary for them - especially against teams like Watford, Charlton and Fulham. We need to see them against one of their key rivals to properly gauge their quality this season.

Of the following teams there are three that have had good results so far.

Given their failure last season and total lack of new players, I expected Aston Villa to struggle. However, they now have the O'Neill factor and they are sitting second after some convincing performances. Villa fans would expect a win against Reading but the draw agaiinst Arsenal and win over Newcastle have lifted the team and fans.

Everton also have seven points having beaten Watford, drawn against Blackburn and beaten Tottenham away. Andy Johnson is looking good and may just give them that little extra they needed.

Finally, wheeler-dealer Harry Redknapp has built an impressive team at Portsmouth with six new recruits and seven players released. With new talent such as Sol campbell, David James and Kanu it's maybe no surprise that they beat Blackburn and took a point (and hospitalisation) from Man City. It will be interesting to see how they do tonight.

It's only the beginning of the season but a number of clubs have made an encouraging start. With the possibility of shock results and no guaranteed games we will all be winners with a vibrant and exciting league.

Ben Thatcher's 'tackle' on Pedro Mendes hospitalised the Portsmouth player but he only received a yellow card and under FA rules may escape any further punishment.

The police are looking into it after receiving complaints from the public but it seems likely that Thatcher will face little if any punishment.

I think the rules have become far too strict on tackling and in the World Cup especially players seem barely able to challenge for the ball without being penalised. The English leagues are physical and it's part of our game.

But there is a world of difference between heavy tackling and Thatcher's behaviour on Wednesday. There is no room in the game I enjoy for that.

For those of you who missed it, have a look at the video on Caught offiside. On the slow motion replay, see where Thatcher appears to be looking as he charges in. The ball?