Portsmouth Football Club News

• Nickname:Pompey
• Founded:1898
• Manager:Michael Appleton

• Ground:Fratton Park
• Capacity:19,179

James: Adams was too quiet

14 Feb 2009 - 10:32:36

Click To Enlarge

Portsmouth goalkeeper David James has hit out at former manager Tony Adams for being too quiet and being unable to lift the struggling Fratton Park club.

Adams was shown the door after a matter of months in charge at Pompey, with most observers feeling that the former Arsenal legend had not been given enough time.

However, England international James has wasted little time in sticking the boot in.

He commented: "We're all guilty as players for individual mistakes which have cost us, but as a team we were not set up to replicate what we did last season.

"Players don't pick the team and individual mistakes are obviously to blame to a degree, but when that happens time and time again things have to be said or else people get used to it and take it as the norm.

"We are still basically the same team as in the first half of last season and we've still got enough quality to stay up.

"I certainly don't want to go down to the Championship because I did it before with West Ham, but we've got only 14 games to save ourselves and need strong management.

"It is a strong-minded team here but all players need guidance. They need to be told what is expected of them and what their role is.

"You need somebody who is going to address situations that have been repeated this season here on numerous occasions.

"It has to be said it has been a little bit quiet on occasions when we lost matches that we really shouldn't have. Things were not great.

"When we've lost some games in the past Harry Redknapp has come in and torn strips off everybody. He would let off steam and maybe sometimes apologise the next day but you needed that."