Dark days for Tony Adams as Portsmouth concede to easily

On the touchline, Tony Adams shuddered in an overcoat that did not look capable of warding off the biting cold. Out on the pitch his team were certainly not good enough to keep out Fulham. These are dark, dark days for the rookie Portsmouth manager. How much easier it was when Adams could work with the players on the training ground, leaving Harry Redknapp to make the decisions and take any flak that was going. Though never in Redknapp's time were Pompey as poverty-stricken as this, conceding goals as though resistance was a word they had never come across. It must be all the more galling for a manager who was such an outstanding defender. 'If I'd been a centre-forward I would have been unhappy with the goals we conceded,' said Adams as the grim statistics extended to 20 games under his tutelage with only four victories. And no wins at all in the past eight League outings. 'We made defensive mistakes and gambled on a few offsides.' His team hit the bar and had two shouts for a penalty "one looked a cast-iron decision' but he was not looking for excuses. 'We'll control the controllables and work on what we did poorly. It's been a tough period and I'll be delighted when the transfer window closes. For all that Pompey enjoyed a lot of the ball they capsized far too easily and after being breached in the 14th minute they allowed substitute Erik Nevland to raise his stock at Craven Cottage with two eye-catching goals late on. Portsmouth might have scored first with Jerrmaine Pennant setting up Kanu who only connected with air as he shaped to shoot. At the other end, they paid dearly for another error of judgement as Sylvain Distin allowed Andy Johnson to spin off him and gather a simple prod through from Clint Dempsey. The finish itself was simple, stroked beyond David James as the goalkeeper advanced. Fulham do stubbornness and solidity rather well and the effort they put in to close down the avenues to goal would have impressed Adams were his team not suffering because of it. Nevertheless the visitors did find themselves in good positions, Sean Davis jabbing for goal with an instant shot only to find Mark Schwarzer ideally placed. From Pennant's corner Younes Kaboul saw his header crash back off the crossbar. It deserved better and Pompey could also consider themselves unlucky that Alan Wiley didn't concur with their appeals after substitute David Nugent was impeded by John Pantsil close to goal. Bobby Zamora had a nervy ten minutes in both halves and that persuaded Roy Hodgson to haul him off. The cheers were for the departed rather than the arrive but Nevland was soon raising the roof. Again the Pompey defence crumbled when faced with an orthodox long pass, Distin again failing to offer a challenge as Simon Davies pumped a long ball from inside his own half. It left Nevland in the clear and he finished with skill with the outside of his boot. The Norwegian has yet to start a game this season but that seems sure to change after he struck a second goal from inside the penalty area with great aplomb. Nugent then headed in Pennant's free-kick but it hardly raised a cheer among the Pompey faithful.

Source: Telegraph