Football's Forgotten Seasons – Inside Portsmouth’s 2007/08 Campaign

Football's Forgotten Seasons – Inside Portsmouth’s 2007/08 Campaign

The year is 2007. The oncoming financial crash is yet to send Wall Street into meltdown, Apple have just released their first iPhone, marking the start of a brand new dynasty, and J.K. Rowling has officially rounded out the Harry Potter saga, publishing the seventh and final book in January that year.

While all this was going on, there was a small revolution happening on the south coast of England. Well, at least it started small – soon enough, though, it would snowball into one of English football's most famed seasons, renowned for consistent overachieving, a grossly unlikely trophy lift, and a feel-good factor that infiltrated every level of English football regardless of who you supported.

Masterminded by the Premier League icon that is Harry Redknapp, Portsmouth were about to shock the world with their 2007/08 season and, in the process, would lay down a marker which all other minnows would struggle to meet in subsequent years.

"As I've said many times before, Portsmouth was the best time of my life. It's a great club with great tradition and I loved it."

Happy birthday, @Redknapp 🎉#Pompey pic.twitter.com/6r5OXqSjlr

— Portsmouth FC (@Pompey) March 2, 2021

How did a side with a home ground of just 20,500 seats, a spend of just under £33 million on summer signings and just one 10+ goalscorer over the course of the season manage to plot their way to domestic cup delirium while also managing to rival some of the Premier League’s finest and look good doing it?

Off To Flyer

Typically with these forgotten seasons, the trend we see is one of 'slow and steady wins the race' – the sides concerned, without ever threatening to topple the natural order, manage to edge further and further up the table until finally, someone catches them, sparking debate and discussion as to how far they could go.

Portsmouth did anything but – after a summer which saw Harry Redknapp wrangle the high-profile signings of Sulley Muntari, Glen Johnson, David Nugent and John Utaka, Pompey were ready to take on the world. Tipped for a good finish, few were surprised at the end of the campaign, but very few expected how it started.

Remarkably, Portsmouth won just two of their opening 16 games, winning eight and drawing six. At one point, their form was so impressive that by early November, they were lying just outside the Champions League spots in fifth.

There were no particular upsets either – Pompey largely beat who they were supposed to beat and, aside from draws with Man United and Liverpool, dropped points to who they were supposed to drop points to, which included defeats to Arsenal and Chelsea.

However, public attention was well and truly caught when Portsmouth broke the record for most goals in a Premier League game when they hosted Reading in late September. Coming off an 8th-placed finish in their debut Premier League season the previous campaign, Reading were looking to make a shock run at the top six, providing they could pick up points against established sides like Portsmouth.

🔵 13 years since the highest-scoring Premier League game of all time

🤯 #Pompey beat Reading 7-4 on this day in 2007 pic.twitter.com/X7ZWCFUFmr

— Portsmouth FC (@Pompey) September 29, 2020

However, Redknapp and his boys in blue had other ideas. Within six minutes, Benjani had put them in front, and on 37 minutes, he doubled his tally. Reading’s Stephen Hunt pulled one back for the Royals on the stroke of half-time, and three minutes into the second period, Dave Kitson drew them back level; however, if anything, that just seemed to provoke the home side.

Before Reading knew what had hit them, Hermann Hreidarsson put Pompey back ahead, Benjani completed his hat trick, and Niko Kranjcar got in on the act as the seasiders netted three in 15 minutes. By the time Reading’s Shane Long found the net 11 minutes from time, it was too late for a comeback, a point reinforced by an Ivar Ingimarsson own goal and a Sulley Muntari penalty, sandwiching a Sol Campbell own goal down the other end.

The game ended 7-4, an astonishing result that to this day remains the highest-scoring Premier League game of all time. It was made even more special by the fact that the result was part of an 11-game unbeaten streak in the league that would take Pompey to within touching distance of the Champions League spots.

However, it was not to be.

Tempering Expectations and Early Cup Exit

However, it wasn’t all sunshine and roses – though the side were on a remarkable run in the league, it is another feat entirely to bring that momentum into a cup competition, specifically the League Cup.

Having comfortably beaten Leeds and Burnley in their first two ties, Portsmouth met their match when they welcomed Blackburn to Fratton Park, losing 2-1 to a side that would eventually also finish above them in the league standings.

Moreover, following a stunning 3-1 win away at Aston Villa, Portsmouth suddenly lost all of their momentum, losing five of their next eight games throughout a busy festive period, conceding 12 goals and scoring just seven. Clearly, something needed to change, not least influenced by the fact that top scorers Benjani and Matty Taylor both sealed January transfer moves to Manchester City and Bolton, respectively.

Never one to be afraid of acting, Harry Redknapp moved quickly in the transfer window and soon acquired a player he had become familiar with in his time at both West Ham and Bournemouth in Jermaine Defoe, the perfect replacement for Benjani.

🎥 "A dream debut! What a cool finish!"

🙌 Happy birthday, @IAmJermainDefoe #GoalOfTheDay | #Pompey pic.twitter.com/iy5s83mufe

— Portsmouth FC (@Pompey) October 7, 2019

Lassana Diarra also arrived from Arsenal to fill the void left by Matty Taylor, and along with the signings of Danijel Subotic, the Portsmouth squad had been suitably shaken up and was ready to scrap it out with the best once again.

It soon became clear that the wheeling and dealing of the January transfer window had been entirely necessary – in all of their first six games after the transfer window had shut, one of Diarra or Defoe found the net, with the latter playing particularly impressively, netting six in six.

The end of the transfer window also coincided with the business rounds of the FA Cup, a competition in which Redknapp and Pompey would truly show their mettle.

🗣 "I was dragging him down the runway"

Harry Redknapp's story about how he sold Benjani at Portsmouth 🤣#DeadlineDay pic.twitter.com/jXtfcq3tXT

— Football Daily (@footballdaily) October 5, 2020

The Magic of the Cup

Having edged past Ipswich 1-0 in the third round in early January and dodging a near shock against Plymouth Argyle with a 2-1 win later in the month, February welcomed the fifth round of the competition as the later stages began to come thick and fast.

Tasked with a trip to Preston North End’s Deepdale, Portsmouth were heavy favourites against a Championship side and, on a different day, would have had a smooth run into the quarter-finals.

However, Preston bossed the game, forcing goalkeeper David James into a series of excellent stops, including a second-half penalty save, and the only reason the coastal side managed to squeak their way into the last eight was thanks to Darren Carter’s late own goal, which saw him bundle a Kranjcar corner into the back of the home side's net, breaking Preston hearts and forcing Pompey delirium.

However, Redknapp knew his side had got away with it, and they were going to need a much better performance next time out if they were to advance to the semis. Drawn against Manchester United at Old Trafford in the quarter-finals, any hope of progressing was quickly extinguished – how could Portsmouth possibly conquer Sir Alex Ferguson’s trophy-winning juggernauts at the Theatre of Dreams?

But hope was quickly replenished to record levels when, for the first time in 50 years, Portsmouth won away from home against Manchester United, thanks to a 78th-minute Sulley Muntari penalty. The visitors had to withstand a serious onslaught – Patrice Evra hit the post, Carlos Tevez and Michael Carrick both had shots cleared off the line, and David James was forced into numerous saves – but when the full-time whistle blew, it was David who had secured his spot in the last four, spectacularly knocking down Goliath.

Hope was only stoked further when wins for EFL outfits West Brom, Barnsley and Cardiff suddenly meant that the Pompey were the only top-flight side left in the competition, putting them in the exceptionally unfamiliar position of favourites. West Brom awaited them in their semi-final, and with yet another 1-0 win, sealed with a close-range toe-poke by Arsenal legend Kanu, Redknapp, Defoe and co. had somehow made it to the FA Cup final.

05/04 - On this day in 2008, Kanu became the first player to score a club goal at both the old and new Wembley Stadium, netting the winner for Portsmouth in the FA Cup semi-final. Span. pic.twitter.com/G1oFOHrLnu

— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) April 5, 2020

However, though the showpiece silverware game was a significant distraction, Portsmouth still had to take care of business in the league. However, while they were looking likely to seal an unlikely European spot with four games to go, their resources were stretched thin thanks to their upcoming final, and they lost the final four league games to slip to eighth place, meaning they finished outside of the continental qualification spots.

Fortunately, the FA Cup final presented a chance for redemption, as a spot in the UEFA Cup, now known as the Europa League, awaited the winner. Faced with second-tier side Cardiff, Portsmouth were within touching distance.

However, there was still a job to be done, and Cardiff made sure to remind their opponents that it wouldn’t be easy, with both Paul Parry and Kevin McNaughton forcing David James into early action. However, Pompey’s Premier League quality started to shine through, and after hitting the post early on, Kanu redeemed the missed opportunity by pouncing on Peter Enkleman’s failed attempt to catch a John Utaka cross.

ON THIS DAY: In 2008, Nwankwo Kanu scored the winner to give Portsmouth their first FA Cup in 69 years. pic.twitter.com/Iok4r2U7ea

— Squawka (@Squawka) May 17, 2017

Cardiff responded with a goal from a corner shortly before half-time, but it was ruled out for handball, and with every passing minute without a reply, Portsmouth's expectation grew heavy in the air. That’s when the backline of Diarra, Campbell, Distin and Hreidarsson proved their worth. They contained Cardiff brilliantly for the entire second half, limiting them to half chances and pop shots, and their composure and calm in a high-pressure situation paid huge dividends – Portsmouth had won the FA Cup.

Qualifying for Europe for the first time in their history, Portsmouth lifted their first major trophy since 1949 and, in the process, had completed a season that would be talked about for decades.

Labelled as rank outsiders from the start, Harry Redknapp executed the perfect underdog season – buying smart, selling when necessary, and never allowing deficits to grow too large, he had masterminded two huge achievements: firstly, their highest top-flight finish since 1955, and secondly, their second-ever FA Cup win to go along with their medals from 1939.

Two years later, they would be back at Wembley in the same competition, faced with Chelsea in the final. However, already relegated at this point, their subsequent defeat and demotion illustrated just how special Redknapp’s achievements were. The 2007/08 season was something truly extraordinary, and it was a campaign that Portsmouth fans will never forget.