Benjani, former Portsmouthdelantero: I love Harry Redknapp, but it’s time to hear the fact about the incident at the airport and Manchester City
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But the Blues would be the club he loves.
Interviewed in the new ebook Played Up Pompey Three, the former Spurs and England winger highlights the formative years that grew in Bitterne and adored Steve Williams, Peter Shilton, Mark Wright and Mark Dennis.
However, he credits Fratton Park for making him a footballer.
And now he ranks as a fan of Pompey, who a fan of his club of years of training.
“I attended Bitterne Park School, living on Oaktree Road, past the back of the playgrounds, so I jumped the fence every day to go to school,” he told Played Up Pompey Three.
“I’m a fan of developing Southampton, a subscriber for 3 or 4 years, but I’m no longer interested in them. People see me as Pompey, and I love it. When Southampton loses, I write to my friends.
“My debut for the Spurs was in Southampton on the opening day of the 1992–93 campaign, when the new Premier League began. There were 19,654 more people at Dell and, in making re-editing, I was mistreated by those other people. . I thought, “Now I was sitting there with you. ” It made me laugh.
“I love Pompey, I love everything at the club. I still had a fair run, but without Pompey, I would never have been a player.
“Growing up I was looking to play for Southampton. Kevin Keegan, my hero, while also enjoying Steve Williams, Mark Wright, Mark Dennis, the Wallace brothers, Peter Shilton, Mick Mills, wonderful players. His teammate Colin Clarke scored a hat-trick on his debut against QPR in a 5-1 win in August 1986.
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“My subscription was first in the circle segment of relatives with my father. Then we had front-row seats in the east stand, only to discover that Keegan had gone to Newcastle United a few days before the start of the 1982-83 season without telling anyone, that my dad left.
“My grandfather’s space on Milton Road, next to Dell, so we had fish and chips before we went to the games.
“On my first day as a Pompey-related schoolboy, I even put on a Southampton T-shirt. I had no idea about the rivalry, I’m a 14-year-old boy!
“Alan Ball said, “You can’t wear that!” then took me to the club shop and bought a completely white Pompey uniform, consisting of a T-shirt, socks and shorts. I, a Southampton fan, and I enjoyed it. Pompey Kit he gave me.
“As I got older, however, every time I visited Southampton, the abuse suffered too much. It doesn’t bother you in a game, however, on the street and at night. It’s pathetic. “
“I gained so much abuse that I fainted more in Bournemouth, none of this nonsense happened there. It also worked well as I bought a space in Bournemouth, which is such a lovely area.
The other year I was at St Mary’s, running for a television station in Kuala Lumpur for a game opposed to the Spurs. The abuse I gained in the country was ridiculous, they know I’m a boy from Southampton, so it’s very funny.
“Then I walked past the Spurs enthusiasts and they chanted my name. It’s a lovely feeling.
“I regret not betting on Pompey later in my career, even though it almost happened several times. Interestingly, it is also a remorse not to have played for Southampton because it was my team as a child, which does not. Forgot his club for years of training?
“Pumped, however, is the largest component of me. My reports there, the fans, the players, I do not forget to be a member of such a talented team of young people, proceeding to play with my friends in the first team. “
“It’s such a special moment. “
Played Up Pompey Three is priced at $18. 99 and lately you can get it at Pompey, Anson Road and Petersfield Bookstore.
For player-autographed copies, with the signatures of Benjani, Richard Hughes, Michael Doyle, John Durnin, or Dave Munks, email neil. allen@thenews. co. uk
Meanwhile, Played Up Pompey Too for sale on Amazon for £17. 99.
A message from the editor, Mark Waldron
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