2004–05 Portsmouth F.C. season

During the 2004–05 English football season, Portsmouth competed in the FA Premier League. It was Portsmouth's second consecutive season in English football's top-flight.

Portsmouth

2004–05 season
Chairman	Milan Mandaric
Manager	Harry Redknapp (until 24 November)^[1] Velimir Zajec (from 24 November to April)^[2]^[3] Alain Perrin (from 7 April)^[4]
Stadium	Fratton Park
Premier League	16th
FA Cup	Fourth round
League Cup	Quarter-finals
Top goalscorer	League: Yakubu (13) All: Yakubu (17)
Highest home attendance	20,210 (in 2 matches) vs. Chelsea (28 December 2004) vs Southampton (24 April 2005)
Lowest home attendance	19,620 vs. Middlesbrough (1 February 2005)
Average home league attendance	19,915
Home colours Away colours
← 2003–04 2005–06 →

Season summary

Portsmouth's campaign got off to a good start, winning four of their first ten games including the famous, brilliant 2–0 win over Manchester United as they maintained a strong mid-table position in late October. However, manager Harry Redknapp walked out on Portsmouth in November after a row with chairman Milan Mandaric over the appointment of new Director of Football Velimir Zajec at the club. Zajec replaced Redknapp as manager with immediate effect, but under his management the club's form dipped, bringing the club from the top ten to a few points above the relegation zone. In April, Zajec was replaced by Frenchman Alain Perrin; Perrin managed to secure Portsmouth's Premiership status with a few games of the season left. Despite this, Portsmouth still played a pivotal role in the "Survival Sunday" relegation drama - by losing 2–0 at West Bromwich Albion they both secured Albion's Premiership status and helped relegate arch-rivals Southampton (although Southampton were beaten 2–1 at home by Manchester United and would have been relegated even if Albion had lost).

Final league table

Main article: 2004–05 FA Premier League

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification or relegation
14	Newcastle United	38	10	14	14	47	57	−10	44	Qualification for the Intertoto Cup third round
15	Blackburn Rovers	38	9	15	14	32	43	−11	42
16	Portsmouth	38	10	9	19	43	59	−16	39
17	West Bromwich Albion	38	6	16	16	36	61	−25	34
18	Crystal Palace (R)	38	7	12	19	41	62	−21	33	Relegation to the Football League Championship

Source: ^[5]
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
(R) Relegated

Kit

Portsmouth retained the previous season's kit, manufactured under the club's own brand, Pompey Sport.

First-team squad

Squad at end of season

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player 1 GK   TRI Shaka Hislop^[6] 2 DF   ENG Linvoy Primus 3 DF   SCG Dejan Stefanović 4 DF   ENG David Unsworth 6 DF   NED Arjan de Zeeuw 8 MF   ENG Steve Stone 11 MF   GRE Giannis Skopelitis (on loan from Egaleo) 14 MF   ENG Matthew Taylor 16 DF   ENG Andy Griffin 18 MF   SEN Aliou Cissé 19 FW   JAM Ricardo Fuller

No. Pos. Nation Player 20 FW   NGA Yakubu 21 FW   SEN Diomansy Kamara^[7] 22 MF   SCO Richard Hughes 23 MF   CZE Patrik Berger 26 MF   ENG Gary O'Neil 27 FW   SVN Aleksandar Rodić^[8] 28 FW   ENG James Keene 30 GK   ENG Jamie Ashdown 32 FW   COD Lomana Tresor LuaLua 33 GK   GRE Kostas Chalkias 34 MF   CMR Valéry Mézague^[9] (on loan from Montpellier)

Left club during season

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player 7 MF   SCO Kevin Harper^[10] (to Stoke City) 10 MF   ISR Eyal Berkovic (released) 11 MF   SCO Nigel Quashie^[11] (to Southampton) 15 MF   SEN Amdy Faye (to Newcastle United) 25 GK   NED Harald Wapenaar (to Vitesse Arnhem) 27 DF   ENG Eddie Howe (to AFC Bournemouth) 28 DF   ENG John Curtis (to Nottingham Forest)

No. Pos. Nation Player 31 DF   FRA Sebastian Schemmel (released) 33 DF   ENG Lewis Buxton (to Stoke City) 36 MF   ENG Anthony Pulis^[12] (to Stoke City) 37 MF   CRO Ivica Mornar (on loan to Rennes) 13 FW   ENG Rowan Vine (on loan to Luton Town) 29 FW   SCO Mark Burchill (to Hearts)

Statistics

Reserve squad

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player 5 DF   AUS Hayden Foxe 9 FW   BUL Svetoslav Todorov 17 FW   FRA Vincent Péricard^[13]

No. Pos. Nation Player 24 DF   WAL Richard Duffy 29 GK   ITA Andrea Guatelli

Transfers

In

•   Andy Griffin -   Newcastle United, free, 26 May 2004 ^[14]
•   Jamie Ashdown -   Reading, June 2004, undisclosed^[15]
•   David Unsworth -   Everton, free, 12 July 2004^[16]
•   Lomana LuaLua -   Newcastle United, undisclosed (estimated £1,750,000), 12 July 2004^[16]
•   Andrea Guatelli -   Fiorenzuola, free, 2 August 2004^[17]
•   Aliou Cissé -   Birmingham City, £300,000, 6 August 2004^[18]
•   Ricardo Fuller -   Preston North End, £1,000,000, 20 August 2004^[19]
•   Diomansy Kamara -   Modena, £2,500,000, 30 August 2004^[20]
•   Valéry Mézague -   Montpellier, season loan, 31 August 2004^[21]
•   Giannis Skopelitis -   Egaleo, 28 January 2005, season loan with option of making permanent, £300,000 rising to £1,000,000 if made permanent^[22]
•   Kostas Chalkias -   Panathinaikos, 28 January 2005, nominal fee
•   Aleksander Rodić -   NK Gorica, 31 January 2005, undisclosed^[23]

Out

•   Tim Sherwood -   Coventry City, free, 9 July 2004^[24]
•   Teddy Sheringham   West Ham United, free, 14 July 2004 ^[25]
•   Deon Burton -   Brentford, undisclosed, 16 July 2004 (officially joined 1 August)^[26]
•   Ivica Mornar -   Rennes, season loan, 8 August 2004^[27]
•   Eddie Howe -   AFC Bournemouth, free, 12 November 2004^[28]
•   Lewis Buxton -   Stoke City, 24 December 2004 ^[29]
•   Anthony Pulis -   Stoke City, 24 December 2004^[29]
•   John Curtis -   Nottingham Forest, free, January 2005^[30]
•   Nigel Quashie -   Southampton, £2,100,000, 17 January 2005^[31]
•   Amdy Faye -   Newcastle United, £2,000,000, 23 January 2005^[32]
•   Kevin Harper -   Stoke City, undisclosed, 1 February 2005^[33]
•   Eyal Berkovic -   Maccabi Tel Aviv, 4 February 2005^[34]
•   David Unsworth -   Ipswich Town, four-month loan, 15 February 2005^[35]
•   Alan Knight - retired, 2004
•   Warren Hunt -   Fareham Town, 2004
•   Sebastian Olszar -   Polonia Warsaw, 2004
•   Carl Robinson -   Sunderland, 2004
•   Sébastien Schemmel -   Le Havre, December 2004
•   Harald Wapenaar -   Vitesse Arnhem, 2005
•   Rowan Vine -   Luton Town, loan, 2004
•   Mark Burchill -   Hearts, loan

Transfers in:   £5,750,000

Transfers out:   £4,100,000

Total spending:   £1,650,000

Results

Results per matchday

Matchday	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31	32	33	34	35	36	37	38
Ground	H	A	H	H	A	H	A	H	A	H	A	A	H	A	H	A	A	H	A	H	H	A	H	A	H	A	H	A	A	H	A	H	A	H	H	A	H	A
Result	D	L	W	W	L	L	D	W	D	W	L	L	L	W	W	D	D	L	W	L	D	L	L	L	W	L	L	L	L	D	L	W	D	L	W	L	D	L
Position	12	18	11	9	11	14	13	12	11	9	10	11	12	11	9	10	10	12	9	10	11	12	13	14	12	13	14	14	15	15	16	15	15	16	15	16	16	16

Source: WorldFootball.com
A = Away; H = Home; W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss

Premiership

Portsmouth v Birmingham City

14 August 2004 1	Portsmouth	1–1	Birmingham City	Portsmouth, Hampshire
15:00 BST (UTC+01)	Unsworth   16' (pen.)	Report	Savage   10'	Stadium: Fratton Park Attendance: 20,021 Referee: Howard Webb

Charlton Athletic v Portsmouth

21 August 2004 2	Charlton Athletic	2–1	Portsmouth	Greenwich, London
	Euell   23' Unsworth   87' (o.g.)	Report	Berger   53'	Stadium: The Valley Attendance: 25,204 Referee: Alan Wiley

Portsmouth v Fulham

30 August 2004 3	Portsmouth	4–3	Fulham	Portsmouth, Hampshire
	Berkovic   19' Yakubu   21' (pen.)	Report	Cole   39' Boa Morte   41' Bocanegra   75'	Stadium: Fratton Park Attendance: 19,728 Referee: Barry Knight

Portsmouth v Crystal Palace

11 September 2004 4	Portsmouth	3–1	Crystal Palace	Portsmouth, Hampshire
	Fuller   3' Berger   47' Popovic   85' (o.g.)	Report	Granville   43'	Stadium: Fratton Park Attendance: 20,019 Referee: Phil Dowd

Blackburn Rovers v Portsmouth

18 September 2004 5	Blackburn Rovers	1–0	Portsmouth	Blackburn, Lancashire
	Jansen   75'	Report		Stadium: Ewood Park Attendance: 20,647 Referee: Mark Clattenberg

Portsmouth v Everton

26 September 2004 6	Portsmouth	0–1	Everton	Portsmouth, Hampshire
		Report	Cahill   80'	Stadium: Fratton Park Attendance: 20,125 Referee: Dermot Gallagher

Norwich City v Portsmouth

2 October 2004 7	Norwich City	2–2	Portsmouth	Norwich, Norfolk
15:00 BST (UTC+01)	Huckerby   63' Charlton   67'	Report	Yakubu   37' Berger   65'	Stadium: Carrow Road Attendance: 23,853 Referee: Matt Messias

Portsmouth v Tottenham Hotspur

18 October 2004 8	Portsmouth	1–0	Tottenham Hotspur	Portsmouth, Hampshire
	Yakubu   63'	Report		Stadium: Fratton Park Attendance: 20,121 Referee: Uriah Rennie

Middlesbrough v Portsmouth

24 October 2004 9	Middlesbrough	1–1	Portsmouth	Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire
15:00 BST (UTC+01)	Downing   74'	Report	Kamara   5'	Stadium: Riverside Stadium Attendance: 30,964 Referee: Martin Atkinson

Portsmouth v Manchester United

30 October 2004 10	Portsmouth	2–0	Manchester United	Portsmouth, Hampshire
	Unsworth   53' (pen.) Yakubu   72'	Report		Stadium: Fratton Park Attendance: 20,190 Referee: Neale Barry

Aston Villa v Portsmouth

6 November 2004 11	Aston Villa	3–0	Portsmouth	Birmingham, West Midlands
	Whittingham   18' Ángel   25' Solano   40'	Report		Stadium: Villa Park Attendance: 32,633 Referee: Mark Halsey

Southampton v Portsmouth

13 November 2004 12	Southampton	2–1	Portsmouth	Southampton, Hampshire
	Blackstock   18' Phillips   71'	Report	Jakobsson   12' (o.g.)	Stadium: St Mary's Stadium Attendance: 30,921 Referee: Graham Poll

Portsmouth v Manchester City

20 November 2004 13	Portsmouth	1–3	Manchester City	Portsmouth, Hampshire
	O'Neil   8'	Report	Wright-Phillips   6' Sibierski   79' Bosvelt   87'	Stadium: Fratton Park Attendance: 20,101 Referee: Matt Messias

Bolton Wanderers v Portsmouth

27 November 2004 14	Bolton Wanderers	0–1	Portsmouth	Bolton, Greater Manchester
		Report	De Zeeuw   45'	Stadium: Reebok Stadium Attendance: 25,008 Referee: Steve Dunn

Portsmouth v West Bromwich Albion

4 December 2004 15	Portsmouth	3–2	West Bromwich Albion	Portsmouth, Hampshire
	Purse   35' De Zeeuw   85' LuaLua   89'	Report	Stefanovic   14' (o.g.) Earnshaw   45'	Stadium: Fratton Park Attendance: 20,110 Referee: Peter Walton

Newcastle United v Portsmouth

11 December 2004 16	Newcastle United	1–1	Portsmouth	Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyneside
	Bowyer   3'	Report	Stone   30'	Stadium: St James' Park Attendance: 51,480 Referee: Mike Riley

Liverpool v Portsmouth

14 December 2004 17	Liverpool	1–1	Portsmouth	Liverpool, Merseyside
	Gerrard   70'	Report	LuaLua   90'	Stadium: Anfield Attendance: 35,064 Referee: Mark Clattenburg

Portsmouth v Arsenal

19 December 2004 18	Portsmouth	0–1	Arsenal	Portsmouth, Hampshire
		Report	Campbell   75'	Stadium: Fratton Park Attendance: 20,170 Referee: Howard Webb

Crystal Palace v Portsmouth

26 December 2004 19	Crystal Palace	0–1	Portsmouth	Croydon, London
		Report	Primus   69'	Stadium: Selhurst Park Attendance: 25,238 Referee: Neale Barry

Portsmouth v Chelsea

28 December 2004 20	Portsmouth	0–2	Chelsea	Portsmouth, Hampshire
		Report	Robben   79' Cole   90'	Stadium: Fratton Park Attendance: 20,210 Referee: Alan Wiley

Portsmouth v Norwich City

1 January 2005 21	Portsmouth	1–1	Norwich City	Portsmouth, Hampshire
15:00 GMT	Yakubu   61' (pen.)	Report	Edworthy   5' Francis   9'	Stadium: Fratton Park Attendance: 20,015 Referee: Phil Dowd

Everton v Portsmouth

4 January 2005 22	Everton	2–1	Portsmouth	Liverpool, Merseyside
	Stubbs   29' Osman   90'	Report	Yakubu   31'	Stadium: Goodison Park Attendance: 35,480 Referee: Peter Walton

Portsmouth v Blackburn Rovers

15 January 2005 23	Portsmouth	0–1	Blackburn Rovers	Portsmouth, Hampshire
15:00 GMT	LuaLua   51' Faye   90'	Report	Pedersen  55'	Stadium: Fratton Park Attendance: 19,904 Referee: Andy D'Urso

Chelsea v Portsmouth

22 January 2005 24	Chelsea	3–0	Portsmouth	Fulham, London
	Drogba   15', 39' Robben   21'	Report		Stadium: Stamford Bridge Attendance: 42,267 Referee: Mike Riley

Portsmouth v Middlesbrough

1 February 2005 25	Portsmouth	2–1	Middlesbrough	Portsmouth, Hampshire
	Taylor   40' Yakubu   58'	Report	Christie   35'	Stadium: Fratton Park Attendance: 19,620 Referee: Phil Crossley

Tottenham Hotspur v Portsmouth

5 February 2005 26	Tottenham Hotspur	3–1	Portsmouth	Tottenham, London
15:00 GMT	Mido   34', 57' Keane   83'	Report	Kamara   28'	Stadium: White Hart Lane Referee: Steve Dunn

Portsmouth v Aston Villa

12 February 2005 27	Portsmouth	1–2	Aston Villa	Portsmouth, Hampshire
15:00 GMT	Yakubu   24' (pen.)	Report	De Zeeuw   17' (o.g.) Hitzlsperger   73'	Stadium: Fratton Park Attendance: 20,160 Referee: Dermot Gallagher

Manchester United v Portsmouth

26 February 2005 28	Manchester United	2–1	Portsmouth	Trafford, Greater Manchester
	Rooney   8', 81'	Report	O'Neil   47'	Stadium: Old Trafford Attendance: 67,989 Referee: Mark Halsey

Arsenal v Portsmouth

5 March 2005 29	Arsenal	3–0	Portsmouth	Islington, London
	Henry   39', 53', 85'	Report		Stadium: Highbury Attendance: 38,079 Referee: Chris Foy

Portsmouth v Newcastle United

19 March 2005 30	Portsmouth	1–1	Newcastle United	Portsmouth, Hampshire
	Stone   45'	Report	Dyer   43'	Stadium: Fratton Park Attendance: 20,165 Referee: Matt Messias

Fulham v Portsmouth

3 April 2005 31	Fulham	3–1	Portsmouth	Fulham, London
	Cole   63' McBride   81' Boa Morte   90'	Report	LuaLua   32'	Stadium: Craven Cottage Attendance: 20,502 Referee: Mark Clattenberg

Portsmouth v Charlton Athletic

9 April 2005 32	Portsmouth	4–2	Charlton Athletic	Portsmouth, Hampshire
BST (UTC+01)	Yakubu   3' Stone   20' Kamara   83' LuaLua   90'	Report	Fortune   22' Murphy   45'	Stadium: Fratton Park Attendance: 20,108 Referee: Graham Poll

Birmingham City v Portsmouth

16 April 2005 33	Birmingham City	0–0	Portsmouth	Birmingham, West Midlands
17:15 BST (UTC+01)		Report		Stadium: St Andrew's Attendance: 28,883 Referee: Peter Walton

Portsmouth v Liverpool

20 April 2005 34	Portsmouth	1–2	Liverpool	Portsmouth, Hampshire
	Kamara   34'	Report	Morientes   4' Luis García   45'	Stadium: Fratton Park Attendance: 20,205 Referee: Howard Webb

Portsmouth v Southampton

24 April 2005 35	Portsmouth	4–1	Southampton	Portsmouth, Hampshire
	Yakubu   4' (pen.) De Zeeuw   17' LuaLua   22', 27'	Report	Camara   20'	Stadium: Fratton Park Attendance: 20,210 Referee: Steve Dunn

Manchester City v Portsmouth

30 April 2005 36	Manchester City	2–0	Portsmouth	Manchester, Greater Manchester
15:00 BST (UTC+01)	Distin   4' Fowler   16'	Report		Stadium: City of Manchester Stadium Attendance: 46,454 Referee: Martin Atkinson

Portsmouth v Bolton Wanderers

7 May 2005 37	Portsmouth	1–1	Bolton Wanderers	Portsmouth, Hampshire
	Yakubu   72'	Report	Diouf   11'	Stadium: Fratton Park Attendance: 20,188 Referee: Matt Messias

West Bromwich Albion v Portsmouth

15 May 2005 38	West Bromwich Albion	2–0	Portsmouth	West Bromwich, West Midlands
	Horsfield   58' Richardson   75'	Report		Stadium: The Hawthorns Attendance: 27,751 Referee: Mike Riley

FA Cup

• Third round: Portsmouth 1-0 Gillingham (Yakubu 49)
• Fourth round: Southampton 2-1 Portsmouth (Oakley 54, Crouch 90 pen.; Yakubu 57 pen.)

League Cup

• Second round: Tranmere Rovers 0-1 Portsmouth (Kamara 65)
• Third round: Portsmouth 2-1 Leeds United (Kamara 14, Berkovic 32 pen.; Deane 40)
• Fourth round: Cardiff City 0-2 Portsmouth (Yakubu 47, 55 pen.)
• Quarter-finals: Watford 3-0 Portsmouth (Helguson 24, 57, Dyer 61)

References

1. "Redknapp quits as Portsmouth boss". BBC Sport. 24 November 2004. Retrieved 10 November 2020.
2. "Zajec named as Pompey boss". BBC Sport. 21 December 2004. Retrieved 10 November 2020.
3. Zajec was caretaker manager from 24 November until being appointed permanently on 21 December.
4. "Pompey unveil Perrin as new boss". BBC Sport. 7 April 2005. Retrieved 10 November 2020.
5. "2004–05 Premier League table". Premier League. Retrieved 7 May 2023.
6. Hislop was born in Hackney, England, and represented England at U-21 level, but also qualified to represent Trinidad and Tobago internationally and made his international debut for Trinidad and Tobago in 1999.
7. Kamara was born in Paris, France, but also qualified to represent Senegal internationally and made his international debut for Senegal in 2003.
8. Rodić was born in Kozarska Dubica, SFR Yugoslavia (now Bosnia-Herzegovina).
9. Mézague was born in Marseille, France, but also qualified to represent Cameroon internationally and made his international debut for Cameroon in 2003.
10. Harper was born in Oldham, England.
11. Quashie was born in Southwark, England, and represented England at U-21 and B level, but also qualified to represent Scotland internationally through his grandfather and made his international debut for Scotland in May 2004.
12. Pulis was born in Bristol, England, but also qualified to represent Wales internationally and would later represent them at U-21 level.
13. Péricard was born in Efok, Cameroon, but also qualified to represent France internationally and has represented them at U-21 level.
14. "Pompey swoop for Griffin". BBC Sport. 26 May 2004. Retrieved 10 November 2020.
15. "Ashdown fee is agreed". BBC Sport. 21 September 2004. Retrieved 10 November 2020.
16. "Pompey seal double signing". BBC Sport. 12 July 2004. Retrieved 10 November 2020.
17. "Pompey sign keeper Guatelli". BBC Sport. 2 August 2004. Retrieved 10 November 2020.
18. "Cisse signs for Portsmouth". BBC Sport. 6 August 2004. Retrieved 10 November 2020.
19. "Pompey bag Fuller". BBC Sport. 20 August 2004. Retrieved 10 November 2020.
20. "Pompey land new striker". BBC Sport. 30 August 2004. Retrieved 10 November 2020.
21. "Pompey sign Mezague". BBC Sport. 31 August 2004. Retrieved 10 November 2020.
22. "Pompey seal swoop for Greek duo". BBC Sport. 28 January 2005. Retrieved 10 November 2020.
23. "Pompey bag Slovenia striker Rodic". BBC Sport. 31 January 2005. Retrieved 10 November 2020.
24. "Sherwood signs for Coventry". BBC Sport. 9 July 2004. Retrieved 10 November 2020.
25. "Sheringham joins West Ham". BBC Sport. 14 July 2004. Retrieved 10 November 2020.
26. "Brentford sign Burton". BBC Sport. 16 July 2004. Retrieved 10 November 2020.
27. "Mornar set for Rennes deal". BBC Sport. 8 August 2004. Retrieved 10 November 2020.
28. "Howe seals Bournemouth return". BBC Sport. 12 November 2004. Retrieved 10 November 2020.
29. "Stoke swoop for young Pompey duo". BBC Sport. 24 December 2004. Retrieved 10 November 2020.
30. "Forest sign Curtis". Sky Sports. Retrieved 12 March 2023.
31. "Quashie completes Saints switch". BBC Sport. 17 January 2005. Retrieved 10 November 2020.
32. "Newcastle complete Faye signing". BBC Sport. 25 January 2005. Retrieved 10 November 2020.
33. "Stoke sign Pompey winger Harper". BBC Sport. 1 February 2005. Retrieved 10 November 2020.
34. "Berkovic quits Portsmouth to return home". Times of Malta. 4 February 2005. Retrieved 12 March 2023.
35. "Unsworth agrees Ipswich loan move". BBC Sport. 15 February 2005. Retrieved 10 November 2020.