Three fans from Vital Portsmouth have been good enough to give Vital Leeds United their answers to a few questions about our new signing Michael Brown who spent two years at Fratton Park before being released at the end of the season.
PompeyJake, Chix and PompeyFrippy all agree that we have signed a ball winning midfielder, someone who isn`t afraid to get stuck in and do the dirty work in the centre of the park.
They are all expecting him to receive an hostile reception when he returns to Portsmouth in February.
Were you be disappointed to see him leave?
PompeyJake
This is a tricky one but I’d have to say yes. He was a good player and we missed him after he stopped playing in December 2010 for the reason detailed below. However, Portsmouth have had to change its wages structure given our recent financial plight and he was on wages we could not sustain. In that sense, he had to go.
Chix
Disappointed he didn’t play at the back end of the season due to financial issues. Disappointed he left now, Well no, he left in January in my book.
PompeyFrippy
In all honesty, yes. I think he was one of those players you hate to play against but you love to have in your team. He is a real grafter who despite never lighting the world on fire, you can rarely say he had a bad game. Consistently impressive, I think we suffered when he decided not to play after January.
Where do you think it went wrong for him at Portsmouth?
PompeyJake
Last December when he could no longer play for us is where it went wrong.
A clause in his contract said that if he played one more game, it triggered an extension on a higher salary, which unfortunately we couldn’t afford. Although there has been conflicting reports on whether we offered him a ridiculously low salary, he did not re-sign so has been sat on the sidelines the last eight months. That could be a problem for you as his fitness and match quality could be a bit rusty as a result.
Chix
Peter Storrie and contract negotiations, enough said.
PompeyFrippy
Whoever wrote that contract stipulation scuppered his career badly. He lost the respect of all the fans he fought to impress by refusing to waive this contract stipulation and in doing so gaining six months wages for doing nothing. I thought he was the kind of man who just wanted to play, regardless of the circumstances. You hear so many stories of so-called footballers who are just in it for the money, and I didn’t think Michael was one of them. I was wrong.
What are his strength`s and weaknesses?
PompeyJake
He had a high work rate and he really got stuck in when he needed too. He led us well when he was captain, although he isn’t afraid to bring down or foul a player if he needs too. His discipline is a bit wayward at times. As a distributor of the ball, he is average. Again, this was eight months ago so who knows what he is like now.
Chix
A great ball winner who will always break up the play and he was a good motivator/captain.
His weakness was his discipline
PompeyFrippy
He is great on the ball and never afraid to get stuck into a tackle. As I mentioned, he always gives 100% (as long as your paying him) and plays well consistently. He scored a few cracking goals for us, but I wouldn’t say that’s a strength as when you think Michael Brown you rarely think goalscorer. His main weakness is his discipline, although he has managed to eradicate some of that out of his game in the last few years.
Did you have any chants for him?
PompeyJake
Not anything that springs to mind. I do expect on his return to Fratton Park for him to get a very hostile reception because of the contract issue and his refusal to play for the club for almost eight months.
Chix
No, nothing from the Fratton End, although I always wanted to think of one as he looks like Frank Spencer.
PompeyFrippy
Not really, but I think we might have one for when he comes back next year. I think he’ll get a very hostile reaction and in my opinion rightly so. I wouldn’t call him a professional footballer.
Thanks for answering the questions. Let us hope when you are giving him a hostile reception this season you remember to put 50p in the meter for the floodlights.
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