"We looked a different team in the second half after a few things were said in the dressing room. The first half was very poor. We had to make some changes because some players were just not doing it.

"We took off Craig Moore after 30 minutes because he was struggling but he's only just come back from a long injury lay-off.

"He trained all right this week after being rested against Arsenal and we thought he was fit but obviously Kanu gives lots of problems to defenders and we thought it was right to make the change."

"The main thing for me (about Michael Owen) is when he comes back for Newcastle United. It is not all about England. It is about him coming back and playing for the club that paid Real Madrid £17million for him and who pay his wages.

"I have to say he is in great shape with his rehabilitation but he is running ahead of schedule and only when our medical staff, himself and I decide he is fit to play again will he do so.

"He has got God-given ability and what we all want to see is him pulling on that Newcastle shirt again first before anything else."

In about the time it takes to pull a decent pint of the black stuff, normal service was resumed and we became a beaten side. 

Seven minutes gone and it was apparently time gentlemen please - forget all that stuff and nonsense spouted after the Bramall Lane success about turning corners, knuckling down and getting our just rewards - just concede a goal and fold like a pack of cards.

Once again we answered our critics - by proving every last one of them right. Paper hats, jessies, softies, over-paid lummoxes - take your pick, they all fit.

And at the end of a desperate 45 minutes, we were still only one goal behind, our opponents having taken advantage of Newcastle's rampant disinterest in proceedings to go ahead, but then failed to punish us by a lack of luck.... or talent. 

The latter is a viable option - as we were simply there for the taking, Moore's withdrawal through dizziness in favour of Onyewu barely improving things - the last Australian who looked this shell-shocked was at Gallipoli.

The sad reality of that situation is that for Pompey, read Newcastle - just another set of journeymen with maybe a tad more pride in the shirt, slightly more motivation and perhaps a healthier chunk of respect for their manager.

Many of the same problems afflict them as us - a dodgy defence often baled out by some top stops by their 'keeper and some inconsistent players who don't always seem overly bothered about the fate of their employer. Three words - Lomana Tresor LuaLua.

While we beat the Blades and then drew with the Gunners over Easter, Pompey happened to be on the field as Manchester United imploded, then flushed full of self-congratulation went to bottom of the league Watford and shipped four goals.  

Newcastle of course just stopped short of commissioning videos of our New Year draw with Fergie's side - then promptly went and fell flat on our faces at mighty Birmingham City.

Roeder rightly chewed the lugs off his players at half time and correctly removed N'Zogbia - who had exceeded the low standards of his previous appearances this season with 45 minutes of absolutely bugger all.

Unfortunately the earlier replacement of Moore and the presence of two more grade A malingerers on our bench meant that others who had expressed their contempt for club, supporters and fans by their non-displays were left on - personally I'd have put Pav on outfield in place of either Duff or Emre.   

Only Parker enhanced his reputation today - and he didn't play.

And still we could have come away with a point, had more of this lot been sufficiently bothered for long enough. Not that it seemed to concern them as they trotted off at the end though.

As a sideshow, the Nigerian scoring competition ended 0-0 - Martins hitting the top of the bar and Kanu seeing his shot bounce down and off the line amid it claims it had gone in. 

There definitely seemed to be a spurt of chalk dust though - in weather more suited to Wimbledon.    

While remaining unimpressed by much of his decision-making and pronouncements this season, we have to admit an increasing sympathy with Roeder, who has to try and make a side out of players more interested in their car stereos than success. 

You couldn't motivate some of these buggers at gunpoint.

Maybe Dyer would have made a difference today, or maybe we'd have had another flounceathon. 
I know which one I'll plump for - we've asked, but Paddy Power just won't quote us odds on playing like drains....

Andy Carroll turned out and shamed the other buggers though - inexperienced, rough and ready, young and daft. Let's hope he can avoid picking up the "trappings" of some of his other new colleagues.

To someone who has been coming here for too long, his appearance and style was vaguely reminiscent of another local junior striking graduate - Anth Lormor, who netted here for us just shy of 19 years ago. 

At that time we were just a run of the mill side, top-flight but neither up nor down. 

However, while Fratton Park hasn't changed a great deal, we have. 52,000 pews with more planned, £11m duck egg subs and countless other big-time charlies.  

Like the class of 1988 though, none of the buggers have got any gongs. 

As our last two away games have shown, on any day we can beat, draw or lose to another dozen teams in this league - hardly a great return on the millions invested in this team. 

Make that wasted, after our inability to stake even a place in a made-up European competition.

Had the Newcastle team bus gone out of Fratton via the scenic route, they may have just caught a glimpse of the Isle of Wight - that's the closest we'll be getting to Europe with this mob.   

Biffa

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