Portuguese football/soccer: Pedro Mendes falls down pecking order at Portsmouth

26 September 2007

Your Say: Should Pedro Mendes be in the Portsmouth team?

Former Porto midfielder facing tough time Premiership club

One year ago the thought of Pedro Mendes failing to earn a place in the Portsmouth starting eleven would have been difficult to comprehend.

However, just seven games into the new Premiership season, Mendes appears to be undergoing an unexpected change to his status at the south-coast club.

Should the man who almost single-handedly saved the club from relegation in 2005/06 be in the starting eleven? To join the discussion fill in the form at the bottom of the page.

Related: Pedro Mendes PortuGOAL profile
Related: Mendes falls down pecking order at Portsmouth

Your comments

JOHN AYRE, HOVE, EAST SUSSEX
08/04/2008 11:53
Yes, Mendes should start.
In recent games, when we have started poorly, the team has been crying out for a player to raise the confidence of the players and pace of the game. Pedro Mendes does this - his instant accurately weighted passes raise the quality and control of the side. We immediately start to find team-mates and become more fluent as a team. I think he would have done this at Wembley, where we really struggled for any pace or cohesion in the first half. JOHN AYRE
J. Araujo, USA
29/01/2008 03:43
Glad to hear that Pedro is so well respected in the UK. Now if only Scolari would give this man a chance. Sounds like he deserves it.
John, UK
26/09/2007 13:16
The big three in Portugal should be fighting it out to bring this guy back home.
Al, UK
26/09/2007 12:54
We have a decent number of midfielders now and unfortunately Pedro isn't in the best of form, due to a number of injuries he hasn't really had a decent run of games for the last 12 months or so. Hes missing out at the moment but class is permanent and form is temporary so I reckon he'll be back in soon. If injuries or form hit anyone else and Pedro gets his shot I am sure he'll get back in the team long-term.
Rob, Portsmouth, UK
26/09/2007 11:11
He played yesterday and set up the winning goal. I agree with Byron - is that your real name!! - he should be one of the first names on the teamsheet.

I think even Harry knows that. He's just waiging for Pedro to fully recover from injuries and get back into his rhythm. When he's on form he's one the top midfielders in the Premiership, no doubt.
Byron Jones, Portsmouth, UK
26/09/2007 10:58
Personally Mendes would be one of the first names on my team sheet. but he has suffered injuries and while the current midfielders play well, he may just have to wait a little while to re-establish himself as a permanent. We should definitely NOT sell him.
Pompey have a strong squad now, and each and every player will have to play well to keep his place, and will not automatically walk back in if they miss matches through injury. That's goodness!
Peter P, UK
26/09/2007 10:57
I know a couple of Portsmouth fans and Pedro hasn't been the same since his clash with Thatcher last season.

Portsmouth News


Home Clubs Fixtures/Results Bwin Liga Portuguese Cup Champions League UEFA Cup National Team Portuguese Abroad Portsmouth Player Profiles Sitemap Your Say Links About/Contact Advertise with us PortuGOAL shop	26 September 2007 Your Say: Should Pedro Mendes be in the Portsmouth team? Former Porto midfielder facing tough time Premiership club One year ago the thought of Pedro Mendes failing to earn a place in the Portsmouth starting eleven would have been difficult to comprehend. However, just seven games into the new Premiership season, Mendes appears to be undergoing an unexpected change to his status at the south-coast club. Should the man who almost single-handedly saved the club from relegation in 2005/06 be in the starting eleven? To join the discussion fill in the form at the bottom of the page. Related: Pedro Mendes PortuGOAL profile Related: Mendes falls down pecking order at Portsmouth Your comments JOHN AYRE, HOVE, EAST SUSSEX 08/04/2008 11:53 Yes, Mendes should start. In recent games, when we have started poorly, the team has been crying out for a player to raise the confidence of the players and pace of the game. Pedro Mendes does this - his instant accurately weighted passes raise the quality and control of the side. We immediately start to find team-mates and become more fluent as a team. I think he would have done this at Wembley, where we really struggled for any pace or cohesion in the first half. JOHN AYRE J. Araujo, USA 29/01/2008 03:43 Glad to hear that Pedro is so well respected in the UK. Now if only Scolari would give this man a chance. Sounds like he deserves it. John, UK 26/09/2007 13:16 The big three in Portugal should be fighting it out to bring this guy back home. Al, UK 26/09/2007 12:54 We have a decent number of midfielders now and unfortunately Pedro isn't in the best of form, due to a number of injuries he hasn't really had a decent run of games for the last 12 months or so. Hes missing out at the moment but class is permanent and form is temporary so I reckon he'll be back in soon. If injuries or form hit anyone else and Pedro gets his shot I am sure he'll get back in the team long-term. Rob, Portsmouth, UK 26/09/2007 11:11 He played yesterday and set up the winning goal. I agree with Byron - is that your real name!! - he should be one of the first names on the teamsheet. I think even Harry knows that. He's just waiging for Pedro to fully recover from injuries and get back into his rhythm. When he's on form he's one the top midfielders in the Premiership, no doubt. Byron Jones, Portsmouth, UK 26/09/2007 10:58 Personally Mendes would be one of the first names on my team sheet. but he has suffered injuries and while the current midfielders play well, he may just have to wait a little while to re-establish himself as a permanent. We should definitely NOT sell him. Pompey have a strong squad now, and each and every player will have to play well to keep his place, and will not automatically walk back in if they miss matches through injury. That's goodness! Peter P, UK 26/09/2007 10:57 I know a couple of Portsmouth fans and Pedro hasn't been the same since his clash with Thatcher last season. Comment on this article. What do you think of this article? To give your opinion simply fill in the following form (max 1500 characters): Name: You must insert a Name City,Country: Email: Comment (0): You must insert a Comment *Mandatory Fields. Home . Clubs . Liga . Portuguese Cup . Champions League UEFA Cup . National Team . Portuguese Abroad . Player Profiles © Copyright of PortuGoal.net 2003-2008. Design addSymbol	Portsmouth News Mendes rules out return to Guimaraes Mendes looking for-ward to FA Cup final High praise for "back to his best" Mendes Mendes falls down Pompey pecking order Your Say: Should Mendes be a starter Mendes fires screamer before falling to injury Europe return the target for Mendes Mendes strikes as Pompey go fourth Mendes: Redknapp the key behind success Spectacular debut goal for Fernandes Mendes: "The worst moment of my career"