Let the good times roll with Harty and Kiddo
David James has hailed the back-to-basics masterplan which has taken Pompey to the brink of Premier League survival.
And the influential goalkeeper believes its architects Paul Hart and Brian Kidd should remain in charge beyond this season.
The Blues are currently seven points clear of the drop zone heading into Saturday's Arsenal visit.
The Hart and Kidd double act has inspired them to 14 points from 10 matches, with four clean sheets along the way.
It's the repairing of the rot which had previously left Pompey fearing for their top-flight future as they sank towards the relegation zone under Tony Adams.
Now they stand on 38 points following Monday's goalless draw with Newcastle, just two tantalising points short of the magical 40 mark.
James (right) has been an outspoken critic of the Adams era.
But he believes the current duo would be the ideal choice to remain at the helm. He said: 'Since Paul has taken over with Kiddo, we have done a lot of the basics.
'Against Newcastle was basic defending.
'At the beginning of the season we were too confident and the Premier League is a cruel place.
'If you are not quite right, you will get beaten.
'We were dropping points against teams who, arguably, were not as good as us.
'But the way we were playing was not suitable.
'Now, we have lost just three of our last 11 games – against United, Liverpool and Chelsea.
'Ultimately, we had something which was very good last season – it has now returned with Harty and Kiddo.
'If the club are looking for a replication of last year's performances, they have, arguably, got the right people in place.'
Despite Pompey's seven-point advantage, James is still wary over the position.
With just four games remaining, it's looking increasingly unlikely that Middlesbrough and Newcastle have enough time remaining to catch them up.
Then again, at this stage of the season anything can happen. And James is in no mood to kick off the celebrations. He added: 'There is no such thing as safe, not at the moment, but if Newcastle had won we would have only been four points from safety.
'That point keeps us out of harm's way – and our goal difference is better than theirs.
'Every time we keep a clean sheet we normally end up conceding two goals but, arguably, it was more important we got a point against Newcastle than against Arsenal.
'It was important we didn't lose.'
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Weather for Portsmouth
Friday 10 February 2012
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: -3 C to 4 C
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