Cold showers and portacabins - but former Tottenham, Bolton and Fulham man loved it at Pompey

And the ex-Blues midfielder revealed his still dines out on the night he nutmegged Clarence Seedorf against AC Milan.

Davis outlined his affinity with the football club he joined from Spurs in 2006 and its city, as he linked up an outstanding array of talent.

Speaking to On the Judy Podcast, he said: ‘I used to love the team spirit at Portsmouth, I loved the lads. It was great.

‘Portsmouth has a whole, as a city and as a football club is brilliant.

‘I kind of likened it to Fulham a bit because it was a family club and a community club. Everyone got on and everyone mucked in.

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‘When I signed for Portsmouth it was cold showers and we were in Portacabins, but that’s what I grew up like.

‘It was normal to me and I think things like that build a team spirit.

‘When I first went there we were bottom of the league and our team spirit managed to keep us up.

‘There were the players he (Harry Redknapp) signed and always signs - Kranjcar, Defoe and Crouch - but they were good lads.

‘There was Glen Johnson, Sol Campbell, Sylvain Distin, Hermann Hreidarsson, David James, Papa Diop, Sulley Muntari, (David) Nugent, (John) Utaka - that was a team, a very good team.

Davis made 116 appearances for Pompey before departing for Bolton in 2009 and there is one standout occasion for the 41-year-old.

The AC Milan clash at 2008 was a seminal occasion and one the former Fulham man reflects on fondly - even if he was limited to nine minutes off the bench.

Davis added: ‘I played in Europe for Portsmouth. Buzzing.

‘We drew AC Milan, so it was “yes, we’re playing at the San Siro”.

‘But back then it was either home or away and we had AC Milan at Fratton Park.

‘They had the big boys and I was on the bench.

‘We’re 2-0 up, I come on and we draw 2-2.

‘Nothing was my fault but I was thinking this ain’t right.

‘I actually nutmegged Clarence Seedorf, though, that’s one of my claims to fame.

‘When I’m sat in my local bar with my mates (I just have to say) “I nutmegged Clarence Seedorf no look and banged it 60 yards!”.

‘But Ronaldinho scored a free-kick and Inzaghi scored. David James blamed the wall for the free-kick.

‘The ball was moving all over the place - one minute it’s Battersea Park Road and the next it’s the M25 - top corner, bang. And David James is blaming the wall!

‘He was a perfectionist, though, and the best keeper I played with, even though I played with van der Sar. He was such a professional.’

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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