Duncan Barkes

He said the gaffer here has given me a role where I can get myself in the box and try to get goals.

That's the license I have.

I class myself as a box-to-box player.

That's two-in-two for me since I signed here and hopefully I can carry that on."

We get the impression that nobody connected with Portsmouth either as a fan or a member of staff or a player or whatever.

is under any illusion about that.

There was a key word in there.

Journalists should be very careful about all their words.

There was a key word in there, which was get fit and stay fit.

Get fit and stay fit?

Does that mean he's not ready to turn out straight away?

That would be interesting, not necessarily disappointing, but we are short of centre-halves.

And if he's arrived at the club and he's in need, either of finishing off his recuperation or doing some work on the training ground in order to get match sharp as well as match fit, then I think one or two people will be a little bit surprised and disappointed.

We want somebody who can play now.

And it's a mouth-watering prospect that, as we're about to hear in a few moments elsewhere on Pompey Sound, the podcast, it looks as though John Massino has said that Jacob Farrell can go out on loan.

And that means he thinks he's covered at left back.

And of course, he's got Connor Ogilvie back and he's got Swanson, who's done a fantastic job standing in for the ever reliable Connor Ogilvie.

But now we've got this guy, Alisi, who it is said can play at left back, a towering six foot four inch left back, a left back you quite simply would not expect.

fancy yourself against, up against, if you're a right wing or a right-sided attacking midfield player.

And yes, unless you yourself feel as though you're special enough to deal with him.