Duncan Barkes

What an asset he is to the clubs.

Well, he's not part of the club's media, but to Pompey's public image.

And I just want to echo something that the excellent Neil Allen said in the news a couple of days ago, that we are on our knees.

We are on our knees, but we're sort of going to start staggering to our feet, hopefully, beginning with this signing.

I don't remember when it came in that left-footed wingers play on the right and vice versa.

And if it's the case, then it means that if you're a full-back, then the winger coming at you is just as likely to cut inside as to try and get down to the byline and get a cross in.

So maybe we're approaching the day when left-footed fullbacks play right back and again vice versa to negate that threat.

Keeps us on our toes, doesn't it?

Fingers crossed.

for this lad.

We need somebody explosive, don't we?

Yes, as usual, John Messina manages to come up with a nice phrase, and it is, I think the season is ahead of Connor.

And that is a good way of looking at it.

He hasn't hit the ground running as we expected, hoped, when we got the exciting news that he was coming.

It really rounded off what appeared to be a measured and successful spend or acquisition, series of acquisitions during the summer.

We've got Conor Chaplin.

But he didn't buzz.

And he has only just begun to buzz and show us what he can do.

He can hit the ball, but he can do a lot more than that.

He knows where the goal is, but he can do a lot more than that.