# 2003–04 Portsmouth F.C. season

During the 2003–04 English football season, Portsmouth F.C. competed in the Premier League. It was their first ever season in the Premiership and the first in English football's top flight since the 1987–88 season.

## Season summary

Portsmouth's Premiership debut (and only their second top division campaign during the last 45 years) was a fine one, as they finished 13th and established Fratton Park as one of the hardest Premiership grounds to get a result at. Only their dismal away form (with only two away wins all season) prevented them from finishing even higher and challenging for a European place, but it was still a very good season for the only newly promoted side to preserve their Premiership status.
After a good start to the season which saw Portsmouth top of the Premiership after three games, the team slumped into the relegation zone, but rallied and only lost one of their last ten matches to finish 13th – ahead of more established sides like Everton, Manchester City, Blackburn Rovers and Tottenham Hotspur. To their credit, they were one of the only two teams to remain unbeaten against Arsenal's "Invincibles" in the league during the season.

## Final league table

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| 11 | Middlesbrough | 38 | 13 | 9 | 16 | 44 | 52 | −8 | 48 | Qualification for the UEFA Cup first round |
| 12 | Southampton | 38 | 12 | 11 | 15 | 44 | 45 | −1 | 47 | |
| 13 | Portsmouth | 38 | 12 | 9 | 17 | 47 | 54 | −7 | 45 | |
| 14 | Tottenham Hotspur | 38 | 13 | 6 | 19 | 47 | 57 | −10 | 45 | |
| 15 | Blackburn Rovers | 38 | 12 | 8 | 18 | 51 | 59 | −8 | 44 | |
* ↑ Middlesbrough qualified as the 2003–04 Football League Cup winners.

## Kit

Portsmouth introduced a new kit for the season, still manufactured under the club's own brand, Pompey Sport. ty remained the kit sponsors.

## Players
### First-team squad

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 1 | GK | TRI | Shaka Hislop |
| 2 | DF | ENG | Linvoy Primus |
| 3 | DF | SCG | Dejan Stefanović |
| 5 | DF | AUS | Hayden Foxe |
| 6 | DF | NED | Arjan de Zeeuw |
| 7 | MF | SCO | Kevin Harper |
| 8 | MF | ENG | Tim Sherwood |
| 9 | FW | BUL | Svetoslav Todorov |
| 10 | FW | ENG | Teddy Sheringham |
| 11 | MF | SCO | Nigel Quashie |
| 14 | MF | ENG | Matthew Taylor |
| 15 | MF | SEN | Amdy Faye |
| 16 | MF | WAL | Carl Robinson |
| 17 | FW | FRA | Vincent Péricard |
| 19 | MF | ENG | Steve Stone |
| 20 | FW | NGA | Yakubu |
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 21 | FW | JAM | Deon Burton |
| 22 | MF | SCO | Richard Hughes |
| 23 | MF | CZE | Patrik Berger |
| 25 | GK | NED | Harald Wapenaar |
| 26 | MF | ENG | Gary O'Neil |
| 28 | DF | FRA | Sébastien Schemmel |
| 30 | MF | RUS | Alexey Smertin (on loan from Chelsea) |
| 31 | DF | WAL | Richard Duffy |
| 32 | FW | COD | Lomana Tresor LuaLua (on loan from Newcastle United) |
| 33 | DF | ENG | John Curtis |
| 34 | DF | FIN | Petri Pasanen (on loan from Ajax Amsterdam) |
| 37 | FW | CRO | Ivica Mornar |
| 38 | FW | POL | Sebastian Olszar |
| 39 | MF | ISR | Eyal Berkovic |
| 40 | GK | ENG | Alan Knight |

### Left club during season

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 4 | DF | CRO | Boris Živković (to Stuttgart) |
| 18 | FW | ENG | Lee Bradbury (to Walsall) |
| 24 | GK | JPN | Yoshi Kawaguchi (to FC Nordsjælland) |
| 24 | GK | CZE | Pavel Srníček (to West Ham United) |
| 31 | FW | GRN | Jason Roberts (on loan from West Bromwich Albion) |
| 36 | MF | ENG | Courtney Pitt (to Oxford United) |
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| — | DF | ENG | Lewis Buxton (on loan to AFC Bournemouth) |
| — | DF | ENG | Jamie Vincent (to Derby County) |
| — | MF | ENG | Neil Barrett (on loan to Dundee) |
| — | MF | ENG | Carl Pettefer (to Southend United) |
| — | FW | ENG | Rowan Vine (on loan to Colchester United) |

### Reserve squad

    The following players did not appear for the first-team this season.
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 27 | DF | ENG | Eddie Howe |
| 29 | FW | SCO | Mark Burchill |
| 41 | MF | ENG | Anthony Pulis |
| 42 | MF | ENG | Warren Hunt |
| 43 | DF | ENG | Shaun Cooper |
| — | GK | ENG | Chris Tardif |
| — | DF | ENG | Lewis Buxton |
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| — | DF | ENG | Terry Parker |
| — | DF | ENG | Gary Silk |
| — | MF | ENG | Neil Barrett |
| — | MF | ENG | Chris Clark |
| — | MF | SCO | Mark Casey |
| — | FW | ENG | James Keene |
| — | FW | ENG | Rowan Vine |

## Transfers
### In

* Patrik Berger – Liverpool, free, 6 June 2003
* Dejan Stefanović – Vitesse Arnhem, £1,850,000, 20 June 2003
* Boris Živković – Bayer Leverkusen, free, 24 June 2003
* Teddy Sheringham, Tottenham Hotspur, free, 30 June 2003
* Harald Wapenaar – Utrecht, 8 July 2003
* Amdy Faye – Auxerre, undisclosed (estimated £1,500,000), 5 August 2003
* Sébastien Schemmel – West Ham United, undisclosed, 14 August 2003
* Alexey Smertin – Chelsea, season loan, 27 August 2003
* Jason Roberts – West Bromwich Albion, loan, 1 September 2003
* Pavel Srníček – Brescia, free, 1 September 2003
* Eyal Berkovic – Manchester City, £500,000, 8 January 2004
* Richard Duffy – Swansea City, undisclosed (six-figure sum), 26 January 2004,
* Sebastian Olszar – Admira Wacker Mödling, free, 26 January 2004
* Ivica Mornar – Anderlecht, £400,000, 29 January 2004
* Lomana Tresor LuaLua – Newcastle United, three-month loan, £100,000 loan fee, 2 February 2004
* John Curtis – Leicester City, free, 2 February 2004
* Vincent Péricard – Juventus, July 2003
* Petri Pasanen – Ajax Amsterdam, 2004
* Alan Knight – free

### Out

* Justin Edinburgh – released (later joined Billericay Town), 2003
* Jason Crowe – released (later joined Grimsby Town), 20 May 2003
* Luke Nightingale – released (later joined Southend United), 20 May 2003
* Carl Tiler – retired, 20 May 2003
* Gianluca Festa – Cagliari, 13 June 2003
* Paul Merson – Walsall, undisclosed, 18 July 2003
* Rowan Vine – Colchester United, season loan, 7 August 2003
* Yoshi Kawaguchi – FC Nordsjælland, 3 September 2003
* Carl Robinson – Rotherham United, month loan, 18 September 2003
* Boris Živković – Stuttgart, free, 13 January 2004
* Jason Roberts – West Bromwich Albion, loan ended, 14 January 2004
* Jamie Vincent – Derby County, free, 16 January 2004
* Neil Barrett – Dundee, loan, 23 January 2004
* Carl Robinson – Sheffield United, loan, 30 January 2004
* Pavel Srníček – West Ham United, month loan, 19 February 2004
* Lee Bradbury – Walsall, free, 25 March 2004
* Lewis Buxton – AFC Bournemouth, season loan, October 2003
* Courtney Pitt – Coventry City, loan
* Courtney Pitt – Luton Town, loan
* Lassina Diabaté – AC Ajaccio

## Results
### Results per matchday

| Matchday | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 | 37 | 38 |
| Ground | H | A | H | A | A | H | A | H | H | A | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | A | H | A | H | A | H | H | A | A | H | A | A | H | H | A | H | H | A | H |
| Result | W | D | W | D | D | L | L | L | W | L | L | W | L | L | D | L | L | W | L | L | W | L | D | L | L | D | L | L | W | W | D | W | W | W | D | D | L | W |
| Position | 7 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 14 | 16 | 18 | 18 | 15 | 16 | 18 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 17 | 16 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 13 |

### League Cup
## Awards

* August: Player of the Month, Teddy Sheringham
* April: Manager of the Month, Harry Redknapp

## Statistics
### Appearances and goals

    As of 15 May 2004
| No. | Pos | Nat | Player | Total | Total | Premier League | Premier League | FA Cup | FA Cup | League Cup | League Cup |
| No. | Pos | Nat | Player | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| Goalkeepers ||||||||||||
| 1 | GK | TRI | Shaka Hislop | 34 | 0 | 30 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 25 | GK | NED | Harald Wapenaar | 8 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Defenders ||||||||||||
| 2 | DF | ENG | Linvoy Primus | 26 | 0 | 19+2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 3 | DF | SCG | Dejan Stefanović | 38 | 3 | 32 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 5 | DF | AUS | Hayden Foxe | 13 | 0 | 8+2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2+1 | 0 |
| 6 | DF | NED | Arjan De Zeeuw | 42 | 1 | 36 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 14 | DF | ENG | Matthew Taylor | 38 | 4 | 18+12 | 0 | 4+1 | 3 | 3 | 1 |
| 28 | DF | FRA | Sebastian Schemmel | 18 | 1 | 12+2 | 0 | 1+1 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| 31 | DF | WAL | Richard Duffy | 1 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 33 | DF | ENG | John Curtis | 6 | 0 | 5+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 34 | DF | FIN | Petri Pasanen | 16 | 0 | 11+1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Midfielders ||||||||||||
| 7 | MF | SCO | Kevin Harper | 9 | 0 | 0+7 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 8 | MF | ENG | Tim Sherwood | 16 | 2 | 7+6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2+1 | 2 |
| 11 | MF | SCO | Nigel Quashie | 25 | 1 | 17+4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 15 | MF | SEN | Amdy Faye | 31 | 0 | 27 | 0 | 2+1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 16 | MF | WAL | Carl Robinson | 3 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 0+2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 19 | MF | ENG | Steve Stone | 36 | 2 | 29+3 | 2 | 0+1 | 0 | 2+1 | 0 |
| 22 | MF | SCO | Richard Hughes | 15 | 1 | 8+3 | 0 | 2+2 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 23 | MF | CZE | Patrik Berger | 23 | 5 | 20 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1+1 | 0 |
| 26 | MF | ENG | Gary O'Neil | 5 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1+1 | 0 |
| 30 | MF | RUS | Alexei Smertin | 33 | 0 | 23+3 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 37 | MF | CRO | Ivica Mornar | 10 | 1 | 3+5 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 39 | MF | ISR | Eyal Berkovic | 15 | 1 | 10+1 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Forwards ||||||||||||
| 9 | FW | BUL | Svetoslav Todorov | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 10 | FW | ENG | Teddy Sheringham | 38 | 10 | 25+7 | 9 | 2+1 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
| 17 | FW | FRA | Vincent Péricard | 7 | 0 | 0+6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 20 | FW | NGA | Yakubu | 43 | 19 | 35+2 | 16 | 4 | 1 | 1+1 | 2 |
| 21 | FW | JAM | Deon Burton | 2 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 32 | FW | COD | Lomano Tresor LuaLua | 15 | 4 | 10+5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 38 | FW | POL | Sebastian Olszar | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Players transferred out during the season ||||||||||||
| 4 | DF | CRO | Boris Živković | 20 | 0 | 17+1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 24 | GK | CZE | Pavel Srníček | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 31 | FW | GRN | Jason Roberts | 12 | 4 | 4+6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 |