Row at Portsmouth as Gekas hits out at Hart

An interesting row has broken out at Portsmouth’s Fratton Park. Greek striker Theofanis Gekas moved to Pompey on loan from Bayer Leverkusen in January

In the club’s first two games following his move, Gekas was an unused substitute. Since then, he has not made the squad for any of the three games. It is fair to say that Gekas is pretty cross about that!

“I don’t deserve something like this, such treatment. I think my CV is worthy of respect. Through my efforts on the field in the past year, I’ve shown people what I’m capable of. I deserve more respect. I didn’t walk away from Leverkusen – a club going for the German Championship – in order to come over here, at a club fighting for survival only, and be seated in the stands. I didn’t come here just to train with the rest of the team. I don’t care if there’s a new manager, I only know Mr Hart keeps ignoring me without even giving me a single, simple, explanation. He should give me a chance first and then, if I fail, he can judge me.”

Manager Paul Hart says that it is difficult to pick Gekas, who was signed by former manager Tony Adams, as he hasn’t ever seen him play.

“I understand his frustration, but a lot of people are frustrated in life. Theo’s been unfortunate which I’ve said before. He’s been here a week and the manager that signs him leaves, so I don’t think anybody has seen him in the time that he’s there. It’s unfortunate for him but he’s got to get his head down and be ready to be called upon if and when.”

The twenty-eight year old striker is an experienced player who has scored thirteen goals in thirty-six matches for Greece. He played for various Greek clubs before moving on loan from Panathinaikos to Bochum in the German second division.

Success

He then signed for Bayer Leverkusen where he enjoyed some success scoring thirteen league goals in thirty-eight games. Despite his reasonable scoring record he was not a favourite of coach Michael Skibbe and was often left out of the team. Many of his appearances at the club came from the bench.

The omission of Gekas has baffled some Pompey fans who fail to see the logic of keeping an international striker in the stands and at a time of financial difficulty for the club, paying him to do nothing.

Reputation

Paul Hart says that he won’t play him until he has at least seen him play in a reserve game and Gekas remains insistent that his reputation justifies an opportunity in the Pompey first team.

So, in this battle of wills between manager and player who is right?

I can see the point of the fans. Why on earth should a recognised international striker who is presumably being paid handsomely not be given a chance in a team that is teetering on the brink of relegation and has only scored eleven goals in their last twelve games?

I can see the point of Paul Hart. He has Peter Crouch, David Nugent and Kanu and he hasn’t seen Gekas play. It would be one heck of a risk to use a player in those circumstances when he doesn’t have to. In the five games in which he hasn’t featured Pompey have picked up two good away draws and a home win.

I can see the point of Theofanis Gekas. He must be incredibly frustrated and he must be wondering what on earth he is doing on the South Coast of England.

Least sympathy

I guess that the argument I have least sympathy with is that of Gekas. Last season he started twenty games for Bayer and came on as a substitute nine times. This season he hadn’t started a game and had made fifteen substitute appearances for Bayer and one for Greece.

So when he talks of walking away from the title chase in Germany he was hardly a major part of it.

Surely he must be able to see that it was simply unfortunate that the man who signed him was sacked soon afterwards.

He can hardly be match fit with only sixteen substitute appearances to his name all season and he must be completely mad if he thinks this public outburst is likely to make his manager reconsider his position!

It would certainly be interesting to be a fly on the wall at the next meeting between the pair!