Is Tony Adams the right man to manage Portsmouth?

Tony Adams was confirmed on Tuesday as Portsmouth's new manager.

The former England and Arsenal defender took charge of the side with Joe Jordan, the head coach, on Sunday for the 1-1 draw with Fulham following Harry Redknapp's departure to Tottenham Hotspur.

But is he the right man for the job on a permanent basis?

Adams has only had one spell in charge of a club since hanging up his boots, when he struggled at Wycombe Wanderers during the 2003-04 season. He also invests much of his time with the running of the Sporting Chance clinic, where sportsmen and women receive support and counselling, mostly for addictions to alcohol, drugs and gambling.

Tony Cascarino backs the appointment, saying Adams knows the club and the players and would offer the stability they need. Although he felt Adams should have been given a few games to prove himself first.

Since leaving Wycombe, Adams has gained experience at various clubs throughout Europe, watching their training techniques, and he was given a huge endorsement by Redknapp yesterday.

With Portsmouth enjoying their most successful period in the modern era as FA Cup holders and Uefa Cup competitors, can Adams take them even further forward? Is the time right for him to take the reins of a Premier League club or is he lacking vital experience at the top level?

If not Adams, who should have been given the job - Sam Allardyce? Avram Grant? Anybody else?

Let us know below if you think Adams is the right choice for Portsmouth.

Comments

[robson de souza from miles platting]

hard to say really - he was a bit of a disaster at wycombe and if jordan is appointed also his record as a manager is terrible . sam allyrdyce could certainly do a job given time and money , however the latter would appear to be in short supply and adams appointment is certainly a cheap option

[Kim]

Yes Tony Adams is the only man for the job. A great captain at AFC and now he has the required experience of motivating and training players at Porthsmouth.

We need more Englishmen in top football management. Paul Ince has potential to be the national squad's manager too. Give these guy time to settle into their jobs and English football will benefit long term.

[Danny]

As Harry himself would probably say; 'I'm pleased for Tony, I really am. He could become a top, top manager, he really could. He was a top, top player, Tony, he really was. I've got no problem with him. He deserves his chance, he really does. I like, Tony, I really do.'

[C.Elder]

Probably too early for Tony.He should have gone to work for someone like Fabio Cappello first to learn his trade and become familiar with a wider range of players.But Portsmouth are a mid-table club,and so he won't be too exposed,even though some of the current team will be sold in January to Spurs.

[bazza]

He should be given the chance, look at Garth Southgate at Middlebororgh.

[C Darken]

the players at Pompey will not suddenly become bad players, there is some class there. Do they play for Rednapp or Portsmouth?

[Bob Greenaway]

The Pompey fans will give him terrific support.Sadly that horrific experience at Wycombe nags away,once Harry starts chipping away at his old players,who will they choose?

[floridagunner]

Though I love Tony Adams as an Arsenal Fan, I'm not sure if he's really cut out for management of a football team.

Being a manager requires a certain level of cold bloodedness that I dont think Adams has. In addition he did not really prove himself at Wycombe so a lot of questions remain.

For his sake I would love for him to succeed at Portsmouth, but it will be very hard for him to outdo Redknapp's achievements considering how limited Portsmouth's resources are.

As for Redknapp I hope he fails disastrously at Tottenham and ends up being even worse than Ramos, though that will be hard as he already has more points from 1 game then Ramos had from 8.

[Marc]

I expect a lot of Arsenal youngsters to turn up at Pompey, which should help hide Adams' inexperience in the transfer market and Gaydamak's reduced funds.

[Howard]

While his familiarity with the Pompey set-up is a plus, it's a long stretch for Adams to step up to Premiership management. When interviewed he's not very articulate, and although he was a legendary Arsenal captain, managing a team is different altogether. In the light of his limited and not especially successful management experience, it's not hard to imagine Portsmouth flirting with the relegation places, especially once Harry comes raiding.

[Ian]

Is this a joke? Expect the exodus to start after xmas.

I'm supprised he can manage to cross the road.

Poor old pompy.

[Rob Hillery]

Nothing is for certain in football but for me he ticks the right boxes as a football manager.
From Portsmouth point of veiw he provides continuity which mean the club will remain stable which is a very important factor, He is also cheap option which means they have made a little bit of money from the whole thing. The football is the most important aspect however and as a Footballer, Adams was excellant. He will get respect from players for that and as a coach I have been impressed with him, he has had the motivation to go abroad and learn new ways of coaching, he has excellant composure and whenever he has been a pundit for TV I have found him insightful. For Adams this is his chance to prove to himself that he can make it and I hope it works out well for him.

[George Davidge]

I have often said how he disapointed me as a player. I saw him as a kid & he could have been great. He has all the attributes that you would want as a manager. He has been there and done it all. Even if the all included a lot of stuff that he should'nt have done. So he's seen it. He talks about defending as being crucial to the game (perhaps a bit Don Howe ish) & he knows what a good striker needs, how can he fail?

[AS]

Avram Grant should have been give the job.He was director of football before at portsmouth and managed a champions league club and national team before.

[Peter Johnson]

I would have given him a run of games to prove himself as he was a complete disaster at Wycombe. They played some awful football and his lack of communication skills showed when dealing with the players.

I think his problems may come after the transfer window if Pompey sell some of their best players.

I wish him well and hope he is a big success as we need more English managers.

[DR]

His problems at Wycombe were a long time ago. Ferguson, Wenger, Benitez and Mourinho were all sacked early in their careers. Allow for the chance that Adams has gone away learnt different coaching methods (one of the few coaches, humble enough and intelligent enough to go abroad and learn) and will be far wiser and better for it.

Adams natural leadership qualities will enhance his management and if he has a good group of coaches under him, he will do well.