Adams backing James to stay fit

PORTSMOUTH boss Tony Adams is insisting there is no goalkeeping crisis at the club — even though David James is carrying a knee problem.

The 38-year-old had an injection in the problem joint last week and was fine to play against Spurs.

But former Pompey manager Harry Redknapp said that James had told him he is struggling and was worried he would end up out of action.

If that were to happen, Portsmouth would find themselves short on experience between the sticks as Jamie Ashdown is a long-term absentee after tearing ankle ligaments, and the other two options — Asmir Begovic and Jon Stewart — are both untested at Premier League level.

But Adams is insistent that James will not need surgery, and there is no crisis imminent.

“I’ve had the same injection in my knee and I’m looking super-fit on the touchline,” he joked.

“He will be absolutely fine — not a problem. I have 100% no worries whatsoever — he is as fit as anyone.”

Jermaine Pennant is looking forward to kicking off his Portsmouth career in todays’s FA Cup clash with Swansea after claiming he was a victim of manager Rafael Benitez’s preference for foreign talent.

He said: “I don’t know what it is with me and Rafa. He knows I’ve got the ability and that I’m capable of playing in his team.

“But when you find yourself suddenly training on your own and it’s just a couple of years after playing in a Champions League final, you’ve got to wonder where you are going.

“A lot of people at Liverpool told me they can’t understand why I’ve not even been given a sniff of a chance and I don’t know either because I played 34 games last season and suddenly I can’t get in.”