Todorov: Why I walked out on Pompey

Portsmouth striker Svetoslav Todorov is hoping to be considered for a place in the squad to face Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Saturday – despite walking out on the team before the last match.

The Bulgarian insists he is still fully behind manager Harry Redknapp in the fight against relegation, even though he left Fratton Park before kick-off in the clash with Manchester United after finding out he was not in the starting line-up or among the substitutes.

He admits, after almost two years on the sidelines recovering from a severe knee injury, that he felt he could not cope with sitting through another game as a spectator.

Todorov, 27, has endured a season of frustration after former manager Alain Perrin would not trust him with a first-team start on fitness grounds, but fans have been inspired by his most recent appearances as a substitute.

Now he has explained to the Portsmouth News: “I did leave the ground last weekend when the manager told me I wasn’t playing or even on the bench, but I wasn’t trying to cause trouble.

“I’ve watched so many games I just couldn’t handle watching another one. It would have done my head in to do it again. I couldn’t do it. That’s all it was. There are no problems.”