Adams delighted with first win

Adams: Hails players

Related links

Teams

• Portsmouth

Players

• Jermain Defoe
• Nadir Belhadj

Also see

• Sky Sports experts
• Transfer Centre
• Super 6: Win £100k

Tony Adams hailed his players' determination to finally record his first win as Portsmouth manager with a 2-1 success over Sunderland.

Since taking on his new role as Pompey boss, the former defender has rued his side's luck in recent weeks which has seen them pick up just one point in their last four games.

But thanks to a clumsy challenge from El-Hadji Diouf in the final minute, the new Pompey boss picked up his first three points in charge when Jermain Defoe slotted home the penalty.

"Probably out of the four games I've been in charge it was probably our worst performance," Adams told Sky Sports.

"First-half I thought we turned the ball over very poorly and kept giving it away., second-half we did a little bit better. But we played better against Fulham, Liverpool and Wigan and I suppose, as they say, that's football.

"We've hit the bar four times last weekend and had two cleared off the line, so I haven't got a clue how this game works!"

Confidence

After going one down in the first four minutes from a Djibril Cisse strike, Portsmouth could have been heading for another defeat and a long trip home from the Stadium of Light as Sunderland began to grow in confidence.

However the away side bounced back through a well-struck effort from on-loan wing-back Nadir Belhadj. Then with minutes to spare, Glen Johnson was brought down in the box by Diouf and Defoe converted the spot-kick.

"I've had a fantastic response from the lads... that scares me really because usually there are some people that don't like me or react badly!" Adams said.

"Since I've been here in the four games I'm delighted with them, I really am, and I think they're delighted with me so that's the main thing and everyone's pulling together and that's important."

Media speculation

With first-team coach Joe Jordan leaving his Portsmouth post to join Harry Redknapp's revolution at Tottenham, Adams was quick to thwart media speculation over who he will be appointing as his new-look staff.

Former Arsenal team-mates Dennis Bergkamp, Nigel Winterburn, Lee Dixon, Martin Keown and Steve Bould have all been rumoured to be recruited to Fratton Park.

But Adams was quick to dispel those rumours, adding: "I like to go about these things discreetly and correctly, and I want to get the right people in.

"I think I've found them and they can go on and get my team sorted out."