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Linvoy Primus
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===Portsmouth=== After friendly matches with [[Dorchester Town F.C.|Dorchester Town]] and [[Exeter City F.C.|Exeter City]], Primus signed a contract with Portsmouth although he was disappointed with the low wages in comparison to other players.<ref>{{cite book| last= Primus| pages = 88β90| chapter = All change at Pompey| title = Linvoy Primus: Transformed}}</ref> He did not get his Portsmouth career off to a good start, scoring an [[own goal]] on his debut away at [[Sheffield United F.C.|Sheffield United]].<ref name="email convo"/> Pulis was sacked early on in the [[2000β01 Football League|2000β01 season]] after a poor start and was replaced by fans' favourite [[Steve Claridge]].<ref>{{cite book| last= Primus| pages = 94β97| title = Linvoy Primus: Transformed}}</ref> Portsmouth were still near the relegation zone after a poor run of form that also saw Primus being [[Ejection (sports)|sent off]] for the first time in his career for a foul on [[Fulham F.C.|Fulham]]'s [[Louis Saha]].<ref name="p100">{{cite book| last= Primus| page = 100| title = Linvoy Primus: Transformed}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Old style with new class |url=http://football.guardian.co.uk/Observer_Match_Report/0,,-31787,00.html |newspaper=The Guardian |date=19 November 2000 |access-date=18 February 2010|last=Ridley|first=Ian | location=London}}</ref> [[Gilmore's groin]] ruled him out of action for five months from November of that season,<ref name="p100"/> during which Claridge was replaced by [[Graham Rix]],<ref>{{cite book| last= Primus| page = 102| chapter= It all took some believing...| title = Linvoy Primus: Transformed}}</ref> this was after Primus formed a partnership with Jamaican international [[Darren Moore]].<ref>{{cite book| last= Primus| page = 94| title = Linvoy Primus: Transformed}}</ref> After a defeat to [[Crystal Palace F.C.|Crystal Palace]] (which Primus described as the "lowest point of [his] career"),<ref>{{cite book| last= Primus| page = 105| title = Linvoy Primus: Transformed}}</ref> Portsmouth needed a victory over [[Barnsley F.C.|Barnsley]] to stay in Division One and they duly won 3β0 with Huddersfield being relegated after their final day defeat. After the conclusion of the season, Primus fell out with Rix as he was unsure about whether Rix thought he had a future at the club.<ref>{{cite book| last= Primus| pages = 103β107| title = Linvoy Primus: Transformed}}</ref> The [[2001β02 Football League|next season]] started with the death of goalkeeper [[Aaron Flahavan]] and the departure of Primus' close friend Moore to [[West Bromwich Albion F.C.|West Bromwich Albion]].<ref>{{cite book| last= Primus| pages = 128β129| chapter= Whatever you want me to do...| title = Linvoy Primus: Transformed}}</ref> Primus struggled to get a game under Rix but the appointment of [[Harry Redknapp]] in March 2002 gave him a new lease of life and he ended that season with two league goals in games against [[Bradford City A.F.C.|Bradford City]] and Barnsley.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_div_1/1752859.stm|title=Bradford 3β1 Portsmouth|work=BBC Sport|date=12 January 2002 |access-date=6 September 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_div_1/1794007.stm |title=Portsmouth 4β4 Barnsley |work=BBC Sport |date=2 February 2002 |access-date=6 September 2009}}</ref> Despite originally being told by Redknapp he was not of [[Football League First Division|Division One]] standard, let alone suitable for the [[Premier League]], Primus proved his manager wrong by seizing his chance when other players missed out through injury and suspension. By the end of the [[2002β03 in English football|2002β03 season]] he had become a vital member of the side that won the Division One title, winning the Portsmouth fans' player of the season as well as the [[Professional Footballers' Association|PFA]] accolade for Division One.<ref name=":0">{{cite magazine|url=http://fourfourtwo.com/blogs/fourfourtwoview/archive/2009/12/09/how-a-christian-soldier-set-a-primus-example.aspx |title=How a Christian soldier set a Primus example |magazine=FourFourTwo |date=9 December 2009 |access-date=4 January 2010 |last=Morgan |first=Steve |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100107204450/http://fourfourtwo.com/blogs/fourfourtwoview/archive/2009/12/09/how-a-christian-soldier-set-a-primus-example.aspx |archive-date= 7 January 2010 }}</ref><ref name=":1">{{cite web|url=http://www.givemefootball.com/pfa-fans-awards/steven-gerrard-is-the-fans-favourite |title=Steven Gerrard is the fans' favourite |publisher=Give Me Football |date=5 May 2009 |access-date=4 January 2010 |last=Smith |first=Dave |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110613202830/http://www.givemefootball.com/pfa-fans-awards/steven-gerrard-is-the-fans-favourite |archive-date=13 June 2011 }}</ref> He scored once that season for Portsmouth in the League Cup against [[Peterborough United F.C.|Peterborough United]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/2239170.stm|title=Pompey 2β0 Peterborough|work=BBC Sport|date=10 September 2002 |access-date=4 November 2009}}</ref> Primus credits his renaissance to his conversion to Christianity after a friend of his wife's invited him to church.<ref name="Faith in football">{{cite news |title=Faith in Football |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/southampton/faith/linvoy.shtml |work=BBC News |date=1 September 2004 |access-date=29 August 2007}}</ref> [[Image:Sol-Campbell.jpg|thumb|left|200px|Sol Campbell was Primus' partner in defence for the majority of the [[2006β07 FA Premier League|2006β07 season]].]] Despite the previous season's heroics, Primus was not used regularly in the early part of Portsmouth's first Premier League season. Harry Redknapp had ditched his 3β5β2 formation in favour of the more conventional 4β4β2 and partnered new record signing [[Dejan StefanoviΔ]] with [[Arjan de Zeeuw]]. During December, Portsmouth were in a terrible run of form and Redknapp decided to bring one of his most reliable players back into his plans for the [[derby match]] with [[Southampton F.C.|Southampton]]. In spite of a 3β0 loss, Primus retained his starting place for the remainder of the season. The following season saw Primus remain a regular member of the Portsmouth team under first Redknapp and then both his successors, [[Velimir Zajec]] and [[Alain Perrin]]. He scored his first Premier League goal at Crystal Palace on [[Boxing Day]] 2004.<ref>{{cite news |title=Palace 0β1 Portsmouth: Primus winner |url=http://soccernet.espn.go.com/report?id=153690&cc=5739 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050127003653/http://soccernet.espn.go.com/report?id=153690&cc=5739 |url-status=dead |archive-date=27 January 2005 |publisher=ESPN Soccernet |date=26 December 2004 |access-date=29 August 2007}}</ref> He scored again on Boxing Day in 2006, when grabbing two headed goals against [[West Ham United]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_prem/6200181.stm |title=West Ham 1β2 Portsmouth |work=BBC Sport |date=26 December 2006 |access-date=6 September 2009 |first=Julian |last=Shea}}</ref> Although Primus was a regular member of Perrin's team at the end of the [[2004β05 FA Premier League|2004β05 season]] and captained the side on occasions during pre-season, he rarely featured until Perrin's sacking in November. The return of [[Harry Redknapp]], who had been won over by his performances and was now one of his biggest admirers, to Portsmouth lead to Primus' immediate return to the side, and he was ever present in the side that achieved Premiership survival in the last 10 games of the season. Primus remained a regular in the Portsmouth defence for the [[2006β07 FA Premier League|2006β07 season]], partnering England international [[Sol Campbell]] in the centre of defence,<ref>{{cite news|title=Sol Campbell Bio |url=http://soccernet.espn.go.com/players/profile?id=8049&cc=5739 |publisher=ESPN Soccernet |access-date=25 December 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100121081952/http://soccernet.espn.go.com/players/profile?id=8049&cc=5739 |archive-date=21 January 2010 }}</ref><ref name="Linvoy ESPN Bio">{{cite news|title=Linvoy Primus Bio |url=http://soccernet.espn.go.com/players/profile?id=5382&cc=5739 |publisher=ESPN Soccernet |access-date=25 December 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090402035014/http://soccernet.espn.go.com/players/profile?id=5382&cc=5739 |archive-date= 2 April 2009 }}</ref> and Redknapp hailed him as the unofficial Player of the Season; the official winner of the award was [[David James (footballer, born 1970)|David James]].<ref name="Linvoy ESPN Bio"/><ref>{{cite news |title=Johnson named your Pompey Player of the Season|url=http://www.portsmouth.co.uk/frattonlatest/Johnson-named-your-Pompey-Player.5293772.jp |newspaper=Portsmouth News|access-date=25 December 2009|date=22 May 2009|last=Allen|first=Neil}}</ref> He failed to make an appearance in 2007β08 due to a career threatening knee injury. He was treated with surgery performed by Dr. [[Richard Steadman]] who is known to have saved the careers of many footballers, including [[Alan Shearer]] and [[Ronaldo (Brazilian footballer)|Ronaldo]]. After the operation, Primus commented "The difference between success and failure is what you do afterwards in your rehabilitation, not necessarily the actual operation."<ref>{{cite news |title=Fine line between playing on and retiring for Linvoy |url=http://www.portsmouth.co.uk/behind-the-scenes/Fine-line-between-playing-on.3615674.jp |newspaper=Portsmouth News |date=22 December 2007 |access-date=25 December 2009}}</ref> Despite his injury, he still managed to earn a new one-year deal at Portsmouth in May 2008.<ref>{{cite news|title=New deal for loyal Linvoy |url=http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard-sport/article-23483060-new-deal-for-loyal-linvoy.do |newspaper=London Evening Standard |date=8 May 2008 |access-date=25 December 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110606143725/http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard-sport/article-23483060-new-deal-for-loyal-linvoy.do |archive-date= 6 June 2011 }}</ref>
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