Sol loving south coast life May 15 2008
Despite rumours linking him to a move elsewhere, Sol Campbell remains adamant that he loves life at Pompey.
The man from east London who became an England star in north London and courted controversy and criticism with his move across the great divide from Tottenham to Arsenal has found his bolt-hole at Portsmouth and, despite rumours to the contrary lately, he is not about to give it up.
But he is nowhere near settling for the easy life and will be happy to step back on to the big stage at Wembley on Saturday and lead Pompey to an FA Cup final triumph which he feels is the next big step in the club's exciting evolution.
Skipper Campbell is back after a hamstring injury scare which kept him out of last Sunday's shock defeat by Fulham, Portsmouth's fourth in a row.
Now Championship underdogs Cardiff aim to cash in on that slump but Campbell promises the Welsh side will face a vibrant Pompey.
He said: "I'm feeling good. It's sunny down here, the sea air, it's brilliant.
"The lads who have come in over the last two years since I've been here have been fantastic. The gaffer (Harry Redknapp) has brought in some great players.
"There is now a lot of experience combined with a will to win and that's the main thing. That mentality feeds through to everyone.
"Harry Redknapp has assembled a great side and he can get the best out of players. That is his forte. Obviously I'm happy he didn't go to Newcastle when he had the chance.
"He's happy down here, he knows the place inside-out, knows when to push, knows when to hold back. He's a great manager and Saturday will be a great day for him."
Critics argued Campbell was finished when he left Arsenal after the 2006 European Cup final, a game he scored in after coming back from a period out of the game.
It has not entirely been a bed of roses at Pompey either.
In January he suffered a backlash from within the club after criticising what he thought was Portsmouth's hesitancy in pushing on with plans to improve their standing, both on the field and off it. A leading Pompey official told him to mind his own business.
He said: "It was more the infrastructure of the club I was talking about when I was supposed to have had a go (during the January transfer deadline).
"They have now got planning permission for a new training ground and hopefully for a new stadium but whatever happens in three or four years, I feel it's still so important that the club moves on.
"You can go up and down the country and find clubs who have spent £100 million on new players but still want more."
Campbell also went public with his disgust about the racial and personal abuse he was still getting in a match against Tottenham in December at Fratton Park over his 2001 switch from White Hart Lane to Highbury.
He revealed: "I was at a 'Kick It Out' campaign meeting the other day and it's going well but there are still issues that need addressing and people are starting to take that on board.
"We all want to support our team but sometimes in life it doesn't always go the way you want. Players move on in their careers and there is a certain point where the abuse has to stop, where people have to step back and think about what they're actually saying.
"In the future I think what I did (fiercely registering his complaint on a radio phone-in show) will make a difference."
Campbell, now 33, won the League Cup with Spurs, the FA Cup and two league titles with Arsenal but he missed out on another Gunners final triumph through suspension.
"My FA Cup experience is a bit mixed, but I hope I get a lot of respect for coming back here after Arsenal.
"I'm a fighter and I'll always keep fighting. My attitude is right, and I've been doing things properly since I was 14 at Lilleshall.
"I've had so many different experiences right from growing up as a boy in Stratford, east London. I've taken those experiences and moved them into different areas and football is one of them.
"I could have told Steve McClaren where to go when he recalled me for England this season but I love playing for England and I've always said I'm there if they need me."
Recently rumours have resurfaced that Campbell could be on his way from Pompey soon, but he insisted: "I've got another year on my contract here and I'm enjoying myself and family life, enjoying my football.
"I talked about going abroad before but if that was ever going to happen it would have happened a year or two ago. My situation is different now. If I never move abroad I'll have no regrets.
"I enjoy the game more since I came here but there is always pressure whoever you play for."