Pompey'S player manager Steve Claridge will have an unusual feeling when he faces up to former club Birmingham City tomorrow.

He'll not only be playing against his old club, he'll also be the man planning the strategy to beat the old firm.

But Claridge, unbeaten in three games in charge of Pompey so far this season, would rather not be playing at all.

"We are down to the bare bones," he said. "I have only got 15 fit players and two of those, Darren Moore and Ceri Hughes, are carrying injuries."

Given the choice, Cleggie would consider taking up a purely managerial role but with the lack of fit players and his own rich vein of goal scoring form it's impossible to leave himself out.

"It's very difficult to do both jobs but that's the only way at the moment," said Claridge.

Definitely out are Nigel Quashie, Lee Mills, Rory Allen, Kevin Harper, Jason Cundy, Adrian Whitbread, Andy Awford, Mladen Rudonja, Tom Curtis and Gary O'Neil.

And Claridge will be keeping his fingers crossed every time Moore goes in for one of his hard-hitting tackles with his back still causing him problems.

There has been no attempt by Claridge to hide the fact that he is trying to bring in new players with troubled striker Stan Collymore being linked to the club before he suddenly joined Bradford on a free transfer yesterday.

"It's pretty urgent that I get someone in.

"We've lost Nigel Quashie for two to three weeks so that makes it important to get a wide man. I want to bring a couple in on loan initially with a view to making the moves permanent. The chairman has no problems with that."

In terms of wide players Claridge has enquired after Leicester's Steve Guppy and Lee Sharpe whose approach was rebuffed by Bradford.

The knock-backs make Bradford something less than Claridge's favourite club at the moment.

But it is testament to his new status that his own chairman is prepared to invest in the team at all.