Portsmouth have had some very dark days in the last 20 years, going from the Premier League to League Two in the space of three years - but they've also had some incredibly good times as well to go along with that.

Financial mismanagement from owners forced Pompey's demise and their drop down the leagues, but they spent some successful years in the top flight and even won the FA Cup and played in Europe, with some very talented players plying their trade at Fratton Park.

Pompey's Premier League squads were often full of players from across the globe with a few English players scattered in there, but there has been some really good ones from this nation to wear the blue shirt.

There wasn't a huge selection to choose from from their Premier League stints, but we've ranked the 10 best Englishman to play for the club since 2001 - do you agree? Let us know your top 10!

Because of the lack of real quality English players in terms of numbers that Pompey had in the Premier League, we've had to delve into their League One days - where they currently reside - and we've picked Jamal Lowe out.

When Portsmouth signed him he'd been plying his trade at Hampton & Richmond Borough.

Pompey took that punt on him though and in the 2018-19 season he fired in 15 goals from the wing - unfortunately though he couldn't get Pompey promoted as they lost out in the play-offs.

Lowe moved on to Wigan and is now at Swansea where he is flourishing and his talents were obvious when he played at Fratton Park.

He may be a controversial figure on the radio nowadays, but O'Hara was one of the only real positives in a dismal 2009-10 season for Pompey - which was their last in the Premier League.

The midfielder won the club's Player of the Year award in a season plagued by financial troubles, and because of his battling performances O'Hara is still held in high regard on the south coast - he even offered to help with coaching back in February when then-manager Kenny Jackett was hospitalised.

O'Hara probably wasn't the most technically-gifted in that particular Portsmouth squad but he definitely gave his all and for that he was appreciated.

A man who always knew where the back of the net was, Sheringham arrived for Portsmouth's first Premier League season in the latter stages of his career but he was a leading light on the pitch still.

Harry Redknapp needed some experience to fill the void that Paul Merson left and Teddy did just that, scoring nine Premier League goals in his one and only season at Fratton Park and formed a good partnership with Yakubu.

The club didn't offer Sheringham a new deal beyond his original one-year contract, but he continued to score goals for the next couple of years with West Ham whilst Pompey evolved themselves.

After spending the whole of his career in the top flight, Merson dropped down a level in 2002 after leaving Aston Villa, and at the age of 34 he decided to join Portsmouth.

Pompey hadn't even threatened to get promoted in the years prior, however with Merson's leadership on the pitch and his obvious talents he still had they were able to steamroll Division One.

Merson ended the season with 12 goals in 44 games from midfield and you would've expected him to have another crack at the top flight - but he thought he was too old to do that and ended up leaving after just one season.

It was a short stay but a very impactful one.

Just months after scoring in the Champions League final for Arsenal, Campbell swapped north London for the south coast and joined Pompey on a free transfer.

Despite not being at his peak like he was in the early 2000's, Campbell was still rock solid for Pompey and led them to FA Cup success as the club captain in 2008.

When Portsmouth got into financial difficulties the following season, Campbell was one of the big earners that decided to stay and help keep the club's Premier League status intact, playing 32 times but he would depart soon after that but did so as a great servant.

Taylor was a part of the 2002/03 promotion winning team after arriving from Luton Town, and he quickly got settled in the Premier League by playing 30 times in his first season.

The midfielder would soon find a habit of scoring sensational long-range strikes and he scored many goal of the season contenders during his six years at Fratton Park.

Taylor hit a seasonal best of eight Premier League goals in the 2006/07 campaign, but he'd depart halfway through the following season after Niko Kranjcar took his place in the line-up.

Regardless of that though he was a very consistent wide player and for that, he deserves to be recognised.

After struggling to hold down a place at Stamford Bridge, Johnson swapped Chelsea for Pompey in 2006 - initially on loan before making it a permanent deal.

Johnson ended up being a bargain buy for Portsmouth, giving them two years of service as a full-time player and it was when at Fratton Park he made his real England breakthrough as he was recognised as the country's top right-back.

He won the FA Cup with Pompey in 2008 and was named in the PFA Team of the Year for the 2008-09 season - by that point it was pretty obvious Johnson was moving on to a bigger club and he did just that by signing for Liverpool in a £18.5 million deal.

Defoe spent just one year at Fratton Park - he didn't even complete a full season after joining in January 2008 and leaving exactly a year later.

He was very effective though and his scoring record was impeccable - he played just 12 league games in his first half-season but scored eight times and in the first half of the 2008/09 campaign he scored seven in 19, and also netted for them in the UEFA Cup.

Defoe probably isn't highly thought of for wanting to leave Portsmouth after just one year at the club, but you cannot deny his impact and goalscoring record for the club during his brief spell.

Goalkeepers always tend to have the longest careers and David James arrived at Fratton Park in 2006, as a 36-year-old - however he was still pretty much in his prime and was still playing for England at the time.

He was named Pompey's Player of the Season in his debut year, and the following campaign he helped lead the club to the FA Cup, earning a place in the Premier League Team of the Year in the same season.

The success continued of sorts in 2010 when the club got to the FA Cup final despite relegation to the Championship, and he was still the regular first-choice up until his departure that year.

Crouch only spent two seasons at Portsmouth and they were six years apart, but his impact cannot be understated.

The striker was a gangly youngster in the 2001/02 season when Pompey purchased him from QPR, but his 18 goals in 37 First Division games couldn't push them any further closer to the Premier League promotion places and after not even a full season, Crouch went to Aston Villa for £5 million.

He returned in 2008, signing from Liverpool in an £11 million deal and he bolstered the squad ahead of a UEFA Cup campaign which unfortunately ended earlier than the club would have expected.

Crouch still played his part though, scoring 11 times in 38 games in the Premier League and that was his second and final season for Portsmouth as he departed for Tottenham Hotspur.