for the 1989–90 season, leaving Walsh on the bench. An injury to Stewart gave Walsh the chance to win back his first team place, and he marked his return to the first team with the winning goal in a 2–1 victory over rivals Arsenal, though failed to capitalise on this performance and again was dropped. Later in the season he had to be taken off at half-time against Wimbledon as he had a long night of drinking with George Best the previous night. He ended the campaign with three goals from 13 starts and 18 substitute appearances. He was on the bench for the first nine games of the 1990–91 campaign, but in his first start scored a hat-trick in a 4–0 win over Sheffield United. However Venables dropped him to the bench for the following game, and Walsh became "cynical and pissed off" as he felt nothing he could do could displace either Stewart and Lineker, though he ended the season with 20 starts and 19 substitute appearances. He did though make an appearance at Wembley in the 1991 FA Cup Final, coming on for Vinny Samways 82 minutes into a 2–1 victory over Nottingham Forest. Walsh missed two weeks of the 1991–92 pre-season with a groin injury, and on his first game back for the reserves at White Hart Lane punched reserve team manager Ray Clemence in the face after Clemence substituted him off after an hour. Walsh was suspended for two weeks and upon his return was loaned out to Queens Park Rangers for a month. QPR manager Gerry Francis wanted to make the signing a permanent one, but the club were unable to afford the £800,000 fee Spurs had asked for. After returning to Spurs he again punched someone in the face, this time a supporter who had shouted abuse to Walsh on the pitch after a game against Norwich City. He ended the campaign with three goals in 22 starts and 15 substitute appearances. Portsmouth Walsh was signed by First Division (second tier) club Portsmouth for a £400,000 fee in June 1992. In order to tempt him out of the top-flight "Pompey" manager Jim Smith offered him a four-year contract on a higher wage than he had been on at Spurs, whilst the club also bought his London home off him in order to facilitate his move to the south coast. In his autobiography he