Front Page Articles

S.S. Pompey, hopefully not another Titanic...

2010-03-16T17:21:00Z

Though realistically relegation has been a foregone conclusion since Christmas, indeed, if you take an honest and unbiased look, it was pretty much highly probable before the season even kicked off. With the heavy defeat at Anfield on Monday night, even the most optimistic amongst us, must surely accept that escaping relegation is now as unlikely as the titanic staying afloat after she hit the unforseen iceberg.

So where do we go from here?....and more importantly, how do we get there?

Yes relegation spell’s the end of our brief sojourn amongst England’s elite. But it should not signal the end of the club itself.

The owners of the white star line would have loved to get the titanic back to port and rebuild her. Stronger, safer and more luxurious than before, then refloated her amongst the shipping elite. At least we have the opportunity to do just that, here’s hoping any new owner will not eschew that chance.

Starting from the keel upwards, the good ship “POMPEY” needs a good overhaul, rebuild her learning from past mistakes of the last seven years. No more paying vast sums of money in fees and wages for squad players, who will only make up the numbers when needed, only to then refuse to leave when they are deemed surplus to requirements. We need to get the new training ground up and running, fit it out with the modern facilities needed in today’s game. Maybe then, we could attract some of the young upcoming and hungry for their chance, stars of the future. Invest properly in the academy, bring the youngsters through and give the promising ones a chance. Then we only really need to spend out on the recognised starting eleven and who knows maybe in three or four years we will have produced enough young stars to fit straight into the first team.

Love it or not ( I adore it, so many memories ), dear old Fratton Park is past its sell by date. Now if you are like me and not getting any younger, you are probably as fed up as I am of hearing about our proposed ‘new ground’. Baffins Pond is probably the only area left that has not had plans for a new ground drawn up on it. A new stadium has to be another priority though. Either we start from scratch and build a completely new stadium or we transform ‘Fortress Fratton’ into a 21^st century sports arena. No "if’s and but’s" about it, we need a modern and up to date stadium, with a higher seating capacity if we are to return to and stay in the self putrefying mess called the English premier league ( now that description of England’s football elite demands an article of its own).

I fully realise that we cannot achieve all this with a few thousand American express card reward points and a couple of books of green shield stamps (anyone remember those?...) it will cost many millions of pounds. With the right investment and infrastructure set up by a new owner, it is more than achievable. I do not for one moment expect these things to happen overnight. It took a few years to build the titanic. O.K. she didn’t stay afloat for long, but that is what happens if you don’t plan for the unexpected and try to get somewhere faster than you safely should. Any new owner coming in should not seek success overnight, nor get carried away with the smell of filthy lucre emanating from the Premier league banquet doggy bags. If it takes four or five years to return upstairs, then so be it. Build a watertight ship and unlike the titanic, reach our destination safe and sound and not perched precariously on the edge of a financial abyss, where one weak minded CEO, or one overspending manager with a revolving door policy regarding the playing staff would push us over the edge, plummeting into the depths.

We have hit our iceberg, we are all but sunk. We can only hope and pray that we do not have to wait eighty years, before an adventurer discovers our rusted and rotting wreck. A once proud and famous club, now nothing more than a few lines and pictures in a dusty and forgotten history book.

What really matters?

2010-03-15T18:03:00Z

May 2003; I remember leaping around like a maniac as Paul Merson lifted The Championship Trophy in the middle of Fratton Park whilst Matty Taylor soaked our Manager at the time with the usual celebratory fizzy stuff. (You know, the stuff that people don’t care too much for drinking but seem to get a much bigger thrill from spraying!). It took me four years of wide-eyed spectating from that day to start wondering what in fact it was all about. The Premiership?

And now, a further three years down the line and in light of the past 12 months that has been endured by the fans of Portsmouth Football Club, my confusion and doubt over the pleasure and hype of being in ‘the best league in the world’ has been consolidated.

Looking forward, it’s difficult to see anybody other than Manchester United and Chelsea seriously contesting the Premiership title in the foreseeable future. Of course, a few feathers will be ruffled along the way and a couple of pretenders may emerge albeit briefly but barring a major surprise the same two clubs will fight it out to claim a rather hollow sporting achievement each May.

Arsenal and Spurs will do little more than battle it out to see who the Kings of North London are while Capital makeweights Fulham and West Ham look on enviously from positions just a matter of points above the relegation zone.

Birmingham and Aston Villa will do a Spurs/Arsenal in Britain’s second city to claim the ‘Midlands Title’ while Wolves will almost always finish a gallant third if they can actually survive the course that is.

Manchester City, regardless of cash and any number of Saudi Kings or Princes, will always be the second biggest club in Manchester (and deep down they must surely realise that).

And then we have Liverpool and Everton who season after season become embroiled in the Merseyside title chase and little else to be honest while Blackburn Rovers, Bolton Wanderers and Wigan Athletic seem content to swap players and managers in the hope that constant change will reap the reward of reaching that magical forty points each season.

Sunderland will be desperately (but probably secretly) hoping that at least one of either Newcastle or Middlesbrough regain their Premiership status quickly so that they too can enter their own ‘regional’ league and compete for the North East bragging rights as another top flight season drifts by almost unnoticed.

That covers sixteen of the twenty teams currently in The Premiership – seventeen if you count Portsmouth, which we still do at the moment, just! That then leaves Stoke City, Hull City and Burnley. With no disrespect to either Hull or Burnley I can offer no comment - or hope for that matter. Get yourselves back to The Championship guys and look forward to winning matches again. On the other hand, Stoke City are firmly establishing themselves in The Premiership thanks to a solid infrastructure and some decent management both on and off the field …………………. but, genuinely, where do they go from here?

Yes, I know that some of these clubs will genuinely chase that elusive fourth spot to claim a Champions League place and then there will be the now seemingly maligned Europa League competition (maligned by those that aren’t in it of course) to fall back on but even taking this into account …………………….. they’re never going to win the league are they! So what is it all about? Is it at this point we decide that football the business is more important than football the sport? And is that what supporters genuinely want?

What really matters to the fans? Recent experiences at Portsmouth Football Club have resulted in many (if not all) fans of the club seemingly ‘voting’ for financial stability over Premiership membership. The cost of competing in the top division simply far outweighs the sporting benefit. Supporters want to see their team win football matches – this is quite a straightforward concept – but with the ultimate aim of winning something more than just a few matches; for example, a league title or a cup of some description. In other words, something that reflects a sporting achievement but more importantly one that has been gained without simply buying it.

For those fans who genuinely pay their money to see the opposition’s ‘star’ players regardless of whether their own team wins or loses, living more in hope than expectation that their team may actually gain a surprise point or three from the fixture, then today’s product is probably still very much ‘for you’. But I really don’t care who is playing for the other side and while I do want to see my club playing at the highest level possible I above all else want to see them properly compete for the top prizes rather than simply make up the numbers. And it goes without saying that in doing so it's important to remain financially solvent.

I personally have no problem with billions of pounds being pumped into the game but I do have difficulty with (a) the majority of those billions being on the basis of loans and (b) the inequality of finance among the different clubs in The Premiership that are all supposedly competing for the same prizes. And while it is recognised that sport is often unequal due to differing levels of fitness and technical ability (i.e. genuine sporting reasons), football in Europe has successfully compounded the inequality that now exists by not somehow regulating finance within the game. And that is to the detriment of our national sport.

Check the sleeves! (Why Peter Storrie's resignation is a bad thing)

2010-03-14T08:55:00Z

Two items of interest unfolded for Pompey fans yesterday.

Former sponsors OKI Printing Solutions announced the discontinuation of their popular Brown Paper Bag range, with future sales demands "no longer justifying" the production cost.

The other, more widely reported news of interest was the resignation of Chief Executive Peter Storrie, with the weight of public opinion seemingly becoming too much to bear.

The large majority of Pompey fans appear to be letting out a collective sigh of relief. They have been placated by the news, having called for Storrie's head for some time now.

Storrie said he'd leave once a new owner came in; that wasn't enough for the fans who'd finally had enough. The pressure rose to breaking point when Storrie kept his job while 85 others were cut; he was forced onto a paltry 400k a year, mind you.

Finally, the situation was untenable. Did he jump, or was he pushed?

Doesn't matter, say the majority of fans - we're finally free of Pete.

In the context of things, it probably does matter. I'd like to know who wears the pants at Fratton Park - UHY Hacker Young, or the same old mob that have been pulling the strings through all the mess.

Some Pompey fans would argue the case that they may be one and the same.

Back to Storrie then, and the terms of his "resignation".

I raise my hands, I am one who has called for his removal from the club. So why am I claiming this resignation is a bad thing?

Well, before you join in with the rest and rejoice, put aside the rabble mentality for a minute; you'll see that it's not quite the clean surgical removal we'd all hoped for.

So while I welcome the news, I can't help but feel the devil is in the details.

For one thing, he's not really going anywhere - he's sticking around in a consultancy role.

Sure, he's no longer Chief Executive, but he's performing the same tasks he would have been. He's also being remunerated - in the words of Andrew Andronikou - accordingly. I wonder how highly paid that role will be?

Secondly, I'd have been a bit more confident in the whole process if the call had come from the Administrators, giving him the chop along with the other staff who met their fate earlier in the week. As it stands, once again we have Peter Storrie playing the acting in the club's best interests card. Still not a shred of culpability being accepted or acknowledged for his role in Pompey's downward spiral.

So once again, the questions remain: Who really wears the pants? Does Andronikou hold the key to uncovering Pompey's murky dealings, or is he merely another puppet?

The most worrying aspect of the news for me is the sudden backflip surrounding Storrie's position. Earlier in the week, we were told that Portsmouth could not let Storrie go. With Mark Jacobs being let go, Storrie was the last remaining Director. We were told the club were not allowed to operate without any Directors, hence Storrie's reprieve (albeit with a paycut that Peter was at pains to point out)

As an aside: Nice job letting the press report Utaka's wage at 80k a week for months on end, by the way.

What exactly has changed in a few short days that would allow us to overlook this requirement?

And therein lies the problem as I see it. Once again, even with the almost universal celebration of this news, we fans have once again been fed just enough spin to keep us at bay.

Like a skilled magician, Peter has us right where he wants us; no-one knows quite how his latest trick unfolded.

So which is it? When we were told just a few short days ago that Peter couldn't be let go, was it more spin? And from which direction did it come this time?

There are already whispers that the Administrators are not as independent as they'd like us to believe. I'd love to give them the benefit of the doubt, but it does trouble me that Andrew Andronikou seems to have Peter's gift of the gab. Read the statements that have come from him and his people and you'll see that they're giving all parties just enough of what they want to hear; the Fans, the Staff, Avram Grant, the Creditors - he's got their interests at hand. He's certainly getting his fair share of publicity. [Ed's note: The only people that didn't hear what they wanted was the '85']

I'm not in any way suggesting that he's been a part of the Pompey Mafia that have cast a shadow over this fine club. I just hope he that he is the strong independent character required to get to the bottom of it all. At this stage, he's worryingly coming off as everybody's best friend. Just don't get too comfy with the current lot Andy - lest you lose your objectivity.

The questions surrounding this announcement cannot be overlooked. We were told that Storrie could not be let go, yet here we are - celebrating without question.

What could have changed? Many Pompey supporters suspected that Storrie was waiting for new owners to show, before pocketing a nice going away package.

Could it be that the Administration process has uncovered facts that could shift the balance of power away from him? The timing is certainly strange, especially given the news broken in The Sun [Ed: and now the Mail]. Many Pompey fans will feel it's only the tip of the iceberg as far as Storrie's dealings are concerned. Only time - and a transparent investigation process - will reveal the truth.

Whether or not there has been a power shift, one thing remains the same as ever. Pompey fans are once again fed half-truths as best, deliberate lies at worst. We are told only what we are allowed to hear.

So the next time Andy or Pete happen to pull an Ace like this out of the air - check their sleeves! These are skilled performers we're dealing with.

Make sure you don't get too lost in the showmanship, or we'll end up once more with a pack of Jokers.

Birmingham, Revenge? Really? Nah!

2010-03-10T18:52:00Z

The National Press clearly didn’t want to have to think too hard when it came to writing headlines following Birmingham’s 2-1 win over Portsmouth at Fratton Park. Coming as it did just three days after Pompey secured a place in this season’s F.A.Cup semi-final with a 2-0 victory over Brum, the media have delved not too deeply and emerged with “Sweet revenge for Birmingham” and similar such exclamations.

But in truth was it really revenge? In fact, did it actually matter at all? Probably not to Pompey and almost certainly not to Birmingham. Yes, it’s always good to win games and Birmingham’s extra three points could potentially earn them a place or two higher in the final Premiership Table which in turn reaps its own financial rewards but that’s hardly something that Pompey are going to care too much about.

Birmingham, already on 40 points prior to the league fixture at Fratton Park, are now sat comfortably on 43 points, secure in the knowledge that they will be playing Premiership football next season.

Pompey for their part, whilst knowing mathematically that it still remains possible to avoid relegation, will realistically now have more than one eye on the F.A. Cup and the fact that in reaching the semi-final they have at least in part salvaged a little joy (and relative success) for both themselves and the fans from what has otherwise been a dismal season both on and off the field.

Therefore, the question arises; Which game would the two teams have wanted to win most? Some might say that the answer would be divided but in my opinion both clubs would have chosen a “Win One, Lose One” scenario in precisely the manner in which it worked out for Pompey.

Birmingham’s league position was secure, regardless of whether they collected three points at Fratton Park, and therefore a semi-final appearance and potential final would have been the icing on the cake for what has been a great season for the Brummies.

Three points for Portsmouth in the league fixture would have done little to arrest their slide towards The Championship, particularly if (or more probably when) the nine points are eventually deducted.

No, revenge doesn’t really apply in this instance. After all, how bad do Pompey fans actually feel after the 2-1 defeat? To be honest, that result, especially so soon after winning a quarter-final tie that marks out another route to Wembley, was probably forgotten by the time most fans got back to their cars after the match.

O'Hara gets shirty with two goal hero....

2010-03-09T10:22:00Z

I thought you guys might be interested in seeing this great photo from Saturday's match. O'Hara realising that Piq's shirt might be a collector's piece, clearly wants it for his wall.

Doesn't this photo just encompass all that is good about Pompey's spirit under Avram Grant?

And... whose arm is that around Piquionne's neck? Answers below please.

More great photos on myPompey's front page here and you can also find us on Facebook here.

Pompey 2 Birmingham City 0 - Pompey Player Ratings

2010-03-06T18:58:00Z

What a result !!! Not the best game in the world and I think we've played better and lost against teams that aren't as good as Birmingham City but ..... WHAT A RESULT! And in the context of our season ...... WHAT AN ACHIEVEMENT!!

Personally, before the game, I could see us getting a draw and probably losing in the replay but Avram and the boys did the city proud today. Here's my assessment on the individual performances.

1. David James : The Birmingham fans sang "England's England's Number Two!!" but James did everything well today and proved that he still is "England's England's Number One!". A couple of sharp saves but better than that for me were the two or three corners/crosses that he claimed and really took the pressure off the defence.

2. Steve Finnan : Quietly efficient really. When he's fit he's fairly dependable and was exactly that today.

3. Hermann Hreidarrson : A much better match from the Herminator today. I think he's actually got his match fitness back again and was clearly up for the fight against a strong Birmingham side.

4. Tal Ben Haim : I thought Tal had a decent game too today; his best for a while and made a good contribution to what was a hard working team performance.

5. Nadir Belhadj : I was quite impressed with Nadir's discipline today. His "quick feet" almost got the better of him on a couple of occasions but he resisted pushing on recklessly today in the way that he is sometimes prone to do. Helped keep a good shape for the team.

6. Michael Brown : I was concerned when Brown got an early Yellow Card and may have been tempted to replace him with Bouba at half-time (if only to make sure we kept a full complement of 11 players on the field) but to be fair he did o.k. although his distribution wasn't great.

7. Mark Wilson : Impressed again today. Very composed (some times too composed for my frail nerves!!) but looks the part in the holding midfield role and his range of passing helps stretch the opposition. One of our best performers again today.

8. Jamie O'Hara : Another workmanlike performance from O'Hara. He makes a different to the Pompey side - simple as that. His delivery could have been better but he typifies the fight and effort that Pompey are all about at the moment and he genuinely seems to have developed an affection for the club.

9. Frederic Piquionne : Freddie's on a roll!! I was really pleased for him today. His two goals were thoroughly deserved for his work rate (take note John Utaka) and his confidence must be sky high right now. My Man of the Match, even before he scored.

10. John Utaka : How frustrating is it watching this fella?! He had Pompey's first attempt at goal saved by Hart but then generally strolled through the game while those around him worked their butts off. Don't know what else to say but I'm consistently irritated by his poor work rate.

11. Danny Webber : I thought Webber was a bit of a peripheral figure today but was a part of a winning team so don't want to pick on him too much. Didn't do a lot wrong, just didn't do a lot.

Subs : Papa Bouba Diop : Doesn't look match fit yet and if anything is looking a bit heavy but did o.k. Thought he might have shot instead of trying to square the ball to O'Hara late on but Papa's obviously determined not to score for Pompey.

Manager : Avram Grant : Chuffed to bits for him. His legendary status grows a little bit more!!

The Fans : FANtastic!! I love seeing the flags at Fratton Park and it all made for a great day. Play up Pompey.

I've realised since the end of the game that I shall miss the semi-final because I'm away which is a bit gutting but hopefully it can be the first of two Wembley appearances for the boys.

Have Stoke City got it right?

2010-03-02T18:42:00Z

In stark contrast to the predicament that Portsmouth Football Club finds itself in Stoke City have recently announced an increase in operating profits.

Declaring a profit at any football club nowadays is worthy of note given the amount of debt that is sloshing around the leagues but to do so in The Premiership, where the costs tend to far outweigh revenues and the temptation to reach football’s agonisingly close pinnacle is so much greater, is highly commendable.

Stoke City look to have manoeuvred into an enviable position within the game. Promoted back to the top flight in recent seasons and with a new stadium designed and built to suit the demands of the area (no less and no more) the Potters appear to have got it right off the field.

In parallel, ex-Pompey Manager Tony Pulis has assembled a squad that has slowly gained a reputation for a level of efficiency on the field that has even the most experienced pundit thinking twice before forecasting defeat against the ‘big four’. And whether or not you fall into the “I wouldn’t want to watch them play every week” category, their style of play is reaping its rewards with results that now has the Britannia Stadium rocking in a similar manner to that which we pride Fratton Park with on certain occasions. The fans at Stoke City have bought in to the way in which they play to their strengths as a team and I doubt that there are too many places that Pulis takes his side now without strongly believing that they can get a result of some kind.

This is not written out of envy – they play in Red & White stripes after all! – but there is a slight irony in the different paths that both Pompey and Stoke City have taken over the past couple of years and the obvious connections that exist between the two clubs.

It isn’t that long ago when, in ignorance at that time of the way in which Pompey were buying their success, many sports writers and commentators were holding Portsmouth Football Club up as a ‘Blueprint’ to be followed by those wishing to challenge the elite. Now, with Pompey slumped against the ropes and their credibility as a well managed club in tatters, Stoke have emerged as perhaps the 2010 version of that Blueprint. They have also achieved their newly found status with, as already mentioned, a former Portsmouth manager PLUS a scattering of former players. And to be honest, each and every one was discarded from Fratton Park without an ounce of doubt or regret being uttered by the fans (with the exception of Asmir Begovic who hasn’t had an opportunity to make a serious contribution to his new club as yet).

Most importantly, Stoke City’s future as an established Premiership club is being built on solid foundations and in that respect they as a club are a million miles in front of Pompey and in reality probably have been for some years now. The simple fact that they were in a position to lure one of Pompey’s brightest young prospects for years away from Fratton Park leaves a bit of a scar that may take some time to heal and disappear. But it’s indicative of how Pompey have, on their way down, passed Stoke City on their way up.

Whether you like them as a club or not, Stoke City have set an example to clubs of a similar size and ambition – Pompey among them – as to what can be achieved and more importantly how.
1.    Get the infrastructure right. Build suitable facilities to match the ambitions of the club and the area.
2.    Manage the club professionally on all levels.
3.    Off the field : Operate within your means and within a strict budget.
4.    On the field : Play to your strengths.

It can be done. Stoke City appear to be proving it.

South Coast Football – Too big for its own boots?

2010-02-27T11:21:00Z

Stories related to the dire financial position at Portsmouth Football Club have often made references to similar past situations at, among others, Bournemouth and Southampton.

And whilst we can point to financial problems at various clubs nationwide, there does seem to be something consistently unfortunate about football in general along the south coast.

Draw a line of latitude south of London and scan the clubs captured in England within that trawl and you will discover a comparatively modest number of football clubs. An advantage in some ways. Large catchment areas waiting to be tapped by a fewer number of clubs. Money to be made – what an opportunity! How long have we been saying this as far as our own Pompey are concerned?

To be honest, many of the clubs within the southern area have modest ambitions and also, with every due respect (and I genuinely mean that), a modest football history and tradition too. Some like their sailing and/or cricket, others are more rural in every respect; but at Pompey there is a strong football tradition and history which generates a very passionate fan base and all the emotions and frustrations that go along with that.

But there are obstacles which have limited the success of football clubs in the extreme south of England. Some are difficult to determine but money is undoubtedly one of them. Bournemouth, Southampton and obviously Pompey have all been found guilty of gross financial mismanagement. Add to these the likes of Plymouth, Gillingham and Aldershot, who have had well publicised financial issues in the past, and then Brighton who have had problems that have severely restricted their development as a football club (having themselves been in both an F.A. Cup Final and the top division not too many years ago) and you start to see the region emerging as a bit of a ‘Black Spot’ in terms of football success. With the exception of Reading, why we in the south should be singled out as a refuge for bad businessmen, who knows? And is it solely down to hard cash? Do potential investors – and I mean proper investors rather than money lenders - just not fancy the south coast and if not, why?

Do we expect too much from our football clubs? Probably not in some cases; expectations may be modest at many of the clubs down south but at Portsmouth and possibly one or two others we have raised our own bar to relatively heady heights over the years and now find it hard to accept falling below that benchmark. And maybe that’s at least a part of our problem. Looking at the bigger picture in our national game, do supporters of clubs on the south coast think they are bigger than they genuinely are? It may be a factor.

Why have the south coast’s bigger clubs failed to take advantage of the large catchment areas that separate the relatively few clubs that exist compared to the north of England? Are there genuinely a wider variety of things to do down here compared to other regions? Maybe so. Maybe there is a tendency to only accept and pay for something when it’s in good shape or maybe we in the south generally have less of a football heritage on which to rely and therefore, maybe the clubs can’t afford to take their supporters for granted as much as they may do elsewhere. But maybe another part of the problem is that they do just that. It’s certainly a criticism that has been levelled at Portsmouth Football Club by its fans in the past. Apart from the diehards, the hardcore supporters among which many of us count ourselves, are southern football fans more discerning when it comes to parting with their hard earned cash? For some of us, paying to watch our football team week in and week out is just something that we do automatically. It warrants almost as little thought as does whether we pay our mortgage and council tax. It’s just something that we do. But for others that’s not the case and possibly there are more ‘floating football fans’ in the south than there are in the north. Either that or we are just more fickle. And clubs certainly make it more difficult for casual attendance these days. Maybe a cash turnstile should be available on three sides of the ground for fixtures that can be set aside as not all-ticket and available only to, for example, club members plus a guest.

I feel that football clubs in the south generally need to work harder at getting their customers through the door and at times the south coast clubs have been guilty of not doing that. As a consequence, supporters feel that they are taken for granted and that their club simply expects them to turn up regardless of ticket prices, performances, attitudes etc, etc. Clubs such as Portsmouth can not get away with not respecting their supporters. Knowing what they want, what they can afford and above all feeling that the football club is truly THEIR club. And in parallel with this, the fans need to understand that, more than ever in the future, attendances will deliver to the city a football club that matches the demand for it. Income generated from the turnstiles will have to drive what the club can afford both on and off the pitch to an extent. This will probably limit further the chances of enjoying football success at the highest level on the south coast but at Pompey we are now well versed in the alternative path to success and to be honest it’s just not worth it.

Footnote : As if to emphasis the situation, Bournemouth were yesterday (26/02/10) served another winding-up order by the HMRC.

FIFA’s less than helpful thoughts on Pompey’s and Football's plight

2010-02-25T18:16:00Z

FIFA have obviously been following the situation at Portsmouth Football Club and no doubt there has been correspondence and discussion between them and the Premier League and Football League on the subject, if only casually.

And perhaps naively I expected that once they broke their own silence on the matter they would emerge with something a little more helpful or credible than they actually did.

Under the title of “FIFA HORROR AT POMPEY PLIGHT”, football’s governing body courtesy of FIFA General Secretary Jerome Valcke, stated that ‘Portsmouth’s dire financial crisis must serve as a warning to the rest of football’.

A good start I thought even if in effect the General Secretary was merely repeating what many have already said before him. The fact that it was FIFA that were saying it briefly offered cause for optimism.

Valcke continued by saying : "It is the richest league in the world so this is strange. If you talked about another league I would say fair enough, but the richest league in the world - what's the reason?”

And here’s the real eye-opener folks :

"It's because the club was badly managed, they ran it to have a chance of winning titles by buying too expensive players and just getting more in debt every day.''

Now excuse me if I’m being a bit tough on these guys but did we really need to be told that by the people at the top. Most people at the bottom (i.e. us) had already worked that one out. And reading between the lines, I further suggest that FIFA are adopting a fairly laissez faire attitude to the whole thing.

Yes the club was badly managed but it was also badly regulated by football’s powers that be. God forbid that a football club should be run to try and win things. We wouldn’t want that would we? Well, not apart from Manchester United and Chelsea anyway.

So, Pompey’s crime was simply to try and compete and, as a fan, I wouldn’t have wanted anything less because if you can’t compete then what is the point in playing the game. And this is where the football authorities are committing a crime of their own. The majority of the Premier League in England is being tempted more and more into digging its own financial black hole simply because they want to compete and the playing field upon which the beautiful game in this country is being performed is a million miles away from being level.

Clubs are under pressure from fans to constantly improve and achieve season-on-season. And in turn they put themselves under pressure by trying to meet the demands placed on the football club by the owners themselves, the players, the players agents, the supporters, and of course the other apparently wealthier clubs that are setting the financial benchmarks.

The situation at Portsmouth Football Club has also been cited by UEFA as a reason for the game to back its new proposals – that is, that clubs should only be able to spend what they earn, facing punishment if they don't break even. And whilst I wouldn’t argue that this is a sensible and much needed approach to correcting football’s ‘live today, pay tomorrow’ culture, I can’t see it making the Premier League any more competitive than it fails to be currently.

The top four will be the same top four, maybe with the very occasional surprise, followed by another half a dozen clubs all eager to convince the football world that they will be the ones to break into the top four (although in reality they probably won’t – possibly ever). Then come the remaining ten teams in the top flight; the bottom half of the league, all battling from Day One to reach that magical forty points. Clubs where a successful season is measured by finishing 14^th instead of last season’s 15^th.

Football needs something more radical than what it seems we can expect from both FIFA and UEFA – which incidentally is a lot more than I am expecting from the F.A. or Premier League. Hopefully, they will all prove me wrong. The severe nature of Portsmouth’s demise must not be wasted as a learning experience. It will quickly become apparent if it has.

Looking forward

2010-02-23T20:21:00Z

For me personally, it was a bad day for the most part of today but to be honest "the crunch" is so close now as for me to be able to alter my mindset and actually look forward to another new beginning for Portsmouth Football Club. It's just a shame that it's ANOTHER new beginning and disappointing that we didn't as a club learn the lessons of our last experience in Administration just ten years ago.

I know we as fans regard Pompey as a big club but surely if we truly were as big as we like to think then we wouldn't be where we are right now. Some of the hundreds of millions of pounds that have poured in and mainly out of Fratton Park over the last decade could and should (and probably would) have gone on the infrastructure (Stadium, Training Facilities, etc) if our ambitions as one of english football's top ten clubs had been sensibly directed by those in charge of our club. But they weren't, as the owners and management exercised a short-termism that suited their own needs rather than those of this great but dilapidated (in every way) football club.

But I have to accept that that is now history and assuming THE MIRACLE doesn't occur over the next 60 or so hours then the ghost of 1999 Administator Tom Burton will glide into the offices in Frogmore Road and start to cleanse the clubs finances and also its organisation. And people will lose their jobs which in some cases may give supporters reason to be either sad or joyful, depending on those being shown the exit. It's all a part of the process of 'wiping the slate clean' which will then hopefully provide an attractive template for a new and ambitious buyer with the right attitude to investment and the subsequent growth of Portsmouth Football Club to the benefit of both owner and fans alike.

So let's assume that our football club does indeed prove to be an attractive proposition after Friday (maybe even before although that's wishful thinking now me thinks) and between this coming weekend and 1st July (ish) when the players report back for pre-season training we have all regrouped and been able to supplement whatever players remain from this catastrophic season to begin preparing for an assault on The Championship. Is this really such a bad thing? I don't think so. In all honesty I'm hardly going to miss The Premiership. Maybe I've simply had enough. And it's not a symptom of this season as far as I am concerned. I can go back to the year before we won the F.A. Cup when I started giving away my Chelsea ticket because I simply couldn't be bothered to go to the match and watch a team impose a fairly regulation 2-0 defeat on the club that I support. I don't like Chelsea anyway - never have - and just couldn't extract any pleasure from the experience that warranted my attendance. And while they were the only ones that I felt strongly enough to miss a game for, I've never gone to watch a competitive match at Fratton Park to see the oppossition or any of their players. I go to Pompey to watch my team win football matches and if I can see a good one-sided game of football with Pompey winning by four or five then great. Admittedly, the occasional 4-3 or 3-2 can be exciting but give me a "five zero" any day of the week. Seeing Pompey win gives me value for money more than does chasing and struggling to reach that Golden 40-point survival target each season.

So, when the final stages of premiership withdrawal is over I firmly believe that this summer will see my own excitement for watching Pompey in something more akin to a proper football league rather than a financial league reach a level that it hasn't seen probably since 2006/07 when the novelty of The Premiership first started showing signs of wearing off. An extra four games for our money - I'm genuinely not expecting ticket prices to be an awful lot different to now. Football as a whole needs a similar financial correction to Pompey's before ticket prices can be seriously impacted in a favourable way.

So let's get through this inevitable consequence and prepare for the future. It could be worse, a hell of a lot worse. Here's to looking forward, to The Championship - and Play up Pompey!!!

THICK AS THIEVES - Harry and Pete

2010-02-22T18:58:00Z

That's it - I'm at the end of my tether. I've had enough of their games, enough of their self-serving comments, and enough of their seemingly dodgy dealings slowly tarnishing the image of Portsmouth Football Club.

Who am I talking about? Who else but Pompey's Own Terrible Twosome. Peter Storrie and Harry Redknapp. 'Lie Low and Twitch' as I like to call them - or at least did, until Disney threatened to sue me off the face of the planet.

Yep, that's right - the usually media-shy Redknapp has opened his mouth and managed to jam the whole boot in, and in doing so has given just another example of the farcical conditions that the club operate in.

Speaking about the wage culture that contributed to our current plight, Redknapp was quoted as saying :

"People talk nonsense about wages, you see all this rubbish about John Utaka earning eighty grand a week, he's not. He's earning £28,000 a week. Peter Storrie told me that, Peter showed me his contract the other week."

I'll repeat that for you incase you missed it,

"Peter Storrie told me that, Peter showed me his contract the other week."

Now I see 2 possibilities here. Harry could be 'embellishing' a little, in an attempt to gain time on the airwaves (there's a first for everything :P ), OR, he's just dropped Storrie in it.

What on Earth would possess the CEO of our club to show our club's financial documents to the MANAGER of a rival club?

From what bizarre turns of events does the situation even arise? Harry needed directions, and Peter just happened to have the team contracts handy to jot them down on the back of? I believe this story is purely symptomatic of something more troubling that's been going on for far too long now.

The Harry / Storrie double act has been going on far too long. Storrie - master negotiator - manages to offload our players to Spurs for a fraction of their worth, to the point of ignoring much more significant offers from other clubs. Harry - in an act of pure altruism of course - uses the opportunity to bring the plight of the club to the attention of the press. Of course - none of this is complete without a few soundbites professing his undying love for the club.

Then there are the little snippets of information that Storrie always seems to let slip to Harry. How is it that a man who plundered our club so mercilessly after he left is always so in the loop about the intimate details of the club? It's especially sickening given the difficulty that fans so often have in obtaining any meaningful information at all.

And finally, the short memories of the media. Both Peter Storrie and Harry Redknapp can weave a tale on their day, but only because they're constantly allowed to change their story without fear of any hard-hitting questioning. Focussing only on latest accusations doing the rounds, they leave a list of contradictions as long as the line of Pompey's creditors.

It astounds me that there are people who still think these figures have acted with nothing but Pompey's best interests at heart. The fact that Redknapp allegedly picked up a percentage every time a player he bought was sold on should tell you where his interests lie. The fact that Storrie allegedly picks up 100k a month - while taking credit for all our successes, but absolving himself of any involvement the minute things turn sour - should tell you where his interests lie.

These two have been at it for a while, and will likely be carrying on their routine for some while yet. Unless of course their upcoming court cases are looking like they might be in a spot of bother, in which case I wouldn't bet against either man selling their own mother if it got them off the hook.

Article courtesy of MarkfromOz

A good thing.... or a bad thing?

2010-02-21T07:21:00Z

Not sure too many would lament the leaving of Sick Note mkii

So the F.A. have rejected Portsmouth Football Club's request to be able to sell players outside of the transfer window. When this first came to light I was uncertain whether to be pleased about it or just more concerned than I was already.

The fact that the club were moved to ask permission in the first place sent out two possible signals. Firstly in our minds was probably the worry that any prospective takeover had either collapsed or at very best been delayed beyond the next high noon at the High Court. And secondly, perhaps the club were merely attempting to give themselves as many options as possible by behaving in a proactive way JUST IN CASE the reported takeover fails to go ahead. The cynics among us would instantly deflect such a suggestion and, fearing the worst as we tend to do, prefer to believe that it was another last ditch attempt to extract any cash from every possible source ............... and then use it in the least honourable way possible. And who knows - maybe that was the case.

But whatever; all of the speculation is now irrelevant with the request having been turned down. So where does this leave us? Is it a good thing or a bad thing that we will not be in a position to sell any more of the few saleable assets that remain?

Personally, without being able to precisely explain why, I think I'm happier that the F.A. and/or the Premier League have taken the stance that they have than I would have been had they consented to Pompey's request. Of course, we will never know whether a positive response would have seen the football club immediately activate the option or if it was merely a 'back pocket' provision to be pulled out at the eleventh hour.

But let's assume for a minute that Pompey's desperate situation persuaded the authorities to grant permission to sell. Which players would have been taken to auction? Marc Wilson, Nadir Belhadj, Kevin Prince Boateng and Tal Ben Haim were all mentioned. I would suggest that the combined income from all four would have been in the region of little more than £5Million or £6Million pounds and if you take into account the fact that both Boateng and Ben Haim are set to feature little over the coming weeks as a result of injury then this particular revenue stream would have been probably halved. In all honesty, we would have been talking about a comparative pittance when you consider the level of debt that Portsmouth Football Club somehow still have attached to their name.

On the playing side, had we sold these players then our finances would be little improved at the expense of reducing our squad to somewhere below threadbare. What would we have gained in overall terms? And what would the proceeds from the sales have been used for? HMRC would have been far from satisfied with the contribution so we really wouldn't have been any further forward.

Pompey need big money - and quickly! A reported £25M is required between now and May just for the club to continue operating and this apparently takes account of the incoming funds that will be received from various sources at the end of the campaign. Yes, there is the possibility of new ownership and regardless of how suspicious and cynical we may choose to be it simply has to happen. The current owner doesn't want the club (and from his point of view who could honestly blame him!) and Pompey are spiralling downwards in desperate need of salvation. The club will come cheap in one way but in another the commitment from a new owner will need to be massively substantial if we aren't to travel full circle and suffer similar fate a few years down the road.

Apart from clearing the outstanding debt, any new owner will need to understand and buy into the potential that still remains to be tapped from the football club. But to achieve a payback on their investment they have to be serious about the infrastructure at the club. If Pompey had already been installed in a new 30,000 all-seater stadium say five years ago the revenue from a very achievable average of perhaps 28,000 people would have diluted the extent of the debt that Pompey are now being suffocated by. Of course there would still have been a debt, football in general is topped up with a ridiculous amount of debt, but it would hopefully have been much more manageable than it now is. So to my mind a new stadium has to be a priority whether we find ourselves in the Championship of even League 1 over the next couple of seasons. The 'so near yet so far' training facilities also need to be quickly addressed. We were assured that as soon as finance was in place it would be very quick to build and become operational. Let's hope that this can be brought to fruition as a priority by the new owners.

I also want to see two other characteristics embedded in the new ownership. Firstly, a keen interest in football. Somebody who can relate to the passion, commitment and emotion that comes with being a supporter of Portsmouth Football Club. And secondly, somebody with a solid team around them off the field, capable of astute and prudent commercial and financial management. Hopefully, I'm not asking too much.

When we last went into Administration in 1999, the words "we must never let this great football club get into this situation ever again". That's just eleven years ago. Here we are again, but in far worse condition. If we escape to fight again this time it quite simply can't happen again or I fear that really would be the end of Portsmouth Football Club 1898-20??

The Moral High Ground or Plain Selfishness?

2010-02-14T12:11:00Z

Pompey’s plight has now divided the rest of the Premier League it seems. Ironically, those on either side of that divide appear to be taking their own moral high ground either to argue in favour of the Premier League advancing cash to Pompey or against it.

Everybody knows that Pompey owe HMRC a considerable sum of money and they will be due significant ‘insolvency saving’ cash from the Premier League in just over two months time - so the first point here is that the advanced cash isn’t being brought forward by a year or even half a year, it is in fact a matter of weeks so that has to be taken into account in the argument.

In the Blue corner we have the likes of David Gold who with David Sullivan has recently take over at West Ham. He said, 'We have allowed Portsmouth to get into this mess. The brand is 20 Premier League football clubs. We must take responsibility.'

In The Red corner we have the Hull City chairman and management who conversely (but equally based on a moral argument they would claim) believe that it would be totally wrong for the Premier League to ‘bail Portsmouth out’ in this way because it allows a club who has obviously been poorly managed to ‘get away with it’. And he has a point. I also heard it said that to rescue Pompey in this way would not send out the right message to other clubs edging towards similar financial meltdown.

Patrick Collins of The Daily Mail has heavily criticised Richard Scudamore’s part in this entire scenario. He says, “Four weeks have passed since the man who runs the Premier League reassured us that our fears were groundless. Debts were manageable, clubs were financially responsible and we shouldn’t be worrying our heads about the continuing prosperity of the greatest competition in the history of football”. And he adds, “I thought it a complacent, patronising view but it reflected Scudamore’s honest opinion”.

And Scudamore’s precedent-setting idea of bringing forward a relatively imminent payment to Pompey tempted Collins into offering this; “Some will see this as a compassionate reaction to Portsmouth’s potential extinction and recognition that a grand old club must not be cut adrift, that rules may be amended, and that this great game of ours really does have a big, endlessly generous heart. But I fear that they are quite wrong. Scudamore has been forced to adopt this course in a bid to protect the brand. If Portsmouth should go to the wall then the Premier League image would be seriously dented in places like Beijing and Bangkok”.

Three interesting angles on the drama in which Portsmouth find themselves cast in the role of lead man. All three protagonists would claim to be considering the bigger picture and thinking of others but let’s not be fooled because in truth all of the comments have their roots in “looking after No.1”.

David Gold, while appearing supportive of advancing the cash to Pompey, is more concerned with the adverse impact on his club of the removal of the four points that The Hammers have plundered from their two games against Pompey this season. For with Pompey removed from the equation entirely the Upton Park club would suddenly find themselves dropping several places and settling in one of the remaining two relegation positions.

And similarly, but in obvious contrast to Gold’s stance, Hull City’s best interests would lie in seeing Pompey forcibly ousted from The Premiership thus improving the chances of survival for The Tigers who would only lose a single point from the one fixture between the two clubs so far.

Quite perversely, it could even be argued that the liquidation of Portsmouth Football Club could personally benefit the playing squad at Fratton Park as they would be freed from their contracts to move to whomever would offer fresh and undoubtedly at this moment in time more secure employment.

As for Scudamore, it seems to be about saving face with his own managerial reputation on the line should Pompey suffer the worst. Patrick Collins continued in his article saying, “The old co-operative of the Football League, with its woolly ideas of fair shares and mutual benefits, was swept aside by a system in which the rich became immeasurably richer by annexing T.V.‘s millions while leaving the poor to squabble over the petty cash. We have lived with this grubby imbalance for so long it is difficult to remember how things were in that earlier, more equitable era. They (Pompey) may have been largely hopeless, they may have been surrounded by people even more inadequate than themselves, but they would surely have valued some clear guidelines, intelligent advice and practical assistance. Personally, I believe the Premier League long ago gave up on Pompey. They saw the people running the place and decided the cause was hopeless. And I further believe that any attempt by the Chief executive to reschedule payments is no more than sleight of hand, an attempt to paint a caring face on free-market realism”.

Personally I am undecided on this issue. Of course I can see the benefit of bringing the cash forward to meet and clear substantial debts and it does feel a good fit at this moment in time and not just because it is my club that are centre-stage. But it is against my personal financial disciplines i.e money becomes payable on the day it is first owed and similarly becomes receivable on the first day that it is due. So for cash to be advanced to Pompey in this way would (a) go against my own principles and (b) set a potentially risky precedent for the Premier League and complicate their future financial planning. It may also be significant if they operate with a March 31st financial year-end as we could be traversing two accounting periods which may also complicate matters for the Premier League.

As for the stance being adopted by the other league clubs that have chosen to speak up on the matter I would prefer that they remained silent on the matter as their own varying agendas are not required in the decision making process, They have solely their own interests at heart and to wrap this up and disguise it in any other way is simply deceiving. The ideal scenario is for Pompey to resolve the ownership in double-quick time and negate the necessity for any advance ‘handouts’ of the kind that have been mentioned. This would save West Ham and the like from having to fight our corner for us in a less than sincere fashion and Hull City and their counterparts could relax in the knowledge that Pompey have not received any ‘favours’ from the Premier League but leaving The Tigers to focus again on their own relegation battle knowing that they also would be receiving no favours from Portsmouth Football Club going into liquidation and for that we won’t be apologising.

If Pompey could emerge from this intact and as a result of it’s own self-sufficiency resulting from new ownership then it would also leave Mr Scudamore free from his own self-inflicted financial dilemma but with the ongoing problem of (a) how to stabilise the future of the game, (b) level the playing field more than it is in today’s game and (c ) prevent the scenario at Portsmouth being repeated anywhere else in England in the future. A suggestion that 50% of T.V. revenue should be retained to accrue ‘in trust’ by the league for spending by the clubs on ground and infrastructure improvements with the other 50% going to the clubs as a contribution to the operating budget may be the seed of a good idea that needs nurturing. Whatever, a resolution in this regard would be a worthwhile legacy to the national game but it is difficult to have faith in the ability of those currently in charge at the Premier League given the way that they have sat back and watched football deteriorate financially in the way that it has.

The handful of words that exorcised the ghost of Harry Redknapp

2010-02-14T11:13:00Z

From Administration to Europe in less than 10 years has to rank as one of Football's modern day fairy stories and that's without mentioning the glittering silver chalice.

And with these triumphs at Fratton Park, home of Portsmouth Football Club, comes the inevitable mention of Mandaric, Redknapp, Storrie and Gaydamak. Each playing their part in this Disneyless epic. Heroes, penniless princes, alleged villains and of course, the ugly sister.

Taking centre stage throughout these years was one Henry James Redknapp. Turning in some wonderful performances but with a style more suited to the me, me, me of stardom than the one team approach befitting a cast of 20,000.

But despite this narcissism from a face that only a mother could love, the star did good. Yes, he was funded beyond reason but there are many who have spent more and achieved less. Success therefore, far from guaranteed, even if we did spend a King's ransom on every performance.

And now in 2010, with these successes relegated to memories and posters on kiddies' walls, Pompey is back down to earth with a bump. Whether the club is now destined to linger in the lower leagues or is set rise again is a story not yet penned, but one thing this is for sure, it's time to forgive, forget and move on.

You see, for every point that was won under Redknapp, for every cup game in which we triumphed, there was a price to pay far beyond the pockets of a foreign owner. All of us wanting more, more, more. More talent, more success and to hell with the consequences. Pompey the poster boy of credit mad Britain.

We seemed to enter a world where reality was suspended. Darkened lights, smoke and mirrors and eyes welded to transfer gossip. I even found myself believing that the brilliance of Ronaldinho that saved the bacon of AC Milan in the UEFA Cup tie, would one day be gracing our own Fairy Castle. But of course it was not to be.

It would be both naïve and churlish to heap all of our recent success on the shoulders of Redknapp or indeed our subsequent demise, but the fact is, he is symbolic of a period that many of us would rather forget as we struggle to emerge from the excesses of another stage into the reality of who we really are.

And what better way to do exorcise Redknapp's ghost that than to reap success from a more modest approach led by more modest, but no less accomplished people. And on the back of a wonderful day at St Mary's, here's what Avram Grant, the antithesis of those days of excess, had to say during a faltering interview on TalkSport:

It means to me a lot what's happened here, because it's not just football here...

With Chelsea it was football, we wanted to [win] titles, we [reached the] Champions League Final which I will always remember, but here it's more than football.

It's something I cannot describe in your language. It's very touching... I don't even [know] what to say because you see what's around the club. [They] keep the atmosphere, [they] keep the spirit.

It's not easy, not just in football but in normal jobs also. I see the fans, I see the players and everybody that is trying to do their best for the team.

I think it's more than football....

Rest in Peace, ghost of Pompey's more recent past.

Southampton v Portsmouth: The Derby with an edge...

2010-02-12T16:27:00Z

Be rude not to, wouldn't it?

Fans at various points around the country (and also in Scotland of course) will claim that their derby is "The Big One".

But biggest or smallest, I doubt that there are any that carry the "edge" that our own South Coast Derbies do. With the blatantly obvious bad feeling that exists going evolving from 800 years of history, the source of this feeling has been successfully embellished by events and controversy on the pitches at Fratton Park, The Dell, and more latterly St.Mary's.

Disputes over the control of trade in the Docks (Southampton owned Portsmouth Docks for 600 years) bred an animosity that has simply failed to fade into history. And whilst I'm guessing most of us don't carry a personal vendetta borne out of those port disputes we have bought into the related rivalry that has carried itself into football matches between the clubs from Portsmouth and Southampton.

But to compound all of that, moments of controversy have occurred in these games with monotonous regularity, and this has served to add to a South Coast Derby and give it, in my opinion, an edge over others.

For two clubs that are so geographically close, the clubs have met on relatively few occasions - but when they do .....................

As far as I can remember, my first Pompey v Saints match was in the 1970's at Fratton Park and I can't recall a single game that failed to contain at least one controversial moment.

The 20th January 1984 saw the first meeting in 8 years and it was an F.A. Cup 4th Round tie at Fratton Park. And eight years after I watched Mick Channon (in 1976) steal the game with an injury time winner at the then uncovered Milton End, i endured the sight of Steve Moran doing similar to knock Pompey out of the F.A. Cup. [Remember the angel that was Mark Dennis!!?]. And this was after Biley and Co had missed a hatful of chances, failing to beat the intimidating figure of Peter Shilton. When lightning strikes twice in this way, it hardly endears you to your fiercest rivals.

We recovered a large slice of pride in season 87/88 when both clubs were in the top flight (The First Division, now The Premiership). Drawing the Home encounter 2-2, we then travelled to the Dell and came away with a famous 2-0 victory; a match where if I remember correctly, the TV cameras were not allowed in.

Then came 1996 and another F.A. Cup tie - and another defeat - losing 3-0 in the last meeting of the two sides to take place at The Dell. Further disappointment followed with the bragging rights firmly remaining 26 miles West of Pompey. Two defeats during 2003, failing to score on both occasions and conceding five into the bargain. Yakubu's goal gave us a 1-0 win at Fratton Park in March 2004.

31,000 watched the Premier League game in November 2004 but yet again Pompey came away with nothing, losing 2-1 at St.Mary's after taking the lead. They (that lot down the road) repeated the dose in January 2005 in yet another F.A. Cup tie when Matt Taylor was adjudged to have handled the ball deep into injury time leaving Peter Crouch to step forward in one of those horrible Red & White striped shirts and grab the winner. And it's this sort of thing that keeps stoking up the heat on this game.

The most recent meeting was almost five years ago and on that great, great day I witnessed the most fantastic 28 minutes of pure magic. And it still gets watched - captured on DVD! It was the return fixture from the 2-1 defeat in Nov 2004 and the thought of Saints taking all six (or even 4) points from the two games that season was unbearable. The atmosphere for the game was predictably electric - it always always is. And Pompey got off to an absolute flyer. 1-0 up very early (Yakubu Penalty), soon became 2-0 (De Zeeuw) after about 15 minutes. Henri Camara then pulled a goal back and, typical of many Pompey fans because we've been there before, I feared the worst and sensed that THEY would quickly get another goal back, and of course if they did that then they would surely win. But after a confidence-induced two or three minutes when they passed the ball through and around us Lomana Lua Lua took centre stage and lifted a very classy lob over his shoulder into the net before, on the verge of being substituted through injury, he bent a wonderful shot by the hapless Anti Niemi (who had an absolute nightmare). And all of this in 28 minutes _ I was close to spontaneously combusting!! It was that good. And I am convinced to this day that if Diomansy Kamara had been half a striker then he would have claimed a hat-trick after replacing Lua Lua and we would have racked up a history making scoreline.

Add to this the little sideshows that have taken place courtesy of the involvement of the likes of Administrators, Harry Redknapp (Agent Harry), Milan Mandaric (and Rupert Lowe [bless 'im]) etc and it all adds fuel to the furnace. Great stuff. Losing can not be an option this weekend.