As an import to the Pompey area because of work, i just wanted to say how sad i am with the recent news that its likely that they are to be liquidated. The people here have always treated me with utmost respect, and they are good people, who are passionate about their club, and we always have a bit of good-natured banter re football ,Charlton and the history between the 2 clubs (apparently, Charlton are the team that Pompey have played the most in their history). I was so looking forward to seeing us at Fratton Park next season. I cant help feeling that they have been shafted by successive (dubious) 'owners' who have quite obviously taken their bit without putting much back in. The news that they have one player on 39,000 a week is outrageous. In the same week as Rangers,Port Vale and all the recent problems with Palace,us and sundry other clubs in recent years, this really does highlight the crisis that Football has in this country.I can see a domino effect on other clubs- and then , where does it stop?
Hopefully a knight in shining armour will come into view soon. I have got a lot of time for Pompey, a club very similar to ourselves. I am convinced though that they will survive. Play Up Pompey, Pompey Play Up
I want to agree, it would be terribly sad for such a fine old club to go bust. But is there not an argument that such a big loss to the English game would serve as an example to other clubs not to live beyond their means? If as a result of Portsmouth's demise other clubs realise that there is not the protection or guarantee that a saviour will come, would it not be a start (an incredibly painful one at that) to football getting its finances in order?
I sorta agree with you Captain. Football is different from 'normal' business, however, they shouldnt be exempt from the consequences of gross financial mis-management.
Surely that one player would take a significant pay cut to help the club out? I know the majority of footballers command silly salaries, but still they must see what that club means to the local area and the fans. Do we know who this player is?
And he is currently half way through a five year contract. Its cheating end of. No sympathy from me, should have cut their cloth last time they went into administration.
I agree that football is different from normal business - I personally regard every club as sacred, somehow, and an integral part of the fabric of the local community and of the country as a whole. But that shouldn't mean that clubs feel they can take financial liberties and always expect to rely on goodwill and a knight in shining armour. If Portsmouth go under and British football learns the lessons, then in the long run it may be a good thing. Besides, Accrington and Aldershot have both shown that a club can be reborn and get back to the Football League.
Sad to see. And a case of there but for the grace of God..........We weren't far away ourselves lest we forget.
Ben Haim no surprise then! From the premiership days wasn't it? Ours can't be more than 3000! That's what wiggins is on isn't it?! All though BWP maybe on little bit more?
The fans deserve better, I remember when Arsenal went to FP and beat Pompey 1-7, the Arsenal players couldn't believe that the fans were singing as loud at the end of the match as the beginning. As I remember the fans applauded the Arsenal players off the pitch....... proper fans
Watched the leader of Portsmouth City Council stating how they recognised that Pompey was important for the city but that they didn't have the right to spend council tax payers money on the club, which I fully understand. However, they should be prepared to go in with a compulsory purchase order on the ground to protect its use for the future however and make sure that the scum bag former owners who are taking the premier parachute payments have paid up everything that they owe to the City and not get away with robbing what is rightfully the club's inheritance following Pompeys performance in the premiership and cup. I would think that West Ham might have a multi million vested interest in seeing Portsmouth through to the end of the season since the deduction of six points from their total as against their rivals deductions may focus their attention.
It's a very tricky one. Portsmouth going bust would almost certainly be the straw that finally forces the Championship to implement tough financial rules, and Portsmouth being allowed to do a second CVA and survive would exacerbate the problem. But those points do not make it right to arbitrarily select Portsmouth as the big club to make an example of. Why Portsmouth, and not Southampton or Leeds before them? You can bet your bottom dollar that Rangers won't be wound up, and look what they did with the money. The simple fact is that clubs need to have the fear of god put into them, but that fear has to be introduced in a fair way. I'd suggest that the punishment for a Football League club going into administration should be relegation to the Northern League, Southern League or Isthmian League Premier at the end of the season (which would usually mean that the club is wound up and a phoenix one formed even lower down). But that penalty should be announced five years in advance of taking effect, to allow clubs to clean up their acts in the meantime.
I'm really surprised i didnt get the usual PCers on 'ere castigating me with their wet handkerchief when i pointed out the bloke was from Israel .
I am not sure that I agree that relegation to the depths of Isthmian league is necessarily the right solution for the problem since you destroy the club and its fan base in one fell swoop as well as making a mockery of the Istmian league who have suddenly had a former large club land in the middle of its league. However the threat of automatic relegation to the next league below should be enough to focus the attention of most directors. It is the financing structures that have been allowed to be put in place to enable these clubs to be purchased by some dubious characters that need to be brought under scrutiny. The lack of governance practice by the Football leagues and the FA are to blame, here. A clear example of this is what has gone on at Rangers. The scots have, I beleive the fit and proper person test in the same way that English have, but the fact that the purchaser had previously been debarred as a director, not only did not count aginst him but the Rangers board failed to inform the stock exchange about it. How much due diligence was done by that league? Rangers was purchased by leveraging future season ticket income to raise money to purchase the club. In the old days that would have classified as "financial support" and would have been either disclosable or not allowed. You also wonder which of the august financial institutions lent the money on that basis, could it be one of those scottish banks bailed out by the taxpayer? It is no wonder that as an economy we haven't learned the lesson of the banks failure if there are deals like the one for Rangers still going through the process. It is time for the tougher automatic relegation rule by one league to come in, but only after, as North North Watford, suggests a period of amnesty for clubs to clear up the past dodgy financial structures, become more transparent about the ownership and financial structures behind the ownership and the disclose the terms contracts they enter with players. This could be in the form an annual report which might show the wages and benefits of players in bands without disclosing who earns what Much of the reform that has been delivered into ordinary UK business by corporate governance (not the Finance sector) has worked over the last few years, time to bring an element of that good practice to football.
