The link on the BBC website suggests that the take-over is by another Russian. Given the experience of Gaydamak, I wonder if this is actually good news for Portsmouth or atleast whether this deal will benefit the ever faithful Portsmouth supporters as much as Chanrai?
As one of the bigger clubs in the Championship, the new investment should enable you to compete properly - something which has not been the case during the last two seasons. Prior to the clear out of players in August, I thought that Portsmouth should have been challenging for promotion this season given that Cotterill is a good manager ideally suited to the club. A threadbare squad seems to have proved that there is a long way to go before discernable progress can be seen. Investment will allow the current squad to be strengthened and with the right kind of additions to the squad, a revitalised Portsmouth should expect nothing less than a play-off position next season.
However, there are some things which do raise alarm bells. Granted that Portsmouth are the biggest football club on the South coast and the proverbial "sleeping giant", the figure being muted for the purchase is circa ã17 million. I cannot recall exactly how much we were bought for but I seem to this the Swiss bought us for a figure of around ã8 million. Given that Southampton have a better stadium and training facilities , it seems to me that Portsmouth are over-priced. Seeing that the markets are currently depressed, it does seem a lot of money to pay for a club where a significant number of the players are on loan and the facilties are more 19th Century let alone 21st Century. I cannot see that Portsmouth are worth this kind of money even if you add value for where they have the potential to progress to.
There has always been something of the "Flash Harry" aspect with Portsmouth with periods of ecstatic highs mixed with some pretty depressing troughs. More than ever, I think it is important that Portsmouth get a sensible owner with a realistic strategy to return the club to the true status it merits .The Russian take-over would worry me if I was a Portsmouth fan. I appreciate that the current situation under Chanrai will lead to stagnation and probably see Portsmouth descend further down the leagues. Something needs to be done but is the risk of another sugar daddy leading you to a Promised Land only going to risk the possibility of another spectacular collapse in a few years time. Portsmouth were very fortunate to survive last summer and I think Chanrai needs to consider things very carefully if you are not to suffer the same kind of fate. In the circumstances, I think the fans need to be taken into consideration and not sold another pup.