Hey, we're relatively well supported by League 1/2 standards. If we can get an average of 12k when we've been **** most of the year, just think what we could get when we're in the top 6 or so. League 2 or 1, that won't make much difference I expect (except less away fans maybe).
much less away fans. sometimes 50 or 60 Fair dos to the guy above. you all have heart and I'm not saying it's doomed to failuer nor do I wish it. half my family are Pompey fans and I hope it works out. Just that there is a lot of 'mediabite' comments coming out from fans. I would suggest you may well get 9-10 for the first few games (That is very good for L2 and mid to high L1.) Those first few league games will determine if high gates continue. Lets hope it goes well. A few season in L2 will see gates of 6-7k max I would've thought.
Singingblue3 reacts to a wind up. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-22249724 Hook, line & stinker. On a serious note, that bad boy could have kept the navy out at sea for another three months! Wowsers.
I'm not saying you can't or even that you won't do it. Just that I wouldn't bet the future existence of my club on it. I think you could support a whopping attendance in League Two under just about any circumstance. Say 6-10k. And if you're the biggest club or at worst top 3, the budget advantage means you shouldn't have too much problem getting into League One. And 15k is probably reasonable in League One for you, which is also a nice budget for that level so you should get to Championship. That's sort of the natural fit for PFC. Not saying you can't get to PL, but it starts to get tricky after that. You need good planning. To get into Championship all you really need to do is stay stable and have a decent manager... basically not screw up. So to me, the numbers that PST is throwing around seem more aggressive than is necessary. What I would want to know is if at least the realistic worst-case scenario is covered. IF PFC ends up stuck in League 2 for three years with an average attendance of 8-9k, does the plan still work? I wouldn't approve any spending where it wouldn't. I realize that may sound silly coming from Saints as we spent very aggressively in League One and won back-to-back promotions. But remember that even though we started off in a bad financial spot, once the Liebherrs took over we had deep pockets so it wasn't a problem. And even knowing what I know now about Cortese, I'd still feel pretty uncomfortable with a five year plan to get back to Premier League from League One. And even though on the surface everything went great, I still think we dodged a bullet when Markus Liebherr died. Because if the Liebherrs had decided to sell the club at that moment we could have been in big trouble once again. If it happened now, we'd be fine as we have all this Premier League TV revenue coming in and our salary structure is fairly low, and we have very good young players tied to nice long term contracts that are easily salable should we find ourselves in a cash crunch. But ML dying happened at a particularly tricky time and he was only 62. So you just never know what can happen.
I do think Pompey will get big gates...an element of relief, 'ownership' of club, and determination to prove others wrong. This may fall off if it isn't accompanied by results on the pitch. However, I think they will need considerable financial backing to get out of the Championship (and that's 2 promotions away).
To be fair Pompey are too big a club to stay in league 2 for long.......They have a good core of support and I would be surprised if they had less than 10/12000 fans each week at home. I think their real problems will start once they are in league 1 and onwards. 5/6 years should see them back in the championship.......with another 4/5 years until they can push for the premier. Once they are back in the Championship they should attract some welcome financiers so the whole merry-go-round can start again.........
It's great to see an unspoilt discussion regarding the PST takeover. I, like many of you, are apprehensive about what the long term will hold. This surely is our time to shine though to show that mass fan ownership can work. Look at Swansea for example - owned 51% by the fans - actual fans and not HNWIs. They were bought out, the HNWI's moved aside and now look at them! However, we are starting at 100% fan ownership (regardless of the amount of money put in by individuals). As a Pompey fan I want stability. No silly spending, no beyond our means gambling and a progressive move forward through the lower leagues for the time being. We are not getting carried away. We are all just so happy to have a club still void of all corruption and buisinessmen who couldn't care less about the fans. I believe we are looking at gates of 12k for League 2 next year - considering we were getting above that this season with a massive number of people staying away (like myself) because my money was not going into my club, I believe 15k is a real target and not a made up figure! At present, Bradford average around 15k in League 2 - I reckon we can match that. We also have a number of youth players in the squad and don't forget Whittingham did get rid of the higher salary earners in January too. We are also being monitored by the FL for the next 5 seasons to make sure nothing bad happens again. I have said it before, and I will say it again - if, IF, this all goes wrong - at least this time we can only blame ourselves. Let's see how it goes - if we can keep the majority of the players we currently have, and they can grind out performances like they have over the last 10 games (shows what a stable teamsheet can do, not 60 debutants in 1 season!), then I see no reason why we can't be up there or there abouts to look at one of the 3 auto spots. But if we don't - so what? We don't care. We still have a club.
I am glad you said that. I was chatting to an ex Swansea youth team player at the weekend and he was explaining to me the new training facility and Academy being built beside their stadium and I walked along beside it on my way to the game on Saturday. It was all very impressive and all paid for by the clubs PROFITS. He said they do not pay over the odds to either buy or pay wages to any player and live within their means. They are also in the planning stages to extend the Liberty Stadium again using profits and not loans. It is possible to succeed in the FL/PL without being bankrolled and without accruing massive debt as Swansea are demonstrating. The one fear I have for Pompey though is that fans' expectations may exceed what is possible in the short to medium term. Talk of PL promotion should be played down as there are debts to clear and an infrastructure to develop. I think it is going to be a difficult and challenging time for Pompey but if like Swansea they can make fan ownership of a club work then this will surely be a model many fans will want for their own club. TBH Pompey are trailblazing and they don't have any margins for error. I am watching with great interest and I hope it all works out.
Couldn't have put it better myself Godders! I think another thing that is on our side is that the PST now own all surrounding land to Fratton Park - I think everyone knows we need to bring FP up to date (it's currently stuck in 1897) and with one of the HNWI's owning the land and him being a property developer we can only hope that we can redevlop the surrounding land and the Park. But this has to be done with PROFITS alone, like Swansea. I truely believe that after the last 5 years, all realistic Pompey fans can see our situation now as a "start again". I would hope no one would be stupid enough to demand PL football, hell, even Championship football. If you want PL football then there is a shiny red and white stadium down the road for them! We know we need to bide our time, we need to consolidate, look at the positives (youth set up being one) and move on from there. We are going to be a selling club for the time being, very much like SFC were with Theo, Bale and Oxo etc - but that extra money in will help put a new roof over a new stand for example. We will be a community club. A club for Portsmouth by people from Portsmouth. Lets see how it goes!
Godders. It isn't the fans that anyone needs to worry about. Fans are always realistic no matter what the 'bravado' and 'banter'. Look at us. We spout the onward and upward but we inwardly have an inclination to not quite believe it could happen. It is the HNWI that will make or break the future because if they move with the fans then there can be progress however slow. If they get big ideas it spells failure. We are very lucky to have Cortese who can supplt whatever he says he can supply. Cortese is a big player in the 'real big money world' yet even though we type that we 'trust him' or ' 'back him' we walk away with our small minds thinking 'eek'
Does the PST own the land round Fratton Park or does a HNWI (hate that word) who happens to be on the board own it...not clear from mikecloud1984's post.
I think these 3 sentences sum it up. I do wish them well - not too much, just enough to keep them below us for eternity Good Luck to Pompey and I watch with interest how it develops over the next few years.
I remember how happy I was to be -10 in league 1...faced with losing your club, which league you are in doesn't matter.
A HNWI individual owns the land - but I believe (could be wrong) that this asset will be transfered as and when the land is needed for ground development. FP is owned by the PST and Stuart Robinson is the HNWI sat on the board who bought the land from Gaydemeks administrators. This obviously is not the same as the PST owning both, which in an ideal world is what we would like - but with the land owner involved with the PST and being a Pompey fan himself, I hope this bodes well. I would imagine we would see a redevelopment of FP (long term goal) with some of the land being sold off to Tesco (ala Coventry) or for flats (ala Leyton Orient) and this will help the funding of the redevelopments as well as making business sense for Robinson. What is important is that he is a member of the HNWI's and is a Pompey fan. It's not ideal, but its better than Gaydemek controlling it and charging £10 for away team coaches to park!
I'd be happy to see us as a well established 'top half' Championship side. With a ground like ours, with a capacity of only 20,000 it is not possible [as we proved!] to run as a Premier League business. Unless the day comes when we have the financial backing for a new ground with a 35,000 capacity I'd sooner not bother trying to chase the pot of gold
It's beyond belief how QPR have carried on paying the wages with only a capacity of 18,000 isn't it! I also believe a 35,000 a WAY beyond a realistic capacity we should be looking to build/redevelop - possibly 25,000 with room for expansion would be a better idea?
With the new Prem sky deal, it will be possible for clubs with small grounds to pay high wages as the TV income is going to be 4 to 5 times the gate income of the majority of clubs. So if QPR had stuck in the league, they would have been alright financially. But now, they are heading in Pompey's direction in more ways than one.
I think all Pompey, Saints and Bournemouth fans can see a common demoninator in the demise of QPR....... .....does anyone want to hazard a 'triffic guess? Or will guesses be "down to bare bones" in their submission?
