I'm starting to feel sorry for the average pompey fan. How must it hurt to hate your club for what it's doing? Very sad. I don't see a way out. We know the coffers are empty. In fact, you still owe for the coffers themselves. No ground, few players, relegation again.....and now this. The future looks grim indeed. No gloating from me anymore, just a question. Was the FA cup and a couple of premier league seasons really worth it?
I don't think you should be quite so quick to knock Portsmouth for not paying the charities this time. Whilst the Echo was quick off the mark to pick this us, I think that it is probably more of an unfortunate outcome of the business going into receivership. I would suspect that the directors were probably being careful with the cash flow and probably had little appreciation of how precarious the finanncial situation actually was. Cotterill's departure was probably the culmination of the point at which this had been realised. Second time around, I think Portsmouth have been as much victims of the depressed state of the economy in Europe as much as irregularities although you would have to sepculate as to how much the demise of the Latvian banks for less than honest reasons could have been anticipated by the Pompey board. In my opinion, the problems inherited by the earlier regimes were insurmountable and the CSI take-over was far too optimistic. Not convinced that Portsmouth can get out of this one although it will be interesting to see the outcome in Chanrai steps in as looks increasingly more likely. I agree with Bristol Saint's comments and can't see Portsmouth fairing too well in League One either. The fans have certainly been tucked up but a secure Premiership position and the FA Cup win would have all been realistic expectations when Guydamek bought the club in better economic conditions. Not really too different from the situation at Leeds a few years previously, I believe.
I'm not ashamed to support Pompey. Nor am I ashamed, disgusted, horrified etc etc of what the club has done. Portsmouth FC, Pompey etc are just names. Names can't do anything. However, I am so disgusted at so many things that have happened to our club; 1) Having a succesion of imcompetant, criminal, morally crap owners who have done nothing but tear the club into many pieces. 2) Owners and people in charge of running the club who deem it fine to not pay charities leaving it to the fans to pick up the bill. (Chanrai, Lampitt) 3) Being the reason why some businesses and people are now bankrupt, jobless struggling to make ends meet while they drain the club of its funds for their own good. 4) The lies that have been spoken in the name of our club; Chanrai - "I will pay back all the small creditors and charities". To name 1. 5) The FA who were meant to be watching our books and making sure we did not over spend again. Our debt went for 38mil to 58mil from the 1st admin to the 2nd. And many more. I love my club. I always have and I always will. Whats gone on over the last 4 years has only strengthened the bond I have with Pompey. But what these years have also done is shown how corrupt modern football is.
Been saying it for over a year, if not longer, the only way out of this for the many decent Pompey fans is a complete new club with absolutely no association to the current one. By any definition of the word "insolvent" is when a business has debts that can not be paid off by the revenue it is earning. The club should be wound up now, the small creditors won't be any worse off than they are now, but scumbags like Chainrai, Gaydemak etc will get what they deserve... NOTHING. The city council can then take ownership of Fratton and let a phoenix club play there run by a fans trust, with transparency and equal ownership & rules laid down that will be followed. Yes, they'd have to go non-league, but I honestly believe Pompey fans would enjoy that more than clinging onto this dying wreck of a club that is devoid of a soul and should be put out of its misery.
Believe me CBK that is the thoughts of a fair amount of Pompey fans, including me. The thing is, liquidation is not up to us the fans. Its the administrators choice. If they feel the creditors will get more if the club is binned then they will go for that option. There is also the big, main parasite of a problem in Chanrai. Putting aside fans doubts as to whether he will step in and make sure the club ain't liquidated, it is a possibility that he will step in at the final hour. Purely for his own gain he will siphon the parachute payments which were going to be used to pay off some of the outstanding debts. If he does take control I can see us going the same way as Luton or worse. If no one is buying us now, why would they in a few years when Chanrai is done leeching us, the debts have grown, no players, no assets outside of the playing staff and potentially a non league club. Non league doesn't scare us Pompey fans. We would embrace it the same way we embraced our last 2 relegations. We'd do what we do best and just sing our hearts out.
Ashamed - yes totally, we once had a reputation as a decent club followed by passionate, noisy and loyal fans. It's news like this that that is a darkening of our name - I have no idea of the sums involved but imagine we will again try to meet the funds required to restore something to our now very tarnished club name. Loyalty is given freely, inspired by a love or a sense of belonging to something or someone worthy. The recent owners of our club have tested that to breaking point....I can only be thankful that decent people like Michael Appleton are part of what little remains to be proud of.
