Pompey - One last throw of the dice?

There is a firm of Solicitors in Romsey called Bell and Co. Below their nameplate on the door it says "Please ring for attention".

 

I thought you might enjoy this sign which I photographed in a supermarket car park while on holiday in the South of France a couple of years ago.

The moment I saw it I was reminded of your bell ringing friend.

 

Can't believe that has gone un-commented on. It deserves this .....

 

A bloke walks into a bar in Portsmouth and orders a shandy.

All the Skates sitting around the bar look up, expecting to see another Scummer visitor.

The barman says, "You ain't from around here, are ya?"

The guy says, "No, I'm from Southampton."

The bartender says, "What do you do in Southampton?"

The guy says, "I'm a taxidermist."

The bartender says, "A taxidermist? What the heck is a taxidermist?

Do you drive a taxi?"

"No, a taxidermist doesn't drive a taxi. I mount animals."

The bartender grins and yells,

"He's okay boys. He's one of us."

 

Was there a swimming pool at the camp site, Meowth? Of course, the French for swimming pool is "piscine", no doubt derived from the habits of small children, everywhere. And Antiquarian Bookseller Sots, of course.

 

Ah yes, but that song always reminds me of LA Story, a favourite film of mine. Anyway, we were discussing Pompey but I am interested which sea? La Mer de?

 

Here you are then Meowth:

[video=youtube;znNyS0jcj7I]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=znNyS0jcj7I[/video]

 

I've occasionally hummed the tune on a warm summer's day, while sailing. It somehow adds to the whole affair. Especially if the wind isn't too bothered about blowing.

 

I think it has been ironic that during their darkest hour, the statements from the likes of Trevor Birch and Michael Appleton (as well as David Lampitt in the recent past) have probably been the most sensible and measured that I can ever recall coming out from the club. In the past, I have always felt that the official comments have either been subject to hyperbole or of a sense an immense injustice. Milan Mandric was one character who always seemed to play the cartoon villain although my Dad always calls him Blofeld after the bloke in the James Bond film who was always stroking the cat on his lap! I never felt that someone of his character really served the interests of Portsmouth too well - he even made Rupert Lowe look reasonably normal. As recently as Steve Cotterill, the post-match interviews always seemed to revolve around some injustice or lack of a break during a match which Portsmouth should have won but ultimately lost 4-0. To me, this has always contrasted with the more measured responses from Southampton staff who always seem to acknowledge poor performances and not really looked for other scapegoats. Atkins' post-match interviews are without exception extremely professional.

I feel that Birch seems more pragmatic and realistic that Andronyku (or however you spell him name!) who truck me as trying to conduct a circus as opposed to genuinely protecting the club's interest. One of his last acts was to announce the immenent sale of the club only for this never to materialise.

Listening to the interviews on the radio last night, it appears clear that the PFC squad will be whittled down even further this week and whilst the forthcoming matches are easily winnable, the team is struggling to score goals and a weakened squad will only make this matter worse. Incidentally, I feel that the most likely result will be in the derby match where local pride will be as much as factor as difference in quality of the two teams. On paper, we whould register a cricket score against Pompey but I don't think it will transpire to be as easy as most Saints imagine. I would love us to get revenge for the "Fratton Park Massacre" when we were torn apart and ultimately relegated from the Premiership. Other than that, I think Portsmouth's relegation is the only nailed-on certainty in the Championship so far this season. I can't seem them escaping and as someone mentioned on here a few weeks back, the fate of Plymouth may offer an indication of the kind of trajectory that Portsmouth can anticipate. The First division is in my opinion two leagues with Championship -level teams at one end and much poorer quality squads at the other. The better teams currently in that league would destroy a weakened Pompey team with little hope of augmenting the playing staff.

Curious to read Daren Wheeler's article in last night's Sports Echo which reflected upon Portsmouth's fate and offered no sympathy whatsoever. This is a favourite topic of this writer who can be a good read but someone who seems to have a bee in his bonnet regarding Portsmouth's FA Cup win and sees the current problem as just desserts.

 

For me it will always be HMRC's cup and it should have been on display at tax offices throughout the country. I also think that HMRC should petition the FA to have the engraving on the cup changed to show that HMRC won it and not Portsmouth.

If I was a Pompey fan I would want to expunge it from the club's history books.

 

Aaaaw come on godders....I somehow doubt that no matter the circumstances of the financial side of things. It still is not the fans fault is it? As far as they are concerned.......and in reality if it had been us........they won the ruddy thing fair and square. Ok the fact that they should not of had the quality of players to do that, still doesn't mean they didn't win it does it. Personally It is better too be forgotten and let go. It is no good dwelling on sour grapes......they give you the runs...

 

We don't need to dwell on the past...the future's bright and it's red and white. He who laughs last.....

 

Why would we do that? Winning the FA Cup the way we did is absolutely no different to Chelsea winning the Premier League the way they did. We had a squad that the club could not afford on its own, one that was bought and had wages paid by a rich owner, and in the process we amassed a large amount of debt. Chelsea had and have a sqaud the club cannot afford on its own, one that was bought and has its wages paid a its rich owner, and in the process it had amassed and still is amassing large amount of debt. The only difference is that Abromovich pays the tax and writes the debt off and doesn't expect the club to pay him back while Gaydamak didn't pay the tax and didn't write the debt off, expect to be paid the money he invested back by the club and passed us on to an owner who had no money who then passed us onto to another owner who had not money, both of whom didn't pay tax and increased the debt.

I dont understand why people who go on about the FA Cup win being unfair or cheating dont understand the simple fact that buying success even at the expense of the wellbeing of the club is a time honoured tradition in football and you can pick dosens of top flight teams all over the big leagues of Europe who do the same. Winning titles by spending such money does not render that win invalid, the club pays for it when the funding is withdrawn.

In hindsight I certainly dont considering the 2006 to 2012 period of the Club's history anything to be proud of, and even during that period I did not consider the on-field success equal to the days of Jack Tinn or Bob Jackson, but I dont understand fans of other clubs being bitter that Pompey had success during that time. If it was their club they would have been just as blindly supportive of the spending when it was happening and would have crowed about the success during that time period just as we did and now they would look back on those days with remorse. I especially dont understand any bitterness over it from Southampton's fans given the fact that Southampton are on the rise and should be more concerned with celebrating their own current successes than moaning about Portsmouth former ones.

To be honest, it has always struck me as somewhat pathetic that a large contingent of football fans of many clubs around the world are more concerned with how badly their rivals are doing than well their own team is doing.

 

Football fans always have enough chips on their shoulder to open a fish shop. I have only just forgiven Leeds for being so successful when I was young

 

How about for reasons of integrity, honesty, sportsmanship, fairplay, honour, doing the right thing, playing the game etc etc.

I wouldn't want to play cards or a round of golf with a PoorOldPompey fan if he can't see what everyone else sees as wrong about the last FA Cup win.

 

I do not have a chip on my shoulder Fran. I was brought up to live my life honestly and with integrity. You should not be surprised therefore when I disapprove of a total lack of either in an individual or an organistion.