Blimey, are you stalking me today or something? So, would I stick with my view or wouldn't I? After all, you say you know me ....It'd be nice to see them properly punished yes, personally though I wouldn't wish a team to go bust, even Palace! If Brighton ended up with a dodgy board and we did the same thing I'd be surprised if you'd stick to this opinion... but then knowing you, you probably would...
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Pompey - ha ha!
- Thread starter HampshireSeagulls
- Start date
sir albion
New member
He wants your big sausage
Don't flatter yourself.
- Jul 7, 2003
- 47,501
Interesting article re their court appearance next week.
Clubs root for Portsmouth in £18.2m high court battle with taxman
• Image rights test case could have major consequences
• Taxman claims cash-strapped Pompey owe £18.2m
* Matt Scott
* The Guardian, Friday 30 July 2010
Portsmouth will be cheered on by the rest of Britain's professional clubs when they defend themselves against the taxman in the high court next Tuesday. Every UK football club – as well as those in rugby and cricket – who give their players an image rights payment as part of their salaries have an interest in the case.
That is due to HM Revenue and Customs' claim against the club for £18.2m in "unpaid taxes of the image rights of certain players". Several other clubs are in dispute with HMRC over their own arrangements for players' image rights.
HMRC knows the case provides an opportunity to set legal precedent for the entire sports industry. The taxman is confident of convincing the court that Portsmouth have been avoiding tax. Officials will point to the alleged existence of a contract with Sol Campbell entitling him to £1.67m a year in image rights payments. At the time Pompey were earning only £7.2m a year from all their merchandising and sponsorship activities, meaning one pound in every five the club received was allegedly going to Campbell's offshore account.
Assuming Pompey paid no tax on any image rights payments and HMRC are claiming £18.2m, their total image rights commitments amounted to £45.5m – an astronomical sum. (If they did pay some tax then the £45.5m rises still further.)
Sports clubs will be supporting Pompey on Tuesday. But as the taxman makes this a test case, those clubs might equally wish it was someone else going in to bat for them.
Clubs root for Portsmouth in £18.2m high court battle with taxman
• Image rights test case could have major consequences
• Taxman claims cash-strapped Pompey owe £18.2m
* Matt Scott
* The Guardian, Friday 30 July 2010
Portsmouth will be cheered on by the rest of Britain's professional clubs when they defend themselves against the taxman in the high court next Tuesday. Every UK football club – as well as those in rugby and cricket – who give their players an image rights payment as part of their salaries have an interest in the case.
That is due to HM Revenue and Customs' claim against the club for £18.2m in "unpaid taxes of the image rights of certain players". Several other clubs are in dispute with HMRC over their own arrangements for players' image rights.
HMRC knows the case provides an opportunity to set legal precedent for the entire sports industry. The taxman is confident of convincing the court that Portsmouth have been avoiding tax. Officials will point to the alleged existence of a contract with Sol Campbell entitling him to £1.67m a year in image rights payments. At the time Pompey were earning only £7.2m a year from all their merchandising and sponsorship activities, meaning one pound in every five the club received was allegedly going to Campbell's offshore account.
Assuming Pompey paid no tax on any image rights payments and HMRC are claiming £18.2m, their total image rights commitments amounted to £45.5m – an astronomical sum. (If they did pay some tax then the £45.5m rises still further.)
Sports clubs will be supporting Pompey on Tuesday. But as the taxman makes this a test case, those clubs might equally wish it was someone else going in to bat for them.
Publius Ovidius
Well-known member
so basically, if sol campbell was to demand £2 million a year, they could pay him £500k and tax and NI him, BUT then pay the remaining £1.5m as image rights and pay no tax and ni.
This is not right at all, when people on pittances of wages are being expected to take pay freezes and pay cuts.
Cameron said we are all in this together and we must all share the pain...that should not exclude these super rich
This is not right at all, when people on pittances of wages are being expected to take pay freezes and pay cuts.
Cameron said we are all in this together and we must all share the pain...that should not exclude these super rich
Tooting Gull
Well-known member
- Jul 5, 2003
- 11,033
And spare a thought for those that came to Fans United, while you're at it.
D
Deleted member 2719
Guest
bhaexpress
New member
Most sensible post of the week and maybe the month.
Tooting Gull
Well-known member
- Jul 5, 2003
- 11,033
Really? A direct comparison that was never made, apparently not reading the full thread, misleadingly selective quoting, conveniently ignoring stuff about Pompey, and delighting in a club possibly about to go bust, potentially bringing untold misery to decent fans. Plus some stuff about Pompey's big games that just sounds petty and bitter. I think you need to upgrade your quality control.
The (not too subtle) point I have made, and I'm beginning to think it is so simple that it must have been deliberately overlooked by some internet warriors rather than accidentally, is that a bit of 'There but for the Grace of God' should apply. The view of some fans on here seems to be that could never have happened to us, because we're so fantastic. I disagree, and we're very lucky with the last two chairmen we have had. I also don't like to see people glorying in another club's financial demise, whatever the cause. I can't be bothered to repeat what I've already said about Pompey's situation. That cannot be wrong, since it is my opinion. But if I lived and worked around Portsmouth, like say Hampshire, I might feel slightly differently.
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Saint Harold 7
New member
- May 25, 2010
- 6
URGHH! 
Stupid skates 
Stupid skates 
I'll be honest; my attitude towards Portsmouth's supporters has changed somewhat over the last few months. I have been trying to convince myself that they could have done more to spot the dangers and steer the club away from the financial abyss but ultimately, what could they have actually done? And more pertinently, would our fans have behaved any differently in similar circumstances? I'd suggest probably not. When your club's infrastructure is crumbling all around you (the stadium is falling to bits, players are being sold for peanuts and replaced with kids) then it's relatively easy to spot an asset stripper and a few noses in the company accounts and articles of assocation can then go to prove it. But as Tooting says, as a layman fan, I would suggest that blatent overspending could easilybecome confused with "enjoying the good times".
And to be honest, some of the sanctimony on this site has made me want to puke. I've lost count of the number of times people on here have accused Southampton of leaving their creditors with 20p in the pound or whatever. Not only is this completely untrue, but it just brings into focus the fact that their is pretty much f*** all that the average fan can do about the financial state of his club.
I just hope that Portsmouth's fans remember these times and realise that bragging about cup final appearances and Premiership seasons are probably not going to leave the rest of us very impressed given the circumstances. I still hate Portsmouth and their inbred fans, so I fear this will not happen.
And to be honest, some of the sanctimony on this site has made me want to puke. I've lost count of the number of times people on here have accused Southampton of leaving their creditors with 20p in the pound or whatever. Not only is this completely untrue, but it just brings into focus the fact that their is pretty much f*** all that the average fan can do about the financial state of his club.
I just hope that Portsmouth's fans remember these times and realise that bragging about cup final appearances and Premiership seasons are probably not going to leave the rest of us very impressed given the circumstances. I still hate Portsmouth and their inbred fans, so I fear this will not happen.
No, sorry, you DID make a direct comparison and thought it was 'incredible' that people should think it ok to feel sympathy for us but not for Portsmouth.
Really? A direct comparison that was never made, apparently not reading the full thread, misleadingly selective quoting, conveniently ignoring stuff about Pompey, and delighting in a club possibly about to go bust, potentially bringing untold misery to decent fans. Plus some stuff about Pompey's big games that just sounds petty and bitter. I think you need to upgrade your quality control.
The (not too subtle) point I have made, and I'm beginning to think it is so simple that it must have been deliberately overlooked by some internet warriors rather than accidentally, is that a bit of 'There but for the Grace of God' should apply. The view of some fans on here seems to be that could never have happened to us, because we're so fantastic. I disagree, and we're very lucky with the last two chairmen we have had. I also don't like to see people glorying in another club's financial demise, whatever the cause. I can't be bothered to repeat what I've already said about Pompey's situation. That cannot be wrong, since it is my opinion. But if I lived and worked around Portsmouth, like say Hampshire, I might feel slightly differently.
And yes I AM angry about the whole situation and I think the last thing football needs is more 'bleeding heart liberals' saying that Portsmouth (or Palace or whoever) should be saved for the sake of the fans. And this isn't me being petty, vindictivce, bitter or any other adjective you wish to use, it's about caring for the long-term future of the game. If Portsmouth get away with it other clubs will continue to follow their example. And this doesn't happen in isolation, other clubs have to overspend to keep up with their profligate rivals - which is why we have to pay £25 to sit in the open air at Withdean watching third division football.
Portsmouth will never die all the while they have fans who care - but it my opinion they should be 'doing an Aldershot' rather than just having to endure a bog-standrd relegation (which would probably have happenedd anyway). Consequently I think your attitude is sentimentally admirable but a bit short-sighted. And also a bit insulting to compare our two situations.
Mackenzie
Old Brightonian
The image rights case will totally screw many top flight teams if Pompey lose....come on the taxman 
Football needs a huge shake up this may be the catalyst.
Football needs a huge shake up this may be the catalyst.
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Simon Morgan
New member
Thats an interesting point. Obviously there is ultimately very little the fans can do about it, but I seem to remember Crouch (I think?) saying how strange it was that one of the smaller clubs in the league were paying the 4th highest wages (more than Arsenal). Surely it must be weird to have Richard Hughes and Svetoslav Todorov one minute, then Lassana Diarra and Jermain Defoe the next? Not a lot they can do, but did none of them see this coming?
But we're forever being told that the Premiership means untold riches. Isn't it the case that the play off final is the richest game in football? If not, then there is a lot of misinformation being peddled. If it is, then I don't see why those players don't become instantly affordable, especially when allied to a billionaire owner seemingly bankrolling the club. And that is another point - didn't these problems arise after the Russian owers got bored sold to the Arab owners? (So not really as much to do with the players at the club)
Insulting my f***ing arse. That is incredibly sanctimoneous in my opinion.
You forget that we were amongst the first in the post Premiership era and consequently the begging buckets were filled and other fans came to Fans United. Good luck with that for whichever club is next. Oh wait, it was Chester. And no-one gave a shit.
It's true that no fans EVER criticise their chairman for spending too much, it's always "Get your chequebook out Mr Chairman!" We've seen it enough on NSC over the years with people imploring Dick Knight to invest in the team. Knight, however decided financial stability was worth more than championship survival (or even chasing the Premiership dream) and ignored them. Looking at Portsnmouth (and Palace, Leicester, Leeds) though I'm not sure he made the right decision.
You've missed the point. Fans Utd wasn't about fund-raising, it was about saving the club from Archer. That's why our situation and Portsmouth's current one are different; indeed the only similarity is that both clubs were 'in trouble'.
Simon Morgan
New member
Yes but there's "getting your checkbook out" and then there's buying players who are surely too expensive for your club. Look at Diarra - played at Chelsea then Arsenal previous to his spell in Pompey, then goes to Real Madrid for £20 million! Would Hull have signed him? Wigan? Would they bollocks. The whole untold riches thing is clearly not as simple as it is portrayed, why haven't Blackpool spent £50 million on new players this summer? Sorry but I really think this is quite an exceptional situation and can't really be compared to many others. Spending money is one thing, but Portsmouth having the 4th-highest wage bill in the PL is utter madness.
Really? A direct comparison that was never made, apparently not reading the full thread, misleadingly selective quoting, conveniently ignoring stuff about Pompey, and delighting in a club possibly about to go bust, potentially bringing untold misery to decent fans. Plus some stuff about Pompey's big games that just sounds petty and bitter. I think you need to upgrade your quality control.
The (not too subtle) point I have made, and I'm beginning to think it is so simple that it must have been deliberately overlooked by some internet warriors rather than accidentally, is that a bit of 'There but for the Grace of God' should apply. The view of some fans on here seems to be that could never have happened to us, because we're so fantastic. I disagree, and we're very lucky with the last two chairmen we have had. I also don't like to see people glorying in another club's financial demise, whatever the cause. I can't be bothered to repeat what I've already said about Pompey's situation. That cannot be wrong, since it is my opinion. But if I lived and worked around Portsmouth, like say Hampshire, I might feel slightly differently.
Most sensible post of the week and maybe the month.