Portsmouth are likely to have "no alternative" but to close on 10 August

[SeagullSongs]

No; more as a swipe at posters on here who seem to revel in their potential demise due to their 'scum' fans. These fans are, IMO, more likely to be working class (from a rough background), but some people seem very quick to tar their fans as scum. I realise that this may seem like a generalisation on my part, but I find it astounding that any true football fan can enjoy the potential demise of a club.

Agreed.
Although I will not enjoy the death of Portsmouth FC, I think it is necessary for modern football to show the world that if you spend more money than you have in a gamble for success, there must be consequences. If the gamble doesn't pay off, sadly, the consequences are likely to be fatal.
Pompey have done this too many times to be allowed to get away with it.

As mentioned elsewhere, there will always be a team in Portsmouth and it would be an adventure pulling Portsmouth City (or whatever they choose) back up to the Football league from the depths of the County League.

 

[tottenhamseagull]

I assume no one else is watching SSN this morning..... They have just announced Harry Redknapp will talk to the players to try and help "save the club", by reducing their wages. You couldn't make this s**t up!!!!

guilty conscience? MUCH!!

 

[seagullsovergrimsby]

Actually, we didn't pay ALL our creditors in full. Some of our creditors accepted a payment in the pound to help the Albion, this was a voluntary arrangement and was not imposed by the courts.

That said, I have no sympathy for PFC the club and little sympathy for the fans.

At the time the club was on the verge of folding because Archer , Bellotti & Stanley were intent on killing the club and pocketing any remaining assets, fending off HMRC winding up orders , selling off players for a quarter of their value as scavenging clubs cherry picked. A few creditors (less than a handful ?) accepted partial payments rather than end up with nothing as administration wasn't an alternative while the rest of the creditors were paid in full.

 

[mejonaNO12 aka riskit]

The club DESERVE to go out of business.

The fans don't deserve it in the slightest. It's a horrible situation to lose a football club.

I'm amazed at some people's joy at this.

 

[severnside gull]

If you fancy a laugh .......................................... . Harry to the Rescue Redknapp: I’ll talk to Kanu - Pompey Past - Portsmouth News

 

[Captain Haddock]

I actually think that if this happens it will be for the best both for Portsmouth fans AND for football in this country.

In terms of the fans, it seems that the vast majority of their core, loyal fanbase want/think it would be best to start again at the bottom with a clean slate and work from there.

In terms of the wider picture, hopefully clubs will look at what has happened to a relatively big and successful club which is heading for oblivion after spending well beyond its means and take this as a lesson to bring their own houses into order unless they want to go the same way.

At this stage, I really think thats the best possible outcome for all concerned and, although I'd take no particular pleasure from it, maybe it NEEDS to happen for the greater good.

Couldn't agree more, Frutos.

I'm not sure what the problem is. The club got mismanaged and they fooked up and now should pay the price.

The fans need not worry as a "new" club will be formed (they do have their large catchment area so it will happen) and will have to work their way up the league (like Rangers up in Scotland will have to). The benefit will be that the fans can then hold their hands up high as they have a clean new start. If they "survive" by being bailed out somehow they will forever have that hanging round their necks that their club cheated and got away with it. Having to start again from the conference (or wherever) is NOT the end of the world. Of course it will be a bit crap for a few years but in the long run they will be fine, there will always be a "Portsmouth" football club for the fans in some form.

It will also send out a strong message to the rest of the clubs in the league which will be for the greater good of the game. Let's face it, we came to the brink of going out of the league but managed to build and build and get to where we are now.

Also spot on!

Pompey, both the club and supporters, have had ample opportunity over the last few years to do something about their plight, yet both have wilfully failed to do so.

The football club have not only defrauded the taxpayer and numerous small businesses, they have also shafted their fellow football clubs by attempting to gain a competitive advantage without having the money to do so. Sadly Pompey are an affront to any well run football club, especially at the lower league level. As a fan base we have not rallied round to help Pompey fans as there hasn't been any fan movement to rally around to help! Aside from the well-meaning but toothless supporters trust we haven't heard a peep from the Pompey fans at all.

I do not buy into the "it's not their fault, what could they do?" argument as the fans of other clubs, not just the Albion, have proved that you can do something if you really want to. Portsmouth Fc are a joke and it is simply not worth saving in it's current form. Whilst I don't think the supporters trust can save the current club, it looks like they are well placed to start a phoenix club, and maybe a "clean" AFC Portsmouth could attract investment from those supporters who do not wish to bail out the current regime.

This whole situation was completely avoidable and Pompey got themselves into it and have no-one else to blame. As has been pointed out earlier on the thread, most of the big earners they are trying to offload were signed after going into administration and the imposition of CVA they haven't even started paying out on yet.

So I'm sad to say f**K them, let them go to the wall and start again, they deserve it.

This is also bang on - it's worth noting that fans I spoke to last season all said they wouldn't give up their days out at Wembley, the cup-winners parade and their adventures in Europe in exchange for turning back time and avoiding this subsequent shambles ever having happened. Therefore they are apparently happy to take their medicine (the VERY high highs with the VERY, VERY, low lows).

On that basis, cheerio Pompey.

You may well be correct......although I hope it doesn't happen.

One of the reasons Chanrai wants the players off the books is because with them, the wage bill is still horrendously high....reported to be ?..£9.5 million pa.

Portsmouth FC are still due considerable amounts of parachute payments from the Premier League. Should the high earners remain, this money from the League will be swallowed up. However, if the high earners go.......this will leave the parachute payments to be siphoned off by Chanrai, to pay off his 'alledged' £16-18 million of debt to him.

Chanrai has no interest in Portsmouth FC.....the £16-18 million debt was as a result of some dodgy dealing between him and a previous crooked owner of Portsmouth FC.

And ultimately this reality is why they must liquidate and start afresh. Leaving that crook to his then useless stadium will be what he deserves. Pompey will be able to find another site after ground-sharing...or indeed BY ground-sharing (investing in improvements / taking joint ownership of a ground).

I don't think it's the 'rivalry' that's the central issue here. In fact, I'd say it comes a long way down the pecking order.

What happened on Fans United day was supporters of other clubs helping the supporters of Brighton & Hove Albion, not the club itself. I am sure that, assuming a legitimate, well-run, well-considered Portsmouth Supporters' group had been formed several years ago, with a message that their club was being internally destroyed, fans of other clubs - including Brighton - would happily have stepped in and lent support.

As it transpires, any such groups that there were either got shouted down and/or didn't manifest themselves in a big enough way. To that end, the prevailing noises coming from Portsmouth fans was one of victimhood from the FA, rather than victimhood from within.

FWIW, if an AFC Portsmouth Phoenix-type club, run by supporters by legitimate, fair and legal means was to be created (a la AFC Wimbledon), their efforts would receive my support as a general football fan.

Spot on, Alan, and it's this and their vile behaviour, remorseless gloating and lack of shame displayed as recently as late last season at The Amex that clinches it for me....if I was ever in any doubt. F*ck 'em and their ill-gotten gains, arrogance and lack of understanding of how shambolic that THEY are, never mind their sorry excuse of a once upstanding club!

I assume no one else is watching SSN this morning..... They have just announced Harry Redknapp will talk to the players to try and help "save the club", by reducing their wages. You couldn't make this s**t up!!!!

Yea Gods! Either 'Arry is chronically delusional and even thicker than we all realised or he is taking the aforementioned back-hander for his modest share of Chainrai's Parachute-Payment-Pie!

Either way I truly despair.

 

[Hillian1]

At the time the club was on the verge of folding because Archer , Bellotti & Stanley were intent on killing the club and pocketing any remaining assets, fending off HMRC winding up orders , selling off players for a quarter of their value as scavenging clubs cherry picked. A few creditors (less than a handful ?) accepted partial payments rather than end up with nothing as administration wasn't an alternative while the rest of the creditors were paid in full.

I am fully aware thank you of reasons, I merely posted that not ALL our creditors were payed in full, thanks to their amazing generosity.

 

[LU7 RED]

I don't think it's the 'rivalry' that's the central issue here. In fact, I'd say it comes a long way down the pecking order.

What happened on Fans United day was supporters of other clubs helping the supporters of Brighton & Hove Albion, not the club itself. I am sure that, assuming a legitimate, well-run, well-considered Portsmouth Supporters' group had been formed several years ago, with a message that their club was being internally destroyed, fans of other clubs - including Brighton - would happily have stepped in and lent support.

As it transpires, any such groups that there were either got shouted down and/or didn't manifest themselves in a big enough way. To that end, the prevailing noises coming from Portsmouth fans was one of victimhood from the FA, rather than victimhood from within.

FWIW, if an AFC Portsmouth Phoenix-type club, run by supporters by legitimate, fair and legal means was to be created (a la AFC Wimbledon), their efforts would receive my support as a general football fan.

Ok - Thanks for that, has helped with the understanding of the position. Us at Bournemouth aren't brilliant at getting stuff sorted out, but at least we got some people down the winter gardens in 97 and got 30k raised to save us. Suprised of the lack of Pompey on here, they must be nearer than Palace?

 

[severnside gull]

The club DESERVE to go out of business.

The fans don't deserve it in the slightest. It's a horrible situation to lose a football club.

I'm amazed at some people's joy at this.

If the club deserve to go out of business, and I believe they do for a thousand sins of the past which are continuing and being planned to continue in the future, then you can't say that it shouldn't happen "because of the fans"

I take delight that in this one instance (when there should have been many more) the crooks who control so much of football without any thought for the harm they do to the real fans, might just get called to account.


In reality. like always, they will doubtless scrape through until - in twelve or eighteen months - it all happens again.

In the very unlikely event that they are not crying Wolf I will give 100% support to a Phoenix club run by the Supporters Trust. It may take time of course but with the fanbase they have they will get back.

 

[seagullsovergrimsby]

I am fully aware thank you of reasons, I merely posted that not ALL our creditors were payed in full, thanks to their amazing generosity.

I thought I had to post it to avert a multitude of Palace fans spunking over their keyboards at the thought we might have ripped off a few creditors when in fact it wasn't the case

 

[brakespear]

Why are the players scumbags? They've only taken what was offered to them by greedy Pompey, living beyond their means.

Absolutely this - I can't see any reason in particular for anybody to have a go at players who are only expecting the money that was offered to them by a club living far beyond their means.

 

[Pavilionaire]

I don't have a lot of sympathy with the players - Pompey have been the football equivalent of Greece for some years now. I'd rather sign for a solvent club on £7K per week than sign for Pompey on £10K a week.

And I don't know why Harry's getting involved.

 

[seagullsovergrimsby]

Norris now on his way to Leeds (free transfer). Halford expected to be on his bike to Forest in the next few days , only problem being that Pompey still owe £200k to Wolves as a transfer payment. Pompey say Kanu is only entitled to £300k in back pay and not the £3M his solicitor has lodged a claim for. TBH has told his agent (Pinavi) to f*** off and not get involved in his settlement negotiations. Nobody seems to know what the situation is with Kitson and Lawrence as there seems to be no interest in either of them from other clubs.

 

[Barrel of Fun]

I wish they would hurry up and f*** off to the Hampshire county league.

 

[The Modfather]

I wish they would hurry up and f*** off to the Hampshire county league.

Here Here

 

[robinsonsgrin]

and Wrexham and Chester and Doncaster. And Bury (buy a seat). We've not forgotten, nor looked down our noses. PFC look like being the exception from us.

oo id forgotten i have a seat at bury!

 

[Working class pride]

Football is about clubs like Brighton, Palace, Pompey, Rochdale, Leeds, QPR and the rest. Football almost lost Brighton and that would have been a real loss to football and the same goes for Pompey.

The day MK Dons are in the league and Pompey are not is the day that football becomes almost as worthless as American NFL franchise football. Football is not about players, its about its town and its people. Yes the club should go bust and the players should lose their contracts just like any other business but the club of Pompey is, like the Albion, a historic institution that England should be careful not to lose.

Therefore, its with greatest respect and I recite ".. Fck off Pompey, Pompey Fck off" and may that song be heard again and again and again.

 

[Barrel of Fun]

They'll not lose Portsmouth. Portsmouth will always have a football club.

It's high time that they pay the price. Would anyone have any sympathy for a banker who spent wildly, but then found his income destroyed and he went to the wall, depsite paying large amounts towards his array of cars and other status symbols.

I find it hard to understand how people have any sort of sympathy for Portsmouth. They have been larging it for years, on credit. I wouldn't get all misty eyed on a local family for spending a fortune on their gaffe and then being told to pay for it, when they couldn't.

Boo hoo. They might have to play some local sides for a fair while. It's not the end of the world. They might even have some fun.

They have an FA Cup to show for their gluttonous adventure. That lasts forever.

The bellend and his fellow passionate/wonderful supporters achieved absolutely nothing. Completely apathetic when things were going awry. Manadaric is still some sort of legend, despite selling the club to a crook. They really wouldn't be a loss to the game and it might teach everyone a lesson or two.

Poor hard done by Pompey.

 

[Dick Knights Mumm]

A club is about the identity of the area. It will be a sad day if a club that started in 1898 goes under due to the financial recklessness of a few greedy fools over the course of less than a tenth of that time. Of course the fans could have seen earlier what was happening - but there is a lot of sanctimonious crap posted about what the fans could and should have done (I have posted some of it myself). Do we really have such a moral highground ?

The good thing is that there will always be a Club in Portsmouth. And perhaps a bigger Club needs to go under "pour encourager les autres" but I won't feel like dancing on their grave.

 

[Insel affe]

This is getting very boring and everyone knows they will survive at the last minute and then this will drag on for years to come.