Fowllyd

For your delectation and cerebral delight, here's today's bit in the Grauniad: http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2010/mar/09/portsmouth-administrator-wage-bill Also in the Sport section is this letter, from John Scannell of Dublin, which the sub-ed has headed 'Pompey crimes': Yep, sounds about right, though I can think of plenty more reasons for not joining in with the 'wave of sympathy'...

Indeed. Add to that Mick McCarthy's comment that Wolves had been effectively outbid (in salary terms) by Pompey for a couple of players - and this in January's transfer window - and it's perfectly clear that Pompey have been cheating just as surely as if they'd had twelve or thirteen players on the pitch in each and every match.

Did you enjoy the Oatso Simple?

But not as shít as you, I fear.

Yes, I'm so glad that they have good news like this to help keep their spirits up.

Right on the button there, I'd say. In fact, I'm sure Andronikou made a statement to the effect that he wanted one or other of the two "very interested" (guffaw!) parties to stump up £3.5M to cement their interest. Put another way (and he did say this too) he was looking for money to cover the next lot of salary payments. I'm not sure if either of said parties is still around now... Another point: when we were in administration, Mark Fry was looking for one seventh of that amount for exclusivity. He needed that money for exactly the same reason - to pay the salaries. So, unless I'm wrong, we were paying the same amount in wages every week that Pompey are currently paying every day!

That's a bit harsh. I have it on good authority that he received an email as well.

If you're a fan of the Sopranos there's a tour you can do. Takes you round the New Jersey locations they used, and the guide is a bloke who appeared in various episodes and so has plenty of stories to tell. A mate of mine went on it last year and reckoned it was superb. Pointless if you don't like the Sopranos though!

If you're ever looking for a definition of an oxymoron, look no further!

Maybe Corpy will sue GM for causing mental distress and suffering. He'll need to find a solicitor, of course, but I've heard there's a chap by the name of Jacob who's at a bit of a loose end right now...

I believe there's an innernet term for what you've done there. Now what's that other expression - oh yes, shooting fish in a barrel. Most apt. I'll be keeping my eyes peeled for Corp's comeback; I'm sure it will be most enlightening. :smt044

Could well be a Psycho Killer among them - Pompey should just run, run, run, run, run, run away. Then again, I'd have thought that Intermarket's chairman might be more interested in Weymouth...

That's a good read, not least in that it gives a clear indication of just how fast Norwich have risen - note this comment about Leeds' match at Old Trafford in the Cup: At the start of the year Norwich were eleven points behind Leeds, having played the same number of matches; now they're five points ahead of them, and nine ahead of Charlton. That's a hell of a lot of ground to make up in a relatively short time. And, if Norwich can do it, so can we!

If this does happen (and the fact that it's being reported in the Mirror, which doesn't have a great track record in this area, makes me highly sceptical) then it's simply further indication that the Premier League wants shot of Pompey with as little disruption as possible to their own precious competition. They may even get support from a fair number of PL clubs who've taken points from the Skates as well. But the PL are no philanthropists, and they don't give a flying one about Pompey. If PFC do get the full amount of PL money (what they're due for the rest of this season and two seasons' parachute payments), it will all be used to pay off debts and they won't see a penny of it. They'll then flounder in the Championship next season (and most likely have a major points deduction to boot), get relegated at least one more time but probably more, then bottom out at some point in the next five years.

Here: http://www.portsmouth.co.uk/custompages/custompage.aspx?pageid=81796

Also, he's on loan. Oh dear. Damn. Stu beat me to it.

I bet he did - that's probably where HMRC got the figure from in the first place! :smt044

Mitchell mentions that Storrie values the playing squad at £38M, but says the court should take a 'conservative view'. That'll be £25 plus some loose change then!

Probably just having a look in the Ted Baker shop.

It is indeed. I'd obviously forgotten (or missed) the bit about secured lending, which would make the work at Pompey right up his street! Then again, it gives him even less of an excuse for c*cking it up.

A quick addendum to the last point: I had a look at Fuglers' web site just as the news of Jacob leaving came out, and his profile was still there. I noticed that his legal specialisation was property, which is quite some way from corporate and commercial law. If he did indeed use his status as a practising solicitor (feel free to insert your own joke about practice and its necessity here) to draw up the contracts between Falcondrone and Portpin, he should have called for expert advice from a specialist in that field. But even as a property lawyer he should still know what's legally OK and what's not. I also posted at the time that Jacob's departure seemed odd, and that the full story wasn't being told. I think GM's got as close as anyone's going to...

:smt044

Interesting that Cattermole seems to think that an offer of a bank facility somehow counts as proof of funds! I think I'd be looking for something a little more concrete than that. Also shows that ESPN Storrienet is still going strong: http://www.espn.co.uk/football/sport/story/9592.html I just love the caption under that pic of Storrie!

It seems to be a myth that's taking a long time to die - but it's getting there. Maybe it's based on the genuinely impressive attendances they got in the old Fourth Division all those years ago, but great praise is still frequently heaped onto their undeserving fans. The simple fact is that Pompey fans are no different to any other team's fans (give or take the odd extra digit and club foot of course); more of them turn up when times are good, but their numbers diminish when times are bad. If they were as fabulous as the myth would have it they'd have been filling Fratton Park all season, not for just one game - and that against Man Utd! It'll be both interesting and informative to see just how many turn up for their next home league game.

I'd rather look at it this way: In the early hours of the morning, the Queen Mary 2 glides serenely up Southampton Water on her way home from a two-week trip. Her passengers, sleeping soundly, have had a memorable voyage and are now headed back to their homes. Meanwhile, a small cargo ship chugs out towards the Solent, carrying a payload of toxic waste to be safely disposed of in some insalubrious spot. As the two vessels pass, the passengers on the QM2 are quite unaware of the other ship's presence; the crew of the cargo ship look up in awe at the vast majesty of the QM2.