Gemmel

My understanding is that they (Through the PFA) have already accepted the 40 month terms as part of the last administration package. It was strange at the time, because they only have one parachute payment left to come (Which was very fortunately increased based on the new TV revenue deal - also worth bearing in mind that the year they went down parachute payments leapt from 30 million to 54,so through nothing but pure luck and timing, means they have picked up an additional 26 million in cash than previous clubs who were relegated before them). Anyway as already mentioned the last parachute payment is almost exactly the same as the money owed to the players, so why they needed 40 months I have no idea. But the PFA do have three charges against fratton park, so until they are paid, they effectively own fatpipes.

We haven't heard the last of Cortese, but it will just be noise.

And for those that didn't get to see him, here is a very little taste....... Great player

Mr Antonov took control of the football club – described in court as an economic “basket case”. Sounds like a genuine Nutjob http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/former-portsmouth-football-club-owner-vladimir-antonov-on-trial-for-400m-bank-fraud-in-lithuania-9072933.html

I think he is very good friends with Anheuser Bush

I don't think there has been any investment for over a year and half. Since the point in time when the family loans were converted into equity, the club has borrowed money from external lenders against future season ticket sales and TV revenue - Which was something that Cortese mocked other clubs for doing, so this was a significant shift in his strategy. And to be fair we have continued to improve, so no reason we cant keep improving at the same time as being self sufficient

I really don't see it as a "what side" situation, regardless of the differing statements in the press. Cortese had a remit from Markus to do as he will Katrina is managing a billion pound plus estate and simply can't have one of the businesses go unchecked.

A small "nutjob" observation, that the new signing is wearing Kappa training kit - Which is strange (Unless of course they haven't got any money and didn't budget for new training kit) Would be interesting to know if squad numbers are allocated based on what old spare kit is left :) :)

Duncan your point about the book is a perfect insight into Cortese as a person and the way he runs the club / business, but that doesn't mean it necessarily supports your view. First off, the emotion behind banding a figure of 50k is flawed, this is 50k sales, not profit, which without knowing the industry, would guess it would be more like 5k??? But regardless of the amount, the insight comes from "The Cortese way" or "No way", which is from what I know from people at the club and what we read in the press, exactly the way it was. No grey area on any matter and if you didn't buy into that ethos, you wouldn't last very long. We can question the merits of that approach / method until we are blue in the face, but the reality is that it worked and worked incredibly well, In every aspect of the club / business and more importantly on the pitch. There are very few football Chairmen that can boast the success that Nicola had. It isn't far off being spectacular. But it wasn't without pain and certainly not to everyones liking, so there have been casualties along the way, but in the grand scheme of things they are not significant. I am not sure why this news of how KL wanted to impose some level of accountability is new - This was my understanding from the wranglings over the summer and simply a continuation of Cortese's business methodology of his way or no way, that has created the situation we now have. Some of the stories ive been told about him are almost unbelievable and suggest that at best he is a strange man, but what he has done at this football club is incredible and we are in my opinion, significantly worse off without him. That said, there is of course no way, you can manage a billion pound estate and not have any control in one of it's businesses, so I guess that ultimately this was always going to happen.

A) Which countries teams are predominantly linked to one of our strikers? Throw in a curve ball about the manager (Which was one of the main reasons the said striker came here), see if that helps the situation.

I think the lesson here is don't go and pick up a gun.... especially if you are under police supervision and have ties to criminal gangs

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/25647507 Ince is available - Are we more attractive than Swansea? Genuine question

I think it also show who was at fault for Our re-arranged cup game this season.

http://www.safc.com/news/club-news/2014/january/joint-statement-issued Sunderland and Newcastle (See last Paragraph) have rejected the "Bubble". I wonder if the same would apply to us if we ever played the skates again,

http://www.portsmouth.co.uk/sport/pompey/pompey-fighting-to-keep-wallace-1-5789473 ‘He’s been unlucky, too. If he’d scored the ones which have hit the bar there would probably be Premier League clubs ringing me up. Hahaha the two stories have put a smile on my face but this line has to be a wind up

Yes absolutely. People with the ability to pay the loans, but aren't in a position to put down huge deposits. http://www.dailyecho.co.uk/news/10915887.Southampton_mum_who_met_Prime_Minister_hits_back_at_critics/?ref=twt

Nice touch from Beatt's http://metro.co.uk/2014/01/04/accrington-stanley-boss-james-beattie-arranges-for-fans-to-attend-southampton-v-burnley-after-wasted-trip-to-portsmouth-4249267/ Used to be fairly common in the 80's...... You would be on your way to a match, find it had been called off and then find the nearest match to you that was on.

We’ve got connections at every club in the country so it’s a case of going through them all. You certainly do......most of them filed in "Accounts Payable".

http://www.fansnetwork.co.uk/football/portsmouth/news/33710/pompey-director-explains-new-investment-in-club?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

I think you are missing the point. We (As a club) obviously don't trust clattenburg to ref our matches. What was or wasn't said is almost irrelevant as is the future or final outcome, but we wont be getting him as a ref anytime soon. Additionally the more press it gets the more the penalty issue will be exposed and his incompetence.

Where is that from Dig dig

Yesterday the budgets were overflowing from additional revenue. Today they don't cover the required maintenance budget. It's taken half a season of ownership to go back the presidents for extra money. In other news the player budget has been increased to support the new manager. Without knowing anything about the work required, my guess would be that fat pipes, will need significant money thrown at it every year and the next shortfall will be very telling. The trust will not want to go below the 50% (It's not relevant as their % isn't reflected in numbers in the boardroom - Funny that) so it will depend on how much they need the cash. 2014 should be good for a few laughs.

The PST board has unanimously agreed to accept a £450k injection of cash from the club’s President Investors to enable essential, long overdue safety work on Fratton Park to be completed. The group, which comprises individual Pompey fans who have each already put sums of more than £50,000 into the club, has raised a further significant six-figure sum which could see our capacity restored to around 20,000 for next season.As a result of the additional investment, the PST remains the majority shareholder in the club with 52.7% of the shares. The club has been operating on a reduced capacity since the start of the season, after Portsmouth City Council, the licensing authority, came up with a list of urgent improvements the club needs to undertake. Ken Malley, Vice Chairman of the PST said – “This is a definite New Year bonus. The Board of the Trust were pleased to accept the increased investment from the Presidents. It comes at a time when we are under pressure to implement an assortment of ground improvements and means that we need not impinge on funds that were earmarked for development of the first team squad”. Club Chief Executive Mark Catlin told the club’s official site “These works are the legacy of the past few years where work to keep the ground up to scratch was allowed to lapse. It is essential work, but the money to do it is not in our current budget." The works, which are scheduled to start in January, include:-· Installation of a sprinkler system in the North and South Stands· Upgraded electrical systems around the stadium· New disabled viewing facility in north east corner· Improved stairwell access to North Stand G Section In addition, there will be a series of other essential repairs, including fixing long-standing leaks in the South Stand roofs. Ashley Brown, Chairman of the PST added – “The PST has worked very closely with our presidents since the early days of our efforts to buy the football club. I continue to be impressed with their dedication to the cause both with the provision of their experience but also now further financial backing”. The PST is keen to reinforce the fact that we remain the majority shareholder and the potential to purchase shares (and therefore increase our majority shareholding further) will remain open until early April. We would actively encourage any fans who have yet to convert their pledge or who may wish to buy a share to get in touch with us. Alternatively you can visit the ‘Trust Bus’ on a match day to discuss the options open to you.

Pompey’s presidents have dipped into their pockets to stump up more than £450,000 for improvements to Fratton Park. The 11 members have stepped forward to fund essential safety work required to restore the ground to its 20,000-plus capacity. Fratton Park was reduced to a 18,200 attendance in August as a result of the ongoing lack of maintenance and investment into the club’s infrastructure. Now the six-figure sum has been raised between the presidents to complete the improvements required to satisfy Portsmouth City Council and the licensing authority. Work includes the installation of a sprinkler system in the north and south stands, upgraded electrical systems around the stadium and a new disabled viewing facility in the north-east corner. In addition, there will be improved stairwell access to the North Stand G section and the fixing of the long-standing problems of leaks in the South Stand roofs. Previously, the presidents, which include board members Iain McInnes, Chris Moth, John Kirk and Mick Williams, each contributed more than £50,000 to the club. The others involved are Eric Coleborn, Martin Moyse, Martin Price, Ian Silvester, John Crossley, John Partridge, Ken Terry and Stuart Robinson. The money required to fund the essential work was not in the current budget, prompting the presidents to intervene. A rolling programme of Fratton Park improvements will start this month, with the aim of achieving a 20,000-plus capacity for the start of the 2014-15 campaign. The investment will also see the presidents’ percentage ownership in the club increased, although the Trust retains the majority shareholder with 52.7 per cent of the shares. So the trust go from 59 to% to 52% overnight..... One more round of maintenance and guess what..........