Corporate Ho

Karl Power was a long way from Manchester wasn't he

More good news. Micky Fialka's mum and dad are so angry with him about this that they've grounded him for a month and taken away his Nintendo DS Incidentally, not wishing to stir things but did you know that Micky's sister Ana lives and works in Gosport and is a die hard Pompey fan?

Don't worry, it's all OK now. Micky Fialka's mum sold a couple of corsets at the weekend so she was able to give him his pocket money which means he can afford to buy you again

Ah, come on. Look at it from our point of view. Imagine the fun you'd be having if this was Pompey instead of you. Still lives with his mum - ROTFPMSL. And he really, really does look like Karl Power, don't you think? http://www.dailyecho.co.uk/sport/4460087.Pinnacle_money_man_speaks_out_on_Saints_takeover/ http://images.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=http://news.bbc.co.uk/olmedia/1495000/images/_1499210_karl_power300.jpg&imgrefurl=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/sports_talk/1499210.stm&usg=__EyJkHdUdLv-CxFrW1ioI8RO3eFU=&h=180&w=300&sz=21&hl=en&start=2&um=1&tbnid=zTtyaQ36IueRTM:&tbnh=70&tbnw=116&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dkarl%2Bpower%26hl%3Den%26rlz%3D1T4DKUK_en-GBGB204GB204%26sa%3DG%26um%3D1

Don't worry everyone, I'm here to reassure you. I've just been round "Micky's" house (well, his mum and dad's house actually) for a cup of tea. She told me that the only reason he still lives there is because he's put aside every penny of his personal fortune of several hundred million pounds to invest in Saints. He could buy any house he wanted but wants to invest all he has in you lot. She said not to believe the reports in the papers that his two companies only turned over £100K between them last year, it's all rubbish apparently. He's one of the richest men in Britain, despite not appearing on any rich lists and still living at home with his mum. She said not to worry and that if for any reason the deal did fall through she understood that Ramon Vega is waiting in the wings to try and buy you like he tried to buy Pompey (but once again didn't actually have any cash to back the bid). Hope that puts your minds at rest. Happy weekend

Lol. You're being bought by Karl Power

Only come on here when I can brag? You said that before Nick but the period you highlighted as when I was on here the most was a 4 week period when we lost two games 6 - 0 and 4 - 0. Was I bragging about that? You never did answer me when I questioned you about that before. How about an answer now? As for selling Johnson, we had an agreement with him that if a top 4 club came in for him we'd let him go and it was on that basis that he signed the new contract. Funnily enough, it was the fact that he signed a 4 year contract in January meant that we got so much money for him. Difficult for you to understand? I'm under no illusion that the takeover for Pompey could go completely tits up. I just like the weeping and wailing from you lot when so many on here were smugly predicting (and savouring) Pompey potentially going out of business. If it's OK for you lot to do it, why can't I?

Latest update on the Pompey takeover as I know none of you are interested Portsmouth deal 'will be done' by July 11 by Anil Bhoyrul Wednesday, 24 June 2009 The takeover of Portsmouth Football Club will be completed within the two weeks – with soon to be owner Sulaiman Al Fahim due to outline his plans to fans on July 11, Arabian Business can reveal. Al Fahim has accepted an invitation to speak to fans at the AGM of the Portsmouth Football Supporters Club – London. It is understood he will outline his long term vision for the club, and give an insight into his player and managerial choices. Sources close to Al Fahim said the “deal will be officially done” shortly before the meeting with supporters at the Union Jack Club in London’s Waterloo. “He will be in London for the few days before then finalising things, and so it makes sense to go to this event and meet the fans. "He wants to speak directly with supporters as much as possible. There will be something similar organized in Portsmouth for fans to hear from him directly, probably around that time as well,” added the source. It is understood that Al Fahim wants to organise monthly “supporters” meetings in Portsmouth, once the new football season starts. “He has seen many football club owners become too detached from what’s happening, and doesn’t want to make that mistake. His view is that the fans know more about the club than anyone else, so he wants to have a constant dialogue with them,” the source told Arabian Business. The takeover of the Premier League club has come under intense media scrutiny, although Arabian Business understands that most of the ownership issues have now been settled. “There’s a lot of paper work to get through but the key things, issues that could hold this up, have now been sorted. The focus behind the scenes is now very much on how to take the club forward both on and off the pitch,” added the source. http://www.arabianbusiness.com/559840-portsmouth-deal-will-be-done-by-july-11 How's your takeover going? Are they still haggling over whether you should have your (completely justified) 10 points taken away or have they taken so long about it and ****ed the FL off so much that it's now minus 25 points? :D:D:D:D

I've heard it's Gerry Cottle and that's why the whole thing's become such a circus

Just face it, whatever the legal shenanigans might be you fully deserve the 10 point penaltyand should just accept it and get on with it. If it was any other club you lot would be saying the same as me

Even the media are now starting to realise just what a load of ****** the "revelations" in the scum are. From Football365: The Sun's continuing 'Pompeygate' investigation is clearly something of which they're proud, but Mediawatch finds it about as interesting as a Daily Telegraph expenses revelation. That's largely because they've come up with bugger all of any significance or substance, aside from the big news that Sulaiman al-Fahim probably once met Thaksin Shinawatra, and Premier League chairman Dave Richards might've shared a vol-au-vent with one of them at some stage. Still, they're sticking with it, and this morning they continue to hammer away at Richards. Mark Irwin (taking up the 'story' from Shaun Custis) writes: 'Dave Richards has been dealt another devastating blow by The Sun's Pompeygate investigations.' He then goes on to detail that this 'devastating blow' is that al-Fahim has been edged aside at Hydra Properties, moving from chief executive to plain old director. So in what way has The Sun's 'investigation' dealt this 'devastating blow'? Is the paper responsible for Hydra's poor performance? Have Custis and Irwin been slowly devaluing their property portfolio? Was it all for this massive scoop? Hang on - we might be on to something big here. Are The Sun responsible for the credit crunch? Damn them! It wasn't the banks! It was the lending firm of Custis and Irwin that were chucking those sub-prime mortages around willy nilly! They've got blood on their hands! Curse these tabloid journalists! Curse them to hell! http://www.football365.com/mediawatch/0,17033,8749,00.html And you lot were all so excited too.

:confused: You seem confused. Anyway, here's the latest news on the Pompey takeover, seeing as you're all so disinterested you spent all last weekend commenting on the non - story in the Sun: Sulaiman Al Fahim's planned takeover of Portsmouth is on course and firmly within Premier League rules, according to the businessman's spokesman. Reports had suggested the deal is "in limbo" amid questions surrounding Al Fahim's ownership suitability. But, with due diligence on the deal continuing, Ivo Ilic Gabara told BBC Sport: "The deal is far from in limbo. "Our enthusiasm and commitment has, if anything, increased. Any Premier League requirements can - and will - be met." United Arab Emirates businessman Al Fahim had a reported £60m bid for the south-coast club accepted in May, and spoke of his "excitement" about taking over the Premier League outfit. But a series of developments appeared to cast a shadow over the takeover. First Portsmouth were forced to deny that former Manchester City owner Thaksin Shinawatra was part of the bid, and then, similarly, that Premier League chairman Dave Richards was involved. And the fact that Al Fahim acted as the initial figurehead of the Abu Dhabi United Group that took control of Manchester City from Thaksin last year placed increased concern over the deal. Premier League rules forbid two clubs being owned by the same controlling interest, and press reports suggested that Hydra Properties - a company which boasts Al Fahim as chief executive - is part of a wider group, the Royal Group, which is chaired by Manchester City owner Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed's brother. This, allied to initial reports suggesting Al Fahim's bid was being supported by anonymous heavyweight investors, prompted speculation that the takeover bid was doomed. However, Gabara said that not only does Al Fahim not own a single share in Hydra Properties, but also that the takeover is being led by Al Fahim Asia Associates, the sole vehicle of the UAE businessman. "Recent media coverage has been misleading," he said. "The buying party has always been Al Fahim Asia Associates - which is fully owned by Al Fahim. "He has always been fully aware of the disclosure requirements of the Premier League and its fit and proper person test, and has always intended to comply fully with these rules. "He knew this transaction would attract considerable media interest and was always ready to withstand the scrutiny. Clearly it is in everybody's interests that the deal goes through as soon as possible".

LOL. Wasn't trying to say they're out to get Pompey in particular, they'll try desperately to muck rake on any club. Just laughing at the desperation of the media to make a story out of nothing. The guy buying Pompey co-owns a company with the brother of the guy who owns Man City so it "may" be questionable. The guy buying Pompey took some advice from Shinawatra who used to own an English club himself. Gaydamak and Shinawatra have met before when Pompey played Man City. PMSL. Has there ever been a bigger non story spun out over so long by any ****ty tabloid before?

Yet more "damaging revelations" in The Sun today. Move over Woodward and Bernstein. "PREMIER LEAGUE chairman Sir Dave Richards’ worst nightmare came true last night when disgraced ex-Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra admitted advising Sulaiman Al-Fahim on buying into the Premier League. We exclusively revealed on Saturday how Richards was caught up in the murky Portsmouth takeover and that he faced an investigation into his part in the proposed £60million deal. To his eternal embarrassment, Richards could even find the move being blocked by his very own organisation. Shinawatra says he is “close friends” with Al-Fahim and that he advised him on how to go about the purchase. Richards has admitted meeting Al-Fahim before last month’s Champions League final and that Shinawatra’s right-hand man Pairoj Piempongsant was present. Shinawatra yesterday denied having any financial involvement in the Portsmouth takeover but said: “He (Dr Al-Fahim) is a businessman I greatly admire and have met and spoken with several times. I consider him a close friend. “Earlier this year he told me he was looking to invest in a Premier League club himself. I gave him some advice and wished him well.” Shinawatra also conceded his aides have played a part in the Portsmouth takeover. Pompey’s executive chairman Peter Storrie met Piempongsant, who helped put Al-Fahim and Portsmouth together, on a number of occasions. Shinawatra said: “It is correct that some of my associates may have helped with the introductions for Dr Sulaiman. “Why not? I know a lot of people in soccer and was more than happy to pass on any contacts I could. That doesn’t make them investors.” Advertisement However, even though he admitted advising Al-Fahim, former Manchester City owner Shinawatra added: “I am not involved, nor are my associates. Football? Me? Again? No, no and no.” If Shinawatra was putting money into the takeover he would be banned under Premier League rules concerning the fit and proper persons test. Al-Fahim has to reveal all investors who put more than 10 per cent into the buyout. Originally Al-Fahim claimed he was being supported by Arab and Asian investors. However, he has since changed his tune and insisted all the money is his. Richards claimed at the weekend he did not know if Shinawatra was part of the takeover but he did admit he was the first man to introduce Pompey’s current owner Sacha Gaydamak to Shinawatra. He added: “I did originally introduce Sacha Gaydamak to Dr Thaksin at a game at Manchester City when I was there. “I may have introduced Pairoj — I couldn’t tell you that for certain.” The shock! The horror! So Richards introduced Gaydamak to Shinawatra (when they were owners of Prem clubs) and Shinawatra's aide introduced Storrie to Al Fahim. Not only that but . . . actually, it is only that. LOL. Is this the very definition of a slow news day?

PMSL. Are all these posts (on this and other threads) yet more evidence about how little you all care about Pompey? (as you always tell me is the case). Your desperation for this proposed takeover to fall through is so patently full of jealousy that no Pompey fan could fail to laugh at the lot of you. Let's get this straight. The Sun say that the deal may (it's always "may" or "could" or "unnamned sources say" isn't it) fall through because Shinawatra "may" be involved. Then, when Shinawatra and Al Fahim both issue statements saying he's not involved they change tack to say the new "fear" is that someone at Man City's brother (his brother for God's sake) is involved in a company that Al Fahim runs called Hydra Properties, a company which he's said from the start of the process has absolutely nothing to do with the takeover. But you lot clutch at those straws, saying how much you'd love it if it fell through. You poor little mites. Is watching us rake in the cash in the top flight while you struggle on minus 10 points in Div 3 really hurting you that much? I guess it must be. By the way, if it's OK for you to say it, can I just drop into the mix that as your takeover is by no means done and dusted I hope it all falls through and that you either go out of business or get dumped into the Blue Square league. That only seems fair for me to hope given your hopes for Pompey, surely?

TBF I do sit in the most expensive section but it's still a lot of cash. I'm lucky in that I can comfortably afford it but, not wanting to get into attendances again, it's understandable that many can't, especially if you're taking a couple of kids with you. By the time you add on drinks and a burger with two kids you've got to be looking at £100 a game. £2000 a season - the working man's game? LOL. Another reason why I hate the Prem and it's money. Back on the original topic about Pompey being left in limbo and the possibility of our new owner pulling out, here's what he said today in a report from the local paper: Sulaiman Al Fahim insists his Pompey passion will see him become the club's new owner. And he reassured fans they have nothing to worry about when it comes to potential hurdles emerging before the deal is sealed. Al Fahim has called for patience from supporters while the £60m takeover of the Blues is completed. Reports have emerged today that the deal is in limbo, with claims Al Fahim is set to pull out if he has to reveal who the backers of his investment are. It has also been alleged the potential takeover is merely a publicity stunt, a claim Al Fahim vehemently denies. Newcastle have made a late bid to lure the Arab property tycoon to the north east – as revealed by The News last week. But the warmth afforded to Al Fahim during his whistle-stop tour of the city last week has left him in no doubt Pompey is the right club for him. He also dismissed concerns the Premier League's 'fit and proper person' test will prove an obstacle to the move being completed. A source close to Fahim revealed his desire to complete the takeover has been galvanised by his welcome from the city. He told The News: 'Newcastle have been trying to getting him up there, but he is sticking with Portsmouth. 'The doctor wants the people of Portsmouth to know he is as committed as ever to completing the takeover. 'He has said everything "feels right", and that is important to him.' It looks likely the takeover at Pompey will not be completed until July. The due diligence process is continuing, with Al Fahim's accountants and lawyers going over the books. Broadly speaking, due diligence is where a business's health is assessed and gives the potential buyer the chance to assess the state of a company's finances. Al Fahim has also offered to forward any details the Premier League need regarding his impending arrival, according to the source. He said: 'The due diligence process is moving on, but I don't see it being finished this week. The doctor understands people's eagerness because he shares it himself. But you have to be professional going through the due diligence process. 'The people who have rushed it through previously have paid the price. He is also willing to give the Premier League all the information they need. He will be fully compliant with them. 'You have to remember the doctor is already a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations.

Honestly? Whilst I love the fact that Pompey might be backed by an Arab billionaire meaning we might finally get the fabled new stadium and training ground I really don't like the whole circus around the Premiership. I think it's ruining real football. If you stay in the lower leagues for a few more years you'll start to see kids in Southampton all wearing Man U, Chelsea and Liverpool shirts and your support will dwindle and it's wrong. Money is ruining football for the real fans. I pay £660 (!) for a season ticket - that's £35 a game and that's at a reduced rate. It's ridiculous. I have no problem with foreign owners of teams, I can't see that it makes any difference and if other teams are buying success I'm happy for Pompey to do it too. But my ideal scenario would be this. Salary cap introduced and squad sizes limited to 25 players. Also, a restriction on the amount any club can pay in transfer fees each year. Make the playing field for every team. It would make the league far more open and more interesting for everyone as you'd have to rely on good coaching rather than buying success - which is what Man U do as much as Chelsea and Liverpool. Then I'd distribute the TV money much more equally between the leagues. It would close the gap between clubs and make falling out of the Prem less of a disaster than it is at present and stop driving clubs into administration. Will never happen (can you see any of the big 4 voting for those kind of changes) but it would make things far more interesting

Pompey in "Due Diligence taking a while to complete, meaning the papers, who have absolutely no inside information, just as they had no advance knowledge of the proposed takeover sensationalising anything to try and make it more interesting" non - shock. As for not appointing Hart, LOL. What a blow that's been.

Lots of women in Portsmouth have tattoos. However, whenever I visit Southampton I have noticed that it's not exactly uncommon for women there to have them also. Have you not noticed this? If not, i suggest yo change your name to Stevie Wonder As usual people miss the point. I'm not saying Portsmouth's better. What I am saying, in response to Stevie Wonder's post about quality of life is that every facility, leisure opportunity or attraction he listed can be matched by Portsmouth. Both cities are typical UK cities. Not much difference really. Some good areas, some bad areas. But I have already posted a link in this thread that shows that social deprivation is greater in Southampton than Portsmouth Check out crime stats, Portsmouth is worse for vehicle theft & burglary but Southampton is far worse for violence against the person. http://www.upmystreet.com/local/crime-in-southampton.html http://www.upmystreet.com/local/crime-in-portsmouth.html Southampton is also, apparently, the third worst city in the country for alcohol related violence, behind Kingston upon Hull in Yorkshire and London. http://www.dailyecho.co.uk/news/health/4356205.Shame_of_city_s_binge_drinkers/ Interseting that so many more Southampton schools are listed in the latest list of worse performers than Portsmouth schools then http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/7827214.stm

I was told a while back that Terry Byrne, who is/ used to be something to do with Beckham's management was buying you.

But, as I said, I did work there for a while which gives me a decent insight surely? I notice you didn't respond to any of the points I raised, presumably because you know you can't deny any of it. By the way, as 99% of the people on here haven't lived in Portsmouth presumably you believe that they're not qualified to talk about the city (based on your comments above)

But I have provided evidence that what people are saying on here is wrong. the evidence of social deprivation being worse in Southampton comes from your own city. Maybe stop the mongs with extremely low quality thresholds mating with your mum and sister?

So you're saying Portsmouth is just Portsea Island? Even allowing for the fact that you've left the Gunwharf residential area off your list (plus places like the old Marine Barracks development) and that Southsea and Old Portsmouth probably take up a third or so of the Island anyway so it can't be that bad. Add in areas like Port Solent, Drayton, Farlington and Havant (don't confuse Leigh Park with Havant, plenty of properties in Havant are worth well over a million) and your argument starts to look very flimsy. Also, if you seriously think that areas like Millbrook and Lordshill aren't every bit as bad as Paulsgrove and Leigh Park then it's you who's delusional. On the subject of house prices, the overall average may be slightly higher in Southampton but it depends on what kind of property you buy. According to the BBC, if you want to buy a detached house or flat then the average price in Portsmouth is higher. I suspect that the overall average is skewed upwards in your favour due to the fact that there are so many terraced houses in Portsmouth which would drive the asking price down due to so much availability. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/spl/hi/in_depth/uk_house_prices/html/mr.stm Finally, talking about which is the better place to live, the latest stats on social deprivation that I could find showed that Southampton and Portsmouth are practically neck and neck, ranked at numbers 91 and 93 out of 354 local authorities. Both are in the top 10 in the South East. Interestingly, you're ranked as the 4th most deprived compared to Pompey being the 5th. Paints a slightly different picture from the semi - paradise you seemed to be suggesting. http://www.southampton.gov.uk/Images/Local%20Authority%20results%20IMD2007_tcm46-205543.pdf

Glory hunters - LOL. How you have the gall to call our fans glory hunters when more than 50% of your fan base has deserted you in a couple of years since you fell from the Prem is beyond belief. We spent years outside the top flight with minimal investment and saw the club nearly go out of existence a number of times. Is it any wonder that fans got disillusioned and stopped going to games? Here's the universal football equation - relatively successful and fans go to games. The clubs fortunes decline and fans stop going to games. You're no different to us. If you spent as long as we did with as little investment you'd be getting four figure crowds too. Face it, you're not far off now. For what it's worth, apart from the three seasons when our average gates fell below 10,000 (due to Martin gergory raping the club for every asset he could) our average attendances even when we were back in the fourth division were between 13,000 and 15,000. Not so different from yours last year. 1. How do you draw the conclusion that our potential new owner is more likely to lose interest than yours when the actual identity of yours isn't even common knowledge yet? PMSL 2. The council have never vetoed any stadium plans. Any decision has been made by the government (the site at Farlington) or as a result of MOD concerns (the stadium at The Hard). 3. The qulity of life in Southampton better than Portsmouth? LOL. In what way. You have a better shopping mall and that's about it. Property prices are almost identical, average incomes ditto. Both are typical medium sized UK cities with the same problems and both have good and bad points. The view on here that Southampton is some sort of paradise when you have Godforsaken areas like Lordshill, Thornhill and some of your other council estates (which are just as bad as anything Portsmouth has to offer) is laughable. Get over yourselves

What, that a buyer wouldn't come along for at least three years. :confused: