Gorgiesaint

Distraught that I can't go :mad: Would be good if we get 'Team HMRC' t shirts made up for everyone

Now that would be funny, they play for a draw only for Rickie to stick in a last minute free kick!! Has the judge stated anywhere what will happen if they don't have a buyer? Oh and its my birthday on the 19th - guess what I want!!!!

f**kers - another 7 days although they have to provide a statement of affairs, so presumably the criminal charges will stem from that!!

I think you're right, the exit route they will choose will be the one with least amount of scrutiny. Now I don't know if that will be administration or liquidation but I bet that will be the route they choose.

I'm sure the seizing control was just to get a better view of the 'true' position. Regarding putting more money in - its like he's been down the casino and put £17m in black & its come up red - does he throw in another pile of money to try and get his original stake back?

There - I've corrected it

LOL at the headline on the Portsmouth page on the BBC sport website Groups 'express Pompey interest' er, no they haven't, there hasn't been a single person who has come out & said they are interested in buying Pompey.

Think you're spot on Benjii. I think this was the first of the options being crossed off of Chainrai's list. The options being: 2)now find someone stupid enough to plough £35m into Pompey to get them up to the end of the season & until they can get the parachute payments and option 3)administration. If that fails then it is all of their hands on Wednesday. Incidently, can they call in the administrators without the courts approval given the windiing up petition is in place for Wednesday?

Only if he doesn't pay off the debt. If the debt remains then I think you're right that he would need the courts permission to take charge and HMRC would not allow that without being paid in full. With regards to whose side he is on, it will be interesting to see what Sacha Gaydemak's reaction will be. If Chainrai is anti-Gaydemak then surely Sacha will add his name to the list on the WUO and mean Chainrai will have to stick his hand in his pocket to maintain control. With HMRC debt, Sacha and wages until the end of the season that would be close to £50m - just to recover £20m. That wouldn't make sense (but then does anything down the road these days?) My bet is that Gaydemak won't be added to the WUO - which just adds more credence to Gaydemak/Chainrai are playing on the same side. Edit: From the BBC article http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/p/portsmouth/8497491.stm "New directors will be appointed to the board and Peter Storrie will remain as chief executive and will be running the club." "The thing is, for people like Chainrai and former owner Sacha Gaydamak that the money they have put into the club would be lost if Portsmouth went into liquidation." No more evidence yer honour.

I just can't see 1) happening. To keep them going he would have to pay HMRC off £11.5m and then fund the wages until the season ticket money starts to roll in so that's another, say, 4 months at £3m - lets call it a round £25m to keep them going until the end of the season. Why would he throw in another £25m to get back his £20m? The club will still have lots of debts, no assets & be loss making so ain't worth anything. It will be interesting to see what happens if club folds after the HMRC hearing and he just demolishes the stadium. What will Pompey Council say, the land can only be used for leisure purposes?

The Guardian article is now back up... http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2010/feb/03/balram-chainrai-portsmouth-owner Not sure this will help them, but the Premier League need to take a good hard look at this one before sanctioning the takeover - even if they can get past the courts and HMRC.

Wow - interesting development if true. Of course this is Balram 'I've no interest in football' Chainrai taking control. Surely if there is a WUO in place, the courts, HMRC and Grosvenor would have to approve any change in ownership?

Mero, I didn't - south coast football wouldn't be the same without our derby, even if it only happens infrequently. But I have to say that I'm disgusted at the way Portsmouth have dodged the rules and been allowed to get away with some very dubious business practices for so long. The club is now like a piece of furniture riddled with woodworm. You've tried all of the treatments available & the only thing left is to burn it before it spreads to anything else. The trouble is that those who will end up suffering the most are the fans. What needs to happen is that those who have been responsible for putting the club in this position are dealt with properly. Otherwise give it a few months and Peter Storrie will pop up at another club & put them through the same.

Now sport & politics should never mix, but right now I think an exception should be made. If Portsmouth are bringing in more players when they cannot afford to pay the ones they already have - and they are not paying their taxes, then something needs to be done. The Premier League have been lax in allowing these new players to come in and the FA are also sitting quietly on their hands. As the non-payment of taxes affects us all, would it be worth someone raising this issue with their local MP, so that the Minister of Sport can call the FA to account for their lack of action. It might also raise the profile of what is happening at Portsmouth and also ensure that HMRC adopt a tough line at the winding up hearing.

I've re-checked the PSG website about Kezman, nothing about any move on the France Football website - but then they don't have anything about Ricardo Rocha either. They did have an article from a few days ago saying Kezman was going to stay in Paris until the end of the season.

I have checked the Standard Liege website & they have confirmed that Ricardo Rocha is moving to Portsmouth. Appears he agreed to terminate his contract with them to move as a free agent. http://www.standard.be/ndl/n_nouvelle.php?id=14935

I agree - in their position no-one with even half a braincell would invest in them. Let's just hope that HMRC do the decent thing. It will be a mercy killing!!

Pretty good synopsis IMO but like others, I'm concerned that somehow justice will not prevail and they will survive. Interestingly whilst Kezman's wiki site says he's on a 6 mth loan deal from PSG, I did check the PSG official site and whilst my French isn't great, I couldn't see anything about it. If they have managed to sign Fernandes & Kezman on loan then it is nothing short of a disgrace given they failed to pay wages again today.

BBC are quoting the fee as £3m - so no doubt as to who won the transfer fee tug of war - £5m lol BBC Radio 5 live's senior football reporter Ian Dennis: "Portsmouth goalkeeper Asmir Begovic is going to sign for Stoke City for £3m." http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/8484330.stm

Some interesting comments in general about debts in football in the Observer this morning - including some from Mark Fry. http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2010/jan/31/premier-league-debts-panel For me Gerald Krasner hits the nail on the head - 'If clubs owe the Revenue, the League would automatically pay a percentage of the money they would normally be distributing to that club direct to the Revenue. That would concentrate minds. As things stand now it would have to go to a chairmen's vote and that would be like turkeys voting for Christmas' No surprise that Harry's agent doesn't want any change!!

Harry to the rescue again - still sure the papers will lap it up (again). By the way which paper was this in?

Good point, I'd forgotten they couldn't put themselves into admin. Can't see any secured creditors doing it, that would delay the Tesco build on the lad that they're secured on. So that leaves Sol Campbell to put the knife in....

Must admit that I hadn't considered the fact that they may not be able to get any loan signings where a fee is due!! Just listening to the radio about Crystal Palace, saying that by going into administration today to avoid their winding up order they now have a year of administration to sort out their financial woes. I would imagine that Pompey will do something similar and go into admin at the last moment to avoid being wound up. It seems they will be with us for a while yet, unless the administrator decides they are a lost cause anyway.

Grimsby's inflatables were 'Harry the Haddocks' rather than flat fish!!

Where have I seen a suit like that before.... .... will he start his press conference 'alwight Dave' ??