Son of Dave

Monthlies ? Always thought they were a bunch of caaaants !

Considering the results of their Gibraltar trip resulted in what ? heavy defeats by a bunch of part-timers and Brighton is it any wonder Appy is looking to manage expectations down a notch or two ? Consider also these trialists were the players Appy had been lining up for some time and you have what ? An inexperienced coach looking to pull a squad together and not having the nous or contacts to do it. Seriously, some have said he's free to do whatever & his reputation will be untouched, but the longer he sticks with pompey & the longer he's the one making the decisions then mud will stick. Time's ripe for Appy to walk & I reckon that'll add a new little twist to the tale for them.

As a club they're drowning & it should'nt be a surprise that they'll grasp at anything - blame the league for the f&ppt, blame the players, blame birch, blame chanrai, gaydamak, harry & all the rest, yet still they'll not connect the dots and see their largesse over recent years has put them in this position. As Mr T in the A-team would say, "Pity the Fool".

No, this cannot be right, are the bestest really turning on their own players ? Were'nt these the same bestest fans applauding the same group of Appy's plucky loyal warriors / heroes / soldiers for turning down moves in January ? It's funny the things people will do or say when the reality of their predicament becomes apparent, syill the cup win was worth it all....

or, e - pleading with their agent to find them something else, anything else. I doubt even Appleton could claim they're still an attractive proposition for players

Birch's elephant in the room has now escaped - to be met by the predictable it was the responsibility of the previous owners / managers & how it's not fair on the fans. Sympathy ? No, you get that for deserving causes & not the rampant disregard for rules, fair play, integrity. Now the phew are feeling the effects of their clubs behaviour & they don't like it. Oh dear.

It probably is - for Birch

I just wonder how many of the bestest will actually be surprised when the now seemingly inevitable happens & they're wound up ? They could not afford their outlays during the season (hence the deferrals) and as every single day goes by the yawning gap in their finances increases. If they're waiting for a saviour to come in at the 11th hour then I hope they can deal with disapointment well. Brinkmanship appears to be Birch's only hope here - hoping the players are kind-hearted to forego monies they are entitled just to allow the club to survive ? good luck with that.

Yep, that's what a colleague of mine says - still, when it all goes pop for them you can be sure they'll still think that - right ?

Pompey in not making payments non-shocker

Suggest you take a look at the Hampshire Cricket league website for starters (always assuming you fancy league cricket) - there's plenty of clubs around & most have a mix of sides throughout the leagues & also some non-league /Sunday friendly sides, so plenty to choose from.

Play cricket (Emsworth) always looking for players, so don't be shy...

I saw a pompey supporting friend this morning - he went on about the £11M pa wage bill, failure of fappt & how unfair on pompey this all is - he then spoke about L1 next season. Are they not hearing what Birch is saying ? Unless new owner comes along, there is no next season.

Lucky nun time ?

Don't ever go too big on anything in the National - it's too much of a lottery as the field is so great - form horses can get taken down too easily as they're so congested going over fences & you also have problems with loose horses. Treat it as a bit of fun.

It's probably been mentioned before, but I see Pompey's last game of the season is away to Forest - might be nice if they could keep their hopes up only to be dashed by the genuis that is Cotterill

Here's another analogy for you - I liken them to a fish on the end of a hook, they've been thrashing around in the water for awhile now (it's been a plucky little fight by the bravest, pluckiest bunch of inbred cheating, tax dodging, rule bending / breaking deluded few souls), but now it seems the fight is almost over & come the summer you'll see their dried up corpse of a club out being pecked over for anything worthwhile by a bunch of scavengers. The only thing now is the timing - the league will want them to go in the close season as that makes less of an impact. Anyone fancy organising a sweep-stake for the date their demise is confirmed ? Proceeds to the charities they've shafted, of course.

Running them down -with something big & heavy or just their own caravan ?

Quality - Rallyboy's missive is now on the Snooze website, catch it whilst you can as someone's bound to take it down soon

For all the smug, snide comments during our fall from grace, their gloating over who they're going to sign, their 'success' bought at the expense of others, the sickening claims of the bestest, for the battling claims of the News - answer is A.

And he used to keep horses near Forestside - looked to buy some land their once but the farmer I know refused to sell - he'd even handed a cheque over for it, perfect gentleman, I understand.

Thing is, there does'nt need to be any truth in it - it serves to fan the conspiracy flames they like to repeat - they like to say the league's not done them any favours, hmrc don't seem very keen either, so why not add the referee's into the mix. They're grasping at straws in an attempt not to have to face upto the situation of their own making, pitiful, if it was'nt so funny to watch.

Or maybe the administrator's remit is to get them through to the end of the season & then liquidate ?

Big IF minus 20, puts a different perspective on likelihood of their relegation. Time will tell I suppose.

The inconvenient truth in all this for Ho and any of the bestest* to face upto is that Saints are a better proposition than they are. They have nothing & are likely to have less than that all too soon. Shame ? Not really, Reap what you sow and all that.