rallyboy

the hunt continues for that elusive billionaire who hasn't yet come across the term due diligence. I'm curious about the idea of a fan buyout - free the club of all the vultures for £1 and let the fans decide the future... and what's that in the small print?...take personal responsibility for £50M of liabilities and ongoing legal actions with potential penalties. With reinvestment needed I would say a local fan group needs to find about £100M to turn them around, no doubt Chanrai will lend them some of that and take all of their caravans and pick ups off them as security. As he's proved with pompey, there is nothing a loan shark likes more than someone who can't afford the repayments. The amount that a local business consortium could realistically raise would only be enough to pay one player's wages for a year - the dream of fan ownership is less likely than HMS Victory leading the next defence of the Falklands. Or for £100M you could afford to buy Wigan, Blackpool AND Wolves. Roughly speaking, three Prem teams = the money required to stabilise pompey. as stated a million pages back by anyone with half a brain - Figures don't add up. So there will be no buyer with serious business credentials.

you don't really think they intend to pay a penny towards the cva do you?? March was mentioned, which might explain the next eight weeks being touted as apocalypse time. Without a change of fortune they could be in a relegation battle by then, as well as undeniably insolvent. I'm not sure that the cva will ever leave the starting blocks, in fact if it were a horse it would be shot in the parade ring - which sounds painful.

that's quite an admission Mero - a mate of mine who is a pompey fan has just about given up with football completely, the last few games seem to have been the last straw for a few, of the few. Before you wave the white flag we still have a lot of work to do before we can resume our rightful position (see arrogance/Holloway!) So before Ho reappears spouting his unique version of events, barring a lunatic with cash rolling into town, what would you like to happen next? From the bitter rivals point of view I think most of us just want to see some justice served for the obvious criminality and deception that has surrounded the club and assisted it so much on the pitch. I would think that a demotion to Lg 2 and cancelling of player contracts registered with the league wouldn't be harsh, and the police can then pursue any charges they want to bring against individuals. It would free the club from these crippling £40K a week wages, force a re-think on finances, chase away most vultures and allow the club to start again. Downside? The creditors would suffer, but they voted for getting nothing so that's their problem. Sadly the league won't do that as the club must have signed player contracts that commit them to pay MILLIONS over the next few years, all protected by football creditor rules - pompey continue to dig their own corporate grave, no doubt they will sign someone else on ridiculous terms anyday soon. And that's why sympathy is thin on the ground. Was that 1-0 win over a midtable and bankrupt championship club still worth the £100M it must have cost? Was the illegal acquisition of players for the 4-1 win at St Marys worth sending the club back towards liquidation? 'we beat the scummers!' - yes, and it might yet cost you the whole club. Brighton and Southampton are flourishing, it might be time to admit that the cup wasn't worth it. There are certainly some big gamblers down that way - and like 99% of gamblers, they fail. Having seen Saints on the brink of closure I wouldn't gamble the whole club for anything.

Cotterill sounds mid-breakdown, he's reached the paranoid stage. His common theme is that they seem to be in charge of every game, bossing it, creating chances, looking the more likely, under no pressure.....until the opposition score, normally as a result of a poor refereeing decision. He also seems worried that the transfer policy he embarked on with Lampitt is backfiring. Who'd have thought they might get injuries and suspensions, what bad luck! As he's going a bit bonkers is it too early to feel sorry for him?...... Yep! I think I'll wait until they're relegated before I concern myself with his problems.

life is sweet - this day has an interesting feel to it - a watershed moment perhaps.... As I watched our weakened side destroy a weakened Blackpool I just thought, we could take pompey now. Our squad has strengthened while theirs has got weaker, and ridiculously expensive. As the manager of Newcastle would say, Brighton gave them a proper raping today, Bournemouth would fancy their chances against them - Pompey are starting to do a very good impression of the weakest club on the south coast. It looks like a business in serious trouble, a team in terminal decline, a rudderless ship taking on water - is 8/1/11 the official launch date of Pompey's long awaited slide into the abyss? Let's hope so - justice has been long overdue for a while now.

I know what you mean Phil though I think most Saints fans have been pretty reserved on gobbing off about the finance side, maybe based on a history of uncertainty. We don't know the detail but we do know that Markus and his family built a reputation of integrity through not establishing businesses on debt - it seems that they do things the correct way, I would hope that is the same at St Marys. I'd be very surprised if we discovered a Chanrai style of money-lending 'etc'...! There certainly hasn't been the same level of vulgar 'we're going to be minted and you'll be sick when you see how rich we are' sort of talk we've endured from some clubs which I always think is bizarre. Hanging around in the stand with an ice cream seller squeezed into a pompey shirt that too small for him, a man who awarded himself the title of doctor and was sacked from his only proper job - at what point did they think it might be sensible not to be so arrogant about forthcoming cash from this obvious fraud? That's why the few have a reputation for being simple and gullible, like a dim puppy, the runt of the litter that was rejected and will attach itself to anyone who shows an interest. I don't think there's too much gloating down this end about finance, just quiet confidence that things are in place and if that changes we are in good shape. So when I regularly hear that Saints may be offered for sale I just think that through investment and hard work, Markus and Nicola have turned us from a wreck of a club that a bloke who lives with his mum in Barnet tried to buy, into a well-structured proposition that would attract quality businesses looking to move a stable company forward. When established young players sign long deals, that sends out a clear message on intent from those at the top, the Markus dream is still on track. And boy would he have loved some of the football we've played recently! (cue appalling display against Blackpool!) And on that Ben Haim news - Ouch! That's the CVA properly shafted.

to address Ho's little jibe that he thinks upsets us - I 4-1 regard the cup game as illegal because 1. The authorities were misled with a false statement of accounts to allow players like O'Hara to be resigned in the build up. 2. One of the players wasn't correctly registered. 3. Several players were signed prior to that game in odd circumstances - mysteriously buying themselves out of contracts so they became free agents allowing pompey to sign them. 4. The business was clearly trading insolvently at that time. 5. The man who changed the game left soon afterwards in unusual circumstances, as if his signing had in some way been 'a mistake'.... That aside I did enjoy having a couple of hours to shout abuse at the few who had nowhere to hide, it was great to make them come to come to our ground and face the music. They did indeed go down with no money in the bank. And funnily enough, I believe Swindon made more noise at St Marys, the few were very poor that day, maybe it was the shame of it all, whereas we were able to heap a whole pile of abuse down on the caravanning heather-sellers and they looked shell-shocked at their welcome. Disappointing to see our honest 3rd tier side beaten by an illegally-gathered Prem team, but still a good laugh seeing their little cross-eyed tatted faces! And the gulf between the two sides then, now looks very narrow, and Ho has realised that the next time the silent blue few come to St Marys it's going to be a very long trip home - maybe Brighton will be a nice rehearsal for that feeling. Not sure whether I would be happier to take their championship place or to be playing them next season if they stay up, either will do for me because the future is red and white. 4 fake owners 1 billionaire.

I thought they were still under contract regardless of appearance clauses, meaning if they can't sell them, pompey will be paying them and choosing not to select them? I've given up expecting the club to be damaged by high wages as they just plough on regardless and trading insolvently, so some damage to their squad quality would be nice and might even lead to a relegation battle. A good January firesale with a few journeyman Lg One loanees coming in would be nice and would be the actions imposed upon the other clubs who have suffered financial problems. Might we see the first attempt by the club to address debt? I doubt it.

Billy's a top bloke, and a great songwriter, I don't blindly follow all of his ideas, disagree occasionally with his odd campaign but generally he's cool, and with him you get honest opinion. And thankfully the residents of Barking did serious damage to the BNP. Cue right wing extremist dinosaurs with no knowledge of his back catalogue or his history to start ranting.....call yourself a socialist yet you wear shoes etc

in true Newcastle style, I would just love it if Pardew just stuck the last nail in Grant's managerial coffin. It must have been sweet to stick five past them after watching the gurning gravedigger big himself up on the St Marys pitch following the illegal cup victory last year. And Best owed us big time, so for those with long memories he partially delivered last night. West Ham look terrible, surely Grant can't survive another week, and if Pardew was the man to push him over the edge, I for one would chuckle!

Blackburn and Spurs are going to be well miffed when pompey outbid them for Ronaldinho and Beckham - and the funny thing is they could probably get them for the money they have paid Utaka, Nugent, Lawrence and Kitson. If only they still owned the club shop it would be worth it for shirt sales, and if they owned a ticket office as well they could try and fill the ground too, and some fans might even get in before kick off. Say what you want about Storrie but he would have sealed those two signings by now.

there's Lawrence on a bank-busting £20K a week demanding his mates should also smash the wagecap?? He must have no grasp of the state of the company he has just joined and the fact that his wages alone will be enough to keep the squad numbers down. Even with the transfer money that hasn't come in I believe their cva requires the wages to come down to £3-8K a week - so Kitson and Lawrence are earning the wages of eight players. Lawrence sounds like an idiot - and as he's just been given a lengthy contract/gravy train he could be more loyal. Unless he's off next week.... player + thinking out loud + maths = funny

Storrie's only crime was being a hero. *****il investigations are completed) If the city of Portsmouth doesn't recognise him I think Southampton fans salute his fine efforts, and should the Hayling Island extradition treaty ever get signed he would be welcomed at St Marys. As a paying guest. No cheques, cash in advance. I'm surprised Ridsdale hasn't taken him down to Plymouth, imagine what those two could achieve together.....

I do hope the few shouted 'scummer' at Mr Pearson as he pocketed the three points and waved goodbye to the rows of empty blue seats. It's fair to say that the 250,000 on Southsea common have gone awol. How's that future England boss Cotterill doing in the manager of the month award for January? With the cva likely to be £7-8M short by the end of the month plus the reduced matchday income and the likes of Lawrence's wages pushing the overheads through the roof, I see a new creditors meeting on the horizon, maybe to propose a new deal of approx 1p in the pound per year? - less expenses. Sorry we can't pay you anything we've given your money to another player, again. 2011 doesn't look great down that way at the moment - but it may just be a wobble so let's see if they can keep this run of form up for a month or two. For the only time this season, ahead of the weekend I would just like to say - 'Seagulls, seagulls, seagulls!' Though playing at the Withdean could be a big day out for their fans, a chance to see a modern stadium, proper facilities and a 1980s look rather than 1930s. Brighton could soon be in the same division in a new stadium, we had better be up there too - five mins ago pompey were in the Prem and the rest of us were desperately struggling to survive and in the third tier.....and though we haven't seen justice yet, the ship is currently sinking VERY fast. Chanrai must be worried. His gamble needs promotion - that would require more than two points from every fixture - so they can't really afford to lose another game!!

loan shark claims ownership of a business when repayments don't appear, the business then buys an asset with borrowed money, it sells it immediately, 'owner' claims his 80%. In other businesses that could look like money laundering.... I'm sure that isn't the case here as the shrewd and powerful football authorities would be all over it like Avram at a booty buffet - and as the current West Ham manager and all time pompey hero once announced on the pitch at Fratton, you can't take their spirit! But you can exploit their problems and take their players. They got in bed with sharks to buy the cup, now they keep getting bitten - funny that.

why should they bother to register players correctly? They didn't bother last year and even played one illegally against us, there was no punishment so it's 'do what you likey' time again. January is always the month to strengthen your team with all of that quality that becomes available mid-season so they'll be fine - and if they start offering more contracts as expensive and lengthy as Lawrence's they can plan two or three administrations ahead. Any new players know they'll get paid eventually by parachute money, Lampitt's signature on a contract guarantees them the millions, and pompey know they won't have to pay any football debts so they can continue trading insolvently as long as the football authorities and fraud squad allow them to. But you have to feel sorry for Cotterill, how was he to know that he was joining a club in financial turmoil? Though with the benefit of hindsight, perhaps the attempted transfer embargo, administration, player exodus, creditors meetings, plummeting attendances, pending tax evasion charges, ripped off charities, enraged tax officials, horrific balance sheet and international press coverage might have given him a clue..... And maybe the newspaper headline at the time, 'Dim Cotterill ponders leaving a dead end job and joining a club in financial turmoil for his own personal gain but promises not to moan like a Horton Heath prossie when reality bites a bit later'

from the TV I would say the big difference seems to be that now when he shoots he's aiming between the big sticks with the bar on the top so even poor shots like his third yesterday have half a chance of going in. On the strength of his new found form hopefully Millwall have put a huge value on him, we just need Nicola to keep the poker face he used when dealing with Preston and take their money before he goes back to his usual shooting style. Yes we could use him, but let's not pretend the player Millwall are seeing is the same one who was here - I would welcome a goalscoring influential midfielder but I fear we would get back the Puncheon of his last half a dozen appearances for us. An observer might suggest that he seems to have found a little extra when it comes to looking for a new contract, a common trait among journeymen. He has the choice of regular championship football or a squad role in Lg1 so I would imagine he has packed his bags, I wish him well....

midtable mediocrity isn't enough when you spend that much - they need to go up to survive as a business. More points dropped this month and the Chanrai gamble of instant promotion and cashback is on the rocks, they'll be looking over their shoulders instead. They have stuck two fingers up at everyone and gambled the lot so it's difficult to have sympathy, I 4-1 don't have any at all These sort of days have been rare in recent years, enjoy. 2011 - Judgement Year!

with the likes of serial expenses whore Peter 'duck island' Viggers already knighted and Peter Bottomley joining him for his thirty five years milking the parliamentary system with his wife I would suggest the honours system is still poorly distributed, so to offer the likes of Matt something that puts him in the same class as those characters would be a supreme insult. Equally, placing a minute's silence for Ballie or Markus, Ted, Stokes or Osgood, or our servicemen and women, at the same level as demanding silent respect for a convicted local sex offender who was too cowardly to face his victims and family before sentence was disgusting - I hope St Marys would have raised the roof if that silence had been imposed on more than just the Wessex League. Let's keep honours and marks of respect for people who have made a real contribution - enthusiastic teachers and coaches, sports people, charity workers, inspirational characters, ordinary people who have done extraordinary things - not lazy MPs and perverts. And a happy new year of ranting!

I'm astonished they managed to survive 2010 as they did, though I guess on paper they would say that relegation, administration, tax evasion charges pending, a feeble firesale and falling attendances doesn't rate 2010 as a great year. They have wriggled out of tight spots before, they have friends in high places or their luck will run out at the next court date. I fear we'll see midtable security and more borrowing when we should really see mass clearout, penalties, debt repayment and a slide down divisions. Pompey 35 places below us in 12 months? That would be nice, but just a dream at the moment.....

and as the year draws to a close, today we see the most deluded and ludicrous post of 2010 on The News site.... on the strength of Pompey's showing this season - It wouldn't surprise me to see Cotterill being talked about as future England Manager Yes, and no doubt Pulis will be his captain when we win the World Cup in Qatar as all the other teams die of heat exhaustion. Please tell me that was someone from here typing in the style of a toothless simpleton who has no grasp of reality?......

as long as he doesn't go bonkers or get sent off every other game (which looks possible on occasions), a very shrewd bit of long term planning business, and I can't believe that Nicola will have let his wages get out of hand. For that money you get Utaka for one week down the road, and he's not as good as Chappers. Good deal.

it was quoted the other week that they have the 4th biggest wagebill in the division which is insane. But when you do the figures against the squad size it's even madder - that must make pompey the highest paid team in the championship - and that demands results and automatic promotion - as it does at Saints. As an example, Brown is looking to extend his £25K a week contract. He's just a squad player and not a popular one I believe - if a lower end Prem team with the massive income wanted him for cover they would be looking to pay £8-10K a week. If a solvent championship team wanted him as cover they would be looking to pay £3-5K - not £25K! 'but we are stuck with them...'Yeah right, give them away, loan them out for nowt, or accept that you blatantly bought the cup by paying twice the going rate for players with money intended for hospitals and schools. 'but everyone buys trophies, Man Utd are in debt....' Yeah, but you are meant to pay some back, they do something a bit revolutionary called 'servicing the debt', not ignoring it. Sorry to sound like a broken record a year on - but they have still made no effort to address debt, yet now their hard luck sob story is wearing thin and most fans of other clubs have sussed them out. They have clearly chosen to have a thin squad by paying over the odds and they can't blame the previous regimes. The current owner has clearly been 'in control' for more than a year and he sanctioned the massive wages of Kitson, Lawrence, Halford, Kanu and one or two others - he is now looking to complete a permanent deal for Lawrence on crazy money that he can't get anywhere else. When you have the income it's unwise, when you don't it's as Wenger, Platini and a thousand people on here have said, cheating. Other than the odd mad contract agreed by Storrie and Redknapp to buy a trophy, most of their problems were in fact created by the current owners, either by ignoring debts and contract issues or by overspending in the traditions of the pompey way. Buy now, pay nothing wherever possible. Pay the charities, clear the debt, clean the name of the club if possible and worry about results after that.

Fuller's greatest moment at St Marys was hitting the roof of the stand from six yards in a Pompey shirt. His finishing for us and for Stoke was and has been woeful on occasions, his inability to hit the target has cost them many times especially prior to their promotion, yes he's scored some great goals - but overall I would personally rate him as poor value. Puncheon's finishing for us has been appalling - he may like Guly have other aspects to his game but if you are a goal down and a well-paid professional who practices all week keeps blasting chances all over the shop he is going to get stick - no matter what his nationality, religion, colour, sexuality etc. To suggest most fans are ignorant and it's racism should be late entries for most ridiculous posts of the year. BWP's career has really taken off since he was scooped up by wherever he went and Jermaine Wright who I thought was harshly treated on occasions will always be a Prem legend - yes these guys have all proved us wrong..... A minority booing Davis - is that racism or just people who forget that he has saved us on a few occasions but had a nightmare the other week? Rather than ignorant I would say all fans are fickle, always have been, always will be - they will be annoyed with anyone not pulling their weight in a Saints shirt - whatever their colour. Some are thick but they can't all be wrong. No, the racist accusation doesn't stack up at all.

that sounds like a business that doesn't have two pennies to rub together. Pity it's taken them more than a year to realise. Maybe one or two more will finally realise that what goes on during games is of little relevance and their real interest should be about the rather disturbing balance sheet. Perhaps 2011 will be the year when they make genuine efforts to address debt - they could make a good start by slashing their wagebill by 75%.