rallyboy

if we are talking sensibly to Corp for a mo, for me the worst cheating was not the overspending or the insolvent trading but specifically the misleading of the Prem in January when false accounts were presented to force open the transfer window and bring back in O'Hara and Quincy - players who were brought in to strengthen an already overpaid squad. Having an unregistered player on the bench didn't help in the cup game either. Also around that time there were a couple of players who miraculously bought out their club contracts elsewhere and became free agents before joining. It was obvious what had gone on and at a time when any troubled business would have been cutting costs and a football club in trouble would have been clearing as many players as possible, the Pompey wage bill increased. There was no attempt to address debt and even the redundancies were a sham - 23 fulltime and 60 part time was it? These have not been the actions of a business trying to save money - this is the first time that a football club in this state hasn't tried to save itself and has gambled other people's money on everything. If you put these issues alongside pervy Grant continually talking rubbish, you are inviting people to launch scathing attacks - and this is the place to find them. A good way to move forward would be for the few to drop the arrogant stance and accept reality, and for the club's representatives to stop bleating about being hard done by and to cut out all the twaddle about 'what goes on off the pitch is irrelevant'. It's very clear that the club misled the authorities to gain competitive advantage. It is also clear that financial skullduggery has been going on for years, the tax situation should be enough to shame any sensible supporter. As for your new hero, Grant is either a liar or an idiot - he had no idea there were financial problems, he knew nothing about points penalties or contracts or much at all, but he knew that the 250K fans are the best, the whole community needs the club, except maybe those whose local businesses have been royally shafted. As long as the prossy-botherer continues to spout drivel, the dislike of what many now accept as a cheating club will grow - and his league record is hilarious so we support the campaign to get him knighted or whatever. If Grant and more of the remaining Pompey fans tried some humble pie and stopped denying the obvious truth, there might even be some who would move somewhere towards sympathy....but as long as we have to put up with these ridiculous versions of events, the cries of 'cheats' will gather volume.

to clarify the great news they've had this week - 'they will be allowed to play in Europe' (if they meet the criteria which includes exiting admin trouble-free and filing accounts) 'they will get four years of increased parachute payments' (if the FL turkeys go mental and vote for Christmas) These two gems have pushed the defiant 'we will get the points penalty overturned' back into the shadows. Put that together with 150 of the best fans in the world seeing their glorious team grab a 0-0 draw at their twinned football town and you have a fantastic week, and we may still have court proceedings today to add to the frivolity.

Harry's teams do look unbalanced when he starts with unfit strikers, but luckily he seems to have got it right tonight. I wonder what odds you would have got on a Spurs defeat at the weekend? Some bookies will have taken a hit, possibly the same ones that had to pay out when he rejoined Pompey all of sudden with only two or three people in the loop. Gambling on sport is a funny old business. Poor old Pompey, only enough players for four subs, I do hope some make a recovery in time for Wembley, that's a proper fairytale that is, plucky underdogs battling against the odds with only £20M of taxpayers money to help fund the cup run. Sorry kids you can't have the new hospital wing, Utaka needs his illegal image rights paid into an offshore account.

the few never really grasped that 'investing' in wages wasn't good use of the income, it was Sky money pouring straight through the club and out of football. This was so obvious I can't see how anyone thought this lunatic business plan could take them anywhere other than bankruptcy. And that's not with hindsight, they bought their way out of the championship, big wages, no tax paid, and the train crash has stumbled on since then - it just happened to run over Cardiff en route. Now we just need a reality check about this ridiculous talk of a European campaign and to see them putting out their strongest team against Wigan in respect to the other clubs down the bottom. If Grant rests players again (forget AA, it's pervy's decision to pick his own team or walk away from the job) it will be another clear breach of Prem rules to add to the lengthy list.

my mother-in-law was so pleased for them when they won the cup - so we brought that conversation to an abrupt halt and it never restarted. As for fans not being responsible for what their clubs do, with our recent history, if Pardew started paying inflated transfer fees and crazy wages there would be alarm bells ringing and mutterings around St Marys. We want success but not through risky business practice - and that can be debated but anyone who has seen their club close to oblivion doesn't want a repeat. If ML stated that he would be bankrolling a risky Prem push and he had put a longterm structure in place then I would be assured, but no intelligent fan would see a player like Crouch tempted from Liverpool with doubled wages and think that was normal or good business. It would be the equivalent of Rovers asking a million for Ricky and us giving them two. Pompey fans have been naive, ignoring the crimes and enjoying the ride. Now they have to do the time, and for vocally supporting Storrie through all the criminality without protest? They were tainted and implicated by that. No set of fans has ever stood by and let someone damage their club in such a manner - chanting his name as he raped the coffers.... Unbelievable.

I love some of Frankie's stuff, I was also a great fan of Bill Hicks who made you wince sometimes when he got close to the mark. I like it when it's funny, clever, offensive and constructive. IMO this time Boyle has got it so wrong. No clever point, no alternative view behind the observation, just an attack on someone because they look different and have a short life expectancy - and also he was ignorant on the subject, a cardinal sin for a comedian. So we ended up with nothing clever, nothing funny, just misguided and badly presented abuse - a lazy set that must have been knocked together at the last minute. Is he now looking for the Sun audience who don't need quality behind the gag? I thought it was a really poor routine in many ways, does that make me a member of the PC brigade trying to stifle free speech? God no, I love it when people push the limits but I just want some quality in the comedy.

We can now spread the word to football fans far and wide - a victory for Pompey is a victory for taxpayers everywhere as it's their money that is financing the cup run. And that is how they can claim such a big fanbase, anyone with a NI number has a share in their success. I still think they are in big trouble but I have to partially defend Nick on the registrar issue - a Pompey fan who is also an insolvency practioner told me a few weeks back that he was staggered when they survived the first day. He stated that the taxman's legal team 'dropped the ball' and it was very clear that they should have been wound up with the evidence available. But like last weekend's win over Spurs, that is now ancient history. I too feel the balance is shifting and a second cup final starts to make the risks look worth it, though a hammering would change that. I wonder if Spurs fans are pleased that their taxes financed their own cup exit, they didn't want that new hospital wing anyway, they would much rather pay Utaka's illegal image rights.

let's have a quick reality check - the Prem has some awful teams in it this season yet they have still managed to get themselves relegated on merit, and supplied laughs aplenty along the way. Had you offered me that as an option in August I would have had your arm off. So I shall sleep well on that thought - night night. Zzzzzzz

100,000 fans? Grant is having a mare, that means he's lost 150,000 from his orginal 250,000 figure in just three months. At this rate they will be down to a hardcore of barely 50,000 regulars in no time and the new world cup superstadium won't be needed anymore. They need to stop the rot and get that fanbase back up to 250,000 asap! Presumably the acres of empty seats in their section at Wembley was some sort of worthy and noble protest against the nasty old Prem/taxman/FA/FL? In fact it must have felt like a home game for them, all that space to wander around or to shout across to the bloke sat next to them. What a day out, the bus that took them all must have been like a little mobile disco party on the way back down the deserted A3.

anyway, putting aside all the excitement of their glorious and partially-well-earned but official-assisted victory over a striker-free Spurs for a moment, how's that debt clearance going? Has the new owner put £60M on the table yet or are they still on course for a decade or two in the wilderness? you can put a dirty old tramp in a new kit but he's still a dirty old tramp.

West Ham have ruined everything, it just doesn't scan anymore. 'Gone down, gone down, Pompey's gone down with no money' etc...and as for, 'gone down, gone down, got knocked out of the cup by a tax evading dodgy car dealer and got relegated in one disatrous weekend, with no money in the bank' - that ain't no Lennon and McCartney. Nice concept though, I'd buy the album.

there's a general feeling that they should be despatched to the conference or worse and until that happens many here will consider that they have got away with it. I still believe they are in BIG trouble but we have yet to see decent progress on that front, until we see real sanctions the 'toast' debate will smoulder on. I'm sure the unusual and timely appointment of a new ceo isn't a blatant attempt to buy off the main FA investigator, that would be a ridiculous allegation. Though it does look like the prosecution's lead solicitor has just changed sides mid-investigation. And from today's papers there are concerns about these new contract issues and that Pompey will field a weakened side from Monday. 1. This would not be weakened but their real side, one that isn't artificially-strengthened through financial irregularity. 2. I think it will be shown in their starting line up tomorrow that they have been resting players in the league for the last month, thus breaking further Prem rules. 3. As Avram states he doesn't know about these contract issues, he must be very thick. Hopefully Harry will walk into town dressed as Judge Dredd and issue justice on the pitch. Bale to Crouch, get in there!

'I intend to bring some stability and transparency to operations' said the new ceo... Do what?? - Transparency's the last thing they need with money laundering, 'unusual' player activity and financial irregularities still on the go, AA will go up the wall when he sees that. Lampitt must have been brought in to try and cover up the criminality not to advertise it. I sense a new comedy chapter opening up, the fact that he was responsible for integrity is funny enough for starters. Lampitt's diary notes for the next week - Day one - seems like a friendly club, we should be able to turn things round. Day two - got relegated. Day three - got hammered out of the cup. Day four - had the fraud squad knock the front door in at 6am, then AA sold half the squad for peanuts, fan unrest. Day five - went for a farewell bash with Avram and got arrested by the vice squad, had to evict Storrie from my office. Day six - had death threats from the Russian mafia, after lunch we gave away the other half of the squad, fan protests gathering pace. Day seven - my Mondeo was blown up by Israeli secret service, also had some bad news from HMRC, and Lens, and Portpin, and Gaydamak, and Sol Campbell. Day eight - called the FA and asked if they've filled my post yet.

In future when new roads and closes are adopted in the city, rather than being named after councillors, former mayors etc I would rather see the names of people who have given their lives serving the community recognised. It would be a small gesture by the council but it would send a firm message to the two families that their loved ones would always be remembered in the city.

the agents and football creditor amounts seem to have climbed steeply since the last count up, have their traditional transfer contacts thought up a new way of getting cash via false invoicing? And a tip for AA - writing 'disputed' in brackets doesn't make it go away. That red herring that gathers more interest every day is based on restructuring the way that VAT itself is run in this country and will cost a couple of million in legal fees just to pursue, let alone win, which they won't. Lucky they have that squad worth £38M or it could look like they've been trading insolvently for six months, cheating on the pitch, misleading the Prem and the FA for gain, and the directors would be facing prison sentences. And the forensic accounting - this was AA's first job, surely he couldn't do anything else without knowing the detail and history. Odd that it only starts now....

all these positive stories, the players miraculously throwing away crutches, running off fractured cheekbones etc, and the captivating 'is he/isn't he' Dindane-hype is aimed at one thing - selling tickets that they can't shift, to dim people. 'Fortress Fratton', 'the siege mentality', 'Pompey til they die' - it's all rubbish aimed at motivating the hard of thinking. The facts show that the fans have already abandoned ship, the players still aren't good enough, and AA isn't a real administrator, he's just buying time as he works to get Chanrai his and the child-maimer's monies back - this game is his last big opportunity. So while it's lovely to hear all of the team news, can we just get back to the real issue and check up on how the whole 'paying off the massive debt thang' is progressing?...... Whether Dinadane or Messi plays for them is irrelevant - they need a billionaire not a gutsy showing in a cup game. I thought Pardew's jacket and tracksuit combination nearly worked at Wembley, has Avram selected himself a nice Thai for the weekend?

So these are the recent developments - Mystery billionaire approaches Lloyd to front his bid and protect his identity - plausible. Lloyd takes this on with promise of money or a role in the new era - yeah, I get that.Backer sobers up and decides it's a crazy idea - very plausible. Lloyd continues without the funding for no apparent reason, then stumbles across a second billionaire - for me, this is where it starts to fall down... For a bloke whose own company is in big trouble he has quite a knack of plucking dim billionaires out of nowhere. We have either a man who wants a free day out at Wembley and a bit of an ego boost, or a shrewd player who knows billionaires aplenty and has the skills to negotiate them through the worst set of accounts they will ever see.

when they have idiots like Hertz Van Rental playing at the back they are doomed. On a yellow card, a week from Wembley, let's blatantly stick my arm out to stop an attack and see what occurs.... If he wasn't so dim he would realise that the chances of someone with his talent ever playing in such a big game again are remote, yet if they had lost 25-0 to Blackburn it would not make a jot of a difference to their season. Criminal management, stupid players - they are still on a suicide mission to get to the conference asap.

Redknapp is so predictable, we will now have a week of 'it's a great club, 'triffick' fans, they'll be back, Avram's done a tremendous job' hype, while Avram will join in with his 'it's unfair, we will fight to the last breath, the fans are fantastic, I want to stay, it's not our fault' claims. The funny thing is -they haven't shown any fight, the fans have abandoned ship, it is their fault, it's not a great club, Avram has done a woeful job, he doesn't want to stay, and they won't be back. Keep talking boys and we will keep chuckling along!

and let's not fall for the hype about 'poor Pompey' now being forced to field a weakened team, this is their real team we are just starting to see. They have been trading insolvently for six months now so they have played an illegally-strengthened team for 30 games. In fact they still have a couple of players who shouldn't be playing, either dodgy signings via that blatantly inaccurate paperwork presented to the Prem, or for the crazy wages that should have gone to creditors. Go on Avram, spin that into something positive, and while you are being measured up for the 'spirit of Pompey' statue you might want to explain to the Blue Very Few why your league record is worse than that of Tony Adams.

Suddenly it all makes sense. He must be the UK money man behind Pompey's Lloyd consortium, a figure who wants to keep a low profile until the deal is done. Rix back as manager, Glitter as the chairman, a new emphasis on the academy....and if there's enough money in it Storrie will also want to be in his gang, his gang, his gang.

We've been very fortunate, and I'm pleased for our saviour that he had a day out with his camera last week. The main positive that I saw at Wembley was the number of kids and families enjoying the day. Yes there were a few people who hadn't been to a game since 2005 and I even saw a Rasiak shirt, BUT by winning last Sunday in front of those kids we may have just secured the next generation of fanbase. Markus must be very pleased with his investment thus far, and so he should be, IMO NC and AP are doing pretty well. Last year I really feared we might go under, not because I'm a doom and gloom merchant but because I have a basic grasp of how business works - it was a close call and anyone who disagrees must be considering buying Pompey as it looks like a little goldmine... But for anyone who saw the club in its death throes in those games against Charlton and Burnley, we owe ML enormous thanks - the guy's a legend.

I think the wheels of Karma justice are starting to turn, I see a squad depleting to the level it should have been all season, and there seems little sign of debt-clearance or new ownership. And I still can't believe that they paid the 3rd choice keeper £5000 a minute to sit on a bench!

no.3 keeper Niemi on £14K a week?! Fair play to him, that must have been more than when he was playing in the Premier League prior to his first retirement. He can't be accused of not doing his bit to bring them down. Tomorrow will be interesting as whatever wind-ups are printed, they can't be funnier than the everyday news we've seen for the last six months. Thankfully everyday is practical joke day to the east.

you can't knock their commitment, while some Hartlepool fans couldn't be bothered, Pompey still remain the only club to have brought their entire fanbase to St Marys. And between them the Few had six different types of DNA. With travelling support like the 300 who went to Coventry or the 390 that went to Liverpool, I'm sure the missing 249,600+ will snap up the opportunity to further worship their hero Redknapp at Wembley - after all it's a proper trophy where only big clubs get to the final. Ask any Millwall or Cardiff fan.