rallyboy

A Premiership club fined a million pounds for irregularities? That is a massive story, you only get a suspended £25-50K fine for most offences. I do hope it doesn't stop them getting points penalties as per every other case. This seems to have been decided with minimum investigation of the accounts, there must be more to come. No doubt AA will fight it all the way, or talk about it anyway. I'm sure Grant thinks it unfair that the company is punished for breaking company law. And I thought they had overplayed Dindane into their ownership three months ago, so they owe £4M on him already.

so today we have established that even in admin, Portpin is still controlling the club's finances, and we also now know that the administrator's reputation in financial circles is shot to bits. An administrator with accusations of forging documents and lying to court hanging over him is an astonishing appointment, unless he was hand picked for that very reason... Perhaps he isn't a clueless idiot and his odd mistakes are being made intentionally. So what has actually changed since they entered admin? Chanrai is still in charge, he controls the talks with the Prem and potential sellers. The squad hasn't been weakened by cost-cutting, a handful of token redundancies were made and dressed up as a big cull. They are still trading insolvently. Other than being slightly further adrift nothing has changed, and only one creditor is any better off. This whole 'semi-admin' state looks like another scam to creep them closer to a tv cheque. And Grant is an idiot, more of an embarrassing uncle than an inspirational leader. Everytime he opens his mouth something ridiculous seems to spill out, he must stop for his own sake, he's making a fool of himself. His reputation as a coach is plummeting with every press statement.

'it wouldn't surprise me if you get a call from the Government, who want to look into the financial structures of football'. Yes Peter, it won't be the actual 'government' but I'm sure several of their departments/agencies will be calling for you to help them with their enquiries into criminality. And Storrie in charge of a new fit and proper person test?... Has there ever been a madder idea? Chocolate radiators, frogs as hats? Not that I think he is a little mental but I'd like him to name the club that tried to prise him away from the trough last summer - I'm not sure that they exist. Peter Storrie - the man who makes Rupert look like a financial expert and a dignified professional. Can we have another Grant prossie-bothering moment soon, I'm getting a bit bored with old Pete.

it would be more of a news story if Avram announced he was going to be fielding a legally-assembled side that they could afford to pay. And if he goes for the weak option will we tell the difference from his strongest side that was wiped out at Anfield? I know he got to the Champions League final but I think the last time he had a semi was when the team coach drove through Horton Heath.

Grant is taking the same attitude to the league as Storrie arrogantly took to the court and the taxman. Launching an attack on the authorities from a very weak position when they can do you massive damage is suicidal. That illegal FA cup run could still end abruptly in a court.

a genuine challenge to the handful of educated blue few on here - show us a rough workable budget to take your club forward for the next year incorporating restructuring and clearing the debt. We've all had a look for 431 pages and none of us can get the figures to stack up, are we missing something? I remember surveying Saints financial results five years ago and the loss of Prem money made the future look bleak. Luckily I was wrong and apart from the small matter of the two relegations, administration, and a few weeks staring desperately into the abyss, we were financially bouyant throughout the whole post-Prem, pre-Markus period, it was fun, fun, fun, all the way. I believe the likes of Leeds, Norwich and Charlton also adjusted really well and found bouncing straight back to the Prem to be a piece of p'ss. So, what's the master plan, how much do you think a new owner will have to write off to steady the ship?

Worryingly I can now see them starting next season without penalties - but panic ye not, they won't have got away with it!... The big-hearted Prem could pay off the taxman using their vital future income, to protect the league from tax hassles, not for the benefit of the club - huge funds could be pumped through the company to creditors, not into it. A new owner will have to clear football debt and that will be an expensive price for a company that just lost its main revenue stream and comes with restructured debt baggage. 'No one will buy them' we all shout! But we all know that even though the business is shot to bits, an idiot who can't be bothered to read the small print always rides into town and then discovers the debts on his second day in charge. So as long as any irregularities go away, which they could if the Prem hand HMRC their £18M, they could start next season on 0. BUT unable to compete on transfers or wages for a very long two or three years. Minimum investment to try and keep the club in the football league - £40M? Amount required to take those 390 loyal supporters back to the promised land - £150M? Number of redundant staff Utaka could pay on his own? - 400. The sums still don't stack up - buyer beware.

Storrie is funny, he's convinced himself that he's still in charge and continues to put out press releases about his former job. Life is great in Storrie World, but we need to tell his missus - he only has a yoghurt and an apple in his briefcase, he isn't going to work anymore, he's sat in the car at Farlington all day reading the papers. That's why he won't let you watch the telly.... AA needs to tell him where to get off because he can't take a hint, though his bleating must be a further obstacle to a sale. More laughs to come.

my how we laughed at those weather jokes and the '-10 in Southampton' tee shirts. Funny how some jokes come back to bite you, rip you to bits, and send you into the lower leagues for a generation.

that's a nice batchelor pad he has there, bright and airy, neutral decor, sea views, beautifullly furnished. It didn't look anything like a seedy crackhouse. Many people peddle made-up stories about strikes, but I didn't know anyone was silly enough to have themselves branded with said myth. And the minibus? Equipped with toilet bucket, porn at the press of a button, beer and 'smokes' - what more could a football fan want, other than to go to the game when he gets to the relevant town - and to have some memory of the day when he sobers up. The travel club have been missing a trick all these years. Well I'm off into town in a mo, just putting my £360 clown shoes on, slipping into my grubby waistcoat, I'll have a sh=t in a bucket on the train, smoke some pot, watch some fat germans fiddling with dogs, then I'll be ready for the game, if I can be bothered to leave the pub. Or I might just have a pizza and a stroll up to Hampshire's top football stadium - difficult choice.....

He has really given the taxman a kicking today, HMRC has run off with his tail between his legs and will have to settle for 100p in the £ whenever he demands it, and has been awarded costs, another great court victory against the odds for plucky Pompey! I think AA should fight the deduction all the way. Go on admin boy, you have the moral high ground, the whole of football is behind you, it's not fair, go contest it, football should be decided on the pitch, by correctly registered players etc - well don't worry about that last one, anyway drag it out for a couple of weeks, please. If you could get a tracksuit with your intitials on it might help with your team talks. Any coach with bottle would invite you to get the feck out of his team meeting and get on with your job but you are obviously well qualified to advise on all trades from finance to zonal marking. And just when we thought Chainrai didn't do irony he comes out with this quote about the group bidding to buy...'He hopes these aren't a bunch of chancers.' Mmmm. Where's Storrie when you need a laugh? I'm missing his version of world affairs, though Grant has stepped in to his shoes and does some great stand up - go on Avram, tell us the one about how your league record makes Adams and Hart look like coaching legends yet you still get people measuring you up for a statue - or perhaps the one about 250,000 people loving the club, and how 390 of them made it to Liverpool - spin that into a positive storrie! The fans have abandoned ship. Storrie and Grant - the saviours of Pompey, AA giving footballers advice. Nice.

this could be the day when their solicitor has a sudden mental breakdown in court after months of guilt and blurts out everything he suspects about laundering, theft, fraud, and irregularities... On the other hand it might be quite boring.

Big expansion plans on land owned by others is standard practice down that way so Horsea Island is a goer, just like the harbour was. I spy someone who wants to watch a few weeks of football for free and soak up a bit of hero worship for a damaged ego - what next? Replica shirt, white suit? - old ground revisited. Why approach the fans before the administrator? Why promise fan involvement with the plans for of a new supermarket tucked under your arm? At least those people-friendly hedge fund folk will keep the community feel to the place, they are all heart. The bunch may well be serious buyers, but if this is an indication of how they do things the comedy is set to continue. Re tyrekickers, I did suggest about 100/200 pages ago that we could hire ourselves out for football admin advice, it's a boom market and we were in early! Hull, West Ham - give us a call.

Benjii's just about got it (...not entirely sure about 'great day') - when the first goal went in I turned to my friend and immediately said, 'that didn't hurt like I thought it would'. And it really didn't, we are a club from the third tier and our semi-reserve side from two divisions lower on a combined wage less than your keeper, scared the crap out of the illegally assembled squad. It was also great to make the entire Pompey fanbase come to St Marys and be forced to look us in the eye, because we all know what your club has been up to, and we know where you are going, which we enjoyed telling you, just a pity the few were so quiet and didn't join in until 75mins. Now you can reflect and think it was a great win, but show me a Pompey fan who didn't have a nervous feeling prior to that day and I'll show you a liar. And PES, this might cheer you up with what's coming your way - for me leaving the Dell was much sadder than getting relegated - either time! The relegation happens over a long period and you can see it coming in September, anyone surprised in May is an idiot - but walking out of your home ground for the last time, that is a proper sad day. Looks like you will be spared that one for the moment.

he's going to stay at a place where he'll get kissed by a fat man with a droopy moustache, they'll have matching outfits and bunk beds. His only hope is that Mr Big, Fred 'the tan' Dinenage, can pull in a few favours from his old manor, organise some muscle, get him a piece, promise a blag or two, have a wheels man waiting - it's either that or some tasty firm's going to blow more than his back doors off.

Pompey administrator Andrew Andronikou said the shops are among 'the visible cuts' he is making at the club. He said: 'There will be changes across the board – ranging from the number of the club's retail shops to its obligations for the photocopy machines.' was that a clue as to the identity of the leading consortium?

it's funny how none of us are happy about the way that they have cheated and got away with it but now the admin wheels are turning the new slate doesn't look very clean. In the next 8 weeks the newly-trimmed wages will cost at least £6M? (And anyone who thinks they will get paid in May without new owners is deluded!) The taxman wants a few million just to shut up and there are football debts due in this period as well. Even with cup money the income will nowhere near cover these figures, let alone overheads, admin fees, and that's ignoring the rest of the debt that's currently frozen. Just looking at these next two months in isolation, the figures still don't stack up, the only way they could continue would be through further Chanrai loans, an additional debt that would discourage new owners. So nothing has changed in six months - they still need a cash rich buyer, and they need his investment to be flowing within four weeks. Nice of the players to offer to help out some of those made redundant, pity they are only looking at those that wait on them at the training ground, a bit like getting your own butler to stay on while the rest of the former staff can go do one. Birmingham City staff - 80, Pompey - 360 - what could go wrong? Have they been managed by idiots or criminals?

Interesting article! If it looks like financial irregularities, smells like financial irregularities and wears a teeshirt that says 'I'm a financial irregularity', the chances are, it is. Penalties could follow - and not the sort of ones you have after extra time. Next step could be for AA to dump Storrie. Then it will be the battle between him and Tanya as to who can get the best deal from the police on 'assisting with enquiries'. Despite her shrewd resignation my money is on Storrie - a master political mover who can convince people of all kinds of things. He will move quickly to cover his tracks and hopefully incriminate others. Then AA could be too busy sorting out discrepancies to find a buyer. The thread needed a new lease of life - this could be it.

I too resent the cheating element but I'm looking forward to watching Bale crossing and Crouchie nodding past a flapping James. In that single moment the door will slam shut on their season, the silence will only be broken by the sound of chains and padlocks locking them out of the Premier League for a generation. One minute Grant will be dreaming of a cup final reunion with Chelsea, the next he will be staring down the barrel of a long and dark reality. He might even need to relax by splashing out on a used model down at Horton Heath - but that's only if he needs a secondhand car.

so is Chanrai putting in a real £15M to upgrade his initial imaginary donation into a £30M debt? If so he's kindly loaning back some of the money he recently trousered out of the backdoor. Either way that is one debt-heavy, asset-free, cash-gobbling machine that AA's trying to sell - mainly to people off here if a few posts are to be believed. AA still looks like a clueless balding man who's pretending he isn't balding, or clueless - he's got that Steve McLaren comb-forward thing going on, it doesn't fool anyone mate. Bearing in mind we thought this comedy show was over six months ago, we shouldn't begrudge them some breathing space from the taxman, he will be back with more gags shortly.

the spin continues. Andrew Andronikou told a packed press conference at Fratton Park that 23 full-time staff have left the club. But the bulk of employees made redundant - 62 - were part-time staff. So 85 staff made redundant? No, 23 made redundant and some part-timers axed too, from the imaginary 600, or is it 320?... Why do they continue to mislead the court, the taxman, their staff, fans and the media? There has been no great cull or cost cutting, just some light pruning that will make no dent in the £4M wagebill - the gravy train chugs on - and continues to crash. And AA seems to be the only one who thinks the taxman has backed down......

Avram Grant is an idiot who would do well to keep his trousers and his mouth zipped. He took the worst job in football as an odd favour in a vague middle east peace accord and immediately acted surprised that there were financial issues. He then managed to drag their reputation even lower through his hobbies. He's bigging himself up to the fans when they win, and hiding when they lose. He doesn't grasp that by fielding that team the club is cheating, and he blames everyone else for their plight. He then rather oddly announces that last Saturday was 'a great day in history'...not for fair play and the sport it wasn't. What's more his league record is appalling! - Adams and Hart must be amused by his self-proclaimed hero status. While I have great sympathy with their office staff who are today being chucked out on the street, Grant doesn't deserve to get paid. And if a valid expose on money-laundering hits the streets before Monday that would be the end of the road, no court could let them continue.

They are playing outside of FA rules, outside of Premier rules and now they don't meet the criteria for Uefa. They're not actually a football club anymore, they're just a company that has football in the name.

Grant arrogantly announced after they cheated their way through at the weekend, 'our spirit can't be broken!' Big words but the facts tell a different story - whoops, there go another three points. I wonder how he got on with his theatrical bowing to the fans tonight, or is the craggy-faced prossie-botherer getting selective about when he does that? He has evolved from shrewd coach to fan-pleasing yes man who is either stupid or desperate for work. I look forward to him blaming the authorities again, it's not fair etc. Well done Brum, another nail in the coffin. Poor crowd, rubbish display, taxman waiting in the wings, justice around the corner.

training at Silverlake? They might give them a tenner if they weigh the ground in. Interesting points from that meeting - AA isn't aware that the tax debt was last seen to be £18M, a figure used in the court papers, he even has it below the £12M commonly quoted - so has he paid off £8M on the quiet or is he just a bit vague about stuff? 'Jacobs effectively working for free'....?? What does that mean? The Prem says they will discuss advancing cash once they have completed business with the taxman...that means, 'if you manage to clear that huge debt we will then help you with football debts'. Vital point - he says the arms dealer's £30M claim is rock solid and not a debt to be dismissed as Storrie and many fans have attempted to do, that's a big stumbling block to a deal. He still seems clueless, there are questions on there that would have been first on the list to get answered, yet he doesn't know. I await the great staff cull with interest - the obvious thing to have done three weeks ago was offload all 'contracted' loanees, all big earners, cancel flights, and to make serious cuts to running costs. But tomorrow I expect to see a distraught tea lady and a couple of stewards hanging up their hi-viz jackets thus saving a couple of hundred pounds - the amount that Utaka earns in about 20mins.