rallyboy

Pretty much as expected with the time Pardew has had to assemble a squad, maybe a reality check for the few who thought we were going to storm this league from a minus position. I thought our season would be a slow burner that would take off in about two or three months, nothing has changed that opinion. No panic. ....Different story if we are still playing like that in March.

seems like 100 years ago now and more amusing from that distance. Maybe Wotte wasn't malicious and undermining, just no good? If it was Call My Bluff I would go for JP's version of events, but who cares other than them?!

I thought Storrie's attack on Al Fahim was a bombshell as was Hart's admission that he had never thought the takeover would happen - the national media has missed it thus far. (for those who didn't hear it, when asked if they could have got an audio link to the non-Dr for his comments, Storrie said that the time for talking was over and he should either complete the takeover or forget it - a strong way to address the man who could be your boss tomorrow) I thought his scathing comments about Redknapp and Spurs were for the benefit of the fans, his actions don't tie up with his claim that he was fed up with Spurs and nearly reported them for tapping up. He tells the fans he won't put up with any messing (as Rupert did many moons ago, 'yobbos' etc) and then bangs out Crouch to his mate at a £3M discount, because he claims Crouch said he wouldn't go anywhere else.... His comment that 'tapping up goes on all the time and everyone is doing it' must have also caused a ripple of panic in the club legal dept, and some interest from the Prem should they hear it. I would have said the forum was an eye-opener for Pompey fans who think the future is bright. And as an aside, I am sure he is a nice chap and great with youth development but Hart sounded like a muttering bloke with no inspirational strength at all - tell me pfc, have I got him wrong? He doesn't sound like the man you would want alongside you in a trench, and that's where you are heading. We tried appointing a great youth coach, it didn't really work out as we hoped. There are lessons from history and Pompey have missed all of them.

It may seem like a dream from our current position and it could take ten years but I believe that one day we will return to have our own independent radio station AND catering that is the envy of the Premiership - Liebherr and Pardew must focus their every waking hour on these two goals, I must have original quotes, and our progress through the divisions won't be complete unless accompanied by lamb cutlets served on a bed of asparagus.

Charlton??? Giants???!!!!! Can't argue with most of those but as we slip down the list of fallen giants does that mean are no longer giants or that we haven't fallen as far as others? Of those I would say that Leeds and Forest are the main ones, Newcastle consider themselves to be huge, they are just an established Prem team that has wobbled big time and could well be in mid-crisis, not sure they have found rock bottom yet. Though Norwich and Ipswich had some days in the sunshine I wouldn't regard them as powerhouses of the british game with rivalry to match Glasgow/Merseyside/Manchester derbies. Then again I would imagine we are off the map a little at the moment as well, but the difference is that we will be back, the red and white giant is stirring.....

hiding behind a bush?? Should we take previous fences into consideration?

I thought Millwall were poor and the quality gulf between Prem and Lg One looks huge. But....we have just signed the best goalscorer in the division and for that reason I think it's a great signing. Crap defences beware, Saints are coming to town (with our own crap defence, but hopefully the ball will be in your box most of the time) I haven't been this excited about a new player since Skacel signed......

ding, ding, the end is nigh! Holed beneath the waterline, HMS Pompey has a madman on the bridge and he's sold the lifeboats. Are they waving at us or drowning? Don't know, but whatever happens in the next three weeks it's going to be spectacular and memorable - there will be tears......but mainly laughter.

Norwich were just unlucky, they'd just got back in the game when the sixth one went in, clearly offside, maybe too much pressure from all of those season ticket holders - just not their day. Hopefully Pompey will try and get Gunn in as director of football.

I hope they are one of the better sides because we were fairly comfortable for much of the game, and played far better than I feared. Great to see Matt, and amazing double save by Kelvin. Happy! - And how often can you say that when home from a game in recent years?

if we do pick up a couple of Stockport players it would mean we have progressed from victim to vulture, and we are the ones now preying on a club coming out of administration. Which is fine buy me!

Biggs on the loose, Schumacher in a Ferrari, Niemi heading for relegation - it's nostalgia time. I just hope he is thick-skinned enough to take the abuse they will heap on him when James legs it as it starts going awry, which it will. Don't worry Mr N, we will love you a little bit more with every goal that goes in.

yes Bert you big soppy boy, we all love them too... Don't worry about the bullies who are afraid to show their feelings and nervous about talking to girls, you shout it from the rooftops.

Stefanovic is getting shoved out of Norwich and is 'keen to move back south' - but not on those wages you aren't mate. At 34 you can have a pay as you play.... Unless he means he's going back to Pompey?

Sky must be propping up a few clubs. When they decide they don't want to pay as much, which they will, the pressure of big wages and borrowing will ride through the Prem like a demolition ball. I wouldn't want to have a big wage bill and a shedload of borrowing in the next year or two, because trouble is a brewing... I think we knew all along that we were punching about our weight but its come as a shock to people like Newcastle, they could yet go into freefall. With a very feeble looking Prem this year it could be the time for a few to cut their cloth and try to get away with it, but they are all too busy panicking about it being the worst time to lose out on the money, thankfully we don't have those worries! Personally I am pleased we have a sensible owner who has built businesses wisely, in fact I think we have found the perfect owner* for a club that wants to get back up there but doesn't want to gamble on its very existence. I trust him and Pardew, we are in a realistic era and everyone wants the same thing, but achieved in a controlled low-risk manner. If we have learned anything this summer it is bugger living the dream, just build sensibly. *as long as he doesn't go bonkers at some point soon, takes training, picks teams, waves letters about etc

How much would you pay for an FA cup win over Cardiff City when the top teams no longer consider it a worthy trophy anyway - the actual existence of your club? Nice one Harry, you and Storrie have really excelled yourselves this time. I reckon they must have three weeks to save the club on two fronts - if they don't find and spend £10-15M on players they can wave goodbye to the Prem, if they don't find any money at all the debts will be called in and the club could stutter into oblivion via consecutive relegations or even a winding up. When we slipped into league one it was like we were tramps being moved on to a less comfortable park bench, they are heading for eviction from a penthouse straight into a skip. I don't wish them out of business, just for them to languish in the bottom half of league two, so I am ticking off every day of the transfer window with great joy, it's a clock ticking over their Prem survival. And for those who say they don't care, try living further east. Having started so badly and declined rapidly, 2009 could still be a fantastic year for us.

I can't believe what Redknapp has just done to them, sells Bent for £12M but only gives them £9M for Crouch, he has no shame, I hope he kept a straight face when he was demonstrating precisely how much he cares about the club. Why didn't he just bend Storrie over his desk and make him beg? It would have been less insulting. Wonder if they will name a stand after him when Maradona opens this new 50,000 seater ground on the waterfront next season....

Putting aside the comedic value of their situation, look at our squad that wasn't good enough to stay up in the Prem, we deserved to go down but there was still some quality there, or look at the players Newcastle failed with - on that basis I can't see Pompey getting a point before Christmas!! They have a keeper and one striker of note, not exactly a winning formula. Every week they hang onto players and maintain the wage bill it's another nail in the financial coffin, every time they sell it must cause more resentment between the two owners (!) and as the squad reduces, how on earth are you going to attract quality players? We have suffered the same problem, Pardew must have some potential signings who won't even talk to him because of our predicament, welcome to our world. They are on a slippery cliff and unless this new guy produces serious money within the next couple of weeks, I can see them in administration, the options must be running out. And my message to any Pompey fans I come across is simply, 'see you soon'.

very funny, though I would like to have seen Rupert topping himself in the bunker.

from the Telegraph - 'Portsmouth face an uncertain future after it emerged that the club's new chairman, Sulaiman Al-Fahim, has not filed any paperwork to notify the Premier League of a change of ownership despite promising the completion of his buyout was "imminent" more than a month ago.' That's a worrying development - oh it's okay, I've got over it already!

Why all the doom and gloom panic? I'd be worried if we'd spent the last few months teetering on the edge of extinction but we had a fantastic end of season run-in and then a major squad rebuild, so I am sure we can win this division, maybe by a record margin.

had a chat with him at St Marys only three/four months ago when he was down for an evening game so I know he witnessed the dutch experiment close-up, he will seen our players and how they behaved last season, and should be a good appointment. (if he can get us some Chelsea loanees nice and cheap too that would be great!)

hopefully Kevin Keegan will clear up all of this confusion when he officially takes charge, on Friday, or within 48 hours.

Bumpy?? That's loser talk, negativity, you must be a skate, we'll walk this division, just like we walked the....oh, hang on, no we didn't, we were too ****y by half, it was tougher than we expected, maybe this one will be too.... Bumpy is a good description, it's reality check time for a few, if we win one of the first three we will be doing okay, I expect the squad to come together and improve greatly as the season goes on, though a few other teams going into admin would be most welcome just to take the pressure off a little. We will get there but it's gonna be a long haul and not for the faint-hearted. If it takes us maybe 8 games to clear the penalty, some losers will still be on 5 or 6 points above us so it could take 10 or 12 games to tick off safety? (but like everyone else, I am guessing wildly!)

'Pompey sign over the hill player and chuck more money out of the door' - it works for me as an idea! James leaves, Niemi is injured, suddenly they would have a youth team keeper in front of an appalling defence. Niemi was great for us, always will be, and sadly his career ended too early. And recalling Nathan Dyer's finest hour, legendary status could be confirmed on Niemi with one dropped cross in front of the Fratton End...this transfer has comedy legs....