Torrent Of Abuse

:-) Bad news for Grant then. He'll want to bring in his own man for manager - his close friend Hans Zonnataibird.

Sadly (despite what my heart tells me) I think you're right about this - even if you're wrong about so much else much of the time. The top six or seven teams seem very strong this year. Even the lead two have not managed to pull away from the pack. That said, we should believe we can win very game. The table can change so dramatically if we put in a good run - and my heart says to keep going for it - if only to build the winning culture ready for next year. If only we had the same situation as the last time we pushed for the playoffs. Preston's season folded in dramatic fashion, allowing us to stumble into a 6th place we barely deserved, thereby making good old George Burley look like a half decent manager instead of someone who had spunked up £7m we could ill-afford to build an average looking side. Who said spending big money should automatically make a good side?

Need a second because you just know they are going to use that half time break and regroup... come at us hard.

Didn't say it wasn't. We've already had The Parrot Sketch. Why not everything else?

He's not a legitimate Russian businessman... He's a very naughty boy.

+1 But also wipe all their FA Cup games this season from the history books - just as with the league. We have no right to get reinstated though. It's done.

Since when have they ever done that? Surely the only betting strategy they know is "put it all on black... because red probably won't come up"

Agreed. I dreaded administration (and let's face it, it could have really destroyed us) but was somewhat relieved that we faced up to our penalty - however reluctantly. It was (according to the rules) justified after all. That said, if you think or situations are at all similar PFC123 then you've spent far too much time on this board. Your fans (and it's really not just 1 or 2 of them) have continually whinged about everything and blamed everyone outside the walls of Fratton Park: it's the league's fault that the FAPPT didn't work, because they didn't release the tv money, because they won't give you next years money... and because they now won't let you sell players outside the transfer window. Boo fricking hoo. It's that Pompey little-islander mentality at work. The people to blame are right inside your own club and your own fans have been defending them all along. I saw a blog on some Football Fan forum deriding us for daring to confront Storrie with Monopoly money. How dare we do that... To an "innocent man" cried the blogger. Jesus, you lot should have lynched him months ago. But then that would mean re-evaluating the role of the man who is also responsible for your success - and I really think there's a healthy chunk of your fanbase who can't do that as it would mean asking that terrible question: "Was it all worth it?"

Conmen, Vagabonds and Aquarium-Dwellers (Good title for the book?) Chipperfields Version of Accounting. I'll stop now

Club Visits Abyss Championship Virtually Accepted Can't Verify Accounts Completely Venal Arseholes I could do this all day...

And of course it's a mistake and he will clear his good name - just you see. Next step, I guess will be to claim victimization. Sounds distinctly Portsmouthy. Birds of a feather and all that.

Unless someone came to the door asking for money - in which case you'd direct them to some poor sap who had bought the old company name. Sorry, you mean Mr. John Portsmouth Football Club W******d. I'm pretty sure he won the cup in 1939 or something. He's got your £60m....

30 years ago? Are you crazy? It's a different world now. You might as well try something more recent? Portsmouth 1 Cambridge 0 5th September 2000 Attendance: 5570 http://www.soccerbase.com/results3.sd?gameid=290441 Just about as relevant...

I'm sure if the roles were reversed and Pompey got reinstated and won the cup, we would never let them forget that they lost on the way and that their place in the cup was undeserved. It would feel to me like we cheated our way into the cup. Similarly, if we had dodged the 10 point penalty this season on a technicality, I am sure the other teams in the league would feel the same.

What they could do is ask Coventry if they wish to be reinstated with a bye for the 3rd round. If so, they arrange with Sunderland when would be best to play them. If they are not interested or their schedule is already too full, they can elect to pass and just let Sunderland have the bye... and so on until we either have an opponent for Birmingham or they have the bye. It means arranging at most two more games before the QF: Cov v Sunderland, followed by the winners v Saints. Won't happen though... Just idle speculation.

I'd laugh if they said "we'll wipe all scores from the record books from the point you went insolvent... Oh wait. It says you were actually insolvent in 2007. Looks like we have to award the 2008 FA Cup to Cardiff" Yes, I'm joking. But I think someone from the FA should say this next time they sit down for a meeting as a little ice-breaker. Peter Storrie would probably choke.

Possibly, although it might be more accurate if the SoA points to an actual date (or period) when the insolvency is likely to have begun. It's stretching to Storrieish proportions to make out that they only became insolvent in the court room when the registrar said they might be insolvent.

Well firstly (as someone else mentioned) we could be the only club to progress in the cup after actually losing the tie. I'm sure there are plenty of people who would question the legitimacy of our victory if we got all the way to Wembley after losing the game against Portsmouth - even if they later left the competition. Secondly, I was pointing out that if Portsmouth were to drop out of the cup, there are a few clubs who could request the right to be reinstated - not just us. After all, if they are written completely out of the league table, then why not the cup? If a game against Blackburn in the league is deleted from the record books then why not also the cup game against Coventry?

To be honest, funny as it would be, I wouldn't want to get reinstated after losing the game. It smacks of a bit of a cheat - rather like us trying to duck the 10pt deduction because of a holding company. We missed our chance at a bye because of the decision to grant P*mpey time to prove they are not insolvent. Our tough luck. An alternative to just awarding the bye to Birmingham would be to either reinstate the team they played in Round 3 (who probably have as much or as little right to be reinstated as anyone else) or to have someone work out when exactly they were insolvent and reinstate the team who they played after that point. It would be up to the teams involved whether they would bother to reschedule their games or pass on the chance to renter the competition. Yes, I know it's just not going to happen - just thought it far fairer than just giving Birmingham a bye or reinstating us. Portsmouth didn't just suddenly acquire a team they couldn't afford. P.S. I'm sure they'd just take the easy road and give Birmingham the bye.

I completely sympathise with Peter Storrie in all this. It was just far too "in your face". Clearly the money should have been put in an envelope marked "image rights" and sent via an account in Monaco set up in the name of "W. McKay (Mr.)" Maybe we should have shaken his hand? We'd have to count our fingers afterwards though...

Except that today's match seemed winnable for much of the game and, on another day, would have been won. Wigley wouldn't have won the league unless the other 19 teams had all been liquidated. That's the pretty sizeable difference. As the poster said, you only view the FA cup campaign as pointless through the benefit of hindsight.

Oh yes. 14 days. Our blue friends know how to stretch payment terms. We'll pay by 2011. December. 31st. If the business still exists.

They showed it on TV here. Chilling. Just chilling. :-[

What I absolutely f**king love about this thread is that it's rubbish because nearly everyone who would post is at the match or too busy watching the match to post. I f**king love football. Oh, and maybe the alcohol and coffee is kicking in now.

Hey Avram. Two for one at unit one. Better get down there sharpish.