Danbert

Happy birthday ART :-)

The player’s agent Soren Lerby has confirmed the move to Danish newspaper Ekstra Bladet: “Yes, I can confirm that Pierre switches to Southampton.”

Possibly the worst article Neil Allen has ever written: http://www.portsmouth.co.uk/sport/football/pompey/pompey-diary-amorous-couples-and-lost-not-found-1-7468996

Sounds plausible that we're about to sign this guy, given the recent Echo article http://readwestham.com/2016/07/09/southampton-set-land-pied/?

So it was what, a kickabout? I can appreciate the need to ease yourself into preseason and all that, but still... they really don't come across as tip top professional, even for League 2.

http://www.newsshopper.co.uk/sport/palace/14602592.Revealed__Striker___s_agent_flies_to_England_amid_Southampton_and_Palace_links/

I don't get this. Why is milking your fans for every penny, ****ing up big time and wasting the cash generated on dross and spending a fourth season in League 2 as a consequence a source of pride? http://www.portsmouth.co.uk/sport/football/pompey/catlin-s-pompey-budget-pride-1-7463569

Yet another who's joined because of the braying passionatest: "I can’t wait to play in front of such large and passionate crowds at Fratton Park – that was a big draw for me signing here." http://www.portsmouth.co.uk/sport/football/pompey/fratton-factor-the-main-attraction-1-7461828

Historically, a proffesional sportsman, as opposed to an amateur, is simply one who receives a salary. I suppose in our day and age it's best defined as someone who receives their principal income through playing sport. It was a big thing in cricket until the sixties: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amateur_status_in_first-class_cricket

To be fair to the bloke, he's had two seasons as a pro footballer both of them spent in in non-league football. During one of those seasons, he never got off the bench. He seems staggered that Pompey have signed him, it's almost as if he can't believe his luck. Compared to what he's used to, Fratton Park must feel like a huge step up.

http://www.express.co.uk/sport/football/685651/Leicester-Southampton-West-Ham-Ahmed-Musa-Agent-Transfer-News-Rumours-Gossip

Yep: "If you want to keep a team together you have to invest a little bit, even though you don’t want to." http://www.portsmouth.co.uk/sport/football/pompey/milan-lalkovic-pompey-ambition-too-strong-to-resist-1-7453652?

Clearly a massive club, and a huge step up for Koeman: http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/everton-want-maarten-stekelenburg-koeman-11533624

"It is over three years since the Fans took over Portsmouth Community Football Club. The name indicates how important it is to us and to the wider football world." The grandeur of their pompous self-eulogising delusion knows no bounds. Nobody gives a flying **** about your lousy tinpot little outfit you bunch of inbred halfwits.

Get this, the reason they didn't get promoted last time round, was that too many of the players were used to playing at a higher level, which made League 2 tricky for them: http://www.portsmouth.co.uk/sport/football/pompey/adam-barton-pompey-better-placed-for-promotion-this-time-1-7439209

Getting a player who's already settled at a club to sign an extension upping his wage is one thing, getting a manager with no connection to the club to sign a contract in the middle of a tournament that is the focus of two years of his working life, is quite another.

http://sportwitness.co.uk/southampton-stoke-make-concrete-offer-ligue-1-youngster/

The key to Pompey rising again is, apparently, passion. Passion and 1000 mile round trips. That's the magic formula. Oh, and passion. Nothing to do with finances, planning, and infrastructure. No Sir, not worth a mention.

They've given a two-year contract to a 33-year-old who did a decent job in League 1 a couple of seasons back: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carl_Baker Apparently all based on the fact that Cook knows him from his time in the Conference with Southport.

Nice index of relative club bigness: http://www.gillingham.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=449585 Funny that the most massivest club on the South Coast, or indeed the planet, are languishing so low in the rankings even over a 50 year timescale.

So this... who gives a flying **** about anything else

And that's without him mentioning the "trivial" stuff

5 million is a lot if you ask me, especially given he's only got 1 year left. How much do managers usually go for?

I was waiting for someone to mention Frannie. I remember watching him once against QPR when he spent the entire game kicking lumps out of Les Ferdinand. Les was clean through at one point, but having Frannie bearing down on him like a psychopathic ferret was enough to put him completely off the chance and sky it into row z. We still lost mind, no thanks to Dave Beasant.

The perfect new job for Champagne Ian, I think it's about his level: Portsmouth FC vacancy for bar and cellar manager Wasn't there something about him resigning if they didn't get promoted, or was that just my addled brain.