Wes Tender

You accuse Dubai Phil of not answering questions, but you're a hypocrite So all you have done is attempt to answer the money laundering accusation and totally ignore my request for a reply from you as to why the Russian Mafia bought Pompey if it wasn't for that purpose. In any event, where did the money come from that Antonov used to buy your poxy club? Was it from out of his own pocket, or via one of these banks that he owned? The case for Pompey being a vehicle for his money laundering activities is not disproven by your response.

He obviously didn't have enough time to launder any significant amount of dosh, as his untimely arrest put paid to that. As others have pointed out, the fact that he made approaches to other clubs only means that he had attempted to do the dirty business through them, but they were having none of it. Oh, the ignominy of it, turned down by little old Bournemouth! The Skates, who had not been at all picky about who owned them recently, were obviously the ideal candidates. Why not go for a Premiership club? Well, it is quite conceivable that apart from the obvious reason that if they were for sale, they would have many more possible parties interested and the scrutiny of potential new owners would accordingly be much more stringent. But in the scheme of things, Antonov, with an estimated wealth of some £300 million or so, was a relative pauper at that level. Your response doesn't scotch any theory about Antonov and Dubov buying the Skates for money laundering purposes at all and the reasons for Antonov's arrest tend to lend credence to that being the reason. I'll ask again, because my request seems to have gone in one ear, through the empty space in between and out of the other ear; if they didn't buy your poxy sh*t-hole for money laundering purposes, why exactly did they buy it? I'd love to hear your reasoning.

Just one thing that I think Corpse Whore ought to clarify for us, against the background of finally coughing and spluttering to a standstill about more highbrow matters so that he is reduced to commenting on our chants at their Cup Final match against us; what does he think about his recent owners now? When the proposition was put to him that the main reason that the Russian mafia had taken over their decrepit cesspit for the purposes of money laundering, he scoffed that that would be idiotic, because with their recent past record of financial scullduggery by a succession of unsavoury or non-existent owners, it would be the last thing on their mind when their dealings would be under a microscope and the FL would be watching them like a hawk. Just a few short months later and the main person involved in their ownership is arrested for suspected money laundering on a massive scale. So be so good, Corpse, to either tell us that we were right to assume that his sole purpose was to use the Skates for purposes of laundering his dirty money, or else kindly furnish us with some plausible reason why he bought your decrepit debt ridden club with its ancient stadium, no training facilities, overpaid squad and low income potential through the turnstiles. Or was it because the "best fans in the World" wouldn't be an embarassment with their chants on match days?

So you don't think that the Skates were punished by the points deduction, or the succession of increasingly comical owners who provide hours of endless amusement to us all? You don't think that it is valid to continue the Skate thread in light of the latest lot of owners being arrested for financial fraud on a monumental scale, the implications of that being that probably they will not be able to continue financing the running of the club beyond a few weeks? OK. Suit yourself. As for them drawing with us, we should not be so surprised, as they were playing their Cup Final at home, with a manager a bit more savvy than Cloterill and the second most expensive team in the division after Leicester. But of course, that is one of the main reasons why they will not be able to afford to keep going much longer with their low attendances and without the financing of the Russian Mafia.

I'm not offended by having the blog as a separate thread and neither is anybody else so far, apart from you. So as far as I see, the OP's decision to post his blog as a separate thread is largely vindicated, unless you can gather some support for your view that it should have been buried in the matchday thread. I don't see the Mods complaining about it. And for some reason, because he wasn't actually there in person, he is somehow not as qualified to express his opinions on the match as somebody who was there? Even though the close-up shots, action replays, slow motion, differing camera angles and pundits' assessments gave him a clearer view of what actually happened than somebody in a crowd some distance from the action.

Always a joy to be entertained by one of the phew posting gibberish in The News. Here is a classic example of some semi-literate half-wit. Mind you, it could be one of us on a wind-up, deliberately making out he's thick to show them in a bad light. If so, it's a brilliant job. But typically of a Skate, he has swallowed the line put out by Clampitt (or was it the Android?) that CSI could sell off one of their divisions and sink the resulting funds into another division of CSI, rather than have the funds go towards paying off the creditors of CSI. What doesn't seem to have registered in his wishful thinking, is that in the New Year, we will strengthen our squad and key players like Chaplow and Connolly will also return to the team. And conversely the Skates might well have suffered a points deduction, a transfer embargo and/or not find a new owner and go out of existence. Presumably PUB is where he wrote this drivel, inebriated as a newt.

What a strange conclusion to reach. What have feelings of importance, (or presumably you meant self-importance) got to do with writing a blog and publishing it separately? These are still his opinions, carrying no additional weight just because they are in the form of a blog. I assume that George's intention was not to have it buried in a thread that is already several pages long and it also enables more of a personal slant into a deeper perspective. I enjoyed reading it, as did others. Did you? Or are you just happy to criticise where it is posted rather than providing a critical appraisal of the content?

The hotel is sheer lunacy. There is already the Botleigh Grange Hotel and the Botley Park hotel within striking distance and they are both 4 star. If anybody had a particular preference for a Hilton, then they only have to go to Chilworth. And in any event, as mentioned, there is already a hotel on site. When the cricket isn't on, who exactly would be the clientele? As a local Council tax payer, I do not recall the EBC asking the local residents whether they supported this dreadful waste of our taxes, but then again, the Rose Bowl suddenly appeared as a fait accomplis in the first place when there was the massive furore from the local area when Stoneham was proposed. Bloody hypocrites and I hope that this, on top of the scandal attaching to Huhne's activities, puts paid to their majority on the EBC and that they lose the Parliamentary seat too.

Baa Baa Black sheep, or it could have Postman Pat, I'm not sure.

Exactly. Who cares what those inbred and illiterate Skates think? And judging by the shots of the crowd I saw, it's laughable that they wouldn't get the irony, when you see how fat most of them are.

Personally, I actually believe that had Chappers been fit enough to play against the Skates yesterday, we would have won that match.

But conversely, although more assets exist, so there is also the possibility of more secured creditors, plus the complication that several of those assets of Antonovs are being seized by the Government of Lithuania.

Pedant alert! I don't see how tea and coffee can be complimentary. Perhaps tea says to coffee, "I see you're made from the finest Arabica beans". Coffee responds "You're quite a fine Darjeeling if I'm not mistaken"

So he goes there with the express purpose of overseeing a cleaning up of their act and during his watch, the Skates are taken over by the Russian Mafia and fairly soon after, their Chairman is arrested on suspicion of massive financial fraud and money-laundering. Nice one, Lampitt.

Great minds think alike. I asked almost exactly the same thing, but I phrased it that he must find it ironic to have been the FA's director of integrity and then find himself at a club where integrity didn't exist.

25 Another Skate who just doesn't get it, posting in the News:- Just like Corporate Whore, he just can't make the leap of imagination to realise that if your team is strengthened by the purchase of players that the club cannot afford, you have gained an unfair advantage over those more prudent clubs in your division who are more circumspect with their expenditure. Therefore, it can reasonably be argued that the deduction of points is a form of reprimand, a deterrent punishment to redress the balance and make other clubs think twice about following that route themselves. As for the notion that the fans and the ensuing owners are punished unfairly for the actions of a previous regime, the other side of that coin is that those fans enjoyed the half dozen or so trips to Wembley and their days in the sun. Why, even now, I encounter Skate supporting business clients who say that the short-term glory was worth the pain they are having to endure as a consequence of their financial lunacy.

It's bated breath, fyi. As for your accounts, they were probably largely a work of fiction, rather like those conjured up by your bent Administrator. After all, you have had people in charge of your finances who are convicted fraudsters and you have been owned by people who don't seem to exist, or who are currently under investigation for fraud and money laundering, or who made their money in illegal arms sales, etc. So just because a journo quotes figures from your accounts, that doesn't necessarily mean that those figures are accurate. Have you never heard of "creative accounting"?

Agreed. The man's a complete idiot. The whole thing is a massive over-reaction, a measure that penalises the majority of law-abiding citizens in order to police a few hotheads, who should be the focus of the action. It's a sledgehammer to crack a nut and tacitly admits that they are incapable of action against the minority of potential offenders. I would love to see somebody challenge this action through the courts on grounds of an abuse of human rights.

You post on this board, Norway. Do they sound like you?

16 Well, at least they have one realist amongst all of the thickos. Regardless of the outcome of this match, it is only one match. With the possibility of points deducted for the Skates or even liquidation, there is also the possibility of either us being promoted, them being relegated, or indeed both simultaneously. Although not impossible that we both remain in this division next season, the likelihood will be that there is one, two or even more divisions separating us.

Don't go over the top, or it will make you look puerile. Socialistic, perhaps.

We all know what you meant and also why you made the point.

Well, when we play them next season, it will give our players a lift to hear the Spurs support singing along with us to gee them up. It will be just like us singing Pay up Pompey when we play the Skates.

Well, if Norwich can do it, why shouldn't we? And Lambert even looks quite a bit like Grant Holt too.

I feel saddened that it ended so ignominiously with such a comedy blooper from Bart. Imagine if it was still 1-1 and we had scored the winner deep in injury time to keep the run going. It's almost as if the run ended because of us, rather than another team being good enough to beat us.