Weston Saint

Drew was coming down and stopping overnight but he has treatment tomorrow morning back in Norwich so had had to abandon those plans.

Unfortunately Drew will not feature tonight as he has an injury. He is gutted not to be available but rest and treatment should mean it is not a serious injury.

I was unable to attend the game as it clashed with a thanksgiving service at Winchester Cathedral which I attended with my family. Watched the highlights on Match of the Day and was very impressed. I have read this thread and recorded the Sky 1 hour highlights and will be watching that this morning. Looks like Newcastle, like QPR offered very little but how much was that down to our desire and ability? Norwich will be a big test and will give us a better idea of how far we have come this season.

http://www.companiesintheuk.co.uk/ltd/spp-south-coast

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hampshire-20394781

McKenzie has signed a 1 year contract and will be available from June in all formats. Bilal Shafayat not offered another contract

McKenzie has been offered a contract but no decision made as yet

Hampshire have what all partners consider is a sustainable business plan going forward. That means we no longer have the money to splash out on unsustainable high wages. Katich and McKenzie salaries would have been built into that model so when another club with Aussie Test Match revenue in 2013 ups the anti we have no alternative but to let him go. We need to look at a good front line bowler as our overseas but the way International fixtures are at present it is unlikely we will be able to get one for the whole season.

Pleased for Razza if true. Decent guy with plenty of time still to break into the first team. Katich would be a major surprise as Adams today said Hants had offered him another year and subject to other business issues in Aussie he thought he would be back. Commercial director has also stepped down afetr 2 years. I spoke often to Zac last season and it comes as no surprise. He worked extremely hard and succesfully for Hants over the two years but wanted a break at some stage to recharge his batteries. The club say he is not being replaced at present. That also figures as he has obtained the sponsership/ground naming and the commercial stuff has been outsourced to Keith Prowse. Good guy was Zac. We got on well from the time he arrived.

One answer would be that Adkins identified areas he needed to strenthen, the transfer committee identified the individuals (remember Adkins is on that committee) and Cortese is responsible for agreeing terms and conditions. It is possible all took place but Cortese could not agree terms that he felt were reasonable. Buttner appears a good example of this where it is suggested, by Buttner, that terms and conditions had been agreed but then, it is suggested, someone wanted a cut and this was unacceptable to Cortese. We just do not know! For me, and I continue to support Adkins, the lack of quality in positions identified is not down to him. If Cortese feels Adkins is making the right decisions and tactics and that it is down to quality then Adkins will continue as Manager and the player situation will be addressed in January. As I have said before, I just hope Cortese holds his nerve.

Adkins says he wants a midfielder. Reed, Cortese and Adkins, by committee, decide who is available and Cortese negotiates. Adkins decides when, where and the tactics. Simple really. I have read a lot, asked questions, asked people to investigate allegations and only post on here now when I am satisfied with the result. I got sucked in too often during the Administration and before by picking up info and posting it, only to find when I asked the right people it was rubbish. More careful now.

It might have something to do with it being Premier League and a far cry from Div 1 and Championship football Last season our defence was our weak area but we got away with it. This season we are up against class players and we are getting punished. Our midfield was no more effective than it is now. There has been no radical departure in my opinion. We just need better players in some areas than we have now.

In view of who told me and that he attributed it to a question put directly to Reed I am puting a fairly high weighting on it being correct.

I heard an interesting quote yesterday that my friend attributed to Reed. He said we have a player in the squad that could be of the quality of Ronaldo given time to develop and that player was Mayuka. I am not sure why he does not feature more but perhaps he does not provide the right balance in the side at present. We will lose him in the new year to the African Nations cup as well. However seems the club rate his potential. Would love to know if Adkins shares Reed view.

According to my information today at the game Cortese did not have a crisis meeting with Adkins last Tuesday. Adkins took a training session and he and Cortese exchanged a few words. I am told the meeting has been set for the end of the month with some of the board members to review our position. This has come indirectly to me from Les Reed. I have no reason to doubt it but like all second hand info it should be treated with the usual caution. Reed also confirmed he has no input with regard to the first team.

What is wrong with Well Mr Adkins, ten games and we are in trouble. We have not achieved what we set out to achieved. Let us review your performance. What steps are you going to take to improve results? Can you turn it round? What do you need from us to help you achieve your targets? Nothing wrong with that if correct. Usual business performance reviews. WE JUST DO NOT KNOW. Only Adkins or Cortese can tell us what went on. Nothing wrong with speculation on an internet football forum but let us all recognise it is speculation not fact I am suddenly looking forward to this afternoon

Recently a few of us came into some very interesting information on team selection which was attributed. When checking the attribution it was found that the information was not only incorrect but had not been said at all!! My point? Do not believe what you hear or is printed unless it is from the person themselves. There is no evidence that anyone but Adkins and his coaches are picking the team and tactics. That may be influenced by the culture and plans for the club. It would be slight on the ability of the first team coaches and Manager for anyone to suggest otherwise. Adkins will stand or fall by his decisions. The support he needs from Mr Cortese is securing players and contracts identified in positions required to strengthen the team and its performance. Mr Cortese is known to be a fair but hard task master. He may need to soften his negotiation approach to get the players we need. I say may because that is pure speculation on my part.

If the current players are in the dark (I have that first hand) I am sure ex players will not know!

Adkins has achieved a fantastic double promotion. He has now reached a new level and it takes time. He has made it clear he wants to carry on and that he is the right man for the job. IMO he needs to be given the chance unhindered by meddling and the pressure of not knowing when the axe will come. Hopefully his meeting with Cortese earlier this week will have cleared the air. It is a results business and Premier survival is part of that but this man has achieved so much he is entitled to our and the boards complete support for a little longer yet.

He was good friends with a leading lawyer and a CEO of a plc company Both were very sought after men in their fields. The latter was as a result of attending the same school. Think BBC, think bank investigation, think sports company, think leading london store think airline suppliers. His two friends were mixed up in one or the other but never both of them His friends were friendly with Crouch They were all season ticket holders then but I do not know if they are now.

Good luck to the PST. They WILL be able to take on the club with the investors they have already lined up. What Appy was saying is that he does not see they will have enough to take the club forward. Good! They do not deserve to go forward although the trust business plan is a way forward from where the rotten club has come from. The PST will be able to run the club like any other Div2/Conference club. No one will expect them to follow the usual PFC trend of borrow and bust. It should be a new era of austerity for PFC. They will bump along with gates of about 7,000 once the supporters realise there is no way of up for a good few years. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel for PFC and at last I do not think it is the lights of a train hurtling towards them!

Adam Blackmore‏@bigadamsport For anyone hedging bets, Michael Appleton will be the new Blackpool boss when they finally announce it, a very good source tells me #pompey

We know the team is not good enough. I am sure the same is now in their minds. That is the biggest task Adkins and his backroom team have to overcome - the teams mind set!

The players have no idea about their Managers relationship with Cortese. It is kept very much awy from them

I made some phone calls today and I can confirm Lambert is not disinterested. He is absolutely devistated at our performances and position in the league. I can also confirm that the suggestions that Lambert did not travel with the rest of the team for West Ham is utter rubbish.