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A pound for Pompey, anyone?
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In view of the facts surrounding Liverpool's bailout, it saddens me to read about the plight of Portsmouth FC. They appear to be about to go out of existence, after numerous owners and a dodgy cockney spiv have raped them. [And before the "Better with Bill" brigade start, can we just concentrate on poor old Pompey?]
Everything that could be done for Liverpool FC seems to have been done, ie Barclays Bank, RBS, the courts... amazing how they managed to steal the club off the owners, before the deadline, and sell it on to new (American!!!) owners, yet no-one gives a toss for the likes of Pompey, and their great supporters.
Well I (for one) do, and if every football fan in England donated a pound, we might be able to save them...
although it may be to late. What a sad state of affairs.
Robert Daniels, Posted 23/10/2010 at 09:34:14
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I?m sympathetic with Portsmouth?s predicament but this would not have happened if better regulations where in place like in Germany.
I couldn't give a shit about Pompey. They bought players who we were in for but they out bid us. Remember when Diarra was available, I remember asking how the hell could they afford him? They won the cup and their fans lapped it up. They get crowds of 18,000 yet they've out spent us and many other clubs in the PL and their fans lapped it up. Reap what you sow.
And before some of you say "well yes... but it's never happened to such a big club before", remember that Portsmouth were NEVER a big club, thats kind of the point.
I can remember a few years back when they were getting 7,000 fans per match. They spent beyond their means to a ridiculous degree; if Blackpool or Burnley or West Brom spent £200 million on players after getting promoted, THEY'D be fucked after a couple of years as well. I don't have a great deal of sympathy really.
The Pompey fans were chanting Peter Storey's name (Portsmouth Chief Exec) proclaiming him as the great protector... until his nefarious transfer dealings were revealed, shifty git.
Very sorry for the fans, but we need a few more clubs to fall over before sensible fiscal policies are enforced on football.
On a side note, why not donate a pound ot Blue Bills kitty? What's the difference? Just because we are better run doesnt mean we should be a charity to other clubs. Do you sponsor children in Africa or even donate money to people starving?
Another issue (someone touched on it) is the Premier League is run by incompetent people and that's why these situations are occurring with investment.
Robert (OP), sorry but I laugh about these ideas. The naive belief that a mass-mobilisation of people would come together to save an institution the majority of them don't care about. The best I ever saw was "Fans Utd" when Brighton fans were getting screwed by their board, and fans of other clubs came down to support them at a match at the Goldstone (I lived there, and went along).
People have tried to mobilise Everton fans to "save" our own club. And the ideas floundered, either due to a lack of support/encouragement from the club, or apathy from supporters. People are giving up going to the game, because in these times of "austerity" caused through no fault of their own, they simply cannot afford to go to the game due to the fantasy world of football finance that has taken over what used to be a sport, and is now a celebrity-media behemoth.
Nice idea, but the world just isn't like that.
The Pompey fans weren't complaining when they won the FA cup due to this 'short cut' approach so I'm not going to worry about them now. Maybe at last that guy with the tattoos, the ridiculous house and the middle name 'Portsmouth Football Club' will finally get the psychiatric help he needs. Another bonus is we won't have to hear that fucking bell ringing during a game for a few years.
So no, fuck them and fuck all the other clubs who overspend and make a mess of football at the expense of Everton.
They present such a facade such as the 'fit and proper owner' rule. Were any of Portsmouth's owner's fit and proper? Were Hicks/Gillett (apart from Evertonains!) fit and proper or the Glaziers for putting their clubs hundreds of millions of pounds into debt? The Premier League don't give a fuck as long as their league has the best image of any league in the world.
Unfortunately a ruling has to be more widespread, UEFA and even FIFA need to step in and decide how football clubs should be run, because football clubs and their supposedly successful businessmen owners can't run a football club properly. Even Chelsea and Man City aren't run properly, more like a spoilt child's toy and plaything. If their owners walk away they will end up like Portsmouth. There is no way the PL will step in as it will affect English's clubs performances in Europe, it has to be from UEFA and FIFA to enforce strict guidlines such as clubs in debt or losing money can't play in Europe.
The majority of all this comes from greeding bastard agents forcing clubs to pay higher wages otherwise there is always another club that will pay those stupid wages. Paul Stretford?
Every Pompey fan must have seen this coming, yet not one of them protested against all the stupid signings.
Thank god that bloody bell may be gone forever.
It's a shame he wasn't made to wear it Reeves and Mortimer style. What a plonker!
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1 Posted 23/10/2010 at 19:44:51
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