Not even the Crystal Palace girls “Call Me Maybe” YouTube offering (find it here, if you’re that way inclined) will distract Pompey fans from this week’s revelation that the club will start life in League 1 with a 10 point deduction. Not only that, the club faces total extinction if an agreement cannot be reached for the sale of the club between potential ‘investors’ Balram Chanrai and the Pompey Supporters Trust. Things are set to get a whole lot worse before they get better.
But where did it go so wrong?
Years of unsustainable regimes and spending with reckless abandon have brought Portsmouth to its knees. Chanrai, Gaydamak, Storrie and Antonov are all names that will be apportioned fan blame. The club lived well beyond its means in the years following their FA Cup success; big contracts and an unsustainable wage bill are cited as the key contributors to the current crisis.
As of April 2012, Portsmouth was in debt to the tune of £58 million. This figure was monstrously higher (£140 million) but the fire sale of players, redundancies and other “selling off” managed to reduce the debt to a sum only a shade more comprehensible. As well as the 10 point deduction, the club faces tightened controls on expenditure and is expected to fulfill all monetary obligations to football creditors. If that wasn’t restrictive enough, only 8 senior players remain on the books at the club.
An example to follow?
Comparisons can be drawn with the red and white half of Hampshire and the descent of Southampton FC through the football leagues. In contrast however, the Saints retained the essential building blocks from which they could mount a surge back up the leagues, eventually back to the Premier League. A 21st century stadium and dedication to youth team players allowed the Saints to emerge from the ashes of administration.
Although the immediate future of the club is far from certain, Pompey must look to consolidate in the upcoming League 1 season. This will prove difficult given the lack of personnel at the club. It is looking increasingly unlikely that Portsmouth will be able to rely on the funds of a wealthy businessman as was the case at Southampton where investor Markus Liebherr made £3 million available in the Saints debut season in League 1.
The infrastructure at Portsmouth in terms of facilities available and youth team set up is practically non existent. Fratton Park is renowned for its hostile atmosphere and vocal fan base – but not the state of its stands. Endless proposals for redevelopment over the last 10 years were drawn up then rejected for a variety of reasons, most recently in August of last year.
Empathy or enjoyment?
It does not seem that those donning red and white tinted spectacles are willing to offer a shoulder to cry on for their neighbours. Fans, and even players, have taken to Twitter to revel in the misery of Portsmouth. Given that the Saints suffered at the hands of Pompey in their gleeful celebration of the Saints fall to League 1, some may argue this is justified.
However, the plight of Portsmouth and the real possibility that they could be the first football league club since Maidstone in 1992 to be liquidated should transcend footballing rivalries. Whether it is right or wrong to delight in the downfall of a footballing entity is a subject requiring the psychological analysis of the average football fan. Sympathy is not a common trait. Until you find your own club in similar financial turmoil it is difficult to comprehend the levels of stress and uncertainty.
Where now for the Pompey faithful? Fans will not be keen to linger in the bowels of the Football League but this now seems inevitable when the 10 point deduction is taken into consideration. The club is likely to be run on a shoestring budget, with youth players key to survival.
Labouring under a points deduction, languishing in the lower echelons of the Football League, with a rickety stadium, 8 senior players with training facilities (often) consisting of a rented pitch in Southampton – one fears for the survival of Pompey.
Prevention?
Sustainability in football is part of a much wider debate. The UEFA Financial Fair Play Regulations aim to address the imbalance between income and expenditure in football. Whether these will be effective remains to be seen.
They come too late to aid Pompey in their series of apparent Groundhog days and financial woe.
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As a saints supporter 2nd and football fan first I truely hope that Pompey get through the mess they are in. Otherwise being the best club on the south coast is meaningless. But all the same wish you and the boys all the best
There were some Pompey fans who offered their genuine condolences when Saints faced hardship and financial ruin – I’ll never forget that. It’s sad to see Portsmouth struggling due to poor management in the past. As always it is the footballing faithful, the fans, that suffer. I hope you not only survive but go onto meet us again in the premiership where you belong.