Portsmouth Supporters Trust are leading by example:

The Portsmouth Supporters Trust are on the verge of something wonderful. Regaining ownership of their beloved club that has been ruined and financially torn apart. When, as expected in the end of January, the Supporters Trust takeover at Fratton Park there will be huge relieve.

The club will have avoided liquidation after being in administration for nearly a year and finally shaken off the stranglehold of their former nomadic owners that have collectively ruined the 2008 F.A Cup winners.

As a Pompey fan, I’ve focused on more events happening off the pitch rather than on the pitch. I’ve witnessed thus far: 2 administrations, 2 failed CVA’s, Balram Chainrai’s woeful ownership of the club and some more dodgy Russians that went bankrupt. You could not make this stuff up. All these nomadic owners have gone into Pompey for one thing: money.

Coincidentally, they have all left now after depleting the club with no money and now the club is £61million pounds in debt. Stupid wages were being paid, even in the Championship as the insidious character thats is Tal Ben Haim, was earning an astonshing £36,000 per week. With a capacity of 21,000, these wages were simply unsustainable and no wonder the club has been on the verge of capitulation for the last few years.

Just look at QPR now, all Pompey fans will tell you what they are doing is not sustainable and not worth the hassle. They even have Pompey’s ex manager in charge in Harry Redknapp. The similarities are frightening and the repercussions of a relegation would be huge, QPR only have to look in League 1 to see Pompey’s fall from grace.

League 2 beckons for Pompey but the chance to rebuild, sensibly, under a Trust lead ownership is more exciting than in League 1 with an owner that only wants his money back, as Balram Chainrai did. Swansea and Manchester City have all come back from the dead, so to speak, and with all the land belonging to the Trust hopefully, Fratton Park can be redeveloped and the club can compete without ever putting the club’s future in jeopardy ever again.

Lessons have been learnt from all Pompey fans, including myself, but sadly the lessons are not being learned from all football fans across the country. Football is increasingly separating itself from the fans but it’s time football, and the fans, brought their clubs back home.

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