LIGHTS OUT FOR PORTSMOUTH

Dark days lead to plans to start up AFC Pompey

GRANT: Desperate times at Portsmouth

By Greg Gobere, 06/02/2010

THE plug looks set to be pulled on Portsmouth tomorrow - after the debt-ridden club failed to pay their overdue electricity bill.

Their power suppliers have issued a threat to cut off the club's Wellington training facilities if Pompey's outstanding debt is not settled.

And the 2008 FA Cup winners could be forced out of business altogether on Wednesday at a High Court hearing into a winding-up order issued by HM Revenue and Customs over £11million in unpaid tax.

Portsmouth are £60m in debt and have been unable to pay players and staff on time for the past five months.

Hong Kong money lender Balram Chainrai this week seized control of the ailing Fratton Park outfit after owner Ali Al Faraj failed to repay a £17m loan.

Chainrai has admitted he has no interest in running the club and is just protecting his investment.

And the club's plight has been highlighted by January transfer target Nyron Nosworthy revealing how he snubbed Pompey in favour of dropping down to the Championship.

Nosworthy, who left Sunderland to join cash-strapped Sheffield United for the rest of the season, was wanted by Pompey.

And they were prepared to pay a £250,000 loan fee to land him.

But Nosworthy said: "Portsmouth were desperate to get people in but they are in a bad way.

"I had to look at everything and it's a lot more stable at Sheffield United."

South Coast rivals Southampton are ready to write off £120,000 to help their penniless neighbours after handing over tickets for next weekend's FA Cup derby - even though they fear they will not get the cash.

The Saints were considering demanding Pompey pay for their 4,000 allocation up front in case the Fratton Park side are forced into administration before Saturday's fifth-round tie.

But a St Mary's spokesperson said: "It is a relatively small amount of money for us so we are prepared to take the risk rather than cause any bad feeling."

The tickets, priced at £30 each, sold out within hours after Portsmouth fans queued overnight outside Fratton Park.

But those followers could begin next season travelling to places like Oxford City and Bashley after Pompey supporters announced plans to form a new club if Avram Grant's cash-strapped side go bust.

Members of fans' group the Portsmouth Supporters' Trust want to create their own version of FC United, the club set up by Manchester United fans in protest against the Glazer family.

The new team, dubbed 'AFC Pompey', would go into the Zamaretto Southern League - six divisions below the Premier League.

Pompey legend Guy Whittingham and former Republic of Ireland midfielder Alan McLoughlin are being lined up as the management team.

Trust spokesperson Colin Farmery said: "The club is in a great deal of trouble and we have to consider the worst.

"Our worst- case scenario is we either buy the club out of administration or form a new team. We all, fans and board members alike, want a professional team in the city playing a good standard of football.

"This is not an ego trip and none of us have aspirations to run a football club but we want to make sure the name lives on and that we have a team to go and watch next season.

"Ideally, we would like to buy or rent Fratton Park for home games."

Your comments

This article has 23 comments

2-0 to pompey we will live

By jklm574.. Posted March 9 2010 at 1:32 PM.

i love my football team and if we do go out buisness the true surpporters will build it up again and dont worry all you saints fans if we do go out of buisness it will be knowing we ended it by beating you in the facup

By irene grant.. Posted February 11 2010 at 9:42 AM.

agreed. PLAY UP POMPEY!!

By Tooney is an idiot - Agreed :).. Posted February 10 2010 at 9:56 AM.

Thank god ARSENAL has mr wenger as manager,at least they are in safe hands when it comes to finance( he doesnt load the club with debt) thats what i meant when i mentioned FINANCE,he at least saw the end of the tunnel and avoided the club from the same fate as pompey.HOPE POMPEY will be saved,i always had a soft spot for them.watch out utd,as things stand you are next in line

By Carmelo pace.. Posted February 9 2010 at 2:43 PM.

Accrington Stanley, who are they?
Soon to be
Portsmouth FC, who are they?

There's only one Markus Liebherr.

Bye bye pompey, we'll miss you, well we'll miss the 6 points we woulda got from ya next year.

By Tooney.. Posted February 9 2010 at 2:58 PM.

league 1...going out the FA cup...4-1. quiet down scummers.

that "tooney" character is clearly talking out his his behind. silly sod

By Tooney is an idiot.. Posted February 9 2010 at 2:55 PM.

I think it is very sad what has happend at Portsmouth and feel sorry for the Pompy supporters. I support Wigan and over the years I have aways been suprised how many Pompy supporters make the trip to the north when playing my side and have always said the Pompy supporters are the loudest!!! I hope someone comes in with a rescue plan and wish all the Portsmouth fans all the best. I am also worried about what is going to happen to Michael Brown and wonder if Wigan Athletic got paid for him?

By Linda Tonge.. Posted February 8 2010 at 4:23 PM.

Don't recall Portsmouth stepping in to help us last year, yet if memory serves me right we helped them out ten years ago as well.

By Daveyboy.. Posted February 8 2010 at 7:53 AM.

I am a Saints Fan and I am saddened to see PFC in the position they are today. I do not think SFC fans truly realize how close Saints came to going out of business just a few months ago. In my personal opinion if it were not for Rupert Lowe building our superb stadium during his reign we would not have been attractive to our now magnificent owner. The writing has been on the wall for a long time that a Major club would fail it was nearly Southampton and now it may be Portsmouth. Sadly it may take this to bring some common sense to the FA and rules and monitoring to prevent this kind of financial abuse. We hear all about the team and government owed money but spare a thought for the general suppliers the little man owed a few hundred pound by PFC and there are many of them. How PFC could be allowed to even consider spending more money on players all be it in loan fees and wages when they owed normal creditors. Will the FA be called to justify the rumored £7m they paid to other FA Members ahead of the general creditors if PFC are wound up. My bet is that PFC will go into administration before the court case on Wednesday to avoid being wound up, which will prolong the agony but may buy time for the mythical white knight to be found.

By Peter Pat.. Posted February 7 2010 at 10:58 PM.

thank you sol campbell, for putting the boot in. pompey will be no more cos they cant sell out a 20'000 stadium in the premiership. embarrasing fans.

By MATTPFC2008.. Posted February 7 2010 at 9:01 PM.

U18 Saints beat U18 Pompey 3-0

Pay up pompey, pompey pay up!

By shirleyboysaint.. Posted February 7 2010 at 7:46 PM.

Hurry up and go, you are a disgrace to the South Coast.
Only one team in the South, Come on you Saints

By Gosportsaint.. Posted February 7 2010 at 7:26 PM.

AFC Pompey - best team in Hampshire

By Alex .. Posted February 7 2010 at 5:50 PM.

I was raised and lived in Pompey for 28 years until i moved out of the area in 1998. I was a regular at Fratton Park during the 80's when the Blue & White Army included Biley, Hateley, webb etc. Even thou my first love was Man utd and they were my first team, I was proud to support my local team, plus it made life easier with Pompey being in a lower division. Nowadays my 2 sons are season ticket holders and they grace Fratton Park as i did. I was at Old Trafford on Sat for the match and the Pompey players looked totally deflated, even thou i was sitting in the Stratford End by heart when out to the players and the fans. I hope something can be sorted out for the club the City of Portsmouth deserve better! one thing has never changed i still hate the SCRUMMERS, Play Up Pompey!

By Darren Coles.. Posted February 7 2010 at 5:07 PM.

Don't be small minded...Good luck to Portsmouth football club and to their fans...from Cardiff City.

By Corky.. Posted February 7 2010 at 3:51 PM.

its so sad to see any team in trouble i support liverpool and tranmere and think your club and supporters are a credit to you i wish you all the best in the future play up pompy davemaxwell

By dave maxwell.. Posted February 7 2010 at 1:39 PM.

Let the little club go bust - they are not worth saving!
Southampton FC (a superior club and larger fan base in my opinion - with larger home gates despite the lowere division) need to rethink the decision to not demand the money for tickets up front. I am sure the cheque wil get lost in the post!!

By Len Viaduct.. Posted February 7 2010 at 1:34 PM.

fratton park is falling down, falling down, falling down, fratton park is falling down poor old pompey, build it up with blue and white, blue and white blue and white, build it up with blue and white and call it TESCO's, up the saints!

By Shane D.. Posted February 7 2010 at 12:44 PM.

its a bloody disgrace that a club such as portsmouth can be in so much trouble.
and so quickly.
this is a stark warning to many other clubs,it can happen and most probably will again in the near future.
prey it isnt your club next!

By bgdk.. Posted February 7 2010 at 12:02 PM.

This is like watching the last twitches of a dying animal. The quicker Pompey is put out of it's misery the better.
This is the lesson all football clubs should learn, money doesn't bring long term success just debts and loyal backroom staff losing their jobs.

By Mark.. Posted February 7 2010 at 10:19 AM.

Poor old Portsmouth - if worst scenario happens I hope that an AFC Pompey can be formed... Pompey can't die! Fratton Park can't just be a memory!

Play up Pompey x

By lilolill.. Posted February 7 2010 at 10:13 AM.

What a pity! Pompey is going down d drain.
All senior players should b sold and let d U18 tak over.

By Harde Harlley.. Posted February 7 2010 at 9:06 AM.

bye bye you pompey lot !!

By Adam Marks.. Posted February 7 2010 at 12:15 AM.

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