Under Fire
What a difference a couple of days make. Whilst in the midst of the worst start to a season in England’s top division since 1930, news filtered out of Fratton Park that the players and staff of Portsmouth Football Club had not been paid. Rogue owner Sulaiman al-Fahim, complete with replica shirt with his own name on it (still better than Mike Ashley’s ‘Smith 17′ effort) comes out with mixed messages regarding the funds available for reinforcements in January. Then manager Paul Hart enlightens us all with this beauty:
”You put one fire out and another starts up in the corner. That’s how it has been in my tenure as manager. But you can spit your dummy out and throw your toys out of the pram, or take it as another fire, put it out and get going again”
However, a corner has been turned in the South-East of England in recent days, both on and off the pitch.
A 1-0 victory away to Wolverhampton Wanderers gave Pompey a first Premier League win of the season. Having endured a mixture of wretched luck and poor finishing, particularly against Bolton and Everton, they most certainly were deserving of three points on Saturday. Hart’s ramblings in the lead-up to the trip to Moleniux were understandable considering the pressure he is under. He has done remarkably well to keep his cool for the most part, save for walking out on press conference before the defeat to Everton.
The former Nottingham Forest manager was left to deal with a mess created first of all by Harry Redknapp’s reckless expenditure, and Tony Adams’ inept managerial abilities, and kept Portsmouth up last season with a 6 point cushion. After taking over in February, he had inherited a squad that had just been shorn of 2 of its leading lights. Jermaine Defoe returned to Tottenham, and Lassana Diarra went to Real Madrid for £20 million. This thread continued over the summer months, with the majority of Hart’s favoured starting XI departing. Sol Campbell, Sylvan Distin, Glen Johnson, Niko Kranjcar, Peter Crouch and Sean Davis all left. Of Portsmouth’s 2008 FA Cup winning squad, only 6 remained at the club. Players like John Ukata and Papa Bouba Diop hardly figured last term, whilst reserve goalkeeper Jamie Ashdown made a solitary UEFA Cup appearance. A major rebuilding job was needed.
Financial difficulties meant that despite all in the money coming into the club from player sales (£85 million in 12 months) and money saved on player salaries, there were no funds available to bolster the squad. Free transfers were the only arrivals. Anti Niemi was plucked from retirement. Steve Finnan from semi-retirement in Espanyol. Aaron Mokonea brought his ability to get booked almost every time he steps onto a football pitch with him from Blackburn. It wasn’t until August 27 when Fahim’s ill-fated 43 day tenure began that Pompey could afford to pay a fee for a player: £2 million for Watford’s Tommy Smith. The transfer window was closing rapidly, and Hart was scrambling around frantically for players.
Boateng: Impressive
Under the circumstances, he has bought quite well. His most expensive signing, £4 million Kevin Prince-Boateng looks like a superb piece of business. From the indignity of been not given a squad number at Tottenham last season, he has the attributes that make him ideal for the Premier League. It was his magnificent cross that set up Hassan Yebda’s winner against Wolves. Yebda is a player new to many, but is a powerful holding midfielder who won a U-17 World Cup with France. Jamie O’Hara has done so well that his loan spell from Tottenham will end in January according to the ever-reliable Harry Redknapp. Michael Brown provides almost a decade of top-flight experience, whilst Tal Ben-Haim, after a few early mishaps, looks to be returning to the form that earned him a move to Chelsea not so long ago.
Up-front, Ivorian Aruna Dindane will be out to prove a point after a dispute with parent club Lens. Another loanee from Ligue 1, Lyon’s Frédéric Piquionne led the line well in his opening 5 games for the club, but with just 1 League Cup goal to show for his efforts, he was left-out in recent weeks. Tommy Smith has flattered to deceive in his previous spells in the Premier League with Watford, but will be out to prove to the doubters wrong.
In the boardroom, Ali Faraj’s 90% takeover means that, for now at least, the club will be financially stable. There will be no question marks over the billionaire Saudi businessman’s ability to raise the capital that he may promise, unlike Portsmouth’s new global ambassador Sulaiman al-Fahim. An individual that gives a whole new meaning to the word chancer. The players
Fahim: Chancer
were paid up yesterday, so for now us mere mortals can sleep easy that the player’s monthly salaries of £100,000 have been received a few days late.
But these days, with Newcastle top of their respective league, Portsmouth are the Premier League’s leading provider of ill-conceived scenarios. Today, not only has Avram Grant been brought in as director of football to allegedly work beside Paul Hart, Faraj’s asscoiate Mark Jacob revealed that the club were within days of going into administration. Grant’s return will surely turn up the heat on Hart, and put his position under even more scrutiny. Also, the fact that the powers that be allowed such an ill-equipped person as Fahim buy Portsmouth in the first place will raise major questions in an era in which 10 of the 20 Premier League clubs are now owned by foreign investors.
So whilst the reality is that Pompey are bottom of the league with just 3 points from 8 games, have a squad who are still trying to put names to faces, are named in more dodgy dealings involving chief executive Peter Storrie and Redknapp, and are now in the hands of a unknown businessman, albeit a hugely wealthy one, things are looking a whole lot better than this time last week. They have won a match, and have been saved from administration. The number of weak teams in the Premier League means that survival is a distinct possibility this term. But even if things do go pear-shaped again, a hint of perspective is required. Just a look at neighbours Southampton’s current plight should be enough to get the Pompey chimes ringing.
