The games in question are Wigan, Burnley, Birmingham, Sunderland, Stoke, Hull, Blackburn and Wolves. Adult tickets have been cut to £20 in the Milton End, and £30 in the wings of the upper North Stand.

It’s just the kind of gesture the fans need to see at the moment, but more importantly it improves the chances of the ground being full for these important games, as people continue to struggle in the recession. To the season ticket holders who are already complaining, I can only say, STOP BEING SO SHORT SIGHTED! The whole club needs to pull together at the moment and this is a positive step towards that happening. Obviously the biggest step will be a great performance and win against Bolton, but back to the ticket prices. You can’t actually buy a season ticket in the Milton End, and the price you paid guarantees your usual seat. But also remember, when you by something, including a season ticket, there is no guarantee that a better deal won’t come along further down the line. Simple as that. The club should not be criticised for this positive move. Play up Pompey!

Without going over old ground, the squad we boasted a year to two years ago wasn’t sustainable, as we now know. But, providing we get through these tough times in anything like reasonable shape, let’s be grateful for the players that were here, even if their legacy was near financial meltdown. I say that because thier ultimate legacy was a major trophy, the FA Cup. It will be that indelibly marked in the record books in years to come, not the problems we are facing now.

I’m not saying we’re going to come out of this situation scott free. The takeover is yet to be completed after all (just to remind those who didn’t know!). But, despite the tiresome, never ending nature of it, I genuinely believe the signs are looking more positive in the last few days. SURELY, Al Fahim would not leave it until after the season had begun to pull out?! I believe if he were going to do that, it would have happened by now. At risk of starting a riot amongst Pompey fans, he gave a very positive interview on ArabianBusiness.com this week. You can read it here. I know, more words and still no action, but you must admit he does give a good interview, and the timing of it so close to the opening of the new season suggests the moment for the collapse of the deal has passed.

Paul Hart has also explicitly stated today that any further player sales will be his choice. A very bold assertion, and one that he would not make in public like that unless he was very confident. This brings me on to the state of the squad, very pertinent now we are staring the new season on the face.

The win against Rangers has given me real optimism that our squad is not as poor as the ‘pundits’ would have us believe. I know it was only a pre season friendly, but Rangers did beat Manchester City a few days earlier. I think the most important thing about that game was the confidence boost it should have given the players, given how well they gelled as a team.  I would still like another striker (perhaps not Mark Viduka), but Frederic Piquionne at least showed that he is has pace, presence and can finish. He just has to produce that now over a season!

Same with Paul Hart, really. I didn’t enjoy the end of last season! I hope he’s got some more attacking football up his sleeve. The Rangers game would suggest so, but he has a lot to prove. It may be easier in a way without the shock of last season’s unfolding events weighing him down. But has he got the players to do it?

Let’s assume we only add to the squad from now on. We still have an England goalkeeper. Fulham, who finished seventh last season, have a good one too in Mark Schwarzer. We still have Distin and also Kaboul and Finnan for example. Fulham have Hangeland but not much else to impress at the back. Our midfield almost looks better than theirs! We still have Kranjcar and now Diop is returning to fitness. Basinas can pass a ball if he can ever secure a starting place. Fulham have Danny Murphy and Dickson Etuhu. Up fron Fulham do look stronger with Kamara (!), Johnson, and Zamora (?). Kanu will be a bit part player at best, and Nugent isn’t good enough. John Utaka has a real opportunity this season to fulfil the potential I believe he has. Anyway, Fulham finished seventh last season. My point is, our squad must compare favourably with the Burnleys and Hulls of this world. Granted, new signings such as Vanden Borre have to be at least a relative success, but with good management and team spirit can inspire a modest set of players to great heights as Roy Hodgson and Fulham showed last season. Paul Hart and the players (and one or two new ones) need to step up to the mark.

Paul Hart said after Sunday’s game that the managerial situation should be resolved this week. This may suggest he is confident, or has even already secured the position. If so, I suggest he takes a relaxing holiday prior to pre season training, as if his strange public admission that his CV is lacking any real record of achievement is anything to go by, he has felt the strain of this season as much as the fans. 

Regarding ownership issues, there is already an intriguing titbit in the signing of Aaron Mokoena, Blackburn’s less-than-first-choice central defender. This might purely be the result of Hart’s confirmed appointment leading to the identification of his first free transfer target, as he knows there is no buyer waiting in the wings. On the other hand, Mokoena is the captain of next year’s World Cup hosts, South Africa, and with a prospective buyer from that same country reportedly interested, his signing may be linked to other issues. Either way, his extremely rapid acquisition points to the fact that the club’s situation has been, or is about to be, confirmed.

The truth is that we just don’t know for sure, and despite his continued criticism by some sections of the Pompey faithful, Chief Executive Peter Storrie is in no position to give us a blow by blow account of developments. There was similar uncertainty at the club ten years ago as we entered administration. This can’t be discounted as a possibility now, but surely we are in a better position this time around? Let’s go back those ten years just for a moment…

Pompey had been struggling for much of the previous ten years, the high points being those two fabulous seasons under Jim Smith in the early 90s and a fluke run under Terry Fenwick in 1997 which almost got us to the play offs and saw a decent cup run ended at Fratton Park by Chelsea. 

But here we were in administration, a situation which by today’s rules, would have meant a 10 point deduction and relegation to what is now League 1. We had only stayed up on goal difference, but there was no last day survival drama. Despite the fact that our hero, the late Alan Ball, had returned to rescue us the previous year, 1998-99 was a  rather forgettable season. We only stayed up on goal difference but had lost our last two fixtures, and in fact were nine goals better off than Bury who occupied the last relegation spot. There was only one away win to cheer all season, a 2-0 success at Port Vale in September. The only real highlights that spring to mind are a 5-2 home win over Swindon, and a giantkilling 1-0 win at Nottingham Forest in the FA Cup 3rd Round. However, during the close season, there was possibly the most significant event in the club’s modern history when Milan Manadaric bought it for £5m.

We all know the rest, but we also know it was far from plain sailing. The point is that it’s all relative. If Pompey could be turned around then with modest levels of investment, they can be turned around now. All that’s required is that the club doesn’t fall to its knees. As long as they are competing with their peers financially, it’s the management that makes all the difference. We didn’t begin to taste success until Harry Redknapp came along, and then it was instant. You can’t tell me that we can’t compete with Fulham, Hull, Burnley, Blackburn, Bolton, or Wigan. Of course we can.

The problem in all this is that we have so over extended ourselves that the club is not now an attractive proposition, but I think Sacha Gaydamak now realises, if he didn’t before, that he is going to have to take a substantial hit on leaving Portsmouth.  He won’t be the first or last in this recession, and I regret that our football is so uncompetitive that the price for a club like ours winning the FA Cup is so high, but I would like to say thanks for the memories, Mr Gaydamak. Now let’s get back to reality.

I would be especially interested to receive comments and memories regarding those events ten years ago when Milan Mandaric came along to save our club.

MIDDLESBROUGH

 Only a contender in a mathematical sense. Middlesbrough WILL be relegated on Sunday. To discuss the meaning of their result at West Ham would be to needlessly go through the motions. They are not capable of getting the required result (a thumping win) even if Newcastle and Hull do both lose. They have had a number of chances to pick up wins in the last few weeks, especially at home, and have not looked remotely like doing so. Why should they do so now, when everything is all but lost? The club is run the way fans of every club would want, but it means nothing if the result is an inevitable slide towards relegation. Gareth Southgate has admirably been given time to mould his side, but it hasn’t worked. The last throw of the dice would have been a change of manager, even after the transfer window, a couple of months ago. It is amazing how often a new manager can get improved results from the same group of players (Paul Hart, Sam Allardyce, and yes, Harry Redknapp). The fact that Middlesbrough have stuck with Southgate suggests that they are happy to relinquish their Premier League status for their priciples. Admirable, but there is no guarantee of returning any time soon.

Prediction: West Ham 2  Middlesbrough 1

NEWCASTLE UNITED

They’ve got a decent chance, considering that if they win, both Hull and Sunderland must do the same. A win at Villa?  A quick look at Aston Villa’s home record shows more points away from home, and nine home draws. Only three defeats, granted, but nevertheless not an overpowering force at Villa Park. Yes, they also have fifth to fight for, but they were in the top four not so long ago, and for such a large portion of the season that it became their realistic target. Since they so meekly surrendered their position to Arsenal, they have looked a shadow of their former selves. Sheer persistence and desperation will see Newcastle through.

Prediction: Villa 1  Newcastle 2

HULL CITY

Possibly the biggest freefall seen in the Premier League. Only their mind blowing start to the season has kept them safe to now. We all knew that a half time rollocking on the pitch was a mistake, and so it has proved, their decline closely mirroring that turning point in their season. They are at home, and they are playing a team with nothing to play for, but they are playing Manchester United. A reserve side it may well prove, but Hull have only West Bromwich Albion to rival them in the weakest-team-on-paper competition. Manchester United’s reserve side could well still appear stronger than Hull, and a lot will depend on the exact composition of their team and, crucially, the bench. If United find themselves behind with 20 to go, ominous substitutions could follow. Bearing in mind Newcastle’s narrow win at Villa, will Hull have enough to find the win they need?

Prediction: Hull 2  Manchester United 2

SUNDERLAND

This would leave Sunderland safe. But they will be defeated at home to Chelsea, who will be experimenting with players and formations likely to figure at Wembley in the FA Cup Final against Everton the following week. No benefit for them in resting players. Sunderland simply won’t be strong enough to stop them. So, Sunderland will be safe? I wouldn’t be so sure. The issue will be decided at the KC Stadium, probably by how much pride Manchester United reserves have. I’m willing to bet each and every member of their side has quite a bit of that to be on the playing staff of Manchester United in the first place. They will have enough to avoid defeat, I’ve said as much. But, the last day is always dramatic and produces the unexpected. This Sunday that would take the form of a Hull win over Manchester United at Sunderland’s expense.

Prediction: SUNDERLAND 1  CHELSEA 3

Pompey fans, this time we can don our fancy dress, get ourselves to Wigan, and watch a fantastic 3-1 win (Utaka hat-trick)! Bring your radios, but relax, safe in the knowledge that its just an entertaining distraction. Don’t lose them though, we might need them next year!