Now, I’m an optimist by nature but I’m sure those who have read this blog over the past few days had noticed that like most other Pompey fans, I had become demoralised. Even with the Al Fahim takeover still clearly not complete and its potency unknown, things now look brighter. I couldn’t bring myself to mention Dindane yesterday, fearing that despite ‘the photo’, the deal had fallen through due to the failure of Peter Storrie’s takeover bid. In fact, it looks like the sale of Sylvain Distin has allowed it to finally happen. If that is the case, the right decision has been made, especially when you consider the player wasn’t happy. Somehow I think the success of Storrie’s consortium would have seen him stay.

There are still issues to contend with, not least the Distin-shaped hole in the middle of defence. The jury also remains out on Hart in my opinion, but with a couple more signings, this doubt must now soon be resolved. He should soon have enough at his disposal to play the way he wants. Not enough to stay clear of the relegation battle, but enough to show his true colours, if he hasn’t already. I truly hope he hasn’t already. If not, he must have an extremely low opinion  his current attacking options.

So, all this optimism is likely to disappear on Sunday when we play Manchester City! But I say that tongue in cheek, because in reality it won’t. Even a heavy defeat will probably be the result of  a few new signings failing to gel, or simply a huge gulf in class. I believe we may see a spirited performance. My only footballing worry is that Paul Hart will be shown to lack the motivational and tactical skills needed for Premier League management, but yesterday I would have been delighted had that been my major concern. The Al Fahim issue clearly isn’t over yet, but today no Portsmouth fan has the energy to care about that. We should congratulate Peter Storrie for his hard work and commitment in the face of adversity recently, and then ask him to consider lowering the prices in order to try and create the atmosphere we will need at Fratton Park this season. A Chief Exec’s work is never done, Peter! But he has managed to convince us that we have a fighting chance today, and that is all we ask at the moment! Play Up Pompey!

Leaving doubts about the nature of the takeover aside just for one moment (if that is possible!), Tommy Smith has reportedly cost £1.8m. If there is £1.8m available to spend on a striker, I truly believe that there are better ways to spend it. It is this that worries me even more than the level of immediate financial backing available. There must be strikers available on loan with more quality, who would be available for even less. Can’t think of one off the top of my head (distracted by listening to The Quay’s football hour), but I’ll let you know if one comes to mind. The point is, Tommy Smith doesn’t convince me.

He starts to convince me even less when you look at the manager’s other targets. Mike Williamson from Watford. I’ve never heard of him. MICHAEL BROWN! His past history aside (his last stint at Portsmouth, and trying to break Sean Davis’ leg at Fulham), this is another defensive midfielder! Paul, I don’t care how little money you have, can’t you hear us all saying we don’t need another one?  

It looks like we are about to receive up to £6m for Sylvain Distin. With the finances available as a result of the takeover looking limited to say the least, this money will become vital in the next few days. The trouble is, I don’t trust the manager to use it wisely. Three negative statements in three sentences. Very easy to do at the moment.

OK, so we have no money, the club is in turmoil, and to the Alan Hansens of this world we might as well be a piece of Shittu (sorry, I did it again!) on his shoe. But seriously, GAVIN McCANN AND DANNY SHITTU?!! What does that even potentially add to the team? Make no mistake, it’s the team that needs strengthening now, not the squad. The squad is something you add to when you’re reasonably happy with the team. 

Martin Cranie has recently departed, so that leaves Kaboul and Distin as the central defensive partnership, with Hreidarsson as cover. If we’re going to sign Danny Shittu in those circumstances, what’s wrong with Linvoy Primus? As for McCann, words fail me. Diop was in an FA Cup winning team, Hart himself signed Mokoena. Last Saturday, the midfield trio was completed by Hayden Mullins. Why do we need Gavin McCann as well? Can someone please explain that to me?

In our situation, the priority should be players who at least have the potential to alter what we already have, which blatantly didn’t work against Fulham. Dietmar Hamman is available. He can pass a ball to players on his own team and has played at the top level and won the Champions’ League. There must be many more that are available cheaply and offer something different to what we already have. There don’t seem to be any positive signs at the moment. The club is directionless off the pitch and I am rapidly coming to the conclusion that this situation is mirrored on it. I’m afraid I predict another demoralising defeat at Birmingham tomorrow night.

Now personally, I thought Paul Hart should have reverted back to the tactic that worked so well against Sunderland at the back end of last season. Namely, play 4-4-2 and give Utaka one last chance to save his Pompey career up front where he looked like a class act (and interested!) in that Sunderland match. But I wasn’t surpised he opted for 4-5-1, with Utaka in his usual ineffectual wide right role. Again there was no place for Basinas despite the fact we desperately needed someone who could pass the ball in the middle. Mullins played well but does not possess the killer ball (or any forward pass).

Enough about tactics. What was clear from Saturday was that they are irrelevant until we buy some more players, better players. OK we had the farce of Vanden Borre and the Italian Football Association, and Finnan is injured but those two aren’t going to save us. We need a quality striker (or two), and someone who can pass the ball in the middle of midfield. It doesn’t appear that Basinas will ever get the chance to do that. And after that we probably need another three or four players capable of pushng for first team places. This team just isn’t good enough. Although David Nugent hasn’t had the chance to prove himself that Utaka has, the evidence is clear. He isn’t good enough, even for a struggling Premiership side. Also, I hate to say it because I admire the way he has stepped in to the breach, but I am not convinced about Paul Hart’s managerial ability either. Last season was one thing, but to my mind, you try to beat Fulham at home in the first game of the season with what you’ve got. He didn’t do that.

All in all, things are much bleaker now than they were before the game, especially as we are now into Groundhog Day number 827. I can’t bring myself to say any more. It’s been a HELL of a summer…

Fulham obviously had a good season last time out and will probably set up much the same way this term. They have one of the better keepers in Mark Schwarzer, Hangeland is in particular demand at the moment, and Danny Murphy will undoubtedly be pulling the strings again in central midfield. But Fulham are strongest up front, and have real pace with Kamara, Zamora, and Johnson up front. The strength of the rest of the team is debatable, but Roy Hodgson has them very well drilled. All in all, just about a tougher than average test for the opening test of the campaign.

But how will Pompey play? I think this will be dictated by our strength up front. At the moment, Piquionne is the only game in town, and that based on one performance in a friendly. Kanu has just signed a ONE MONTH contract, suggesting that the club hope other players will come in soon, and I believe David Nugent has been earmarked for sale.

David James looks likely to be fit, and the back four could be Hreidarsson, Distin, Kaboul, and Wilson, or possibly new signing Vanden Borre. I hope to see central midfield made up of fit-again Papa Bouba Diop and Angelos Basinas, together with Paul Hart’s man Aaron Mokoena. Basinas can pass a ball and allow us to also have Kranjcar wide on the left. Utaka remains the only viable option on the right, but unfortunately he seems destined never to perform there. You could always try him up front, Paul? I don’t believe he will.

So, I think we still have a team that can compete with Fulham at Fratton Park today. Perhaps the summer goings on and current frustration will work in our favour today and make for an intimidating atmosphere, despite the fact that many fans are still being affected by the recession and Fratton Park is unlikely to be full.

Peter Storrie’s enthusiasm to distance himself from Sulaiman Al Fahim’s proposed takeover at the Radio Solent forum on Thursday night, and his hint that a rival takeover bid may be imminent  has added further spice to the occasion, with many fans now doubtful that Sulaiman Al Fahim will attend as he had promised. You can listen to the forum here, but the main focus now should be on getting three points today against Fulham. 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.

It may be that the agonising, continuous, and extremely damaging delays in this takeover process are being caused not by Sacha Gaydamak or Sulaiman Al Fahim, but by Standard Bank of South Africa. Rumour has it that they are required to authorise the transfer of ownership due to their rather large £30m plus loan to the club. It is not clear whether this is a requirement of the loan agreement, or even of the FA, as has been suggested in some quarters. But the approval request is said to have been with the bank for the last two weeks, with no hint of a reply. Funny that. Read more about it here.  

Yes, we have been unlucky regarding the timing of the progress of the takeover, against the onset of the new season and the closing of the transfer window. But unfortunately it was the business plan of the last two years that has ultimatley got us into this position. Portsmouth Football Club is no different to those Northern Rock borrowers who took out 125% mortgages. They had no way of paying back the money. I was under the impression when Sacha Gaydamak first took over, that he was filthy rich and the money was all his (or belonged perhaps to someone close to him). But he was nothing more than a man with a plan. Unfortunately there was no plan B.

Now, I’m not going to say that I wish it had never happened. It brought us the FA Cup. Unfortunately, that was the only way Pompey were going to do it, and I’m glad it happened. But how sad it is that a club has to be brought to its knees like that, to pay the exorbitant transfer fees and wages that the warped football market commands. I will say it again. I am NEVER going to subscribe to Sky Sports.

Some fans on the internet message boards have said that they are looking forward to getting behind the team next season with a ‘backs to the wall’ mentality. There is something attractive about that, but it just won’t be enough in the Premier League. We saw that four years ago. We just have to pray that we manage to start the season with just enough quality in the squad to stay in touch until January. And for that to happen, things have to move pretty quickly over the next few days. I wouldn’t hold your breath. I just HOPE now that we get manage to get out of jail and see Sulaiman Al Fahim’s rather attractive vision for the future of the club realised.

At the moment, the club is the laughing stock of not just the Premier League, but the whole of English football. At least Accrington Stanley (if it’s good enough for a milk advert, it’s good enough for me) know what their plans are for this season and what it is likely that they can achieve. Portsmouth have no such plans. We just have complete and utter chaos. The ONE positive thing about the current situation is that the only alternative would appear to be administration.

Now, I’m not blaming Paul Hart here or even Peter Storrie. The blame quite clearly lies either with the current or prospective owner. What I don’t understand is how, over two months since the takeover was announced, the club is NOT EVEN in a financial position to seal the signing of Nikola Kalinic. Don’t get me wrong, he is a player with potential. But he is a prospect, nothing more, and has just signed for Blackburn Rovers. They are taking a risk. We couldn’t even get to that point.

This blog today was never meant to analyse the reasons, but I simply can’t fathom how Dr Al Fahim could not be ready to buy players, at least on some semblance of a competitive level, at the crucial time. There may still be a month until the transfer window closes, but no-one could argue that Portsmouth are not in complete disarray. The pre season results confirm that, and so do the transfer dealings(!) thus far. Surely if the takeover cannot yet complete, there is some way that Al Fahim could at least fund player purchases? Have we found the only Arab investor in the world with no money?!

Of course it is still possible that the takeover will eventually be a success and that we will survive this season before thriving. We would obviously take that here and now. But even if that were the case, I would still like to know what went on here. Because there is no doubt that even at this early stage, even if it goes on to be a success, the Al Fahim era has got off to a VERY bad start. Trust has almost gone before he has even taken over, IF he takes over.

Someone owes the fans an explanation. But more than that, someone needs to take decisive action NOW, before it is too late.

We still have weeks of off the pitch events ahead of us, even after the takeover is fully completed, so I thought I’d concentrate on the football side of things. The Premier League is undoubdedly the place to be, but for the also-rans there is little chance of pre season conversation turning to title chances and those of other teams, because outside the top four there are no title chances! Championship or promotion winning seasons have always been precious, but especially so nowadays.

The season started positively on 10th August 2002 with a 2-0 home win against Nottingham Forest. This date was definitely the start of a new era, but doubly so in my case as I met my wife that night in a nightclub in Sydney! I remember hearing of a solid away point at Sheffield United in the next game whilst getting ready in my hotel room to go out, and by the time of the 3-2 win at Crystal Palace I was in Surfer’s Paradise. Great days!

I remember feeling that this could be a great season because of the way the team had come from 2-0 down to win the match, but Harry Redknapp had of course also reconstructed the entire team since he had taken over from Graham Rix at the back end of the previous season. Things hadn’t started too auspiciously, as Redknapp’s first game at Preston North End finished in a 2-0 defeat. I was at the game and we were never really in it. Svetoslav Todorov made his debut and was sent off for an off the ball incident!

The week after the Palace game I was back home to get my first look at the new look Pompey in action at Fratton Park against Watford. My recollection is that it was a non contest. We won 3-0 and it was fluid, fast football that I just wasn’t used to seeing. Paul Merson and Matthew Taylor were magnificent, and that was to continue for the rest of the season.

The day after that, I went away to the Baltic. I was at sea out there, on and off, for the rest of the season, so I missed most of it! In a funny sort of way, though, the memories are just as strong. I recall three main ways that I got the results. At sea, they were either communicated to me on the bridge or I would make sure I was in the communications office at full time to get them on the radio. The other main way, of course, was to follow the football in the bar of one of the many Baltic cities we visited. I remember being amazed when we lost at home to Leicester City, but funnily enough it didn’t spoil my weekend in Helsinki and by this stage I knew we were going to win the following week anyway!

During one of my pit stops home, I took that girl I had met in Sydney (now my wife) to Fratton Park. She had come all the way back from Australia to see me, so I needed to impress her. We lost 2-1 to Sheffield United and it was freezing! She obviously saw past that. I think I remember the match where I became convinced that nothing was going to go wrong, that we were just to strong to blow it. It was one of those where I hung around the communicatons office waiting for the result and then it came through. Pompey 6 Derby County 2. I hadn’t seen any of the game of course but the result said it all.

I was again home on a pit stop, but his time driving from Edinburgh to Somerset, when we played at Leicester. I half expected to lose to our perennial bogey team, and we duly went one down. It was a matter of pride as far as I was concerned, but the 1-1 draw we eventually got also helped cement our position at the top. The equaliser came from Matty Taylor, with one of a number of outside-the-box efforts he produced that season.

There were a number of crushing away wins that season too, not least at Millwall where Pompey fans were banned. I have since seen highlights of the 5-0 Pompey win in deafening silence!

As the season drew to a close, it became increasingly clear that the Championship was a two horse race between the only two teams in serious contention for promotion. Sheffield United’s high point had seemed to be their win at Fratton Park, and they had faded after this. Pompey had always been in pole position but Leicester had hung on doggedly and were stiil within striking distance. Portsmouth had the chance to clinch promotion with a win at home against Sheffield Wednesday, who were bottom of the league. I was in the country but couldn’t make the game. By now I planned to get married (I didn’t hang around!). I was needed elsewhere to help organise it and knew better than to argue! Anyway, Pompey did me a favour and lost the game. We were knocked off top spot by Leicester, but we all knew it was only a matter of time.

Three days later, on a Tuesday night, we reconvened at Fratton Park against Burnley. I wasn’t going to miss it this time and saw Paul Merson’s penalty smack the bar right in front of me early in the game. Still we believed and the magic moment arrived with fifteen minutes to go at the Fratton End. Nigel Quashie squared a ball low across the box (I’m sure he was shooting!) and Todorov diverted it in. I’m not sure how, but I remember seeing the image of  him running into the crowd at the other end of the ground as if it was right in front of me.

Afterwards, I cherished my one and only time so far on the Fratton Park pitch (I have also done Huddersfield, Bradford, and Wigan) and still have my blades of grass. In terms of pure achievement on the pitch in a competitive environment over an extended period, I think I’ll be lucky to see it bettered in my lifetime. It is certainly right up there with the best memories, but the memories that mean the most aren’t necessarily linked to the highest footballing achievements! I think that’s partly what keeps us supporting our team come what may.

Unbelievably, some fans on the internet forums are still calling into question Al Fahim’s ability to see this through! I think we have to give him the benefit of the doubt. So far, he has done everything he said he would, right up to the point now where it looks as if we are moving from the due diligence phase to the Premier League approval phase. The one issue I have seen ambiguity on is whether he is the sole purchaser, or has major investment partners. Well, with it being reported that he has now submitted his ‘fit and proper persons’ paperwork to the Premier League, he must be happy either that the structure of the takeover is settled, or that he is able to finalise it in time to satisfy the Premier League. Even if he has been playing brinkmanship with the financing of the purchase, I am sure he is able to handle it. Business deals are often done on the edge and finalised at the last minute. This is their very nature and it would certainly be no indication of ‘dodgy dealing’ if Al Fahim had in fact faced uncertainty along the way.

So, the focus will hopefully now shift towards proving to The Sun that Al Fahim and any partners in investment are indeed ‘fit and proper’, so that thier official approval can be obtained. Hang on a minute….sorry…..oh yes that’s right. It’s the Premier League that needs to approve this takeover, not The Sun newspaper. Not sure where I got that idea from!

The Premier League will undoubtedly take their time and seek to satisfy themselves on every point before they issue their consent. This will be frustrating, but you can understand their need to be sure after the Shinawatra episode. We should WELCOME the fact that the test will be a new, improved, more stringent hurdle. It will mean that everyone will know that this purchase is squeaky clean. I can’t for a moment believe that someone of the calibre of Al Fahim would embark on this hoping to pull the wool over the eyes of the Premier League. He will be confident that there should be nothing to stand in the way, so I don’t see this being an issue apart from the timescale.

If there is going to be a sticking point on the deal at this stage it will almost certainly be price. This shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone. But again, I can’t see it breaking the deal. Sacha Gaydamak needs to sell and everyone knows it, not least Al Fahim who is in quite a strong position to negotiate it downwards. It occurred to me that the discussions with the prospective new manager (which have undoubtedly taken place by now), may have swung towards a certain Peter Crouch. If that new manager then indicated that he could maybe ‘take him or leave him’, an opportunity would open up to release another £10m-plus in transfer funds for players who would fit into that new manager’s plans. Of course we don’t know for sure. I would prefer to keep Crouch, but would certainly sacrifice him for the completion of a takeover which would release substantial new funds for players and a long term strategy on and off the pitch.

That is what is at stake here. The long term strategy that in my twenty five years of support, Portsmouth Football Club has never had. Yes, the Gaydamak era (more like ’spell’ really) saw us win the FA Cup, but the economic crisis put paid to any long term plans that may have existed. This takeover seems to be a credible long term investment. We can’t, of course, guarantee that, but the future appears a damn site brighter than it did six months ago, and I believe we will see the deal rubber stamped within the next two weeks. If it is, we should all offer to buy Peter Storrie a drink.