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.

It looks inevitable that Peter Crouch will leave within the next week as Pompey have recently accepted a £12m bid from Sunderland, and Crouch has already been up there to talk to them. There may yet be other interest. So why is this happening? I alluded a few days ago to the fact that the sale of Crouch was a possibility, if a new manager was in place and had indicated, let’s say, that Crouch remaining at the club was not a pre requisite to his taking the job. i.e. the proceeds of the sale could be used to negotiate the price as any new manager would have other specific player targets either lined up, or in mind. This is still possible I suppose, but I must say that since then my view of the takeover has become considerably more pessimistic!

The most worrying thing that I have seen is the apparent statement in Al Fahim’s document outlining his vision for the club that Paul Hart is the preferred choice as manager. If this is true, it shows either that Al Fahim has very limited knowledge, or that he has very limited finances. I have nothing but respect for Paul Hart but we should be showing more ambition than that! Having said that, nothing would please me more than if he were to prove people wrong and progress Portsmouth on the pitch. I don’t necessarily believe that he doesn’t have the capacity to attempt to play entertaining football, but not least of his problems would be attracting the quality of players necessary to do that.

That brings me on to my next HUGE concern. At this rate, we won’t have ENOUGH players to field a team, let alone enough of sufficient quality. Since the end of the season (not counting the dead wood), Sean Davis and Glen Johnson have left, Sol Campbell looks to be on his way out of the club as does Peter Crouch, and now it is reported that Sylvain Distin will be next. I sincerely hope this is because the incoming owner is so prepared that he doesn’t need to worry about this, but if that were the case, surely he wouldn’t need to sell anyone at the moment? The deal could be completed, a new manager appointed, and then the issue of the playing staff addressed.  

I have been frustrated over the last few weeks with negative comments and speculation I have seen about the takeover from Portsmouth fans. I felt they were being too negative, but still believe there was not enough information at the time from which to form a sceptical view. Well, I hate to say it, but now I am worried. Something doesn’t seem right, and it’s the seemingly inevitable sale of Crouch that has brought me to that way of thinking for the first time.  We obviously don’t know what goes on behind the scenes, but it doesn’t appear that he has been pressing for a move (despite his comments before that England game). More that Portsmouth have merely accepted Sunderland’s £12m offer. At the moment, it seems that can only be because all is not as we have come to expect with this takeover. All will be revealed on or shortly after July 24th. Can’t wait.

More concrete information is now coming to light regarding the futures of some of the Pompey players. Sean Davis looks almost certain to sign for Bolton Wanderers on July 1st, and Peter Storrie has said that Sol Campbell is likely to be offered a pay-as-you-play deal for next season. I would like to shy away from the tiresome speculation and comment on these two players.

Sean Davis looks like he’s off to Bolton, despite being the only out-of-contract Pompey player to have been offered a new deal. In truth, it has been on the cards for months. Whether this is a loss or progress obviously depends entirely on the buyout and the club’s ambition for next season. Assuming all is to turn out as promised, he will not be a long term loss. That is not to say I don’t rate him as a player. He is tenacious and can pass, but there is something missing at the very top level. Yes, he is a cut above Hughes and Mullins, but this is not a particularly flattering comparison for him.

We must also not forget the important role he played in saving the club from relegation in his first season (along with his ex-Tottenham compatriots, Pedro Mendes and Noe Pamarot) when he was eventually head and shoulders above anything else we had in midfield at the time. To be honest, this was probably the case even when he first arrived, massively unfit (remember Jhon Viafara, anyone?).

Between then and now have been some committed and classy performances, but not quite enough consistency at the very top level for me. The offer of a new deal was the right decision, but I’m not sure he ever quite got over his lack of first team opportunities in the second half of the FA Cup winning season (after playing really well in the opening months), or indeed his omission from the Cup Final squad itself. Thank you Sean, we wish you well.

Sol Campbell is reportedly to be offered a pay-as-you-play deal for the coming season. I’m not sure he will go for it, but it sounds about right to me. He was a coup when he joined the club three years ago, and he has been a solid servant. Whilst he can still produce the inspired performances within the grasp of players of his class, we have all noticed his gradual decline and struggle with pace. His performances don’t now warrant the huge wages it took to entice him here. He may have success with a club like Basle in Switzerland as a bigger fish in a smaller pond. However, the opportunity is there for him, if he can accept his reduced standing (age catches up with us all, Sol),  to stay in familiar surroundings and play a part in a bright new future.