Tal Ben Haim was the pick of the bunch for me, and represents a good replacement for Sylvain Distin. I must admit to not knowing a lot about Kevin Prince Boateng, but I’ve always liked O’Hara, and (I say this through gritted teeth) Michael Brown made a good debut aginst Man City at the weekend. In terms of outgoings, I honestly can’t argue with any of them. If players do not want to be at the club, there is no point in keeping them. The way Kranjcar has played recently, he won’t be missed anyway. I also happen to think he is over-rated in any case. Distin has no international career to pursue, but I suppose at his age, you have to take any attractive opportunitie that come your way. The bottom line is, with what has been happening at the club recently, no player could be blamed for wanting to pursue a career elsewhere.

The exception to all this, of course, is David James. No doubt he would also have gone if a bid had come in, but he is the one player who could probably recover form that. He is also the one we most needed to stay. His presence will be essential if we are to be competitive from now on. He will need to get his head back together, but he will have no choice. His World Cup place depends on it, but a goalkeeper can maintain his form in a struggling side in a way an outfield player can’t.

It’s up front where I am most worried. I feel rather than spending £2m on a Championship central defender, Paul Hart should have been busting a gut to acquire another striker instead. We have Hreidarsson and Wilson who can play at the back as well as Kaboul and Ban Haim. Up front we have Piquionne, Smith, and Dindane. I’m not convinced by Smith but am much happier to have him than the incompetent Nugent, who signed off with another howler aginst City. We have obviously not seen Dindane yet, but I just have a horrible feeling he is going to be injury prone. This is not based on fact of any sort, and I hope I am wrong. Just a hunch. We also have the indefatigable Kanu, who has just signed a new one year deal. We may just be needing him more than last season, although he looked good against City. But he must be in his forties now! I just have this nagging feeling that it is scoring goals which is going to be our achilles heel, even after the transfer window. Didn’t we try and get Benjani?

Anyway, at least the Pompey faithful are now hopeful that we can now get our season off the ground against Bolton in ten days’ time. That’s more than we could imagine a week ago, but it’s still going to be an uphill battle. If we can make a decent fist of it, though, it should be a more emjoyable season than the last one!

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.

That brings me on to the issue of player transfers. There is a picture circulating on the internet tonight showing Aruna Dindane signing his Portsmouth contract. Now unless it’s an elaborate hoax (there are Portsmouth club badges displayed on the wall behind him and the man next to him is definitely the club secretary, Paul Weld!), that should also mean that at least some kind of takeover is due to be announced imminently (you can make your own mind up about the picture here!). The guy is rumoured to be costing around £4m. If that is true, there is no other explanation for Pompey’s ability to sign him up. The question is, what kind of takeover is this going to be?

There must surely now be an announcement tomorrow regarding this, and I think everybody will now be amazed if it is Al Fahim that turns up in front of the cameras rather than Peter Storrie. But the danger is that it will be too little too late and there is at least one player at the club who obviously believes this. Sylvain Distin is not in the squad tonight and it appears that he now wants out of Portsmouth. To be honest, I really can’t blame him after the summer the club has had, but at the same time it seems slightly odd with Pompey apparently finally on the brink of a way forward.

Perhaps he knows nothing about it? Perhaps the picture is a hoax? Perhaps it has all been a dream. Nothing would surprise me with Portsmouth at the moment. Watch this space……if you can take any more…….

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.

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.

Paul Hart has been quoted in The News today as saying that as well as potential new arrivals, more players may yet leave the club in the coming weeks. He is then very quick to add that this will be decided by him, for footballing reasons. Forgive me if I don’t quite believe that. For some reason, events over the last few weeks have made me sceptical!

Let’s assume for one moment that this is indeed his true intention. Rumour has it already that two of the players Hart wouldn’t be too upset to see the back of are John Utaka and Nadir Belhadj. Now, I know they are not what you would call top notch Premier League players, but I’m damn sure they are not players we can afford to lose in our position! Either the club is still in a precarious position, despite the takeover, or Paul Hart truly believes he can afford to sell them. I really hope it’s the latter, although that leaves Hart’s footballing vision as the only solution to that particular issue. I don’t believe that vision has been proven yet!

I think the real pointer to the true state of the club will be what happens with Sylvain Distin. Even if the club does want to keep him, he may decide that, given recent goings-on, his future lies elsewhere. If he then successfully forces a move, the effect on the pitch is just as bad as if Portsmouth couldn’t afford to keep him. Given what we know about potential transfer targets, the squad could then already be just too weak to compete.

A lot will become clear in the next two weeks but things do not look good at the moment, and just when the future should be looking distinctly brighter, it appears things could get even worse.

I saw a great article in The Times’ online fanzine section today, by Gareth Beavis. You can read it here. I do agree with a lot of what it says but I was depressed to find that it wasn’t enough to lift me out of my gloom. You see, the point I can’t agree with is that, because ten years ago we were on the brink of extinction, we should just be grateful that we are in the Premier League at all. That’s not enough to placate my frustration at the current situation, I’m afraid.

At the same time, I do get frustrated with comments from fans who clearly have no idea where we have come from. I guess my attitude is that although I realise we have been overachieving recently, I don’t see any reason why we can’t reproduce that kind of consistency over time with the right long term strategy. The potential in the club is there. If Dr Al Fahim is to be true to his word, we just have to ride out this storm first. The trouble is , the swell seems to be getting bigger by the day.

Anyway, back to optimism. Distin strongly and publicly backed Paul Hart last season, presumably beacuse he was so relieved to be able to understand his manager once more after Tony Adams’ tenure. If his teamtalks were anything like his interviews, I’ve got the utmost sympathy for Distin, who was awful under Adams last season but otherwise pretty good. He still has pace and quality and I would love him to sign a new contract. Hopefully the departure of Crouch for £12m ish is the last of the hangover from Sacha’s regin gone wrong, and we can now start keeping hold of players who are only going to bring in £3-5m anyway.

It may be that Al Fahim has taken sole control of the club for now, perhaps with a view to bringing in investors gradually. Due to immediate financial constraints, he has appointed Hart and perhaps intoduced a much needed wage structure. At least I hope this is the case, as his stated vision for the club cannot be achieved on a limited budget. If things were to go according to plan using this approach, I would actually be happier than if vast amounts of money were chucked around immediately. If Paul Hart (and hopefully Brian Kidd) can gel a shoestring team and give some lesser known players the chance to emerge or finally prove themselves, then I couldn’t be happier. My head tells me it will be tough, but on the other hand it’s also a case of looking at the competition, which is nothing to write home about. There are also other clubs in financial trouble and we at least have the advantage of a clean slate.

Told you I could get get my optimism back! But one thing is for sure. We need to see a very swift end to the firesale, and then some positive news in the transfer market. We are weak in all areas now and next season is going to be tough. There’s nothing else for it but to get behind the team and hope for the best.

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.