From the Snooze (Tuesday)

[stefeni]

Marko Futacs has been offered a new deal to remain at Pompey.But the Hungarian striker will have to agree to reduced terms if he is to stay put.

A clause in the 22-year-old’s original contract was activated earlier this season to tie him to the club for an additional 12 months.

That also entitled Futacs to a pay rise.

However, following relegation and with Pompey desperate to wrestle their £10.5m wage bill under control, they are seeking to lower the striker’s salary.

That would be achieved if Futacs penned the fresh contract put in front of him by Blues boss Michael Appleton.

The only other senior Pompey player offered a deal is Kelvin Etuhu, with a two-year contract tabled.

And while Appleton is keen for Futacs to stay, he is adamant it must be on suitable terms for the club.

He said: ‘Marko has been offered a deal to stay and it is up to him.

‘It is for one year and is a different one in terms of wages to what he currently has.

‘I know he wants me to guarantee him regular football but I could never promise that to anybody.

‘Regardless, he has been offered a deal to stay and it is now his choice.

‘I want Marko to stay because what he might bring to us is something different.

‘He’s a big, strong lad. Although, to be honest, I think he did his best work as more of an impact player.

‘You never know, though. If he can get a good pre-season under his belt, who knows what the season holds for him?

‘At the end of the day, an offer has been made.

‘The deal has been put into place and it is now up to him.

‘We will see what happens. It would be great if he did sign it.’

Futacs was signed in August last year following a week-long trial.

The towering Hungarian impressed then-Pompey manager Steve Cotterill and made his debut as a substitute in the 4-3 defeat at West Ham in early September.

It was under Appleton, though, when he was given his maiden Blues start – and a 12-match run in the side – at the turn of the year.

After scoring three goals in his first five matches, Futacs was linked with Old Firm duo Rangers and Celtic during the January transfer window.

However, his form noticeably experienced a slump and he made just one more start in the final 13 games of the campaign.

Regardless, he was a regular substitute and scored after coming on against Birmingham and Doncaster, taking his scoring tally to five.

Futacs has since spoken of his desire to start more matches on a regular basis.

Meanwhile, at the weekend, the striker told the Hungarian press he would like to remain at Fratton Park.

n Stephen Henderson has completed his £600,000 move to West Ham after signing a four-year deal at Upton Park, while Erik Huseklepp has returned to Fratton Park after Birmingham turned down the option of making his loan move permanent.


THE battle for Pompey’s future is likely to go right down to the wire.That’s the view of sports expert Dr John Beech, who says Pompey’s creditors will have a tricky task when making up their minds about who should be tasked with taking the club out of administration.

Creditors will have the say on whether to back former Pompey owner Balram Chainrai’s firm Portpin, which put a bid in to the administrators on Friday, or Pompey Supporters Trust, which plans to put in its own bid for a fans-led takeover by the end of the month.

Head of sport and tourism applied research at Coventry University, Dr Beech, said: ‘It’s a choice between Balram Chainrai, who wants to take money out of the club, and the trust, who don’t.

‘Whether the trust can raise enough money to lodge a competitive bid, time will tell. From what I can make out it’s going to be down to the wire.’

Pompey’s administrator Trevor Birch, of PKF, said on Friday that Portpin’s bid ‘is likely to give the best possible deal to creditors’.

But Dr Beech said the trust’s figures don’t necessarily have to stack up to Portpin’s.

He added: ‘It’s up to the creditors to decide which bid will give them the best return for their money. Chainrai still owes money to the small creditors from the last time Pompey was in administration, which won’t give him any brownie points with Trevor Birch. But until we can see the precise details of both bids it is hard to say what will happen.’

Meanwhile, Portsmouth City Council leader Gerald Vernon-Jackson has confirmed that the authority will not be able to inject cash into the trust’s bid.

But he said the council could have Fratton Park independently valued, for example, and offer to buy that instead.

‘We would only buy it short term, to allow the supporters’ trust to buy it back from us,’ he said.

‘So we have got to make sure the supporters’ trust’s business plan works and pays enough money to buy Fratton Park back.

‘The council is not going to get into the business of writing cheques.

‘Mr Chainrai was always going to be the most obvious option.

‘I would prefer it to be a community-owned club, it is a really good model, but you have got to have the money to do that. And if they have got the money then we will wish them well.’

In a statement, the Pompey Supporters’ Trust said: ‘The Trust continue to ask fans to back their pre-share scheme and help them to put together a bid that will safeguard Portsmouth Football Club and give PKF and the Creditors Committee an alternative option.’


Michael Appleton has lifted the lid on his surprise decision to let both Ricardo Rocha and Jamie Ashdown leave Fratton Park.The first-team pair have been told their contracts will not be renewed when they expire this summer.

It effectively brings to an end the Pompey careers of two players who have featured for the club since the Premier League years.

Ashdown represents the club’s longest-serving player, having arrived in the summer of 2004, while the experienced Rocha has been a firm fans’ favourite since he came to the south coast in February, 2010.

However, Appleton has revealed that the need to start afresh and drive down wages was crucial in his decision to release both.

And the Blues boss insisted it was in the best interests of the club’s future.

He said: ‘I have nothing against the boys in terms of performances, but from my point of view I have got to make the decision on what is going to be best for the football club.

‘To be fair, I think the players knew what was going to happen straight after the final game when I spoke to them all.

‘At that time, I told them we would all be doing different things next season. I just think it is a time for a change for everyone at the football club. I have pretty much said that for a long time now.

‘It is the chance for people around the place to go to pastures new. That’s just how it is.’

Rocha was named players’ player of the season in recognition of his displays during his 35 appearances this term. In total, the Portuguese played 76 times for Pompey and also started the 2010 FA Cup final.

The cultured defender has proven to be a tremendously-popular figure among the Fratton faithful but, at the age of 33, Appleton believes it is time for Rocha to move on.

He added: ‘Ricardo has played the majority of the games since I came in and took control last year.

‘He has been great. I’ve had a good relationship with him and would like to think he feels the same.

‘I wish him all the best for the future.

‘I realise Ricardo is at an age where I am sure he can play for another two or three years – and do a good job wherever he goes.

‘But I am just looking for something a little bit different.

‘League One is a league where you have to be a dominant and a big player, especially defending from set pieces and corners.

‘I am looking to bring more of a youthful player into that role with a little bit more stature.’

Ashdown played 21 games this season and finished strongly after coming in for new West Ham signing Stephen Henderson.

He had spoken of his desire to remain for a ninth season at Fratton Park and was instrumental in signing up many of his team-mates to pledge money to the Pompey Trust in their bid to buy the club.

The 2010-11 campaign was unquestionably Ashdown’s finest, an ever-present in Steve Cotterill’s side and scooping a host of fans’ player-of-the-season trophies.

However, Appleton has decided to let him go after 123 club appearances, leaving Pompey without a goalkeeper on their books.

The Blues boss said: ‘Jamie has been at the football club for a long time and played at the Premier League and Championship level, but I’ve got a budget I have to be careful with.

‘For him to stay at the club, he would have to take a big, big drop in his wages.

‘I still think he can play in the Championship and attract a much better wage than I would have paid him.

‘Jamie would have liked to have signed, I realise that, but I am going down a different route and wish him all the best.

‘I will be surprised if there are not numerous offers for him because he is a good keeper who has shown what he can do.’


Pompey are ready to head off Barnsley and Bradford interest and keep Kelvin Etuhu at Fratton Park.Michael Appleton is to offer the free agent a two-year deal after he impressed during his short-term stay on the south coast.

The 23-year-old Etuhu has already indicated he would consider staying with the Blues as they prepare for life in League One.

But Barnsley and Bradford are also reportedly eyeing up a move for the ex-Manchester City man who is looking to rebuild his career following a spell in prison.

Appleton, though, remains confident Pompey are in the box seat.

He wants the talented midfielder to spearhead his League One plans as he looks to rip up his squad and start afresh.

Etuhu is one of just two senior players to be offered deals for next season – the other being Marko Futacs.

And the Blues boss is hopeful of capturing his signature as he looks to put the blocks into place for a new era.

He said: ‘I am going to be making Kelvin an offer over the next 24 hours – if I can get hold of him!

‘Seriously, I believe he is on holiday at the moment so it is a case of getting him at the best time.

‘It will probably be a two-year deal and, hopefully, he will accept that and is ready to stay with us.

‘I think he has proven his worth since we gave him an opportunity and he helped push us hard in a difficult end to the season.

‘It’s something I would like sorted out quickly and Kelvin has indicated to me he would like to stay with us.’


THE anonymous group interested in buying Pompey out of administration has been named as being fronted by venture capitalist Brett De Bank.Sources close to the group have said he has been in talks over past weeks with major club creditor Balram Chainrai and club administrator Trevor Birch from PKF.

According to the Telegraph, De Bank, a University of Portsmouth graduate and regular at Fratton Park, has walked away from doing a deal with administrators after Mr Chainrai demanded payment of £16m for the stadium and multi-million pound bonuses.

The report said Mr Chainrai has offered Pompey’s creditors 2p for every pound to they are owed, whereas De Bank had proposed more than 7p.

But, as previously reported in the The News, it is understood that Mr De Bank’s group had not even jumped through the first hoop of football club ownership by proving they have enough money to pay for it.

A spokesman for PKF said Mr Chainrai’s bid to buy the club, which has not yet been finalised, should see creditors getting more than 2 pence for every £1 they are owed, as was reported in The Telegraph today.

He added: ‘We cannot provide any more details at this stage until the proposals are finalised.

‘As the Chainrai team said on Friday, they realise that the club will only have value if it is successful.

‘He wants to turn things around at Pompey and for the club to regain its rightful position.

‘He will also need to give the Football league some comfort that he has the means to run it on a profitable basis going forward, and the Football League will be very mindful of the club’s history when they look at the business plan.’

Pompey have offered home-grown products Ashley Harris and Dan Butler new contracts.And six Academy players have become first-year professionals as the Blues pin their future on youth.

Harris and defender Butler have completed their two-year scholarships.

They now have the opportunity to become first-year professionals next season. Purbrook’s Harris started the final two matches of the campaign and made five appearances overall.

The Fratton faithful immediately took the attacking midfielder to their hearts.

Michael Appleton has made no secret he sees the 18-year-old as a crucial part of his set-up next season.

Academy skipper Butler made 26 appearances for Andy Awford’s side this season. However, he has yet to make the first-team squad.

Six other Academy players will become first-year professionals next season under previously-agreed deals.

They include Jed Wallace, Alex Grant and Sam Magri, who all made the bench for the first-team’s season finale at Nottingham Forest.

Magri was named as a Pompey substitute five times during the campaign, yet didn’t make an appearance.

George Colson, a midfielder, scored seven goals in 24 appearances for the Academy.

Full-back Elliott Wheeler made 23 appearances for Awford’s men.

They will be joined by Dan Thompson, who signed from Hampton & Richmond last season before being loaned out to the Hawks.

The 18-year-old’s appearances at Westleigh Park were hampered by an ankle injury.

Defender Adam Webster, who made three first-team appearances, still has another season of his two-year scholarship to run.

[Sam_Brown]

Why the **** did we have a 10 million quid wage bill?

[Fratton End Exile]

Kitson, Lawrence, Ben Haim all on minimum £20K a week so soon adds up.

[WheresWally/ScottMcGarvey]

Kitson, Lawrence, Ben Haim all on minimum £20K a week so soon adds up.

Yup, Kitson & LL meant to be circa 18k p/w, and TBH double that. That's best bit of £4m a year, & only 3 players (!)