The Anomalies of Portsmouth FC

[pomp 'n circumstance]

Scene 1 - Rising from the Ashes
There's not a man jack of us that does not feel indebted to the saving of Pompey FC. The 4 directors who between put £1 million, Portsmouth City Council who lent us a similar amount and 'Here's to you Mr Robinson for your loan. And to the fans who dug deep to buy £1 K shares and the syndicates that sprang up to raise yet more money and thanks to the local MP Penny Mourdant who raised our profile in Parliament and the men of Blue like Micah Hall and our own Mick Williams (Old Spice). Truly inspiring - and the Trust was born, a fan owned Club. Thanks to you all.

Scene 2 - A Meeting in London
The Board came to London to meet with the London Pompey Supporters Club - good PR and attended, among a pack audience, by Rubican, Wimbledon Blue and my godself P'nC. They explained their thinking about the way ahead in the first half and threw the floor open for a Q and A session. During that period I ask Mark Catlin to tell us a little about his background, since he had been appointed CEO. He told us very little, other that he came from Dagenham and was a director at Bury, not the most robust endorement.

Scene 3 - Later
Things weren't going too well with GW at the helm and in fairness to the Board, they acted swiftly and relieved him of the Manager's job and set about finding a new manager. We were never quite sure who was interviewed, there were rumours of heavy betting anomolies and we waited for the outcome. Mark Catlin, who is not on the Board of Directors, was on hand to act as a conduit if they needed help or guidance. Eventually the winner of the beauty contest was unveiled and the candidate with the least convincing CV and experience, was unveiled - Richie Barker.

Scene 4 -The Stats
Played:19, Won:4 Lost: 7, D:8 GF: 11, GA: 21 Points: 20
The Chief Barker aided by the Hologram have now ruled the roost for 19 games - new blood has been introduced, a few Loanees have arrived and the results have proved shocking and abysmal in the extreme. We have strikers who can't score, a defence that cannot defend and win and a man manager totally out of his depth. A team that can't perform, despite the new draft of players and I'm afraid the buck lands with the manager - totally inexperienced and out of his depth. No direction, no nous, no goals and very few points. Our budget next season is based on our 15,000 season ticket holders and the fans goodwill. If we survive the drop, I predict that budget will have to be re-written and if the worst happens, then the budget can be consigned to the dustbin. I firmly believe that unless RB is relieved of his post, then we have no hope of survival. Our best bet is to ask Andy Awford to take charge for the remaining games (he knows the players) or to seek help from an experienced manager, who can breath life into the squad. Allegedly we need 50 points to survive (I think more may be needed!) - I can't see the present incumbent managing to do that.

[portchesterblue]

based on that little ditty you seem to want to sack the board Pomp, what your suggetsing is that they have appointed Barker purely to make money out of betting and have no regard for the club, so best we run them out of town right now !!!!

[pomp 'n circumstance]

based on that little ditty you seem to want to sack the board Pomp, what your suggetsing is that they have appointed Barker purely to make money out of betting and have no regard for the club, so best we run them out of town right now !!!!

How you read that outcome into what I've written totally escapes me. The Board have done a magnificent job for the Club and I've acknowledged that - I am suggesting that the manager's job is totally beyond the Chief Barker and i believe he should be asked to resign, That is the only inference I am making.......

[Pompey1985]

Who do you appoint though? and how do you ensure its a more successful apointment?

[pompeygunner]

Who do you appoint though? and how do you ensure its a more successful apointment?

Can hardly be less successful really though.
How did York manage to get Worthington?? What I'm saying I guess is it ought not to be beyond PFC to be able to get a manager like that (without the players histrionics) for the long term rather than a bloke who as Pomp rightly says hardly had a convincing CV. FWIW I think the board were swayed heavily by SC but forgot that he wouldn't necessarily be involved on what goes on on the pitch on a matchday.
As to the here & now-well I personally think it would be a bad thing to ask Awford or Macca to attempt to stop the rot & possibly end up with a relegation to non league on their CV.
So an outsider, plenty out there I would guess. Either way IMVHO Barker has been a disaster & before sat I thought let him see it out, after sat I think he should go. In fact should've gone by today.
Totally out of his depth.

[Here comes AFC]

based on that little ditty you seem to want to sack the board Pomp, what your suggetsing is that they have appointed Barker purely to make money out of betting and have no regard for the club, so best we run them out of town right now !!!!

That would be a harsh assessment of the board.

I do think they've been very naive though. The appointment of Guy was pure sentiment. Second time around I think they tried to be colder and the appointment of Barker was accompanied by claims of how "his vision for the club exactly matched the board's". However, when you look at his career before joining us there is no evidence of that; so how much of 'his vision' came from coaching by his friend who as CEO is fully aware of the board's vision for the club?

Football is a strange business. Neither sentiment nor pure business logic is likely to work. They need to learn the gut feeling that has to go with reasoning.

[The Cincinnati Kid]

Pomp, I would agree with your assessment (well, apart from the defence part...Capt Adventerous hasn't done too bad on the D)....BUT, dude....there are only 8 games left according to my Junior High math. Thats not enought time to fire the current schlep and find a new wonderkid as, by the time thats done, even if done rapidement...there would only be 6 ish games left afoot.
Should have listened around your earlier fox-trot/two-step/pogo posts.
Also...I don't see any suitable mano on the current staff as being a heads down/balls up motivator that could get the current shower performing any better.....it would take a Warnock/mourhino/hairdrier clone....I don't see one handy.
Plus...if the worst happens, Cheif Barker needs to own it...we cant be burdening Andy Awford with that medal at the last minute.
Anyhoo, the obvious conclusion is that, as its too late to change course, the only possible course of action at this point is for every man-jack to man the trenches and get behind the team.
Nothing else at this point will help.

[No Shot Sherlock]

Pomp, I would agree with your assessment (well, apart from the defence part...Capt Adventerous hasn't done too bad on the D)....BUT, dude....there are only 8 games left according to my Junior High math. Thats not enought time to fire the current schlep and find a new wonderkid as, by the time thats done, even if done rapidement...there would only be 6 ish games left afoot.
Should have listened around your earlier fox-trot/two-step/pogo posts.
Also...I don't see any suitable mano on the current staff as being a heads down/balls up motivator that could get the current shower performing any better.....it would take a Warnock/mourhino/hairdrier clone....I don't see one handy.
Plus...if the worst happens, Cheif Barker needs to own it...we cant be burdening Andy Awford with that medal at the last minute.
Anyhoo, the obvious conclusion is that, as its too late to change course, the only possible course of action at this point is for every man-jack to man the trenches and get behind the team.
Nothing else at this point will help.

If the board have been as aware of the deteriorating situation as the rest of us, perhaps they have already been casting around for a potential candidate to step in if/when they do decide to fire Barker.

[The Cincinnati Kid]

Pomp, I would agree with your assessment (well, apart from the defence part...Capt Adventerous hasn't done too bad on the D)....BUT, dude....there are only 8 games left according to my Junior High math. Thats not enought time to fire the current schlep and find a new wonderkid as, by the time thats done, even if done rapidement...there would only be 6 ish games left afoot.
Should have listened around your earlier fox-trot/two-step/pogo posts.
Also...I don't see any suitable mano on the current staff as being a heads down/balls up motivator that could get the current shower performing any better.....it would take a Warnock/mourhino/hairdrier clone....I don't see one handy.
Plus...if the worst happens, Cheif Barker needs to own it...we cant be burdening Andy Awford with that medal at the last minute.
Anyhoo, the obvious conclusion is that, as its too late to change course, the only possible course of action at this point is for every man-jack to man the trenches and get behind the team.
Nothing else at this point will help.

If the board have been as aware of the deteriorating situation as the rest of us, perhaps they have already been casting around for a potential candidate to step in if/when they do decide to fire Barker.

Doubtful...that, inthis day and age would become public knowledge and would severely undermine Barker.
As other posters have mentioned...get behind the man or get rid! Some statements of unity and request for fans backing from the board are sorely needed at this point

[pomp 'n circumstance]

Some interesting points raised by AFC, CK and Sherl.

In the case of AFC, you're right - the Board did show a degree of naivety, but as one of them pointed out none of them had ever run a football club, although they were all savvy business men. And let's remember, without them , Pompey would not exist. I believe that apart from the manager, the other weak link is our CEO, based on his performance to date. The only connection with football appears to be his Directorship of Bury FC - scarcely an enhancement or reason to believe that he could graduate to the position of CEO of Portsmouth FC.

At the very least, he acted as a sounding board to the Board in their accepting a recommendation that RB be appointed manager and not only that, lauded (rubber stamped?) as the outstanding candidate. The betting told it's own story - someone knew the answer and it had to be insider knowledge.

I believe the appointment of the CEO was a naive mistake and that we needed a more experienced man in the post. As for the contribution from CK, no appointment could be worse than RB as the stats show - tomorrow we play Rochdale and it would be a brave (or foolhardy) pundit to think
we'll get anything out of that. Granted Andy Awford is not a long term answer, but I''d back him to gain more points than RB......

[Pompey1985]

Do we ever know enough about our ceo's involvement on a day today level? What did Peter Storrie do? I'm not saying Caitlin is good or bad I just don't know how we judge the effectiveness of our CEO.

[Mr Nuts]

Do we ever know enough about our ceo's involvement on a day today level? What did Peter Storrie do? .

Ran riot with someone else's money, made awful business decisions and basically bankrupted the club .

[Mr Nuts]

..... Smashed up the fa cup, proved how dim some football fans are by fooling them into singing his name, all the while professing his innocence and ignorance of all inner workings of the club even tho he was running it ....

[Milkins]

I can't help thinking had the board enough ball$ to stretch the budget and find a proven lower league manager who knows how to formulate and galvanise a lower league team, we would be in a better position.

I was underwhelmed when Barker was appointed because I believe the gate receipts should allow us to fund a proven, grizzly, lower league campaigner who would get the club moving in the right direction. The bottom line is quite simple. Whilst accepting that the board is inexperienced and quite obviously make mistakes, it seems to me that the appointment of a Chief Exec with little real experience and the subsequent appointment of a manager whose credentials are at best average could and should have been avoided.

A club drawing up to 18000 fans for league two football should not be in this position regardless of it's financially shameful past.

I'm happy that the club fell into the hands of those who love it but those who were placed in the boardroom surely must realise first and foremost that, when you're in trouble, you need experienced football people alongside you to make it work. Coppell is the only name around who fits the bill but he's pressure averse, takes no salary and seems to come and go at will. Hardly a stonewall commitment.

We f**ked up and it shows - shines like a beacon. Time to bite the bullet and fork out for the management team that knows how to do the job.

[/rant]

[portchesterblue]

based on that little ditty you seem to want to sack the board Pomp, what your suggetsing is that they have appointed Barker purely to make money out of betting and have no regard for the club, so best we run them out of town right now !!!!

How you read that outcome into what I've written totally escapes me. The Board have done a magnificent job for the Club and I've acknowledged that - I am suggesting that the manager's job is totally beyond the Chief Barker and i believe he should be asked to resign, That is the only inference I am making.......

so what inference do you take from scene 3 then?