Cullen Update.

[Blue Walter]

I think this 'fear' of the Championship will see us at League One level for a while yet. I think that money is going to be the deciding factor even more so in the coming season at our level. Clubs like Ipswich & Sheffield Wednesday will be able to compete at the higher level better than we can. They have owners who have shown that they are willing to invest in their playing stock and compete for promotion from Championship level. Our immediate aim would be to stay in the Championship once we get there. Both clubs I have mentioned are ready for a higher league while we are still building that side of the operation. Of course if the owners of Ipswich or Sheffield Wednesday could well get fed up with pumping money into the playing side of their club and get bored with it and sell up. That's probably the same for many clubs and a situation that we have experienced. As St M has already said we will be reliant on some very creative and clever recruitment if we are to be successful in the next couple of seasons. On the other hand our owners may well decide it is time for a crack at promotion and supply a genuine promotion kitty. Personally I don't think we are at the stage that the owners are ready to do that just yet.

I don't think there is a fear of going up - our owners are far better positioned than most to absorb losses. We just haven't been good enough.

Wednesday as an example are a basket case waiting to happen, their owners aren't investing a penny they are using every trick in the book to stay afloat.

Yes I know we have been nowhere good enough because we haven't had the players, or managers for that case. The club is fully aware of the cost of promotion and I think that they would prefer to wait a little longer. You are right Wednesday are taking a hell of a gamble and so are Ipswich to a certain extent. You are right about our owners too concerning absorbing debt and they are also in a position to spend on players too, but they have a fixed plan which they are sticking to.

[BlueinPLtwenty]

One of the biggest issues is `the stadium`. Many of our rivals have a modern stadium with a greater capacity. Sheffield W. , Ipswich and Derby to name just three. The equation does seem strange when you look at the Championship Clubs where the greater proportion have smaller average gates than we do. It would be interesting to look at their debt situation. Is there a crash waiting to happen. Will the potential Banking crisis affect things like what happened to Pompey in 2008/9. My feeling is that we should be grateful that we are relatively debt free, will continue to fill Fratton and with our new Head Coach we can look forward to an exciting end to the season. Moreover next season should be even better!

[Pompey1984+1]

One of the biggest issues is `the stadium`. Many of our rivals have a modern stadium with a greater capacity. Sheffield W. , Ipswich and Derby to name just three. The equation does seem strange when you look at the Championship Clubs where the greater proportion have smaller average gates than we do. It would be interesting to look at their debt situation. Is there a crash waiting to happen. Will the potential Banking crisis affect things like what happened to Pompey in 2008/9. My feeling is that we should be grateful that we are relatively debt free, will continue to fill Fratton and with our new Head Coach we can look forward to an exciting end to the season. Moreover next season should be even better!

Hillsborough has just had restrictions placed on the Leppings Lane end. I'm not sure I'd describe Hillsborough as a modern stadium but it is certainly, at least at one side better equipped than Fratton park currently is. Their owner bought it from himself for silly amounts of money. They are losing serious money.

For many championship clubs (not all) gate money is just a means of slightly reducing the losses.

Football needs a rethink from top to bottom - financial fair play needs to be thought about but along side other things too. Like squad sizes (at all levels) to stop hoarding of players. Some clubs will always have more money than others and I don't think that is necessarily a problem, why should Man United with their brand and gate only be allowed to spend the same as Bournmouth for example?

But something needs to be done to keep the sport competitive, rather than be a competition of bank balances.

[Pompeymack]

I think this 'fear' of the Championship will see us at League One level for a while yet. I think that money is going to be the deciding factor even more so in the coming season at our level. Clubs like Ipswich & Sheffield Wednesday will be able to compete at the higher level better than we can. They have owners who have shown that they are willing to invest in their playing stock and compete for promotion from Championship level. Our immediate aim would be to stay in the Championship once we get there. Both clubs I have mentioned are ready for a higher league while we are still building that side of the operation. Of course if the owners of Ipswich or Sheffield Wednesday could well get fed up with pumping money into the playing side of their club and get bored with it and sell up. That's probably the same for many clubs and a situation that we have experienced. As St M has already said we will be reliant on some very creative and clever recruitment if we are to be successful in the next couple of seasons. On the other hand our owners may well decide it is time for a crack at promotion and supply a genuine promotion kitty. Personally I don't think we are at the stage that the owners are ready to do that just yet.

I don't think there is a fear of going up - our owners are far better positioned than most to absorb losses. We just haven't been good enough.

Wednesday as an example are a basket case waiting to happen, their owners aren't investing a penny they are using every trick in the book to stay afloat.

Yes I know we have been nowhere good enough because we haven't had the players, or managers for that case. The club is fully aware of the cost of promotion and I think that they would prefer to wait a little longer. You are right Wednesday are taking a hell of a gamble and so are Ipswich to a certain extent. You are right about our owners too concerning absorbing debt and they are also in a position to spend on players too, but they have a fixed plan which they are sticking to.

I work with someone related to the finance director at Ipswich, the owners are committed to promotion and will splash the cash to get there