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And the key word is...

...Patience!

Right, I have sat down, had a bit of a think and tried to gather these thoughts that I have been having recently, combining good an bad elements of what I have been thinking to give my two cents worth - obviously I am not saying this is the case or the way, or is what needs to be done, but there you go...

'We must remain patient', 'keep the faith' and so on are the words that we keep hearing, and the message that we here at Vital Pompey keep giving you.

Yep, I know it is hard, I know this can be wearing thin and it is hard to know what to think or believe anymore, I admit my own patience - with some issues - is very much wearing thin but I, like I hope you do, will hang in there a while longer... if you have waited this long and been patient, not just with this deal but Portsmouth Football Club in general, then a few more weeks, even if they are 'difficult', must be worth it, right?

I maintain my belief - despite admittedly having my doubts at times and people telling me not to keep this blind faith anymore - that Dr SAF's takeover will go through.

I also maintain the thoughts, maybe hopes, that we will bring in good honest professional footballers that will do enough to ensure that we survive next season, we then build from there...

To be honest, my thoughts about the quality of these players are they will not be as talented as the ones we have sold/will sell - you then have the issues with justifying the costs involved, but that is for another day - yet they will be committed and more often than not this commitment, as the underdog if you will, is worth more.

Would we get any less effort and commitment from lesser players this season than we did the 'superstars' last season, which then asks the question would results be any less?

But, and here is the but, I believe that growth will come from this and after this season, with a much greater emphasis put onto the development route, with better players also signed in time - do not expect 'ready made' superstars though, superstars in the making could be the way...

This never was going to be an 'instant fix', the way it 'looks' to be going is the way, albeit with a few more players leaving that I thought, as I just about expected it to - like I say, a couple more leaving that I expect!

In all honesty my main gripe at the moment is the lack of official informational being given to the fans by the club...

There are many issues that 'could', and for me 'should' be spoken about and info given to us but we are not getting this. Ok, we cannot talk too much about the takeover, but elements of this could be discussed without having any impact on it. Talk that players have gone off to speak to other clubs after offers have been accepted could be confirmed, maybe even explained or justified..

Without a doubt the issues with our kit and shirt sponsors after the Canterbury news and what have you as to what state we are at with this - as none of us know - should be explained on the Pompey Site, right?

It should not be down to likes of Vital Pompey, and other fans sites, to have to chase down info from the club or hunt down what is being told to other media outlets and so on about issues that are going on - the official website is the first port of call for most fans, as when it is on there you take it as gospel right, even if you do not like it!

These fans sites are doing a fantastic job at the moment, and I am not just saying that as I am involved with a wonderful one here, but we are not the ones that should have to go out and find this info, this info should find us...

So, this is where my patience is running thin - we plough a lot of money into the club so is it too much to ask for a little more info back?

Like I say, I remain convinced that this deal will happen, and when it does in the long-term it will be a really good thing for Portsmouth Football Club and us - this is not just hope, or thoughts judged on what limited info 'might' be being fed to me, things cannot have been any worse than they were, it might not be looking much brighter at the moment than it was, but it will be.

So, 'keep patient for a while longer' - gawd, how many times have we said this! My thinking is it would be easier to do this though if Pompey gave us back a little bit more though...

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Writer: pompeyrug

Date:Thursday July 16 2009

Time: 3:10PM

Your Comments

july 24th. That's the (aparant) date. If things get delayed any further, we will be in serious trouble.

pompeycarpet

I hope your right pompeyrug i really do. Looking at the news today that Distin could be off next does not look good i really am starting to worry patience is one thing for sure but you must be a little worried by the activity going on?

pompeyboy81

Patience we have & it's being stretched. The fear is the selling of very good experienced prem players & replacing with???

storagematt

lets hope its done soon, cos ive got no patiences.

PompeyFcMad

i will be worried if 'only 5 or 6' players came in, as it looks like we 'could' be left with only 13 professionals, and 7 first year pros by the time the deal is done... 18-19 professionals, unless there is enough quality in that, might not be enough?
im more worried, and annoyed, with the lack of official word the fans are getting from the club on various issues that we could do with some light being shed on!

like carpet, i think if we get around to 24th, at the very, very latest the week after, without any more developments and another player or two light, worry is something i will do more off

pompeyrug

Yep, going to try and hang in there. A week tomorrow. Seems a lifetime away, but maybe if it is nearing completion next week such that it seems like a given, we may even get some comms to state that is the case. If the Dr SAF story is true, then we can hope for a level of communications at the complete opposite end of the scale in years to come.

Pompeytim

The guys involved in the takeover must know what they are doing,,after all we are talking a significant amount of money changing hands,here.They MUST have something up their sleeves surely,

JASON R

It's not only us that needs to be patient. Apparently Bhasera has spent the past two weeks on trial and his manager is quoted as saying "He’s been there for two weeks and for now we are still waiting for them to come back to us regarding a deal should they be interested,” Motaung said at the Orlando Stadium.

cornypomp

Patience yep I've demonstrated over the last 6-8 weeks that I have loads, but what is winding me up more than anything is ourselves.. yes us ! .. Sure we have heard nothing official .. but why would we this is a multi-million pound deal in the business world. Like it or not we are not entitled to know what is going on - They will not jepordise the deal by leaking information or offering statements that can be turned and twisted by the media. Last summer on this very site 'some' were stating that Peter Storrie and the club should say nothing unless they have something to say.. Now becuase it suits we don't want him to do that anymore - Come on Pompey fans we are turning into the biggest moaners of the premiership .. sure it's been a while but these things take time .. and another thing.. Why are some of you hanging your hat on the 24th ... that was just a date given in an arabian paper buy Dr SAF spokesperson who actually said 'I'll be surprized if it isn't completed by the 24th' he didn't it would be the 24th It is just his view .. So I'll say it again as I did yesterday EVERYBODY CHILL It will happen in due course and lets hope theyknow what they are doing .. Storrie has (despite what some think) always had the club at the centre of was he is doing and Dr SAF is a successfull businessman - I think they know how to handle this .. don't you ??.. Apologies for the rant but I do feel better now ;)

Chix

You have to imagine that plans have been made, the prospective owners won't want to see their investment devalued by relegation or wait until January; toooo risky

russellm

And the new kit is out on 21st July, which is quite soon, all you pessimists, with an 'elite home shirt' being knocked out for a hundred quid - blimey it must be gold plated or something!

Et_tu_Pompeii

Good call Chix. But I do think it's good therapy for us to vent our anguish on here - well at least a little anyway! It sounds melodramatic to say we're all going through the mill with this, but I think we actually are! I'm remaining positive, but do have occasional moments, e.g. seeing Crouch off for talks and Distin 'rumoured' to be off when I have a wobbles in my confidence. But 100% correct that we don't have a right to know everything in this situation and should stay positive. If we weren't hopeless optimists we wouldn't be Pompey fans, right?!

Pompeytim

You can't blame fans for worrying Chix, we have been in a state of limbo since the end of the season. We are watching the only players we have worth keeping being sold. We have yet to replace anyone although theres a rumour abot a free transfer from Blackburn, in all honesty what will he add to the squad? If i was Dr SAF i'd be looking to renegotiate the deal with the playing staff having been weakend so much, and if the price didn't come down significantly i'd walk away. I don't care how much money he has to spend we have to be odds on for relegation. For the record i'm usually filled with optimism in the pre season thinking how great we will be, how we can't do worse than last season. I'm afraid this protracted saga has me even questioning if i can be bothered to go to FP this season. I've loved Pompey since my first match over 30 years ago but i thought we'd left the laughing stock days behind us.

Steve C

chix i understand the patience thing ... but if youre talking about a business takeover isnt there like a gentlemanly agreement that the guy selling doesnt strip and sell the best assets before exchange of contracts - as thats violation of the agreement! if i went to buy a recently renovated house and wanted to pay £250000 for it id be buggered if i would agree to that price if I found out those "nice victorian fireplaces" had been ripped out, and the whole house had been gutted leaving me with a toilet and half a soggy bog roll! something seriously dodgy is/has been going on.. and it stinks of pompey post millenium!

pompey--pessimist

I'm inclined to agree with you Pompey--Pessimist something very odd is going on.

Steve C

Its been a long long summer - its very difficult not to worry about it - I think we're all doing our best and trying to hang in there, but we have to believe! We've been through worse and I'm sure in time we'll look back on it and almost forget this waiting time. And you can't hang your hat on anything that's being said until we know for sure.

tracyc

i was reading the article in the pompey news and dr saf spokesman said "i would be surprised if he signed 5 players" if we want to 'stabilise' the club this season we need to sigh some half decent players. cos at the mo we have a tiny sqaud and a few really good players. ie kranjcar james crouch(?) so we need alot more than 5 playyers to survive this season. so if it does happen dis thursday they will have to move swiftely to get some players.

pompeycook

Looks like it is down to the Editorial team to try and explain the situation and ask for patience and I am happy to tow the line.

I am aware that there is rioting on the streets and the News is doing it's best to fuel it with banners like 'Angry fans lash out!'. They do nothing to help the difficult situation the club finds itself in and show why they are banned from the club and talking to the players.

As Chi says Dr SAF is a successfull businessman and is not intent on asset stripping the club the has a plan and it will be carried through. Why the club are selling players I do not know and where the money goes to is also unknown - presumably it will affect the price and enable Sasha to pay off Standard Bank.

We must WAIT until Dr SAF takes over the club and launches his master plan which has been prepared by his staff and worked on by himself. What alternative is there?

eastneydave

follow the lot down the road where everything is sorting itself out .... LOL IM JOKING =)

pompey--pessimist

Some days ahm chillin' and some days ahm not.....

Gandor1

I am sure that sasha has talked with Al Fahim about selling our players - after all, the last thing anyone wants, is for us to NOT be sold, AND have no players. However, we are fast running out of time to bring players in, and we are also losing our best players. Next week is going to be a big week, with the new kit, and the takeover (hopefully) completing. I really hope it isn't all an anti-climax though!

pompeycarpet

just as well the docs not into asset stripping there'll be nothing left to strip if it's not sorted pdq

Steve C

Well said Chix - considering there's no news out there there's an awful lot of rubbish being written. However hard it is we just have to hang on in there. PUP.

NorfolknBlue

i accept and understand that various issues of the takeover cannot be discussed but surely official word can be given on the state of affairs with crouch, have we or have we not signed mokoena - is it just the work permit we are waiting for, whats the deal with canterbury and our kits. ok, these things 'might' be being spoken about to someone but why can we not be hearing about them on the official site and why is it needing fans to chase these matters up to get answers...

pompeyrug

Like most of you have said, the new owners have it all prepared. They just cannot talk about anything unless they are 100% sure of. This goes the same to the Official Pompey Website. For instance, Storrie was dealing with Al-Fahim a few good weeks before the news was announced, but he just couldn't make it official. I agree Rug, that if PFC Official Website give us more news, we will be stronger, but that is how it is, and eventually how it will remain.

Pompey Malta

Regarding players, I am sure that our current 'squad' will give its best next season. The major doubt is - do they have quality?? I am sure that Mullins is a very dedicated player, but his 100% commitment on the field is nowhere near the 50% needed.

Pompey Malta

This is a first for me to comment on this site, although I have been a regular reader for some time since moving from UK. Over the last 5-6 weeks like most other Pompey fans worldwide, I have been scouring the net for any info out there regarding the takeover and sad to say there has been very little official word on the streets. However regardless of all the bad press and pessimism going around I refuse to let it get to me. I remain really positive and firmly believe in the long run this is going to be the best thing to happen to our great club. Over the last few years we have all become acutely aware of what a financial burden running a club can be and you only have to look at some of the 'big' clubs now struggling in lower divisions through a combination of mismanagement, overspending on over priced, over rated money hungry players holding clubs at gun point. Jamie’s Dad brought great times and great players but at what cost??? He also bought more than a fair share of average players, that would be too long to list here, on over inflated wages just because he wanted a 'big' squad. We are paying that price right now and I am pleased that we are biting the bullet. I would rather have a club than none at all! Yes sure, to survive in the top league you need pace, experience, technical ability, a physical strength and many more attributes, but how many of these attributes were shown by these players that are now leaving? Only a couple right? We all complain about players not giving a stuff about their clubs anymore, or having any pride in the shirt they wear. It just so happens we are having a clean sweep now and yes some very good players are leaving but none that are irreplaceable (unlike Diarra). This is where I would like to talk about Paul Hart, he has shown us, the fans and the club an unstinting loyalty, aka Joe Jordan, and what does everyone do? Jump on his back! When all he does is shows us all the loyalty we crave for all we do is put the boot in. I don’t get it? He was dealt a very poor hand last season but he made a fist out of it and did the job. Yes I watched all games shown live at stupid o'clock in the morning here in Melbourne on Fox Sports and was frustrated and unimpressed with his selections and pragmatism, most times, but it was survival after all and we were in free fall. What we need to remember is his ability to identify talented youth players bring them through and develop them into top players, that is exciting and what needs to happen at Pompey if the club are to become successful in the next decade. Many seem to forget his achievements at Forest when he gave Pompey a really good run in our promotion season and I remember he was renowned for introducing the 'diamond formation' and playing attractive football. He also had great success with the Leeds youth team. Dr SAF is right we need to keep Paul Hart at the helm for the time being, wait till the 24th as I believe we have several players lined up to come in (O'Neil, Benjani who both give 110%) along with other young stars. Regarding Mokoena, this is also a clever move, yeah he hasn't set any trees alight in the premiership but he looked good at centre half for the Bafana Bafana in the recent Confederations Cup and what better exposure for Pompey in Africa next year to have the captain of the host World Cup nation in our team playing alongside another African, Kaboul in the heart of Pompey’s defence. Let’s all give Paul a chance, after all it will truly be his team and he will have to answer to his critics then. Its not the right time to bring in a big name like Mancini spend big bucks and not be able to afford it further down the road, there are plenty of young players out there hungry for success, able to acquit themselves in the premiership and without a shadow of doubt (I believe) behind the scenes Paul Hart and Storrie have already indentified targets and sounded them out and don't forget our own wonder kids in waiting Matt Ritchie and Khaleem Hyland? I feel all the frustration and the pain but we all have to keep the faith. The club have always needed strong direction and a vision; Milan and Sacha have taken us as far as they have been able to on this journey. It sounds as if the finishing touch is about to become a reality with Dr SAF. I am constantly dreaming and dare to wonder that he will deliver the full package successful club, training ground, Fratton and then Horsea. Ok yes it sounds corny but as Obama coined that phrase YES WE CAN!! So should Pompey. Instead of being worried about matters that are out of our hands lets celebrate the good times that are around the corner of that I am sure, I just have a really good feeling that this time next week the world will suddenly seem all BLUE ARMY!!!

Puertoboco

Jesus Puerto, mate that needs an index and chapters I do feel sorry for Portsmouth fans and what you are going through. If you lose Crouch and Distin you will be lucky to have the resources to put 11 on the park and seven on the bench. Even if good news is announced on the 24th and a new manager announced shortly thereafter there will be not much time to buy the 6-10 quality signings that you need.

TeddyLyon

How bad is it at Pompey if Distin is willing to take a '20k a week' pay cut to leave? The good Doctor just better have a number of things up his sleeve or we're doomed, I'll tell ye, doomed. Next week I want to read about his (very) short term plans as well as the medium and long and say, " Ah, yes, of course, it was so obvious, now I understand, it all makes sense." BUT I am becoming very worried and the words 'rats', 'ship' and 'sinking' keep slipping into my mind.

Et_tu_Pompeii

Puertoboco welcome to Vital Pompey and a great first comment .. But I'm sure it was Bob the Builder and not Obama who coined the phrase YES WE CAN ?.. only joking and trying to add a little light relief .. I guess although we all have different views we all have on thing in common.. we can't wait for it all to be over and the football to start

Chix

another fine way to introduce yourself to vital pompey Puertoboco, another comment that is worth exposure as an article in its own right perhaps?

pompeyrug

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