Fan ownership?

It is something that has reared its head a few times but the 'potential' of Portsmouth football club becoming 'fan owned' has taken its first steps to realisation with a pledge scheme announced from The Pompey Supporters Trust being launched.

Could it realistically happen?

Well, only time would tell but do we really have any other options?

Personally I am as unconvinced now, as I have been for most of the past recent months, that any 'serious' bidder is out there, so there probably is not any other option...

This scheme is based on a pledge of £1000 needed, £100 of which is down-payable - with this secured, minus a 2.5% administration fee.

Can enough pledges be given for enough money to be raised though?

Again I do not know but without anything available, again I say do we have another option?

Next season will be a struggle, financially and potentially football wise, but with more of the 'big earners' out of contract at the end of the 2012/13 season then there is a 'decent' chance that PFC can be put onto a decent footing in the years after that with us run in a sustainable manor...

'If' serious monies can be raised and 'if' this can come off then the next questions are who actually looks to form a board and how will they run the club?

Some have had visions of someone(s) from The Trust board acting as 'owner' or 'chairman' making decisions, but realistically this is not going to happen is it, people qualified to do such things will be put in place but decisions to safeguard our future will be made.

How are the day-to-day running costs of PFC meet? Again this is a question that needs answering, but must have been seriously looked at.

Going back to 'getting enough pledges' for starters.

In this day and age £1000 is a lot of money, even if only £100 is down-payable now so it is a concern that getting enough will be tough?

As I understand, there is nothing to stop people 'clubbing together' to form a kind of 'mini consortium' of a pledge, so x-amount of people could make up this share pledge, right?

If 10 came in as one pledge then that is 'as little' as £100 each, just £10 up front and even though, for many, £10, let alone £100, is not to be scoffed at these days, I suspected many of us could still easily blow this - £10 for sure, maybe even £100 - fairly easily!

The floor with this theory of plan is that to reach 5000 pledges, alone, then these mini consortiums would consist of potentially 50,000 fans in total alone just to raise £5m, and that will not do much would it...

I suspect some people can afford more than £1000, so can they pledge more?

Everything else aside my major concerns are, well remain, all the while the likes of Balram Chainrai and Sacha Gaydamak lurk in the background we never know what 'hidden surprises' they have for us - so they need to be paid off to leave...

Until they go, and everything belongs to PFC again can we ever prosper?

I am still unsure as to what the score is with them to be honest.

I was under the impression that the remaining parachute payment money was earmarked to pay them off - does the next chunk that comes out fully pay off Gaydamak? And how much of what is left next season - is next season the last, or do we have more the year after? - pays-off Chainrai?

Then of course we have the issue of the land that Gaydamak owns.

Like I say until this, and everything else that should be owned by PFC again, is owned by the club then moves to make the club extra revenue, development of Fratton Park etc. incorporating areas to generate extra funds, cannot happen.

Clearly this is a complex situation, it is a difficult thing to look to achieve but is not impossible.

This has been, and will continue to be, seriously looked into with careful consideration having been given - it clearly is not as easy as 'lets buy the club' by any means!

In all honesty I could not pledge £1000, I cannot lie - I do not have this to spare...

Although I would certainly form a mini consortium with others though for us to group our funds together to make that £1000 pledge.

As much as The Trust can be knocked at times, I have in the past I cannot lie with some things, but can anyone knock the time, effort, commitment and dedication being put in to try and do something to safeguard our future - at least proactive steps are being taken to try and secure this!

Plenty of answers need to be answered, and I am sure that they will...

In the meantime more on The PST 'pre-share scheme' can be found - here.

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