Are Pompey heading for the Championship?

I felt a feeling of Deja Vu as I watched new Portsmouth owner Suliaman Al Fahim take his seat for the first time at Fratton Park on Sunday. Now I’m sure lots of you also had this feeling of watching a replica shirt wearing new owner trying to endear himself to his new faithful.

Now of course the first time I saw this was Newcastle owner Mike Ashley and I’m afraid the same scenario that happened at Newcastle is set to happen at Portsmouth. It looks like the club is heading for the Championship just like Newcastle.

Just as at Newcastle Pompey have spent money they simple didn’t have and are now suffering the consequences. Ex-chairman Alexandre Gaydamak has to shoulder some of the blame, as he sanctioned deals that Pompey realistically couldn’t afford.

There is even a fear amongst some of their fans that club could do what their local rivals Southampton did and drop through the leagues. This fear could become reality if new owner Suliaman Al Fahim doesn’t get a grip of the clubs perilous finances.

The Departures

I feel for the fans of the South Coast club they have been dealt a heavy blow this summer losing most of their best players, leaving just the players that couldn’t attract a move elsewhere. The likes of Sylvain Distin, Peter Crouch, Glen Johnson and Niko Kranjcar are the sort players that any team would miss and Pompey really couldn’t afford to lose players of their quality, after narrowly avoiding relegation last season.

The Last Man Standing

I also feel sorry for Portsmouth boss Paul Hart hes been doing a good job by keeping the club stable despite losing most of his star players. He’s a man that conducts himself with good grace and deserves a lot of credit for the work hes done at Fratton Park. I don’t think there are many managers who could do anymore than Hart’s done in the circumstances.

The Arrivals

The signings Paul Hart has managed to make before the transfer window shut were less than inspiring. The signing that caught my eye and reason why I am writing this article is that of Tommy Smith from Watford for a reported fee of £1.75million.

Now don’t get me wrong Tommy will work his socks off for any club he plays for and can score goals at Championship level, but that’s exactly where he should be. I fear he will be out of his depth in the Premier League. Just like Portsmouth are after a summer of turmoil.

The other signings are foreign players who will take time to learn the culture of the country and the pace of the Premier League. I have seen new signing from Lyon Frederic Piquionne play in Ligue 1 and quite frankly he couldn’t hit a cows backside with a banjo. He is also known as the striker who doesn’t score in France, now thats not exactly a good reputation to have as a forward.

The signing of midfielder Michael Brown from Wigan for a small fee is a desperate signing and an indication that the Championship is where the club will be next season. I have to admit I’m not a big fan of the tough tackling midfielder.

I have to admit I know little to nothing about Hassan Yebda the loaning signing from Benfica, so i couldn’t comment on his qualities. I have seen striker Aruna Dindane play a few times and he is a decent finisher with pace and a bit of skill thrown in, so he isn’t a total loss and with the player arriving on-loan Portsmouth have nothing to lose.

Jamie O’Hara from Tottenham on-loan could also be a decent signing. He works hard and can occasionally provide some much needed creativity. Tal Ben Haim could also be a good signing. The Israeli is a run of the mill centre-back, who has failed to impress at a number of clubs since being a success at Bolton earlier in his career.

Anthony Vanden Borre arriving on-loan could be the best signing that Paul Hart has made this summer. The Belgian youngster has something to prove, after not fulfilling his potential in Serie A with Genoa. He is a versatile player who has played at right-back, centre-half and on the right side of midfield. He will offer the Portsmouth boss good cover in those positions.

Last but not least the £4million signing from Tottenham Kevin Prince-Boateng. The fans at Tottenham have saw more of the invisible man than the German under-21 international in his two years at White Hart Lane. He also has failed to live up to big expectations and he will be expected to perform better at Portsmouth than he did at Spurs.

The New Owner

The new owner Suliaman Al Fahim completed his takeover on the 26st August, after a long wait for all the details to be completed. Details of Al Fahim financial situation are still sketchy. However he is a promising businessman and his company Hydra properties signed £1billion worth of projects in its first two years.

I just hope for the Pompey fans that he does invest big in their club. His arrival came too late for him to be able to give Paul Hart a chance of sufficiently replaced the stars lost. However if there is investment in players in January, maybe just maybe Pompey could survive, but like most Pompey fans I fear that they will playing Championship football next season.