If you have been reading my editorials over the years, you’ll know one of my biggest pet hates is the sense of entitlement that pervades the fans of successful clubs. Our fans are as bad as any – we get a bit of success and suddenly nothing is good enough. The club doesn’t sign the latest Next Big Thing for the GDP of a small African republic and suddenly we feel let down. The hysteria mounts. The world comes crashing down, and we as fans, get to see our very own letting the club down in ways we never thought possible in the Good Old Bad Old Days. So spare a thought if you will for the well-documented plight of those less fortunate than ourselves. Already this Summer we’ve had to endure the heartbreaking sight of Scottish football tearing its own heart out for some misplaced hatred of Rangers and what they stand for. They are our Blues Brothers and it is so sad to see what they have seen happen to their ancient, glorious club. Their fans will, I know, be welcome in our pubs and in our home any time – not that that is much consolation I expect.
Another sad episode looks like it is closing to a head. Another club close to the hearts of many, (none more so than I – I grew up in that famous, historic city and love it as a second home), Portsmouth Football Club look just days away from liquidation. It is safe to say there are not many fellow Chelsea who do not have a soft spot for the team in Blue from Fratton Park, even if the links are not as fraternal as those with our cousins from north of the border, as we’ve had our fair share of run ins over the years. I don’t claim to speak for my brothers. But I like them. I always have. Now there are reports that they have only eight senior players, they have imposed a five grand a week wage cap, and are depending on Tal Ben Haim, Dave Kitson and Kanu not to sue the club for their missing wages, as they will certainly go for good if they do. Our own Trevor Birch is fighting fires down there.
How can it have come to this?
Its just so bloody tragic.
I’m sure I’m not the only one who remembers the Save The Bridge buckets and the scaremongering in the press in the Bates era about our loans being called in. It could have been us. Trevor Birch could tell you a few things I bet about how close we came. But it is happening to Pompey.
I’ll get to the point. It struck me during my last SOTN how many of our kids and reserves we have available for loan this coming season. And it occurred to me that the list is substantial as it is luminary.
What I thought was – what if we loaned Pompey a job lot of our promising kids. With eight senior players on the roster it is safe to say they’ll get more games than poor Josh did at Swansea last season. Say we loaned them six or seven players. We agree to pay their wages, they get guaranteed first team football, albeit in League One. I’m not suggesting the likes of Nat Chalobah, Thorgan Hazard, Gael Kakuta, Kevin de Bruyne, Romelu Lukaku or Oriol Romeu – if they go out on loan it should be to a Premiership team or perhaps to La Liga.
I’m talking about the likes of Ben Gordon (yes I know he’s gone to Brum on loan but will be back in six months), Aziz Deen-Conteh, Milan Lalkovic, Sam Walker, Patrick Bamford, Rohan Ince (again, when he comes back from Yeovil), perhaps one or two of the Muzonda brothers? Johnny Swift would be a classic example – he’d be a legend down there, not least because he’s a Gosport boy born and bred. It may be a little below Sam Hutchison’s level but might the guaranteed games work for him? Seems to me like Pompey need some leaders. There are a number of others.
Give them the benefit of our kids. We’ve invested a lot, and I think the combination of guaranteed games and the possibility of playing many together should be of huge benefit. Playing alongside the best kids in the British game can only be of benefit to Pompey’s kids. They have always had some class youngsters down there and perhaps this is a boost they could really use.
Longer term, we’re not suggesting Pompey become our feeder club. Quite the opposite. I’m suggesting we do what we can to help them, in a way they can only be of benefit to us. They are a proud cub with a proud history and I am not saying they should be our B side. When the time comes for them to stand on their own feet again and rebuild their club on their own, they should – we should not get in the way of that. This is just to give them the chance to make it – and we do very well out of it ourselves.
Could a motivated, hungry mixture of Pompey’s best and brightest and our youngsters get Pompey out of League One, even with a ten point deduction?
I have no idea, but it would be nice to dream.
So what do you reckon dear readers? Would a petition work?
Please feel free to sign your name below and if we get enough names I’ll maybe stand outside the Bridge a couple of times in the next couple of home games and if we get a worthwhile amount of names, then why not – sure, I’ll send it to the club and see what they have to say.
CAREFREE.
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