Sep 01

Football League to decide on Balram Chainrai’s takeover of Portsmouth

• Board will decide whether to give businessman green light
• Club lost Marc Wilson and Tommy Smith in late transfers

Balram Chainrai’s proposed takeover of Portsmouth could take a decisive step next week when a meeting of the Football League board will decide next Thursday whether to ratify the Hong Kong businessman again taking control of the club.

Chainrai was in charge of Portsmouth last season when it was forced into administration during a troubled 18 months, which featured four different owners and severe financial mismanagement, and ended in relegation from the Premier League.

The club exited administration after its creditors voted to agree a Company Voluntary Agreement that pays each of them 20p in the pound over five years, which amounts to around £16m.

If Chainrai does become the new owner he faces a challenge to maintain Portsmouth’s Championship status. An already skeletal squad lost Marc Wilson, the captain, and Tommy Smith during the transfer window before it shut yesterday, with Liam Lawrence and Dave Kitson joining Steve Cotterill’s team.

PortsmouthBusinessJamie Jacksonguardian.co.uk

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Aug 28

Portsmouth 0-2 Cardiff City | Championship match report

Jay Bothroyd fired Cardiff joint top of the Championship after Portsmouth were swept aside at Fratton Park with the visitors’ loan signing Craig Bellamy running the show. Bothroyd forced an own goal from Hayden Mullins before the interval and doubled the lead early in the second half thanks to more calamitous defending by the home side.

These two sides met in the FA Cup final just over two years ago but are heading in different directions these days. Pompey, who won that Wembley encounter, are still in administration and could name only four substitutes again. They now sit at the bottom of the division while Cardiff are dreaming of the Premier League.

The hosts made a bright start and Marc Wilson, in what is expected to be his last game for the club before a move to the top flight, drilled a 10th-minute free-kick which David Marshall did well to keep out.

Moments later the hosts got their first taste of Bellamy’s threat when he fed Chris Burke and then tore into the penalty area to meet the winger’s cross, only to fire narrowly wide. John Utaka, back in the Pompey attack after injury, also shot too high and Ibrahima Sonko headed over the crossbar.

But it was Cardiff who went ahead eight minutes before the break after Wilson lost possession in the middle of the park. Burke scampered clear to cross into the area and the ball found its way into the net off the shin of Mullins, who was under pressure from Bothroyd.

Marshall preserved City’s lead shortly before the break with a fine save from David Nugent’s drive, and Cardiff were gifted the second goal by another mix-up in the Pompey defence which left Bothroyd with an open net to score his sixth goal of the season in the 49th minute.

Cardiff were now cruising and they could afford to give Bellamy an early finish, taking off the Wales skipper with 12 minutes remaining.

ChampionshipPortsmouthCardiff Cityguardian.co.uk

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Aug 23

Portsmouth reject fresh West Brom bid for Marc Wilson

• West Brom reported to have bid £3m plus add-ons
• Portsmouth administrator says Wilson is not for sale

West Bromwich Albion have had a second bid for the Portsmouth utility player Marc Wilson rejected.

The Albion manager, Roberto Di Matteo, signed the Nigeria forward Peter Odemwingie from Lokomotiv Moscow and the Cameroon midfielder Somen Tchoyi from Salzburg last week. However, an offer for Wilson, 23, who can play in defence or midfield, has been knocked back by Pompey’s administrator, Andrew Andronikou.

Andronikou told the Portsmouth News: “West Brom offered us £3m plus add-ons but that has been turned down. Steve Cotterill does not want to sell such an important player. At the moment, as a club he is not a player we have identified to sell.”

Odemwingie made a goalscoring debut for Albion against Sunderland at the weekend but may miss tomorrow’s Carling Cup second-round tie at Leyton Orient with Di Matteo looking to rest key players.

Tchoyi has not been able to hit the ground running like Odemwingie and Di Matteo believes it could be a number of weeks before the player is match-fit.

“Somen is a bit behind fitness-wise,” Di Matteo said. “He has been travelling a lot to get his move sorted out so it will take him a while to get up to speed. He’s unconditioned at the moment. It’s difficult to say if it will take two, three or four weeks.”

Another player set to miss out against the Os is midfielder Jerome Thomas, who twisted his ankle in the win over Sunderland and had to be replaced by Giles Barnes at half-time.

West BromPortsmouthTransfer windowguardian.co.uk

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