Portsmouth have become the first Premier League side in history to go into administration.

The news broke this morning that the current owner, Balram Chainrai, had been unable to find another investor for the club and Pompey now face the certainty of relegation.

Portsmouth have been a club in financial trouble for a long time and the hard work of many people trying to keep the club above water has proved fruitless. This news will no doubt dent the immediate future of the club greatly and they could well face successive relegations into the lower leagues.

Chainrai’s spokesperson said: “He hasn’t made a penny out of the club. He was asked in October to put in £17million as a loan, for six weeks, and he agreed to do that.”

“At the end of six weeks he expected his money to be returned and that didn’t happen. He gave them a bit of a grace period but the loan wasn’t repaid so in January he took over the shares of the club.”

“The club’s debt is too great. He (Chainrai) was also given false promises when he came in. He was told the club had certain debts but didn’t know that Premier League rules say football debts become a priority, that money owed on transfers must be paid first.”

“He asked the questions and was given answers and assurances that turned out not to be true. Having put £17million of his own money in unfortunately he found the club facing a winding-up order on Monday.”

“He had a choice of allowing the club to go into administration, for someone to go in and try to bring it back into a stronger financial position. He feels he’s a victim – the club have been overwhelmed by these debts and he is a reluctant owner.”

It is difficult to see what the next move for Portsmouth is. They will no doubt be stripped of all valuable assets, which will leave the club with a first team that would struggle to compete in a league like the Championship.

The other factor to consider is whether the club can still be run as a business. If it is decided that they cannot then the club could end up being dissolved, which would cause the Premier League a huge headache in deciding the best way to share out valuable points.

Portsmouth fans deserve some credit for sticking with their side through thick and thin. No doubt this news will have eradicated the recent memory of an FA Cup win over local rivals, Southampton.

All the fans ever asked for was transparency and they have finally got it in the worst possible form. The next move is vital and the fans will have to stay strong, even though they may feel like throwing in the towel.

The spokesman added: “He’s been left holding the baby but he wants to do what’s right… he feels this is the right solution. Buying a business with a huge debt around its neck is not an attractive proposition – but there are parties who say they are interested. Some of them may be interested if they are on a stronger financial footing.”

While football’s a physical game that’s played on the pitch, it’s also a thinking person’s game that can often be won and lost on the drawing board. This is because like a chess match, the sport is open to many different tactics, and one of the most important strategies in soccer is to know which formation to use for each game. In fact, some observers feel there is too much thinking and planning going on and not enough action on the field.

Formations are described as the number of players in each area from the defensive line outwards. For example 2-3-5 means two defenders, three midfielders and five forwards. While the numbers describe the formation, it’s the attitude and style of play that dictates the game. For instance, a 3-5-2 formation can be used as a defensive or an offensive formation, depending on the system of play a team uses.

Up until the 1950s it was common for teams to use the 2-3-5 formation, which meant there were two full backs, three midfielders, two wingers, two inside forwards and a center forward. This is a very offense-oriented formation which is almost never used in modern football. Some people say the game started going downhill once this formation was abandoned in favor of more defensive systems, and it’s hard to argue with them.

The most common formation in today’s game is the 4-4-2, which is four defenders, four midfielders and two forwards. However, as the sport has grown older, many managers have experimented with different variations of team formations, such as 4-4-1-1, and 4-5-1.

Player formations can be a very controversial topic with supporters, and a manager is often open for criticism if the formation used is unsuccessful. Most fans are very opinionated on this issue and it seems they will be for years to come. This could be because many teams are only using one or two forwards and this is often viewed as a negative tactic by many fans and coaches.

A team’s formation is often changed as the game goes on, depending on how it is working out and the score of the game. Adaptability is the key to success. If a team is trying to hold on to a lead it will often put on an extra defender and if they’re trailing you’ll usually see another attacker brought on the pitch. However, this usually leads to the question of why wasn’t the attacker on in the first place?

You’ll often see teams change their style of play when they’re facing different opponents. But this isn’t always the best thing to do. You should know what your team’s strengths are and play to them. If you’re changing your style to match the other team’s way of playing, then you’re at a disadvantage as they are presumably better at it than you are. There are too many coaches who are worried about the other team, when they should actually be letting the other team worry about them.

You should choose your formation based on your team’s strengths, while trying to exploit the other teams’ weaknesses.

Is Glen Johnson going to be the missing piece in the jigsaw to help Liverpool win the Championship or Champions League next season? Probably not but the 17.5 million pound acquisition of the England full-back from Portsmouth is certainly going to give the Reds more depth and strength. Rafa Benitez has already made it clear that we can expect one or two more important signings and though he insists Alvaro Arbeloa is still wanted at Liverpool, a bid from Real Madrid would put some extra cash into the coffers. Expect that to be on the table any day soon.

Johnson, still only 24, has made great strides over the last year or two, winning a regular place in the England team and looking a great prospect for the future. Although he was important at Chelsea, he was given limited chances but proved his worth following his move to Portsmouth in 2007.

Pompey paid four million pounds for Johnson and his outstanding season at Fratton Park pushed his price tag up more than four-fold. However, Benitez said it was well worth spending out a bit more than anticipated to bring in a player he regards as very good and still improving. Benitez told the Liverpool FC website that his first priority was to improve the team and bring in players of quality. However, it was also important for the Champions League onslaught that Johnson is English.

Benitez said his pre-signing conversations with the right-back were very impressive. He liked his mentality and described him as a winner who wants to continue to get better. Manchester City and Chelsea obviously felt the same as both had been challenging for Johnson.

On this occasion, there was no dragging of feet by Liverpool who proved just how much they wanted him by acting swiftly and without delay. The 17.5 million price tag is likely to prove quite a bargain, given today’s crazy market and should Johnson ever decide to leave Liverpool in due course, the board should get a good return for their money. However, Johnson’s deal is for four years and given no injuries and continued form, he’s almost certain to become a regular in the squad.

Arbeloa, meantime, has just one year left on his contract and must be feeling pushed out, despite Benitez’s assurances. He joined Liverpool in January 2007 for 2.6 million from Deportivo La Coruna and that price tag is going to be considerably multiplied. Fans are saying the Reds still need another big name to finalise their squad in order to take the title away from Manchester United or to lift the European Cup. What a shame David Villa has opted to stay at Valencia. Or has he?

New Wigan Athletic manager, Roberto Martinez, has made his first signing at the club with the news that Jordi Gomez has signed from Espanyol. Gomez played under Martinez while he was on loan at Swansea City and the current boss clearly feels that the Spaniard can do a job at the highest level of English football.

It is an interesting move and it will be interesting to see if it works out. Gomez has proved that he can play in a number of positions but he seems to be most effective on either the left or right wing. The problem is that he has had all of his success at Championship level and the critics say he will struggle in the Premier League as it is so much harder to play where he does.

Martinez said: “Jordi is a real quality player, [has] a great left foot and is extremely pleasing on the eye as a player. I have no doubts in my mind that he will do well in the Premier League. I think he can go all the way in the game, and to play in the Premier League is the next step in his career.”

At just under £2 million it could turn out to be a fantastic bit of business if the move turns out to be a stroke of genius. If it doesn’t then it could leave Martinez with some egg on his face as he may be forced to spend even more money at the turn if the year, when the January trasnfer window opens up.

However, Wigan fans should be optimistic and have some faith in their new boss. Nobody knew who Gomez was when he first arrived in England and now he is a name that a lot of people are talking about. Martinez seems to be a very srewd boss who trusts his eye for the under rated player. If Gomez can start the season in peak fitness and hit the ground running then there is no reason why he can’t have an impact.

After all he must have some talent because Espanyol would not have signed him up in the first place if he was a bit rubbish. The point is that at such a small fee, it is good value for money in a world where the modern game continues to throw up silly amounts of cash that are exchanging hands for the services of one player.

A lot of Championship standard players get taken into the Premier League after they have had amazing seasons at their clubs and Gomez was by far and away the stand out player for Swansea last term. He scored 14 times and was able to provide an impressive number of assists.

Wigan may not have been the only Premier League team tracking him but with such massive financial and other pressures on the modern game, it seems that Martinez was the only person willing to take a gamble and it is a huge one considering the impending exit of Antonio Valencia.

Former Premier League giants, Southampton, could steal away a number of high profile individuals that would fit in well at Newcastle United for their vacant managerial position. The Saints were relegated last season to League One and a shortlist including Kevin Keegan and Alan Shearer has been drawn up to find someone to help the club bounce back.

It is really interesting and staggering news when you consider that both Keegan and Shearer had been favourites to be named as Newcastle coach when Mike Ashley had been able to sell the sinking ship to someone who is probably even madder than he is. It would be a terrific coup for Southampton if they manage to get either of them to sign on but Keegan is being tipped as the hot favourite at this stage.

You have to give credit to Southampton for trying to attract high calibre people for coaching roles at the club when the finances are pretty much in ruins. The administrators moved in long ago, which means that the Saints will start next season on minus points, making their task even more difficult than it already is. They clearly want to bring in a big personality that will be able to inspire and grab the team by the scruff of the neck in order to drive them forward.

A spokesman for The Saints Trust said: “Supporters would see it as a return of a prodigal son, and would put the club back in the headlines. The big question is, would the new regime put money back into the club? Because Keegan does not do things on the cheap. Kevin Keegan does bring life into the clubs that he goes to, though.”

That is the over lying point that could mar any big managerial appointment that the club makes. The new manager will need to be able to assemble a good squad in order to get the club back into the Championship. Although it may get knocked from time to time, League One is a highly competitive league and winning the Championship will not be a walk in the park nor will getting an automatic promotion place, especially when you arev starting on the negative.

The rumours have been generated after Keegan was seen meeting Saints legend, Matt Le Tissier, who is said to be spear heading the group that wants to buy Southampton out of trouble. Although this could clearly just be speculation, it could be the clearest sign of intent from the propspective new owners of the club that they are not prepared to mess around for much longer and want to get the club stable and running again.

Although Southampton have followed Leeds United into making the transition from visiting grounds such as Old Trafford to ones such as Exeter City, they retain a loyal and good support that will also help the club as they struggle to get out of trouble on numerous fronts.

Ironically the point is that any person on the short list of candidates to become manager would probably find the appeal of managing the Saints greater than that of going to Newcastle, which says it all about the club and everything associated with it.

You’ve got to hand it to Alex Ferguson, the man knows how to do business when it comes to selling players. No, I’m not talking about Cristiano Ronaldo’s inevitable £80m move to Real Madrid, I’m talking about Fraizer Campbell’s potential £6m move to Hull City.

What exactly has this young striker done to warrant a £6m price tag? Tigers fans will be quick to point out the 15 Championship goals he netted for them whilst on loan at the KC stadium in their promotion winning season of 07/08. The key word here is “Championship.”

There’s a world of difference between the top two divisions, and realistically Hull City need a striker who is capable of close to 15 Premier League goals if they are to stand a chance of beating the drop next year.

Phil Brown’s men were brought back down to earth in the second half of last season as their dreamland period of overachieving came abruptly to an end come the turn of the year.

Brown can’t have too much of a transfer budget at his disposal, and using the majority of it to buy a striker who has only ever scored 1 Premier League goal is a risk I’m not sure will come off.





It may seem like buttons compared to the Ronaldo deal, but Ferguson will be laughing all the way to the bank with his £6m on top of the staggering figure Madrid look set to pay for the Portuguese forward.

Some might say that Campbell was not given the opportunity to show what he can do at Tottenham, but ask any Spurs fan and they’ll tell you he wasn’t good enough to merit a run in the side.

I’m fond of Hull so I hope I’m proved wrong, but I can’t see the England U21 international hitting double figures next season and unless they invest in the rest of the team to provide him with service, I feel they’re doomed.

So who else could the Yorkshire club set their sights on instead of Campbell? Well, Kevin Doyle is on the market and would command a similar fee. The Irishman has two full seasons experience in the Premier League with Reading, hitting 19 goals in the process. He surely would have broken the 20-goal barrier had his second season not been marred by injury as the Royals sunk back down to the Championship.

Doyle has proved his ability at the top however, unlike Campbell, and really should seem the more attractive option for Brown. The other aspect is that he is a proven Championship goalscorer with 37 over his two seasons in that division. So, should Hull land Doyle and he is unable to save them from the Premiership’s drop, they’ll know they can rely on him to lead their firing line in a bid to come back up.

Another option for Hull could be…dare I say it…Michael Owen. The former England international has been cruelly written off by many as finished. Am I alone in thinking he still has a lot to offer? With Aston Villa and Everton mulling over a decision whether to take him on or not, the opportunity for Hull, or indeed any other clubs expecting to fight relegation, is there for the taking.

The 29-year-old must be rueing the day he left Liverpool for Real Madrid as his career has spiralled toward the scrapheap and his best days are almost certainly behind him, but that doesn’t mean he can’t do a job.

I don’t blame the bigger clubs for looking twice at him, but it’s the lower clubs who could be missing out on a bargain. He comes on a free and is reportedly already resigned to taking a massive pay cut.

If Hull could persuade him to sign a two year £40k a week deal it would cost the club just over £4m. To me that represents better value than a £6m for someone who has played just 12 Premier League games, despite the age difference.

Other options include Jason Scotland and Ross McCormack who each netted more goals than Campbell did in his sole season in the Championship. However, neither boast Premiership experience and if they command a similar price tag it would represent just as much of a gamble as Campbell seems.

The last time Fergusons offloaded an unwanted striker for £6m was his sale of forgotten man Alan Smith. During Man Utd’s ‘transitional’ phase, which included the flop signings of Eric Djemba-Djemba and Brazilian Kleberson, Ferguson attempted to change Smith’s position from striker to midfielder.

Whilst the former England international always tried his best in a Man Utd shirt, which the fans at least appreciated, it wasn’t good enough. Upon returning to his natural striking role he rather embarrassingly forgot where the net was and his career has plunged into a crisis ever since.

Despite netting just 7 Premier League goals in over 60 games for Man Utd, Smith still managed to conjure up a £6m price tag upon his move to the professional’s graveyard that is Newcastle United.

The now 28-year-old Smith still awaits his first Newcastle league goal after two full seasons at St. James’ Park. Smith must now ply his trade in the Championship with Newcastle as it looks unlikely that any Premier League outfit will give him another chance at the top. To be fair, he hardly warrants one.

How Ferguson managed to scrape £6m out of Newcastle for a player he scuppered so much that no one even knows what position he is anymore is beyond me. But again, you have to credit his shrewd business in selling unwanted players, he has a history of pulling off a deal which favours United rather than the buying club.

Kieran Richardson, who played just 41 games in 5 years at Old Trafford somehow amassed a £5.5m transfer fee. There are too many examples in which to get through, but the point is I fear Campbell is the next in line and cannot live up to his price tag, I fear he could end up playing his best days in the Championship.

Alan Shearer has demanded that he is given at least £20 million this summer before signing a contract to manage Newcastle United in the Championship. Newcastle were relegated on the final day of the season after a defeat by Aston Villa and it seems that Shearer wants drastic measures put in place before committing his future to the club.

Shearer would also have the monumental task of reorganising the club’s wage bill and coping with the effect of a number of players leaving that would be hard to replace. His demands seem to imply that if he is going to be the person to step in and get Newcastle out of this current mess then this is how he feels it needs doing.

He will not want Newcastle to stew in the Championship because he probably feels they should never have been anywhere near relegation in the first place. Newcastle are also more likely to cope with the financial impact of going down and the figures that Shearer is asking for should be achievable and raised by the club’s board.

A source from Newcastle said: “The talks are ongoing, but there could still be a way to go before there is an agreement signed. Alan is desperate to help Newcastle and take on the job because of his love for the club.”

“The state of the squad is a part of the negotiations. It desperately needs reshaping and freshening up – it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to work that out. The Championship is about pace and power, and this squad doesn’t have a lot of that.”

Shearer is still learning about management and will be looking to improve quickly. He will want to tie down a contract as soon as possible so he can move on and deal with the major issues that are about to smack the club in the face. If the Toon are going to bounce straight back up then the damaged infrastructure of the club needs to be addressed within the next couple of weeks.

What this will mean is that eventually at the end of next season if Newcastle are top of the Championship they will be well positioned to fit straight back into Premier League life and the issue of upgrading contracts should be a relative formality.

It has to be remembered that Shearer is very much a hard line Geordie himself and no one looked more disappointed last Sunday than he did when the realisation of what had happened started to kick in. The demands he is making are not excessive, it is just what he feels is necessary to get the club back to the top of English football and fighting against the teams they should be fighting against.

Newcastle is a massive club and they should not have been anywhere near the relegation places. However, reality has hit and will slowly be sinking in and the club would do well to get the manager signed on very quickly so he can start making inroads.