Football: A tale of pomp and hegemony

PORTSMOUTH chairman Martin Gregory will be watching this afternoon's home game against Grimsby safe in the knowledge that he will be spared the ritual abuse at first-hand that he usually suffers from his club's fans, if only because he has retreated 1,000 miles to a French ski resort.

He has timed his Alpine holiday to perfection, given the planned demonstration by fans outside his family home yesterday, followed by one in front of the TV cameras today at Fratton Park. But that holiday is about the only thing Gregory has got right in his two years as chairman, as Pompey are now gripped by something substantially more chilling than the sea frets that roll in from the Solent, namely pounds 5m worth of debt, which saw the PFA called in to pay half the players' wages last month.

Faced with this situation, which come about thanks to actions such as rebuilding part of the ground but failing to pay for the work, Gregory has gone for the solution that is no solution by transfer-listing the entire playing staff to try to reduce the debt. Top of the list is 17- goal top-scorer John Aloisi, who with a normal transfer policy would be valued at about pounds 2m, but with Gregory's take-what-you-can-get approach, he might only fetch half that. If he and the influential midfielder Sammy Igoe both leave then they will swiftly be on first-name terms with the relegation zone.

In a new twist, Gregory has gone over the head of his manager, Alan Ball, in matters of who leaves and joins the club by appointing the agent Athole Still in charge of changes to the playing staff, leaving Ball, who took over from Terry Fenwick as manager in January, understandably angry and confused. But, taking a defiant stand, Ball said this week: "I now have no say in who's bought or sold at this club. That has been handed to someone who doesn't know a thing about Portsmouth but this is what my chairman has decided.

"The most important thing is that I will fight to stay and save this great club. There is nothing else I can do. I've got a four-year contract and I'm planning to see it out. I will work hard in my job to prepare the players. I am not going anywhere."

The players have united behind Ball, and captain Adrian Whitbread issued a statement on behalf of the players, pronouncing their own desire to stay at the club, "and be loyal to the supporters who have been loyal to us all season".

In the normal scheme of things, with manager and players, not to mention the Portsmouth Independent Suppor- ters' Association, stacked up against him, now would be the ideal time for Gregory to get the hint, stay on the ski slopes for good and sell up.

Yet, despite his popularity being riding close to General Pinochet's, Gregory has proved reluctant to offload his 97 per cent share in the club. When he brought Fenwick in two years ago there was talk that he would sell but that never materialised and recent dialogue with the American- based businessmen Brian Howe, formerly of rock group Bad Company, and Vince Wolanin has led to a stalemate, while the debts continue to mount up.

Gregory, who perversely has chosen to attend games more frequently as the flak pours in, refuses at the same time to state clearly his intentions for the club, leading to fears that the club will become as impoverished in the long-term as their South Coast neighbours Brighton and Bournemouth have in the past.

But for those who want to see a change in who runs Portsmouth, they are faced with a Catch 22 situation. If the fans boycott Gregory, then that will almost certainly lead to a morale-stripped team and relegation. If they do turn up then the 12,000 average gate will keep Gregory where he is.

There was a recent story that a Grimsby Lottery winner was going to put his new-found wealth into the club. It was unfounded, but with their hopes pinned on Gregory's exit, Portsmouth fans and players alike might take heart anyway from the Lottery's new publicity slogan - "Maybe, just maybe."