Source: Daily_Mail
Portsmouth fans turn on Storrie: Chief executive suffers 'serious threats'
Portsmouth's fight for survival turned nasty last night. While Pompey sank closer to relegation with a 2-1 Premier League defeat by 10-man Stoke, chief executive Peter Storrie claimed he had been subjected to 'very serious threats' and his family hadbeen abused by fans of the troubled club.[LNB]Storrie has been the one constant presence behind the scenes at Fratton Park in an extraordinary 10 months during which four different men have taken control of the club.[LNB]He insisted that, despite the personal attacks, he would continue to work to save the club from oblivion and added that he believes there is still a chance of an 11th-hour buy-out by a South African consortium.[LNB] Storrie: Subjected to 'very serious threats'[LNB]The club could be liquidated on Monday March 1, when they face a winding-up petition from HM Revenue and Customs over a disputed tax bill of £12million.[LNB]But they had sought permission to sell players outside the transfer window in a bid tostay afloat.[LNB]Storrie believes the fans have targeted him for proposing the fire-sale, while he claims the idea actually came from the Premier League.[LNB]The League rejected the plan - one of the only ways Portsmouth have to raise funds to pay off some of their total debts of £60m - because they did not consider it 'appropriate at this time'.[LNB]Storrie said: 'I have had very serious threats from supporters of the club. There has been a lot of abuse against me and my family because the fans think I was the one who put this proposal forward.[LNB]'It categorically was not me. The Premier League's decision is surprising because the idea came from them in the first place. The suggestion was put to us that this was worth doing.[LNB]'I imagine what has happened is that they have received objections from other clubs, which wouldn't really surprise me.'[LNB]Portsmouth are reported to need at least £20m immediately just to avoid being declared insolvent at the High Court.[LNB]Under pressure: Avram Grant[LNB]Manager Avram Grant, having seen his team sink to another defeat, made an impassioned plea to the courts and the Premier League last night to help save the club from liquidation.[LNB]Grant said: 'I hope the High Court and Premier League willunderstand they also have responsibility. The football team doesn'tjust belong to the people in charge, it belongs to the fans as well. Afootball club is not a normal business, everyone needs to understandthis.'[LNB]Storrie insisted that, despite apparent interest from aHong Kong based consortium, a deal with the South African group couldbe done even as early as Monday.[LNB]'The South African consortium is the one I have been talking to this week,' said Storrie. 'I am very hopeful.[LNB]The owner, Balram Chainrai, has stayed on in the country to do a deal on Monday if we receive the documentation from them.[LNB]'MrChainrai has written off £10m of his own money with a possibility ofgetting it back over the next 10 or 15 years. It is a very, veryhonourable thing to do.'[LNB] Storrie rejected the idea that the best option for Portsmouth would be to go into administration. 'Avram Grant is still confident we can get out of this and we have a good squad of players,' he said. 'We don't want to lose nine points [the penalty for liquidation], we want to stay up.'[LNB]The likes of Algerian left-back Nadir Belhadj and promising centre-half Marc Wilson had been linked with moves away to balance the club's books if the Premier League and FIFA agreed to Portsmouth selling players outside the transfer window.[LNB]Despite promising noises from the world governing body, the Premier League said in a statement: 'The Premier League board can confirm they have been actively considering a request from Portsmouth to transfer players outside of the transfer window.[LNB]'We are grateful for positive assistance from FIFA and the Football Association, but the board have decided that this would not be an appropriate course of action at this time.'[LNB] Another blow: Robert Huth celebrates victory at Fratton Park[LNB]Grant, who was suffering again when Stoke's Salif Diao scored his first goal for six years to condemn his men to an 18th league defeat, did not like the thought of his already threadbare squad being further depleted, but he accepted it as a financial fact of life for the club he joined in November.[LNB]'I don't even want to talk about this because I came to this club to do something,' said the Israeli. 'But every week, or every day sometimes, there is a new thing and I don't know whether these things are sad or funny sometimes.[LNB]'I can't say I'm happy about it. I don't know whether it is a good or a bad thing. The problems are off the pitch at this club.[LNB]'We got a good result against Southampton [in the FA Cup] and I thought nothing could happen now because there is no transfer window. You cannot say there is no creativity at this club.'[LNB]Storrie reserved most of his bitterness not for the Premier League but for the banks who pulled the plug on the club's overdraft.[LNB]'The debts have come down quite dramatically and if the banks had not withdrawn the money, the club would be in a very strong position,' he said.[LNB]Asked why he was still at Pompey when supporters had threatened him and his family, Storrie replied: 'Because I love this club. I have worked so hard for it over the last few years and I will do everything I can to keep it alive.'[LNB] Portsmouth 1 Stoke 2: Salif Diao delivers another blow to PompeyPompey's future looks grim as Premier League tell them: You can't sell nowPORTSMOUTH FC
