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nPower Football League Thread 2012/13


Lineker

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The battle for Portsmouth will be heard at the High Court of Justice on 13 and 14 December.

Administrators PKF agreed a conditional agreement to sell the club to the Pompey Supporters' Trust last week.

However, that sale is conditional on PKF first gaining permission to sell Fratton Park - the club's stadium which is controlled by Balram Chainrai.

Chainrai is owed £17m by the club and holds a fixed charge over Fratton Park as security.

"We can confirm that the hearing to determine the proposed sale of Fratton Park has been scheduled for 13 and 14 December in the High Court in London," said administrator Trevor Birch.

"This hearing is critical in deciding the future of Portsmouth Football Club: if the Court agrees with the sale value of Fratton Park, we can sell the club as a going concern to the PST; if we lose, liquidation will become the most likely option.

"This Court case is the culmination of months of hard work behind the scenes in trying to resolve the complex issues which this administration has posed. We will continue to work closely with the PST to finalise our case."

The PST has offered the Hong Kong businessman £2.75m for the ground but, following his refusal to sell, administrators PKF have been forced to go to the High Court in an attempt to force Chainrai to release his charge.

If the court decides in favour of the PST, then PKF can finalise the sale of the club and start the process of bringing Portsmouth out of administration.

Pompey have been in administration since February and are said to be around £61m in debt.

The court would also make an independent valuation of Fratton Park - which is set to be bought by property developer Stuart Robinson and leased back to the club.

Robinson, who is one of several major investors involved with the PST, has also agreed a deal for the land surrounding Fratton Park with administrators David Rubin & Partners and it is thought he is planning a major redevelopment of the site.

However, if the court rules in favour of Chainrai then Pompey will be plunged into fresh crisis and could face liquidation.

It would also mean the PST would have to explore other options for where the club play, with Blue Square Bet South side Havant & Waterlooville being mentioned as a possibility.

Or they would have to find extra investment and try to strike a deal with Chainrai for Fratton Park.

The PST admitted to being relieved as the long-running saga looks close to reaching a conclusion.

"It is a relief to know we will have some certainty sooner rather than later,' said PST chairman Ashley Brown.

'"Our understanding is the matter will be resolved at this hearing as there is unlikely to be any grounds for any appeal.

"If all goes according to plan, and our legal advisors say we have a strong case, we will take control of Portsmouth FC shortly afterwards and the process of rebuilding our club can begin.

"That is why we are urging fans to fulfil their pledges or purchase shares by that date. The more working capital we can raise quickly, the more control we will have over the situation and the quicker we can get going with our plans.

"We are very encouraged by the initial response to the share offer. There is a steady stream of pledges and new purchases of shares arriving hourly; so many that we haven't been able to count them yet.

"However fans can't relax. This share offer needs to be a success or else there is a significant chance the club will be liquidated. There is no alternative offer on the table, so we have to make this work."

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Anyone care to explain Billy Sharp's goal celebration today? He dragged his arse along the turf like a dog.

Blackburn Rovers fans who have joined forces to try to buy the club have unveiled their campaign strategy at a supporters' meeting.

The Rovers Trust was officially launched at the event at Blackburn Cathedral earlier.

Its plans to buy the club from owner Venky's, who bought Rovers for £43m two years ago, have been supported by MPs and former players.

The trust has already raised almost £3m from fans buying shares.

Venky's have previously denied the club, which was relegated from the Premier League in May, is for sale.

The trust now wants to reach its nominal target of £10m, pledged by fans in shares of £1,000 each, to form the acquisition capital it would use to try to gain ownership.

Trust co-chairman Oliver Jones said: "We believe the future of Blackburn Rovers lies in a community and supporter ownership model and we have now put everything in place legally and structurally to ensure this can happen at any time.

"We now need all supporters to join Rovers Trust in their thousands to show the club we mean business and are here to stay to protect the history and legacy of Blackburn Rovers."

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I thought he was doing something with his knee. Not sure tbh, he's known for coming up with some wacky celebrations.

Massive win for us yesterday, thrashed Scunthorpe 4-0 in a local derby. If we win our game in hand at home to Oldham on Tuesday night we'll be joint top of the league!

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Warnock today basically confirmed that Bates has no authority any more. He said that he was told he wouldn't be able to sign Jerome Thomas, he went to speak to the new owners and "within 5 minutes it was done". I'm looking forward to Bates being overruled on everything and inevitably getting his knickers in a twist.

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Fleetwood have sacked Micky Mellon. Incredibley harsh.

I can't believe that. They're 7th in the table in their first year in the league and he took them from the Blue Square North. These horrid little nobody teams that have bought their way up 40 divisions are loathsome, I hate seeing them even in the league.

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Leicester City footballer Anthony Knockaert has been arrested and bailed following a public order incident at the weekend.

The French winger was arrested at about 03:15 GMT on Sunday in Gravel Street, Leicester city centre.

Leicester City FC said it was investigating the circumstances surrounding the alleged incident.

Mr Knockaert moved to Leicester from French team Guingamp this season. He has since played 21 games.

He played 80 minutes on Saturday, when Leicester beat Derby County 4-1.

Leicestershire Police confirmed that a 21-year-old man was arrested at 03:15 GMT on Sunday and has since been released on police bail pending further inquiries.

A Leicester City FC spokesman said: "We are conducting a full inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the alleged incident.

"As a result of the ongoing police process, we are unable to make any further comment at this time."

Huddersfield Town are investigating claims Leeds United supporters were subject to anti-Semitic chants during Saturday's meeting between the sides.

The club told BBC Radio Leeds they were investigating the matter with their safety officer and with local police.

In a statement, West Yorkshire Police said nothing had been brought to their attention during the event.

They said they would work closely with the club to establish whether chanting of a "racial" nature had taken place.

Superintendent Dave Lunn of Kirklees Division said: "This was a successful policing operation of a local derby, which saw only four arrests for public order offences.

"Our priority was around achieving a safe and enjoyable match for all those attending, both prior to and following the event.

"We worked closely with the club to achieve this outcome. I would therefore like to thank the fans for their behaviour throughout, in particular their patience in relation to exit arrangements from the ground."

There have been several incidents of anti-Semitic behaviour at or around football matches in recent weeks. West Ham United banned a season-ticket holder after he was arrested and cautioned for making an anti-Semitic gesture during a match against Tottenham Hotspur.

Spurs manager Andre Villas-Boas has also called for Uefa to investigate alleged anti-Semitic chanting during a match between Spurs and Lazio at Stadio Olimpico last month.

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