Life is sweet for Portsmouth following their 1-0 FA Cup final win over Cardiff in May 2008, with thousands of fans welcoming the team back to the city with the trophy
But just a few months into the 2008/09 season, manager Harry Redknapp - given the freedom of Portsmouth for his services to the city - is tempted away to Premier League rivals Tottenham Hotspur in October
With Redknapp at White Hart Lane, his former assistant Tony Adams takes over at Fratton Park and loses 1-0 to Liverpool in his first game in charge
Adams also struggles in Europe, although Pompey come within a minute of beating AC Milan at home before Filippo Inzaghi's last-minute goal earns the Italian giants a draw in November
Russian owner Alexandre Gaydamak - who bought Portsmouth in July 2006 - puts the club on the market, citing commitment issues as his reason for selling up
Gaydamak insists selling the club will not result in an exodus of players but Real Madrid sign France midfielder Lassana Diarra at the start of the January 2009 transfer window for �20m
And a week after Diarra's departure, Jermain Defoe returns to Tottenham for a fee of about �15m, leaving Pompey fans stunned
Results on the field start to suffer and the FA Cup holders are knocked out of the competition by Championship side Swansea City following a 2-0 home defeat
Rumours about Adams' future at Fratton Park gather pace as the club plummet towards the relegation zone and on 9 February 2009, the the ex-England captain is sacked
Youth team coach Paul Hart is given the task of keeping Portsmouth in the Premier League, with ex-Blackburn boss Brian Kidd coming in as his assistant
Long-term plans for a new 36,000-capacity, �600m stadium in Portsmouth harbour are shelved in favour of a far cheaper �22m redevelopment of Fratton Park
The new management team maintain Portsmouth's top-flight status as the club finishes 14th
But with debts mounting, Liverpool's �17.5m bid for England right-back Glen Johnson is accepted on 26 June
Businessman Sulaiman Al Fahim, who was the initial figurehead of the Abu Dhabi United Group when it took control of Manchester City, moves in to take over from Gaydamak in July - though the deal is still to be completed
But with no money coming in from a new owner and growing uncertainty over the takeover, Portsmouth sell striker Peter Crouch to Tottenham for �10m and boss Paul Hart - now on a two-year contract - admits "the days of �20m buys are over in the short-term"
Portsmouth will begin the new season with an ever-decreasing first-team squad, reported debts of �60m with the new owner still yet to formally take over, and hopes of a new ground some way off. Times are tough on the south coast
What are these?
E-mail this to a friend
Bookmark with:
What are these?