Fans sing out despite Ipswich defeat
Fans stay behind in the Fratton end after the game
POMPEY fans did their club proud tonight after a rallying call to Pack the Park.
The team may have lost 1-0 to Ipswich but the fans did not let the club down - and deservedly were given the man of the match award.
The club’s famous supporters started chanting ‘Michael Appleton’s Blue and White Army’ early in the first half and obeyed the plea to sing for the entire 90 minutes to show their love for Pompey in another time of crisis.
Many fans stayed in their seats at the end in a stirring show of spirit.
Ipswich’s early goal had sparked loud singing from the Fratton end, but after a dip near the end of the first half the second half kicked off with a wall of noise from the Pompey fans.
A legitimate goal that was wrongly disallowed for Dave Kitson set off another round of chanting ‘we will never die’.
The match is being staged after the club yesterday confirmed it has applied to the High Court to enter administration.
The News has backed the Pack the Park campaign by the Pompey Supporters Trust to encourage fans to turn out to help boost Pompey’s coffers.
Pompey have agreed for The News ‘Pompey Til I Die’ flag to be passed across the Fratton End just before the game. Just before kick-off News deputy editor Mark Acheson said: ‘The News Pompey Til I Die flag has just passed over the Fratton End. Game on!’
At half-time a man proposed to his girlfriend - and she said yes.
Speaking before the game, Bob Beech, of SOS Pompey, said: ‘There have been some very special days and nights at Fratton Park over the years and this really could be one of them.
‘In a few years time people could be looking back and saying “remember that night against Ipswich?”’
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Friday 25 May 2012
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Comments
There are 38 comments to this article
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overtheill
Wednesday, February 15, 2012 at 02:06 PMVery commendable Scumstomper @ 37.A travelling "army" of what,up to about 1500, hardly a turn on for a big investor. By the way full marks to those of "US" who did try to Pack the Park and watch Ipswich win.
Scumstomper.
Wednesday, February 15, 2012 at 01:28 PMIt was a poor shout to Pack the Park on Valentines day. It's never gonna happen. Sharing a curry pasty and a Bovril in the cold with your loved one?? Nah! Not quite, it's not gonna happen. Pompey fans are very passionate and for those that are not football minded, heres one for you. Portsmouth take more supporters away to mid week away games in the Championship than a lot of other teams in the division. There have been occassions that Pompey fans even outrank those of the home team!! Don't comment if you really don't know.
overtheill
Wednesday, February 15, 2012 at 10:58 AMMuch truth in what Balfourres says@35 but are pompey's fans as amazing as they think they are? Attendances would seem to suggest otherwise.Local politicians are conspicious in their absence, funny enough they are all lifelong fans when they think there are votes to be won but its taken new girl Penny Mourdent to show them the way.When they are winning there is much talk about 40,000 even 50,000 seater stadiums.When their backs are against the wall and The News is making a lot of noise about "pack the park" they manage 14330. If you were a multi -billionair currently looking to make a major investment in a UK football club would you favour PFC or Glasgow Rangers?
Balfourres
Wednesday, February 15, 2012 at 09:43 AMEvery club says they have the best fans. Bur for me i am sick to death of lurching from one crisis to another. Lets be honest the facilities at fratton are poor the prices are high at a time when people have little money with Christmas just gone and job uncertainty people are having to cut back and things like football and entertainment are being hit. That said the way the club have treated fans suppliers and worsed of all the CHARITIES Still rankles with people. If any other club had evicted there fans from the stadium bar into what can be loosely called a tent there would be uproar, it was at that point i realised that the club did not give a stuff about the fans. But the real issue is we have not paid the bills we can make any excuse we like or lay blame on others but like all of us if we live beyond our means then we have to face the consequences of our actions the club is no different. Football is loosing fans at an alarming rate as people are falling out of love with the game in general. I am Sad, Annoyed, at the way the club has been run how many times have we been promised a new stadium and i go back to the days when the airport site was touted for a new home. Broken promises are now part of our history and there are only so many times you can ask fans to believe these promises and they never come to fruition. For the way the club has treated the paying customer over the last few years it will have to go along way in the future to entice people back to fratton. The old saying treat people as you wish to be treated yourself and our club has failed to do this on every level.
Townsblue
Wednesday, February 15, 2012 at 02:29 AMComment removed by moderator
Johnny4545
Wednesday, February 15, 2012 at 12:30 AMI think the attendance said it all tonight people really don't care and have had enough of the cheats liars and con men that have run the club the best thing is just liquidate the club and start again as a non league club AA DL and co must be laughing their socks off ..... How much you reckon they earn a week ... Sell off everything pay the debts and start again
NelsonsGoodEye
Tuesday, February 14, 2012 at 11:56 PMYes, it was disappointing, the park wasn't packed, but I can understand fans not seeing the point in turning up: where does the money go? what does admin do? it won't remove the two main players that hold the stadium and surrounding land, or reduce their claim on what is left of PFC assets. Admin only serves to reduce legitimate liabilities, like HMRC, the pie man and electricity suppliers etc. On the pitch, to be honest, tonight was disappointing, I didn't think our players seemed as up for it as the supporters were, and we were beaten by a blindingly average Ipswich side.
thependragon81
Tuesday, February 14, 2012 at 11:54 PMRemember the days in the PL when the ticket office use to claim they could have sold 40k seats for the top 5-6 home games or the Leeds FA Cup 4th round game when it was claimed the ground could have been sold out 3 times over? In the 1980s we had big support even in division 4 and were considered by the footballing fraternity to be sleeping giants. Everyone blames Gaydamak, Storrie etc, but the problems were there far before their period. There has been little improvement in the club's infrastructure in the last 30 years and as result too many people in the Pompey area support Saints or London clubs. We will now have to accept we are a lower league club.
thependragon81
Tuesday, February 14, 2012 at 11:27 PMThe supporters who were there tonight should be proud, but if i'm being honest I'm pretty depressed by the attendance for what could still be our last home game. The Portsmouth urban area has a population of 450k and even taking into account the many fans who are boycotting, less than 15k is pathetic!
pompeyfanfor60years
Tuesday, February 14, 2012 at 11:07 PMI'm afraid then that we only have 14500 true fans after all. Very poor turn out and usual s**t referee. These pathetic decisions are getting boring now. Anyone else think the refs have been told what they should do when they do our games.
Jpompey
Tuesday, February 14, 2012 at 11:01 PMQuestion: Is Vladimir Antonov facebook account still his own? If it is his just said his waiting for Pompey to go into Admin to buy Pompey!!!!!
bighorn44
Tuesday, February 14, 2012 at 10:40 PM@andi4asg Maybe we did show our true potential tonight. Perhaps the fanbase isn`t as good as we hoped. Ground less than three quarters full when we needed everybody. Says a lot.
andi4asg
Tuesday, February 14, 2012 at 10:37 PMWell done to those of us who turned up. shame on the stay away "fans" the Milton End was empty apart from a few hundred tractor boys. If you care forget where the money goes support your team. make us attractive to potential buyers show them our true potential
bighorn44
Tuesday, February 14, 2012 at 10:33 PMI`ve had enough! Bring on Plan B!
bighorn44
Tuesday, February 14, 2012 at 10:27 PMIs it about singing or putting money into the club by actually turning up?
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