Eisner lifts lid on Pompey crest 'unveiling'

Michael Eisner has lifted the lid on the 'unveiling' of the Pompey crest revamp.
Mark Catlin, left, and Michael Eisner with the Pompey crest revamp designs. Picture: Portsmouth FCMark Catlin, left, and Michael Eisner with the Pompey crest revamp designs. Picture: Portsmouth FC
Mark Catlin, left, and Michael Eisner with the Pompey crest revamp designs. Picture: Portsmouth FC

The Blues' owner showed off the early designs in a video alongside chief executive Mark Catlin as they apologised for not attending the Pompey Supporters' Trust AGM last night.

And in the background in the video were five fresh designs of the Pompey emblem.

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Eisner revealed it was done purposely to start conversation among the Fratton faithful.

The American billionaire will bring the designs over next week for the club's Heritage & Advisory Board to see them up close.

Speaking to Express FM, Eisner said: 'It's a little premature but, at the same time, while Mark and I were doing that video I put the work-in-progress (crests) behind us.

'I'm not sure if that was the right thing to do, but it seemed like fun and we could get the conversation going.

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'We've been working since the ownership happened on how we can keep the great crest of now and make it so it's trademarkable.

'We played with a lot of ways to go, including going back to earlier crests.

'The anchor crest is not my personal favourite and it was over the shoulder of Mark in the video.

'It looked like that was the way we were leading, which we're not.

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'When we get to Portsmouth next week and meet the Heritage Board, we are going to show them the five or six ones we like the best.'

Eisner has made it one of his long-term priorities to revamp the Blues’s current badge – because, at present, it is copyrighted to the city, rather than the club.

The former Disney CEO feels a football in the middle of the star on the current emblem – and to make it a nautical star – means it will be able to be trademarked.

He added: 'What I like, at the moment, is the current crest you have with a possible change of making the star into a nautical star and putting a football in the centre.

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'The football in the centre will clearly make it trademarkable.

'It is obviously not the trademark of the city of Portsmouth and everybody who has seen it in my office, including Mark, has said "that's fantastic".

'However, that a group of four or five (people). That's not the Heritage Board, that's not the fans.

'We're working towards a crest we love, obviously, and then a crest the Heritage Board thinks is good and then the fans adopt.

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'The crest you have, because it is simple and clear, is really excellent.

'I really think the crest the fans and Mark came up with was excellent.

'We're tried to keep what is great and make it better.

'Frankly, we did this internally and you'll see when I bring it over next week because it won't be in the background.

'Someone said the ball was a bullet hole because they were in a video of Mark and me and the boards were way behind us.

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'I had fun by saying "let's see if anyone sees it behind us" which they did.'

No timeframe has been placed on when a new design will be revealed.

It is also unclear how a decision will be made on the chosen crest.