Grant: I'm staying for Pompey's 'great' fans
Avram Grant reaffirmed his commitment to Pompey and declared: The Premier League is a better place with us in it.
The Blues boss saw his troops destroyed 5-0 at Old Trafford on Saturday as Manchester United ran riot and kept Pompey rock bottom of the Premier League table, seven points from Premier League safety.
But with Pompey's supporters continuing to show their defiance in the face of everything that has happened on and off the pitch this season with a vocal performance at Old Trafford, Grant insists he will continue to give his all for the cause.
That is despite last week hinting he could walk away after seeing the likes of Younes Kaboul and Asmir Begovic sold against his wishes.
Grant said: 'This club is a very unique club. All of the city is behind the club. The fans – you see how great they are. I think it would be good for the Premier League to have a club like this with supporters like this to stay in the league.
'I could say "it's not what they promised me so I'm going" but I thought I would do my best to keep this club going.
'Now it's a big challenge because it's a combination of things. You don't just have to win games – we need to keep this club alive.
'It's not my job because I'm not the man with finances, but I feel that I owe something to this city.
'This city gave me my first chance in English football so I cannot only think about myself.
'There are some dear people at this club. The players give everything, the supporters are great and how can you say to them "I'm leaving now so what will happen will happen"?'
Pompey's off-the-field problems face a day of reckoning on Wednesday as they are due to answer a winding-up order over a disputed tax bill of 7.5m.
But Grant is hopeful that the turmoil of recent weeks is ready to settle down.
He said: 'It was an almost impossible job for the past few matches with all of the mess around the club and the uncertainty.
'We didn't know where we were going and not just with the money situation.
'I hope now that it will be more stable because it's very important for this club.'
Pompey's fading Premier League survival hopes will also come under further scrutiny tomorrow night when they host Sunderland at Fratton Park.
But Grant is hopeful for a much-needed change of fortune after the demolition at Old Trafford.
He said: 'Maybe the fates are against us, yes. The goals had a little bit of luck and we had one cleared off the line. But I don't want to think like this because we need to do our job.
'Sometimes when it's not going well even fate is against you.
'But sometimes it is easier to break you when things around you are not going so well.
'We started the game like we wanted. We created two big chances and one was cleared off the line.
'But Manchester United are a better team than us.'
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Weather for Portsmouth
Friday 10 February 2012
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: -3 C to 4 C
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