'He had time for supporters': Ex-Portsmouth chief on how Milan Mandaric succeeded where modern owners fail
The Fratton faithful are mourning the passing of hugely popular former owner Milan Mandaric
Milan Mandaric’s approachability and willingness to connect with supporters distinguished him from modern-day owners.
That’s according to Peter Storrie, who also insists nothing made the former Pompey owner prouder than hearing the Fratton faithful’s rendition of ‘There’s Only One Milan’ on match-days.
The 88-year-old passed away in Belgrade on Saturday, prompting wonderful tributes from fans at previous clubs Leicester, Sheffield Wednesday and, of course, the Blues.
Storrie spent four years under Mandaric as Pompey’s chief executive and, along with their manager Harry Redknapp, developed a strong and lasting friendship well beyond their Fratton Park days.
And he is convinced the Serb’s genuine desire to engage with supporters rather than keeping them at arm’s length defined him.
‘Milan always had time for the fans, that was one of his strengths’
Storrie told The News: ‘Pompey was Milan’s favourite club. It was the people around him, he liked living down here by the sea, he had that flat in Port Solent and could go to restaurants or walk around the harbour - and he’d stop and talk to people.
‘When you look at some of these people in the modern game now, Milan always had time for the fans. He wouldn’t say “Sorry, I am busy”, he would always chat to them, that was one of his strengths.
‘He very rarely went on the team coach, I would drive him to away games, and, following one victory, we came back and Milan wanted to go for dinner at the Pizza House Restaurant, run by his friend Guiseppe.
‘We walked in and the whole restaurant stood up to applaud him - and he loved that. He just loved that. The Pompey fans were so, so important to him.
‘People singing at games “There’s only one Milan”, he was so proud of that. Not many owners of footballers can say they have that connection with supporters.
‘I will always remember him saying to Harry and myself: “Let’s the three of us work together to see if we can get this club into the Premier League”. And we did! He was so, so proud of that achievement and so, so proud of the supporters.
‘Winning the FA Cup in 2008 was a fantastic achievement, no doubt about that, but it’s six games. Compare that to winning the First Division title, what a season that was, the players we had, the winning record, and being the best team by an absolute distance.
‘Milan always said Pompey was one of his greatest achievements in football and what he achieved there reflects that.’
Promotion to the Premier League in 2002-03
Storrie was appointed by Mandaric in February 2002, replacing Martin Murphy as chief executive, while Redknapp at the time was Pompey’s director of football.
However, Redknapp took over as manager from Graham Rix the following month - and, in his first full season in 2002-03, took the Blues to the Premier League for the first time in their history.
Eventually Mandaric sold the club to Sacha Gaydamak and left in September 2006, although Storrie and Redknapp remained for Pompey’s 2008 FA Cup final triumph over Cardiff.
‘Give him an apple pie and it made him happy’
Storrie added: ‘We spent a lot of time with him personally as well. He would come over to our house for Sunday lunch and Fran’s move used to make him an apple pie, which he absolutely adored. So much so that, wherever was left, he always took home.
‘When Fran’s mum makes an apple pie, it’s almost enough for a stadium, massive, and he would take it all home with him. I remember one Monday morning, he came in and said “Oh my stomach!”. Give him an apple pie and it made him happy.
‘Milan and Harry were a love-hate relationship, they both wanted success and there were spark ups, but they always, always made up. People disagree in life, but Milan would still listen to someone else’s point and that was probably one of his strengths.
‘I played the peacemaker a few times, I was piggy in the middle, but you had to listen to both sides. I would be able to put them together and then they would quickly sort it out and never bore any grudges.
‘They were great times, Milan was such a charismatic person, and he will definitely be sadly missed by a lot of people.’