Pompey thrown into further turmoil

Portsmouth's chaotic week has taken a fresh twist with new owner Sulaiman Al Fahim being admitted to hospital in Dubai, but a…

Portsmouth's chaotic week has taken a fresh twist with new owner Sulaiman Al Fahim being admitted to hospital in Dubai, but a spokesman insists the refinancing of the club is not under threat.

The 32-year-old was reported to be suffering from kidney stones and was due to undergo surgery to remove the problem.

Al Fahim's difficult takeover of the club remains a matter for scrutiny after it was confirmed yesterday their players had not been paid last month's wages on time.

Funding was secured to cover those payments but a strongly-worded statement from the club's executive board stressed it was ultimately Al Fahim's responsibility to refinance the club.

READ MORE

Al Fahim recently said he will inject €54.5million into the club and, through his spokesman, has now insisted this latest setback will not affect his plans.

"This will not have any impact on the refinancing or management of Portsmouth," Al Fahim’s spokesman Ivo Gabara told BBC Sport.

The Premier League is understood to be monitoring the situation and looking to see if the club meets the financial criteria outlined by it.

According to minutes from a meeting between Al Fahim and the Pompey Virtual Alliance (PVA) - a group of fans' websites - the club's new owner is willing to work with other investors.

One suggestion has been to work with a consortium that rivalled Al Fahim's original bid. That news has been greeted positively by fans, who have seen Paul Hart's men lose their first seven Barclays Premier League matches of the season.

The uncertainty has not helped Hart in his preparations for Saturday's trip to Wolves.

In addition to the financial problems, Hart suffered a further setback this week when his attempts to recruit Gary McAllister as assistant boss ended in frustration.

Hart had been in talks with the ex-Leeds manager but the two parties were unable to agree terms.

Hart has been without a number two since Brian Kidd's departure from Fratton Park over the summer.

But the former Nottingham Forest boss insists he is not worried about the lack of strength in his backroom staff and insists he is fully focused on the game at Molineux.

Hart said: "I brought Brian Kidd in last season and we got on. I thought he may come back but he didn't.

"Everybody on my staff is important and that how it has to be, I don't do it all on my own. We have to have meetings about training and stuff, that's what happens.

"I thought I'd got someone (McAllister) but I haven't. Now I have to concentrate on the game against Wolverhampton Wanderers. That's uppermost in my mind."

The late wages payment was attributed to "a delay in the transfer of funds".

It is the latest in a long line of money troubles to beset the club, which sold off a number of players in the summer to balance the books.

Hart was then forced to shop for bargain replacements in the closing days of the transfer window, but the former Chesterfield and Barnsley boss has tried to make light of the situation.

He said: "There was a time at Chesterfield when it rained on the Friday before a game and the pitch was particularly heavy.

"I sent my coach out to get long studs. I got about 50 long studs at £4.50 but I got dragged into the chairman's office to explain the expenditure. That was infinitely worse than this!"

Having managed Nottingham Forest through their financial storm in 2001, Hart is used to being given a rough ride.

He has been made favourite to be the next Premier League manager sacked and, given the financial uncertainty surrounding Fratton Park, few could have blamed Hart if he had opted to jump ship rather than being pushed.

But he is determined to play his part in bringing some stability to the club.

He said: "Stability breeds success. Arsene Wenger has just completed 13 years at Arsenal and (Sir) Alex Ferguson has done about 73 years at Manchester United. You have to stick with it."