Reuters - Tue, 24 Nov 18:06:00 2009
Paul Hart became the first Premier League managerial casualty of the season when he was sacked by bottom club Portsmouth.
"The board feels the team should have accrued more points to date and that we need a new man in charge to ensure Premier League survival," chief executive Peter Storrie said.
Hart was offered the role of technical director, developing players from the ages of 18-21, but declined it.
The club said they would announce a replacement "very quickly and until that time the players will be led by first-team coaches Paul Groves and Ian Woan".
Last month former Chelsea manager Avram Grant was appointed director of football, shortly after Saudi Arabian businessman Ali al Faraj's takeover of the club.
Israeli Grant has yet to receive his work permit but is rated the favourite to take over from Hart.
Former Leeds United and Nottingham Forest defender Hart steered Portsmouth away from the drop zone last season in a caretaker role before signing a two-year contract as permanent manager in July.
"The board would like to thank Paul for his work not only in keeping the club in the Premier League last season but also for his time in charge of youth development," added Storrie.
"Paul is a man of great dignity and we hoped he would stay and help us develop younger players on the fringes of the first team. We are genuinely sad to see him leave. Everyone at the club wishes him well for the future."
This season Portsmouth became the first English top-flight side in 79 years to lose their opening seven games of the campaign. They now have only two wins from 13 matches.
"Paul has worked under very difficult circumstances with the financial restrictions the club has faced since he took over," said Storrie.
Al Faraj bought 90 per cent of the club's shares last month from Sulaiman al Fahim who had taken over in August but struggled to refinance Portsmouth's mounting debts.
Grant, who replaced Jose Mourinho as Chelsea manager in September 2007 before being sacked the following May, was also technical director at Portsmouth from June 2006 to July 2007.
Comment 49 - 68 of 68
66.I think the correct term to describe someone like is a keyboard heroe,
you should change your name C*(K ON THE DOLE!
Nigel
Can you read?
I did say Redknapp WON'T (WILL NOT) leave Tottenham who are incidentally the best football team in the capital to watch in my opinion but in terms of what they have won live in the shadows of Arsenal Just as my team Everton live in the shadow of.....
Most of the Premier League.
A very underated manager good look Paul Hart. pompey will regret that decision, if it wasn't for Simon Grayson you would be welcomed with open arms back at Leeds
HMMM.......NOW WHAT HAVE WE HERE???..................SPURS KNOCKING IN 9 WITH 5 FROM ONE OF YOUR PLAYERS................HARRY FLYING HIGH...............PORTFILTH ARE THE BOTTOM OF THE TABLE LOSERS WITH NOT A CHANCE OF GETTING OUT...............WASN'T IT JUST A FEW MONTHS AGO WHEN THE SAD LITTLE PORTFILTH UN-FAITHFUL WERE SHOUTING OFF THEIR BILE ABOUT SPURS GOING DOWN..........HMM, HMMMMM..........WHAT A SEASON, WHAT A SEASON................................................
5.So Paul Hart passes on the poison chalice. Having picked up the pieces left by Adams, lost a team to save the club from administration and then put together a team with little money. A team that has been playing good football but short of a good finisher.
Storrie on the other hand has spinned his way through the summer problems and has the audacity to claim responsibility for saving our club. The same club that he allowed free spending Harry to mortgage to the hilt.
Good luck to Paul Hart. An honest man who deserves better that the Storrrie's of this world.
Sad to see Paul go he did well for us last season. On the other hand with the facilities pompey have got and Paul in charge what calibre of player would we attract in January, has beens and players looking for a lot of money with no interest in the club.
Good luck Paul.
I'll bet secretly he's quite glad to be out of it......At least now he can (and will) get a job where he knows who the owners are going to be next week, where his job isn't hanging by a thread, and he knows that at the end of every month he and the players are going to get paid.
He's a decent manager with great integrity, he'll get another job in no time flat.
Very unfair - had the squad decimated (mainly by redknapp), boardroom in total and utter disarray, no money, no stability. He has always been in a very difficult position and i genuinely feel for the bloke.
However, we weren't getting the rusults, we're bottom of the league, playing quite well in fairness, but just not getting the results and taking the chances...They've screwed over Hart but maybe this means we can turn a corner.
Don't worry Pompey fans, I understand that Mark Hughes may be looking for a new job before Christmas. He could be the ideal manager for you.
Are we suprised?? Its a real shame for such a gentleman of football and as a Pompey fan it's just another bad headache. Having said that one does get very tired of reading we didn't deserve to lose and we have improved from last week, the players are working hard and I'm sure we will turn it round. Well you can only say these things for so long. No matter the financial situation, No matter the scandal, No matter the quality of players and NO Matter How Nice the Manager. Results count, good results, winning results and beating the poorer teams. This just didnt happen did it?? I can not see us turning this around but we can all but pray. No matter what league all the Pompey faithful will still be there come rain or shine but this really is down to our financial survival
Pompey board should be ashamed. Hart has done as well as should have been expected @#$% board, no money and a squad of players who think they are better than they are .Good luck in the future Paul.
go and get zico or jewel
So wrong, good luck Paul, you were always a tenacious player & I remember the goal you had disallowed in Anderlecht by a cheating dago ref back in 83-4.
Shame about Paul Hart
Think hes a top bloke with a good
understanding of the game,
Simply didnt av enough time
or money !
Shame on you Portsmouth.
Mags Fan
I think Avraam Grant did a great job with chelsea.We almost won the Premier League after we were in crisis and far behind the others.We caught up with him and almost got the title.We also lost the champions league with him because of John Terry being unable to score from a penalty kick. He is a good coach and chelsea should have kept him at least for one more season.
yh send for that LOSER=== Send for Benitez! :p
now should come darren ferguson at portsmouth as their manager.do this pompy because he is good manager and he can save you from relegation.good luck
rblackhurst. LOOK AT THE EPL TABLE. No way will 'Aitch leave Spurs and NO WAY are Spurs the poor relations to Arsenal!
Look at what 'Aitch has done in a short space of time. He wants to pit his wits AT THE TOP END OF THE TABLE, against the best Manager's and he is doing it at the moment and will do so even more when Spurs qualify for a CL spot, which THEY WILL!
Paul Hart has been let down by Storrie...big time....and by the players, undoubtably!!
You can only send a team out to do what you ask of them, and if they don't it's down to them....end of.
A sad day for Pompey and a sad day for football and even more, a sad day for those fantastic Pompey fans!!
Send for Benitez!
A stupid move. Paul has been through the worst and has got the players now pulling together. Avram Grant is a man with experience and kept Chelsea together.
He and Paul Hart could have....possibly, worked some magic together.
There's more to this than meets the eye. It sucks!
I'm a Spurs fan and get no pleasure in seeing Pompey in this position, their fans are brilliant and a welcome group of supporters in ANY ground, ANYWHERE!!!
They are the ones who are suffering and if the management were a tenth as good as the Pompey fans, there wouldn't be a financial problem! Unbelievable! Good luck Pompey
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