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I am not leaving Portsmouth - Avram Grant
Gaffer vows to trudge on despite Pompey crisis...
8 Feb 2010 07:59:00
By Adithya Ananth
Portsmouth manager Avram Grant insists that he will not be leaving the club in its hour of need, as matters off the pitch have taken the spotlight while the south coast outfit continue to struggle at the bottom of the Premier League.
Pompey have been riddled with problems this season, as the club has changed hands on four occasions with a fifth on the horizon as current majority stake holder Balram Chainrai has maintained that he intends to find a new owner.
Meanwhile, the survival spark is on the verge of being extinguished as the Fratton Park outfit have not registered a victory in the top-flight since shocking Liverpool with a 2-0 result in December.
To make matters worse, Pompey face a winding-up order in the High Court on Wednesday. But Grant insists that he will stick with the club despite his job having become much tougher than his tenure at Chelsea.
"Maybe it [managing Portsmouth] is a bigger challenge [than managing Chelsea] because you're not only dealing with football matters," he said, according to The Mirror.
"At Chelsea I needed to deal with a big, big challenge and we did things that nobody expected. Here it's a different challenge because we don't just have to win games, we need to keep this club alive.
"It's not my job because I'm not a finance man, but I feel that I owe something to this city because it gave me the first chance so I can not only think about myself."
The former Maccabi Haifa boss admitted that he nearly walked out after defender Younes Kaboul and goalkeeper Asmir Begovic were sold to Tottenham Hotspur and Stoke City respectively.
"I had a choice, to say it's not what they promised me and I'm going - and I don't think one person could blame me for that - or to stay," said the Israeli. "I decided that even if things were different, I would do my best to keep this club up.
"I can not take the easy solution for myself. All my life I haven't thought only about myself so I need to think about this club also.
"The players give everything and the supporters are great so how could I say to them that I'm leaving now? I will do everything to help keep this club alive."
Portsmouth take on Sunderland at Fratton Park on Tuesday.
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Pompey have been riddled with problems this season, as the club has changed hands on four occasions with a fifth on the horizon as current majority stake holder Balram Chainrai has maintained that he intends to find a new owner.
Meanwhile, the survival spark is on the verge of being extinguished as the Fratton Park outfit have not registered a victory in the top-flight since shocking Liverpool with a 2-0 result in December.
To make matters worse, Pompey face a winding-up order in the High Court on Wednesday. But Grant insists that he will stick with the club despite his job having become much tougher than his tenure at Chelsea.
"Maybe it [managing Portsmouth] is a bigger challenge [than managing Chelsea] because you're not only dealing with football matters," he said, according to The Mirror.
"At Chelsea I needed to deal with a big, big challenge and we did things that nobody expected. Here it's a different challenge because we don't just have to win games, we need to keep this club alive.
"It's not my job because I'm not a finance man, but I feel that I owe something to this city because it gave me the first chance so I can not only think about myself."
The former Maccabi Haifa boss admitted that he nearly walked out after defender Younes Kaboul and goalkeeper Asmir Begovic were sold to Tottenham Hotspur and Stoke City respectively.
"I had a choice, to say it's not what they promised me and I'm going - and I don't think one person could blame me for that - or to stay," said the Israeli. "I decided that even if things were different, I would do my best to keep this club up.
"I can not take the easy solution for myself. All my life I haven't thought only about myself so I need to think about this club also.
"The players give everything and the supporters are great so how could I say to them that I'm leaving now? I will do everything to help keep this club alive."
Portsmouth take on Sunderland at Fratton Park on Tuesday.
| Sign up with 188BET for a FREE bet up to £25 – Great Prices, Every Game |
|
| Open an account with Sportingbet today and get up to £50 in free bets! |
|
| Sign up with William Hill for a free bet up to £25 |
|
| Sign up with bet365 for a free bet up to £200 |
|
| Sign up with Paddy Power - Bet £10, Get £20! |
|
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