What a free kick by Ronaldinho…

You’ve probably heard of the worst player at training given the “penny” to wear at training the next day as a badge of embarrassment and motivation, but the boys at Portsmouth have taken it to a whole nother level.

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It looks as if one of South Africa’s largest Gold Mining Company, Central Rand Gold might be on the verge of purchasing Premiership side Portsmouth in a 70 Million Pound bid.

Chief Executive Greg James has held a series of meetings with Portsmouth owner Alexandre Gaydamak over the purchase of the club from Devondale Investments, the holding company in charge of Pompey that would see the 32 Million Pound debt would be wiped clean.

image via TheCapitalGoldGroup

It just isn’t getting any easier for new Portsmouth boss Tony Adams as Assistant Joe Jordan has announced that he is leaving Pompey to join up with Harry Redknapp at White Hart Lane.

With Martin Keown already turning down the opportunity to become Adams’ full time Assistant rather than just a part - time scout for Arsenal and now the loss of the 56 year old Scot,  coming just after he announced to the press on Monday that Jordan was staying.

Via DailyMail

Adams said then: ‘Joe is part of the team, 100 per cent, and I want him here forever. He’s a good ally and he will do the same job as he’s always done. I don’t  think there was ever a question of him going.”

image via Yimg

Tony Adams revealed on BBC Radio that Martin Keown has turned down the chance to become part of his former Arsenal teammate’s staff at Portsmouth.

After ruling out the possibility of Denis Bergkamp as well, the loss of the 42 year old Keown didn’t seem to sit well the new Pompey boss.

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In a surprising twist to the late Saturday evening Premiership world, Tottenham dramatically sacked head coach Juande Ramos, Assistant Gus Poyet and Sporting Director Damien Comolli at 10:30pm while Harry Redknapp resigned from Portsmouth to take over Spurs, starting tomorrow afternoon against Bolton at White Heart Lane.

We were expecting something, but I don’t think any supporter saw Redknapp leaving Fratton Park (in which Portsmouth will receive a considerable amount in compensation in the form of 5 Million Pound and former Arsenal Captain and Assistant Tony Adams taking the helm) while Ramos won just three Premiership games following their lifting of the Carling Cup back in February.

“I couldn’t turn down the chance to manage Spurs” and Tottenham Chairman Daniel Levy comes out swinging on Ramos and Comolli’s role in the Keane and Berbatov debacle, game preparations and questionable training methods.

image via The Sun

With all the hoopla surrounding today’s Uefa Super Cup Final between Manchester United (Champions League Winner) and Zenit St. Petersburg (Uefa Cup Holders) on Fox Soccer Channel at 11.30am (West Coast), the 2008/09 Uefa Cup First Round draw might have gotten lost in the shuffle.

And while every team’s am is to get to the final at Instanbul’s Sukru Saracoglu Stadium on May 20th, pushing through the first home (September 18th) and away leg (October 2nd) will be the first test.

Some of the more interesting pairings are after the Jump….

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One of the more underrated players in the Premiership, Portsmouth’s Pedro Mendes has made a 3 Million Pound move to Walter Smith’s Glasgow Rangers.

Add in the Maurice Edu rumors and Smith will have a nice little summer signing period under his belt.

Talking about the Old Firm match at the end of the first month of the season, Mendes said, “It is a very big game, I think it is a massive game, and I think it is a game when you’re at home and you’re a football player and you see the game on the TV and think, ‘I wish I could be involved in a game like that’.”

The English Football Association have charged Premiership side and FA Cup holders Portsmouth FC with “breach of rules” regarding the acquisition of Zimbabwean Benjani from Auxerre in January 2006 and the subsequent sale of Benjani to Manchester City in January 2008.

Agent Willie McKay had also been charged with “breach of rules” after representing the selling clubs in both moves as the FA rules against an agent representing two different clubs while dealing the same player.

Portsmouth released a statement saying,  “We did not pay an agent when Benjani joined from Auxerre, and his transfer to Manchester City was approved at the time by the Premier League and the FA’s compliance unit,” it said.

“This is nothing more than a technicality which we will strongly contest.”

Benjani himself is not being charged with anything regarding the moves.

Image via Wallpapers